This is an examination of one of the Hampshire families of RAMPTON, a family which has lived in the same small village for over 300 years, from the earliest sighting in 1687 to the present day. It is interesting to note that, although there are many generations of RAMPTONs in the village of Tadley, from the 17th Century onwards, there are few in the surrounding parishes, with the exception of Monk Sherborne. This study should be read in conjunction with the Monk Sherborne research published elsewhere on this website.

Tadley's oldest Anglican church is St Peter, and Parish Registers exist from 1683. St Peter's probably dates from the thirteenth century, the outer porch was built around 1555, and it's tower was built in 1685. In addition, there is a strong foundation of non-conformist worship in the area dateing back to at least 1662. The Old Meeting House, now home to the United Reform Church, was built in the early 18th century, and has a fine burial ground, the resting place of many Ramptons. For further information on Tadley, you cannot do better than to refer to Around Tadley; fact and fable, published by TADS 1999.

The earliest record of a RAMPTON in Tadley is actually the marriage of George Rampton (of the Monk Sherborne family) to Jane Portsmouth in 1682; but this couple did not remain in Tadley, as records of the baptism their children are to be found in Monk Sherborne. The earliest Tadley records, therefore, all spring from the arrival of John in about 1687, and I shall show how the family grew from this one man.

Further information can be found at Hantsweb

All events listed below have been checked, as far as possible, against primary sources. Occasionally, secondary sources, such as Phillimore's Index of Marriages in Hampshire or the International Genealogical Index (IGI), have been used where it has not been possible to view original material, and this is always mentioned in the text with a caveat. Unless otherwise stated, all places are in Hampshire.

Parish Registers have been kept in the Parish of Tadley since 1683, and the first Rampton event is recorded in 1687. This was the baptism of John Rampton, to John. This is the first mention of John (the first marriage recorded in Tadley took place in 1691 and he may have been married elsewhere). John's origins are a mystery; it is tempting to say he must have been the son of one of the Monk Sherborne Ramptons, whose baptism has gone unrecorded. It is logical to assume that he was born around 1665, so he maybe the son of Edward (1624 - 1665) and Edith. BUT, Edward's will mentions three children (none by name) and speaks of his "eldest son" and his "youngest son" and a daughter. Since we already have documentary evidence of sons Edward and George, John does not appear to fit into this family. There is another possibility.

The name of John's wife does not appear in baptism records until the birth of his seventh child in 1702, when the mother's name is given as Elizabeth. It is possible that some or all of the earlier six children had a different mother. Phillimore's Index records the marriage of a John Rampton to Elizabeth (surname is missing) in Preston Candover in 1696. If this is our elusive John, then he was married earlier - but to whom? There are some contra-indications to this theory also. The first son baptised in Tadley was named John and the first daughter (fourth child, born 1692) was named Elizabeth. Given that this family were obviously attached to the particular naming convention, whereby the first son is named after the father, the first daughter after the mother, and then successive sons and daughters after grandparents, aunts and uncles, it is most likely that the mother's name was Elizabeth, at least since the birth of 1692, and also that there were no earlier sons (or at least none that survived), since the first son would have been named after his father. The search continues for John's origins.

In 1841, there were eight families living in Tadley, with a further family, that of Richard the Shoemaker, living at West Heath which is variously described as Tadley or Sherbourne.

By 1851 there were just five Rampton families living in the Parish of Tadley: Richard and Gentilda with Emily of 5 months and Thomas aged 2 years; John and Hannah (nee SIMPSON) with sons John and Thomas; James and Fanny (nee BUTLER) with baby Hannah (2 months); and Thomas with second wife Charlotte (nee TULL) together with George (10 years), Daniel (8 years), Sarah (6 years) and baby Thomas (1 year old); James and Elizabeth (nee SMITH) and son David (19).

An alphabetical list of all Ramptons in Tadley can be found on the Index Page. Or you can begin your journey with Family Chart.