Beeson/Hill/Gurney in Missenden/Kingshill

[sharfinx]

Hi all,
I am overwhelmed at the response and the help - I am glad I found this site.
The info that I have is:
Thomas Beeson (b.abt 1770 Little Missenden)and Elizabeth Lacy (b. abt 1774 Chesham) Married Hughenden 1798
children
John 1800 married Phoebe Tripp
Thomas 1803 married Charlotte Peedle
William1804
Mary1806, married Pudephatt
James 1808 born Little Missenden, died Australia
Samuel1810 born Little Missenden, died Australia
Charles1813 born Little Missenden, died Australia
Sarah 1816
Job 1821
The older children appear to be very respectable and fairly affluent.
James, Samuel and Charles were rogues. Habitual criminals and poachers.
Bedford Joan records are available for James and Charles, who were transported together on the Prince of Orange. Charles married here. He is my great great grandfather. James did no remarry and I am curious about the wife and child he left behind.

Samuel was transported on the George 111 and was drowned before he reached land.

I would love to know what their communities were like - were they completely rural; would younger sons have had too small of a slice of any family assets to set themselves up for life.
regards
Sharon

[sharfinx]

Hi Sandy
Thanks for the great census info. I'll put it into my data base and see what the next lead might be.
Sharon

[John Nicholas]

Hello again Sharon,

I drove past Hughenden Church this morning and my wife is this afternoon teaching at the church school in Little Missenden. So there won't be any problem in getting you some pictures of those churches and the surrounding area.

Hughenden Church is in the middle of nowhere, except that it's close to Hughenden Manor - very convenient for the toffs. The Manor is now part of the National Trust, which looks after properties and estates of historical interest. Its main claim to fame is that it was the home of Benjamin Disraeli, the prime minister in late Victorian times.

Little Missenden Church, by contrast, is in the middle of the village, which remains quite small and rural even today. 200 years ago it would have been entirely agricultural, a small place between the slightly larger village of Great Missenden and the market town of Amersham.

I'll also see what I can find in parish records when I have time to go to the county records office. Two of the names you mentioned - Lacy and Pudephatt - are surprisingly common in this area even today.

John

[sharfinx]

John,
Thank you so much. I would love photographs of Little Missenden and anything else you can come up with.

I don't suppose you have anyconnection to Nicholls in Norfolk?
regards
Sharfinx

[John Nicholas]

Sharon,

You're welcome! I'll ask my wife to take some arty shots, as she's down there quite often.

No connection with Norfolk, as far as I know. My name comes from Monmouthshire, and is spelled Nicholas from way back.

John

[John Nicholas]

Sharon,

I have some photographs for you. However, I don't think I can attach them to an email sent from Brit-Gen - unless the Moderators can tell me otherwise! Therefore I need you to send me an email with your email address on it.

John