Hannah was born on 28 Aug 1705 in the village of Tortington near Arundel, Sussex, England. She was the daughter of Edward Barber and Elizabeth Beard, both members of prominent Quaker families. Her father's address at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth was Tortington 'Priory', probably one of a collection of buildings remaining on the site of the old priory after the dissolution. Hannah's grandfather, Nicholas Beard, became a Quaker in 1655 at the time of founder George Fox's visit to Sussex. In the following decades, the Beard family suffered persecution, imprisonment and significant losses of goods and property. It seems odd that the only record of Hannah's birth appears in the Parish Register for Tortington; a Quaker one hasn't been located yet. However, Quaker birth records for her elder siblings have been found (Mary born 14 Sep 1698, Nathaniel born 1 Sep 1701, Sarah born 10 Sep 1703) and seem to have been recorded by the small Quaker community based in Steyning.
Hannah married William Westt on 12 Apr 1730 in Chichester, Sussex. The couple had six children, the first of whom, William West, died in infancy aged 11 months on 17 Feb 1731. He was laid to rest in the Quaker burial ground at Arundel. The birth records of their last two children, Hannah and Samuel, have not yet been located. Unusually the Quakers responsible for the monthly meetings of the Lewes and Chichester meeting house did not disclose William and Hannahs' place of residence on the birth records of any of their children.
Hannah's place and date of death are presently unknown. Samuel West, her last known child, was born around 1745 so her death must be after this time.
Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
Hannah is 26 degrees from Emeril Lagasse, 21 degrees from Nigella Lawson, 19 degrees from Maggie Beer, 44 degrees from Mary Hunnings, 31 degrees from Joop Braakhekke, 34 degrees from Michael Chow, 23 degrees from Ree Drummond, 25 degrees from Paul Hollywood, 23 degrees from Matty Matheson, 26 degrees from Martha Stewart, 31 degrees from Danny Trejo and 31 degrees from Molly Yeh on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
B > Barber | W > West > Hannah (Barber) West
Categories: Arundel, Sussex