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. 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 and Rebecca Jupp (see below). The Rice surname was often written Rist in the records, especially the further back in time we go.
George married Mary Harman in Worth on 9 January 1777 but the coupled lived for the rest of their lives in the Sussex village of Balcombe, where they raised a large family. He was described as a husbandman in his will of 31 January 1825, in other words a tenant farmer.
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 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 would get the house and other property in the parish. His sons George (who I’ve yet to track down) and 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 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. They raised a family and at the 1841 census he was listed as a farmer in Balcombe, several years earlier having inherited his father’s property on the death of his mother in 1835. His 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, born in 1800 and baptised the same year in Balcombe. She died in 1829 and was buried in the village on 20 December.
- James Rice was born in 1802 and baptised in Balcombe. In 1822 he signed up for service in the British Army, in the 2nd Regiment of Foot, and remained 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 difficulty in breathing. He was abroad for most of his service, in the East Indies, India and Afghanistan. James died in 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, born in Balcombe and baptised in 1805. She married carpenter Thomas Winter in Poyntings, Sussex, in 1831. They lived there and raised a family, although the 1861 census places them in Lewes. Elizabeth died in 1870.
- George Rice was born in Plumpton, Sussex, and baptised in neighbouring Westmeston in 1810. He married Mary Thorncroft in Brighton, Sussex, in 1836 – both were widowed – and lived in the town for the rest of his life. He was a sawyer with the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and died in 1876.
- William Rice (1778-1829), my 4th great-grand uncle. William was baptised as 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. William died in 1829 and was buried on 27 December back in Balcombe. It’s possible they had children Thomas in 1802 and George in 1805, both baptised in Worth, but they could be the offspring of a similarly named couple.
- John Rice (1780-1863), my 4th great-grand uncle. John was baptised as Rist at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe on 13 August 1780 and married Mary Simmons at St Margaret’s Church in Ifield, Sussex, on 12 September 1806. I suspect she was born to Richard and Ann Simmons and baptised in Brighton on 14 September 1781 but have no proof, and her census returns suggest she came from Ifield. John and Mary’s children were born in Worth and he worked as an agricultural labourer. He was also described as a pauper on the 1851 census, when he was living back in Balcombe. 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 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 and when she returned just a few minutes later, 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 not long after. The coroner concluded that Mary had been trying to use bellows on the fire and her death was noted as accidental. The couple had a number of children:
- George Rice, born and baptised in Worth, Sussex, in 1807, George spent the rest of his life in the village and worked as an agricultural labourer. He married Amy Lock in 1835 and raised a family with her. He died in 1879.
- Rebecca Rice, who was born and baptised in Worth, Sussex, in 1813. She married agricultural labourer James Fuller there in 1832 and lived and worked in nearby Crawley. He died in 1856, Rebecca in 1870.
- Thomas Rice was born and baptised in Worth in 1815 but I’ve not pinned him down beyond.
- Stephen Rice was baptised in Worth in 1820 and married Mary Charman there in 1841. He worked as an agricultural labourer and shephard in the area, raised a family and died in Worth in 1882.
- Mary Rice, who was born and baptised in Worth, Sussex, in 1822. She married swimming teacher Henry Winchester in Brighton in 1832. They raised a family in the town and Mary died 1891.
- Richard Rice was baptised in Worth in 1825 and married Hampshire-born Eliza Gower in Brighton in 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 east London with his family.
- 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, and was baptised on 23 October 1786. George worked as a tailor and together the couple settled in Walberton, where they raised a large family. He appears in an 1841 poll book for the village, entitled to vote because of his ownership of a freehold house in Walberton. Ann died in 1850 and was buried in the village on 17 May. He was staying 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 1964. The couple’s children were:
- John Hatcher was born in 1809 in Walberton but I’ve not traced him beyond.
- James Hatcher was born in 1811 in Walberton and married Harriet Rogers in the village in 1836. They settled in Brighton and he worked as a merchant seaman. His service record notes that he had previously served in the Royal Navy for seven years. The couple and their family later moved to New Shoreham in Sussex. James died in 1881 and Harriet in 1886.
- Thomas Hatcher was born in 1812 in Walberton and worked as a master baker all his life. He married Mary Budd in Chichester, Sussex, in 1837 but after she died he married his cousin Rachel Russell there in 1858 (see below). Thomas died in 1861, Rachel in 1877.
- Francis Hatcher was born in 1815 in Walberton and married Amelia Ann Matthews in Southampton, Hampshire, in 1847. I suspect he was a merchant seaman based on records elsewhere but he must’ve died young as Amelia was a widow and living with her daughters by the time of the 1861 census. She died in 1891.
- Susannah Hatcher was born in 1817 in Walberton and married Jacob Westbrook in Chelsea, London, in 1861. He was a brickmaker and they settled in Reigate and Redhill in Surrey. It’s possible that Susannah had a son in 1840, called William Wright Hatcher. Jacob died in 1885, Susannah in 1894.
