Edward was born on 26 June 1803 and christened on 24 July 1803 at Leigh, Surrey, the seventh of ten children born to Edward and Abigail WICKS of Bunce Common, Leigh between 1785 and 1810. Edward and Abigail’s first child, Abigail, had already died in 1795 before reaching her 10th birthday. In 1813 Edward’s older brother George died at the age of 22, and in 1823 Edward’s younger sister Mary died at the age of 15.
Edward’s older brother, Joseph WICKS, married Mary ROSE in Betchworth on 4 February 1826. Another older brother, Benjamin, married and moved to Brighton sometime before 1828 and became a grocer.
Edward WICKS married Martha BUDGEN on 21 September 1828 in Crawley, Sussex. A daughter, Frances, was born 21 June 1829 and christened in Crawley on 9 August 1829 and their son, Henry, was christened in Horley, Surrey on 22 May 1831.
Martha died sometime between 1831 and 1835, and Edward married his second wife, Maria WEBB, at Reigate Parish Church on 17 May 1835. Witnesses to the marriage were Edward BRENT(?) and Lucy EDWARDS. Maria had previously been married John JOHNSON. At his marriage and on later documents Edward uses an X as ‘the mark of Edward Wicks’.
Edward and Maria had a daughter, Maria, christened in Horley on 19 March 1837.
In July 1837 Edward’s father, Edward, died aged 76 and was buried in Leigh on 27 July.
On 3 December 1837 Edward’s younger brother, Stephen WICKS, married Dinah SKILTON at Ewell, Surrey.
Edward and Maria WICKS had a son, Robert, born on the 17 March 1839 at 10am at North End Croydon. By the time the birth was registered on 4 April 1839 Maria had already died. Robert was christened at Croydon, Surrey on 18 March 1839.
On Robert’s birth certificate and in all later records Edward’s occupation is recorded as ‘Ostler’ or ‘Hostler’.
Maria died on 23 March 1839 at North End, Croydon aged 33 from inflammation of the lungs. The informant was Elizabeth FREELAND, present at the death, and the death was registered on 25 March 1839. Maria was buried in Crawley, Sussex on 28 March 1839.
Robert WICKS of Croydon died aged 14 days and was buried in Crawley on 7 April 1839.
On the 1841 census Edward was living at Cock Hill, Sutton, Surrey with his sister, Rebecca BEECH, a widow, and children Frances, age 12, Henry, aged 10 and Maria, age 5.
At the time of the 1841 Census Edward’s mother, Abigail, was living in Leigh with her youngest son and daughter-in-law, Stephen and Dinah WICKS. Abigail WICKS died on 12 September 1846 in Dorking aged 82. Her daughter, Elizabeth COOK of Dorking, was present at the death.
In 1851 Edward’s older brother Joseph was employed as an agricultural labourer and living with his family in Brockhamhurst in the Parish of Betchworth.
Edward’s oldest brother, John, who was christened in 1788, does not appear to be on the 1851 census and may well have died as a child, although I have not found a record of his death.
In 1851 Rebecca BEACH was still living in Sutton with her niece, Maria. Edward WICKS was at New Cross in the hamlet of Hatcham, Deptford with his third wife, Hannah who worked as a laundress and was born in Wales.
The only mention of a Henry WICKS I can find on the 1851 census that might be Edward’s son is in Reigate as a labourer (bricklayer) aged 21 born Leigh, Surrey.
On 24 April 1853 Edward’s son, Henry WICKS, married Mary Ann PURKISS at St Paul’s Deptford. Henry is described as 'of this parish'.
Henry and Mary Ann WICKS’s first child is born in the Bethnal Green area of London in 1853 but by December 1855 they were living at 2 Horrock’s Row, New Cross, Deptford, part of the same row of houses as Edward was living in.
Hannah WICKS, wife of Edward, died on 26 January 1856 at 5 Horrock’s Row, New Cross, Deptford aged 59 years of General Dropsy (12 months, certified). The informant was Sarah DURBAN, present at the death, also of 5 Horrock’s Row and the death was registered 29 January.
In 1861 Edward was still living at 5 Horrock’s Row along with his sister, Rebecca BEACH. In total there were three households living at 5 Horrock’s Row, a total of nine individuals including Frederick and Sarah Durban and their son, Frederick, and Thomas and Sarah Huggett with their daughter and grand-daughter.
Edward’s son, Henry, was living at the north-west end of Blackheath Road in 1861 (in a row between the corner of Greenwich Road and the Police Station). On the census his occupation is given a Fly Driver and he is incorrectly recorded as Henry WEEKS born Croydon, Surrey. The household includes a 14 year girl employed as a general servant.
Edward WICKS died on 11 September 1861 at 5 Horrock’s Row, New Cross, Deptford aged 58 years of Fistula Phlhisis(?). The informant was S DURBAN, present at the death, also of 5 Horrock’s Row and the death was registered 13 September 1861.
Edward married in Crawley and had children christened in Crawley, Sussex and Horley, Surrey. His son is sometimes recorded as born in Sussex rather than Surrey suggesting that at the time Edward was living close to the Sussex/Surrey border probably in the south of the Parish of Horley. His first wife, Martha, must have died between 1831 and 1835. She was probably born somewhere near Crawley. On the IGI there are two christenings in 1807 for a Martha BUDGEN, one in West Hoathley, one in Worth. I haven't been able to find the marriage of Edward WICKS to Hannah. There is one possible marriage of an Edward WEEKS on FreeBMD in which a Hannah is recorded on the same page, but I'm not sure this is him. Edward’s son continued in his father’s occupation by working with horses as a Fly Driver/Ostler/Coachman. I haven't found out what happened to his daughters Frances after the 1841 census or Maria after the 1851 census. I still haven't found the marriage of his sister, Rebecca WICKS to BEACH sometime before 1841, or indeed her husband’s death.
Copyright © 2006 Paul Wicks.
Last updated: April 2006