William Budgen (1757-1845) and Betty Streeter (1761-1799).
My 5th great-grandparents.
William Budgen was baptised at St Margaret’s Church in West Hoathly, Sussex, on 21 January 1759, the son of Benjamin Budgen and Mary Lee. He was said to be two years old on the parish record. Although other William Budgens were born around this time in the area, John Howes, who’s studied the Budgens extensively, has discovered through his research that my 5th great-grandfather was the nephew of a William Budgen who lived at a property called Winhams.
William (the nephew) grew up in the village and married Elizabeth / Betty Streeter on 24 April 1783 at St Nicholas’s Church in the nearby village of Worth. He was referred to as a bachelor of West Hoathly in the banns but the records didn’t note an occupation. His oldest children were baptised in West Hoathly but those born from 1791 were christened in Worth.
Elizabeth was baptised Betty Streeter at St Nicholas’s in Worth on 16 June 1761 to parents William and Susan Streeter. Her christian name switched betweent the two over the years and her parents’ surname ended up being spelled a variety of ways as well, including Stretter, Streater and Shetter.
Betty/Elizabeth was most likely the woman who died young in 1799 and was buried on 7 January that year in Worth.
William died in 1845, recorded as an 84-year-old from Worth on his burial record back at West Hoathly on 22 April 1845.
William and Betty had a number of children:
- Elizabeth Budgen (1784-????), my 4th great-grand aunt. Elizabeth was baptised on 29 February 1784 at St Margaret’s Church in West Hoathly, Sussex, and grew up in the village and in nearby Worth. It’s possible she married a Samuel Wickens in 1803 in Worth, or a George Gainsford on 22 November 1801 in West Hoathly, but I’ve not been able to confirm either way from the available records.
- William Budgen (1785-1867), my 4th great-grandfather was an agricultural labourer and gamekeeper in Sussex.
- Mary Budgen (1787-????), my 4th great-grand aunt. Baptised on 28 April 1787 at St Mary’s Church in West Hoathly, Sussex, she’s one of many women who went by the name in this period so it’s difficult to track her down for certain. She may be the woman who married a James Shephard in Worth, Sussex, on 3 August 1810, but this is supposition only.
- James Budgen (1791-????), my 4th great-grand uncle. Baptised on 14 August 1791 at St Nicholas’s Church in Worth, Sussex, James may have been buried there on 7 March 1801. The burial record makes no reference to him being a child, unlike some other entries around this time, so he may have survived. If so, I’ve yet to locate him with confidence. One by the name married a Mary Wrist, but this chap appears to have been born in West Hoathly and was a few years older.
- Thomas Budgen (1793-????), my 4th great-grand uncle. Thomas was baptised on 12 May 1793 at St Nicholas’s Church in Worth, Sussex. I’ve no confirmed facts for him after this but a Thomas Budgen was buried in the village on 8 December 1798, although the record doesn’t state whether he was a child or not. He’s definitely not the man who was buried in Frant in 1861 as census records show he was born there, not in Worth.
- Susan Budgen (1795-1870), my 4th great-grand aunt. Susan married a farmer and later became an innkeeper.
- Sarah Budgen (1797-????), my 4th great-grand aunt. Sarah was baptised on 23 April 1797 at St Nicholas’s Church in Worth, Sussex. A burial took place in the village on 2 February 1799 but it’s not clear whether this was our Sarah.
Sources: Birth, marriage, death and burial records including civil registrations from the General Register Office, census returns and other records at Ancestry.co.uk, Findmypast.co.uk and Sussex Family History Group. John Howes’ Budgen family research featured in September 2008 and December 2012 editions of Sussex Family Historian published by Sussex Family History Group.