BUNYAN FAMILY GENEALOGY
(version 1/21/12)
Please email corrections to Mike Clark

1. Thomas Bunnian (Bunnion) of Silsoe (1640?-1715?) supposedly was born about 1640 (according to Familysearch.org) in the village of Silsoe, Bedfordshire, which, because it had no church of its own, was part of the parish of Flitton. As there is no baptism record for Thomas in the Flitton parish register, the 1640 birth date is probably conjecture, but the register does list his Oct. 6, 1668 marriage to Mary Sammon. Thus, we know that Thomas Bunnion of Silsoe was a real person.

   Both Silsoe and Flitton sit close to the manor house of Wrest Park, seat of the Earls, and later the Dukes, of Kent. Starting in 1671, Anthony and Mary Grey of Kent began a major reconstruction of the manor house and gardens, an effort that their successors continued. Consequently, most of the population of Silsoe and Flitton were either servants of the estate, or workers involved in the rebuilding. Thus, Thomas and Mary Bunnion probably worked for the Earl of Kent, and Thomas and Mary's son Thomas Bunnian, was likely a worker at Wrest Park as well. Interestingly, when the Earls of Kent in 1681 held a mortgage on Newbury Manor in Silsoe, one of the rental properties managed by the estate was a close (plot) of land in Flitton Field associated with a house that was occupied at an annual rent of £35 by one Thomas Bunyan.

   Thomas, though ten or more years younger, was also a contemporary of, and most likely knew, John Bunyan (1628-1688) of Elstow, the celebrated author of The Pilgrim's Progress. Because Elstow sits only a few miles north of Silsoe, both towns being on the main road between Bedford and Luton, the Bunyans of Elstow and the Bunyans of Silsoe are probably somehow related, but a connection has yet to be established.

   The Flitton parish register records the Aug. 16, 1685 burial of one Mary "w[ife of] Thos Bunnion" at the graveyard of St. John the Baptist Church. If this Mary and Mary Sammon are one and same, then our Thomas died sometime after 1685. The register in fact lists a Thomas Bunnion who was buried in the graveyard on Sept. 5, 1714, and another one who was buried there on June 15, 1715 and is listed as a laborer. Possibly, one of these burials is for Mary's husband Thomas, and the other is for their son Thomas, who follows. Because we have evidence that this son died in 1714 or earlier, the 1715 death date probably belongs to the father.

2. Thomas Bunnian (Bunnyon) (b. c.1669-1714?), the son of Thomas Bunnion of Silsoe and Mary Sammon was born in Flitton with Silsoe, Bedfordshire and christened there in the parish church on Aug. 21, 1669. He married Alice Bonner in the same village on March 23, 1686. The Flitton parish register also records a Dec. 29, 1714 burial in the St. John the Baptist graveyard for Alice Bunnyon, widow. This is probably the wife of our Thomas, and makes it likely that the Thomas Bunnyon buried there on Sept. 5, 1714 is her husband. Thomas and Alice had a son William, who follows.

3. William Bunnian (Bunnyon) (c.1696-1730?), the son of Thomas Bunnian and Alice Bonner, was born in Flitton with Silsoe, Bedfordshire, and christened there on Sept. 6, 1696, according to the parish register, with a date of Sept. 20 in the Bishop's Transcripts for the church. William married Ann Day, the daughter of John and Ann Day, on Dec 24, 1722 in Upper Gravenhurst, which is a village a short distance from Flitton. Ann, who was baptized Jan. 14, 1695 in Upper Gravenhurst, came from a family who probably had property in Upper Gravenhurst, as she and William lived there after their marriage. William may have died in his 30s, as there is record of the Oct. 22, 1730 burial of a William Bunnian at St. Giles's Churchyard in Upper Gravenhurst. The fact that he and Ann had no children baptized after 1730, is consistent with his passing that year. There was an Ann Bunyan buried at St. Giles in 1793, but she is probably William and Ann's daughter-in-law, as the older Ann would have been close to 98-years old at the time. Possibly the older Ann remarried and died under a different surname. William and Ann had at least five children born and baptized between 1723 and 1730 at Upper Gravenhurst, including a son William, who follows.

