Richard STILES/STYLES b.1805/6 Burford

[supermoussi]

In the 1861 census there is a brickmaker called Richard STILES listed in Bisham Berks. He is a 55 yr old widower and said he was born in Burford. He died in Q1 1864.

In 1851 he is listed as a Brick Burner in Stanford in the Vale and still gives his place of birth as Burford. He is listed as married but with no sign of his wife (unknown).

However, I have looked through the Burford PRs and can't see any sign of a baptism for him. There was a Richard STILES baptised about the right time in Hanborough though, to John STILES, brickmaker of Eynsham & his wife Harriet (unknown).

Are Rd STILES of Burford and Rd STILES of Hanborough/Eynsham one and the same or have I missed something? If it is the same man why would he list his place of birth as Burford if his family had no obvious connection to it?

[bucksboy]

In 1861, Richard Stlies(1805. Burford), appears with son Richard Stiles (1844. Drayton, Berks).

In 1851, Richard Stiles(1844. Drayton), appears with mother, Eliza Stiles (1815. Nuneham, Oxfordshire ).

Siblings are Elizabeth(1836.Hardington, Oxon), Robert Stiles(1839. Drayton), & John Stiles(1847.Drayton).

1841 census, Richard Stiles(1811), [E]Liza Stiles(1816), William Stiles(1834), Elizabeth Stiles(1836) & Robert Stiles(1839), all in Drayton, Berks.  (The image is very feint).

Richard Stiles marries Eliza Wynch @ Nuneham Courtney. 13 Oct 1833. (OxFHS - M.I.).


Steve.

[NDRFT]

Hi
I reckon a bit of caution is needed here as there is no places called Hardington in Oxfordshire and never has been. There are at least 3 different possibilities for Drayton.

I think the places connected to the folks Steve has found are primarily to the S & S/W of Oxfordshire and N/E of Berkshire and therfore not near Burford. - So as you say Super wht did he put Burford?

Hope this helps a little?

Nigel

[bucksboy]

I thought Hardington was weird, and looking again at the original it maybe ARDINGTON, which would make more sense.

Sorry, can't help with the Burford quandry.

Steve.

[supermoussi]

Thanks Steve & Nigel, 

I am chomping through some of my Parish CDs to try to piece the Styles together. Am making some progress, but as soon as I solve one part of the puzzle, another one rears its ugly head! Will reply in more detail in the next couple of days once I've got as far as I can.

A couple of quick obs tho:-

 1) Ardington would make sense but could it be Headington (Quarry)? Brickmakers/masons often passed though there.
 2) Was there any major building going on in Burford c 1805-07 by any chance? Renovations to the church, priory or bridge perhaps? Don't think there are too many georgian buildings there?

[bucksboy]

Hmmmm.  There is a Martha ELIZABETH Stiles, baptized 27 Mar 1836, @ Headington, St Andrews, to Richard & Eliza STILES.  Occ. Brickmaker.

There is also an Emma Stiles bap.1836, to Henry & Alice Stiles. Occ. Brickmaker.(Just thought I'd give that, while I was there).

Steve.

From OxFHS - Headington PR CD. Volume 3.

[supermoussi]

Thanks. Think I've got a bit bogged down with the PRs! As far as I can make out the two main families I am looking at are:-

1) The Eynsham Mob

John STYLES, Brickmaker & Labourer, m. Harriet {unknown}
   Children:-    Richard b. 1807 Hanborough
                     Elizabeth b.1809 Eynsham
                     Henry b.1811 Eynsham Brickmaker, Grocer & Baker d.1880 Headington
                     William b.1815 Eynsham Labourer??? d.1839??? Wallingford St Leonards???
                     Robert b.1817 Eynsham Victualler d.1882 Barnet
                     Tho Wm b.1818 Eynsham Gardener d.1884 Headington RD
                     Elizabeth b.1822 Eynsham
                     Harriott b.1825 Eynsham
                     Richard b.1830 London

2) The Nuneham Courtenay Mob

Thomas STYLES b.1755, Bricklayer m. Hannah {unknown}
   Children:-    Joseph b.1784 Nuneham Courtenay Mason & Bricklayer
                     Richard b.1786 Nuneham Courtenay Brickmaker & Bricklayer
                     Catherine b.1792 Nuneham Courtenay

Richard b.1786 Nuneham Courtenay Brickmaker & Bricklayer m. Catherine {unknown}
   Children:-    Sarah 1813, John 1814, Thomas 1815, Hannah 1817, Elizabeth 1820, Martha 1823, Catherine 1823, George 1826, Joseph 1828 & Alice 1833 all born Nuneham Courtenay

                 
So the Rd STILES b.1805 Burford who married at Nuneham Courtenay is the right age to come from either family, but has an obvious Nuneham Courtenay link i.e, his marriage, but crossed tracks with the Henry Stiles b.1811 Eynsham in Headington. Hmm. Still think the jury is out on this one.

Other oddities are the Eynsham family having a Richard bapt 1807 Hanborough and another b.1830 London. I don't think John & Harriet died in Eynsham so did they disappear to London? Did the first Richard die?

A couple of other STILES events that may also fit in the picture are:-

  Elizabeth STYLES bapt. 1806 Burford d. Henry
  Sarah STYLES bapt. 1776 Asthall d. Robert
  Richard STYLES bapt. 1777 Asthall d. Robert

but not sure where. I suspect that Thomas STYLES of Nuneham Courtenay may be from a family in Bampton, some of whom were Masons, and used the name Robert. Where John of Eynsham came from is dubious, Hanborough has STILES going back to the 1500s so quite possibly there.

Luckily there are a few PCC and post 1858 wills for these families:-

 Thomas 1837 Nuneham Countenay
 Richard 1865 Nuneham Countenay
 Henry 1881 Headington

and possibly Robert 1882 but the will is not quite the same place (Barnet) as his death.

I will get these wills but does anyone know if the Oxon Pre-1858 indexes are online yet?

Thanks.

[H Stiles]

A great great grandfather of mine William Smith stiles was born in Burford ca 1809 & remained there his whole life. He was son of Mary smith, illegitimate. She had it seems several illegitimate children through that decade including a mary Ann Smith who married William Brunsdon/Blunsdon in 1827 in Burford. They had a daughter Caroline 1832-67 who married a John Stiles & had three(?) children William b.1854, Charlotte b.1859 & Joseph George Alfred b.1866.  This John was I think (without checking all my records) son of a Richard Stiles. I think (without checking) he & Caroline witnessed the marriage of William John Nunney & a Thirza (Theresa) stiles, daughter of a William Stiles labourer (d pre 1873) in 1873. Willam Nunney's brother George married Rosalie Fisher, daughter of Bartholomew Fisher & Roseana daughter of William Smith Stiles.

Confusing!

Now there is a Richard Smith born to Mary Smith in the Burford parish records, illegitimate, who would fit your Richard Stiles, & it makes sense to me that if they both claimed the name Stiles, presumably because of a claimed father (maybe the Henry father of Elizabeth Styles??).  There is an Ann Stiles, adult baptism, born in Cheltenham 1778/9 who I am sure was connected - she was a carrier as was William Smith Stiles.  On of William's somes moved to faringdon & was a publican but died young & I wondered if there was a connection with the Faringdon Stiles's.

The thing to do I have found is to map out all the people & see who married whom & the witnesses, if only to eliminate people.

[supermoussi]

Thanks H. Yep Confusing!

Your theory about Richard makes sense, but is difficult to prove without a mention in a will etc.

Do you know what happened to Mary SMITH? Did she stay in Burford?