The earliest known of the Ricketts family is William Ricketts who was born in West Clandon, Surrey in 1785. His marriage to Sarah Dyer is recorded at Feltham, London on 8 Jun 1815 when he was 30 and she was 22. She was not a native of Feltham for she was born in the parish of Send and Ripley on 11 Jan 1793, not far from West Clandon. It seems quite likely that they already knew each other. The Dyer family have been traced back several generations further but no more is known of William's origins. Sarah's brother, Thomas, must have been the father of the James Dyer who married Martha Cannon, sister of Eliza Cannon. - see Henry, Sarah's son, no. 5 below. (This will be dealt with in more detail on a projected Dyer page.)

Note - all the Ricketts listed on the IGI record, batch nos. C135262 and M135262 belong to this family group

In the next twenty years of marriage William and Sarah had ten children, all born and baptised in West Clandon. The first two died in infancy and two more at least died as children.

1. Mary Ann Ricketts chr 13 Aug 1815. She died within the month and was buried on 28 August.
2. Mary Ricketts b 16 Jan 1818 chr 22 Mar 1818 d Jul 1820 bur 25 Jul 1820.
3. William Ricketts chr 26 Nov 1820. m Ann Woods (b. 1815) on 2 Oct 1841
4. Sarah Ricketts b 10 Jul 1822, chr 11 Aug 1822 d Dec 1834 aged 12, bur 31 December 1834
5. Henry Ricketts b 7 Jun 1824 chr 8 Aug 1824. m Eliza Cannon
6. Maria Ricketts b 8 May 1826 chr 4 Jun 1826. m James Woods, brother of her sister-in-law Ann (William's wife) on 5 Nov 1843.
7. Ann Louisa Ricketts b 21 Jun 1828 chr 20 Jul 1828 d Mar 1869, bur 13 Mar 1869 at West Clandon
8. Elizabeth Ricketts b 5 Sep 1830 chr 3 Oct 1830.
9. George Ricketts chr 11 Aug 1833
10. Richard Ricketts chr 20 Dec 1835 m 28 Aug 1859 Rosanna, Holy Trinity, Guildford.

The marriage of William Ricketts to Ann Woods was the first connection with the Woods family who must have played a large part in their lives. William and Ann had seven children, William chr. 1842, Mary chr. 1843, James chr 1845, Louisa chr. 1848, Ann chr 1851, Elizabeth chr 1854, and George chr 1858. Their eldest son, also William, may have married Sarah Steer on 7 Jul 1872 but hasn't been found in 1881 (see other Williams below). Ann married William Martin and had two sons, William (1875) and Arthur (1877). None of the rest have been traced.

William Ricketts senior died and was buried at West Clandon on 30 Dec 1841, leaving Sarah with her youngest four children aged 13, 11, 8 and 6. The family had by then moved to nearby Merrow. In 1845 Sarah married again, to a John Worsfold, born in 1792 in West Clandon. At that time her youngest child, Richard, now aged 10, was living with his sister Maria, who had married James Woods only two years before. James was a brick burner, living in 'Smoky Hole'. He and Maria later lived on Merrow Common.

Richard Ricketts and Rosanna (who was born in Send) were living in Stoke-next-Guildford in 1881. They had five daughters, Rosanna chr 28 Aug 1859 at Holy Trinity, Guildford, Louisa Ann chr 1 Sep 1861 in W.Clandon, Sarah chr 19 Jul 1863 in W.Clandon, Alice chr 13 Aug 1865 (in Stoke?), Eliza chr 24 May 1868 in St Mary, Guildford, and two sons, Richard b.1870 in Guildford, and William, chr 5 Aug 1877 in Stoke (i.e. Stoke-next-Guildford)

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The Ricketts family in Merrow

So many Ricketts and their relations were living in Merrow at the same time that a slight diversion into the other families is useful before continuing with the rest of Henry's family history. All the dwellings concerned were close to the estates of Lord Onslow.

Henry Ricketts & Eliza Cannon

Eliza may have been Henry's 3rd cousin. He also moved to Merrow and lived near his older brother William. On the 1861 Census they are listed as living on Merrow Common with two unmarried Dyer brothers, John aged 64 and Thomas aged 66 as lodgers. These Dyers were presumably Sarah's uncles who were living on Merrow Common in 1881. Henry, now 56 and Eliza, 58, had one unmarried daughter still at home, Mary Ann, 23. Henry, described as a carman on the 1861 census is listed as an agric.lab.on the 1881 census. They also had a visitor, Frederick Day, 22, unmarried, born at Oakley in Essex and by occupation a gamekeeper.

Next door to the Ricketts (up) was Benjamin Day, a carpenter aged 73 and born in Clandon. His wife Hannah, 77, was born in Merrow as were their two children living with them, John, aged 45 and also a carpenter and Hannah their unmarried daughter of 38. There was also Harry Day their grandson, a carpenter's apprentice aged 14 and a granddaughter, Edith Day aged 11. Inevitably the conclusion would seem to be that Frederick was also their grandson.

