Person:William Richards (99)

William Richards was baptised on 12th April 1816 at Aldingbourne in Sussex, son of an agricultural labourer named John Richards and his wife Sarah. He appears in the 1841 census living with his parents and siblings at Bedford Row in South Bersted, being in the part of the parish which comprised the seaside town of Bognor. He was working as a shoe maker.

On 21st May 1849, aged 33, William was married to Eliza Hammond, who was 37. He was said to be a widower at the time, although the details of his first marriage have yet to be established. William and Eliza do not appear to have had any children. The 1851 census finds them living at West Street in Bognor with William's mother. William was working as a cordwainer and employing one man. By 1861 they were living at Black Rock in Bognor.

Eliza died aged 54, being buried at South Bersted on 29th November 1866. The 1871 census finds William lodging with a family called Groundsell.

Just under six years after Eliza's death William married again, to a Charlotte Blunden. They married at South Bersted on 19th October 1872. She had a number of children from before her marriage. William and Charlotte appear in the 1881 census at 16 Steyne Street in Bognor. William died in 1883, being buried on 26th July 1883 at South Bersted. He was 67. Charlotte outlived him, and went to live with her son in London.

1. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Parish Church of Aldingbourne (Sussex). Parish registers of Aldingbourn, 1558-1901. (Chichester: West Sussex County Council).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Aldingbourne in the County of Sussex in the Year 1816
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parents' Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   97	1816 April 12th	William	John Sarah	Richards	Aldingbourne	Labourer	J. Panack

   This baptism has been linked to the William Richards who married Eliza Hammond on the basis that in the censuses after their marriage he consistently claimed to have been born around 1816 in Aldingbourne, and in the 1851 census his mother Sarah was living with them.

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 1099; Book 1; Folio 22; Page 7, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Bedford Row, South Bersted, Sussex
   John Richards, male, 65 [1771-6], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], born in county
   Sarah Richards, female, 50 [1786-91], born in county
   William Richards, male, 25 [1811-16], J[ourneyman] Shoe m[aker], born in county
   Richard Richards, male, 15 [1821-6], Fisherman, born in county
   Priscilla Richards, female, 13 [1827/8], 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 1653; Folio 442; Page 3, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: West Street, Bognor, South Bersted, Sussex
   William Richards, head, married, male, 34 [1816/17], Cordwainer Emp[loying] 1 Man, b. Aldingbourne, Sussex
   Eliza Richards, wife, married, female, 38 [1812/13], b. Pagham, Sussex
   Sarah Richards, mother, widow, female, 61 [1789/90], b. Bersted, 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 625; Folio 52; Page 17, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Black Rock, Bognor, South Bersted, Sussex
   William Richards, head, married, male, 45 [1815/16], Shoemaker employing 1 Boy, b. Norton, Sussex
   Eliza Richards, wife, married, female, 48 [1812/13], b. Pagham, 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 1113; Folio 79; Page 3, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Circle Street, South Bersted, Sussex
   Henry J. Groundsell, head, married, male, 25 [1845/6], Carpenter, b. Wolverhampton, Staffordshire
   Sarah A. Groundsell, wife, married, female, 23 [1847/8], b. Lambeth, London
   Henry J. Groundsell, son, male, 2 [1868/9], b. Bognor, Sussex
   Mary A. Groundsell, daughter, female, 9mo [1870/1], b. Bersted, Sussex
   Henry Bevan, brother, male, 42 [1828/9], No occupation, b. Lambeth, London
   William Richards, lodger, male, 54 [1816/17], Boot Maker, b. Norton Aldingbourne, 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 1124; Folio 33; Page 25, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: 16 Steyne Street, Bognor, South Bersted, Sussex
   William Richards, head, married, male, 65 [1815/16], Shoemaker, b. Aldingbourne, Sussex
   Charlotte Richards, wife, married, female, 57 [1823/4], b. Aldingbourne, Sussex

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

   d. William RICHARDS, September Quarter 1883, Westhampnett Registration District, Volume 2b, page 207, aged 67 [1815/16]
   or
   d. William RICHARDS, March Quarter 1883, Westhampnett Registration District, Volume 2b, page 253, aged 69 [1813/14]

8. ↑ Bishop's Transcript of 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 1883
   No	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   1360	William Richards	South Bersted	Jan[uar]y 14th	69 years [1813/14]	William B. Philpot

   
   or
   

   BURIALS in the Parish of South Bersted in the County of Sussex in the Year 1883
   No	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   1395	William Richards	Bognor	July 26th	67 years [1815/16]	G.K. Weston, Off[iciating] Min[ister]

   Of these two burials (and their associated death index entries) the July death is considered more likely on the basis that in the 1881 census there were two William Richards living in South Bersted parish, one who claimed to be born around 1814 who was married to Jane, and one (the subject of this page) who claimed to be born around 1816 and was married to Charlotte.