Thomas WRIGHT was born abt. 1833 in Clifton, Oxfordshire, England. He married Sarah KNIBBS 11 February 1861 in Deddington, Oxfordshire, England. He died 03 December 1915 in Clifton, Oxfordshire, England. Sarah KNIBBS, daughter of James KNIBBS and Mary Ann WILLS , was born bef. 02 August 1840 in Clifton, Oxfordshire, England. She died 21 September 1895 in Clifton, Oxfordshire, England.


Children of Thomas WRIGHT and Sarah KNIBBS are:
1. Hannah WRIGHT, b. bef. 21 April 1861
2. Thomas WRIGHT, b. bef. 12 June 1864
3. Henry WRIGHT, b. bef. 09 July 1865
4. Sarah WRIGHT, b. bef. 05 May 1867
5. Joseph WRIGHT, b. bef. 21 November 1869
6. Alice WRIGHT, b. bef. 14 July 1872
7. Mary Anne WRIGHT, b. bef. 31 May 1874
8. William WRIGHT, b. bef. 14 November 1875
9. Elsie May WRIGHT, b. bef. 14 October 1883

Marriage Notes for Thomas WRIGHT\Sarah KNIBBS:

Witness to the marriage was Sarah Knibbs, possibly her aunt.

Sarah and Thomas listed as of Clifton


Notes for Thomas WRIGHT:

I am extremely grateful to Jenny (Wright) Foster, who is descended from this same Wright line. Jenny has given me information going back a further couple of generations:
"In 1778 Joseph Wright married Susanna Burrows. They had four children, Thomas (who was Sarah Knibbs' father-in-law) b.1779, Benjamin b.1782 and two daughters, Mary b.1786 and Elizabeth b.1789. Jenny's great, great, great grandfather was Ben who married a Susan George in Cranfield Beds in 1810. She assumes that Ben suffered the fate of the second born son and the farm in Clifton would not support two families.
Thomas's son was born in 1805 and another Tom was born around 1834. I assume this was the Tom that married Sarah Knibbs but I think it may have been a second marriage for him. He had a younger brother, William. The next Tom was still a bachelor in the 1901 census."

Also, my thanks to Richard Wright, descended from William Wright who I believe is a brother of Joseph above. William Wright was born in 1787 at Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, England. He married Mary Wadsworth in 1802. They had 6 children:-
Frances b.1803, Mary (who married William Knibbs) b.1805, John b.1808, Sarah b.1810, Thomas b.1813, and Joseph b.1819. Richard who gave me this information is descended from Joseph. All of these children were born in Higham Ferrers.
Richard also tells me that most of his family between 1800 - 1915, appears to have worked in the shoe and boot trade and leather
processing.
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Thomas' father was also Thomas Wright, a farmer.
The Return of Owners of Land, 1873 for Oxfordshire shows Thomas Wright as owning 57 acres of land at "Deddington". It shows a William Wrights as owning another 34 acres in "Deddington".
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The 1851 census shows both this Thomas Wright who married Sarah Knibbs, his father Thomas Wright, and his grandfather Thomas Wright, all living at Clifton, Oxfordshire, England.
Firstly, Thomas and his father:
Thomas Wright Head 45, farmer 87 acres, 2 labourers, born Clifton
Hannah Wright Wife 44, born Clifton
Thomas Wright Son 17, labourer of farm, born Clifton
William Wright Son 8, scholar, born Clifton

then Thomas the grandfather:
Thomas Wright Head 71, Ag Lab, born Clifton
Elizabeth Wright Daughter, Unmarried, born Clifton
__________

Thomas and Sarah appear at the 1861 census, living at Clifton, Oxfordshire, England. Thomas is aged 27, Sarah aged 20, and their first daughter Hannah who had just been born.
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Thomas and his wife Sarah appear in the 1881 census for England and Wales, living at Deddington, Oxfordshire.
Thomas WRIGHT Head M Male 48 Clifton, Oxford, England Farmer Of 111 Acres Employing 2 Men 1 Boy
Sarah WRIGHT Wife M Female 41 Clifton, Oxford, England Wife Of Farmer
Hannah WRIGHT Daur U Female 20 Clifton, Oxford, England Farmers Daur
Thomas WRIGHT Son U Male 16 Clifton, Oxford, England Farmers Son
Sarah WRIGHT Daur U Female 14 Clifton, Oxford, England Scholar
Joseph WRIGHT Son Male 11 Clifton, Oxford, England Scholar
Mary Ann WRIGHT Daur Female 7 Clifton, Oxford, England Scholar

The census identifies that he farms 111 acres and employs 2 men and 1 boy. I know that my grandfather George Levi Knibbs worked for Thomas at one time. This was too early for it to have been him, but I wonder if it was my great grandfather, Robert Knibbs (who was Thomas' father-in-law) and my grandfather's brothers William and James. All three were shown as farm labourers in 1881.
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The following can be seen at the 1901 census, living at Clifton. Assumedly, Sarah died before 1901.
Thomas Wright 67 Oxford Clifton Oxfordshire Deddington Farmer
Sarah Wright 30 Oxford Clifton Oxfordshire Deddington House Keeper
Thomas Wright 35 Oxford Clifton Oxfordshire Deddington Farmers Son
Mary Wright 26 Oxford Clifton Oxfordshire Deddington
Elsie Wright 17 Oxford Clifton Oxfordshire Deddington

Barbara Stacey remembers that when visiting her grandmother Elizabeth Knibbs (nee Markham) she would leave the train at Aynho railway station and walk up to Clifton village, popping in to see Sarah Wright at the farm. She also remembers watching the butter being churned in the dairy.
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Amongst the employees working on Thomas' farm was George Levi Knibbs, my grandfather, and Thomas' nephew. George worked for Thomas between 1888-1895 and was given a glowing reference in 1895.
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The house in the foreground is 1 Victoria Terrace, Clifton (click to enlarge) where the parents of Thomas Wright's wife Hannah lived.
The Chapel at the far end is St James Chapel. The land on which it is built was given by Mr Wright of St James Farm, Clifton, when it was built in 1851.



