Thomas Richardson was born on March 15, 1543, in Westmill, Hertfordshire, England. He died on March 4, 1630, also in Westmill, Hertfordshire, England.
He is not the person known as “Sir Thomas Richardson.”
He is also not the person who was buried on December 13, 1630, at St Mary, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex, England. Although they have the same name and died in the same year, our Thomas Richardson, Thomas Richardson of Westmill II, died in March, not in December. Our Thomas died in Westmill, not in Middlesex.
Westmill, Hertfordshire, and the historic county of Middlesex (now part of Greater London) are relatively close to each other but still in the 16th century, not so much. The distance between Westmill and central Middlesex is approximately 30–40 miles (48–64 kilometers).In the 16th century, travel between the two places would likely have taken at least a full day on foot or horseback, as travel was slow due to the condition of roads and the reliance on walking or horse-drawn transport.
| Name | Thomas Richardson II of Westmill |
|---|---|
| Father | Thomas Richardson I of Westmill |
| Mother | Mary Margaret Silverside |
| Birth Date | 15 Mar 1543 |
| Birth Place | Westmill, Hertfordshire, England |
| Death Date | 4 Mar 1630 |
| Death Place | Westmill, Hertfordshire, England |
| Cemetery | St. Mary the Virgin-Westmill |
| Burial or Cremation Place | St Albans, St Albans District, Hertfordshire, England |
There is a record out there stating that Thomas Richardson was buried on December 13, 1630, at St Mary, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex, England. This is an official Parish register.
This is from “London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1538-1812 – Tower Hamlets – St Mary, Whitechapel – 1558 – 1643”.
Middlesex is in modern-day London. That’s about an hour’s drive from Westmill. St. Mary’s was a church in the 1600s that was located in Whitechapel. This is a district that is now in the East End of London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
The document in question refers to the St Mary Matfelon church, which was an English parish church on Whitechapel Road in Whitechapel, London.
The distance from Westmill to Whitechapel (approximately 30–40 miles) would take at least 8–12 hours round-trip, depending on road conditions and breaks. Travel in the 1600s was arduous and not undertaken lightly, particularly for funerals.
It’s highly improbable that a person who was born, married, and lived in Westmill their entire life would have been buried at St. Mary’s in Whitechapel. Burials typically occurred in the local parish churchyard, which, in the case of Westmill, would have been St. Mary the Virgin, the village church.
Given the historical context of burial practices, the importance of local parish records, and the travel difficulties of the time. Therefore, we can reasonably assume that the record for Thomas Richardson, who was buried on December 13, 1630, is not our Thomas Richardson II of Westmill.
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Thomas Richardson II of Westmill was born in St. Albans Abbey in Westmill. His wife was Mary Margaret Champney and together they had at least one child.
They could have had more children and likely did, but so far, I haven’t been able to find any information other than about their son, Thomas Richardson of Standon.
His date of death on March 4, 1630, in Westmill, comes from the Find a Grave listing. This, however, lists his wife as Mary Margaret Silverside, who, in fact, is his mother.
We have a record called the Millennium File that tells us Thomas Richardson was born in 1523 in Westmill. He died in March of 1630 in Westmill, and his wife was Margaret Silverside. Their child was Thomas Richardson.
Because this can get confusing, I named …
- Thomas Richardson was born in 1523 – Thomas Richardson I of Westmill
- I then named his son Thomas Richardson II of Westmill.
- I then named his son Thomas Richardson of Standon.
We next have the England, Select Births and Christenings file that tells us Thomas Richardson of Standon is the father of Samuel Richardson.
Next, we have a document telling us that Thomas Richardson married someone named Mary. Well, guess what? That document is totally useless to us because both Thomas Richardson I and Thomas Richardson II of Westmill both married someone named Mary.
- Thomas Richarson I of Westmill married Mary Margaret Silverside.
- Thomas Richarson II of Westmill married Mary Margaret Champney.
See the problem? So, we must keep trying to figure out more family connections.