#40 William Napper

Birth

William Napper's parents are currently unknown. There are several possible dates and locations of birth for him:
1. 1813 in Surrey, England or Horsham, Sussex, England, or Branley, Surrey, England [1 & 2]
2. about 1815 in Branley, Surrey, England, or Horsham, Sussex, England [3]
3. about 1816 in Branley, Surrey, England [4]
4. 1827 in Nuthurst Sussex England, or Horsham, Sussex, England [5]

Historical
William may have felt hopeful for the future when King William IV and Queen Adelaide were crowned on September 8, 1831.

As a 19 year old, William may have experienced the political impact of the Great Reform Act of 1832 while living in Nuthurst, Sussex.

William Napper lived in England during the era of Chartist rebellion against limited voting rights.

Marriage
William Napper married Harriott/Harriett Cooper in Slaugham, Sussex, England, on March 25, 1838, when he was around 25 years old and she was around 27. [6 & 7] 

Family
William and Harriott lived at Rose Bramble Oak Cottage in Slaugham, Sussex,in 1841. The cottage appears to have been shared by several families, including some with the last name Cooper. It was during this time when Charles Dickens’ literary works became popular. [4]

The 1842 General Strike fought for better treatment and higher wages for industrial workers.

William and Harriett may have had a daughter prior to the birth of their 3 sons, however I have been unable to find a reliable sources for this.

Their son William (John William?), my great-great grandfather, was born in 1842 in Tunbridge Hill, Kent, England and baptised on April 28, 1844. Son Edward/Edwin was born in 1847 or 1848 in Slaugham, Sussex, England. Son John was born between 1849 and 1851 in Slaugham, Sussex, England.

The family lived at HandCrofts (sp??) in Slaugham, Sussex, England, in 1851 when the worldwide cholera epidemic made deadly passes through England and Wales. William worked as an agricultural labourer, while 7 year old William was an errand boy. [1]

When Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, died suddenly in 1861 the family was living in Lower Beeding, Sussex. That year also saw the railroad industry swiftly expanded in England. They lived in the Sun Oak Cottage and William was a farm labourer, along with his 3 sons. [2]

Son Edward/Edwin may have married Elizabeth Boniface in 1867.

William, Harriett, and their youngest son John lived in Peas Cottage in Slaugham, Sussex, England, in 1871. William and John worked as agricultural labourers. [5]

I wonder if in their line of work they enjoyed additional days off from work, thanks to Sir John Lubbock’s bill that sanctioned government-sponsored bank holidays in the Bank Holiday Act of 1871.

Progress made by the United States and Germany in manufacturing and agriculture in 1881, affected many in the United Kingdom, including William during the Great Depression of 1873 to 1896.

Did son John marry between 1871 and 1881?

Death of Wife
His wife Harriott passed away in July 1880 in Cuckfield, Sussex, England, around age 69. They had been married 42 years.

Now a widower, William and his unmarried son William lived as lodgers at Horsham Road in Slaugham, Sussex in 1881 and continued to work as agricultural labourers. [3]

Son William modified his name to John William and married Mary Ann Botting on January 7, 1883 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England [8] By 1891 they were in Canada.

Death
William's date and location of death are unknown.

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Sources:
1. 1851 England Census
2. 1861 England Census
3. 1881 England Census
4. 1841 England Census
5. 1871 England Census
6. LDS Batch M071071: Source 0918468: Call 0416746 
7. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 and England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973
8. In the England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 Registration Year: 1884 Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun Registration district: Steyning Inferred County: Sussex Volume: 2b Page: 473