The Family of Jane Webb (1815?-1882), wife of Richard Watts
WILLIAM WEBB or WEBBEY (1781?-184?) was not born in Hampshire.
A case can be made for his being the William Webbey who married Elizabeth Gibbs at East Budleigh, Devon, on 14 February 1804.
This William was baptized on 25 March 1781, the son of John and Joan Webbey (John Webbey married Joan Barret at East Budleigh on 29 September 1778).
In 1851, a widowed Elizabeth Webby, aged 65, was housekeeper for 72-year-old John Webby in Fore Street, East Budleigh. John had been born in Budleigh Salterton and was probably William's brother. Elizabeth had been born in Lyme, Dorset and can probably be identified with the daughter of John and Sarah Gibbs, baptized at Lyme Regis on 26 March 1786.
The coast guard service was established on 15 November 1816.
On 20 December 1816
, he was one of four men transferred from HMS Snapper to the newly formed coast guard at Paglesham in Essex and appointed as chief boatman.
On 26 June 1818, he was transferred from Paglesham to be chief boatman at Brighton, later Dawlish.
On 27 March 1819, he was transferred from Dawlish to be chief boatman at Sidmouth.
On 12 July 1825, he was transferred from Sidmouth to be chief boatman at Looe.
On 25 June 1827, he was transferred from Looe to be chief boatman at Polruan, responsible for the port at Fowey.
On 14 September 1833, he was transferred from Polruan to be chief boatman at Hayling Island.
The establishment here, of a chief officer, a chief boatman, two commissioned boatmen and four ordinary boatmen, covered Hayling Island, Portsmouth and Gosport.
In 1841, William was described in the census as a chief boatman in the coast guard, aged 60.
He, his wife Elizabeth (55) and daughter Sarah (20) were at the coastguard station at Hayling Island.
He was discharged from the coast guard on 14 June 1843, with an allowance of £48.
He is described as a pensioner at the time of his daughter Sarah's wedding in 1842.
1 JANE WEBB (1815?-1882).
She might be related to the Anne Webbey born on 7 February 1810 and baptized on 20 February, daughter of William and Elizabeth Webbey of East Budleigh.
We can only infer her birth date from the information given at the time of her death.
In 1834, she was living in St Mary's parish, Portsea, and on 15 July 1834 she married Richard Watts, a 24-year-old coastguard oficer, who had been born in Gosport but in the March of that year had been sent to serve in Bonmahon in County Waterford, Ireland.
Jane joined Richard in Ireland, and gave birth to ten children between 1835 and 1861.
In the 1850s, they bought land in and around Bonmahon and Stradbally, and after Richard retired from the coastguard service in 1856, their main occupation was the village shop, draper's, inn and bakery, and the creamery established by their son James.
Richard died in 1875.
Jane survived him, and died of bronchitis on 26 July 1882, aged 66.
Her death certificate describes her as the widow of a draper.
She was buried at Bonmahon Church on the 28th.
2 SARAH WEBB (1821-1906).
Sarah, deughter of William Webbey, mariner, and Elizabeth, was baptized at Sidmouth, Devon on 24 April 1821.
This accords with the age on her death certificate.
(A crossed-out entry in the 1901 census also reads Sydmouth, Co Devon.)
In 1841 she was still living with her parents in the Coastguard Houses on Hayling Island.
Less than a mile away was a brick field, where John Durbin (or Derben), 65, 'brickburner', lived with his wife Martha, 55, his son George and daughter Miriam.
John Derben had married Martha Brown at Hayling on 24 June 1800.
George had been born in Hayling on 17 June 1821.
He had first gone to sea in 1839, and held seaman's ticket 263,317 issued on 5 June 1845.
In that year he served on coastguard revenue cruisers Nelson and Lion, stationed at Gosport and Folkestone/Dover respectively)
Sarah married George Derben at Alverstoke on 16 June 1842.
She was living in Forton at the time, and made her mark.
George was described as a mariner, of Gosport.
The couple do not appear in the 1851 census, as they had gone to Ireland.
