ISSN 0263-6506

NORTH WEST KENT FAMILY HISTORY

Guy Nevill (Projects Organiser ) and members recording M.I's at St Mary's, Westerham

© 1980

June 1983

Photographed by Sevenoaks Chronicle

Vol 3 No 2

NORTH WEST KENT FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY (R egistered t:harity No. 28 26 27) Founded 1 978 Member of the F ederation of Family History Societies

PRESIDENT C. L. Bourton, Esq., C.B. COMMITTEE Chairman E. K. Ro berts Treasurer A. D . F ernee Secretary Miss J . M. Biggs Jo urnal Ed itor Mrs J. V. Stirk Projects Organ iser Publicity Mrs R. J. Brooks Pr ogramme Organiser Mrs M. H. Holden Bookstall Mrs J. B. Vaisey

Auditors K. A. Wick ham &

Mrs R. J. Grose

Bankers Lloy ds Bank , Ltd. 60 High St., Beckenham, Kent BR 3 lET

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS (payable 1st January) I ndivid ual Membership

£4.50

F amily Membership (two or more related p ersons at the same address receiving one copy of t h e J ournal)

£6 .00

Corporate Mem bership (for Libraries, etc)

£ 4.5 0

J ournal Subscription (for non-members)

£ 3.5 0 for four consecutive issues (including p ostage )

***** The m ain objects of the Society are to encourage and aid the study of family history , genealogy and heraldry in S.E .London and N .W.Kent . E n quiries regarding membership, and correspondence on Society matters, should be addressed to the Secretary: Miss J. M. Biggs, 39 Nightingale Rd, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent BR 5 I BH

NORTH WEST KENT F AMIL Y H ISTOR Y is produced and published by the North West Kent Family History Society. Th e contents may n ot be reproduced w ithout permission o f the Editor. Cover photograph by kind permission of the Sevenoaks Chronicle.

NORTH WEST KENT FAMILY HISTORY

Vo13, No 2, June 1983

Edit or: Mrs J. V . Stirk, Shode House, Trycewell Lane, Igh th am , Sevenoaks, Kent

CONTENTS Dick Bou rton - retiring Chairman President of the Society . Dick Bourton Guy NeviIl: Projects' Organiser; Secretary's Notes Societ y Proj ects . Report from Ce nsus Indexers' Meeting . Fred & Pat Pingram Non-Conformist Records; Method ist Archives T h e Search for an Elizabethan Adve nturer: Sir Carew Reynell Me riel Lucas Census: Analysis of Occupations Josephine Birchenough Co nference . . Military Ma tters and sources of various military records Fort Amherst and the Chatham L ines . Keith R. Gu lvin Na tional Army Museum Evelyn R oge rs T he Diary o f a Young Office r in 185 4 : Part 11 British Legio n Volunteers 1859/60 Siege o f Gibraltar 1727 A rmy Records Office Wakelin Index of Britons who died overseas Roger Penny (Penney ) Davi d G. Penn ey Orphans: The Paupers an d T he Passing R ich T he Lond on Fou ndling Hosp ital a nd its connections with North West Kent Colin Masters Tomsyne Oulters - Elizabetha n Orphan Linda Mead en Dr Barnardo's Homes for Child ren A Bath Bu n-gle Sheila Youn gs The Burkin Fam ily: Did the y come from Cud ham? . Elaine Wiltshire Ye t More Manni ngs . . Gertrude Nu n ns The Elkington Collection Edna L. An trob us Notes fro m Local Record O ffices; Croydon; Kent County Ro ots Ce ntre; Emigrant Check ; R egisters of Births, Marriages and Deaths Rece nt Publicat io ns Book R eview Offers of Help . Letter to the Edito r Background to th e 1851 Census Monumental Inscription at St Mary Magdalen, Bermon dsey New Members; Ch ange of address; Profiles o f Members

38 39 40 41 41 42 43 46 46 47 49 50 53 53 53 53 54 55 58 59 59 60 62 64 65 65 66 66 67 67 68 69 70

FUTURE PROGRAMME The programme of monthly meetings arranged for the period to September next is as follows: 17th June Discussion Groups 15th July Mr Ma1colm Thomas (Society of Friends) : Sources for Quaker Genealogy (No meeting in August) 16th September Mr David Webb (Librarian, Bishopsgate Institute): Trade Union , Co-operative Society and Industrial Records. All m eetings w ill be held at Brom ley Central Library, High Street, Bromley, Kent, and start at 7.45 p .m. We have the use of the hall fro m 7 p.m . o nw a rds, so why not come early, if you can, an d browse among the books o n ou r bookstall and in our own library?

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DICK BOURTON

- retiring Chairman

Dick was invited to become Chairman in 1978 when, with others, he offered to help start a family history society in North West Ken t in answer to a plea from the Federation. They had quickly realised that here was a man who could see what was needed and could carry it out. A temporary committee was fonned and Dick arranged the first public meeting . Soon the structure. and objectives had been formulated; his hand drafted the Constitution and , later , the amendments as necessary to secure Charitable status. That few changes have been made since, either to the structure or the Constitution, reflects his fore sight and careful planning. Dick's role as printer of the Journal is now well known , but perhaps not the extent of his quiet , consi dere d influence in every aspect of the Society's activities. He has always approached immediate problems and future developments with the needs of inctividual members, and of the Society and family history as a whole, clearly in mind , and in all matters he has exhibited a professionalism hard to equal. Those of us who have worke d with him have received his unfailing suppor t and wise counsel whenever we have neede d it, and many members have spoken of the friendly and enthusiastic atmosphere they have found within the Society ; this, too, reflects his influence . In all this he has been quietly and ably supported by Elizabeth, his wife . Dick is retiring from the Chairmanship, following his own advice that a change of officers from time to time is stimulating for the Society . He richly deserves the appreciation and gratitude of each of us for all that he has done and for the time he has unstintingly spared for the Society . June Biggs, Meriel Lucas, Edmund Roberts Letter to the Editor No doubt you will be receiving many letters of appreciation of Dick Bourton's splen did contribution towards the success of our society but perhaps one 'out of county ' member may be given the chance to add his own and inadequate words : Soon after joining in 1979 it became obvious to me that Dick supplied much of the impetus so essential if a ne wly established society was to succeed and it was typical of him to take on the production of the journal in addition to the

