Baptism at Bury 1782

[rogden]

I am trying to determine the maiden name of Lucy who was born at Bury, Sussex about 1782 (according to later census returns). A marriage transcription from Broadwater, Sussex in 1807 gives her maiden name as LUIS (LEWIS?) but other genealogists believe her name might have been LUER (LEWER?).
If anyone has access to Bury baptism records and could determine her surname and the names of her parents it would help me enormously.
Thank you
Roger

[Liz_in_Sussex]

Hi,

There is a Lucy LEWER baptised at Bury, St John the Evangelist 21 Apr 1782.  Her parents are John and Sarah LEWER.

The only marriage given on the SMI between a John Lewer and Sarah is LEWER - HAYNES in Buxted - the other end of the county!  16 Nov 1779.  John's name is spelt Lewes at the marriage and he is from Framfield. 

However, the licence has the following details:

John LEWER (bach hus 30 of Framfield) - Sarah HAYNES (spin 25 Buxted)
Sussex Record Society vol 25
ss; J.L.; Matthew LEWER hus Framfield

Liz

[rogden]

Many thanks Liz, you have been most helpful.
The info you supplied fits the 1851 & 61 censuses  that states Lucy's birthplace as Bury, Sussex. Unsourced family trees of others quote her birthplace as Framfield. The additional detail about her parents at marriage positively identify the exact John LEWER. This in turn leads to another two generations of LEWERs, via Matthew and Thomas if IGI databases are correct.
This will help me enormously when I visit Sussex Records Office for added detail at a future date.
Roger

[rogden]

Liz
My earlier reply  should have stated that other trees attribute the birth of Lucy LEWER to Hamsey, Sussex (not Framfield), despite what census returns stated, and hence attribute different (wrong?) parents.
I think it possible that there were two families headed by 'John LEWER and Sarah' during the 1780s. One family was having children born at Lewes, Sussex at least between 1788 and 1798 and possibly as early as 1782.
Can you tell me if John LEWER and Sarah had any other children baptised at BURY, Sussex in the 1780s? Your answer may help to determine if I need to search one or two leads.
For info, IGI states that a John LEWER and Sarah had a daughter Sarah  baptised 3 April 1780 at Buxted (where they married in 1779) and so Lucy probably had an older sister.
Roger

[Liz_in_Sussex]

Hi,

Lucy is the first child of theirs baptised at Bury as far as I can see.

Charlotte 7 Nov 1784 at Bury to John and Sarah
Harriett 23 May 1790 at Bury to John and Sarah
Clement (s) 21 Jun 1795 at Bury to John and Sarah

Sarah Lewer 3 Apr 1786 at Buxted to Jn and Sarah Lewer - this is what the SFHG gives but the date of 1780 seems much more likely - it could be a transcription error and would need checking at Lewes?

Liz

ADDED - there are no other children baptised at Buxted that seem to belong to the couple.

[rogden]

Thanks again Liz
Your information proves my LEWER family stayed in BURY, Sussex for some years. This enables me to conclude that there were two LEWER families in Sussex who had a daughter named Lucy born about 1782. There is my family living at BURY, Sussex and another one at the same time living at HAMSEY/LEWES, Sussex, both sets of parents having children in the 1780s and 90s. Unfortunately, the other family historians have mixed their Lucy born at HAMSEY with my Lucy born at BURY and so they have their Lucy's marriage wrong and the subsequent family tree. I guess one got it wrong and the others have simply copied the mistake. It's easily done if you don't check original facts. I promise to check myself as soon as I can get to the records office.
Thanks again
Roger

[Ann from Sussex]

My 4xgt grandparents were JOHN and SARAH LEWER. I have settlement documents for them dated 26th April 1793 when they were granted settlement in the parish of St Thomas in the Cliffe, Lewes from the parish of Billingshurst. John was a lath maker and at that time they had four children: SARAH aged 13 "or thereabouts", JOHN aged 11 "or thereabouts",  Maria Ann aged 8 "or thereabouts" and Samuel aged 2 "or thereabouts". The family appears to have remained in Lewes from 1793. Two more children were born in the town, ANN GORING on 23 July 1793 and my 3x gt grandmother EVE ANN in 1798. According to the Sussex Burial Index SARAH LEWER was buried in Lewes in 1799 but I have no other details. This burial certainly wasn't the daughter Sarah as she married in 1803.

I also have an extract from the Diary of Thomas Turner who was a parish official in East Hoathley. He describes conducting an inquest in Nov 1764 into the death of MATTHEW LEWER a lath cleaver who was found dead in woodland after a day working with his nephew Matthew and John, the son of his nephew. I think this John may well be my John, given his occupation as an adult.

I have had difficulty finding anything concrete about John and Sarah and have seen a burial record for JOHN LEWER at Bury in 1826. I did wonder if he was mine but having seen your posts, am pretty sure he isn't. I think you are right in saying there were two families headed by John and Sarah Lewer in Sussex at the same time. I think my couple are the ones who married at Buxted in 1779. However, many years ago I recall seeing a record somewhere on the internet which connected a John Lewer with a Sarah Goring - I'm not sure what it was now. Since my pair's next to youngest daughter was Ann Goring Lewer, I do wonder if there is a something to be explored there. I wish I could since I have never been able to find the record again!

[rogden]

Hello Ann
I haven't found any new information about my Lewers since my last post. However, I think there is a distinct possibility that the Lewer families living West Sussex and those in East Sussex are related somehow but I haven't found any definitive proof yet. I have yet to visit the records office.
Roger

[LizzieL]

Hi,

Lucy is the first child of theirs baptised at Bury as far as I can see.

Charlotte 7 Nov 1784 at Bury to John and Sarah
Harriett 23 May 1790 at Bury to John and Sarah
Clement (s) 21 Jun 1795 at Bury to John and Sarah

Sarah Lewer 3 Apr 1786 at Buxted to Jn and Sarah Lewer - this is what the SFHG gives but the date of 1780 seems much more likely - it could be a transcription error and would need checking at Lewes?

Liz

ADDED - there are no other children baptised at Buxted that seem to belong to the couple.

I know this is an old thread, and you might have got much further on by now, but John and Sarah must have had a son James because there is a burial of a James Lewer at Bury on 03 Dec 1789 recorded as son of John and Sarah. Unfortunately no age given.