The Budgens

Budgen family overview

The Budgens joined the Finch family tree on 22 January 1898 when Walter Alfred Finch and Annie Budgen married in Dorking, Surrey. My branch of the family comes from Sussex and Surrey. The surname is pretty common in Sussex and is said to be of Old French origin – one theory is that it’s a nickname from the Anglo-Norman French phrase “bon Jean”, meaning “good John”. The phrase would have been used in the sense of “good man” or “good servant” and is an example of an early European surname gradually created from the habitual use of nicknames.

These are my Budgen ancestors:

• My great-grandparents
  • Annie Budgen (1875-1980) and Walter Alfred Finch (1872-1949) worked together to make a success of the family bakery business in Croydon, Surrey.

• My 2nd great-grandparents
  • Thomas Budgen (1838-1910) and Maria Dolamore (1842-1933) lived in Reigate, Surrey, where he worked as a gardener, but Maria came from Hertfordshire.
    
• My 3rd great-grandparents
  • Benjamin Budgen (1810-1891) and Eliza Botting (1812-1860) lived in Sussex and raised a family while he worked as an agricultural labourer.
    
• My 4th great-grandparents
  • William Budgen (1785-1867) and Sarah Rice (1791-1871). William took his family from West Hoathly to Worth in Sussex and worked for some years as a gamekeeper.
    
• My 5th great-grandparents
  • William Budgen (1757-1845) and Betty Streeter (1761-1799). William came from an established West Hoathly family in Sussex.
    
• My 6th great-grandparents
  • Benjamin Budgen (1719-1794) and Mary Lee (1719-1794). Benjamin came from a family with some money but as a younger son didn’t get to see much of it.
    
• My 7th great-grandparents
  • Thomas Budgen (1675-1757) and Sarah Comber (1682-1758). The Combers were a successful and long-established Sussex family.
• At this point the line becomes very speculative. At present I’ve followed the theory of a Budgen family researcher who suggests the John Butchin of Bletchingley below was my ancestor but I’m increasingly doubting this and am researching further.
  
  
• My 8th great-grandparents
  • John Butchin (1645-?) and Anne Alchin (1645-?). John came from Bletchingley, Surrey, and was brought up as the English Civil War raged across the country.
    
• My 9th great-grandparents
  • John Butchin and Sarah – John worked as a carpenter, lived for many years in Bletchingley and was given a ewe in his grandfather’s will!
    
• My 10th great-grandparents
  • John Butchin (1578?-?) and his wife (1580?-?) are something of a mystery, known only by mentions in wills and other documents.
    
• My 11th great-grandparents
  • William Butching (1546-1607) and Dorothy are mentioned in manorial records relating to property in the village of Nutfield, Surrey.
    
• My 12th great-grandparents
  • John Butching (?-1560) and his wife. John occupied a farm that was known by the family name in Nutfield, Surrey.

The Budgen surname has been spelled in numerous ways over time including Budgin, Butchin and Butching.