| One of my maternal great-great-great-grandmothers was Sophia Bourn (1800-72). She was born at Balcombe, the seventh child of Thomas Bourn (1762-?) and Jane ISTED (née WALLER).
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| Sophia Bourn had two illegitimate daughters, Mildred (1821-?) and Martha (1824-?), before marrying James WELLS (1786-1862) at Balcombe in 1826. It is not believed that James fathered either of Sophia's illegitimate children. James and Sophia had seven children, moving to his home village of Washington after their first child.
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| It is not known what became of Mildred but Martha copied her mother. She had three illegitimate children in the workhouse at Cuckfield. Her oldest son, Henry BOURNE, married Ellen THORPE at Lewes in 1865. Henry and Ellen had five children at Lewes and then two more at Portslade. The lives of these Bournes have been extensively researched by Evelyn OLIVER of Portslade. Henry and Ellen were Evelyn's great-grandparents.
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| Thomas Bourn (1762-?) married Jane ISTED at Ardingly in 1787. Jane had previously been married to Henry Isted but he died shortly after their marriage. Jane's maiden name was WALLER. Thomas and Jane had eight children at Balcombe, the fate of only two others is known for certain due to the Bourns being quite common at Balcombe and having many duplicated names. Their fourth child, Charlotte, married James BOTTING in 1813. James Botting is remarkable for his longevity, he reached at least 90. Thomas and Jane's sixth child, John Bourn, married Alice HOLDER in 1824. John and Alice had nine children at Balcombe and Worth. Three of their sons, John, Henry and George, are known to have married and had families in the area.
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| Thomas Bourn (1762-?) was the son of William and Elizabeth. However, it looks as if there were two William and Elizabeth Bourn couples having children at Balcombe at the same time. It has not yet been possible to sort out who belongs to whom.
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| I have a lot of information about the other Bourns of Balcombe and can supply the ancestry of most of them back to the same William and Elizabeth problem. Please contact me if you would like to know more.
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