Person:William Tucker (73)

William Tucker's origins have yet to be established for certain. From the ages quoted for him as an adult he appears to have been born somewhere between 1792 and 1801. In the three censuses in which he has been found he gave his birthplace variously as Poughill, 'Stoodley' and Stoodleigh, all in Devon.

William's first confirmed sighting is in 1861 when he married a widow named Sarah Bowden, formerly May. She had three surviving sons from her first marriage; her first husband had died in 1859.

William and Sarah appear in the 1861 census living at Lower Park in the parish of Cruwys Morchard. William was described as an agricultural labourer. They had one of Sarah's sons, Robert, living with them. By 1871 William and Sarah had moved to a cottage in the neighbouring village of Puddington. They were still in Puddington ten years later in 1881, but by this time were living with Sarah's son Robert and his wife and children. William and Sarah were both described as paupers in the 1881 census.

William died later that year. He was said to be 88 years old. He was buried at Puddington on 21st October 1881. Sarah outlived him by four years.

1. ↑ 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 1481; Folio 38; Page 16, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: Lower Park, Cruwys Morchard, Devon
   William Tucker, married, male, 60 [1800/1], Ag Lab, b. Poughill, Devon
   Sarah M. Tucker, wife, married, female, 48 [1812/13], Ag Lab Wife, b. Tiverton, Devon
   Robert Bowden, visitor, unmarried, male, 15 [1845/6], Ag Lab Son, b. Tiverton, Devon

2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 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 2163; Folio 7; Page 8, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Cottage, Village, Puddington, Devon
   William Tucker, head, married, male, 76 [1794/5], Ag Lab, b. Stoodley, Devon
   Sarah Tucker, wife, married, female, 65 [1805/6], Ag Lab, b. Templeton, Devon

3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 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 2231; Folio 4; Page 2, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: The Village of Puddington, Puddington, Devon
   Robert Bowden, head, married, male, 36 [1844/5], Agricultural Labourer, b. Tiverton, Devon
   Lovedy Bowden, wife, married, female, 30 [1850/1], b. Tiverton, Devon
   Elizabeth Bowden, daughter, female, 10 [1870/1], Scholar, b. Cruwys Morchard, Devon
   Walter Bowden, son, male, 8 [1872/3], Scholar, b. Puddington, Devon
   Robert Bowden, son, male, 4 [1876/7], Scholar, b. Puddington, Devon
   Fred Bowden, son, male, 1 [1879/80], b. Puddington, Devon
   William Tucker, ws? father, married, male, 87 [1793/4], Pauper, b. Stoodleigh, Devon
   Sarah Tucker, ws? mother, married, female, 76 [1804/5], Pauper, b. Parish N.K., Devon
   George Hunt, lodger, unmarried, male, 65 [1815/16], Agricultural Labourer, b. Cruwys Morchard, Devon

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

   d. William TUCKER, December Quarter 1881, Crediton Registration District, Volume 5b, page 267, aged 88 [1792/3]

5. ↑ Burials register, in Church of England. Puddington Parish Registers. (Exeter: Devon Heritage Services).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Puddington in the County of Devon in the Year 1881
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   209	William Tucker	Puddington	October 21st	88	R.W. Elkins, Rector of Creacombe