HEBBORN FAMILY HISTORY & NEWS -  August 2004

THOMAS AND URSULA OF WYTHAM

Joan Williams’s determination to discover more about the activities of certain Headington Hebborns led her to the registers of Wytham in North Berkshire. The parish is bounded on one side by the Thames near to Oxford. To the south lay the parishes of North Hinksey, South Hinksey and Radley, all of which have been home to Hebborns. Joan failed to find the information she was looking for, but came across a family that seem to be connected to the Hebborns of Iffley and Cowley.

She discovered the following children of Thomas and Ursula. I leave you to make your own choice of surname from the selection found in the parish register of Wytham:
Richard Heburn [C013] Baptised 16 Dec 1683.  Buried 04 May 1684.
Philip Heborn [C014] Baptised 24 May 1685. More on him later.
Ann Heyborn [C015] Baptism not found. Buried Wytham date to be confirmed.
Ann Heburn [C016] Baptised 24 Feb 1687/8.  Buried Wytham date to be confirmed.
Katherine Heaborne [C017] Baptised 17 Mar 1688/9
Eliz Heyborn [C018] Baptised 20 Dec 1691.
John Heban [C019] Baptised 18 Nov 1694. More on him later.
Richard Heban [C004] Baptised 31 Oct 1697.

The combination of Thomas and Ursula appears to be unique in Hebborn families. Unfortunately, no marriage has yet been found.  We do know that Thomas was buried at Wytham on 09 Jun 1729 and Ursula on 11 Jan 1738/9.

 The next step was to see if any of their surviving sons had married and continued the line. I remembered having seen records of the children of a Philip and Susannah Heborn in one of the Oxford City parishes. In the index to the Oxfordshire Archdeaconry marriage licence bonds of 1711 I found a reference to Philip H… Our good friend Sue Hedges Kindly viewed the original document at Oxfordshire Record Office. It referred to the proposed marriage of Philip Hebun and Susannah Loader, to take place at St Mary the Virgin in Oxford. However, the marriage does not appear in the register transcript of that church. Nevertheless, it seems that a marriage did take place, as there is no indication in the following baptism entries that their children were other than lawfully begotten:

Phillip Heybourn [D037] Baptised 16 Sep 1712 at St Thomas, Oxford.
Susannah Heborn [D038] Baptised 19 Dec 1717 at St Ebbe, Oxford.
Thomas Heiborne [D039] Baptised 18 Feb 1718 at St Ebbe, Oxford. Presumed to have died in infancy.
Ann Heborn [D040] Baptised 19 Feb 1719 at St Ebbe, Oxford. Buried 10 Jul 1720, Oxford St. Ebbe
Elizabeth Heborn [D041] Baptised 08 Apr 1721 at St Ebbe, Oxford.
John Heborn [D042] Baptised 05 Sep 1721 at St Ebbe, Oxford.
Thomas Heborn [D043] Baptised 05 Sep 1721, Oxford St Ebbe. Buried 17 Sep 1721, Oxford St Ebbe.
Hannah Heborn [D044] Baptised 10 Jul 1722, Oxford, St Ebbe.
Then there is Francis Heborn [D045] whose baptism has not been found. He was buried 15 Oct 1723, Oxford, St Ebbe. It is likely that he was the son of Philip and Susannah as no other Heborn family appears in the St Ebbe’s registers of that time.

The burial of a Susannah Heborn is recorded at St Ebbes on 24 Mar 1726. I take this to be Philip’s wife rather than his daughter as he was married to Elizabeth Cork on 02 Apr 1727 at Oxford St Thomas. What happened to Philip, his surviving children and his wife Elizabeth remains a mystery. No references to any of them have been positively identified.

His younger brother John would appear to be the John Hebourn who married Elizabeth Morgan on 03 Oct 1724 at North Hinksey. At one time I thought that Elizabeth’s husband might have been John Heborn [C003] of Iffley, but I am now convinced that he died as an infant, and that the John married in North Hinksey came from the adjoining parish of Wytham. We know that John and Elizabeth had at least eight children:

Rachel Heyborne [D025] Baptised 26 Aug 1725, North Hinksey.
Catherine Hebourn [D026] Baptised 27 Nov 1727 North Hinksey. ? Buried 27 Nov 1757 North Hinksey.
Elizabeth Hebern [D027] Baptised 14 Jun 1730, North Hinksey.
Thomas Hebbern [D028] Baptised 14 Jun 1730, North Hinksey.
Rachel Hebborn [D029] Provisionally Baptised 01 May 1732. Admitted 21 May 1732, North Hinksey.
Mary Hebon [D030] Baptised 29 Sep 1734, North Hinksey. Buried 13 Nov 1737, North Hinksey.
Margaret Heyborne [D031] Baptised 19 Mar 1736, North Hinksey.
Antony Hebon [D032] Baptised 13 Apr 1740, North Hinksey.

The burial of John Hepborn, labourer, is recorded on 20 Mar 1747. The family seem to have left North Hinksey after this, as no further mention of the name has been found in the register transcript.

Thomas and Ursula’s youngest son Richard has been numbered [C004] as he appears to be the Richard Heborn of Iffley who married Mary Harley at Oxford, St Mary Magdalene on 08 Apr 1733 [see Chart A001 and Apr 2003 Article ].  If this assumption is correct, the case for a link between the Hebborns of Cowley and Iffley and families across the Thames in the old county of Berkshire becomes stronger.

The earliest proven Hebborn ancestor at the top of the family tree I share with Joan is Henry Heborn [B001] – [see Chart B001 and HFH&N article of May 2002] It would seem that he was a little younger than Thomas of Wytham [B020] but of the same generation, possibly a brother or first cousin. Maybe they were both born in Cowley or Iffley.  If that is the case, why can’t we tell you? I fear that we may never know. The baptism registers of Cowley before 1678, and the marriage and burial registers before 1696 have all been lost or destroyed. The records of Iffley parish, which included Hockmore Street (Cowley), do start in 1572. However, details of baptisms from 1655-1697 are very unreliable, to say the least. Joan has discovered that only thirteen baptisms were recorded in almost forty years. What entries that have been made are not in chronological order, and only refer to the prominent families of the area. No chance of finding the Hebborns who were not from this class, but labourers of Hockmore Street.

Such are the tribulations of the ancestor detectives. I know Joan doesn’t intend to give up on this case and will continue looking for clues that will push back the history of our family even further.

If you are totally confused with all these names, go to Family Tree Charts B020 and A001.

John Hebborn