Next door to Henry & Eliza (down) were the Woods/Ricketts family of Smokey Hole. This was the household of James, brother of Ann Woods who married William Ricketts junior. In 1841 he was recorded as living in the Earl of Onslow's Lodge. In 1881 James was described as 66, an ag.;lab. born in Fetcham, Surrey and his wife was Maria (Ricketts) aged 56, born in Clandon. James and Maria had four children at home, John 26 and unmarried, was deaf and worked as a shepherd, Frederick was 21, Peter at 19 was a blacksmith's apprentice and Louisa was 14. 

Next door to the Woods (down) was yet another Day family, George, aged 37 being also a carpenter, born in Merrow. His wife, Mary Ann, 37, was born in Guildford. One son, Charles W. was an apprentice, born in Kingston-upon-Thames, and George B.Woods, 14, was born in Guildford. The rest were born in Merrow, James W. 11, Harry A. 8, Ethel K. 4, Bessie M. 3, and Frank M. 6 months.

At Peace Cottage, Merrow St, at the time of the 1881 census was a lodger, James Ricketts, 25, an ag.lab. who married Elizabeth Daws in June 1881.

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Henry and Eliza's family

Eliza Cannon was born in Albury, daughter of James Cannon & Sarah Russell. It seems quite likely that Henry Ricketts & Eliza were third cousins but that will be discussed on another page. So far two villages were involved, but now the situation becomes more complicated. James was born in Bramley, and Sarah in Stoke-next-Guildford but Henry & Eliza lived in Merrow and then Albury. They had seven children:

1. George Ricketts b 2 Jul 1845 West Clandon chr 21 Sep 1845.
2. Sarah Jane chr 6 Jun 1847 in East Clandon. By 1861, aged 14, she was no longer 'at home' and could have been in service.
3. Emma chr.14 Jan 1849  Merrow, m. Samuel Janes Janes 18 Oct 1868 at St Nicholas's, Brighton .
4. Elizabeth b Feb 1851 chr 25 May 1851 Merrow. 
5. William b. 1851 chr. 17 Apr 1853  Merrow
6. Jane b 1855. Nothing else is known at present.
7. James b abt 1856. 
8. Mary Ann chr 31 Jan 1858 Merrow. She was still at home on the 1881 Census.

Some confusion was caused for a while because Eliza wanted to call her first son Charles, the name that appears on his birth certificate at 3 days old. But two months later he was baptised as George. The rest of his story continues lbelow.

On 18 Oct 1868 Emma married Samuel James Janes, (brother to George's wife, Emma Grace Janes. They had a daughter of 3 mths at the 1861 census but so far neither she nor Samuel have been traced further. (See the tree below for the Janes family) 

Elizabeth was still at home, aged 20, on the 1871 Census but she married James Newton of Watford, Herts, on 30 Sep 1871. They both signed their names and their witnesses were George Ricketts & Emma Grace. They had four children, Albert (1874), Isaac (1876), Frederick (1879) and Sarah E.(1881).

William is easily confused with his cousin William, son of William Ricketts & Sarah. One was born in Guildford, one baptised in Merrow on 17 Apr 1853 One married Sarah Steer on 7 Jul 1872. (This William was 19, his cousin 30) There is also a possible marriage of one of them to Emily, born in Guildford in 1847. William and Emily had three children by 1881, Emily E. (1875), Henry J. (1877) and Arthur (1879) .It is impossible to tell at present which William was which, though this William (no.5) had left home by the 1871 Census.

James Ricketts appears as a lodger at Peace Cottage, Merrow aged 25 and unmarried in 1881 but married the sister of his co-lodger, John Daws. James m. Elizabeth Daws on 29 Jul 1882. They had three children, Edward (1885), Nora (1886) and Agnes (1887) In 1891 they were living at 3 Swayne's Cottage, Merrow and were still in Merrow in 1901 with James described as a wood dealer.

In 1861 Henry & Eliza were living in Merrow. Henry is described as a carman and Eliza as a charwoman. (She signed with a cross 'her mark' at their marriage) They had 5 children at home, George, now a farm labourer aged 15, Elizabeth 10, William 8, Jane 6 and Maryann 3. By 1881 only their daughter Mary Ann was still at home but she married Frederick Day, a visitor at the time of the census, a short while after (i.e. Jun/Q 1881).

It is not known at present when or where Henry & Eliza died but it was certainly after 1881 and probably in Merrow.

