Person:William Hammond (67)

William Hammond was baptised on 16th September 1745 at South Bersted in Sussex, son of Mary Hammond, formerly Watts, and her husband William Hammond, a blacksmith. Young William would follow his father’s trade and also became a blacksmith.

On 22nd July 1777, aged 31, William married Ann Wheatley, who was from the neighbouring parish of Pagham. They married at Pagham and had their first daughter baptised there in 1778, after which they moved back to South Bersted, having another six children baptised there between 1780 and 1791.

Ann died shortly after the birth of her youngest child; he was baptised on 30th September 1791 and she was buried less than three weeks later, on 19th October 1791, at South Bersted. She was probably about 35 years old.

Just over a year after Ann’s death, William remarried. His second wife was Mary Farr and they married at South Bersted on 24th December 1792. She was about 26 years his junior. Around the same time as their marriage, William’s youngest son from his first marriage died; he was buried four days later.

William and Mary went on to have another ten children baptised at South Bersted between 1793 and 1814, although at least one died young.

William’s father died in 1793 and his mother died in 1795.

William and Mary’s youngest daughter’s baptism in 1814 notes that the family lived at North Bersted, which was a hamlet in the parish of South Bersted. The parish of South Bersted also included the fishing village of Bognor, which was just starting to be developed into a seaside resort at the time of their marriage. By 1830 William and Mary had moved into Bognor.

Mary died in 1830, being buried at South Bersted on 5th July 1830. She was said to be 53 years old, although the age given when she had married would suggest she was actually closer to 58. William survived her by three years. He was buried at South Bersted on 27th October 1833, aged 88.

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

   1746 / Bap[tised] / William S[on] of William & Mary Hammond Sep[tember] 16

2.   Britain, country apprentices 1710-1808 Transcription.

   Apprentice: Jacob Wyear
   Indenture year: 1787
   Registration year: 1788
   Master: William Hammond, blacksmith of South Bersted, Sussex
   National Archives Reference: IR1 64f183

   Possible this record could also be William's father.

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

   BURIALS in the Parish of South Bersted in the County of Sussex in the Year 1833
   No	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   568	William Hammond	Bognor	October 27th	88 years [1744/5]	Edw[ar]d Eedle