If there were few Silchester Ramptons there were even fewer Wootton ones. Only three baptisms took place there between 1706 and 1958, only three marriages, and only seven burials!

One was the baptism of George, son of George and Charlotte, on 31st May 1846. The family were resident at West Heath, which lies close to the border between Wootton and Monk Sherborne. Obviously, some West Heath families favoured one church over the other, as most of the West Heath Ramptons seem to have used Monk Sherborne. I have not been able to find the father George, but this could be because the father's name has been wrongly entered by the Parish Clerk, and should actually be Charles. I think this may be the case, because there are no other baptisms entered for a couple called George and Charlotte, and there is only one Charlotte buried in Wootton, and she was the widow of Charles Rampton (bapt 1816 in Tadley - see the Monk Sherborne research paper).

The second baptism took place on 28th January 1849, and featured James, son of Charles and Charlotte (nee TIBBEL). This family also lived at West Heath, and were descendants of the sprawling Monk Sherborne Ramptons.

The last Rampton baptism was of Albert, son of Richard and Gentilda, on 22 February 1863. The family was living at Newfound village, to the south of Wootton on the Andover Road, almost at Oakley. They too belonged to the Monk Sherborne .

Three marriages took place here, the first being in 1767, of Edward Rampton (another Monk Sherbornite) to Mary BYE; the second on 8th August 1836, between John GOODALL and Jemima RAMPTON - Jemima said her parish was Wootton, but I have been unable to find her there, or indeed anywhere else!; and the third on 15th November 1845, between Charles Rampton and Charlotte Tibbel, both of West Heath, and mentioned above.

There were rather more burials, seven in all, but they can all be traced back to other parishes: The first Rampton burial to take place there was on 31 Aug 1825, the deceased being Mary Rampton, resident of Ramsdell. She was 86, and so was born about 1739. No mention is made of her husband's name, and I have been unable to establish her identity.

On 24 Dec 1844, Anthony Rampton, also of Ramsdell, was buried. He was 84 years old, a labourer, and died of Old Age. The death certificate shows the informant as William Barrett, occupier, of Wootton, presumably his landlord or a neighbour. In the 1841 census Anthony had been living on his own in Ramsdell, an 80-year old Agricultural Labourer, born in Hampshire. He had been born in Monk Sherborne in October 1760, and his family will be found in Monk Sherborne research paper.

Mary Rampton was buried in Wootton on 29 Sep 1855, aged 26, having died on the 26 Sep. Her residence is given as East Oakley, and in the margin of the parish register is the inscription a stranger. She died of Phthisis, or Tuberculosis, and her death certificate states she was the wife of Walter Rampton, an Agricultural Labourer. This Walter may possibly be the son of George and Esther, of Laverstoke, who was born in 1832 in Whitchurch. Walter and Mary had a son Charles, also baptised in Whitchurch. Walter seems to have remarried, in about 1860, to Harriett, and by 1881 they were living in North Cray Kent. I do not yet know either Mary's or Harriett's maiden name.

Burial number four took place on 16 Aug 1860. Sarah Rampton, aged 72, had died in the Union Workhouse of decay of nature. She was the widow of Daniel Rampton, and the registrar was informed by Agnes Forder, also of the Union Workhouse. I think the informant gave the wrong age for Sarah, in fact I think she was out by ten years, as Sarah had given her age as 74 to the enumerator of the 1851 census, meaning that she was born circa 1777. She was fairly consistent, in that she stated she was 10 years older than her husband in 1841 as well as in 1851. In the 1851 census her birthplace is given as Stretton Hampshire (probably East Stratton near Winchester), Daniel's is given as Tadley. Daniel's occupation (from the 1841 census) was Sawyer, and they were both said to be deaf in 1851. In 1841 and 1851 they were living in East Oakley, although in 1851 they were said to be lodgers, and Daniel had no occupation. Daniel's death is something of a mystery at the moment.

On 11 Jul 1864, Richard Rampton, aged 43, was buried. He had been a resident of Newfound Village, and had died on 8 Jul 1864. Richard had been born into the Monk Sherborne Ramptons, and had been the husband of Jane Matilda Ares otherwise known as Gentilda. The cause of death was Stricture of the urethea, retention of urine with estravasation.

Burial number 6 took place on 27 Mar 1865. Stephen Rampton was 65 and lived at Newfound village. On his death certificate (date of death 23 Mar) the cause of death was given as Chronic Bronchitis, and the informant was Jemima GOODALL - remember her? She had been Jemima Rampton, and married John Goodall in 1836!) So Jemima and Stephen were possibly related, possibly brother and sister (?). Given Stephen's age (born circa 1800) he cannot have been Jemima's father, and it is probable that he did not in fact marry at all. He appears in the 1851 census lodging in Church Oakley, and gives his condition as Unmarried and his place of birth Baughurst. This places him as the Stephen born to John Rampton and his wife Elizabeth (nee KING), baptised on 22 Nov 1803 at Tadley. John and Elizabeth only had 3 children (it was John's second marriage), George, Stephen, and Elizabeth, and no child called Jemima was born to John and his first wife Ann DEADMAN. So who was she? The mystery deepens. She was still alive in 1881, and she and John were living in Newfound village with their son Amos, aged 24, and three boarders. Jemima said she was born in Wootton , and her age in 1881 (64 years) puts her approximate year of birth at 1817, but there are no baptisms in the period for anyone called Jemima, and no Ramptons.

The last Rampton burial to take place in Wootton was that of Daniel Rampton aged 86, on 5 May 1877. He was a resident of Newfound village. From his age at death he would appear to be the who was born in 1791, but he can't be, because that Daniel was married to Sarah, who died in 1860 and was described as Widow of Daniel Rampton Farm Labourer. So who is this Daniel? In 1871, he was living as a boarder in Newfound Village, aged 81, and his condition was given as Unmarried. His birthplace was certainly Tadley, but no mention was made as to his hearing ability. If they are one and the same, why was Sarah described as Daniel's widow when she died in Basing Workhouse?

On the night of 6 Jun 1841, Daniel and Sarah Rampton, aged 50 and 60 respectively, were living at East Oakley with Stephen, aged 4. Daniel and Sarah are discussed elsewhere in this document. The only Stephen born around 1837, that I have been able to find so far, was the son of Thomas and Mary Rampton of Whitchurch. Further investigation is required.

There were three Ramptons living in Wootton on the night of 30 Mar 1851, in two households. Daniel and Sarah, aged 64 and 74 respectively, lodged at East Oakley and were both deaf. Daniel, aged 12, was living at Battledown Farm. This farm is still in existence, standing in the small patch of open countryside between the village of Oakley and the sprawl of Basingstoke. Daniel was born around 1839, and he told the enumerator he was born in Basingstoke. He is almost certainly the son of George and Lydia Rampton, who lived in Worting, a stone's throw from Battledown Farm, and more will be learnt about that family when I discuss the Worting and Basingstoke Ramptons.

Only Daniel, aged 81, now lived in the village. He was a boarder in Newfound Village, and gave his birthplace as Tadley and his condition as Unmarried.

By 3 Apr 1881, Daniel and Sarah had both died and young Daniel had likewise moved away. I have been unable so far to locate young Daniel in the 1881 census. Wootton was likewise devoid of Ramptons in 1891.