4. William Bunyan (Bunnian) (c.1727-1780), the son of William Bunnian and Ann Day, was born in Upper Gravenhurst, Bedfordshire, which is only about three miles east of Flitton and two miles east of Silsoe, and christened there in the parish church on April 30, 1727. He married Anne Godfrey on Sept. 29, 1748. He was buried Aug. 16, 1780 at St. Giles's Churchyard in Upper Gravenhurst, and his wife is probably the Ann Bunyan buried there on Oct. 19, 1793. The parish record indentifies William as a laborer. William and Ann had at least ten children born and baptized between 1748 and 1768. Interestingly their firstborn William, who follows, seems to have been baptized at Clophill, whereas their other nine children that we know about were all baptized at Upper Gravenhurst.

5. William Bunyan (c.1749-1825), the son of William Bunyan and Anne Godfrey, was christened in the Clophill parish church on March 26, 1749, Clophill being a village two miles northwest of Upper Gravenhurst. He married Alice Ingram on Nov. 24, 1774 in Shillington, Bedfordshire, a village one mile south of Upper Gravenhurst. He is probably the same William Bunyan who is listed in the Campton parish registers of the 1780s as a laborer, and who died March 5, 1825 at the age of 77 in Campton, where he was buried three days later at All Saints Church graveyard. His wife Alice, who was probably christened Jan. 14, 1750 at Shillington, died April 5, 1830 in Campton at the age of 82 and was buried 6 days later in the grave next to William. Alice and William had several children, who are listed below.

   There is record of a William Bunyan, the son of John and Sarah Bunyan (married Nov. 22, 1735), who was christened Aug. 26, 1750 in Meppershall, which is a village a short distance east of Upper Gravenhurst. Although the evidence points to William Bunyan of Clophill as being the father of the James Bunyan who follows, it is possible that James' father is to be identified instead with William Bunyan of Meppershall.

children - Bunyan

James Bunyan (c.1778-1851) who follows:

Elizabeth Bunyan (c.1779-1854?) was born in Campton, Bedfordshire, and christened there in the parish church on Dec. 12, 1779. She married James Flint (c.1784-1865?) on Feb. 11, 1814 in Campton. They moved at some point to Meppershall, which is near Campton, as some of their children were baptized there, and they are in Meppershall during the 1841 census. Elizabeth is probably to be identified with the Elizabeth Flint who died in 1854 the Biggleswade Registration District, which includes Campton and Meppershall. Likewise, her husband is probably the James Flint who died in 1865 in the same registration district. Elizabeth and James had a son George Bunyan Flint (1819-1913), whose descendants live today in the United States.

William Bunyan (b. c.1782) was born in Campton, Bedfordshire, and christened there in the parish church on Jan. 31, 1782. He probably married a woman named Mary, and had several children who were baptized between the years of 1815 and 1825 in the Campton Parish Church.

Mary Bunyan (b. c.1784) was born in Campton, Bedfordshire, and christened there in the parish church on Jan. 4, 1784. She is a twin.

Sarah Bunyan (b. c.1784) was born in Campton, Bedfordshire, and christened there in the parish church on Jan. 4, 1784. She is a twin.

Thomas Bunyan (c.1788-1845) was born in Campton, Bedfordshire, and christened there in the parish church on Nov. 30, 1788. He died in 1845 in Upper Gravenhurst, and was buried Jan. 14 in St. Giles Churchyard.

George Bunyan (c.1791-1819) was probably born in Campton, Bedfordshire, but his baptism is not listed in the Campton parish register. He died in Campton on July 25, 1819 at the age of 28 and is buried in the Church of All Saints graveyard next to his parents.

Charlotte Bunyan (b. c.1792) was born in Campton, Bedfordshire, and christened there in the parish church on Dec. 23, 1792. She was living in Meppershall from 1841 to 1861 under her maiden name in the household of her sister Elizabeth Flint, and she died a spinster in 1876 at the age of 83 in the Biggleswade registration district.

