His son John's three marriages give his occupation as: (1838) Labourer; (1853) Game Keep; (1865) Game Keeper. Presumably he changed occupation between the 1841 census and his death a few years later (his wife is a widow in 1851).

Thomas had several children by Mary, baptised at St Mary's Chapelry, Halton, between 1815 (John) and 1826 (Ann). St Mary's was a chapelry of ease for Runcorn Parish.

Copies of the registers are held on microfilm at Manchester Central Library. Originals presumably at Cheshire Record Office. Have checked baptisms 1813-33 and 1833-1871. Earlier registers exist (on the same microfilm) but are damaged, incomplete, and difficult to decipher. I did not find the baptism of Thomas Hessom in these.

His occupation is consistently given as Labourer. His abode is usually given as Norton, but sometimes Halton. Both villages are close to each other.

There is a later crop of baptisms for children of Thomas Hessom/Heesom and Ann, namely William (1837), Edward (1839), and George (1841).

I presume that this is the same Thomas, as his son Thomas (who was baptised in 1823) would have been rather young to be starting a family of his own in 1837. Further evidence are the 1841 and 1851 censuses for Norton. In 1841, we find Thomas and Ann with children who match the Halton St Mary Baptisms of the younger of the children of Thomas and Mary, and the older of the children of Thomas and Ann.

His surname is spelled Heesom to 1826, Hessom (1837, 1839) and Heesom (1841).

Some baptisms of children of James and Maria(h) can be found from 1858 through 1870, spelled Heasom (thrice), Heesom (once) and Heeson (once).

SP - 22 Apr 2008

Thomas' marriages have been indexed (CDRoms available from the Family History Society of Cheshire):
28 Dec 1814, Thos HEESHAM m. Mary JONES, Runcorn
12 Mar 1837, Thomas HESSOM m. Ann LAMB, Runcorn

The 1814 spelling lends further credibility to the theory that this branch of the Hessom family originated in the village of Heysham, on Morecambe Bay, near Lancaster. Residents of Heysham pronounce it with a long E, a "SH" sound, with the stress falling on the first syllable, and they have done so (it is said) for at least 150 years. Thomas' family would appear to have pronounced the name with a long E (witness the Halton and Runcorn registers), and (usually) a sibilant S. If the etymology Hesse-ham (home of Hesse, a Saxon) is correct for Heysham, then the pronunciation HEESS-HAM could be more faithful than HEE-SHAM. Early Norman records refer to a family known as de Hessam (other spellings exist). Whether the Halton Hessoms take their name from the Norman family or the village Heysham is a matter of conjecture. I have not found any primordal connection between the villages of Halton, Lancashire and Halton, Cheshire. Halton, Lancs is the manor to which Heysham belonged at the time of the Domesday Book; Halton, Lancs, is near Lancaster and was originally more important than it. Halton, Cheshire was the seat of the Barons of Halton (a lineage that includes John of Gaunt). Both existed at the time of the Norman Conquest (as did several other Haltons around England) and can be found in the Domesday book, and were held by different families.

SP - 27 May 2008

Visit to Halton Lea library and Daresbury All Saints, 17 Jun 2007.

We searched Runcorn registers for Hessoms, but did not find Thomas' baptism. Halton Lea library have, inter alia microfilm copies of the original registers of Runcorn Parish, Halton St Mary's. Daresbury All Saints, as well as a full index and transcription of Halton St Mary's (hard copy). We transcribed all 25 of the Hessom (and similiar) baptisms in these.

The best match for Thomas's christening is in the registers of Daresbury All Saints. We found this entry, listed under christenings for 1795, March:
"Thomas son of William and Hannah Heesham of Hatton, Farmer, Bap 1st day [of March, 1795]"
Hatton is a village close to Daresbury; it is probably NOT a mis-spelling of Halton with over-zealous crossing of T's.

A search of Bertram Merrell's marriage index for Cheshire turns up the marriage of William HISSOM and Hannah PLANT, 6 Apr 1790, at Great Budworth St Mary. We know that HISSOM is another alternative spelling, thought also to derive from HEYSHAM. Great Budworth, Cheshire, is somewhat further afield from Daresbury than Norton or Halton.

We found also:

1) in the index to wills held at Chester, an entry for Thomas Hessom, Norton, Carter, 1849.
2) in Daresbury All Saints Baptisms 1617-1868 (on microfilm):
"Humphrey son of John and Hannah Heesham of Newton Labourer bap. 22nd day [of April 1798]".
Presumably this is the Newton that is close to Daresbury.
3) (the icing on the cake of a successful day), three headstones in the well kept graveyard of Daresbury All Saints.
a)
"Here lieth the Body of William Heesom of Keckwick who departed this life January 1st 1846 aged 47 years. Also William his Son who died April 7th 1894, aged 61 years. Also Sarah Heesom who died Feb 13th 1899 aged 62 years. She has found the rest we toil to find. Also Thomas Heesom of Runcorn who died August 3rd 1903 aged 66 years. Thy will be done."
b)
"In memory of Edward Hessom of Newton who departed this life Feb 1810 Aged 88. ... Margarett ... who departed ... Sept..."
(This headstone is damaged. Ellipses indicates missing text.)
c)
"In memory of Thomas Hessom of Norton
who died August 4th 1848 aged 53 years.
Ann his wife.

Forgive blest shade the tributary tear
That mourns thy exit from a world like this
Forgive the wish that would have kept thee here
And stay'd thy progress from the realms of bliss"

NB: This means that Cheshire Deaths 1844 WARR/7/405 must be someone else.

(c) is surely our Thomas Hessom and his second wife Ann Lamb.

Note that (b) and (c) are adjacent to each other, and well apart from (a). It is possible that this Edward Hessom (b. c.1722) was the grandfather of Thomas.

We were luck to find these headstones, as we did not set out to do a systematic search of the graveyard.
SP 18 Jun 2008

His death certificate (Runcorn registration district) give his date of death as 8 Aug 1848, but his headstone says 4 Aug 1848.

SP 21 Jun 2008

Probate records have his date of death as 4 Aug 1848, also.

This is his will:

"Norton Thursday Aug 3rd 1848. I Thomas Heysham do declare that all my cash and ... [unintelligible] goods belonging be left to my wife Ann Heysham for the purpose of bringing up my young family - that is the family of my present wife Ann Heysham as witness my hand.

The mark of Thomas Hessam.

In the presence of us Peter Hedgcock, Samuel Bell"

The generous interpretation is that Thomas' accident occurred on or before 3 August, and he had time to make a will before dying of his injuries.

SP 18 Jul 2008