Sarah Rice (1791-1871).
My 4th great-grandmother.
Sarah was the first of the Rice family to join my family tree. She was baptised on 3 July 1791 at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe, Sussex, to parents George Rice and Mary Harman (see below). She married William Budgen at St Nicholas’s Church in Worth, Sussex, on 2 November 1808.
William was an agricultural labourer and they raised a large family in Worth, where she died of bronchitis on 30 May 1871. William had died in 1867.
Visit Sarah and William’s page for more on their life and children.
George Rice (1748-1827) and Mary Harman (1755-1835).
My 5th great-grandparents.
George was baptised at St Nicholas’s Church in Worth, Sussex, on 22 May 1748. His parents were George Rice Snr and Rebecca Jupp (see below). The Rice surname was often written Rist in the records, especially in earlier times.
George married Mary Harman in Worth on 9 January 1777 but the couple lived for the rest of their lives in the Sussex village of Balcombe, about four miles south, where they raised a large family. Mary came from East Grinstead in Sussex, where she was baptised at St Swithun’s Church on 20 July 1755. Her parents were George Harman and Elizabeth Dumsday.
George Rice was described as a husbandman in his will of 31 January 1825, in other words a tenant farmer. A Land Tax Redemption record from 1798 showed him occupying land belonging to Bysshe Shelley Esq at Sherlocks in Balcombe. This man was more than likely the grandfather of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1731-1815) – the Shelleys were significant landowners in Sussex at the time and Bysshe Shelley would become 1st Baronet in 1806.
George Rice died in 1827 and was buried in Balcombe on 26 February (even though his will requested burial in Worth churchyard). His will decreed that his wife Mary receive all his property, and that after her death his oldest son James should get the house and other property in Balcombe. His son William received £1, his son Thomas £20, his sons in law William Best and George Hatcher £50. His sons Mark and John would receive £5 per year for 10 years and his son in law William Budgen £5 per year for 10 years.
Mary, who received £10 from her son William when he died in 1829, died in 1835 and was buried in Balcombe on 7 February.
The couple’s known children were:
- James Rice (1777-1857), my 4th great-grand uncle. James was baptised at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe on 31 August 1777. He married Elizabeth Godsmark on 14 May 1799 at St Nicholas’s Church in Worth but I’m unsure where she came from – there are several candidates in Sussex alone. The couple raised a family and at the 1841 census James was listed as a farmer in Balcombe, several years earlier having inherited his father’s property. He also received legacies from his brother William, who died in 1829 – including the proceeds of the sale of his furniture and other possessions, the remaining lease on his land and the cows in his yard. James’s wife Elizabeth died in 1847 and was buried in the village on 19 September. By the 1851 census James was living as a lodger with Joseph Johnson and his family in Balcombe, now listed as a pauper and former farmer. James died on 29 April 1857 in Brighton, Sussex, and was buried back in Balcombe on 3 May. A probate record described him as a widowed gamekeeper of Balcombe and probate was granted to his son George, of London Road, Brighton. Assuming this is the same James, he regularly appeared in lists of gamekeepers granted licenses in Sussex (for example the Sussex Advertiser 18 September 1815) while working for landowner Sir George Shiffner of Coombe. James and Elizabeth’s children were:
- Mary Rice (1800-????), who was baptised on 6 March 1800 in Balcombe.
- James Rice (1802-1846), who was baptised in Balcombe on 28 November 1802. Originally a labourer, in April 1822 he signed up for service in the British Army, in the 2nd Regiment of Foot. He remained with them until 1840, when he was discharged as medically unfit from the now renamed 2nd Queen’s Royal Regiment as a result of chronic rheumatism and asthma. He was abroad for most of his service, in the East Indies from 1825 to 1838, then Afghanistan until 1840. He took part in the Battle of Ghazni of July 1839, in which the city was captured during the First Anglo-Afghan War. James returned home in 1840 but died on 4 November 1846 in Horsham, Sussex. The Sussex Advertiser of 10 November reported that he had spent the week before his death living in the Castle pub on West Street or in the stables there. He complained of feeling ill and was discovered dead one morning by the publican. The inquest heard that James had a bullet in his side that had never been removed and that he probably died from apoplexy.
