Peter Hunnisett

William & Winifred Hunnisett of Westham

William Hunnisett, the first child born to James and Mary after their marriage, was born on 31^st May 1785 and baptised in Westham on 19^th June.

On 2^nd September 1807, when he was 24, he enlisted in the 35^th Regiment of Foot where he served for about seven and a half years during the Napoleonic Wars. His service record describes him as 5 feet 4 inches tall and having a fair complexion, round face, grey eyes, and sandy hair. During his service he was promoted to Sergeant and served some of his time in the Ionian Islands, to the West of Greece. From 1807 the islands were controlled by the French, but by 1810 all except Corfu were taken by the British. The French held out in Corfu until 1814. At the beginning of 1815 William was shipped home from Corfu on the transport ship ‘Mercury’ at the end of his service.

Winifred Manser, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth, was baptised in Westham on 25 October 1798.

William and Winifred were married in Westham on 6 March 1821 and they had nine children baptised there:

William was an agricultural labourer and lived in Blackness, a hamlet in the parish of Westham. The 1841 census shows them at Black Nest with all their children except Thomas who was working as a farm servant at Peelings. Their daughter Esther was buried on 8 October 1843 aged 17.

The 1851 census shows William and Winifred still in Blackness with their three youngest children; Joseph, Samuel and Caroline. Also with them were two grandchildren; John, shown as their son but actually Elizabeth's illegitimate son, and Esther, shown as their niece but really the daughter of Thomas and his wife, Mary.

William died aged 66 and was buried in Westham on 12 September 1851. In 1861 Winifred was working as a servant for Ephraim Baker in Glynde, close to where her daughter, Elizabeth, was living. Winifred lived to be 71, died during the night of 27/28 December 1869 and was buried in Westham on 2 January 1870. The Sussex Express for 4 January 1870 carried a report of the inquest into Winifred's death, held at the Red Lion, Westham, at which it appeared that her son [un-named, but probably Thomas], with whom she was staying, had found her to be dead when he arose in the morning.

Of William and Winifred's children:

• Thomas married Mary Funnell and they lived with their children in Westham (see page for Thomas & Mary).

• Elizabeth had an illegitimate son John, born at the Union House, Eastbourne, on 18 April 1847. In 1851 she was working as a servant at 8 Cornfield in Eastbourne, and John was being brought up by his grandparents in Westham. On 24 June 1860 Elizabeth married John Turner in Glynde where they were living in 1861 with their daughter Winifred and Elizabeth's son John. Elizabeth's known children were:

  John Hunnisett

  18 Apr 1847

  Eastbourne

  Winifred Turner

  late 1860

  Glynde

  Caroline Rhoda Turner

  late 1862

  Beddingham

  In 1871 John and Elizabeth were living at Southease near Newhaven but by 1881 they had moved to a cottage in Adams Yard just off Roberstbridge High Street. Elizabeth appears to have died before the 1891 census.

  • John married Harriett Hook from Robertsbridge and lived in Salehurst with their children.
• Esther died in 1843, aged 17.

• Mary was a servant in Lewes in 1851. She married a carpenter, William Goldsmith, in 1854 and they lived in Lewes with their children:

  Mary

  Q3 1855

  Lewes

  Frederick William

  Q1 1857

  Lewes

  Herbert

  Q4 1858

  Lewes

  Eunice

  Q1 1861

  Lewes

  Ernest

  Q2 1863

  Lewes

  Rose

  Q4 1865

  Lewes

  Mary died in 1877 aged 48.

• Frances was working as a cook at a school for young ladies in Walcot, near Bath in Somerset in 1851.  By 1861 she had returned to Sussex and was a servant to Charlotte Baxter in Lewes.  There she married Edward Knowles, a carpenter, in 1865 and they moved to Newington, London, where their son was born:

  Sidney Herbert

  Q4 1869

  Newington

  At the 1871 census they were living at 47 Ash Street, Newington, but Frances died later that year, aged 39.

• Benjamin was working as a servant to Mr Breton at Peelings Farm in 1851. He married Louisa Clapson in Westham on 6 February 1858 and they had the following children:

  William Benjamin

  6 Jun 1858

  Westham

  Thomas Henry

  25 Mar 1860

  Westham

  Fanny

  15 Dec 1861

  Westham

  James

  6 Apr 1863

  Westham

  Louisa

  3 Sep 1865

  Westham

  Benjamin

  5 Apr 1868

  Westham

  George

  born 24 Mar 1871

  Westham

  Charles

  14 Dec 1873

  Ripe

  Frederick

  Q4 1875

  Ripe

  Harry

  Q1 1878

  Ripe

  Arthur Ernest

  born 20 Dec 1880

  bap Ripe 27 Feb 1881

  Herbert

  Q1 1886

  Ripe

  In 1861 Benjamin was an agricultural labourer living at Red Dyke and in 1871 he was a groom living in Clay Hill Barn cottages. The family moved from Westham to Ripe in about 1872 where Charles was baptised on 14 December 1873. In 1881 they were in Ripe and Benjamin was again described as a groom.

