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William EDEN (c.1806–1889)
His wife Mrs Mary EDEN, née Ward (c.1805–1870)
St Mary Magdalen section: Row 22, Grave G66

William Eden was born in Oxford in c.1806, the son of the coal merchant Thomas Eden. He was a printer who worked for Jackson's Oxford Journal for many years. At the time of the 1841 census William  was living at Walton Place (now Walton Street) with his older brother James Eden, who was also a printer. Also in the household were Sarah Eden, described as a innkeeper: she was aged about 70, and may be William and James's mother. They employed one male and one female servant.

Mary Ward was born in Bicester in 1805 and baptised there on 6 March. She was the daughter of the Kidlington-born mason John Ward and Elizabeth Jackson, who were married at Bicester on 29 October 1787. Mary's four siblings were also baptised at Bicester: Robert (1790), John (1795), Joseph (1797), and Francis (1809).

On 28 July 1850 at St Mary Magdalen Church, William Eden (aged about 44 and described as a printer), married Mary Ward (45). Neither had been married before, and both were then living in St Mary Magdalen parish..

At the time of the 1851 census William (44), now described as a pressman, was living at 34 George Street (on the site of the present 61, at the south-east end) with his wife Mary (45, but listed as 43), who was a grocer there, and his father-in-law John Ward (87), a mason born in Kidlington.

Their only child was born the following year:

• William John Eden (born at 34 George Street, Oxford in 1852 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 25 July).

Mary's father John Ward died at George Street at the age of 90 and was buried on 17 January 1854, probably in St Sepulchre's Cemetery as the burial is recorded in the regsiter of St Mary Magdalen Church, but no gravestone survives).

At the time of the 1861 census William (54) and Mary (55) were living at 34 [61] George Street with their son William John (8).

Mary died in 1870:

† Mrs Mary Eden née Ward died at 34 [61] George Street at the age of 65 on 22 December 1870 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 27 December (burial recorded in the parish register of St Mary Magdalen Church).

At the time of the 1871 census William Eden (64) was still working as a printer and living at 34 [61] George Street with his son William John (18), who was a bookbinder's apprentice; and his brother-in-law the mason William Ward (65) was also living with them.

William Eden's only son was married in London in 1878:

• On 28 October 1878 at St Philip's Church, Kensington, William John Eden (26) married Priscilla Dorman (22), who was born at Brentford, Middlesex and was the daughter of the coachman John Dorman. Both gave their address as 5 Blythefield Street.

In 1881 William (74) was still described as a printer, but his address was given as 35 rather than 34 George Street.

By the time of his death in early 1889, he appears to have moved to 10 George Street Mews, which fell in the adjoining parish of St Peter-le-Bailey:

† William Eden died at 10 George Street Mews at the age of about 83 on 9 February 1889 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 12 February (burial recorded in the parish register of St Mary Magdalen Church).

His death notice in Jackson's Oxford Journal read: “Feb. 9, at 10, George-street Mews, Oxford, William Eden, printer, formerly for many years connected with the Oxford Journal. Much respected.”

His personal estate came to £315 1s. 6d., and his executor was his son William John Eden.

The only child of William and Mary Eden

• William John Eden (born 1852) was working as a bookbinder at the time of the 1881 census and living in Clerkenwell, London (at 25 Gloucester Street) with his wife Priscilla. Their first four children were born in Oxford: William (1883/4), Ellen (1885) Alice (1886/7) and Arthur (1889), but by the time of the 1891 census the family was living in Kensington. Their next two sons were born in London: George (1892) and Walter (1898). At the time of the 1901 census William (48), who was still a bookbinder, was living at 3 Summerstown in Wandsworth with his wife Priscilla (43) and their six children, of whom the eldest three were now at work: William (17) was now a greengrocer, Helen (16) was a paper box maker, and Alice (14) was a dressmaker. William's wife Priscilla died near the beginning of 1908 at the age of 49, and at the time of the 1911 census he was at the same address with three of his children: William (27), who was now a gardener; Arthur (21), who was a file cutter; and Walter (13). William may have returned to Oxford, as the death of a William J. Eden (aged 72) took place in the Headington registration district in 1925.