- Elizabeth Rice (1805-1870), who was baptised in Balcombe on 26 May 1805. She married carpenter Thomas Winter in his home village of Poynings, Sussex, on 8 May 1831. They settled there and raised a family, while Thomas worked as a carpenter and wheelwright. Elizabeth died in 1870 and was buried in Poynings on 4 December that year. Thomas was buried there on 10 August 1879
- George Rice (1810-1876), who was baptised in Westmeston, Sussex, on 13 May 1810. He married Cornwall native Mary Anniss Thorncroft in Brighton, Sussex, on 26 October 1836 – both were widowed but I’ve yet to find a first marriage for George that I’m happy with. George and Mary lived in Brighton with his daughter for the rest of their lives. He was a sawyer with the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. George died in the town in 1876.
- William Rice (1778-1829), my 4th great-grand uncle. William was baptised with the surname Rist at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe on 26 December 1778. He married spinster Elizabeth Peskett on 1 September 1801 at St Nicholas’s Church in Worth, Sussex, but I’ve yet to locate a baptism record for her that I’m happy with – there are several candidates and none stand out. William worked as a warrener according to his will, which meant that he either farmed rabbits for food or managed warrens and trapped the rabbits. Whether the couple had children is unclear – two boys were baptised in Worth in the years after William’s marriage but neither were mentioned in his will. Elizabeth died young and was buried in Balcombe on 25 October 1821. William remarried, his bride being spinster Mary Hill. The ceremony was held at St Mary’s in Balcombe on 21 October 1825. However, Mary too died very young and was buried in the village on 20 December 1829 said to be aged 29. William died a few days later and was buried in Balcombe on 27 December. He’d had to hurriedly rewrite his will after his second wife’s death. In it he left his mother Mary £10 and his niece Elizabeth Jeffery (then staying with George Tulley at Warninglid) £10, six silver tea spoons and one silver table spoon marked WER upon her reaching the age of 21. His nephew James Bex, son of William Bex, received his silver watch and £5 to contribute to the cost of his schooling. His brother George collected £5, while siblings John, Ann, Rebecca, Elizabeth, Mark and Thomas received £2. His sister Sarah, wife of William Budgen, got £4 and a silver table spoon. His other sisters shared six other silver tea spoons. He ordered that his furniture, bedding, linen and dairy and brewing utensils be sold by auction and the proceeds to go to his brother James, who also received the cows in his yard and the remainder of the lease he held on his land. Further sums that were due to go to his wife Mary were to be divided between his siblings.
- John Rice (1780-1863), my 4th great-grand uncle. John was baptised with the surname Rist at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe on 13 August 1780. He married Mary Simmons at St Margaret’s Church in Ifield, Sussex, on 12 September 1806. She may have been the girl born to Richard and Ann Simmons and baptised in Brighton on 14 September 1781 but have no proof. The census returns suggested she came from Ifield but that may refer to where she grew up. John and Mary’s children were born in Worth and he worked as an agricultural labourer. He received £5 per year for 10 years in his father’s will dated 1825. He was also described as a pauper on the 1851 Census, when he was living back in Balcombe, and thus reliant on public support. The couple were still living in the village 10 years later. John died in 1863 and was buried on 1 September. His widow died a horrifying death less than a year later as the West Sussex Journal reported on 23 February 1864. An inquest at Worth heard that Mary was with her daughter-in-law Amy and sitting at needlework by a small fire in the kitchen. Amy left the room to take beer to a man called George Tidy, who was working for them, but a few minutes later heard a scream, ran into the kitchen and saw that Mary was on fire. George and Amy put out the blaze but Mary had suffered burns to her face and hands, which a doctor treated with linseed oil. She died some hours later. The coroner concluded that Mary had been trying to use bellows on the fire when the accident happened, and her death was noted as accidental. The couple had a number of children:
- George Rice (1807-1879), who was born on 11 October 1807 and baptised on 15 November that year at Worth, Sussex. George spent the rest of his life in the village and worked as an agricultural labourer. He married Worth local Amy Lock there on 2 March 1835 and raised a family with her. He died on 20 June 1879 of paralysis, which meant that he probably had had a stroke. According to census returns, Amy went on to live with various family members before dying in Worth on 12 March 1895. She was buried there on 15 March.
