Philip Comber (c1606-1680), Elizabeth (????-1654) and Dorothy Hounsell (????-1714). My 9th great-grand uncle and aunts. Philip Comber was probably born in West Hoathly, Sussex, but baptism records for the parish survive only from 1606 so his birth year remains a guesstimate. His parents were Thomas Rivers Comber and Ann Burstow and he received £10 from […]
17th century
Sarah Comber and my other Comber ancestors
Sarah Comber (1682-1758).My 7th great-grandmother. The Combers were a long-established Sussex family, some prospered as landowners and sheep farmers, and family pedigrees were presented at the Heralds’ Visitations of Sussex in 1634. The surname probably derived from the occupation of combing wool, although a ‘combe’ refers also to a valley. Curiously, some members of the […]
Frances Ann Witchingham and my other Witchingham ancestors
Frances Ann Witchingham (1773-1847). My 5th great-grandmother. Witchingham is a reasonably common surname in Norfolk and probably derives from the village of Witchingham, north-west of Norwich. Over time the name has been spelled in a variety of ways including Wychingham, Wichinham, Withingham and even Wichengim. View where the Witchinghams are in my current family tree […]
Ann Burley and my other Burley ancestors
Ann Burley (1775-1850).My 4th great-grandmother. She married into the Finch family. Ann Burley was the daughter of John Burley of Limpsfield and Sarah Goodman of Kingston, both in Surrey (see below). She was born on the 27 April 1775 and baptised on 3 June that year at St Peter’s Church in Limpsfield, where her carpenter […]
Thomas Finch (1686-1755)
Thomas Finch (1686-1755). My 7th great-grand uncle. Thomas got off to a rough start in life but married into a prosperous Sussex family, at least for a while… He was born in the village of Slinfold to carpenter John Finch and his wife Sarah Richardson. But he was clearly very ill as a baby because […]
Mary Bilcliffe and my other Bilcliffe ancestors
Mary Bilcliffe (1735-1783).My 5th great-grandmother. The Bilcliffe surname is a rare one in the UK and appears in several forms in the records (like many other surnames of the time), for example as Billcliff, Billcliffe, Bentley and even Bentlet. The first to marry into my Surrey-based Finch family was Mary Bilcliffe – but who was […]
William Butchin’s newsworthy descendants
William Butchin was born in 1603 and baptised on 20 November that year at St Peter & St Paul’s Church in Nutfield, Surrey. I know little about by first cousin 11 times removed – the oldest son of another William Butching – but his wife and descendants were an interesting bunch… William’s father inherited the […]