The above shows a separate picture of St James Chapel (click to enlarge)


The Deddington OnLine Web Site
gives that:

The site of the Chapel of St James at Deddington (now a commercial building) was believed to have been given by Mr Wright of St James Farm, Clifton, when it was built in 1851. I suspect that this Mr Wright was Thomas' father. The chapel was consecrated on 10th June 1853. Because of declining congregations, it was closed in 1976, when the cross was given to Deddington Secondary School and, after that closed, to the Warriner School, Bloxham. The communion silver and linen were presented to the Bishop of Zaire, for use in his new cathedral in Boga.

Sources for Thomas WRIGHT:

  1. Oxfordshire Parish Register - Deddington,
  2. 1901 British Census,
  3. Cemetery Inscription, from a photo of Thomas' headstone 

Notes for Sarah KNIBBS:

Sarah isn't visible at the 1901 census, so it is assumed she died before 1901.

Sources for Sarah KNIBBS:

  1. Oxfordshire Parish Register - Deddington,
  2. GRO England & Wales, GRO England & Wales gives 3Qtr1840 
  3. Cemetery Inscription, date taken from the headstone 

Notes for Hannah WRIGHT:

Hannah married a man named Henry Gibbons at Deddington, Oxfordshire, England:

4 Aug 1886 GIBBONS Henry Bolton, 30, bach, schoolmaster, Sutton Surrey,
s. John (deceased) lime merchant
WRIGHT Hannah, 25, sp., Clifton, d. Thomas, farmer
Wit: Henry George KNIBBS Sarah Wright
Henry George KNIBBS was her 2nd cousin

This family appears in the 1901 census living at Sutton, Surrey:
Pelton Gibbons 44 Surrey Sutton Surrey Sutton Hotel Proprietor
Hannah Gibbons 40 Oxon Clifton Deddington Surrey Sutton
Harry Gibbons 9 Surrey Sutton Surrey Sutton
Muriel Gibbons 6M Surrey Sutton Surrey Sutton
Percy Gibbons 12 Surrey Sutton Surrey Sutton
Stanley Gibbons 10 Surrey Sutton Surrey Sutton
Thomas Gibbons 13 Surrey Sutton Surrey Sutton
Hannah's husband's name is unclear in the Dedington PR transcript, but it could well be given as Pelton.

Sources for Hannah WRIGHT:

  1. 1901 British Census,
  2. Oxfordshire Parish Register - Deddington,

Notes for Thomas WRIGHT:

Sources for Thomas WRIGHT:

  1. Oxfordshire Parish Register - Deddington,
  2. 1901 British Census,

Notes for Henry WRIGHT:

Sources for Henry WRIGHT:

  1. Oxfordshire Parish Register - Deddington,

Notes for Sarah WRIGHT:

Barbara Stacey (Sarah's cousin's daughter) remembers visiting Sarah at the farm and distinctly remembers that Sarah had an incredibly loud voice.

Sources for Sarah WRIGHT:

  1. Oxfordshire Parish Register - Deddington,
  2. 1901 British Census,

Notes for Joseph WRIGHT:

Joseph appears in Banstead, Surrey in the 1901 census, working as a Railway Clerk, apparently unmarried.
Joseph Wright 31 Clifton Deddington Oxon Surrey Banstead Clerk Railway
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We know from an address found in the address book of Howard Ernest Roberts of Connecticut, that Joseph Wright and his wife lived for some time at 4 Bletchingley Road, South Merstham, Surrey, England.

Joseph was a nephew of Howard Ernest Wright's grandfather, James Knibbs who emigrated to Connecticut in the 1850's.

Sources for Joseph WRIGHT:

  1. Oxfordshire Parish Register - Deddington,
  2. 1901 British Census,

Notes for Alice WRIGHT:

Sources for Alice WRIGHT:

  1. Oxfordshire Parish Register - Deddington,

Notes for Mary Anne WRIGHT:

Mary Ann married William Henry Brain at Deddington, Oxfordshire, England
15 Apr 1902 BRAIN William Henry, 25, bach., postmaster, Belmont, Sutton,
Surrey, s. George, seedsman
WRIGHT Mary Ann, 28, sp., Clifton, d Thomas, farmer
Wit: Elsie May WRIGHT Thomas Wright

Mary's husband can be seen living in Banbury before they married:
William Brain 22 London Lambeth Oxford Neithrop Post Office Assistant

Sources for Mary Anne WRIGHT:

  1. Oxfordshire Parish Register - Deddington,

Notes for William WRIGHT:

Sources for William WRIGHT:

  1. Oxfordshire Parish Register - Deddington,

Notes for Elsie May WRIGHT:

I believe that Elsie May may have married a man named William J Richardson. The following was discovered in the address book of Howard Ernest Roberts in Connecticut (1885-1961):
Mrs William J Richardson
Heathercote
Towcester
Northamptonshire
England

Elsie May Wright would have been a neice of Howard's grandfather James Knibbs who emigrated to Connecticut in the mid-1850's.

The possible marriage to William Richardson is purely guesswork based on where her name appeared in the address book, between the names and addresses of Miss Sarah Wright, which I presume to be Elsie May's sister, and Mr & Mrs Joseph Wright which I take to be Elsie May's brother

Sources for Elsie May WRIGHT:

  1. Oxfordshire Parish Register - Deddington,