6. James Bunyan (c.1778-1851), the son of William Bunyan and Alice Ingram, was born in Campton, Bedfordshire, a village two miles northeast of Upper Gravenhurst, and christened there in the parish church on Feb. 22, 1778. He married Jane Munns on Nov. 26, 1801 in Sandy, Bedfordshire. Jane, who had been born about 1766, was the daughter of Joseph Munns (1736-1800) and Elizabeth Sole (b. 1741) of Sandy, and the grandaughter of Thomas Munns (b. 1702) and Elizabeth Cage (b. 1704), who were from the same village. The 1841 U.K. Census shows that James was a carpenter by trade, which makes it likely that he is the same James Bunyan who is said in 1803 to have built the New Inn at Campton Turn, which was located just outside the north part of town where Campton Road joins the main highway between Ampthill and Shefford. That inn is not to be confused with another New Inn which was built in 1836 on Newbridge Street on the opposite side of nearby Shefford. Interestingly, James' son probably later ran the New Inn on Newbridge Street. The New Inn at Campturn Turn stood until 1987, when it was deemed unsafe and torn down.

   The 1841 U.K. Census also shows that at the time Ann Bunyan, the 13-year old grandaughter of James and Jane, as well as Jane's sister Lucy Munns, were members of the Bunyan household. Although James at first glance appears to be wider traveled than others in his family, the towns he is associated with - Campton, Sandy, Shefford and Upper Gravenhurst - in fact all sit within just a 4½-mile radius centered on the town of Shefford. Jane died first in 1847 in Upper Gravenhurst (Biggleswade registration district) and was buried Feb. 23. James died next in 1851 in Campton (Biggleswade registration district) and was buried March 5. The tombstones for both stand in St. Marys Churchyard in Lower Gravenhurst, where their grandaughter Ann is buried. James and Jane had at least two children, who follow.

   children - Bunyan

   James Bunyan (c.1803-1875) who follows:

   George Bunyan was born in Campton, Bedfordshire, and christened there in the parish church on Dec. 16, 1804.

    
   
   The New Inn at Campton Turn (left), which is shown here about 1900, was built by James Bunyan, Sr. about 1803.
   The New Inn at Newbridge (right), which is shown here about 1910, was run by James Bunyan, Jr. about 1839
   Both establishments were in or near Shefford, but on opposite sides of town. Both have been torn down.
    

7. James Bunyan (c.1803-1875), the son of James Bunyan and Jane Munns, was born in Campton, Bedfordshire, and christened there on Feb. 6, 1803. He married Mary Ann Dew on Nov. 24, 1826 in Gamblingay, Cambridge, which is where Mary Ann had been born about 1806. James is listed in the Campton parish records of the 1820s and 1830s as a blacksmith, but both the 1851 and 1861 U.K. Census shows him as victualler, which generally indicates someone who had a license to sell spirits. Both census returns also show him and Mary Ann living at Bury Farm, which is located on Campton Road on the southwest side of Meppershall. James is probably the same James Bunyan who in 1839 held a license to run the New Inn on Newbridge Street in Shefford. Interestingly, his father is probably the carpenter who in 1803 built a different New Inn located on the opposite side of Shefford. One wonders if James had business dealings with Henry Hare of Upper Gravenhurst, who in 1833 called himself an innkeeper, the significance being that James' daughter would one day marry Henry's son.

   James died Aug. 15th, 1875 in Campton, which along with Meppershall, is in Biggleswade registration district, and Mary Ann died there in either 1874 or 1876. James' death certifcate lists him as a former publican, which means a licensed tavern keeper. It is likely that James and Mary Ann are buried in the All Saints graveyard in Campton where his grandparents are buried, but this needs to be confirmed. Both may also be buried at St. Mary's churchyard in Lower Gravenhurst where their daughter Ann is buried. James and Mary Ann appear to have had at least the two daughters who follow.

   children - Bunyan

   Ann Bunyan (1827-1903) who follows:

   Hephzebah Bunyan (b. c.1833) was born in Campton, Bedfordshire, and christened there in the parish church on Sept. 5, 1833. Because she is not listed with her sister and parents in the 1841 U.K. census, she probably died as a child.