39 many other calls on his time in the office of chairman. Nevertheless he took the trouble and interest to telephone me quite out of the blue during his holiday at nearby East Dean, expressing the hope that it might be possible for us to meet and talk about the society. As a result I had the pleasure and profit of welcoming Dick and Elizabeth to tea when we were able to discuss his aims for the society and talk about matters of common interest in the field of family hist ory. It soon became even more clear to me that we were most fortunate that so dedicated and knowledgeable a chairman was at the helm, a man to whom nothing was ever too much trouble and one to whom difficulties were made to be overcome. His retirement from office will leave a gap difficult to fill and I fe el sure that I speak for all our 'out of county' members who have not enj oyed meeting Dick and Elizabeth when I add our grateful thanks for all his untiring efforts on our behalf. Pe ter Harrison PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY At the Annual General Meeting the new Chairman , Edmund Robert s, put forward the committee's suggestion that Dick Bourt o n be invited to become President of the Society. This proposal was agreed and Dick accepted the invi t ation .

from the PRESIDENT I felt greatly honoured when the Society invit ed me to become its first President after I h ad already been privileged to serve as its Chairman from the time it was formed, and I take this opportunity both t o express my very real appreciation of the help and support I was always given while occupying the Chair and to wish the Society and all its members well in the futu re. I also wan t to say a special word o f thanks for the magnificent gifts of a very fine old prin t and a most gen erous boo k token which w ere made to me to mark my 'ret irement '. The print of the Old Palace a t Bromley , where we me t before moving to th e Central L ibrary , will be a constant remi nd er of o ur early days. Elizabeth asks me to add h er o wn t h anks for th e beau t iful bouquet o f flowe rs which d eligh ted he r so much. Our Society has m ad e grea t strides since a small group of us m et in April, 1978, under the aegis of the Federation to consider whether there was sco pe for a new family h istory socie ty t o cover mainly S .E . London and N .W. Kent, and to discuss how it might be launche d. Some 30-40 memb ers joined at t he Inaugural Mee ting held in the July of that y ear, bu t none of u s then fore saw how our numbers would grow , unt il today t here are close on 500 of us. However, the success of a Societ y such as ours should be m easu red, not by numbers alone, bu t more by what it does and wha t it achieves. We have all been aided in the pursuit o f our fam ily hist o ry by t h e opportunities it h as o ffered u s t o share ex p erience and ex change ideas w ith o t hers, w hether or no t ou r fo rebears originated in the area we nominally co ver . With the h elp of th e many who contribute interesting and informative articles and other material we produce a Journal w hich is eagerly read and wid ely acclaimed; a nd we h ave completed many very w ort h w hi le projects or have th em in hand . The m o n thly meetings are happy , social gatherings, at which m any new frie ndships have been for med. Despite all the very kind t hings that have been said, th e cred it for all this is due, not to the little I have b een able to do as Chairman, but to a conscientious and hard -working Committee and , above all, to y o u , t he members, w ho by your enthusiasm have m ad e it all possible. The Socie t y has mad e an excellent ch o ice in electing Edmund Roberts t o be it s new Chairman, and I wish it every success in th e future und er his wise guidance . Dick Bourto n

40 GUY NEVILL: PROJECTS' ORGANISER Guy has worked tirelessly and meticulously co-ordinating project work since April 1979. He has been particularly industrious in finding out what work has already been undertaken to avoid wasting time by duplicating work. He has been backed by a team of members giving time from their own research to do work which will help other family historians. 'Under Guy's wing' Pat Pingram has organised indexing of the 1851 Census Returns and Grace Crowhurst has worked on Strays. Guy, himself, has organised the recording of Monumental Inscriptions. Always ready to encourage his helpers, he bears in mind that relief, in the form of a guided tour of the cemetery, is a welcome break. Hearing that Nunhead Cemetery was being cleared he quickly organised a rescue operation to record the gravestone inscriptions ahead of the clearers. At times he has felt a little disappointed that more has not been achieved but when one considers the amount of work involved in recording the monumental inscriptions in any churchyard - initial survey, contact with the Incumbent, plan of the graveyard, then recording, transcribing and indexing, with checking at every stage, printing the transcript and index, and depositing copies at appropriate locations - the list of work completed and in progress, listed in Guy's report for 1982, is no mean achievement. We are extremely grateful to him for all the work he has done on our behalf and appreciate that he would now like to spend some time furthering research into his own family history . We wish Guy every success and hope that, while he has been engaged in helping other family historians, someone has been recording and indexing information that will help him. June Biggs

SECRETARY'S NOTES Our meetings for 1983 began, appropriately, with a slide/tape presentation given by Mr. J. Saunders - An Introduction to Family -History. We have had a large increase in membership in the past few months, quite a number being members fairly new to family history who found this talk particularly useful. Even for those of us who have been pursuing this hobby for many years, there were helpful reminders. In February we had a return visit from Mr. G. Charters who, with his engaging Irish charm, told us of the problems and possibilities in Tracing Irish Ancestry. The interest in Settlement Records to family historians was illustrated by t he large attendance at the meeting in March when Dr . Patricia Kelvin came from the Greater London Record Office t o talk about these records and the value of the genealogical information contained in them. Dr. Kelvin is compiling an index of all names mentioned in settlement records of the Islington area. She was interested to hear that o ne of our memb ers, Meriel Lucas, is engage d in indexing similar records in the Bromley Archives. Back issues of the Journal are urgently needed as we have frequent requests we cannot fulfil once stocks are sold out. Sometimes members lend copies to interested parties and they are not returned , t hus breaking a complete ru n. If you have any copies that are no longer needed I shall be pleased to have them . One such requ ired as replacem e nt is Vo1.1 , No. 7.



41

GN

SOCIETY PROJECTS

INDEX OF N.W. KENT JOURNAL. Stephen Archer's name and subject index to Volumes 1 & 2sof the Society's Journal, prepared on a computer, is now complete. It contains over 5,700 names and is a mammoth achievement for one person. Stephen is to be congratulated and thanked for his initiative and energy. [I also applaud this achievement and have already found the index extremely useful. Ed.] INDEX OF EAST WICKHAM 1851 CENSUS . Jim Packer is similarly to be congratulated on his transcription and complete production of this work. KESTON PARISH CHURCH M.I 's. It is anticipated that this long-awaited project will be completed by the time this Journal is issued. The transcript will contain a plan and index of all the inscriptions both inside and ou tside this pretty, little parish church. The inscriptions have been cross-checked with the burial registers and every care taken to ensure that the work is as accurate as possible. FOOTSCRA Y BAPTIST CHURCH M.I's. The transcription of these monuments in the churchyard on Sidcup Hill has been transcribed by Mrs A. Godfrey and typed and indexed by Mrs Rhoda Hall. Copies of all these transcripts and the index are now in the library of this Society.

