The Honeyborne family have been traced back to Thornbury from soon after the marriage of Henry Honeyborne (Honeybourn) and Martha Arnold on 10th October 1782. They married in Bromyard Herefordshire, however Martha’s family were established in Rockhampton near Thornbury for some time before this. No evidence has been found yet of Henry having lived in or around Thornbury before he married Martha.
What took Martha to Bromyard remains a mystery – Bromyard is nearly 50 miles from Rockhampton. When and where Martha met Henry is also unknown. Clearly, given the dates, Martha was pregnant when they married so it is assumed that the baby was Henry’s.
Henry and Martha’s first child, Elizabeth was baptised on 25th December 1782 in Thornbury.
This is a christening record of an illegitimate child, Hannah Wiltshire, the father is named as Henry Honeybourn. It is yet to be proved whether this is the same Henry married to Martha, however Stoke Gifford is less than 10 miles from Thornbury.
(source – www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JSMF-6LW)
Sadly, there is also a burial record of a Hannah Wiltshire in Thornbury on 26th June 1783, this has not been verified as being the same child.
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