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After several weeks I am still non the wiser to Mary Grayling marrying Henry Bennett. I have been contacted by a distant relative of Henry and he has Mary Quinlan on his tree, but why (as already has been mentioned) did they marry in Portsmouth. Its a long way (in those days) from Sussex/Surrey. I have also found a marriage of Henry Bennett to a Mary Welland in a parish called Pepper Harow in Surrey in 1832, which the date fits, but surname doesn't Still confused :-S :-S :-S anyone any other ideas? :-) :-)

Sorry haven't been back for a while as have been really busy.

Glad to see that the question of where the info about the horse and van accident has been answered.

It's true that you have to be carefull when finding info from someone elses tree as you just don't know how much research they have done before putting it onto their tree, but may be worth at least contacting the tree owner to see directly with them.

The 1854 Mary Grayling death Yvonne posted, may belong to this lass. As age at death wasn't recorded in the indexes at that time, it's hard to know:

Census 1851:

Name: Mary Greyling<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Age: 14
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1837
Relation: Daughter (Child)
Father's name: Edwd Greyling
Mother's name: Ann Greyling
Gender: Female
Where born: Arlington, Sussex, England<<<<<<<<<<<<
Civil Parish: Arlington
Ecclesiastical parish: Holy Trinity

Have sent you a pm with a snip from a Sussex paper about the horse and van incident. Apparently a baker named Blaber had left his horse and van unattended, whilst he delivered his goods.

Whilst he was away, the horse bolted down a hill. Henry was crossing Church Street, and didn't hear the warning of a passer by and was knocked down.

There was some discussion as to whether it was manslaughter as Blaber was so far from the horse and van as to have no contriol over the animal, but evidence was given that the horse was quiet and had never tried to run away before.

The jury decided it was an accidental death, but were also of the opinion that owners should should provide means to secure a horse that was left by itself, or to leave someone in attendance.

Re the Ancestry tree and the Quilligan marriage, if Henry and Mary were both born in Sussex, and raised their family in Sussex, not really sure why they'd end up getting married in Portsmouth?

Hope the Ancestry tree compiler didn't just settle for the first marriage of a Henry Bennett to a Mary in the right time frame.

EDIT: having checked the 1841 and 1851 census, there is at least one Grayling from Arlington, namely Edward Grayling/Greyling born c1815 in Arlington.

Also a John Grayling born c1804 Arlington, in the 1851 census, so Grayling is definitely associated with Arlington, where Mary is said to have come from in census 1851. I would be inclined to believe the name on the birth cert. (just possible she might have been a young widow when she married Henry, so may have had a different name at marriage)

Unfortunately I am having difficulty finding records for St Pancras Church, Arlington, to look for baptisms of Mary, or even Edward, who knows, they might even be siblings...?

Ditto can't find marriage records for St Pancras, Arlington, in case Mary married there.

There are some baptisms on Sussex opc, but they are far too early.

WOW Catherine. Where is you find out he had been run over by a horse?

could this be another child born to henry and mary because of the name

Births Mar 1855 (>99%)
Bennett William Grayling Eastbourne 2b 45

yes that does look like them how sad

I've had trouble finding the whole family in 1861. I found a couple of the older girls working as servants and was wondering if this is the two younger children:-
George born 1848
and
Esther born 1851:-


1861 U.K. CENSUS COLLECTION

Name: G B
Age: 13
Estimated Birth Year: 1848
Relation: Inmate
Gender: Male
xxxxxx Where born: Westham, Sussex, England
Civil Parish: Hellingly
Ecclesiastical parish: St Peter and St Paul
County/Island: Sussex
Country: England
Street address: Hailsham Union House
Registration district: Hailsham
Sub-registration district: Hellingly
ED, institution, or vessel: 1
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 121
Piece: 569
Folio: 15
Page Number: 26


Name: E B
Age: 10
Estimated Birth Year: 1851
Relation: Inmate
Gender: Female
Where born: Westham, Sussex, England
Civil Parish: Hellingly
Ecclesiastical parish: St Peter and St Paul
County/Island: Sussex
Country: England
Street address: Hailsham Union House
Registration district: Hailsham
Sub-registration district: Hellingly
ED, institution, or vessel: 1
Neighbors: View others on page
Household schedule number: 121
Piece: 569
Folio: 15
Page Number: 26


........If mother died in 1857 then maybe the children were put in Workhouse????

the death in eastbourne 1857 i added looks likley as cant find her on 1861 census

They don't have a date of death for Mary but they have this for Henry:-

Died:- 1902 2 Sep
Age: 89
Princess Alice Hospital, Eastbourne, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Run over by Horse and Van on 1st Sep 1902

A tree on ancestry has this as the marriage:-

Name: Henry Or Herry Bennett
Spouse's Name: Mary Ann Quilligan
Event Date: 04 May 1830
Event Place: Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I04144-6 , System Origin: England-EASy , GS Film number: 1596260 , Reference ID: p56 no166

........................so maybe whoever wrote the name on the birth cetifciate misheard or misspelt the name ???

Its very confusing I have found a Mary Bennett's death as:
April 1857 - Brighton Sussex
July 1856 - Brighton Sussex
July 1858 - Brighton, Sussex
so not sure? :-(

is this mary's death

Mary Bennett
England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007
Name: Mary Bennett
Event Type: Death
Registration Quarter: Jul-Aug-Sep
Registration Year: 1857
Registration District: Eastbourne
County: Sussex
Event Place: Eastbourne, Sussex, England
Volume: 2B
Page: 30
Line Number: 18

This looks to be 1851 family in 1841:-

Name: Mary Bennett
Age: 27
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1814
Gender: Female
Where born: Sussex, England
Civil Parish: Westham
Hundred: Pevensey Lowey
County/Island: Sussex
Country: England
Street address:
Occupation: Ag. Labourer
Registration district: Eastbourne
Sub-registration district: Westham
Neighbors: View others on page
Piece: 1117
Book: 2
Folio: 15
Page Number: 25
Household Members:
Name Age
Henry Bennett 28
Mary Bennett 27
Jane Bennett 8
Ann Bennett 5
Henry Bennett 1

some times they lied about being married

perhaps they never married


Mary Grayling
England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007
Name: Mary Grayling
Event Type: Death
Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun
Registration Year: 1854
Registration District: Hailsham
County: Sussex
Event Place: Hailsham, Sussex, England
Volume: 2B
Page: 34
Line Number: 39

Yes Kucina, this is the right Bennett family

have you looked on Family Search website for their marriage