Thomas Finch (1768-1845) and Ann Burley (1775-1850).
My 4th great-grandparents.
Thomas Finch was born in Reigate, Surrey, on 14 September 1768 and baptised at the parish church of St Mary’s on the 25th of the month. He was the son of carpenter Thomas Finch and his wife Mary Bilcliffe and grew up in the town with his siblings.
Thomas married Ann Burley at the church on 13 July 1792, died in December 1845 and was buried at the church on the 28th. The most likely candidate for Ann was born on 27 April 1775 in Limpsfield, Surrey. She was buried in the parish of Reigate on 10 February 1850 but at the time of her death was living in nearby Kingswood, potentially with or near her son Michael.
Thomas and Ann had several children and while some were baptised in Reigate, others were christened in Limpsfield. One theory, suggested by genealogists at Surrey History Centre who located their marriage for me, is that she would’ve returned to her home village to have her children so that she could be with her mother, who would doubtless have performed some midwifery duties. However, Surrey Land Tax records also show a Thomas Finch occupying land owned by Richard Sandiland in Limpsfield in 1798 and 1799, while in 1801 he was on land belonging to a Mr Faulkner. It’s likely that this Thomas was my ancestor and that he was moving around for work.
The records ‘Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices’ Indentures 1710-1811′ show further evidence of a Thomas Finch but this time in Reigate. On 24 July 1794 he was recorded as a carpenter and master of an apprentice called Richard Thornton. Again, whether this man is our ancestor can’t be confirmed as yet but his occupation links him with Finches from earlier generations.
Ann’s parents were John Burley of Limpsfield and Sarah Goodman of Kingston, Surrey, who married in Kingston, Surrey, on 27 June 1774. In the Land Tax records, John is shown as being the owner and occupier of land in Limpsfield, with the sum assessed being 3 shillings.
Thomas and Ann Finch had at least 10 children:
- Ann Finch (1793–1804), my 3rd great-grand aunt. Ann was born in Limpsfield, Surrey, on 10 July 1793, baptised on 11 August and died aged just 10. She was buried on 4 February 1804 in Limpsfield, at St Peter & St Paul Church.
- Thomas Finch (1795–1852), my 3rd great-grand uncle. Baptised at St Mary’s in Reigate, he found himself in the workhouse with his daughters at a time of great controversy for the institution.
- Phoebe Finch (1796–????), my 3rd great-grand aunt. Born on 8 December 1796, she was baptised on 1 January 1797 at Limpsfield parish church. However, I’ve found no further records that match her
- Charles Finch (1799–1799?), my 3rd great-grand uncle. Born on March 6 and baptised on April 15 1799 at Limpsfield parish church, a Charles Finch was buried there on July 16 but no age was recorded for him. I believe this burial was of a different person for the 1851 census recorded widower Charles Finch, from Reigate and born in around 1800, living in Reigate as a lodger with the Beall family. He was working as a carpenter, the Finch family trade, so it’s more than likely he is an ancestor. There is a death record of a Charles Finch from February 1860 in Reigate, who was buried at the town workhouse burial ground. However, there was another Charles Finch around in Reigate and so I can’t say this is definitive.
- Henry Finch (1801–1885), my 3rd great-grandfather.
- Michael Finch (1803–1864), my 3rd great-grand uncle. Born on 13 July 1803, he was baptised on 31 July that year at Limpsfield parish church. On 8 October 1825 Michael married Mary Ann Streeter at St Mary’s in Reigate. Mary Ann was born to Richard and Mary Streeter at Nutfield and baptised there on 8 February 1807. Michael and his family lived in various places including Ewell, Chipstead and Kingswood and worked as farm labourers. He died in 1864 and was buried on 31 January 1864 at St Mary’s Church in Chipstead, Surrey. Mary Ann’s death had been registered in 1859 so Michael was listed as a widower in the 1861 census. The couple had a large number of children including:
- Harriet Finch (1827-1849). Baptised in Reigate, it’s likely that Harriet died in 1849. Listed as a resident of Kingswood, she was buried in Gatton, Surrey.
- William Finch (1828-1841). It appears that William also died young. Again noted as a resident of Kingswood, he too was buried in Gatton, Surrey.
- James Finch (1832-????). Baptised in Reigate, James married Mary Ann Crippen in Croydon, Surrey, in 1856 but there are too many options currently to pin him down beyond that.
- John Finch (1835-1876). John married Amy Simmons in 1864 in Chipstead, Surrey, and raised a family in the village. He worked as an agricultural labourer and was buried there in 1876.
- Robert Finch, Michael, Eliza, Richard and Frederick
- Sarah Finch (1805–?), my 3rd great-grand aunt. Baptised on 5 November 1805 at St Mary’s church in Reigate, Sarah then disappears from the records. Is this one of our couple’s children, as the date is very close to Eliza Finch’s baptism, unless Sarah’s baptism was delayed
- Eliza Finch (1806–?), my 3rd great-grand aunt. Eliza was baptised at St Mary’s church in Reigate on 18 April 1806. She then disappears from the records too
- Jane Finch (1808–?), my 3rd great-grand aunt. Jane was baptised on 25 March 1808 at St Mary’s church in Reigate. She also disappears
- Louisa Finch (1810–?), my 3rd great-grand aunt. Louisa was baptised on 26 August 1810 at St Mary’s Church in Reigate. Again, I’ve not been able to find records that directly and obviously relate to her.
Sources. All data has been gathered from Ancestry.co.uk, FindMyPast.co.uk, the British Newspaper Archive and visits to Surrey Family History Centre in Woking.