Peter Hunnisett

James & Mary Hunnisett of Westham

James Honysett, a son of Richard and Elizabeth, was baptised in Herstmonceux on 29^th July 1750.

Mary Miller, daughter of Thomas and Susanna, was baptised in Catsfield on 5^th August 1755.

The Herstmonceux baptismal registers have the following entry for 22^nd March 1778:

However, what happened to young Thomas has not been established.

James married Mary Miller from Herstmonceux in 1784.  Banns were called in Westham on 18^th and 25^th July and 1^st August and the marriage took place in Herstmonceux on 8^th August.  They lived in Westham where they had six children baptised:

James was an agricultural labourer and appears to have inherited none of the wealth of his forebears.

Mary died aged 65 and was buried in Westham on 1^st April 1821. James died when he was 75 and was buried in Westham on 26^th January 1826.  Neither appears to have left a will.

Of James and Mary's children:

• William married Winifred Manser and lived in Westham with their family.

• James married Ann Ward in 1807 and they had a daughter, Mary, the following year. However Mary died when she was less than a year old and Ann died the following year. James then married Elizabeth Streeter in 1813 and they had a son James in 1814.

  In 1841 the family were living at Black Nest (now Blackness) but by 1851 James and Elizabeth had moved to one of four cottages he had built on a piece of land called ‘Little Bittes’ which he owned on Mill Hill. The cottages were known as Hunnisett Cottages and James continued to live there until he died in 1873, aged 85.  By this time both his wife and his son had died, so in his will he left everything to his nephews and nieces.

• Ann married Jesse Humphrey (born ca. 1790) in Westham on 16^th November 1810 and among their children were:

  George

  ca. 1821

  Thomas

  ca. 1827

  In 1841 they were in Handcomb Street with George and Thomas, who are presumed to have been their sons, and a 2-year-old Sarah Humphrey whose relationship is not known. By 1851 they had moved to Chapel House, Seaside, Eastbourne, and Ann died in 1858.

• Henry married Philadelphia Woods in 1814 and they lived in Westham with their children, all baptised in Westham:

  Sarah

  30 Apr 1815

  buried 30 July 1815

  Mary

  22 Sep 1816

  Ann

  29 Nov 1818

  Charlotte

  8 Aug 1819

  Henry

  1 Apr 1821

  William

  11 Jan 1824

  John

  4 Jan 1827

  Thomas

  21 Feb 1831

  George

  3 Jun 1832

  buried 22 June 1832

  James

  1 Sep 1833

  buried 29 Dec 1833

  Philadelphia

  7 Jun 1835

  Richard

  14 Oct 1838

  born 30 Sept

  Henry died in 1842.

• Elizabeth died when she was only 14 and was buried in Westham on 29^th December 1808.

• Richard married Susannah Hemsley, from Framfield, in 1819 and they had two children:

  Charlotte

  ca. 1819

  Thomas

  bapt. 18 Feb 1821

  Westham

  They lived in Blackness in 1841 and 1851 but by 1861 they had moved Langney and in 1871 they were staying with their married daughter Charlotte Morris and her family at 43 Langney Road, Eastbourne. Richard died later that year.