Who was this woman?

[Phoenix]

Martha, wife of Thomas Ruel (variously spelled!) was buried in Walberton, Sussex - a village between Chichester and Bognor 1 Dec 1748
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/62121/images/62121_328054000057_2687-00090?backlabel=ReturnSearchResults&queryId=2895d926aa086afbfdc27ccfa053bd0c&pId=1271226


which would be fine, except William Ruel married Martha Peachey, and Thomas Ruel married Jane. I haven't investigated that far, but they may be brothers, as they both had children baptised in the same year:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/62121/images/62121_328054000057_2687-00088?pId=106271174


Jane d Thomas & Jane bp 7 Jan 1745/6
Eliz, d William and Martha bp 30 May 1746


The vicar wasn't quite as bright as he might have been: when Thomas's son Thomas is bp, the vicar has to cross out Martha for the mother's name and insert Jane:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/62121/images/62121_328054000057_2687-00086?pId=1271131



I am beset by omissions and mistranscriptions: only furious hunting turned up William and Martha's marriage, as the vicar was using up spare pages in an old register, and the entry hasn't been indexed, while a popular rendering of the name in indexes seems to be Buel.


Elizabeth appears to be William and Martha's last child, and William himself was buried in 1753.


Should the entry read Jane wife of Thomas, or Martha wife of William?


I am not even considering the possibility that there was a third couple in the parish!

[Merry]

Should the entry read Jane wife of Thomas, or Martha wife of William?

Probably! There should be another burial for the other wife, maybe? Or a second marriage....

I hate searching these short surnames with so many variations :(

[Phoenix]

Not that it helps, but Thomas appears to be a cousin:

Reference: Add Mss 4812
Title: Lease for three lives in consideration of the surrender of a previous lease (as in Add Mss no. 4806)
Description:

Annual rent of 16s. 0d. and a couple of good capons from St. Mary's Hospital, Chichester, to Thomas Rewel of Walberton, yeo. (only son and heir of Thomas Rewell of Walberton, yeo., decd., trustee of the settlement as in Add Mss nos. 4810,4811, of the property, as in Add Mss no. 4806, but now or late in occ. of blank, upon the trusts of the above settlement in Add Mss nos. 4810,4811
Date: 7 Sept. 1743

[Phoenix]

This looks like Thomas Ruel's burial (or a son's) down as Thomas BIRD:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/62121/images/62121_328054000057_2680-00045?pId=1263261

On the line below, Benjamin BUNN may be a member of the same family!

[Phoenix]

I hate searching these short surnames with so many variations :(


Variants, just within Walberton, include Funell and Mud! I do understand, some of the images are incredibly poor quality.

[Phoenix]

A Jane is buried 25 April 1795. If she was born say 1720, that's not impossible.

[Phoenix]

Phew:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/62121/images/62121_328054000057_2687-00138?pId=121272348

Thomas and Jane had another child bp in 1752.

Mutter, mutter.
That one transcribed as Rawell.

So I can claim Martha with a good conscience. Hooray for Rose's registers.