REPORT FROM THE CENSUS INDEXERS' MEETING Fred & Pat Pingram

The Federation of Family History Societies' get-together for Census Indexers, organised by Mrs.Pauline Saul, the Federation's Projects ' Co-ordinator, was attended by approximately fifty representatives, which promoted a lively exchange of ideas. The principal speakers were Mr.Colin Chapman, Federation Chairman, and Mr.Jeremy Gibson. The purpose was to review progress on indexing the 185] Census Returns being undertaken by family history societies in each area; this census is the most informative after a census was first taken in 1801 , therefore potentially the most useful to family historians . The principal conclusion to emerge was that the original goal of a uniform, national index could not be realised because of the variety of approaches to the subject. The method adopted depended on resources available, both of material and manpower , the most fortunate possessing their own microfilm readers and film bought from the Mormon Church, while the least fortunate had to pay , each time , to gain access to film at certain Record Offices. Another factor precluding uniformity is that the country is not uniform in the distribution of popUlation or surnames, also the societies engaged in the project were working with differing objectives. To cater for all interests, whether family, social or political historian or demographer, nothing less than a full transcript would suffice. However, there was general agreement on the desirability of producing and publishing results reasonably quickly ; this both maintained the interest of

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volunteer workers, who could see some tangible result for their labours, and stimulated others , perhaps from outside one's society , to join in so increasing the momentum of the project. Nottingham Family History Society has settled for a surname only index which is now for sale in sections. Such an index would be ludicrous in the Welsh mining valleys where names included trades (e.g. J ones the bread, J ones the milk) and where 90% of adult males would have been miners. Nor would it be of use to a rese archer abroad in, say , Papua New Guinea, who would need a full transcript . In the other extreme, one meticulous organiser thought there should be a complete transcript ad absurdam, d'? to be copied as d'?, " would not suffice, yet omitting the folio number. We (the authors) were dismayed that some were prepared to sacrifice accuracy for expediency and meticulous checking for economy of time. We are all aware that original material contains errors but this is no excuse for compounding them. We should be mindful of our responsibility to produce a reference for posterity and the problems we could create for our successors in family history by errors and omissions. It was suggested that indecipherable names could be ignored and that notes referring to them at the beginning or end of the text would be a waste of time because such notes were never read! We consiJer this to be deplorable . Perhaps the transcriber can read only "-ithers" but the searcher looking for Withers or Smithers can identify the individual as 'his' by the age or names of the children and decide a further look may be worthwhile. There was considerable discussion as to the best way of storing the infonnation and the ideal medium for publication, ranging from folios to computer print outs. The latter was the most versatile in the selection of data, and time of operation, although the initial input time offered no advantage over typing. The gentleman with a fixation on the researcher in Papua New Guinea voiced the opinion that micro-fiche was the easiest and cheapest to distribute worldwide, allowing 364 A4 sheets on 7 micro-fiche. Opinions diffe red on how to divide such publication ; by parish, enumerator's district , foli o numbers or film? P.R.O.films , to conserve footage, may end part-way through a district whilst districts are complete on the Mormon films . A useful, portable microfilm viewer was demonstrated by Mr.Rayment. It is hoped, if demand is sufficient, to sell this Federation Viewer for £18-£20. It works on reflected light (daylight or artificial) and can be held in one hand or stood on any flat surface. To sum up : it was well worth the trip to Birmingham for a good-humoured get-together and a useful exchange of ideas, with the conclusion that we 'do our own thing', in our own way , in our own time to produce, finally, a comprehensive, reliable index. Nevertheless a published but more restricted, interim index might boost morale and gain our small dedicated band of worke rs some reinforcements. 'vl rs .Pat Pingram is Co-o rdinator of work on indexing th e 1851 Census Return s for the whole of the Nort h-W est Kent area; she supervises (an d helps with) every stage of th e transcription an d indexing. This is the largest single project undertaken by the Society.

METHODIST ARCHIVES Th e National Methodist Archives have been moved. Enquiries should be made to: The Connexional Archivist, cl o Property Division, National Methodist Archives Central Buildings, Oldham Street, Manchester Ml lQJ. '

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THE SEARCH FOR AN ELIZABETHAN ADVENTURER: SIR CAREW REYNELL Meriel Lucas In searching the history of a family in which I am interested, I h ave found many records of events in the life of Sir Carew Reynell, the fifth son of Richard and Agnes Reynell of Devon, who was born in about 1563. Two of his brothe rs were named after their fathe r and uncle, but he and his brother George bear the names of th e well-known west country family of Carew, to whom they were linked by ties of kinship and proximity of estates. Carew Reynell left no children , but he gave his name to his go dchild, his brother George's first son, and it has been passe d down continuously for nearly fo ur hundre d years through the descendants of this line. Certainly, in recent generations , the holders have been unaware of the origins of their name or th e length of its descent , and for this reason as well as because the life of Sir Carew Reynell typified that of many a younger son in a family of gentry in the Elizabethan age, I thought that it would be of interest to find out as much as I could abou t him . The family from which Carew Reynell stemmed had live d in Devon since the middle of the fourteenth century on their estates in the south east corner of the county , a few miles inland from the Channel coast. Carew was born just after the accession of Queen Elizabeth I, and grew up during a period when war with Spain was always impen ding, in an area constantly threatened by invasion . Under the rules of entail in England by which a family's estates passed intact to the eldest son, he knew that, as a younger son, he would have no inherited income to provide his livelihood and that he would be sent ou t into the world, suitably equip ped , to make his O\vn way . It would be natural for an am bitious young man of that time to be attracted by the prospect of advent ure and the opportunities fo r advancement at the Queen's Court, especially when he might expect that his kinship with Sir WaIter Ralegh and connections through the marriages of two of his brothers to some of the great statesmen of the age could be of advantage to him.! During the years when Carew and his brothers were growing to manhood, the international situation was growing ever darker. Ireland, writes Professor EIton 2 , was the biggest battlefield of all. Although she had succeede d in preserving peace there in the early years of her reign, the Queen's policies had rouse d savage opposition and Ireland became a possible landing place fo r any forces hostile to England and in the end became a part of the Spanish war. It is here, in 1583, that we firs t hear of Care w Reynell through one of his many letters with its message to "my lord of Essex",3 unde r whose patronage he remained until Essex's execution in 1601. The situation in Ireland deteriorated inexorably and tragically over the remaining years of the century, and in April 15 99 Essex was sent by the Queen, h owever reluctantly, to bring to an end the fearful rebellion of Hugh O'Neil, Earl of Tyrone, 'those cruel throes and unexampled convulsions, that agony of bloodshed of wars and massacres and ruthless devastations.'4 In June, Sir George Carew, Lord President of Munster, reported at length on the battle at Arcloe in which 'Mr. Carew Reynell served bravely .'s After agreeing to terms with Tyrone which he knew the Queen would not accept, time was running out for Essex and he had more an d more to encourage the loyalty of th ose who were his followers: three weeks afte r the battle at Arcloe he knighted Carew, with eighty others, in Dublin.6 Sir Care w Reynell, as he now was, received the post of governor of Dungannon Castle at Wate rford 7 , an office that benefited him little, for after a few months there he

