Peter Wyatt and Sarah Cook

Peter Wyatt jnr was born in 1716 in Charlbury, Oxfordshire, the son of Peter Wyatt.

St Mary the Virgin, Charlbury, Oxfordshire

He was baptised at Charlbury on 7 June 1716.

Peter was one of four children baptised at Charlbury, with a father Peter Wyatt – Peter b 1716, Mary b 1718, Francis b 1720, Henry b 1722 and John 1726.

Their mother’s name is unknown.

According to a relatives will, he was a gardener of Bampton, which is the clue I needed to find the rest of his family including his siblings and father. His burial record confirms him as a gardener. It seems he firstly worked in Charlbury before moving to Bampton sometime before 1736 where he met and married his wife Sarah.

Charlbury village Oxfordshire

Charlbury is a small village  in the Evenlode valley, about 6 miles (10 km) north of Witney in West Oxfordshire. It is on the edge of Wychwood Forest and the Cotswolds. The population was 1478 in 1881.

In July 1758 a Mr Henry Barnes of Charlbury, a ‘kinsman’ of Peter Wyatt, wrote a will, which was proved on 30 June 1760 in which he mentions several of the Wyatt family including their relationships which helped me construct the Wyatt families of Charlbury and Bampton. The will can be found online here at the Oxfordshire Family History Society Transcribed Will Index. It mentioned –

  • Peter Wyatt, gardener of Bampton, brother of Francis, kinsman of Henry Barnes
  • Francis Wyatt, brother of Peter
  • Henry Wyatt, kinsman of Henry Barnes
  • Henry Wyatt, son of Henry
  • William Wyatt, son of Henry
  • Sarah Wyatt, daughter of Henry
  • Mary Wyatt, daughter of Henry

St Mary’s Bampton Oxfordshire

Peter Wyatt junior married Sarah Cook on 19 August 1736 at Bampton, Oxfordshire. Unforunately the parish register entry is very basic “Peter Wyat and Sarah Cook”.

Sarah Cook/e was born in Bampton in 1713 and was baptised at St Marys, Bampton on 5 October 1713.

She was the daughter of Edward Cooke.

Peter and Sarah had six children –

  1. Joseph Greenough b 1739 Bampton, marr Mary Reeves 1761 Witney. 3 children.
  2. Peter b 1741 Bampton
  3. William b 1744, d 1744 Bampton
  4. Mary b 1746 Bampton
  5. John b 1749 Bampton
  6. Jenny b 1752 Bampton

According to the parish burial records Peter Wyatt was a gardener by trade.

He died in July 1767 in North Leigh, 9 miles from Bampton, possibly at the home of one of his children. He was buried at North Leigh on 6 July 1767.

It is unknown when his wife Sarah Wyatt died.