Josiah Bashford 1823 - 1895

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Last updated: Dec 30, 2020

Josiah Bashford 1823 - 1895 

Josiah Bashford was born on June 19 1823 in Sompting, Sussex, where he was baptised at St Mary's on July 20 1823. He was the eldest child of Josias Bashford and Frances Grinyer. 

At the time of Josias's birth his father was working as a labourer and living in Sompting. We next see Josias at the 1841 census where he is living with his family on Sompting Street in Sompting and working as gardeners labourer.

On 22 August 1842 Josiah married Elizabeth Riddles at St Mary's, Sompting. They were married by the vicar James ?ay and the marriage was witnessed by his brother John Bashford and Charles ?. Josiah is a labourer living in Cokeham and Josiah Snr is recorded as a Market Gardener. Obviously the boys had some education as both John and Josiah sign their own name. Elizabeth was born in 1821 and is the eldest child of James Riddles and Harriet Hudson of Cokeham. Elizabeth is not living with her family at the time of the 1841 census.

Josiah and Elizabeth have a total of seven children

  • Mary Ann Bashford Born 1842. Died 1925. Married Alfred James Lidbetter 1864
  • Emma Bashford Born 1844. Died ?. Married
  • Ellen Bashford Born 1847. Died 1897. Married James Anderson Betterton 1868
  • James Richard Bashford Born 1849. Died 1876. 
  • Fanny Bashford Born 1852. Died ?. Married William Downey 1872
  • Felix Bashford Born 1856. Died ?. Married Mary Leppard
  • Martha Bashford Born 1856. Died ?. Married

The family were living in Cokeham where Josiah was working as a labourer from the time of their marriage until at least 1844 as their first 2 children were baptised there. It appears that the family moved to Worthing some time before April 1847 as their daughter Ellen was baptised there on 11 April 1847. The family are back living in Cokeham in 1849 where their son James is baptised. 

On ? 1851 Josiah was arrested on charges of larceny. He was tried in the Easter session at the Petworth Court and on April 10 1851 he was convicted of larceny and sentenced to 4 months hard labour.

Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle - April 19 1851

Henry Wicks and Josiah Bashford, pleaded guilty to stealing on the 12th March, at Sompting, seven fowls and a duck, the property of George Trangmar, and Wicks also pleaded guilty to a former conviction - Bashford was sentenced to Four month's hard labour ; and Wicks to Ten years transportation

The Hampshire Advertiser, Saturday April 19 1851

Henry Wicks, 36, labourer and Josiah Bashford, 28, labourer pleaded guilty to stealing on the 12th of March at Sompting, seven fowls and a duck, the property of George Trangmer. Wick also pleaded guilty to a former conviction, for which he was senteced to seven years transportation. Bashford was sentenced to four months hard labour.

So on 31 March 1851 - the date of the 1851 census - the family isseparated, with Josiah in the Petworth Gaol, and Elizabeth living with her 4 eldest children in a house at Sompting St, Sompting where she is recorded as pauper. We cant be sure whether it is the families pauper status which drove Josiah to theft, or whether James imprisonment is has caused Elizabeth to be dependent on the parish, there is a question why - when Josiah Snr was prospering - Josias parents did not care for the family during his imprisonment. That said Elizabeth is living 2 doors up from Josiah uncle James and his family.

The censuses indicate that the family continues to live in the Lower Cokeham where Josias works as a labourer

  • 1861 Census - the family are living at Lower Cokeham and Josias is working as a labourer. The household includes James 11, Fanny 8, Felix 5 and Martha 3. Maryann and Emma are both working as servants for the Manby family at 26 Montpelier Cres in Brighton
  • 1871 Census - the family are living at 13 Kennards ?, Sompting. Josiah is still working as a labourer, and his sons James and Felix 15 and grandson George 6 are living with them
    • James is now employed as a Garden labourer - potential with his grandfather or great uncle. Felix is working as a ploughboy
    • George their grandson is the son of their daughter Ellen. Ellen appears to have left her son with her parents before moving to London where she married in 1868.
    • MaryAnn has also married in 1864 and is living in Sompting.
    • Emma has disappeared from records, Fanny is working as a maid at the Royal Sea House Hotel in Worthing and Martha is working as a general servant at 2 Bedford Row in Worthing

26 Montpelier Cres Brighton

Financial troubles seem to plague him, and one can only assume that his family may have disowned him, as it appears there was no relief or assistance from either them or Elizabeths family. This appears to have lead him to continue this brushes with the law thru poaching activities and general larceny which results in at least 2 remands for desertion, 7 convictions and 41 months of hard labour over the next 20 years, including:

  • In 1854 he is involved in a physical altercation with 2 men as a result of a dispute over owed moneys
  • November 1857 Josias is convicted of a game offence - ie poaching - and is sentenced to 1 month 
  • He is twice remanded for desertion
  • On 20 July 1863 he is convicted of Larceny at the Lewis Assize Session and sentence to 12 months hard labour. His 1874 conviction notes that this conviction was for stealing ducks
  • In July 1864 he is sentenced to 14 days for stealing wood
  • In December 1868 he is sentenced to 6 weeks for stealing a spade
  • In September 1870 he is sentenced to 4 months for stealing 'growing onions'
  • He was arrested on 14 August for "stealing a hand cart, value £2 10s, property of Joseph Lawrence at Sompting on 26 July 1871". He was tried at the Chichester Michealmas Quarter Session on 19 October 1871 before Hon. J J Carnegie and was convicted of Larceny and sentenced to 6 months hard labour with 7 years of police supervision. 
  • On 8 July 1874 he was arrested for stealing "one jacket and one shirt, value 7s, the property of Felix Bashford at Sompting on 6 July 1874". He is tried on 16 July 1874 before Mr Baron Bramwell, where he pleaded guilty of larceny and was sentenced to 12 calendar months imprisonment of hard labour and seven years police supervision


The Sussex Advertiser, Surrey Gazette, &c. Aug 22 1854

Henry Bartlett was charged with assaulting Josiah Bashford at Sompting on the 26th July. It appeared that plaintiff owned defendant some money and they had quarrelled about it. The Bench dismissed the case.

The same complainant also charged Henry Miller with committing an assault upon him at the same time as the one abovementioned, but at the suggestion of the bench, he withdrew the charge, preferring to do so rather than incur the risk of paying the costs, which already amounted in the two cases to 17s. 

It is highly likely that the victim of his 1874 crime is his 18 year old son Felix, which raises the question of the family dynamic, especially when considered in the context of the two remands for desertion.

We are unable to find any record of Josiah in subsequent census - and the only Josiah Bashfords found in the 1881 and 1891 census records are Josiah (son of James and Mary) who married Anne White.

We know that Elizabeth dies in December 1880 and is buried at St Mary's Sompting on 21 December 1880. Josiah appears in the Police Gazette of 6 April 1881, having failed to notify a change of address. And he appears in Criminal Registers in 1884 where he is acquitted of stealing a slop from Peter Peacock at Henfield

There are two death registrations for a Josiah -

  • 1895 Registered in Brighton, Sussex - most likely our Josiah
  • 1899 Registered in Steyning, Sussex - most likely the Josiah as marries Ann White

Related Documentation

Formal Records

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