Where there two Edmund Botten / Bottings in Billingshurst?

[LizzieL]

I have found the following series of baptisms in Billingshurst with father Edmund:
Sarah BOTTEN  Baptism  15 Mar 1801     
Mary BOTTEN  Baptism  01 May 1803     
Edward BOTTEN  Baptism  14 Apr 1805  (possible burial 30 jul 1809)
Hester BOTTEN  Baptism  01 Mar 1807   
Thomas BOTTEN  Baptism  04 Dec 1808   
Hannah BOTTEN  Baptism  17 Jun 1810     
Rebecca BOTTEN  Baptism  12 Apr 1812     
Jemima BOTTEN  Baptism  17 Apr 1814   
Lucy BOTTING 3 Dec 1815

This looks a quite feasible set of children born at 18 month to 2 year intervals, but the problem is there are two different mothers.

Sarah BOTTEN  Baptism  15 Mar 1801  mother Elizabeth   
Mary BOTTEN  Baptism  01 May 1803  mother Mary   
Edward BOTTEN  Baptism  14 Apr 1805  mother Mary 
Hester BOTTEN  Baptism  01 Mar 1807  mother Elizabeth 
Thomas BOTTEN  Baptism  04 Dec 1808  mother Elizabeth   
Hannah BOTTEN  Baptism  17 Jun 1810  mother Mary   
Rebecca BOTTEN  Baptism  12 Apr 1812  mother Mary   
Jemima BOTTEN  Baptism  17 Apr 1814  mother Mary
Lucy BOTTING 3 Dec 1815 mother Elizabeth 

The only marriage I can find for an Edmund is at Pulborough to Elizabeth Napper on 15 Oct 1798, it states Elizabeth otp and Edmund of Billingshurst. Wit Edward Botten and Charlotte Botten.

There is a marriage for an Edward Botten to Ann Lelyett in Billingshurst on 11 Oct 1804, the couple have a child Harriot Baptised  28 Jul 1805  in Billingshurst, but no more children that I ca find. There is a burial in B'hurst for an Ann on 19 Dec 1806 but no mention of age or relationship.

A further baptism in B'hurst:
Caroline Markwick BOTTEN  Baptism  25 Jun 1820  mother Elizabeth - widow
This might imply the Edmund had died too early to have fathered this last child.

Two burials in B'hurst
Edw BOTTING  burial 7 May 1818 age 45 abode Slinfold - this could be Edmund badly recorded or transcribed or the Edward husband of Ann
Elizabeth BOTTING burial 9 Sep 1823 age 45 abode Pulborough. This might be Elizbeth nee Napper returned to family in Pulborough after being widowed.

Any opinions as to whether there is only one Edmund with one wife with two names, or can anyone find a marriage between an Edmund and a Mary to prove there are two couples.

[artifis]

There is a baptism at Pulborough for Elizabeth Napper 01 Nov 1778 d/o Richard & Sarah.

I did wonder if Elizabeth had a sister Mary who'd died young and had 'adopted' that foremane as well as her own as happened with one of my ancestors and interestingly Richard and Sarah did have a daughter Mary baptised there on 29 Dec 1776 but she appears to have married Adam White at Pulborough on 20 May 1779 and was buried 09 Jul 1819 43 y/o at Pulborough (gives birth year 1776). They had six children baptised at Pulborough, the last in 1817 when Mary was 41!

I also can't find any other Edmund/Edward Botten (or any similar spelling) marriages to either an Elizabeth or Mary for the relevant period.

One possibility for the different mother's names is that Elizabeth sometimes referred to herself as Mary, maybe baptised Elizabeth Mary but only Elizabeth recorded or transcribed.  My grandfather was recorded as baptised only as Richard whereas all his many siblings were recorded with two forenames, he was always referred to as Richard George and named his eldest son the same.

Another possibility is that whoever entered up the baptisms in the parish records made a mistake but to do so several times seems too coincidental.  It could also be a transcription error with the transcribe pressing the wrong forename macro key - I have encountered this before in several parts of the country where transcriptions were checked against the original records.

I suspect with the regular baptism intervals that this is the same family but I'd make a not against them regarding he mother's name discrepancy.

[LizzieL]

Thanks, it's good to see someone else has drawn a blank with finding a second Edmund. I believe Edmund was the son of Thomas Botten / Botting and Sarah and had siblings Charlotte and Edward - maybe others born/ baptised  somewhere other than B'hurst. There are settlement / removal orders for a Thomas and wife Sarah between B'hurst and Wisborough Green and a marriage at Wis Green for a Thomas and a Sarah Hews on 13 May 1762.

I have tracked down some of the other children from my original post. Hannah (my person of interest) married William Goodyer at Itchingfield on 25 Dec 1833. Earlier the same year at Itchingfield, brother Thomas married Elizabeth Baker and sister Rebecca married James Sayers, Hannah was witness at both marriages, and William Goodyer was witness at one. Lucy married in Sutton, but died in 1842.
The widowed Elizabeth's illeg child Caroline was buried in Pulborough a few month before Elizabeth was buried in B'hurst.
The putative father was John Marckwick, a bastardy order issued in April 1820, describes Elizabeth as widow of Slinfold. So it looks like the family moved to Slinfold, where Edmund died, body brought to B'hurst for burial. His widow had a relationship with John Markwick, then moved back to pulborough, where Caroline died and was buried. When Elizabeth died in Pulborough her body was buried in B'hurst presumably with Edmund.
There are also a number of boarding and apprentice agreements for some of the children, referring to them as poor children in the 1820's.