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Mary (1) Woodhurst was born around 1817 to parents Thomas (1) Woodhurst and his wife Mercy Swadling. No record of her christening has yet been found. The evidence for her presumed parentage lies mainly in her strong circumstantial links with her presumed sister Ann (2) Woodhurst.
She married at Udimore on February 8th 1836 to Dive Freeman [Udimore Parish Register]. Both are described as 'of this parish'. The marriage was witnessed by Trayton Trill and Ann Trill, the latter being Mary (1)'s now-married sister Ann (2). Dive was born on October 12th 1811 of parents John (1) Freeman (who died in 1821) and wife Sarah Baker, and was christened on October 22nd at Rye Wesleyan Church. His unusual forename is thought to have derived from the maiden name Dive of Caroline Turk, the wife of his mother's cousin John Turk.
Mary (1) and Dive produced several children. The 1841 Census finds the family living at Loneham in Udimore, at which time Dive was occupied as an agricultural labourer. Their child Traiton, then just one week old, is believed to have died shortly afterwards [Death Index: Rye VII 407, 1841 (June)].
Mary (1) died in 1846. Her death certificate [Death Index: Rye 7 282, 1846 (March)] describes her as 'The wife of Dive Freeman, Labourer' and states that she died at Udimore on March 11th 1846 aged 29 from 'inflammation of the woomb [sic]', probably signifying puerperal fever. The informant was her father Thomas (1) who registered her death on the following day. She therefore died on the same day that her fourth child John (2) Freeman was christened. The simplest interpretation of this is that this new-born child was christened immediately for fear that he too would die imminently (although he actually survived into early 1847). She was buried at Playden on March 15th as 'Mary Freeman of Udimore aged 29' [Playden Parish Register].
Dive subsequently married Abigail (1) Freeman at Udimore on November 9th 1847. Abigail (1) was a daughter of Thomas Freeman and his wife Charlotte Swadling - Mercy Swadling's sister - and was christened at Udimore on September 17th 1826. By this second marriage Dive produced at least three more children.
In 1851 his child Ann was living with her aunt Ann (2) in Playden [UK Census 1851].
In 1868 Dive and his new family were living in Rye at Road End Farm [Rye Poll Book: March 17th 1868: 1066].
The 1881 Census finds Dive and Abigail (1) living with their two sons at Emanuel Road in Hastings St. Mary, and reveals that he had formerly been occupied as a teacher. His wife was then a laundress.
The 1891 Census finds Abigail (1), now a widow aged 65, living as a servant and cook at 2, High Street, Rye in the household of Thomas Lewis, the Vicar of Udimore.
Extensive research into the Freeman family has been undertaken by Dive's descendants, of which further details may be sought from the site author.
John (2) Freeman was buried at Playden on January 24th 1847 [Parish Register].