- Rebecca Rice (1813-1870), who was baptised in Worth, Sussex, on 13 June 1813. She married local agricultural labourer James Fuller there on 20 October 1832 and lived, worked and raised children in nearby Crawley. In 1851 the census suggested he was not working. He died in 1856 and was buried in Crawley on 27 June. Rebecca was recorded as a charwoman in the 1861 Census, living in Ifield, Sussex, with her daughters’s family. The 1881 Census showed her in Crawley with her son William, cruelly classified as an ‘imbecile’. It’s possible that Rebecca was the woman buried in Cuckfield, Sussex, on 28 March 1883 but further proof is needed.
- Thomas Rice (1815-????), who was baptised in Worth, Sussex, on 30 July 1815. I’ve not been able to pin him down subsequently – there were several men of this name in the area who fit.
- Stephen Rice (1820-1882), who was baptised in Worth, Sussex, on 30 January 1820. He married Ifield native Mary Charman in Worth on 1 November 1841. Census returns recorded the family living in and around Worth and Crawley. Stephen worked as an agricultural labourer and shepherd in the area and the couple raised a family. He died in 1882 and was buried in Worth on 13 February. The 1891 Census recorded Mary as a servant to a Thomas Biggs in Ifield – they married two years later. Mary died in 1903.
- Mary Rice (1822-1891), who was baptised in Worth, Sussex, on 3 March 1822. She married swimming teacher and waterman Henry Winchester in his home town of Brighton on 14 January 1847. They settled there and raised a family. Henry died in 1870. Mary remained in the town, with census returns recording her as a charwoman and later as a nurse. She died in 1891.
- Richard Rice (1824-1900), who was baptised in Worth, Sussex, on 2 January 1825. He married Hampshire-born Eliza Gower in Brighton on 21 June 1852. He worked as an agricultural labourer initially but was later listed as an engineer and engine driver at a coal works, settling in the West Ham area of Essex with his family. Eliza died there in 1886, Richard in 1900.
- Ann Rice (1782-1850), my 4th great-grand aunt. Ann was baptised at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe on 7 July 1782 and married George Hatcher at St Nicholas’s Church in Worth, Sussex, on 29 August 1804. He came from Walberton, further south in Sussex, where he’d been baptised on 23 October 1786 to parents John and Mary Hatcher. George worked as a tailor and together the couple settled in Walberton, where they raised a large family. He appeared in a number of directories in Walberton in the 1830s and in an 1841 poll book for the village, entitled to vote because of his ownership of a freehold house there. Ann died in 1850 and was buried in the village on 17 May. George was recorded with his daugther Ellen in Ditchling, Sussex, at the time of the 1851 Census and 10 years later was staying with his daughter-in-law Amelia Hatcher in Chidham, Sussex. George died in 1864. The couple’s children were:
- John Hatcher (1809-????), who was baptised in Walberton on 26 March 1809. I’ve been unable to find records that match him subsequently.
- James Hatcher (1811-1881), who was baptised in Walberton on 5 January 1812. He married Harriet Rogers in the village on 7 September 1836. They settled in Brighton and had children, while he worked as a merchant seaman. His service record noted that he had first gone to sea as a cabin boy in 1827 and that he’d served in the Royal Navy for seven years – I’ve yet to find evidence of this. The couple and their family later moved to New Shoreham in Sussex. James died in 1881 and was buried in New Shoreham on 5 May. Harriet was buried there on 6 November 1886.
- Thomas Hatcher (1812-1861), who was baptised in Walberton on 15 November 1812. He worked as a master baker all his life and married Midhurst native Mary Budd in Chichester, Sussex, on 13 May 1837. She died young and was buried in the city on 18 July 1851. He then married his Leigh-born cousin Rachel Russell in Brighton on 2 December 1858 (see below). Thomas died in Chichester on 4 August 1861, Rachel on 21 January 1877.
- Francis Hatcher (1814-????), who was baptised in Walberton on 1 January 1815. He married Amelia Ann Matthews in Southampton, Hampshire, on 30 January 1847. I suspect he was a merchant seaman – two records dated 1846 and 1853 refer to him. However, he must’ve died young as Amelia was a widow and living with her daughters by the time of the 1861 census in her home village of Chidham. She married William Wells in 1876 and died in Chidham on 16 April 1891.
- Susan Hatcher (1817-1894), who was baptised in Walberton on 1 June 1817 and married widower Jacob Westbrook in Chelsea, Middlesex, on 9 October 1861. He was a brickmaker. and they settled in Reigate and Redhill in Surrey. Susan had a son illegitimately in 1840, called William Wright Hatcher. Jacob was buried in Redhill on 5 December 1885, Susan on 27 November 1894.