44 wrote complaining to Robert Cecil that h e had been told that he would not be paid 'until there be treasure assigned to Ireland, the which is not likely to be itt this two months.' It was indeed reported that Sir Carew 'hath bene an hum bel suitor for money due since he entered into that chardge. He and his company are as yet unsatisfied of their paie due unto them amounting to the somme of £272 10s. 10d, thoughhehath(ashe alledgeth), given satisfaction to the wardens there out of his own purse .'8 In his letter, Sir Carew was careful to explain that 'although I am particularly bound to my Lord of Essex, yet so I will never betray the trus t in me.' On returning to England in September 1599 after the failure of his mission t o cru sh Tyrone , Essex was first imprisoned and then confined to his house in the Strand which became the focus for those who had attached themselves to him, 'swordsmen, bold confident fellows, men of broken fortunes, discontented persons, and such as saucily use their tongues in railing against all men. ' Desperate to re-establish himself, on 8 February 1601 Essex made a last, ill-conceived and hopeless fling with his rising in Cheapside, but many of his supporters , including Sir Carew Reynell, fell aside. His execution followed qUickly . At the trial of those who had been involved with him, his step-father denied that he had tried to persuade Reynell to join the rebels,9 but nevertheless he was seized and wrote, begging Cecil that he be tried and given the opportunity t o prove his innocence. 'Although I did love my lord of Essex in his dutiful and honest causes, yet did I ever prefer n1J' duty and allegiance unto Her Majesty before m¥ love to any person whatever.' 1 The order for his release was signed on 3 March, l but Reynell still wrote to Cecil complaining that he was denied Her Majesty's presence . 12 ThrougllOu t these y ears Reynell had also been involved with Essex in events at sea in the war with Spain. In 1594 he pleaded with Robert Cecil to be given the comma nd of the fort at Plymouth, on the site of the present Citadel, that he had been promised by Sir Francis Drake,13 but doubtless because of his association with Essex, a personal enemy of the Cecils, he was denied it. A long manuscript in the British Library I4 shows that Reynell was then engaged in the administration of the war at sea, for in 1596 he drew up in great detail a 'lyst of the armie by sea and land ... together with the instructions given for the better government of the same on the departure of the fleet for Cadiz. ' The following June he was placed in command of the 'Foresight', a royal warship of 300 tons in an expedition under Essex to attack the Spanish ships preparing for the invasion of England and then to intercept the treasure fleet in the Azores. The ' Islands Voyage' failed, adding further disaster to Essex's career, but other expedition s were made in which Reynell took part , commanding first the 'Quittance ' in 1600 and the 'Nonpareil' two years later, the latter operation having the obj ect of preventing Spain from ever again attempting to interfere with the course of events in Ireland. IS The conquest of Ireland was eventually completed under Sir George Carew and Lord Mountjoy, Essex 's successor as Lord Deputy , ju:;t before the death of the Queen in 1603 . King J ames I, on his accession, pardoned most of those involved with Essex , but little more is heard of Sir Carew Reynell apart from variou s minor grants, su ch as leases of land in the Duchy of Lancaster and elsewhere an d the o ffice of Lieutenant of the Isle and Captain of the Castle of Portlan d in Dorset which he held with Sir Waiter Ralegh's brother, Carew Ralegh . I6 In his younger days Sir Carew had esta blished himself at Court , being one of th e Quee n's Gen tleme n Pensioners, the elite group that acte d as her

45 personal body guard and messengers. He is often fou nd receiving the benetits and fav ours that a place at Court brought with it ,17 but he never succeeded , despite repeated efforts, in winning the friendshi p and support of the Cecils, and was soon involved in many lawsuits with others with whom he was on bad tenns. 18 'I will not express the great grief I have taken at your conceived displeasure towards me,' he wrote to Cecil in 1607, 'nor how much it has added t o my long illness.' 19 With the interest of those gentry anxious to obtain public ap pointment, and the readiness of smaller boroughs to accept the services of those willing to pay for it, Carew represented, as Member of Parliament, a Cornish borough in 1592, one in Berkshire in 1614, and six years later Cricklade in Wiltshire,2o a county he had come to know through the wife he married in his later years, Susannall, the daughter of Sir Waiter Hungerford of Farleigh Castle , a family with an interesting and stormy history . The marriage took place at Bishop's Cannings, near Devizes, on 7 June 1604. Sir Carew Reynell , 'of Charren Cross,' died in September 1624 and was buried in St. Martins-in·the-Fields where a marble monument was erected in his memory.2 1 In his will, the original copy of which is at the Public Record Office ,22 he made many personal bequests, including his best velvet cloak to the brother closest to him. Above all, however, he remembered the young Robert Devereux, third Earl of Essex, the proud and melancholy son of his old friend and master , who was to become leader of the Parliamentary forces in the Civil War twenty years later. To him Carew left 'one tablet jewel set with four score and one diamonds with his father's picture, and £30 to be bestowed upon the making of the said jewel fit to serve the said picture before it be delivered in remembrance and full satisfaction of all the favours and benefits [ received from his most noble father. ' Branches of the Carew famil y have been fea tured in the Journal (voU , pp.114-115, voU, pp.7-8, 170-1) by members of the N.W.Kent Family History Society , and Sir George Care w, cousin of Sir George Carew, lord President of Munster, mentioned earlies in this article, has been much in the headlines in 1982 as Henry VIII's Vice-Admiral who went down with the 'Mary Ruse ' in 1545. REFERENCES 1. One brother married a cousin of Robert Cecil, another a cousin of Sir ha ncis l3acon, Lord Chancellor. 2. G. R. Elton : England Under the Tudors, 1974, p.357. 3. Historical Manuscripts Commission , Marquess of Salisbury , vol.IIl , 1889 , p.4 ; vol.VIII, 1899, p.562. 4 . Pacata Hibemia, published 1633 . Compiled by Sir Gcorge Carcw. 5. Carcw Manuscripts, Proceedings ofthc Earl of Essex 1589-1600, pp.308-31 1. 6. W. A. Shaw: The Knights of England. 1906, vol.I!, p.96 . 7. Calendar of State Papers, ireland , 1600, p.232. 8. HMC, Marquess of Salisbury, vo!.X, 1904, p.43. 9. ibid. vo!.XI, 1906, p.l03. Calendar of State Papers, Domestic, 1598-1601, pp.579 ,5 81. 10. HMC, Marquess of Salisbury , vo!.XIV , 1923, p.173. 11. Acts of the Privy Council, 1600-16 0 1, p.200. HMC , Marquess of Salisbury , vo!.XI, 1906 , p.1 2 1. 12. 13. ibid . vo!.V , 1894, p.52. 14. Lansdowne MS. 243 . W. L. Clo wes: History of the Royal Navy , 1897-1902, vo!. J, pp .S 20-53 2. 15 . 16. CaI.S.P., Dom ., 1603-1 6 ]0, p.1 9 ; 1611-16 18, p.69 . 17. ibid ., 1595-1597, pp.93 , 378. 18. PRO: C2 Jas.! R/ 12/ 17, R/ 14/49, R/8 /49.

