Person:William Kempson (3)

William Kempson was born either at the very end of 1794 or start of 1795. He was not baptised until 27th May 1798, when he was described as being 3 years 4 months old. His younger brother James was baptised the same day. They were baptised at Totternhoe in Bedfordshire and were the sons of Judith Kempson, formerly Sear, and her husband George Kempson, a labourer. William's father died in 1815.

On 4th November 1819, aged 24, William married Martha Spufford in the neighbouring parish of Houghton Regis. They returned to Totternhoe after their marriage, where they had two children; a daughter called Sarah in 1820 and a son called James in 1823. Just before James was born, William's mother died.

In 1828 William and Martha witnessed the marriage of his older sister Ann at Totternhoe.

Martha died in 1838. She was said to be 38 years old.

William has not been found in the 1841 census. By 1851 he was living with his daughter and her family in Totternhoe. He was working as a straw cutter at this time.

The following year, William married again. His second wife was a widow called Charlotte Hemmings, formerly Sinfield. There was already a connection between their families; William's nephew James (son of William's brother George) had married Charlotte's daughter Mary.

On 2nd March 1856, William went to fetch some water from a meadow, when he suddenly collapsed and died in a gap in the hedge. An inquest was held and concluded that he had died of "congestive apoplexy". He was 61 years old. Charlotte survived him by at least five years, and remarried the year after his death.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Church of England. Parish Church of Totternhoe. Parish register transcripts, 1559-1812.

   ch. 27 May 1798: W[illia]m s[on of] Geo[rge] & Jud[ith] Kempson aged 3 y[ea]rs 4 m[on]ths

   Implying born between 28 Dec 1794 and 27 Jan 1795.

2. ↑ 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 1757; Folio 12; Page 16, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Ruebin Hutchens, head, married, male, 33 [1817/18], Grocer Master, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Sarah Hutchens, wife, married, female, 29 [1821/2], Straw Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Joseph Hutchens, son, male, 10 [1840/1], Straw Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Ann Hutchens, daughter, female, 8 [1842/3], Straw Plaiter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshsire
   James Hutchens, son, male, 4 [1846/7], b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   William Kempson, father in law, widower, male, 56 [1794/5], Straw Cutter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire

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

   d. William KEMPSON, March Quarter 1856, Luton Registration District, Volume 3b, page 251, aged 60 [1795/6]

4. ↑ Cambridge Independent, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 7, Saturday 15 Mar 1856.

   TOTTERNHOE.-Sudden Death.-On Sunday week, the body of William Kempson, of Totternhoe, labourer, was found in a gap in the hedge of a meadow, where he had gone to fetch some water. An inquest was held before Ezra Eagles, Esq., and upon the evidence of Mr. Farr, of Dunstable, surgeon, the jury returned a verdict of "Died from congestive apoplexy."

   [Assuming 'Sunday week' means not the Sunday immediately preceding publication but the one before that, this article implies that William's body was found on 2nd March 1856.]