Henry Mockford and Ann Farrant b. 1776

/ Kirstin Miller

Henry Mockford and Ann Farrant 5th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree.

Henry Mockford was born in November 10, 1776, then baptized on February 9, 1777 at the church in Rottingdean, Sussex, England. The church was and still is St Margaret’s Church named for Margaret of Antioch who inspired Joan of Arc and possibly sliced the head off a dragon. In the church there are stained glass windows made by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones. The stained glass is famous and considered some of the artists best work.

Photo by Luiza Serpa Lopes, Own work, Public Domain [screenshot, partial]

On April 8 1802 Henry married Ann Farrant, maybe in that same church. Ann was born in 1781, probably in Sussex where she and Henry stayed and had 3 sons and a daughter. In Sussex town and village names have changed through the years. The area today includes Brighton, Bishopstone and Seaford: 30 miles south of London, 30 miles northwest of France, across the English Channel with incredible coastlines.

In 1841 England took it’s first census. Henry had already died, Ann is on both the 1841 and 1851 census. In 1841 Ann was 60 years old and lived with her son Samuel and wife their kids Frederick, Henry and Phoebe. Robert Ann’s son, Samuel’s brother was also in the house. In 1851 Ann and Robert share a home. Robert is 30 and his occupation is agricultural laborer. Ann is 70 and her occupation is ‘Parish Relief” and widow of an ag. laborer. Ann probably received a small amount from the parish. On this census page all the men work as agricultural laborers. Occupations on other pages are: carpenters, blacksmiths, scholars, boatmen, gardeners, millers, stablemen, coast guards and bargemen. The first page lists the area covered, “The whole of the five parishes East Blatchington, Bishopstone, Denton, South Heighton, Tarring Neville and including the battery, the Coast Guards Station House and Blatchington Village … “

1851 England census showing town included

Henry died in 1834 at age 56. Ann died in 1857 she was 76. Son Richard stayed England until 1861 when he and his family left for Monroe New York in America. Richard’s son Henry (great grandpa of Elizabeth Speedy Roose) was already in Monroe, New York and had a home set up for his parents.

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