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19 . 20. 2 !. 22 .

IIMC, Marquess of Salisbury , voI. XV I, 193 3, p.292. Ac ts of the Privy Cou ncil , 1615. HMC, Marq uess of Salisb ury, VoI.X IX, 196 5, p .76. House of Com mo ns, Par liam en tary Papers, 1878 , vol.l xii , part 11 . Edward Hatton : New View o[ London , 1789 , p .34 7. Prob 10 Box 4 25 October 162 5.

CEN SUS: Anal ysis of Occupations Josephin e Birchenough Those working on the 1851 Census may be interested in some of the articles in the Spring 1982 issue of Local Population Studies, No.28 . In particular, there is a most interesting article about the analysis of occupations shown in the census, with special reference to domestic servants. It points out some of the problems of interpreting precisely what the 19th century enumerators and the Census Clerks meant in 20th century terms, discussing in particular what is meant by 'House Keeper' . etc. One matter which is not dealt with in that article is a problem of definition which arises locally - the occupation of gardener - in an area of a good deal of market gardening, a certain amount of jobbing gardening in priva te gardens, living-out permanent gardeners in private gardens and workers in the large horticultural nurseries. In the Lee Census, they are all referred to as Gardeners, although, from other sources, it can be deduced that all these types of work are covered by this blanket term. Similarly, 'laundress' is some thing of a blanket term, there being a hint of this in the few cases where women are described as 'laundress employing - women' . Only one woman is described as a 'washerwoman', leaving me to wonder about the significance of this, as it is obvious that other women have gone out washing on a daily basis. It has been my intention to analyse and discuss the different servants shown in the Lee Censuses, but the available time being what it is, I feel that it is more important to press on with the extraction of the 'raw' data. In passing, though, it was interesting to note that virtually every person who was living in the Merchant Taylors Almshouses in the Lee High Road, had a living-in servant to look after her, nonnally a young girl not apparently related to her. I feel it is quite possible that these girls came from workhouses or orphanages, but have not yet pursued that line of enquiry. The publication is available on the shelves of the Lewisham Local History Library at Manor House , Old Road, SEl 3 and, doubtless, elsewhere also . If anyon e has difficulty in obtaining access to it, please contact Mrs Birchenough (01-85 2 9249) , who would be glad to let you see her copy .

CONFERENCE I

2 nd - 4 th Sept. 1983

Federation of Fam ily Histories Societies Hosts: S usse x Fam ily History Grou p Locat io n: Un ive rsity of Su ssex, Brig hto n.

~~I/ details ava.ilable from the Conference Organiser, 44 The Green, LuthWiCk, Brighton, Sussex. Enclose s.a.e. I

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MILITARY MATTERS and sources of various military records FORT AMHERST AND THE CHATHAM LINES Keith R. Gulvin Mr. Gulvin is Vice-Chairman of Fort Amherst and Lines Trust During the mid-eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the Naval Dockyard and arsenal at Chatham became frequently threatened through the long years of war with France. Threats of a French invasion or raids were taken very seriously as the memory of the Dutch raid of June 1667 had still not faded. It was felt that the gun batteries along the Medway from Sheerness to Chatham were adequate to protect the Medway from a seaward assault but any hostile force having made a landing along the coast at, say Whitstable, could then march inland , outflank all the river defences and capture or destroy the Dockyard from the rear. To counter this threat a great series of fortifications were constructed to enclose the Dockyard and in the process the village of Brompton. The Chatham Lines, as the new fortifications became known, took some fifty years to develop into their final form. In 1708 and 1709 Acts of Parliament were passed to acquire the necessary ~,md that stretched from below St. Mary's Church at Chatham, behind Brompton and back to the river near St. Mary's Creek and included the old Chatham Mill, the Cross Keys Inn , 14 tenements near the Church (Cave Yard?) , land belonging to Thomas Trott and John Carpenter, along with many smaller plots. After this initial flurry of activity little else was done and , in fact, the land was let out by the Crown (often to the original owners) until such times as the building work was to commence . Work finally began on the new structures in 1756 with a design by John Desmoretz, an architect working for the Board of Ordnance. Desmoretz's fortifications formed what is known as a bastion trace - triangular projections in a regular form - joined by straight sections of rampart, known as a curtain wall - in front of which was a continuous ditch with obstacles in it to deter attackers from crossing it, with ramparts of earth, th rown up from the digging of the ditch, which totally enclosed the Dockyard from th e Gun Wharf at Chatham to the river north of the Dockyard. The work was supervised by Captain Hugh Debbeig, a Royal Engineer. In order that traffic could pass through the Lines drawbridges and gates were constructed by St. Mary's Church (Dock Road) and at Brompton (Wood Street); later a sally port was added in the middle of the Lines to give the defenders an outlet to attack a besieging enemy. Contemporary with the building of the Chatham Lines (then known as the Cumberland Lines afte r th e Duke) was the construction of the new Chatham Infantry Barracks (Kitchener Barracks), to house the peace-time garrison for Chatham's new defences. In 1770 General Skinner proposed an improvement plan for Chatham Lines which called for the rebuilding and extending of the existing works to allow for furth er expansion of Chatham Dockyard. The general improvements carried ou t over many years up until 18 11 , called for the deepening of the ditches and revetment with bricks along with the fire steps and other features which had originally been built solely of earth. The section of the Lines that was steep hillside immediately above Chatham, was

