Person:Thomas Lewis (130)

Thomas Lewis was baptised on 25th August 1776 at Willen in Buckinghamshire, son of Sarah Lewis, formerly Northern, and her husband Thomas Lewis, a labourer. In 1793, when young Thomas was sixteen years old his mother died.

In the Posse Comitatus survey of 1798 (taken to assess the strength of the country during the Napoleonic Wars), Thomas and his father were both listed as labourers living in Willen.

On 16th February 1808, aged 31, Thomas married Ann Hill at Emberton, about six miles north of Willen. They returned to Willen after their marriage, having three children baptised there between 1808 and 1813, although the youngest died as a baby. The eldest child's baptism describes Thomas as Thomas Lewis junior, presumably to distinguish him from his father who still lived in the village. The youngest child's baptism describes Thomas as being a labourer.

Ann died in 1814, aged 28.

Two months after Ann's death, Thomas married again. His second wife was Elizabeth Brown and they married on 24th October 1814 at Willen. Thomas's nephew Thomas Lewis (his sister Elizabeth's son) was one of the marriage witnesses. Thomas and Elizabeth had a daughter in 1816, but she also died as a baby. Elizabeth then died two months after her daughter's death, when she was said to be 28 years old.

Six months later, Thomas married for a third time. His third wife was Ann Riley from the nearby town of Newport Pagnell. They married at Newport Pagnell on 11th March 1817. They do not appear to have had any more children together. Thomas's father died in 1823 and was buried at Willen.

Ann died in 1834, when she was said to be 56 years old.

The 1841 and 1851 censuses each find Thomas living at Willen with his son Robert's family. Thomas died at the age of 75, being buried at Willen on 6th June 1851.

1. ↑ Church of England. Willen Parish Registers, 1665-1981. (Aylesbury: Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies).

   Parish Register
   1776 / Tho[ma]s son of Tho[ma]s & Sarah Sluithis Aug[us]t 25 1776
   Bishop's Transcript
   Christenings / Tho[ma]s Son of Tho[ma]s & Sarah Sluithis Aug[us]t 25 1776

   Other transcripts have recorded this entry as "Hinthis" or "Smithis". The handwriting is not entirely clear, but having examined both the Parish Register and the Bishop's Transcript, and considered other entries relating to this family, "Sluithis" appears to be the most accurate transcript of what was written for this entry. It also appears that Thomas and Sarah "Sluithis" disappear around 1776 to be replaced by a Thomas and Sarah "Lewis" from 1777 onwards who had not previously been there. Thomas and Sarah "Sluithis" had children called John, Elizabeth, Martha and Thomas baptised at Willen between 1772 and 1776. A John, Elizabeth, Martha and Thomas "Lewis" also appear in Willen from 1777 onward alongside Thomas and Sarah Lewis. It therefore seems reasonable to conclude that the handful of "Sluithis" entries at Willen in the early 1770s were a misheard "Lewis".

2. ↑ Beckett, Ian F. W. (Ian Frederick William). The Buckinghamshire posse comitatus 1798. (Buckinghamshire Record Society, 1985).

   WILLEN
   Labourers
   ...Thomas Lewis
   Thomas Lewis...

   Clearly there were two Thomas Lewises living in Willen at this time of the right age to be recorded in the Posse Comitatus, both labourers.

3. ↑ 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 59; Book 17; Folio 3; Page 18, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Willen, Buckinghamshire
   Rob[er]t Lewis, male, 30 [1806-11], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], born in county
   Charlotte Lewis, female, 30 [1806-11], born in county
   Elizabeth Lewis, female, 12 [1828/9], born in county
   Thomas Lewis, male, 8 [1832/3], born in county
   Ann Lewis, female, 5 [1835/6], born in county
   Sarah Lewis, female, 1 [1839/40], born in county
   Thomas Lewis, male, 65 [1771-6], born in county

4. ↑ 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 1723; Folio 247; Page 18, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Willen, Buckinghamshire
   Robert Lewis, head, married, male, 42 [1808/9], Ag[ricultural] Lab[oure]r, b. Willen, Buckinghamshire
   Charlotte Lewis, wife, married, female, 41 [1809/10], b. Bow Brickhill, Buckinghamshire
   Thomas Lewis, son, unmarried, male, 18 [1832/3], Ag[ricultral] Lab[oure]r, Willen, Buckinghamshire
   Sarah Lewis, daughter, female, 11 [1839/40], b. Willen, Buckinghamshire
   James Lewis, son, male, 8 [1842/3], Scholar, b. Willen, Buckinghamshire
   George Lewis, male, 6 [1844/5], Scholar, b. Willen, Buckinghamshire
   Julia Lewis, daughter, female, 3 [1847/8], b. Willen, Buckinghamshire
   Rebecca Lewis, lodger, female, 3 [1847/8], b. Willen, Buckinghamshire
   Thomas Lewis, lodger, widower, male, 65 [1785/6], b. Willen, Buckinghamshire

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

   d. Thomas LEWIS, June Quarter 1851, Newport Pagnell Registration District, Volume 6, page 283, aged 75 [1875/6]

6. ↑ Burials register, in Church of England. Willen Parish Registers, 1665-1981. (Aylesbury: Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Willen in the County of Buckingham in the Year 1851
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   76	Thomas Lewis	Willen	June 6th	75	Thena E Mil? Off[iciatin]g Minister