8. BUSHELL-MINTER

Baker Tree

RICHARD BUSHELL and ANN MINTER (8)

                                               

 RICHARD BUSHELL. James Bushell was baptised in Minster in Thanet in 1743, the son of Richard Bushell and Ann Minter.
Richard and Ann were married in 1729. This gives us three possible baptisms for Richard.
Baptism. Minster.
1695 Oct 27  Richard son of John & Elizabeth Bushell.
Baptism. Monkton.
1700/1 Jan 26  Richard son of John & Jane Bushell
Baptism. Birchington.
1701 May 18  Richard son of Richard & Jane Bushell.
The first would make him 10 years older than Ann.
Richard had six sons, but did not name any of them John. He did, however, baptise two of them Richard.
The absence of the names Elizabeth and Jane can be explained by the fact that he had only one daughter, and she was named after her mother Ann. This makes the third baptism the most likely, and the nearest in age to Ann.
This is speculation, but the use of baptismal names and the subsequent history of this family make them a good match.

If this is the right identification, then he was the son of Richard Bushell and Jane Thrum. Their son Richard was the third of seven children. The first one, James, was born in Monkton, which was the parish of both Richard senior and Jane when they married.

The family then moved to nearby Birchington, where another three children were baptised, including Richard junior. Finally, they moved south to Minster in Thanet, for the births of three more children.
It was here that Richard junior was living when he married Ann.

We know from his father’s burial and will that Richard Bushell senior was a yeoman farmer. Although he and his family used Minster church, their farm appears to be in the neighbouring parish of Monkton.

Richard does not appear to have followed his father in farming. At his burial, he is “Richard Bushell housekeeper” (householder).

 

ANN MINTER. We are on firmer ground with Ann. The marriage register tells us that she came from Ash Next Sandwich. There is only one baptism that matches this.
Baptism. Ash Next Sandwich.
1705/6 Mar 10  Ann daughter of Henry and Mary Minter.
Her mother was Mary Bailey.

Ann, too, was the daughter of a yeoman. She was the third of seven children, and the eldest daughter.

She was 15 when her father died. Ann and her sister were each left £30, to be paid when they reached the age of 19. This would be worth about £1800 today.

The couple married by licence, not in either of their home parishes, but in Cantebury. They would have had to go there for their marriage licence, and may have decided to be married there immediately.

Marriage. St George, Canterbury.
1729 Sep 28  Richard Bushell of Minster in the Isle of Thanet Bachelor and Ann Minter of Ash Spinster married by Licence.

 They made their home in Richard’s parish of Minster.

The Isle of Thanet is the north-east tip of Kent. It is separated from the rest of the county by the Wantsum Channel. Around Minster in Thanet is a landscape of marshes, farms and rivers. Just a mile to the west is the village of Monkton, where Richard’s parents came from.

All eight of their children were baptised in Minster.
Baptisms. St Mary the Virgin, Minster.
1730 Oct 30  Richard. He was buried on 29 Oct 1731.
1732 Mar 29  Henry
1733/4 Jan 1  Richard
1736/7 Mar 9  Anne
1739 Sep 14  Thomas. He was buried on 28 Nov 1739.
1741 Apr 16  Thomas
1743 May 5  James
1746 Nov 21  George

Richard’s father died in 1754 and was named as Richard Bushell, Yeoman of Muncton (Monkton) in the burial register.

In his will, he left his  “Messuages Lands Tenements and Real Estate property”,  to be divided into four equal shares between Richard and his three brothers. His two sisters received money as their legacies.
Out of their shares, the three younger brothers, including Richard, had to find a total of £60 in equal shares, to be paid to the eldest brother James.
It would have been difficult for the younger sons to rent a viable farm on only a quarter of their father’s wealth.

Ann was a widow when she died in 1776. This leaves only one possible burial for Richard.
Burial. St Mary the Virgin, Minster.
1759 Oct 22  Richard Bushell  Housekeeper (Householder)

Ann survived him by some 20 years.
Burial. St Mary the Virgin, Minster.
1776 May 17  Ann Bushell  Widow