- Kezia Hatcher (1819-1897), who was baptised in Walberton on 2 May 1819. She married farmer and cousin Philip Russell (see below) in Aldgate, London, on 26 November 1848. The couple raised a family but moved around, with Philip and Kezia listed as publicans / beer house keepers in Charlwood, Surrey, in 1861 and in Ifield, Sussex, in 1871. He was a general dealer in Reigate at the time of the 1881 Census. Philip was buried in Redhill on 4 November 1882. Kezia was living with her daughters in Reigate in 1891 and was buried in Redhill on 4 October 1897.
- Ellen Hatcher (1821-1861), who was baptised in Walberton on 4 March 1821 and married plumber and glazier James Addison, a widower, in New Shoreham, Sussex, on 20 October 1850. They were living in the village of Ditchling in Sussex in 1861 but Ellen died later in the year. She was buried in Ditchling on 24 November 1861. James died in 1862 and was buried in Ditchling on 26 October.
- George Rice Hatcher (1823-1823), who was baptised in Walberton on 7 February 1823 and buried a few months later on 5 June.
- Rebecca Rice (1784-1844), my 4th great-grand aunt. Rebecca was baptised as Rist at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe on 17 June 1784 and married William Russell at St Mary’s Church in Slaugham, Sussex, on 27 October 1800. He had been born in around 1779 but I’ve yet to find a baptism record I’m confident about. The couple had a large family and lived for much of their time together in the village of Leigh, Surrey, according to various land tax records and documents listing men qualified to serve as jurors at the Quarter Sessions. In his will, written in 1837 and in which he left everything to his wife, he described himself as a farmer and shopkeeper. He died in 1838 and was buried at St Bartholomew’s in Leigh on 26 January. Rebecca must have taken over his farming concerns for the 1841 census and her own will described her as a farmer and grocer. She died in 1844 and was buried on 6 April, clearly with a degree of commercial success behind her judging by her bequests. Of her children, son Edward received £50, plus £25 yearly, Philip got £15 and a grandson George £50. The shop, farm and her other estate and possessions went to her son William Russell and son-in-law William Franks. Her daughters also received bequests. Rebecca and William’s had the following known children but there may have been others as Rebecca’s will referred to her six daughters – only five have so far been identified:
- Mary Ann Russell (1801-????) was baptised in Worth, Sussex, on 1 March 1801 but I’m unsure what happened to her after this. She may have been the unmarried daughter Martha or Maria (the document is unclear) referred to in her mother’s will.
- Rebecca Russell (1805-1882) was baptised in Worth, Sussex, on 5 December 1805. She married butcher and farmer David Coomber of Leigh on 28 May 1831 in Clerkenwell, Middlesex. They later moved to Merstham in Surrey, Leigh and then Croydon, where David’s death was registered in 1860. Rebecca remained in Croydon and by the time of the 1881 Census was living there with her son George and his wife. She died in Croydon in 1882.
- Edward Russell (1810-1882) was baptised in Leigh, Surrey, on 24 October 1810. He married Frances Ann Coulson in Paddington Green, Westminster, on 17 September 1850, when he was described as a baker. They settled in Leigh and he worked as a farmer, grocer and baker, getting a £50 legacy from his mother in her will as well as £25 annually to manage her farm. In 1871 Edward and his wife were in Colgate, Sussex, and he was a farm bailiff. The couple had several children. Edward died in 1882, a year after his wife.
- Louisa Russell (1811-1862) was baptised in Leigh, Surrey, on 6 October 1811. She married widowed coach builder and painter Thomas William Fuller in the village on 14 September 1846. They moved around a fair bit with their children, cropping up in Hawkhurst, Kent, in 1851 and Leamington Spa in Warwickshire in 1861. Louisa died the following year and was buried in Leamington on 24 December 1862. Thomas stayed in the area for some years but then moved to Lambeth and Clapham in Surrey, dying in 1895.
- Rachel Russell (1813-1877), who was baptised in Leigh, Surrey, on 9 May 1813 and worked as a grocer in the village for some years. She married her widowed cousin Thomas Hatcher (see above) in Brighton, Sussex, on 2 December 1858. They moved to live in Chichester where he worked as master baker. Thomas died in Chichester on 4 August 1861, Rachel on 21 January 1877.
