Person:James Robinson (172)

James Robinson was baptised on 30th December 1832 at Pagham in Sussex, son of Charlotte Robinson. His baptism gives their abode as Sefter Green. When James was about eighteen months old his mother married an agricultural labourer named Henry Allen, who thus became James's stepfather. James sometimes used the surname Allen in the censuses. The family then moved to Sidlesham, where James appears in the 1841 census with his mother, stepfather and half-siblings.

In the mid 1840s the family moved to the neighbouring parish of North Mundham, where the 1851 census finds them living at Bramber Farm at the southern edge of the parish, close to the borders with both Pagham and Sidlesham.

On 5th December 1852, aged about 20, James married Fanny Edwards. Co-incidentally she had been baptised on the same day as him and in the same church. Fourteen days after their marriage she gave birth to a son, Edward James Robinson. His baptism records that they were living at Bramber.

Edward was followed in 1854 by another son, Charles, also born whilst living at Bramber. During 1854 they left Bramber and moved to Sidlesham. Sadly Charles died when he was only eight months old and was buried at Sidlesham.

In 1855 James and Fanny had a daughter, Emma, but she too died as a baby when she was about nine months old.

In 1860 they had another son, William. The 1861 census finds James, Fanny and their sons Edward and William living at the Mill village in Sidlesham. Sadly William died as a young boy too, aged two years old in 1862. Thus James and Fanny had had four children, but only their first born was still living.

In 1870, over ten years since their last child, James and Fanny had another son, Henry. By this time their eldest son, Edward, was seventeen years old. Henry was followed in 1872 by another son, George. Both Henry and George would live to adulthood. Consequently James and Fanny had three children who survived childhood, but with a seventeen year gap in the middle. In 1879 James and Fanny's eldest son married and they became grandparents shortly afterwards, whilst still bringing up their two younger sons.

The 1881 census finds James and Fanny still living at Mill in Sidlesham with Henry and George and a lodger, suggesting they had a room to spare. By 1891 they had moved to Church Lane in Sidlesham and Henry and George were still living with them but now working as agricultural labourers.

The 1901 and 1911 censuses both find James and Fanny living at Church Lane together, with all their children having left home. In 1911 James described himself as a retired farm carter and old age pensioner.

James died on 28th January 1915 at Church Lane in Sidlesham, aged 82. His obituary notes that he was survived by three sons, seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Fanny survived him by eight years and died in 1923, aged 90.

1. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Pagham (Sussex). Parish registers for Pagham, 1707-1901. (Chichester: West Sussex County Council).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Pagham in the County of Sussex in the Year 1832
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   707	Dec[embe]r 30	James (Illegitimate)	Charlotte	Robinson	Sefter Green	-	G.T Hudson, Curate

   This baptism has been linked to the James Robinson who married Fanny Edwards on the basis that:
   1. Their marriage certificate does not name a father, suggesting he was illegitimate;
   2. One of the witnesses to the marriage was a Charlotte Allen, and after their marriage he alternated between calling himself James Robinson and James Allen. In 1834 Charlotte Robinson married Henry Allen, suggesting that the Charlotte Allen who witnessed James and Fanny's marriage was his mother, whilst the reason James sometimes gave his name as Allen was that it was his stepfather's surname.
   3. In the censuses after his marriage James consistently claimed to have been born around 1832. Whilst he gave his place of birth as Sidlesham, Pagham is very close by - certainly much of his childhood was spent in Sidlesham judging by where his mother and stepfather had their children.

2. ↑ England. 1841 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1103; Book 5; Folio 21; Page 9, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Sidlesham, Sussex
   Henry Allen, male, 30 [1806-11], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], born in county
   Charlotte Allen, female, 25 [1811-16], born in county
   James Allen, male, 8 [1832/3], born in county
   Charlotte Allen, female, 5 [1835/6], born in county
   Henry Allen, male, 3 [1837/8], born in county
   Frank Allen, male, 1 [1839/40], born in county

3. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1652; Folio 181; Page 13, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Bramber Farm, Bramber, North Mundham, Sussex
   Henry Allen, head, married, male, 41 [1809/10], Farm Labourer, b. Fishbourne, Sussex
   Charlotte Allen, wife, married, female, 36 [1814/15], b. Selsey, Sussex
   James Allen, son, unmarried, male, 18 [1832/3], Farm Labourer, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Henry Allen, son, male, 13 [1837/8], Agr[icultura]l Labourer, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Frank Allen, son, male, 10 [1840/1], Agr[icultura]l Labourer, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   John Allen, son, male, 8 [1842/3], Scholar, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Emily Allen, daughter, female, 5 [1845/6], North Mundham, Sussex
   Eliza Allen, daughter, female, 1 [1849/50], North Mundham, Sussex
   James Johnstone, lodger, unmarried, male, 33 [1817/18], Farm Labourer, b. Westdean, Sussex

4. ↑ England. 1861 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG9; Piece 617; Folio 68; Page 10, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Mill, Sidlesham, Sussex
   James Allen, head, married, male, 28 [1832/3], Farm Laborer, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Fanny Allen, wife, married, female, 28 [1832/3], Farm Laborer wife, b. Pagham, Sussex
   Edward Allen, son, male, 8 [1852/3], b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   William Allen, son, male, 1 [1859/60], b. Sidlesham, Sussex

5. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 1111; Folio 69; Page 13, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Sidlesham, Sussex
   James Robinson, head, married, male, 39 [1831/2], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Fanny Robinson, wife, married, female, 39 [1831/2], b. Pagham, Sussex
   Edward Robinson, son, unmarried, male, 18 [1852/3], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Mundham, Sussex
   Henry Robinson, son, 11mo [1870], b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Alfred Edwards, lodger, unmarried, male, 27 [1843/4], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Mundham, Sussex

6. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 1122; Folio 70; Page 14, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: Mill, Sidlesham, Sussex
   James Allen, head, married, male, 48 [1832/3], Agric[ultura]l Labourer, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Fanny Allen, wife, married, female, 48 [1832/3], b. Pagham, Sussex
   Henry J. Allen, son, unmarried, male, 10 [1870/1], Scholar, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   George Allen, son, male, 9 [1871/2], Scholar, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Henry Turner, lodger, unmarried, male, 52 [1828/9], Agric[ultura]l Labourer, b. East Wittering, Sussex

7. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 840; Folio 63; Page 10, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: Church Lane, Sidlesham, Sussex
   James Robinson, head, married, male, 58 [1832/3], Agricultural Labourer, employed, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Fanny Robinson, wife, married, female, 58 [1832/3], b. Pagham, Sussex
   Henry Robinson, son, single, male, 21 [1869/70], Agricultural Labourer, employed, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   George Robinson, son, single, male, 19 [1871/2], Agricultural Labourer, employed, b. Sidlesham, Sussex

8. ↑ England. England. 1901 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG13; Piece 967; Folio 115; Page 3, 31 Mar 1901.

   Address: Church Lane, Sidlesham, Sussex
   3 rooms occupied
   James Robinson, head, married, male, 68 [1832/3], Agricultural Labourer on Farm, worker, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Fanny Robinson, wife, married, female, 68 [1832/3], b. Pagham, Sussex

9. ↑ England. 1911 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom: The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), (formerly the UK General Register Office.))
   Class RG14; Piece 5391; Schedule 12, 2 Apr 1911.

   Address: Church Lane, Sidlesham, Sussex
   2 rooms occupied
   James Robinson, head, male, 78 [1832/3], married, Retired Farm Carter old age pensioner, b. Sidlesham, Sussex
   Fanny Robinson, wife, female, 78 [1832/3], marred 58 years, 6 children born to marriage, 3 children still living, b. Pagham, Sussex

10. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

    d. James ROBINSON, March Quarter 1915, Westhampnett Registration District, Volume 2b, page 722, aged 82 [1832/3]

11. ↑ West Sussex Gazette, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
    4 Feb 1915.

    Page 1
    DEATHS
    ROBINSON. - On the 28th ult., at Church-lane, Sidlesham, James Robinson, aged 82.
    
    Page 12
    SIDLESHAM.
    There has died at Church-lane, Sidlesham, in his 83rd year, James Robinson, who had lived to celebrate his silver, golden, and diamond wedding. He is survived by his wife, three sons, seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren, making four generations.