8. Ann Bunyan (1827-1903), the daughter of James Bunyan and Mary Ann Dew, was born in 1827 in Campton, Bedfordshire, a village less than two miles northeast of Upper Gravenhurst. Her parents were probably tavern keepers who ran the New Inn on Newbridge Street in Shefford. She married Henry Hare on Feb 15, 1849 in Upper Gravenhurst, Bedfordshire. Her husband Henry was a prominent farmer, who eventually served as Mayor of Upper Gravenhurst, and he and Ann raised a large family on his farm. She died in the Biggleswade registration district in 1903, about eleven years after the death of Henry, and both are buried near their son James, and near Henry's parents in St. Marys Churchyard in Lower Gravenhurst.

   Ann believed that she was descended from John Bunyan, the author of the christian allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress, and that belief was firmly ingrained in her children and grandchildren. However, most genealogists, and Brown (1888) in particular, believe that no male descendants of John Bunyan still carried the Bunyan family name by the time Ann was born. Also, the lineage presented here demonstrates that Ann is descended from Thomas Bunnion of Silsoe (b. abt. 1643), who was a contemporary of the celebrated John Bunyan (1628-1688), and not a member of his immediate family. Please see the Hare Genealogy for Ann and Henry's children.

   Several online family histories mistakenly identify Ann Bunyan, the wife of Henry Hare, with an Ann Bunyan who was born in Caddington, Bedfordshire to parents James Bunyan and Ann Fensome, whereas the wife of Henry Hare is actually the Ann Bunyan who was born in Campton, Bedfordshire to parents James Bunyan and Mary Ann Dew. These genealogies fail to recognize that several women by the name of Ann Bunyan were living in Bedfordshire in the mid-1800s. Several facts clearly point to the correct identity of Ann.

   First - UK Census returns from 1851 to 1901 all indicate Ann's birthplace is Campton, not Caddington.
   Second - George Henry Hare (b. c.1850), the eldest son of Ann Bunyan and Henry Hare, appears in the 1871 UK Census in the household of his grandparents James and Mary Ann Bunyan of Campton. No tie ever appears between the Hare household and that of James and Ann Bunyan of Caddington.
   Third - Campton is located less than two miles from Upper Gravenhurst, the home of Henry Hare, whereas Caddington is at least eight miles away on the far side of Luton, which was a fairly large town in those days. No doubt Henry Hare traveled to Luton more than a few times and knew people there, but it is much less likely that he or his father had the contacts in a village on the far side of Luton with which to arrange a marriage.
   Fourth - Ann Bunyan of Caddington actually married Soloman Perry, not Henry Hare.
   Fifth - Ann Hare is the informant on the 1875 death certificate of James Bunyan of Campton.

    

    

REFERENCES:

1. Bedfordshire Family History Society, Transcripts of Bedfordshire Parish Registers, including baptism, marriage, and burial records (and in some cases memorial inscriptions) of Campton and Shefford, Flitton (with Silsoe), Lower Gravenhurst, and Upper Gravenhurst. Published by Bedfordshire Family History Society, and a available on CD from The Parish Chest.

2. Brown, John, 1888, John Bunyan: His Life, Times and Work: Riverside Press, Cambridge, p. 397-426.

3. UK Census Records, 1841-1901 and Parish Baptism, Marriage and Burial Records: online databases available on Ancestry.com, Familysearch.org, and Find My Past.

   England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 England Marriages, 1538–1973 England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991

4. Family Group Sheet for Ann Bunyan: West/Pepper Family Tree on Ancestry.com.

5. Vital Records Certificates (Birth, Marriage, Death) from 1837 to the present for Great Britain available from the General Register Office.

Please email corrections to Mike Clark