What's in a Name!

Lets face it people have trouble with our name. How many times do you have to repeat it? How often do you have to spell it? They get it wrong even then! I have been a Russian, a Rushton, but more regularly a Rushden.

It would appear it has always been like that but more understandable with the many county accents, probably a bit thicker than they are now.

At Ashen in the 15th century they were quite happy to spell it Rushen but in the 16th century in nearby Bulmer it was Russian. At the same time in Rivenhall it was Rushen and Russian, whilst on the River Crouch it was Rushing. As we move to the River Thames and Benfleet we get a terrible mix, Rushin, Rushen and Rushing.

Further North in the parish records of All Saints, Dilhorne, Staffordshire during the early seventeen hundreds there are entries for a John Rushen and his wife Mary who become Rushton's. In nearby Longdon by Lichfield in 1760 George is a Rushton, by 1762 he is a Rushen, 1764 a Rusher and from then on everybody is a Rushton.

In the village of Great Bedwyn Wiltshire in the 1700's we find the name Rishin. As you follow the branch it becomes Rushant & Rushent. The village is so close to Ramsbury and Ogbourne St. George where Rushen was common, is this another variation.

In the village of Birch in Essex the name changed from Rushen to Rusher in the 1820's and continues to this day.

My latest research in the Australian Archives show groups of Rushan's from Albania and Rushon's from Yugoslavia!

Maybe with the wonder of DNA we can find out if we all link or not?

Was Their Name Rushen?
As my research has progressed it has become obvious with some certainty that the variant names came about due to the education or lack of, of the families registering the event and also the variation in dialect when moving into a different county or region.

Some of the answers shown in green.

Rushan
Joseph, son of Thomas and Mary was christened in 1799 at the Foleshill Independant Chapel for Dissenting Protestants, Foleshill.

Russian
Burials at St. Andrew Bulmer between 1731 and 1740, John, Guilelmas, Elizabeth, Susana,William and Isaac.

Wilhelmus Rushen and Susanna Langley were married at Wickhambrook, Suffolk in 1720. William and Susana Russian were buried at Bulmer in 1739.
John Rushen and his wife Elizabeth had moved to Bulmer in 1675 from Bury St. Edmunds.

Rushin
Elizabeth was buried at Benfleet in 1770 and Judith in 1779.

James Rushen married Judith Forster at Rayleigh in 1759 and they had a daughter Judith born at South Benfleet in 1762.
Private Rushin served in the West Indies from 1795 but his name is also spelt Russian.

Rushing
Mary wife of John was buried at St. Mary the Virgin, Burnham on Crouch in 1702.
John was buried at St. Leonard, Southminster in 1707.
James, a widower, married Elizabeth Clark at South Benfleet in 1780.
This was the same James Rushin who had married Judith Forster above.

Thomas was sentenced at the Marlborough Quarter Sessions in 1792.

Rushon
Elizabeth Rushon given as the wife of John, Bury St. Edmunds in 1690.
Patience was born to John and Mary in 1812.