THE KENWORTHY FAMILY
of Bedfordshire &Yorkshire
SUSANNAH KENWORTHY 1765-1820  
Susannah Kenworthy was born in the reign of George II at Bedford, the County Town of Bedfordshire. She was the daughter of John Kenworthy, carpenter and joiner and his wife Susannah nee Walsom. Susannah was baptised at St Cuthbert's, Bedford on 17th November, 1765. She had one elder sister Mary.
Susannah was married at the age of 19 to William Biggs, a miller on 50th December, 1784 at St Cuthbert's Church. The marriage was by banns. Susannah was able to sign her name in a good hand but William had to make his mark. One of the witnesses was William Brown, who had married her sister Mary about eighteen
months before. Susannah and William's first child, a daughter Ann was baptised at St Cuthbert's on 26th January, 1786. Later that year on the 5th June her husband William was interviewed by the church wardens to find out his legal place of settlement. This was to do with
the Poor Law as at that time each parish was responsible for looking after it's own poor. According to the Settlement Examination his legal settlement was at Flitwick as he had gained a settlement there in 1782 when he worked for a year for Richard Goodman, miller for the yearly wage of £5.
Their second child, a son William was baptised on 6 January, 1788 at St Cuthberts.
By 1793 Susannah and William had moved from Bedford and it was  at Chellington that our Great, great grandfather John Kenworthy
Biggs was baptised on 15th0ctober. He was obviously named after his grandfather John Kenworthy.

 Two years later, Susannah's mother Susannah died at Bedford on 6th May, 1795.
Susannah and William moved to Felmershain where they spent the rest of their lives. Felmersham is a secluded riverside village
dominated by a splendid church. The River Ouse makes a great sweep round the parish, so it is almost surrounded by water.
Their daughter Susannah was baptised here on 3rd January, 1796. A son Jonathan was baptised on 16 August, 1800 but buried two days later on the 18th. Two years later they had another son baptised with the name of Jonathan on 1st March, 1802. This was the last
of their six children.
In 1803 an order was sent to all the parishes that a list should be made of all the men between the ages of 17-55. This was at the time when there was fear of an invasion of England by
Napoleon Bonaparte. William is shown listed as
Wm Bigs Miler 39 Volunteer, (spelling is as shown.)
After 21 years of marriage William died at the age of 41 and was buried at Felmersham on 15 January, 1805. Susannah was left a widow with 5 children Ann 19, William 17, John 12, Susannah 9 and Jonathan nearly 3. Her eldest son William died two months later and was buried on 30th March.
Seven months later on 12 October, 1805 her eldest daughter Ann was married to Thomas Whittall of Kettering, Northamptonshire.
This left John at 12 the eldest child still at home.
On 14 October 1806 Susannah married a fellow villager John Barber a yeoman farmer at Felmersham. She was 41 and he was 56. The
marriage was by banns, she signed her name but he had to make his mark. Two fellow villagers Elizabeth and Oliver Drage were the witnesses. Susannah and John did not have any children.