See also
| Husband: | George SPARSHOTT (1818-1883) | |
| Wife: | Margaret ELLIOTT (1832-1898) | |
| Children: | Sarah Jane SPARSHOTT (1850-1850) | |
| Rebecca SPARSHOTT (1851-1892) | ||
| Joseph SPARSHOTT (1853-1943) | ||
| Marriage | 3 Apr 1849 | Chatham parish church |
| Name: | George SPARSHOTT | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | Joseph SPARSHOTT ( - ) | |
| Mother: | Sarah HINCH ( - ) | |
| Birth | 1818 | St Pancras, Chichester, Sussex |
| Census | 1881 (age 62-63) | The Prince Arthur, Little London, Chichester |
| Death | 1883 (age 64-65) | Westhampnett, Sussex |
| Name: | Margaret ELLIOTT | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | Joseph ELLIOTT (1806-1859) | |
| Mother: | Phoebe JOBLING (1810-1855) | |
| Birth | 1832 | Manchester, Lancs |
| Death | 1898 (age 65-66) | |
| Name: | Sarah Jane SPARSHOTT | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | 1850 | Medway, Kent |
| Death | 1850 (age 0) | |
| Name: | Rebecca SPARSHOTT | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Spouse: | George BAKER (1849-1930) | |
| Birth | 23 May 1851 | Fort Pitt, St Margarets, Rochester |
| Death | 1892 (age 40-41) | |
| Name: | Joseph SPARSHOTT | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Birth | 1853 | Chatham, Kent |
| Death | 1943 (age 89-90) | |
1. At the time of his marriage to Margaret Elliott he is a Corporal in the 29th Regiment, living at Chatham Barracks. He is already a widower. His marriage certificate gives his father's name as Joseph, who is a labourer. A transcription of the marriage certificate can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/MarSE_01.htm
2. He joined the army in 1838 and the following is taken from his army service record:
George Sparshott born Rambles Wick, Chichester, Sussex, Labourer
Attested 29.4.1838 to 29th Foot at Plymouth, Devon aged 19
Served 4 years East Indies
Served 16 years England
Completing 21 years service
Conduct good and was in possession of 1 Good Conduct Badge on promotion to Sergeant
He has been once tried by Garrison Court Martial
Discharged at his own request August 1860 aged 40 years
Hazel eyes, brown hair, sallow complexion height 5'7''
3. In the 1851 census, he and Margaret are still at Chatham Barracks, apparently with no children. George says that he is aged 31 and that he was born in Rumbleswick, Sussex.
4. The birth certificate of Rebecca (1851) gives her father's profession as Serjeant of the 29th foot. He was stationed at Chatham Barracks at the time.
5. In the 1861 census he is living in St Pancras Street, Chichester with his wife and two children, Joseph and Rebecca. He gives his occupation as Chelsea Pensioner and Staff Sergeant of the Royal Sussex Militia. His wife Margaret is aged 29 and gives her place of birth as Manchester. This time he gives his place of birth as Chichester. A transcript of the census entry can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/Cen61_009.htm
6. At the time of the marriage of his daughter Rebecca (1869) his profession is 'Beer Retailer'. See transcript of marriage certificate at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/MarBS_01.htm
7. In the 1871 census he is living at 12 Hanover Terrace, Brighton with Margaret and his son Joseph. His profession is Chelsea Pensioner and his place of birth is Chichester.
8. In the 1881 Census we have a George Sparshott, aged 65, and his wife Margaret in Chichester, Sussex. His profession is 'Beer House Keeper, late Serjeant of the 29th foot. His address is Little London, The Prince Arthur, Chichester St Andrew and he says that he was born in Chichester.
9. Finally we come to the question of where he was born. Up until 1851 he says that he was born in Rumbleswick, but in the 1861/71/81 censuses he (or the census respondent) says Chichester. Did he change his discover his mistake? Or was he simply being a bit less precise in the later years? Remember that we are looking for someone born around 1819 and whose father's name is Joseph.
10. There is a record of a George Sparshott born in St. Pancras, Chichester in 1818, the son of Joseph (=Labourer) and Sarah. Unfortunately, I can find no siblings, and no record of the marriage of his parents, in the same parish. It would also be nice to lay to rest the 'Rumbleswick' story and for these reasons I searched fairly widely for alternatives.
11. To start with, we see that Rumbleswick and most of the Chichester parishes are available on-line on the IGI - but note that the parish of St.Pancras only goes up to 1812 so the record of his birth doesn't turn up on-line. Note also that the IGI doesn't cover the parish of Westhampnett.