  Louisa died on 10 February 1886, shortly after Bert was born, and in 1891 Benjamin, by then described as an agricultural labourer, was still in Ripe with his sons Benjamin, Charles, Frederick, Harry and Arthur. In 1901 Benjamin was living in West Firle with his daughter Louisa.

  Benjamin died on 22 September 1905, aged 72. A headstone to Benjamin and Louisa was erected in Ripe churchyard by their children.

  

  In loving memory of
  LOUISA HUNNISETT
  died February 10 1886
  aged 44
  Also of BENJAMIN
  husband of the above
  died September 22 1905
  aged 72
  they are gone from our sight,
  but not from memory, nor from love,
  but gone to our father's home above
  Erected by their children

  

• Joseph married Sophia Reed in Westham on 17 July 1858 and they had one son:

  Joseph James

  14 Nov 1859

  bapt. 19 Feb 1860, Westham

  However, Sophia died in 1861 and was buried on 15 January aged 23. At the time of the census Joseph was staying at Red Dyke, Westham, with the Funnell family, and young Joseph was with his grandfather, Jeremiah Reed, in Herstmonceux.

  Joseph then fathered a child by Sophia's sister, Frances Reed:

  Joseph George (Reed)

  1 May 1862

  bapt. 1 Jun, Bodle Street Green

  Joseph and Frances planned to marry and banns were called in Bodle Street in June 1862, but marriage to one's deceased wife's sister was, in those days, illegal and the local vicar refused to perform the ceremony. Consequently they went to Lewes and were married in the registry office on 31 May 1863. However, their deception was discovered and Joseph was sentenced to 2 months hard labour as punishment. Joseph and Frances continued to live as man and wife and had four more children:

  Alfred Henry

  31 July 1865

  bapt. 8 Oct , Bodle Street Green

  William Thomas

  31 Dec 1867

  Bexhill

  Alfred John

  28 Sep 1871

  bapt. 3 Dec, Crowhurst

  Ansley Rosaleid

  10 July 1875

  Bexhill

  Their son Alfred died in 1867 around the time the family moved to Sidley Green, Bexhill, where they then lived until Joseph died in 1895, aged 58.

• Samuel, married Eliza Buckfield in Herstmonceux on 9 March 1867 and they had the following children:

  Samuel

  14 Nov 1869

  Bexhill - born 25 July

  Mary Ann

  Q1 1872

  Hooe

  Walter

  prob. 25 May 1874

  Herstmonceux

  Benjamin

  30 Sep 1877

  born 29 July, Pope's Farm

  Alice Jane

  19 August 1882

  Hellingly

  In 1871 the family were at Hall Cross Cottage in Hooe and in 1881 they were living at Whitesmith. By 1891 they had moved to Upper Wyckham, Steyning, where they were living with Walter, Benjamin & Alice. Mary Ann was a servant at the Grammar School in Church Street.

  Samuel died in Steyning on 5 July 1891, aged 52, and Eliza on 12 October 1919.

• Caroline married a blacksmith, Frederick Fairall, in Bodle Street Green on 20 June 1860 and their children were:

  Caroline Winifred

  bapt. 1 Sep 1861

  Bodle Street Green

  Matthew

  born 1862

  Mark

  bapt. 28 Feb 1864

  Bodle Street Green

  Jane

  bapt. 25 Dec 1865

  Bodle Street Green

  Luke

  bapt. 11 Aug 1867

  Bodle Street Green

  John

  born ca. 1871

  Bodle Street Green

  Emily

  bapt. 24 Nov 1874

  Bodle Street Green

  Fred

  bapt. 10 Dec 1876

  died March 1878

  Esther

  bapt. 27 Apr 1879

  Bodle Street Green

  Rose

  bapt. 26 Jun 1881

  Chiddingly

  Annie

  ca. 1883

  Sally

  ca. 1885

  In 1871 the family were living in Robertsbridge and in 1881 they were at Whitesmith Green, Chiddingly. By 1891 they were back in Robertsbridge living in Station Road and in 1901 their address was given as 18 Station Road.

  Caroline died in 1906, aged 66.