Thomas Freeman, a button manufacturer, and Elizabeth Ashton married in 1848 and settled with their family in Sidbury, Worcestershire..
The Finch family on the 1871 census
James, born in 1849, was the couple's eldest child, and seems to have been named after either his maternal grandfather or uncle.
Next came another boy in 1851 who was named Amethyst Luther. The middle name in particular seems to have been significant for them — on the 1851 and 1871 census he is listed simply as "Luther" — and their next child (another boy), also recieved the name of a leader of the reformation: Latimer, born in 1853.
In 1856 the couple had their first daughter, whom they named Christina Elizabeth. She was followed by another son in 1858 named Fidelis Ridley. Like his older brother, he also seems to have been called by his middle name, Ridley, which also, like his brothers, honours a notable Protestant Reformer.
A little girl named Sardius Tabitha was born in 1861. Sardius, like Amethyst, is a precious stone mentioned in the Bible. Unfortunately, it is impossible to tell if she was known by her middle, as she died a year later.
A son named Cephas Sardonyx was registered in 1863, though his death entry lists his name as Sardonyx Cephas (which fits the pattern of using a gemstone as a first name). Either way, census records list him as "Cephas".
The couple's youngest child was born in 1867. She was named Lydia Priscilla, and listed as "Lydia" on the 1871 census — typically, however, she's Priscilla Lydia on her death record.
