Rebecca Irons
(1755-1843)

Rebecca Irons (later Rebecca Barber) was the fifth of the six children of Joseph Irons and his wife Mary Nicholas of Little Downham, a village in the fenland near Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.

Rebecca married Robert Barber in 1778 and the couple soon settled down in nearby Ely to become parents 8 times over the next 22 years.

Sadly though, their second and sixth children failed to survive into adulthood, with son William dying in his first few years in the 1780s, and daughter Mary dying aged 14 years in 1805.

Robert pre-deceased Rebecca in 1821, and by the time of her final census in 1841, Rebecca can be found aged 85 years living with her daughter Hannah and son-in-law Thomas Graves at Chief's Lane in Ely. She died just over 2 years later.

Life Events

Born

• circa 1755 at Little Downham, Cambridgeshire, England.

Baptised

• 29th April 1755 at St. Leonard's Church, Little Downham, Cambridgeshire, England.

Married

• Robert Barber (1757-1821) on 12th July 1778 at St. Leonard's Church, Cambridgeshire, England.

Children

• Robert Barber (1779-?)
• William Barber (1782-178?)
• Wenham Barber (1784-1832) married Elizabeth Walker (1786-1872).
• Hannah Barber (1786-?) married Thomas Macer (17??-183?), and later to Thomas Graves (1791-18??)
• William Barber (1789-?)
• Mary Barber (1791-1805)
• John Barber (1794-?)
• Josiah Barber (1800-1876) married Mary Mantle (1802-1853), and later Elizabeth Page (1800-?)

Census and Residence

• 1841: 85yrs, Chief's Lane, Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.

Death

• During August 1843 at Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, aged 88 years.

Burial

• 22nd August 1843 at St. Mary's Church, Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.