Richard BUTLER (1809–1869)
His wife Mrs Ann BUTLER, née Sanders (1806–1875)
Their son William Thomas BUTLER (1843–1955)
Their daughter Rosa BUTLER (1845–1853)
Mrs Butler's elder sister Miss Mary Ann Sanders (1804–1884)
With a mention of their eldest daughter Sarah Ann Butler (1836–1842)
St Paul section: Row 24, Grave E3 [St Paul ref. A21]
In Loving Memory of
RICHARD BUTLER
DIED APRIL 3RD 1869
AGED 60
ALSO OF ANN HIS WIFE
DIED DECR 10TH, 1875
AGED 70.
ALSO OF THEIR CHILDREN
[SARAH] ANN, WILLIAM THOMAS,
& ROSA.
ALSO MARY SANDERS
SISTER OF THE ABOVE ANN
Richard Butler was born in Abingdon in 1809 and baptised at St Helen's Church on 2 April. He was the son of the labourer Richard Butler senior and his wife Ann, who had five other children baptised at that church: Eliza (1803), James (1805), Mary 1806), William (1812), and Thomas (1814). By the time of Thomas's birth, Richard's father was described as a brewer of Boar Street. Richard's mother died at Boar Street at the age of 38 shortly after giving birth to Thomas, who was baptised at St Helen's on 29 April 1814, the same day that his mother was buried there. Within six months, on 16 October 1814 at St Helen's Church, Richard's father married his second wife, Mary Hooper of St Aldate's parish, Oxford.
Ann Sanders or Saunders was born in Oxford in 1806 and baptised at St John the Baptist Church (Merton College Chapel) on 2 March, and her older sister Mary Ann Sanders was baptised there on 2 December 1804. They were the daughters of Thomas Sanders and Ann Lindars, who were married at Dorchester in Oxfordshire on 26 September 1803. As well as Ann and Mary Ann, they had four other children baptised at St John the Baptist Church: William Thomas (1810), Thomas (1812), George (1814), and Elizabeth Eleanor (privately on 13 April 1816). Their address was given as Magpie Lane at the last baptism. The youngest child Elizabeth only lived for six days, and her mother Ann died soon after giving birth: they were buried together in St John the Baptist's churchyard on 4 April 1816.
In 1834 (exact date not recorded in the register) at Dorchester in Oxfordshire, Richard Butler married Ann Sanders. They had the following children:
- Sarah Ann Butler (born at Jericho in 1836 and baptised at St Thomas's Church on 24 April); died aged 6 in 1842
- Edwin George Butler (born at 5 Richmond Road (then 5 Worcester Terrace) in 1838 and baptised at St Paul's Church on 1 July)
- William Thomas Butler (born at Richmond Road in 1843 and baptised at St Paul's Church on 3 September);
died aged 13 - Rosa Butler (born at Great Clarendon Street near the end of 1845 and baptised at St Paul's Church on 25 January 1846); died aged 7.
Richard and Ann began their married life at Worcester Terrace, which was also known as Walton Close and is now called Richmond Road) in the Jericho area of Oxford: this area was covered by St Thomas's Church in west Oxford until St Paul's Church was opened in 1837, which explains why Sarah Ann was baptised at a different church from her younger siblings.)
At the time of the 1841 census Richard and Ann were living in part of a house in Richmond Road (Walton Close) with their first two children Sarah (5) and Edwin (3).
Their eldest child Sarah Ann Butler died in St Paul's parish at the age of six in March 1842 (before the opening of St Sepulchre's Cemetery) and was buried in St Mary Magdalen churchyard on 17 March.
At the time of the 1851 census Richard (42) was a journeyman tailor, living at 4 Clarendon Buildings with Ann (45) and their three surviving children Edwin (12), William (7), and Rosa (5).
Their daughter Rosa died in 1853:
† Rosa Butler died at Bliss's Row at the age of 7 years 6 months in May 1853 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 8 May (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).
The St Paul's register gives her grave reference as A21, which means she was probably buried here in this grave rather than in the children's plot in the cemetery.
Her brother William Thomas Butler died in 1855:
† William Thomas Butler died at Bliss's Row at the age of 13 in December 1855 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 25 December (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).
At the time of the 1861 census Richard (52), who was still working as a tailor, was living at 6 Richmond Road (then 6 Walton Terrace) with Ann (55) and their only surviving child Edwin (22), who was also a tailor.
Richard Butler died in 1869:
† Richard Butler died at Bliss's Row at the age of 60 on 3 April 1869 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 8 April (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).
His son Edwin was married later in the same year:
- On 29 September 1869 at St Helen's Church in Abingdon, Edwin George Butler (31) married Kezia Bunce (28): they were both then living in Market Place, Abingdon.
In 1870 Edwin became the first leaseholder of 159 Kingston Road, and by the time of the 1871 his widowed mother Ann (65) had come to live with him and his wife. She died at their house in 1875:
† Mrs Ann Butler née Sanders died at Kingston Road at the age of about 70 on 10 December 1875 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 14 December (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).
See separate grave of their only surviving child Edwin George Butler
Ann's older sister Miss Mary Sanders/Saunders (born 1804)
Mary Sanders (baptised as Mary Ann Sanders) went out into service and never married. In 1841 she worked for Mrs Rebecca Neighbour at Lewknor, and in 1851 when she was 46 she worked for the curate of Lewknor.
By 1871 when she was 66 she was an almswoman living at 2 Upper Fisher Row, Oxford. She died there in 1888, and was buried in her sister's grave:
† Miss Mary Sanders died at Fisher Row, St Thomas at the age of 84 in December 1888 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 21 December (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul's Church).
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