George and Emma Grace

Perhaps George worked as a carman at some time in his career. It seems odd that he should have met his wife in Brighton and married there, the Ricketts family having stayed near Guildford previously as far as is known. His movements from then on are quite complicated as he and his growing family travelled backwards and forwards. In Brighton in 1868 when his daughter Fanny was born he was described as a 'street lamplighter', but on all other occasions he was a farm labourer or general labourer.

George Ricketts married Emma Grace Janes, daughter of James Janes, invalid chair maker and then 'flyman' of Brighton, or Brighthelmstone as it was then known. (Referred to here as Emma Grace to distinguish her from the other Emmas in the family).

Emma Grace Janes had one brother (and half-brothers, details on the Janes Family page). Samuel James Janes was born in 1847 but not baptised until 1 Sep 1850, his father, James Janes having died the previous May. Three years after his sister Emma Grace married George Ricketts Samuel married Emma Ricketts, George's sister, on 18 Oct 1868 in St Nicholas' Church, Brighton, the same church. Thus Emma (G) Janes became Emma (G) Ricketts and Emma Ricketts became Emma Janes! Apart from the birth of a daughter early in 1861 as recorded on the 1861 census, this Janes family 'disappeared', not being found either in 1871 or 1881.

The frequent moves of George & Emma Grace can be tracked through the censuses and the birth of their ten children.

3.

Fanny Elizabeth Ricketts was born on 9 Apr 1868 in the sub-district of St Peter's in Brighton. This was still in the same area, the church being fairly new and taking a 'slice' of the parish of St Nicholas but Fanny was not baptised there, waiting, like Emma, to return to Merrow. She was baptised on 24 Nov 1872 at Holy Trinity, Guildford, about three weeks before the other three late baptisms! She married George Albert Jackson on 2 Sep 1893 at St Edward's RC chapel, Sutton Park, having become a Catholic, and lived in Woking, Surrey for many years. (20th century family history is not being given here in detail at present but the Woking story will be continued on another page) The family were convinced that her name was Frances Elizabeth but the birth certificate quite clearly states 'Fanny Elizabeth'.

Ricketts Chronology

Using the above births and the census the houses occupied can be traced as follows: (birth dates are worked backwards from the census where otherwise unknown)

1826 Emma Wood was born in Kent Rd, Brighthelmstone. daughter of Samuel & Sarah Wood.
1844 Emma Grace was born in Brighton at 8 Regents Row, daughter of James Janes & Emma Wood.
1851 George was living at Merrow St (the centre of the village); Emma Grace was living with her mother, Emma Janes, nee Wood, now a widow at the age of 25, at 1 Marlborough St, Brighton. The census was completely misleading, entering Emma Janes as Emily Jones and Emma Grace also as an Emily Grace Jones. The enumerator was either very hard of hearing or not used to the local accent! Trayton Foord (as spelt then) was a fellow lodger in the house.
1861 George was living on Merrow Common, still with Henry & Eliza, employed as a labourer.
1865 after their marriage George & Emma Grace were at 32, Foundry St, Brighton for the birth of Ellen
1867 they were in Merrow for the birth of Emma Eliza
1868 back this time to 29 Foundry St, Brighton for the birth of Fanny; George was described as a 'lamplighter' on Fanny's birth certificate. They were 'still?' there in 1869 for the birth of Sarah Jane.
1872 George Henry was born in Merrow
1875 Samuel was born in 'Guildford' but this should probably be Merrow.
1878 Harry (spelt 'Harrey' but certainly wrongly) was born in Brighton
1880 Louisa was born in Brighton.

1881 We leave the main Ricketts family after this to follow the Jackson line (with links to Petworth, Woking and Brighton), the situation being -

12 Foundry St	21 Foundry St

• at 31 Vine St, Brighton, parallel with Foundry St but six blocks of small terraced houses nearer to the Steine, were all the Ricketts children except the eldest two..
• at 12 Foundry St in 1881 was Emma (Woods/Janes) Ford, mother of Emma Grace. She was now a widow, Trayton Ford having died on 30 Dec 1874 at 32 Foundry St. Four of her Ford children, Charles, 19, Sarah 17, Thomas 15, and Luke, 13 were with her. All these children were of course half-siblings of Emma Grace
• at 21 Foundry St, Brighton in 1881 was Trayton Ford, junior, half-brother of Emma Grace, now at least since his marriage on 3 Jul 1880, calling himself John Janes. (For more details on the Janes family see that page)

1901

• at 3 Jew Street in 1901 (only a street or two away from Foundry St) was Emma (Woods/Janes) Ford. She was  living with her youngest son Luke, his wife Elizabeth and four children
• at 29 Foundry St in 1901 was Emma Grace (nee Janes) Ricketts, widow of George, with her daughter Rose E.Ricketts, 19, her daughter Sarah Jane (nee Ricketts) Nicolls, her son in law Harry Nicolls and the four Nicolls children.

With many thanks to the cousins,  also descendants of Emma Woods, who have contributed vital information and clues

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