Origin of Bitchenors of Kempston late 1600's

[johnP-bedford]

Next from Phillimore's Bucks Marriages at Hardmead.....

...... not only the Robert BITCHENO of Crawley, marriage to Ann Church on 24 Sept 1691,  there is one on 17 Nov 1669 of William BICHENO to Sarah Musgrove, both of Crawley ...... and previously on 1 Mar 1609 of Robert BICHEHOE to Marie Farro.

There are 4 other marriages in Newport Pagnell between 1642 & 1689, do you want them listed ?
   

[johnP-bedford]

Lastly from Olney PR-------

----- there's a burial of Eliz BICHENOE, wife of Rychard in Nov 1602

[vivijune]

Yes please, John. Send them over. Any name of that kind is welcome.

[johnP-bedford]

Hi,  Newport Pagnell marriages....

18 Jun 1642 John BICHENOLL to Mary Tailer
 1 Oct 1665  Thomas Mallins to Ann BICHENOE
28 May 1667 John BICHENOE to Ann Lyn
21 Oct 1689 Thomas Ingram to Ann BICHENOR

[vivijune]

Splendid John, more of them! I'm wondering if you could look for one thing.  This thread began with William Bitchenor marrying Constance Houghton supposedly at Kempston in 1720. That seems to be fact but we don't know that he was born at Kempston or where he was born but it was probably nearby. If we count back, it seems like he might have been born around 1690-1700 perhaps at Newport Pagnell or Crawley? I'm also wondering if you can see anything about her family, the Houghtons who are probably Kempston people?

William Bitcheno of Crawley may be his father, he and Sarah Musgrove married as you say in 1690, so perhaps the William I've just mentioned just now was their son as was Robert who became the blacksmith in Kempston.

What all this seems to say is that quite a few people with variations on that unusual name were living in that corner of Beds Bucks and may have been there for some time, even though they derived from Flanders which might put them in one of the earlier migrations of Flemish weavers earlier than the reign of Henry VIII. As joy posted earlier there are several "Bitchenors" with wills in the early 1600's.

Thanks again for the help.  Viv

[joyoust]

Yes the entries I have from the North Crawley transcript are:

Baptism  1700 Apr 21   Thomas son of Robert and Anne Bitchenoe, gardiner

Burial      1701 Sep 9     Anne wife of Robert Bitchenioe, gardener
Burial      1724 Jun 24   William Bitchenor
Burial      1743 Feb 29   Ann Bechino, poor widow (Alice Bitchenoe in Bishop Transcript)

As the transcript only started from 1700 the search i've ordered for the period prior to this may yield the baptisms of the other children of Robert Bitchino who married Anne Church  as this was in 1691 leaving ample time for more offspring.

If this proves to be the case then the wills for North Crawley as follows would be of great interest so I will order them and transcribe for any interested parties (wills are my favourite )

Agnes Bechinar  North Crawley widow 1559 
John Bechonoe  North Crawley   1638
Thomas Bycheno  North Crawley   1557 
William Bychenowe  North Crawley   1572 
John Bychynowe  North Crawley husbandman 1577 
Robert Bykonowe  North Crawley husbandman 1552

[vivijune]

Joy,

I find it interesting that there are a cluster of wills that will be forthcoming (many thanks by the way.) I appreciate that death could happen at any age but perhaps based on dates, Thomas Bycheno and William Bychynowe might be brothers dying in the 1570's and Thomas Bycheno and Robert Bykonowe the same, dying in the 1550's.

I looked up 'husbandman' and found that it's a description for a tenant farmer below the level of yeoman farmer.

I'll take some time today and look at your new information plus the leads supplied by John yesterday. 

Cheers and thanks to you both... Viv

[vivijune]

Now I've had a chance to look through everything you've provided again, it's much more likely that Robert Bychonowe (husbandman) dying in 1552 is actually the father and that John Bychynowe (husbandman) is his son who inherited. I assume that if Robert had land that was being cultivated the property would pass to the eldest son. The wills will tell us.

[joyoust]

   Hi Viv - have just got the results of the search through on the email and I'm hopping up and down with excitement -  the information from the North Crawley register is most exciting  - Robert and Ann had two sons William bapt 1695 and Robert bapt 1697 before the third son Thomas in 1700 so I believe these are our missing ancestors!  This would explain the three turning up around the same time in Kempston as they were siblings.  At a quick glance the father Robert is son of a William who is son of a Robert then two more Roberts - this takes us back to about 1590 and means I will need to get those wills!

Do you have an e-mail address so that I can forward the files on to you as it was a county wide search and a couple of the marriages are in other parishes so I'm sure you will want to peruse all this lovely info at your leisure.

Joy

I shall order the wills today.