- Ruth Russell (1815-1898), who was born in Leigh, Surrey, on 9 November 1815 and married wheelwright John Wood in the village on 9 October 1839. They raised a family together and lived mostly around Dorking and Westcott in Surrey. By the time of the 1851 Census John had switched jobs to become a relieving officer for the local Dorking Union workhouse. In that role he was responsible for identifying those who needed help in the locality and the type of help best suited to them. John died on 10 November 1896. Ruth died in 1898 and was buried in Westcott on 28 June that year.
- George Russell (1818-????), who was born in Leigh, Surrey, on 26 February 1818. He married Mary Jelley in Southwark, Surrey, on 4 June 1845, and worked as a baker and confectioner. The couple and their children moved around somewhat over the years – from Aldgate in London (recorded in the 1851 Census) to Epsom in Surrey (1861), and Penge (1871) and Beckenham (1881) in Kent. I’ve not been able to find confirmed death records for either of them. I suspect George died in 1885, his death registered in Bromley, Kent.
- Phillip Russell (1820-1882), who was baptised in Leigh, Surrey, on 9 January 1820. He married his cousin Kezia Hatcher (see above) in Aldgate, London, on 26 November 1848. The couple raised a family but moved around, with Philip and Kezia listed as publicans / beer house keepers in Charlwood, Surrey, in 1861 and in Ifield, Sussex, in 1871. He was a general dealer in Reigate at the time of the 1881 Census. Philip was buried in Redhill on 4 November 1882. Kezia was living with her daughters in Reigate in 1891 and was buried in Redhill on 4 October 1897.
- Elizabeth Rice (1786-1860), my 4th great-grand aunt. Elizabeth was baptised at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe on 9 April 1786 and married William Bex at St Nicholas’s Church in Worth, Sussex, on 4 October 1805. He came from Bramley in Surrey but took his mother Sarah’s name at baptism on 9 June 1785 – the record noted that his father was blacksmith Henry Boorer and that Sarah was his mistress. Their first two children were baptised in Worth, Sussex, and Charlwood, Surrey, but the family then moved to Westmeston in Sussex, where William worked as a gamekeeper. They finally settled in and around Warlingham and Sanderstead in Surrey, by which time he’d become a wheelwright. Elizabeth died in 1860 and was buried at All Saints Church in Sanderstead on 18 March. William was living with widowed housekeeper Ann Laker or Saker in the 1861 census, in Wheelwrights Cottage, Hamsey Green, Surrey. However, he then moved to Brighton on the Sussex coast – to be close to one of his children. He got in trouble there in 1863, as reported by the Brighton Guardian of the 4 March. This stated that he had been arrested for bad debts of £33 owed to a Croydon firm in 1862, and William told a bankruptcy hearing that he had struggled with his business as a result of age and declining trade. Eventually, the proceedings saw him discharged (Brighton Gazette 2 April 1863) and he settled down to life in the town with his son. He died at the Black Horse Inn in Brighton, where his son Frederick worked, on 25 May 1867 said to be late of Hamsey Green (Sussex Express 1 June 1867). William and Elizabeth’s children were:
- Elizabeth Bex (1807-1869), who was born on 24 May 1807 in Worth, Sussex. She married schoolmaster George Head in Kent in 1827 and had at least one child with him but he died young (I’ve yet to find a record). In 1841 she was living with her children, her parents and siblings in Sanderstead, Surrey. Somehow she met cattle dealer and farmer Robert Marshall and married him on 20 April 1847 in Hemingby, Lincolnshire, his home town. They settled in West Keal, Lincolnshire, but Elizabeth died in 1869 and was buried in West Keal on 13 December. Robert continued to farm there and died on 14 February 1903.
- Frederick Bex (1809-1873), who was baptised on 14 May 1809 in Charlwood, Surrey. He married Sussex-born Sarah Boniface in Hove, Sussex, on 4 September 1831 and settled in neighbouring Brighton, where he worked as a landlord and stable keeper at the Black Horse in Church Street. They raised a family but Sarah died in Brighton and was buried in Clayton, Sussex, on 14 June 1855. Frederick then married widow Barbara Potter in Westminster on 15 June 1857 – she was Sarah’s sister. The 1861 Census showed them in Brighton with Frederick listed as a stable keeper and licensed victualler. He died in Ditchling, Sussex, on 14 March 1873, described as a stable keeper and farmer on the probate record. Barbara died in Brighton on 6 November 1873.