- Kezia Hatcher was born in 1819 in Walberton and married farmer and cousin Phillip Russell (see below) in Aldgate, London, in 1851. The couple raised a family but moved around, with Phillip listed as a publican in Charlwood, Surrey in 1861 and a general dealer in Reigate in 1881. He died in 1882. Kezia was living with her daughters in Reigate in 1891 but died in 1897.
- Ellen Hatcher was born in 1821 in Walberton and married plumber and glazier James Addison in New Shoreham in 1850. They were living in the village of Ditchling in Sussex in 1861 but she died later in the year. James died in 1862.
- George Rice Hatcher (1823-1823).
- 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 was 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. 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 farm and possessions went to her son William Russell and son-in-law William Franks. Her daughters also received bequests. Rebecca and William’s children were:
- Mary Ann Russell was born in 1801 and baptised in Worth, Sussex, but I’m unsure what happened to her after this. She may be the unmarried daughter Martha or Maria (the document is unclear) referred to in her mother’s will.
- Rebecca Russell was baptised in Worth, Sussex, in 1805. She married farmer David Coomber of Leigh in 1831 in the village. They later moved to Merstham in Surrey and then Croydon with their children. David was later described as a butcher but he died in Croydon in 1860. Rebecca remained in Croydon and was living with her son George at the 1881 census. She died in 1882.
- Edward Russell was baptised in Leigh, Surrey, in 1810. He married Frances Ann Coulson in Paddington, west London, in 1850 and went from being a farmer in the 1851 census to a grocer and baker in 1861 and in 1871 a farm bailiff. The couple had several children. Edward died in 1882, a year after his wife.
- Louisa Russell was baptised in Leigh, Surrey, in 1811 and married widowed coach builder and painter Thomas William Fuller in the village in 1846. They moved around a fair bit with their young family, cropping up in Hawkhurst, Kent, in 1851 and Leamington Spa in Warwickshire in 1861. Louisa died the following year. Thomas stayed in the area for some years but then moved to Lambeth and Clapham in London.
- Rachel Russell was baptised in Leigh, Surrey, in 1813 and worked as a grocer in the village for some years. She married her widowed cousin Thomas Hatcher (see above) in Brighton, Sussex, in 1858 but they moved to live in Chichester where he worked as master baker. Rachel remained there after his death in 1861 and died in 1877.
- Ruth Russell was baptised in Leigh, Surrey, in 1816 and married wheelwright John Wood in the village in 1839. They raised a family together and lived mostly around Dorking in Surrey, where John switched jobs to become a relieving officer in a local 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 in 1896, Ruth two years later.
- George Russell was baptised in Leigh, Surrey, in 1818 and married Mary Jelley in Southwark, south London, in 1845. He was a baker and confectioner and the couple and their children moved around somewhat over the years – from Aldgate in London to Epsom in Surrey and Penge and Beckenham in what’s now south London. I’ve not been able to find confirmed death records for either of them.
- Phillip Russell (1820-1882), see above under his cousin and bride Kezia Hatcher.
- 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’s name at baptism in 1785, suggesting he was born illegitimate. Tracking their children’s baptisms reveals that they originally lived in Worth but then moved on 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 he was arrested for bad debts of £33 owed to a Croydon firm in 1862 but 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 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. William and Elizabeth’s children were:
- Elizabeth Bex, who was born in 1807 in Worth, Sussex. She married a George Head in Halstead, Kent in 1827 but he died young and 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 in 1847 in Hemingsby, Lincolnshire, his home town. They settled in West Keal, Lincolnshire, but Elizabeth died in 1869. Robert lived until 1903.
- Frederick Bex, who was born in 1809 in Charlwood, Surrey. He married Sussex-born Sarah Boniface in Hove, Sussex in 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 1855. Future census records suggest he married again but I’ve found no proof. He died in Ditchling, Sussex, in 1873.
- Becca Bex (1811-1837). She was born and buried in Westmeston, Sussex.
- Henry Bex. Baptised in Westmeston, Sussex, in 1816, he married Worthing-born Mary Ann Hart in Brighton, Sussex in 1836. They had children and lived in many different towns over the years including Sanderstead, Limpsfield in Surrey, Lamberhurst in Kent and finally Northampton in Northamptonshire. Henry worked as a carpenter and wheelwright. He died in Northampton in 1886. Mary Ann followed him a year later.
- Louisa Bex (1818-1837). She was born and buried in Westmeston, Sussex, but died in Brighton Hospital.
- Caleb Bex (1818-1820). He was born and buried in Westmeston, Sussex.
