William BUGDEN

Abt 1750 - 1808  (58 years)

• Name	William BUGDEN
  Born	Abt 1750	Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada
  Gender	Male
  _UID	923CE60D61C5D611B6E8BC8D43B5AC348DC1
  Died	16 Oct 1808	Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada   [1]
  Person ID	I212	Penny of Newfoundland
  Last Modified	22 Feb 2022

  
  

  Family	Mary VIRGE,   b. 2 Apr 1758, Bonaventure, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada
  Married	17 Oct 1777	Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada   [2]
  _UID	933CE60D61C5D611B6E8BC8D43B5AC348ED1
  Children	1. Elizabeth BUGDEN,   b. Abt 1777   2. John BUGDEN,   b. 1784   3. William BUGDEN,   c. 7 Aug 1784, Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada   4. Joseph BUGDEN,   c. 12 Sep 1786, Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada   5. Thomas BUGDEN,   b. Apr 1789   6. Susannah BUGDEN,   c. 10 Mar 1791, Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada   7. Dinah BUGDEN,   c. 5 Apr 1793, Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada   8. Benjamin BUGDEN,   c. 24 Dec 1798, Trinity, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada   9. Mary BUGDEN,   b. Abt 1779
  Last Modified	15 May 2022
  Family ID	F85	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Family appears to have come from Christchurch, Hampshire, England based on entries of two other Bugden individuals, as follows: March 12th, 1772 - Interred MR JAMES BUGDEN of XI [Christ] Church, Hants [Hampshire], aged 59 years May 7, 1770 - Married John Bugden Junr of xt [Christ] Church, Hants [Hampshire, England] and Sarah Besstone Daughter to Mrs Martha Sweet in English Harbour by her 1st Husband Bernard Besstone. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the Port Rexton Facebook Page by Gary Patton There was Justice in English Harbour Trinity Bay NL back in 1771-72 The Bugden family had been in Trinity as early as 1770 when John Bugden married Sarah Batson, daughter of Bernard and Martha, on 07 May of that year. John was born in Christchurch, Dorset, England, the son of John Sr. and Ann (Gould) Bugden. He apparently came to Newfoundland some years before. A friend of the Bugden family, Montagu Harding, formerly of Sturminster Marshall, made a will in 1759 when he was residing at Bayly’s Cove (Bonavista), Newfoundland. The will was made at Wimborne Minster, Dorset. In that will, Harding made a bequest to “… friend John Bugden, son of John Bugden of Trinity, Boatkeeper.” This indicates that John Bugden was at Trinity as early as 1759. John’s brother, William, also married in Newfoundland, in 1777 at Trinity. Three of William’s children, two sons and a daughter, married into my ancestral family, the Baileys. Hence, my keen interest in this case. During the month of June 1771, John Bugden, John Quinlan and William Ivany were in a skiff, near the community of Heart’s Content, Trinity Bay. They were going out to set nets. Bugden and Quinlan had a dispute about something. Quinlan reportedly said he was going to “lay in the mainsail” when he grabbed Bugden and threw him overboard. According to the testimony of young Ivany, who was presumed to be around 16 years old, Quinlan grabbed Bugden by the collar with one hand, and the other between his legs. Quinlan threw Bugden into the sea on his back, as the boat was under sail “with the wind in the quarter.” Ivany asked Quinlan if they should take in the sails, but Quinlan said it was “no matter, let him bide.” There was obviously some wind for Ivany said the sea was “breaking,” and they soon lost sight of Bugden. Quinlan and Ivany remained at Heart’s Content that night. When asked how his master came to be overboard, Quinlan, unaware that Ivany had witnessed the incident, said he did not know. They returned to English Harbour the following morning, as the wind was fair. Ivany was steering the boat, as Quinlan had said that he “could not steer her.” Ivany was afraid to discuss how his master had drowned until about a month later, when he was so troubled by the incident that he told Mrs. Sweet. It appears that both Quinlan and Ivany were boarding with Mrs. Sweet, the mother-in-law of John Bugden, who had remarried after the death of her first husband. That good lady then said that she would not keep such a fellow in her house. When the authorities came to look for Quinlan, they found him with his hands tied behind him. William Ivany’s statement was sworn before Michael Gill, J.P., on 23 July 1771. John Quinlan was brought before the General Assizes in