Thomas Moden
(1811-1885)

Thomas Moden was the fourth of the six children of labourer William Moden and his first wife Esther Whitehead of Haddenham, Cambridgeshire, England.

When Thomas was about four years old, his mother died. His father, William, later re-married to his late wife's recently widowed sister-in-law, Elizabeth Howard.

Thomas Moden married Rebecca Clements of Haddenham at the Parish Church in 1830 and the couple had two daughters. By June 1835 the family had moved to nearby Wentworth and they went on to have at least 10 children, possibly 12 - the records are somewhat jumbled and unclear.

Thomas is noted on most censuses as an Agricultural Labourer, and would have worked the rich and fertile fenland that surrounds the village of Wentworth.

The couple's oldest daughter, Esther Moden, gave birth to an illegitimate son in 1851 named John Thomas Moden. It appears that in order to hide what society would have deemed "shameful", Rebecca and Thomas looked after the child as if he was one of their children. Rebecca was still yet to give birth to two more of her children at this point, and so taking in her grandson, as if he was her own child would probably have been quite easy to hide. John Thomas Moden was even baptised with his infant Aunt, Susan Moden.

Rebecca pre-deceased Thomas by just a few months short of ten years, in 1875. This led Thomas to be living with his married daughter Sarah Richardson at the time of the 1881 census.

Life Events

Born

• 1811 at Haddenham, Cambridgeshire, England.

Baptised

• 15th June 1813 with his brother William Moden at Holy Trinity Church, Haddenham, Cambridgeshire, England.

Married

• Rebecca Clements (1810-1875) on 13th September 1830 at Holy Trinity Church, Haddenham, Cambridgeshire, England.

Children

• Esther Moden (1829-1902) married Henry Dewey (1820-1879)
• Mary Ann Moden (1833-1903) married Robert Boulter (1825-1875)
• Thomas Moden (1835-?) married Mary Akred (1839-?)
• Martha Moden (1839-?)
• Jane Moden (1839-?) married William Edward Howard (1835-?)
• William Clements Moden (1842-?) married Mary Ann Fisher (1847-?)
• Sarah Moden (1844-?) married George Sandifer (1842-1865), and later to Robert Richardson (1838-?)
• Susan Moden (1846-1848)
• John Moden (1848)
• John Moden (1849-?) married Phebe Barrett (1849-?)
• Susan Moden (1850-1925) married William Cockle (1845-?)
• Anna Maria Moden (1852-?) married John Akred (1849-?)

Census and Residence

• 1841: 25yrs, Wentworth, Cambridgeshire, England.
• 1851: 39yrs, High Street, Wentworth, Cambridgeshire, England.
• 1861: 50yrs, Main Street, Wentworth, Cambridgeshire, England.
• 1871: 59yrs, Wentworth, Cambridgeshire, England.
• 1881: 69yrs, Main Street, Wentworth, Cambridgeshire, England.

Employment

• 1841-1871: Agricultural Labourer
• 1881: Farm Labourer

Death

• During May 1885 at Wentworth, Cambridgeshire, England, aged 74yrs.

Burial

• 27th May 1885 at St. Peter's Church, Wentworth, Cambridgeshire, England.