Does anyone have any information on Bonfield Bryant?

He married Sarah Shelton in 1830 in Westminster, London, but believed to have been born 1799 in Bedford, father Thomas, mother Alice, rather than Bonfield born 1806 Little Paxton, Huntingdonshire.

Other children include Sophia, Alice Frances and Charles who all disappear apart from brother William Shelton.

If anyone could help locate Bonfield and Sarah on 1841 or 1851 census that would be great. Have no information regarding when Sarah was born.


Bonfield Bryant possibly married Sarah Webb, a bigamist and have newspaper documents before Sarah Shelton

Would like to know where the unusual name of Bonfield comes in, as there are many Bonfield Bryant s in Little Paxton, Huntingdonshire and Bedford. Cannot trace further back on Bonfield's ancestors.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

There's a birth record of Sophia Bryant at the British Lying-in Hospital in Holborn:
Admitted 20 March 1829 Sarah Bryant wife of Bonfield, carpenter, age 27, of Bedford, Came in 15 Apr. Delivered 16 Apr girl. Baptised 22 Apr Sophia. Discharged 9 May. A Sophia Bryant age 4mths of Old Manner (sic) Rd, Limehouse was buried on 9 Aug 1829 at Globe Fields Burial Ground (Wesleyan) Stepney.
So it points to Bonfield being the Bedford one, and to there being a previous wife, Sarah, prior to his 1830 marriage. Bondfield Bryant bachelor married Sarah Webb widow on 2 Oct 1827 at Islington. He signed as Bonfield however, and the witnesses were John Bryant and Mary Bryant, by banns in which he was also described as Bondfield. But the newspaper article of the bigamy trial describes Sarah as having two husbands under 25, which doesn't fit with a birth in 1799.

Charles was born on 22 Jul 1842 and baptised on 5 Jul 1850 at Marylebone, when his father was named as Bonfield, carpenter deceased, of 26a Upper York St.

A Bonfield Bryant was buried at Tottenham on 13 Apr 1838, but he was aged 63 so looks a bit old to be yours. There's also another death at St George Hanover Sq in 1849 which is a possibilty.

Living at 2 Portland St., Fulham in 1851 were Sarah Bryant head widow 63 pauper b Bedfordshire and William Bryant son unmarr 19 carpenter's apprentice b Chelsea, which might be them.

I would get the 1849 death cert to see if that sheds any light on Bonfield.

Thank you very much for such a detailed response!

My friend has been leaning towards Bonfield's death as 1849. This could well be Sarah and William on the census, although William was born in Westminster? However I shall recommend it to my friend and we shall look into it.

Unfortunately it looks like Sophia did indeed die, but which Sarah was her mother? I suggested the possibility of Sophia being born out of wedlock to Sarah Shelton, as her parents got married later in the year, and that's the reason she was born in a lying-in hospital?


Was the other Bonfield 63? This could shed light on another Bonfield Bryant!

Thank you very much! Unfortunately my friend cannot find a marriage for Thomas and Alice, however we believe that Thomas re-married twice and is found living in Bedford on censuses born 1784 in Little Paxton. This would make him extremely young when he married Alice (if he even did!) but the census could be a couple of years out! However there are no births for Thomas in Little Paxton.

Earliest known record of 'bonfield' in Bryant is Robert Bonefield Bryant in 1737.

There was also a Bonfield Bryant who was married to a Grace (will records).

There are so many Bonfields!

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is there are also Bonfield Bryants in Southoe, which is but a few miles away from Little Paxton.

It's possible that Sophia's mother was Sarah Shelton, but the birth was some months before the initial trial, and the British Lying In Hospital provided assistance for ‘distressed poor (married only) women’, so if it is Sarah Shelton she'd have had to have lied to the hospital. My gut feeling leans towards Sarah Webb. Do other reports provide any further clues?

No, this is pretty much all the information we have.

Thanks for your help!

Thanks to all the original help!

I was finally able to locate the birth records for Bonfield's father and have traced a few generations further back with my friend. If anyone else would like to use the website I did it's called freereg.org and they provide transcriptions of parish records. It's really useful. :)