48

Spur Battery, Chatham Lines

Drawn by Steve 1. H. Hamper, 1977

singled out for attention as it had been only lightly defended under the 1756 plan . Several new batteries were added , Amherst Redoubt was rebuilt (1786) and a complex system of chalk tunnels was dug out beneath Cornwallis Battery which provided an immense storage area and underground gun positions which could be used to fire down the main ditch of the works to the rive r at Gun Wharf. A small casemated barracks was built on Prince William' s Bastion to house the small peacetime force of Royal Artillery who would look after the guns and stores. The southern end of the Lines gradually became known as Fort Amberst and regarded as a separate entity from the rest of the Lines. Other barracks were built to house prisoners of war, later used by the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. In 1803 the stated armament was 12 and 24 pounder cannon and carronades. 42 of the 9 1 guns of the Chatham Lines were in Fort Amherst. The new defensive works were neve r completed as the hostilities with France , alo ng with the threat of invasion , came to an end. Towards the middle of the 19th century , Fort Amherst and the Chatham Lines became increasingly obsolescent. The newer works at Rochester ceased to be of import ance at an early date. Fort Clarence became a Naval Asylum in 1819 and in the same year Fort Pitt became a military hospit al. With the setting up of the Royal Engineer Es tablishment at Chatham (later the Sc hool of Military Engineering) , the Chatham Lines and Fort Amberst fou n d a new rSle as hosts to annual siege exercises, where one body of men woul d defend the Lines while another would besiege them, using all the techniques of siege warfare , i.e., sapping and mining. These annual events were large crowd-pullers, as the soldiers involved in these practice sieges performed

49 as near as possible to the real thing to the point of actually blowing up large tracts of the Lines which later had to be rebuilt. The Royal Corrunission for the Defence of the United Kingdom considered Fort Amherst and the Great Lines in its report which was made to Parliament in 1860 but, in its opinion, recent developments in modern artillery made the fortifications obsolete. The Chatham Lines were to be used only for siege operations and the firing of salutes (from Prince William's Battery). From then until 1890 the barracks were used variously as an invalid depot by the navy and by army pensioners. During World War I large dugouts were built under the Lines at King's Bastion to serve as air raid shelters for the Army , capable of sheltering 3,000 men. In 1940 the Lines were considered of strategic value as an anti-tank ditch. A number of 29mm Spigot Mortars were implaced along its length togethe~ with several short 6-pounder guns in concrete bunkers. Light anti-aircraft guns were installed on Fort Amherst. In January 1982 Fort Amherst was bought from the Government by the Fort Amherst and Lines Trust. The Trust is made up of local Councillors and conservationists with the aim of restoring the Fort as a local amenity and tourist attraction; the restoration, in six phases, is planned to take 10 years to complete. The Contractor is the Kent County Council, using a workforce made up of unemployed adults under the Corrununity Programme and school-leavers on the new Youth Training Scheme. In February 1983, some 120 people were employed. Sources of Records Fort Pitt Military Cemetery, City Way, Rochester - those who died in the military hospitaL Royal Engineers Library, Brompton Barracks, Chatham . Old Chatham Parish Church Registers, Medway Heritage Centre, Dock Road, Chatham. Army records at the P.R.O. , Kew. National Army Museum , Chelsea, London , SW3

Picking our way carefully over the rough ground in the dim light of hand-held lamps, pausing to listen at the drum roll, then bending low, creeping along the maze of tunnels towards the sound of gunfire and the smell of gunpowder, passing prisoners (dejected French troops) being escorted to a makeshift camp by English soldiers in their mud-spattered, colourful uniforms, transported us back to Napoleonic times - for this was open day at Fort Amherst. Fort Amherst is thought to be the only fort surviving from the Napoleonic period in this country . Ed.

NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM The National Army Museum is currently collecting information on individuals with military connections and information to supplement regimental histories, from 1485 to date . Any relevant details will be welcome, including information on personnel connected with the Indian Army , Civil Service and East India Company to supplement the existing Harts Index . Please contact Miss E. Talbot Rice , National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road , Chelsea, London SW3 4HT . A copy of the Army Museum's Information Sheet, gives full details of records of army personnel whlch are available to researchers and where they may be located. The IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM is mainly concerned with battles and events

50

THE DIARY OF A YOUNG OFFICER IN 1854 : Part 11 Euelyn Rogers In his diary , John Thornton Rogers recorded details of two days leave in London and of his preparations before he left home t o rejoin his R egiment, prior t o embarking fo r the Crimea. After watching th e receding fi gure o f his father stan ding on the qu ayside as the t roop ship departed John Rogers went below, on h is way t o war. 27 October

28 October 29 October

' Th is mo rning it came on to blow very hard and before evening it was a perfect gale . T he long Atlantic swell was very fine . I was not at all sick though almost everyone else was. About 1 0 p.m. we lost our bowsprit and damaged the engines which occassioned our lying to for 12-1 4 hours. ' ' On coming on deck in t he morning the sea was running 'mountains high ' as the sailors said . Lots of porpoises jumping. Gale abated, but very heavy swell. ' ' Heavy swell continues but day fine and bright. Men of some drafts rather mutinous. '

A quick look at the map of Europe explains the preference for Queenstown in S.W. Ireland as a point of departure. Standing well clear of the dangerous coasts of Cornwall and Brittany it o ffered a sailing ship a generally favourable course heading directly south , with the prevailing westerly wind on the beam. 1200 men had boarded the 'Jura' and other ranks would be below deck in such foul weather. The undertones of mutiny are hardly surprising, bearing in mind the lying to for 12-14 hours in the heavy swell. Conditions for the soldiers must have been disgusting beyond words but John is clearly not particularly perturbed. His apparent jauntiness and consuming interest in everything must have maddened his more frail companions. Rogers men are NEVER seasick to this day . 30 October

31 October

1 November

'Passed Cape Finisterre quite early. Sun rose in great splendour over Corunna. Ran down the cost of Spain and passed close to Lisbon about 1 1 p.m. ' ... 'Lots of flights of small birds in morning flying in a sou therly direction 70 miles from land.' ' Saw some whales . .. .. Passed Gibraltar about 2.30 p.m. It was very fine but I had fancied it larger ."