12. I tried searching those parish registers which are available at Worthing Library for his birth. My search covered the period 1813 - 1820 and included the Chichester parishes of The Close, St Barts, St Andrew, St Olave, St Peter the Great and St Peter the Less. (Worthing had no records for St Pancras, St Martins or All Saints). I also checked the adjoining parishes of East Lavant, Oving, Rumboldwswyke, Mid Lavant, New Fishbourne, Appledram, Donnington and Funtingdon. (There were no records for Westhampnett or North Mundham and these remain un-searched). I later obtained transcripts of the Chichester registers for St Martin and St Pancras from the Parish Register Transcription Society, and it was only then that the record at Note 10 turned up.
13. The only real alternative is a George Sparshott born 3/5/1818 in Aldingbourne, but his father's name is John not Joseph. In the 1881 Census he turns up, aged 63, living in Westhampnett and gives his place of birth as Aldingbourne. (He is also a widower in 1881, so this rules him out on two counts)
14. Curiously FreeBMD has TWO entries for George Sparshotts who died in 1st Qtr 1883 in Westhampnett aged 65. Is this a duplication ? Or are they both real entries ? (I checked the PRO index - yes there really are two separate entries.) Note that, when his wife Margaret re-married in 1889 it was in Westhampnett - so it's plausible that the couple had already moved back from Brighton to Chichester before his death. On this basis I am accepting that he died in Westhampnett in 1883, even if its not clear which entry is his.
15. On the assumption that he died in 1883 I checked the National Probate Index for 1883/4 - nothing found.
16. Remember that George was already a widower when he married Margaret Elliott. Is there any record of this? The IGI has a marriage of George Spurshott to Catherine Martlew in Boxgrove in 1843. Could this be a candidate for his first marriage ? But note that a couple named George & Catherine Sparshott were raising a family in Tangmere with children born 1844 - 1850 (according to the IGI). The last of this family is John Sparshott b. 17/11/1850 which is a bit too late for him to be part of George's first family. This looks more like the George Sparshott born in Aldingbourne.
1. At the time of her marriage she is is living at Chatham Barracks, and her father's name is given as Joseph Elliott
2. In the 1851 census, she is living with her husband George at Chatham Barracks. She gives her age as 19, and her place of birth as Manchester, Lancs.
3. In the 1861 census she is with her husband and two children in St Pancras Street, Chichester. She gives her age as 29 and her place of birth as Manchester, Lancs.
4. In the 1871 census he is at 12 Hanover Terrace, Brighton
George Sparshott 52, Head, Out Pensioner at Chelsea, b.Chichester
Margaret 39, Wife, Laundress, b. Weedon Barracks
Joseph 18, Carpenter, b. Chatham Barracks
5. In the 1881 Census she says that she is aged 49 and born in Weedon, Northants. (This could be either Weedon Bec of Weedon Lois - of these Weedon Bec is significantly larger - both then and now. I have searched the relevant Northampton parish registers of baptisms without success, but I see that both Weedons have some non-conformist registers which I have not checked. The parishes I have searched (all dates inclusive) are : Weeden Lois (1827-1837), Weedon Bec (1828-1837), Daventry (1830-1833), and the following which are all the parishes surrounding Weedon Bec - Flore, Dodford, Newnham, Everdon, Farthingstone, Stowe Nine Churches, Heyford (all 1827-1836). Daventry, Weedon Bec and Flore each have one family of Elliotts, but none with a father named Joseph. There is an Elliott family in Flore who have the 'place' column of the register filled in as Weedon. ] NB. There was a large barracks at Weedon Bec, so maybe it is more likely that her father had been stationed there at some time.
6. We have the problem that in the 1851 and 1861 censuses she says she was born in Manchester. After this she generally syas that she was born in Weedon, Northants. In 1871 she is specific and says Weedon Barracks. So I guess that she really was born at Weedon Barracks but presumably her family came from Manchester - more specifically Bolton-le-Moors where a record of her christening can be found. Was she really taken that far to be christened? Her baptism in Bolton-le-Moors is dated 16/3/1832 and her parents given as Joseph and Phebe Elliott.
5. In 1889, aged 56, she married Walter Payne a widower of the same age in Westhampnett. (So clearly George Sparshott had died before then.) At this time she gives her father's profession as 'Segeant in Army' (although he is, of course, deceased). In the marriage certificate they both give their address as Bottle Lane, Portfield (which is just out of Chichester on the Eastern side). Neither of them could sign their name. Slightly surprisingly there is no trace either of Walter or Margaret Payne in Sussex in the 1901 census. A transcription of the certificate can be seen at www.familychest.co.uk/History/Data/MarPS_01.htm
6. In the 1891 census she is living at Bottle Lane, Portfield, Oving, Sussex.
Walter Payne 64, Ag. Labourer, b. Preson, Sussex
Margaret Payne 62, b. Weedon, Northants
7. The details included for her parents and grandparents are taken from Roy Nelson's family tree on Ancestry.