William Butson of Upton Somerset - Two Wives or Two Men?

Research note by Wesley Johnston - begun 6 Jan 2023, last updated 8 Jan 2023

Context

Baptisms at Upton, Somerset from 1815 to 1835 of children of a father named William BUTSON have mothers named Elizabeth for the 1815-1819 children and named Mary for the subsequent children. Was this the same William BUTSON remarrying? Was this a case of the mother using a different given name for the later children so that it is again the same William BUTSON? Or were there two distinct William BUTSONs? Or was this one man married to one woman?

Working Conclusion

From the limited evidence available, my working conclusion is that it was one man married to one women: William BUTSON married Iset/Elizabeth/Mary HILL 26 Apr 1815. The evidence does not confirm this, and I am open to revising this conclusion if additional solid evidence supports a different conclusion.

The Evidence

The Baptisms

William and Elizabeth

1815? - Elizabeth - There is no baptism. There is a 25 Jun 1837 marriage at Upton of Elizabeth BUTSON and Thomas WOODBERRY. The image of the Banns is at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60858/images/englb030d_d-p-upt-2-2-1_m_00008 and the marriage image is at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60858/images/englb030d_d-p-upt-2-1-7_m_00011 with no record of her father. But the female witness was Jane BUTSON (who made her mark) which may have been her younger half sister Jane who was one of three children baptized in 1827 but probably born earlier. So, I really do not know if this Elizabeth who married in 1837 was the daughter of William and Elizabeth, and the "1815?" is an estimated birth year based on the marriage date.

1819-12-12 Baptism of Marianne - She is shown as the daughter of William and Elizabeth BUTSON ( the image is at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60857/images/englb030d_d-p-upt-2-1-6_m_00006 ). William was a Labourer, and they resided at "East Moor House in this Parish".

William and Mary

I only include their first child (Thomas), since the occupation of his father and the abode of the family are the same as for Marianne.

1822 -01-13 Baptism of Thomas. He is shown as the daughter of William and Mary BUTSON ( the image is at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/60857/images/englb030d_d-p-upt-2-1-6_m_00009 ). William was a Labourer, and they resided at "East Moor House in this Parish".

The Burials

I have not found any burial record for Elizabeth (nor any other woman's given name) BUTSON in the period 1819-1822.

The Marriages

I find only one marriage.

1815-04-26 at Tiverton, Devon - William BUTSON and Iset HILL

Evaluation

The evidence is admittedly limited. However the abode and occupation of the father in both the 1819 and 1822 baptisms is identical. The 1815 marriage of William BUTSON and Iset HILL fits with the births. The absence of any children of Elizabeth after 1819, of any death record or of any remarriage record of William lead me to my working conclusion that Elizabeth went by the name Mary after 1819.