The Napoleonic Wars were almost as recent as Dunkirk is to us. Corunna was one of the battle honou rs of the 33rd Regiment. 3 November 4

November

' Passed Algiers a fine looking place . Coast still the same.' 'Passed the island of Pantellaria by moonlight . The ancient isle of Calypso. Ra th er stormy . On a court martial all day . J obl in g got 50 lashes administered the same evening. '

From the n on his romantic mind is agog with the legends of the Classics. Neither mu rmurs of mu ti ny nor the h arsh re ality o f fl ogging can obscure the deligh t in passing landmarks o f the ancient world. 5 No vember

'Passed Gozo quite early and ran into the harbo ur of Valetta about 10 a.m. A French steamer with troops was in the harbour. I went on shore and saw the town which is full of fine architecture. In the evening fraternised with some French officers.'

51 ad ded in pencil ' Battle of Inkerm an fought .' The meeting with the French Officers must be note d because it is t he first encounter with any of the allied army . 6 November 'Left Malta at about 11 a. m . Saw some o f the wounded from the Alma amongst them Lord Enn ismo re and one or two more. Took on board two companies of the 62 nd 1 in room o f the 50th 2 and 55th 3 left behind for m utinous conduct. ' 7 November 'Mount Etna visible high in the air. One o f the sailors caught a large hawk in the rigging . About 11 p.m. p assed Cape Matapan and later at nigh t passed between Cape Malea and Cerigo.' 8 November 'Ran up t he coast o f Greece and t hrough the Archipeligo. Passed close to Euboea and at night layoff Mitylene waiting to enter the Dardanelles.' 9 November ' In t he morning passed the plains of Troy and then through the Dardanelles passing Galipoli. Saw the huge guns and piles of stone shot. Went up the Sea of Marmara . Rained all day. ' Speculating perhaps on ' Fair Helen' he could not then have guessed that his eldest son would one day be fighting at this very place. History DOES repeat itself. 10 November 'Got to Constantinople about daylight . Rather disappointed. Several steamers full of wounded from Inkerman came in and lay tossing and rolling in a heavy swell. Went to Scutari Hospital and saw Maj or Gough and Greenwood. Afterwards on shore at Pera and Galata. Played billiards and drank Pale Ale.' Six days earlier Florence Nightingale had arrived but the great barrack hospital at Scutari was in an appalling condition. Overflowing with the wounded from the battles of the Alma and Inkerman, it was both unnerving and revolting for a soldier as yet untried in the art of war. The effect of wounds from sabre, sword, bayonet or bullet were evident all around, and the sights, smells and groans must have provoked thoughts which could hardly be dispelled by Billiards and Pale Ale. 11 November 'Sailed early. Bospherous MOST BEAUTIFUL. Black Sea very black, desolate and rough. Gale from south east .' 12 November 'Cliffs of south coast of Crimea visible about 8 a .m. and high mountains. Off Balaclava abou t 11. Too rough to go in. Lay alongside the unfortunate Prince. Ordered round to Kamersch, anchored in evening .' 13 November 'Landed in afternoon with orders to march up t o camp. No road. Went through vi neyard and rough mud. Got to French Headquarters at about 9 p.m. and sent to Lord Raglan's where arrived about 10. General Airey4 put me up.' 14 November 'Gale of 14th November. '

As can be seen this gale had been brewing up since the 11th . It was a storm which devastated the Crimea and wrecked more than a dozen ships in Balaclava harbour, several of them carry ing much needed winter supplies. Tents were swept away and the besieging army on the he ights above Sevastopol were exposed to the elements. The track between the base and the camp became an impassable morass. It was a grim initiation and the drafts from the 'Jura' were lu cky t o have landed safely .

52 15 November 'Marched to Light Division camp. Everything looked very disgusting. Found Donovan , Corbett, Burke and Quayle.' Presumably these are brother officers who had left with the earlier drafts. They were already veterans of the Alma and Inkerman battles and their experiences and the present circumstances would have made for a grim reunion. 16 November 'Went on picket in Whitehouse Ravine. Nasty place. Got into a cave to sleep . Cooked my supper on a Russian intrenching spade employed during the day in burying the dead.' Storms at sea, flogging, mutiny and even the Scutari hospital drew no comments. Now in almost nursery language the two words 'nasty place ' are wrung from h im and there is an overwhelming feeling of horror, isolation, cold and sheer discomfort. The diary begins to peter out. 21 December 'Russians made a sortie on us in the trenches and carried off some of our blankets. Battle of the Blankets. Poor Holroyd killed. ' 23 December (entered at a later date) Byron of 34th S made prisoner. He returned about 10 Sept. having been beyond Moscow.' Christmas Day 'Went on trenches. Very cold.' That winter was indeed very cold, the coldest in living memory. As its iron grip closed on the Allied army , the diary also closes with some inky blots and empty pages but John Thomton Rogers must have been both tough and lucky for he did survive the campaign. He received the Crimea Medal and Sevastopol was added to th e Battle Honours of the 33rd Regiment.

* * * On his return to Riverhill before he went off to fight in the Indian Mutiny , he planted an oak tree. It is growing on the knoll in front of the house and is now in its prime. Coming back from the garden or walking home from the farm its superb outline never fails to catch the eye and it is always referred to as the Crimea Oak. It is a living reminder of the man whose portrait hangs in the dining room. In this he seems rather remote and even more so when glimpsed in old photographs, still dapper but with a snow white beard. His distinguished past might easily have become just a string of dates had it not been for his letters and diaries. Letters and diaries and the Daguerrotype, which so poignantly shows a face of untried youth confronting the future, a future which would have been impossible to guess at. 1 2 3 4 5

The Wiltshire Re giment . The R o yal West Surrey R egiment. The Border R egim ent, 2nd Battalion. G en. Aire y signed Lord Raglan's order for the Ch arge of the Light Brigade. The Bord er R egim ent, 2nd Battalion.