St. John’s, Newfoundland on 03 October 1771. The case was heard by Michael Gill, Edward Langman, William Thomas, George Williams and Charles Walley, commissioners appointed by his Excellency the Honourable Governor Byron, and the Grand Jury. The charges against him were read and Quinlan, a mariner of English Harbour, Trinity Bay, was asked to enter a plea. He pleaded “not guilty” and elected to be tried “by God and his country.” Sheriff Richard Welsh then brought Quinlan, who had been in custody, to the bar. Quinlan was instructed that the petty jury were to pass upon him “Life & Death” and that he had the right to challenge any of them. He had no objections to the jury which consisted of Edward Stokes – Foreman, Michael Little, Richard Penson, Richard Wills, Thomas Seward, Edward Hunt, John Decan, Thomas Eyres, Giles Evans, Thomas Row, John Jones and Thomas Wakeham. The principal witness for the prosecution was William Ivany, who was questioned regarding his sworn statement. When asked if he had seen the prisoner throw his master overboard, Ivany replied, "I did see the prisoner throw my Master overboard by taking him by the Collar and between his legs." Ivany was then asked why Quinlan could not steer the boat, to which he answered, "He said he could not steer the boat home." Several witnesses were then called. William Beaton, fisherman of Trinity, was asked if he had ever heard of "any bad actions done by the prisoner?” to which he replied "I have heard of his misbehaviours by the people." Joseph Pinhorn testified that he had "heard John Quinlan say on the very day he was apprended and taken up that the Boy should not live long." Witness John Gillett, in his statement, said that he "heard the said Quinlan declare and say before the whole boat Crew that his Mistress should not long enjoy herself after his caneing?” Pinhorn and Gillet's statements were sworn before Edward Langman, Justice of the Peace, on 01 October 1771. It seems, then, that young William Ivany may have had reason to fear Quinlan, and for not talking about the death of his master sooner. John Quinlan was then given an opportunity to speak in his own defence. He said that “My Master, self and Boy went out to sea he bid me make flip.” “Flip” was a very potent mixture of rum and spruce beer. Quinlan said they went to Bonaventure, and then to Rider’s Harbour. “We had his fish which I dressed while I was boiling the kettle then I took it up and we eat it and a pint of Flip.” He said his Master then told Bill (Willliam Ivany) that he had better lay down in the Miren(?). Quinlan said his Master saw that he had worked hard all day and told him to take a spell. “… and before I turned my face he was overboard. I screeched out and tried to take him in and before I came to him he was gone so I put into Bonaventure and my Mistress said she would pay me my wages. And the boy said he was in fear of his life.” The jury was then instructed that “a person of fourteen years of age is sufficient,” was asked to retire and bring back a verdict. It appears there was some discrepancy in the exact age of William Ivany, indicating the young lad was between the age of fourteen and sixteen. A verdict was reached in about half an hour and Quinlan was found guilty. Quinlan was brought to the Bar by the Sheriff to hear the sentence, “That you John Quinlan be returned to the goal from whence you came and from thence be led to the place of Execution and there to be hanged by the Neck until you are Dead, Dead, Dead and the Lord have Mercy upon your soul.” John Bugden was 29 years old at the time of his death, meaning he was born around 1742. A son of Mrs. Sarah Bugden was christened at St. Paul’s Anglican Parish, Trinity, on 25 February 1772, at the age of 55 days. The child, therefore, was likely born on 02 January and would have been conceived around the early part of April, just two months before the death of his father. This child, named John, married Jane Abbott on 19 October 1798 in the Bonavista Anglican Parish. The couple went on to have a family of two sons and three daughters who, no doubt, provided a number of descendants for their murdered grandfather.

  
  

• Sources

  [S3] Parish Registers, Church of England, (Not published), St. Paul's Anglican Church, Trinity, Newfoundland, Canada, 16 Oct 1808. Interred MR WM BUGDEN, of this Harbr, Planter, aged 58 [S3] Parish Registers, Church of England, (Not published), St. Paul's Anglican Church, Trinity, Newfoundland, 17 Oct 1777. Married William Bugden planter and Mary Virge Daughter of the Widow Virge.