Person:Mary Unknown (7542)

Mary's maiden name and origins have yet to be established. Her first confirmed sighting is in 1752, when she and her husband John Stocker had a daughter, Ann, baptised at Oving in Sussex. There appear to have been at least three couples called John Stocker and Mary who married around that time, although judging by the sequence of baptisms it would appear that only one of those three couples went on to have children locally.

Mary and John had eleven children baptised between 1752 and 1767, the first nine at Oving and the last two at neighbouring South Bersted. John was a yeoman.

Mary died in 1781, being buried at South Bersted on 1st August 1781. John survived her by nearly seven years.

1. ↑ Church of England. Parish Church of South Bersted (Sussex). Parish registers of South Bersted, 1564-1904. (Chichester: West Sussex County Council).

   Mary Wife of Mr John Stocker Buried 15th Jan[uar]y [17]63
   1781 / August 1st / Mary: Wife of John Stocker sen[io]r
   Burials / 1794 / Nov[em]b[e]r 13th / Mrs Mary Stocker

   The 1763 burial is too early in light of Mary and John having further children baptised in 1764 and 1767. Either the 1781 or 1794 burials could be her if there were still multiple John / Mary Stocker couples in the area, but as the 1781 burial explicitly says wife of John Stocker senior this is considered the most likely.