George's coastguard service records him being transferred to Guidore (Gweedore) in County Donegal from the revenue cruizer Rutland on 13 August 1850 as boatman under reference number 2039.
On 4 June 1851 he was transferred to Rutland Island (with reference 8244), and on 31 March 1853, with reference 9847, back to Guidore.
Where Sarah lived during this time is uncertain.
However,their son William was born in Waterford in 1854, and daughter Eliza in Donegal in 1857.
On 27 March 1877, George Derben of King Street, Waterford, bought a licence for a black and tan terrier bitch.
In 1880 when their son William was married he was described as a farmer.
He died of bronchitic asthma at King Street, Waterford, on 8 February 1893 and was described on the death certificate as a caretaker.
Sarah was living with her daughter Hannah in a home at 16 Baileys New Street in Waterford in 1901, aged 79, born in England.
Sarah died in Burchall Asylum, Waterford on 18 October 1906 ('from Quay') three years after her daughter Hannah.
Her death certificate says she was 86, though according to the Waterford and Tramore Visitor, who remarked that "her niece is the wife of our old friend, Mr Thomas Andrews, now Governor of Cork Prison," she died "at the ripe old age of 97 years".
(The report was headed "Death of an old Resident of Bunmahon".
It noted that "she was for many years the trusted housekeeper of the O'Connell-street house of Messrs. Robertson, Ladlie and Co., a position which some years ago she resigned owing to advancing years and naturally decreasing vigour", and additionally comments that "she was a dear old lady and beloved by all who knew her").
Sarah and George had issue:
2.1 WILLIAM DERBEN (1854-1922), born in Waterford in 1854.
He joined the Royal Irish Constabulary.
Petty Session Registers record him at Dunmanway, Cork in 1879, Kilrush, Clare in 1880, Ballyvaughan, Clare in 1882, Dundrum, Dublin in 1886, and Cahir, Tipperary from 1888 to 1898.
He married Elizabeth (Lizzie) Hanlon, or O'Hanlon, at Kilnamanagh Roman Catholic chapel, Castletown, County Cork on 25 January 1880.
They were both living at Allihies.
She was the daughter of Denis Hanlon, a pensioned sergeant, and some 12½ years younger, from County Cork (but aged "42" in 1911).
William was a policeman in 70 Main Street, Clogheen, Co Tipperary in 1901.
He was pensioned from the Royal Irish Constabulary on 25 July 1902 and went to New York, leaving from Liverpool in October 1907.
From September 1907. his pension was payable to his wife, who was in Cork in 1906, under a power of attorney.
He is possibly in the 1910 census in a lodging house in Brooklyn Ward 30 (but with immigration year 1872).
The police pension records note his death on 10 September 1922.
In 1911, Lizzie was at 8 Lancaster Quay in Cork, with Laura.
William and Lizzie's children were:
2.1.1 JOHN FRANCIS O'HANLON DERBEN (1884-19??), born in Main Street, Carrick on Suir, County Tipperary, on 25 February 1884.
2.1.2 EMILY A DERBEN (1886-19??), born in County Tipperary, aged 14 in 1901.
2.1.3 DAISY DERBEN (1892-19??), born in County Tipperary, aged 8 in 1901.
2.1.4 LAURA TERESA DERBEN (1900-19??), born on 29 October 1900 at Clogheen, County Tipperary.
2.2 HANNAH ELIZA DERBEN (1857-1903), born in County Donegal in 1857.
She was living in Waterford with her mother in 1901.
Hannah died in Burchall Asylum on 13 October 1903.
2.2.1 THOMAS DERBEN (1885-??) was born at Water Street, Waterford on 8 January 1885.
His birth certificate gives Sarah's name as the mother, and Hannah's ("sister", present at birth) as the informant.
The father is not named.
2.3 GEORGE DAVID DERBEN (1864-??), born at Cross Roads, Dunfanaghy, County Donegal on 20 August 1864.
This page was last modified on 15 September 2020 by Hector Davie.
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