Inherited Craziness
A place to share all the nuts found on my family tree

Sunday 9 July 2023

The thrice-married Richard Flew and Joan Thorne, Elizabeth Thomas and Ann Kingdom

Rackenford : Village Sign & Road
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Lewis Clarke - geograph.org.uk/p/3011542

Richard Flew, [then] of the Parish, Labourer, married Joan Thorne, also from Rackenford, Spinster on 6 May 1765 at All Saints Church, Rackenford. Witnesses to this marriage were John Way and Christopher Kingdom. 

There are no baptism records available for Richard Flew in Rackenford. It hasn't been possible to prove when or where Richard Flew was born, although there was a Richard Flew, son of Richard and Jane Flew, bap. 10 Feb 1743 in Stockleigh English, who would have been around the right age.

The most likely baptism for Joan Thorne was on 16 Mar 1749, the daughter of Robert and Mildred Thorne, making her 16 at the time of her marriage. 

Richard and Joan Flew had four children:
  1. Richard Flew bap. 29 Sep 1765
  2. Thomas Flew bap. 12 Jun 1768. There was a burial on 21 Mar 1778.
  3. John Flew bap. 4 Mar 1772. (Assume died in infancy.)
  4. Elizabeth Flew bap. 19 May 1775 
The same day as Elizabeth was baptised, 19 May 1775, Joan Flew was buried.

Richard Flew remarried to Elizabeth Tommas (sic), also at All Saints Church, Rackenford, on 27 May 1776. Witnesses to this marriage were John Way and Arthur Saunders. There was a baptism of an Elizabeth Thomas on 4 Mar 1749, in Thelbridge, Devon, the daughter of Robert and Joan Thomas.

Richard and Elizabeth added three more children:
  1. Jane Flew bap. 25 Nov 1776
  2. Hugh Flew bap. 28 Feb 1779
  3. John Flew bap. 30 Jan 1781. Burial on 4 Feb 1781.
Then Elizabeth Flew was buried on 7 Dec 1783, also in Rackenford.

Richard Flew, of this Parish, Husbandman, married for the 3rd time to Ann Kingdom, of Rackenford, Spinster, on 14 May 1787. Once again, John Way was one of the witnesses. The other looks like William Griffin. Ann Kingdom (bap. 17 May 1761 in Rackenford), was the daughter of Christopher Kingdom (who was a witness at Richard's first marriage) and Mary Taylor.

Richard and Ann added 7 further children, bringing the total to 14:
  1. Mary Flew bap. 30 Mar 1788
  2. Arthur Flew bap. 16 Sep 1789
  3. Sarah Flew bap. 22 May 1792. Infant, buried 3 Jun 1792. Pauper.
  4. Ann Flew bap. 28 Dec 1794. Infant, buried 15 Feb 1795.
  5. John Flew bap. 20 Mar 1796
  6. Ann Flew bap. 21 Jan 1798. Buried 19 Feb 1798.
  7. Ann Flew bap. 24 Aug 1800. Buried 14 Sep 1800.
Richard Flue (sic) Snr was buried in Rackenford on 26 Feb 1809.

It's unclear when 3rd wife, Ann Flew, died.