Richard Cotton/Cotten of Hythe

[Gossypium]

I wonder if anyone can find out more about Richard Cotton/Cotten born about 1785 in Hythe according to his entry in the 1851 Census:

1851 Census of Fawley HAM
Richard Cotton head M widower age 66 b 1785 Hythe HAM builder
Ann Cotton dau F unmar age 27 b 1824 Hythe, Hampshire

Richard died in 1852:
Death Oct/Dec 1852 Richard Cotten New Forest vol 2b page 329

1841 Census of Fawley HAM
Richard Cotton M age 54 b 1783/87 Y (meaning b HAM)
Sarah Cotton F age 52 b 1785/89 Y
Richard Cotton M age 25 b 1812/16 Y
Charles Cotton M age 20 b 1817/21 Y
Ann Cotton F age 17 b 1824 Y
George Cotton M age 15 b 1826 Y

Two possible marriages for a Richard and Sarah:
Richard Cotten mar Sarah Laneford or Langford 11 Aug 1811 St. Michael's, Southampton HAM
Richard Cotten mar Sarah Jane Ford 11 Aug 1812 Southampton HAM
but do not know which is the above couple in the 1841 census above.

This may possibly have been their first child:
Hannah Cotton chr 11 Apr 1813 Southampton HAM d/o Richard Cotton and Sarah
but these are definitely their children:
Richard Cotton chr 6 Oct 1815 Dibden HAM s/o Richard Cotton and Sarah
Sarah Cottin chr 30 Nov 1817 Dibden HAM d/o Richard Cottin and Sarah
Sarah Cotton age 3 bur 24 Jun 1821 Fawley HAM d/o Richard Cotton and Sarah
Charles Cotton chr 13 May 1821 Dibden HAM s/o Richard Cotton and Sarah
Ann Cotton chr 12 Oct 1823 Fawley HAM d/o Richard Cotton and Sarah Cotton
George Cotton chr 30 Jul 1826 Fawley, Southampton HAM s/o Richard Cotton and Sarah

Can you find documentary evidence which proves which is the correct marriage of Richard and Sarah?

[Annette7]

In 1851 dau. Ann shown as born Hythe but we know she was baptised in Fawley.

I would suggest that your Richard Cotton is the one baptised 21/1/1787 Fawley, son of Richard and Ann. (Hythe is a chapelry in Fawley).

As to the marriages - I think you'll find this marriage is one and the same i.e. same date (11th August), Sarah Laneford as opposed to Sarah Jane Ford - the 1812 details are from Bishops Transcript and I would suggest this a corruption of the 1811 details with wrong year and Sarah Jane Ford instead of Sarah Laneford.

Annette

[Gossypium]

Thanks Annette for twigging the marriages being one and the the same!  As to the baptism of Richard, there is another on 9 Jun 1783 in Fawley, Richard Cotton s/o William and Elizabeth.

[amondg]

Given the names of his children Annette7's  suggestion of Richard and Ann as parents in 1787 is more likely to prove correct.
Was Sarah Jane Ford's mother Hannah?

[Gossypium]

I agree as the given names Richard and Ann recur further down this lineage.  Sarah Jane Ford is a corruption of Sarah Laneford or Langford.  There is a burial of Hannah Langford aged 76 on 19 Nov 1837 in Hythe, so maybe you are right that she is Sarah's mother.

[Little Nell]

Richard left a will.  Hampshire Record Office catalogue lists it as follows, with a date of 1852:

Ref: 1852B/019
Will, renunciation, and further probate document relating to Richard Cotten of Fawley, Hampshire, builder

You should be able to order a copy from them.

Nell

[Gossypium]

Thanks, Nell.  A descendant will order a copy.  He took a Y-DNA37 test at FamilyTreeDNA and the results matched closely to the results of other Cottons descended from the Cottons of Freshwater, Isle of Wight.  Sadly we cannot find the baptism and marriage of his earliest known ancestor Richard Cotten born about 1730:

1 Richard Cotten, b. abt 1730 England
...+ Unknown
...2 Richard Cotten, b. 1763 Fawley HAM d. 1833, Fawley HAM (bur on 5 Feb 1833 All Saints, Fawley)
......+ Ann Goulden
.......3 Richard Cotten, b. abt 1785 Hythe HAM, d. 1852
.........+ Sarah Laneford