Thomas Bushell, my 3x great-grandfather.
Thomas Bushell was born on 9 July 1787 in Banbury, Oxfordshire. His father, William, was 32 and his mother, Rebecca, was 27. He had three sons and two daughters with Elizabeth between 1819 and 1835. He was buried in Banbury, Oxfordshire, on 27 March 1848.
At the start of the 19th century, Banbury, a market town in Oxfordshire, England, had a modest but notable weaving industry. The town’s textile production focused on plush, serge, and other woollen fabrics. Plush weaving became a distinctive Banbury craft, with “Banbury plush” a well-known product. In the early nineteenth century, the industry declined, and many weavers in the district became unemployed. This may have led Thomas to join the military. On 2 April at Newcastle Upon Tyne, Thomas enlisted in the 14th Foot Soldiers, 2nd Battalion. He may have been involved in minor campaigns in Marseilles and Malta. The battalion was disbanded in 1817 at Chichester.
By 1819, Thomas was married to Elizabeth, and his first child, William, was born. In March of 1820, Thomas was found guilty of larceny and sentenced to a fortnight in jail.
Between 1822 and 1835, Elizabeth and Thomas had four other children: Rebecca (1822), Sarah (1828), John (1832), and James (1835). Elizabeth died in 1835, which perhaps suggests that she died during or soon after childbirth.
Thomas continues to work as a plush weaver, and in the 1841 census, he is living on St John’s Street with three of his children: Sarah (13), James (9) and John (6).
Thomas died on 27th March 1848 and is buried in Banbury.
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