- Rebecca Bex (1811-1837), who was baptised in Westmeston on 13 November 1811. She died in 1837, a resident of Dunsfold in Sussex, but was buried in Westmeston on 25 March that year.
- Henry Bex (1813-1886), who was baptised in Westmeston on 24 October 1813. He married Worthing-born Mary Ann Hart in Brighton, Sussex, on 30 May 1836. They had children and were recorded in many different towns over the years including Sanderstead (1841 Census) and Limpsfield in Surrey – latterly where several of his children were baptised. He also cropped up in Lamberhurst in Kent (1851 and 1861 censuses) and finally Northampton in Northamptonshire (from the 1871 Census). Henry worked as a carpenter and wheelwright. He died in Northampton on 18 May 1886 (Northampton Mercury 22 May 1886). Mary Ann followed him on 15 January 1887 (Northampton Mercury 22 January 1887).
- Louisa Bex (1818-1837) was baptised on 18 May 1818 in Westmeston, Sussex, but died in Brighton Hospital in 1837 and was buried in Westmeston on 19 February that year.
- Caleb Bex (1818-1820) was baptised on 18 May 1818 in Westmeston, Sussex, and buried there on 21 November 1820.
- George Bex (1820-1882), who was baptised on 12 March 1820 at Westmeston. He married Sussex-born Caroline Paskins in Brighton, Sussex, on 27 February 1842. They lived in Brighton, Sussex, and Alton and Aldershot in Hampshire and raised a family. George worked as a coach builder. He died in 1882 and was buried in Aldershot on 21 January. Caroline went to live with family in Middlesex and died in 1892.
- Kezia Bex (1822-1877), who was baptised in Westmeston on 17 March 1822. She married Thomas Tapping of Buckinghamshire on 8 August 1842 in Sanderstead, Surrey. In 1851 they were living in Lambeth while he worked as a police constable but in 1855 he retired with “infirmity of body” and they emigrated to Canada via New York, settling in Barrie, Ontario, with their children. Thomas worked as a farmer and also the local postmaster but Kezia died of TB on 4 September 1877 and was buried at Flinton, Lennox and Addington County Cemetery. Thomas later remarried and died on 25 September 1902.
- James Bex (1824-1903), who was baptised in Westmeston on 14 November 1824. He married Brighton-born Eliza Sophia Virgo in Sanderstead on 22 September 1852. They remained in the area all their lives, raising a family while James worked as a wheelwright. He died in 1903 while a resident of Hamsey Green in Surrey and was buried in Sanderstead on 19 December. Eliza remained in the area living with family and died in 1927.
- Alfred Bex (1828-1908), who was baptised in Madehurst, Sussex, on 10 February 1828. He married Suffolk-born Anna Eliza Tomkins in Brighton, Sussex, on 16 February 1851. They had children and lived in Croydon (1861 Census), Bexley in Kent (1871 and 1881 censuses) and subsequently in and around Hastings, Sussex. He worked as a carpenter and builder. His death was registered in Hastings in 1908. Anna worked as a lodging house keeper and in later years lived with her unmarried daughters, dying in 1922.
- Mark Rice (1787-1863), my 4th great-grand uncle. Mark worked in agriculture but several of his children emigrated to the USA as Mormons. Read about the family here.
- Matthew Rice (1787-????), my 4th great-grand uncle. Matthew was baptised at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe on 27 July 1787 – the same day as his brother Mark. However, I’ve had no luck tracking him. He was not mentioned in his father’s will dated 1825 or his brother William’s dated 1829, unlike his other surviving siblings. This suggests he died young.
- Luke Rice (1790-1790), my 4th great-grand uncle. Luke was baptised at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe on 25 April 1790. He was buried there on 13 July the same year.
- Sarah Rice (1791-1871), my 4th great-grandmother. See above or read more about her life with husband William Budgen here.
- Thomas Rice (1793-1869), my 4th great-grand uncle. Thomas was baptised at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe on 10 February 1793 and received £20 in his father’s will dated 1825. At some point he married – potentially in 1817 to an Ann Pilbeam or in 1809 to a Jane Marc – but was widowed. He then married widow Amy Lanham nee Sayers at St Mary’s in Horsham on 22 November 1836. She’d been baptised at Horsham to Stephen and Betty Sayers on 15 August 1784 and had married Henry Lanham in 1806. The 1841 Census recorded Thomas and Amy in Southwater, just south of Horsham, along with several children from her first marriage. He was described as an agricultural labourer but subsequent census returns, which placed them in Horsham, listed Thomas as a shoemaker. Amy died in 1855 and was buried in Southwater on 14 June. Thomas’s death was registered in Horsham in 1869.
