The Hampshire Family Historian | Vol.49 No.2 | September 2022

Member’s article

found by our ‘family history friend and mentor’, Betty. They had married in 1832 at East Blatchington, Sussex. Why so far from Cornwall? Was William ‘at sea’? Census records for William Barrett (son, b. about 1834) include different ‘birth places’, but in 1851 he says he was born at a place we later ‘deciphered’ as ‘Shoreham’ A ‘location link’ with the parents’ marriage at East Blatchington! In 2018/19 we searched the Admiralty Coastguard Establishment books. We found that Thomas REDDING , boatman, was in the Newhaven/Shoreham area in the 1830s. We found a William BARRETT , boatman, in the area, also. Perhaps a ‘location/occupation’ link’ between the Redding and Barrett families. We discovered from the 1851 census that Mary Ann had married for a second time to George ROBINS . It looked like William Barrett, b.1804, might have died before 1851! Coastguard Establishment book A ‘William Barrett’ listed. We continued to search for William’s birth (abt. 1805) and death. No certain birth record and no sign of his death. Later we found ‘a William Barrett’ born abt. 1804 at Landulph, Cornwall. We discovered, also, that Mary Ann’s brother, Richard (a mariner) had married (1839) Betsy BARRETT . Her father, Richard BARRETT (b. 1783, Landulph) was in the coast guard service! Landulph, the place where ‘the’ William we had found was born! Was this William’s ‘Barrett’ family? Was he a brother to Betsy Barrett? Was he a coastguard man, too?? Maybe a ‘location and occupation’ trail

really had been found!? Was it too much to suppose Mary Ann Redding and her brother Richard Redding had married Barrett siblings in William and Betsy? It must have been ten years since we set out on this hunt. 2021- more lockdown time! We looked again at the 1832 marriage of Mary Ann REDDING and William BARRETT ‘at source’ (family search.org.uk). An image was available! We found that Thomas REDDING (Mary Ann’s brother) was a witness. Wonderful! The record showed, also, that William was from the Parish of Seaford. A perfect match with the Admiralty Establishment Station record. In 1832 he was at Cuckmere Haven, Seaford. The Admiralty records confirm, also, that Thomas REDDING was ‘local’ at East Blatchington 1830+

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