- George Bex. Baptised in Westmeston, Sussex, in 1820, he married Sussex-born Caroline Paskins in Brighton, Sussex in 1842. They lived in Alton and Aldershot in Hampshire and raised a family while George worked as a coach builder. He died in 1882 and was buried in Aldershot. Caroline went to live with family in Middlesex and died in 1892.
- Kezia Bex. Baptised in Westmeston, Sussex, in 1822, she married Thomas Kimble of Buckinghamshire in 1842. In 1851 they were living in Lambeth while he worked as a police constable but in 1855 they emigrated to Canada via New York, settling in Ontario with their children. Thomas worked as a farmer but Kezia died of TB in 1877 and was buried at Flinton, Lennox and Addington County Cemetery. Thomas had also become postmaster at Hardinge in Ontario. He remarried and lived until 1902.
- James Bex. Baptised in Westmeston, Sussex, in 1824, he married Brighton-born Eliza Sophia Virgo in Sanderstead in 1852. They remained in the area all their lives, raising a family while James worked as a wheelwright. He died in 1904, Eliza in 1927.
- Alfred Bex. Baptised in Madehurst, Sussex, in 1828, he married Sussex-born Anna Eliza Tomkins in Brighton, Sussex in 1851. They had children and lived in Croydon, Bexley in Kent and in and around Hastings, Sussex, over the years while he worked as a carpenter and builder. Alfred died in either 1902 or 1908 – there are two candidates in the Hastings area – while his wife lived until 1922.
- Mark Rice (1787-1863), my 4th great-grand uncle. Mark was baptised at St Mary’s Church in Balcombe on 27 July 1787 and married Eleanor Whaley at St Mary’s Church in Speldhurst, Sussex, on 20 April 1812. She was actually baptised Ellina Willie on 19 June 1791 at St Nicholas’s in Worth, Sussex. For many years the couple lived in West Hoathly, Sussex, raising a family. Mark worked as a farm labourer and they were still there at the time of the 1841 census. However, the 1851 and 1861 census records show that they had moved to Croydon Old Town in Surrey, where he was still working in agriculture. Eleanor died there in 1862 and was buried at St John’s Church on 10 February. Mark followed a year later and was buried on 12 December 1863. The couple’s known children were:
- Mark Rice. Baptised in West Hoathly in 1817, he must’ve died young because a later child was also named Mark but I’ve yet to find a record of his burial.
- John Rice was baptised in West Hoathly in 1818 and married Anne Longley of Bolney in Sussex in 1841. They had several children. The couple lived in Godstone, Surrey, for some years and John worked as a labourer on the railways but by 1871 they were living in Horne, Surrey, and he was an agricultural labourer. Anne died in 1873 and John married widow Harriet Ansell nee Sayers in 1877 at Caterham, Surrey, and in 1881 were living in Horsham. He died in 1889, his will describing him as a yeoman.
- Eliza Rice was baptised in West Hoathly in 1821 and married Thomas Roolls in 1841. He worked as an agricultural labourer. They settled in Croydon, where he was living at the time of their marriage, and remained their until there deaths – Eliza in 1884 and Thomas in 1892. I don’t believe they had any children.
- James Rice was born in West Hoathly in 1824 and married Elizabeth Murrill of Tenterden in Kent in Croydon, Surrey, in 1847. They moved to Chelsea in London, where he worked as a policeman, and the couple joined the Mormon Church in 1851. They sailed for the USA in 1955, landing in New York, and in 1862 crossed the states to settle in Pool Patch, Utah, where they became farmers. An obituary published after his death noted that James and his wife had had 15 children. He died in 1890 and Elizabeth in 1893, both buried in Ben Lomond Cemetery, North Ogden, Utah.
- Martha Rice (1827-1828).
- Mark Rice was born in West Hoathly in 1827 and married Sarah Freeland of Croydon, Surrey, in nearby Norwood in 1847. Billed as a labourer then and in the 1851 census, Mark then disappears from the record. However, he could be the Mark Rice who died of congestion of the brain while working as captain of the ship Barbara in Colaba, India, in June 1862. He was the right age but no further evidence exists. Sarah was a widow by the 1871 census. She died in 1884.
- Margaret Rice was baptised in West Hoathly in 1829 and married labourer Charles Odd in Croydon in 1852. They converted to the Church of Latter Day Saints and emigrated to the USA with their children in 1873. They settled in Utah but Margaret died of cancer in Salt Lake City in 1875. Charles died in 1896.
- Matthew Rice (1787-1863), 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.
- 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.
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.
- George Rice (1748-1827), my 5th great-grandfather (see above).
- 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.
- 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 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 on 5 August 1770.
George Rice (????-????) and Sarah Gibbs (????-????).
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 offspring.
Sarah was a widow when she married George and I’ve not found a maiden name for her. They married by licence in Worth on 15 November 1716, he described as a husbandman or tenant farmer.
Sources: Findmypast.co.uk, Ancestry.co.uk, Sussex Family History Group, British Newspaper Archive.