Author Topic: The Murder of John PAYNE of Billington  (Read 7521 times)

Offline Darren S

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The Murder of John PAYNE of Billington
« on: Friday 19 October 07 15:39 BST (UK) »
Hi all,

By pure chance, I found out about the murder of John Payne/Pain, of Billington, Beds, in 1817. He was murdered by a Daniel Munn (who had previously murdered his wife and a local shopkeeper) outside the Red Lion pub in Dagnall (across the border in Bucks).

Read about it here from Page 9 onwards:
http://www.bucksfhs.org.uk/images/stories/Image/pdf/origins/vol17_03.pdf

It seems very likely that John Payne is actually an ancestor of my wife's, but I haven't been able to find out any more about the unfortunate victim other than where he lived. Billington is a very small village so there can't be that many John Paynes, though.

James Pain/Payne, 1804-1871, was my wife's 4xgreat grandfather. You can see him in the 1841 census, living with his wife Ann at "Littel Billington" (sic) and 5 children here:
http://www.leighton-linslade.com/census/1841/billington.html

His baptism, in Billington, is on the IGI on 23/09/1804, with parents John Pain and Elizabeth. John Pain was baptised in Billington on 28/05/1780, to parents John Pain and Ann. John Pain Senior was christened in Leighton Buzzard in 1754. No-one else called John Pain appears in the IGI for Billington.

There is also a John Pain in Billington in 1841, aged 60, but married to a Mary, aged 50. This is possibly James Pain's father, but remarried - unless it is a different, unrelated John Pain.

So either the victim was James's father, James's grandfather, or someone else? Does anyone have access to any burial information, etc. that could find out the age, and even better, the widow, of the victim?

Thanks!

Offline bedfordshire boy

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Re: The murder of John Payne of Billington
« Reply #1 on: Friday 19 October 07 15:42 BST (UK) »
John Payne age 56 buried at Billington on 5 May 1817

It's a sexist thing but whilst you often see Elizabeth, wife of John, labourer, buried...., I've never seen it the other way round John, husband of Elizabeth. You might get junior or senior though

David
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Beds:   Cople: Luke/Spencer
            Everton: Hale
            Henlow: Cooper/Watts/Sabey/Rook
            Potton:  Merrill
            Southill: Faulkner/Litchfield/Sabey/Rook
            Woburn/Husborne Crawley: Surkitt
Hunts:   Gt Gransden: Merrill/Chandler/Medlock
            Toseland: Surkitt/Hedge/Corn         
Cambs: Bourn: Bowd
            Eltisley: Medlock
            Graveley: Ford/Revell

Offline Darren S

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Re: The murder of John Payne of Billington
« Reply #2 on: Friday 19 October 07 17:31 BST (UK) »
John Payne age 56 buried at Billington on 5 May 1817

It's a sexist thing but whilst you often see Elizabeth, wife of John, labourer, buried...., I've never seen it the other way round John, husband of Elizabeth. You might get junior or senior though

David

Hi, thanks for that. Did the record say who his wife was? Or, can you find any baptism records for a John Payne in 1760/1761?

I suspect that my assumption that John Payne senior was the one Christened in Leighton Buzzard in 1754 could be wrong. (John Pain senior did, however, marry Ann Proctor in LB).

Equally, this could be another John Payne I don't know about. The plot thickens...

Offline bedfordshire boy

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Re: The murder of John Payne of Billington
« Reply #3 on: Friday 19 October 07 22:12 BST (UK) »
As I said, burial records don't usually say who the wife was. I took that from an index so you'd need to check the parish register or transcript to see if there's any other detail.

Virtually all Beds baptisms pre 1812 have been extracted onto the IGI

David
Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Beds:   Cople: Luke/Spencer
            Everton: Hale
            Henlow: Cooper/Watts/Sabey/Rook
            Potton:  Merrill
            Southill: Faulkner/Litchfield/Sabey/Rook
            Woburn/Husborne Crawley: Surkitt
Hunts:   Gt Gransden: Merrill/Chandler/Medlock
            Toseland: Surkitt/Hedge/Corn         
Cambs: Bourn: Bowd
            Eltisley: Medlock
            Graveley: Ford/Revell


Offline tazzie

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Re: The Murder of John PAYNE of Billington
« Reply #4 on: Saturday 20 October 07 10:58 BST (UK) »
  Hi Darren & David.

   I can look at the film today as I believe they have a copy in Leighton Buzzard and I am going to mum & dads today.

  I will look through for any comments and see if any extra info is available.
As you both know the county boudary near here covers 3 counties so rellies can bob about abit over the small villages.

  Will check back later.

                          Tazzie
Liscoe -all
Green/Simpson/Underwood-Beds
Walker/Foulkes/Fookes/Fooks/Hedges/Lamborne-Bucks.
Stanton/Pattrick/Cooper/Fitzjohn/Holland/Spalding-London
 Rewallin/Underwood -Devon
 Casbolt-London/Cambridge
 Favell/Favel - Lincs-Beds

 This information is Crown Copyright from
   www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline tazzie

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Re: The Murder of John PAYNE of Billington
« Reply #5 on: Monday 22 October 07 14:14 BST (UK) »


   Hi Darren & David...

  Well I had a good look through the burials but as David says no other information.
  I did check the PR book for the baptism of a John Payne for 1754 and found..

  Jn son of Jn and Mary Payne of Heath bapt 27 Feb 1754.

  They only have marriages from 1843 onwards so could not recheck any before that date for Billington.


                                Tazzie
Liscoe -all
Green/Simpson/Underwood-Beds
Walker/Foulkes/Fookes/Fooks/Hedges/Lamborne-Bucks.
Stanton/Pattrick/Cooper/Fitzjohn/Holland/Spalding-London
 Rewallin/Underwood -Devon
 Casbolt-London/Cambridge
 Favell/Favel - Lincs-Beds

 This information is Crown Copyright from
   www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Darren S

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Re: The Murder of John PAYNE of Billington
« Reply #6 on: Monday 22 October 07 14:20 BST (UK) »
Thanks for your help, Tazzie! It's a shame we haven't managed to find any extra information. There are baptisms for John Pain/Payne in adjacent counties, but he could be any or none of them.

Offline tazzie

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Re: The Murder of John PAYNE of Billington
« Reply #7 on: Monday 22 October 07 14:25 BST (UK) »


   Common name as you say Darren. I also have Paynes in Bedford and spelling changes don't help during census.

I will keep a look out for anything interesting. There are some local books on "murder in Bucks /Beds" may shed some clues.
                              Tazzie
Liscoe -all
Green/Simpson/Underwood-Beds
Walker/Foulkes/Fookes/Fooks/Hedges/Lamborne-Bucks.
Stanton/Pattrick/Cooper/Fitzjohn/Holland/Spalding-London
 Rewallin/Underwood -Devon
 Casbolt-London/Cambridge
 Favell/Favel - Lincs-Beds

 This information is Crown Copyright from
   www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Lyndyloub

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Re: The Murder of John PAYNE of Billington
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 19 June 08 00:08 BST (UK) »
I was very interested to read of the murder of John Pain of Billington. 
My ancestors William Griffin c1792-1834 and Elizabeth Pain c1790-1826 both resided in Billington. they married in All Saints Leighton Buzzard on 15.10.1813. 
They are both buried at St. Michael & All Angels in Billington, as are all my grandparents from this line. 
Have you come across Elizabeth in your research as I have not been able to get back any further? 
I live fairly close by in Luton and have a lot of pictures of the church and graveyard.
Lynda