Early Life
We do not yet know who
William Rice's parents were, but he would have been born around 1733, assuming that the age at death (62) is reported correctly.
Looking for possible candidates born in the SE of England around this time, we have:
- William Rice, bapt. 1 Jul 1730 in Esher, to William Rice and Frances
- William Rice, bapt. 20 Jun 1731 at St George in the East, Stepney, to William Rice, a "mariner" and Phillis
- William Rice, bapt 1 Jul 1733 at Saffron Walden in Essex, to William Rice
- William Rice, bapt 28 Feb 1734 at Shorwell in Hampshire, to Edward Rice
- William Rice, bapt 11 Jan 1735 in Goudhurst, Kent, to Richard Rice and Anne
The first is possibly the most likely, given how close Esher is to Teddington.
Family Life
William married
Mercy Cook, daughter of
William Cook and
Mercy Chandler, at
St Martin-in-the-Field in Westminster on the 25
th of December 1756. Witnesses to the marriage were Stephen Claxston and Elis[abeth] Claxston
1.
They had the following children:
- Jane, b. 1758 and who married Louys Gruaz in 1791
- Mary, bapt. 1759 and alive in 18152; she married ___ Rance3 and died in 1837
- William McPherson, b. 1760, and who married Ann Stigant of Portsmouth
- Thomas, bapt. 1768 but who died in October 1773
- Richard, bapt. 1772 and poss. married Elizabeth Smith in 1793 at Hampton, alive in 18152
- Thomas, bapt. 1774, died 1858
- John, birth date unknown, but mentioned in the will of Mary Budd, his great-aunt; he was a painter in Hampton and married Elizabeth ____
Death
William died in 1794 and was buried on the 9
th of July at
St Mary's in Teddington. His wife Mercy had died 11 years previously.
Footnotes
[1] A Stephen Claxton married an Elizabeth Smith at Westminster St George that same year - could this be the same person?
[2] The will of Louys Gruaz (husband of Jane Rice), dated 1815, makes bequests to Mary and Richard
[3] The will of Mary Budd (nee Chandler, the aunt of Mercy Cook) describes her as "Mary Rance late Rice"
Abt 1733 - 1794 (~ 61 years)
[1, 2] 