George Rice (1720-1793) and Rebecca Jupp (1720-1799).
My 6th great-grandparents.
George was baptised at St Nicholas’s Church in Worth, Sussex, on 16 April 1720. His parents were George Rice and Sarah Gibbs (see below). Note that the Rice surname was often written Rist in the records.
It’s most likely that George married Rebecca Jupp on 17 June 1743 at St Julian’s Church, Kingston by Sea in Sussex, which is now part of the Shoreham and Southwick conurbation. Where she came from is a bit of a mystery – someone by this name was baptised in Oxted, Surrey, in 1717 but it’s likely she married a John Clements there some years later. It’s possible that she was a widow when she married George, but again no proof has been found.
Either way, the couple lived in Worth for the rest of their lives, raising a family, but I’ve yet to find out what he did for a living. George was buried in Worth on 26 September 1793. Rebecca was buried there on 14 April 1799.
Their known children were:
- Sarah Rice (1746-????), my 5th great-grand aunt. Sarah was baptised at St Nicholas’s Church, Worth, Sussex, on 31 January 1746 (1745 by the old calendar). A child by this name died in the village in 1753 but could well be another girl who shared the name who was born in 1750. A Sarah Rice married Thomas Byshe in Worth in 1774 and the banns were witnessed by a Rebecca Rice so it’s possible this was our Sarah. Further proof is needed though.
- George Rice (1748-1827), my 5th great-grandfather. See above for details of his family and life.
- John Rice (1750-1750), my 5th great-grand uncle. John was baptised at St Nicholas’s Church, Worth, Sussex, on 7 June 1750 and buried there on 10 June the same year.
- Mary Rice (1751-????), my 5th great-grand aunt. Mary was baptised at St Nicholas’s Church, Worth, Sussex, on 28 July 1751. It’s possible that she married John Parsons in Worth in 1782 but this could equally be another Mary Rice born in 1753 in the village.
- James Rice (1760-????), my 5th great-grand uncle. James was baptised at St Nicholas’s Church, Worth, Sussex, on 13 July 1760 but I’ve not been able to locate future records I’m happy are tied directly to him.
- John Rice (1765-1766), my 5th great-grand uncle. John was baptised at St Nicholas’s Church, Worth, Sussex, on 26 May 1765 and was buried there on 22 September 1766.
- Thomas Rice (1769-1770), my 5th great-grand uncle. Thomas was baptised at St Nicholas’s Church, Worth, Sussex, on 3 September 1769 and was buried there on 5 August 1770.
George Rice (????-????) and Sarah Gibbs (????-????).
My 7th great-grandparents.
My 7th great-grandparents George and Sarah have so far proved elusive. Options for George include a boy baptised on 15 March 1688 at St Nicholas’s Church in Worth, Sussex, the child of James and Mary Rice, or a George son of William Rice baptised there in 1683. I suspect the former partly on age but also occurence of the parents’ names in subsequent generations.
Sarah Gibbs was a widow when she married George and I’ve not found a maiden name for her. Was she the Sarah Symmonds who married William Gibb in 1702? They married by licence in Worth on 15 November 1716, he described as a husbandman or tenant farmer. Their son George was baptised in 1720 – the couple appear to have had no other children. The transcribed list of Worth baptisms do show a George and Sarah baptising children in 1738 (another George) and 1739 – but this was a couple who married in the village in 1735. A will dated 1768 from a George Rice refers to a number of daughters and sons-in-law but no son George, suggesting this was not my direct descendant.
Sources: Birth, marriage, death and burial records including civil registrations from the General Register Office, census returns, probate, land tax and other records at Ancestry.co.uk, Findmypast.co.uk and Sussex Family History Group.
British Newspaper Archive, titles referred to in text.
George Rice’s death certificate from the GRO (1879).
Wills: Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858, at National Archives; Sussex Wills and Probate at East Sussex Record Office; Sussex Family History Group.
Regimental records and Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Admissions and Discharges, 1715-1925, at National Archives.
East Ogden Stake Lineages – Weber County, Utah: of Early New England Ancestry; Author: Barker, Vincy R Stone (copy on Ancestry).
Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints records. Saints by Sea website.