John Finch (1616-1673) and Mary Bishop (16??-1670).
My 9th great-grandparents.
Where did this John Finch come from? According to the 1653 baptism record of his son John, my 8th great-grandfather, he was ‘John of Horsham’. But does that mean he was born and bred in that Sussex village or that he had moved there later?
I’ve not found a record of a John Finch having been baptised in Horsham so it may be that the records are not complete. It was also not unknown for children to be baptised in the home parish of their mother rather than where they were born. The existing Horsham records list some other Finches around this time and I’ve noted them further down the page.
A number of John Finches were baptised elsewhere in Sussex (again I’ve noted them below). The most likely candidate of all in my opinion, based on date and location, is the John Finche baptised on 4 February 1616 in nearby Crawley, the son of John Fynche. This would’ve made him aged about 25/6 at the time of his first marriage. Several other Finches with different fathers were baptised in Crawley around this time.
A John Finch was recorded in the 1641 Protestation Returns for Horsham Parish, the year before his marriage. The returns related to an Act of Parliament that required all adult men to swear an oath of allegiance to the Protestant religion, at a time when the English Civil War was brewing and there were fears of a Catholic revival. Records of those who signed (and those who refused) were returned to Parliament in the same year. In Horsham Parish just three people refused to swear the oath.
On 12 July 1642 John Finch married Sarah Miles in the village of Rusper, just a few miles from Crawley and Horsham. She came from Rusper, where she was baptised on 19 September 1619 to parents Edward and Sarah.
The wife of John Finch, clearly Sarah, was buried in Rusper on 6 March 1652, the day after she died. There’s no record of the couple having had any children.
John then married Mary Bishop in the village on 1 November 1652. They were the parents of my 8th great-grandfather John, who was born on 5 October 1653 and baptised at St Mary Magdelene Church in Rusper on 16 October. The couple had another son in the village – William – born in 1655/6.
A John Finch, described as a householder, was buried in Horsham on 19 May 1673 and this is more than likely my ancestor. His wife Mary was likely the woman buried in the village on 12 July 1670, the notation being ‘w/o of John’. I’ve yet to trace her birth and I’ve found no evidence of John’s occupation although at least one of his sons was a carpenter so it’s possible that he was one too.
John and Mary’s children included:
- John Finch (1653-1709), my 8th great-grandfather. A carpenter of Slinfold.
- William Finch (1656-????), my 8th great-grand uncle. He was born on 11 January 1655/6 and baptised on 20 January at St Mary’s in Rusper. I’ve found no record of him after this.
Notes. Other Finches in the Horsham records:
- Baptisms at St Mary’s, Horsham. Mary, daughter of Thomas and Bridget Finch, 9 March 1605/6. Christabel Finch, also Thomas and Bridget’s daughter, 26 December 1608.
- Burials at St Mary’s in Horsham. Richard Fynch, baseborn, 2 August 1577. Mary Fynche, wife/widow of William, 5 March 1603. William Finch, from the forest, 21 May 1616. Susan Finch, widow and poor, 20 December 1631. Thomas Finch, householder brought from Sullington, 26 April 1632. Bridget Finch, widow, 12 January 1640. Thomas Finch, householder, 18 October 1657.
Notes. Other candidates for John Finch:
- Worth: John Ffinch, baptised 19 July 1610 to William and Susan Ffinch. A John Finch was buried there on 15 May 1620 but the record makes no reference to him being a child. There were two marriages in Worth involving John Finches, in 1636 and 1642. Rustington: John Finch, baptised 20 July 1622 to John Finch. Fernhurst: John Finch, baptised 25 October 1618 to William Finch. Surrey: John son of Christopher, 1606, Pirbright. John son of Edward, 1627, Betchworth. John son of Thomas, 1624, Reigate.
Sources: BMDs at Ancestry.co.uk, Findmypast.co.uk, Family Search, West Surrey Family History Society and Sussex Family History Group. Sussex Online Parish Clerks for Protestation Returns.