Riverh ill is a small country house near Sevenoaks, the home of the Rogers family since 1840 . Mrs.Roge rs offers a guided tour of the house and garden; she will show the uniform box and personal belongings of John Rogers, also his Daguerrotype, to grou ps by arrangement. Sevenoaks 4 525 57. © Evely n Rogers June 1983

53

BRITISH LEGION VOLUNTEERS 1859/60 Mrs Eileen Weston noticed a manuscript book being indexed at the Bishopsgate Institute. It contains the names of more than a thousand volunteers for the British Legion to fight with Garibalddor the liberation of Italy. The list states name, height, address and previous military or naval service. Many of these people must have recently returned from the Crimean War. Some volunteers from North West Kent are listed here: BUCKLAND, C 26th Kent BAIN, W.I. A. Co. NICHOLS, G.E. SNOOK, W R.N. SMITH, A 2nd Wk. M.I. STAUNTON, J.W. VALLANCE, C. WILCOX, H. WILLIAMS, J. WILSON, C.

4 George Street, East Greenwich H.M. Dockyard, Deptford 56 New Cross, Railway Green (see below) 7 Norfolk Place, E. Greenwich 10 Douglas Place, High Street, Deptford 8 Lee Place, Lee , Kent 4 Charles Street, Woolwich 1 Douglas St., Deptford clo Mr Arnold, 2 Trinity Place, Church Street, Deptford 56 Railway Grove, New Cross, nr. Deptford

SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR 1727 The Department of Manuscripts of the Brit ish Library has recently acquired a manuscript 'Siege of Gibraltar 1727' which includes a list of the forces employed in the attack and defence of Gibraltar, also a list of casualties for both sides. Ref L Add. MS 61734 See also: Kings MS 231 and Add.MS 2926 7 fols. 112-25.

ARMY RECORDS OFFICE Military records previously held at the Army Records Office, Hayes, have now been transferred to the Public Record Office at Kew; in particular Army Discharge records 1901-1913 (W.O. 97). Records for the period prior to 1900 were already at Kew.

WAKELIN INDEX OF BRITONS WHO DIED OVERSEAS This index, initiated and compiled by the late George Wakelin, is to be continued by Mr Dennis Pearce of the Hampshire Genealogical Society . It will even tually be open to all societies affiliated to the Federation of Family History Societies. Meanwhile any relevant information will be welcomed by Mr D. P. Pearce, 'Waysi de ', Roman Road, Twyford , Hampshire S0211QW.

54

ROGER PENNY (PENNEY) David G. Penney Roger or Rogar Penny , shipwright by trade, was my 6x great-grandfather. His name is first mentioned in the records on September 16, 1725, when he and Margaret Freelove were married at St Mary's, Lewisham. His name also appears in the Lady Day (1st) Quarter of 1726 in the pay book (ADM 42/517, p.ll) for Deptford Royal Naval Dockyard, under 'Extraordinary'. This is the section containing the records of all shipwrights, caulkers, joiners, riggers, etc. He was listed among the shipwrights and not as an apprentice. His name is also found in the pay books for the Midsummer (2nd) Quarter, Michaelmas (3rd) Quarter and Christmas (4th) Quarter of 1726. Since the period of apprenticeship lasted 7 years, usually beginning at age 16-17, he would have been a minimum of 23 years of age at that time. Thus, he would have been born no later than 1703. His name was also found in similar documents for 1727-1732,1735,1741, 1746 and 1747. He was probably also listed in the intervening missing years, but those books were not searched for lack of time. For example , in 1726 during the first quarter he worked 32.5 days, 0 nights and 2 tides. For this he was paid £3 8s. 8d. In the second quarter of 1732 he worked 76 days, 0 nights and 24 tides, earning £8 10s. 3d. In 1745 his elnployment at Deptford overlapped with that of the young Mungo Munay, also a shipwright, and author of the beautiful tome, Treatise on Shipbuilding and Navigation, published in 1754 and 1765. It is possible that Roger was acquainted with or worked alongside Mungo. Margaret and Roger had at least five children, although Margaret's name is never listed in connection with the baptisms, only the father's as was the custom at the time in some parishes. They were: Ann bapt. December 16, 1726; John bapt. January 11 , 1730; Edward bapt December 3, 1731; Mary bapt. April 4, 1734; and Henry bapt. April 26, 1736. John was probably born 1728-29 and it is he through whom my Penney Family is descended. During this ten year period they resided in King Street, Deptford, within several hundred feet of the dockyard wall. It is not known where Roger was born, grew up and served his apprenticeship. Careful searching has shown he was not at Sheerness, Woolwich or Portsmouth Dockyards in 1724-25. He was also not at Chatham in 1722-23 (the largest royal dockyard at that time) or at Plymouth 1722-24. Instead he may have taken his period of indenture in a private shipyard, of which there were many at that time along the Thames. Unfortunately , records for most of the private yards of that period are non-existent. However, the fact that he was married at Lewisham several months prior to the first mention of him at Deptford Dockyard possibly suggests he purposely came to the Deptford area for dockyard work. Alternatively , he may have been at sea as a ship's carpenter before 1726. It might be noted in addition, that no Pennys are listed in the pay books at Deptford Dockyard for the years 1708-09, 1712, 1716, 1719-20 and 1721-23; After 1724 work at the Dockyard must have risen sharply as the number of shipwrights in the pay lists increased considerably. This may have been the reason Roger came to Deptford. In the first quarter of 174 1 Roger worked 75 days, 24 nights and 96 tides. For this he received £12 14s. 3d. Six years later (174 7) he is shown to have worked 75 days, 0 nights and ).4 8 t ides and to have collected £11 10s. 3d. fo r his efforts over the three months. During that year and the previous one, his son

55 John is listed as servant (apprentice) to him. The following year (1 74 8) John Penny is entered in the pay lists without Roger; "servant of the exec. of Roger Penny" penned in to the right of John's name. The register for the parish of St Nicholas, Deptford records the burial: "Roger Penney, shipwright, New Street, January 6, 1748". St Nicholas is the original ancient parish church of Deptford, now restored after bombing in World War n, and Roger was probably buried in the churchyard. As of September 1748, Roger's widow, Margaret, was still living. David Penney has spent several years preparing a book on the Penneys of Deptford, Sheerness, elsewhere in the U.K. and the branch which migrated to the U .S .A. in 1870. This biography of Roger Penny, written from data compiled by Colin Penney of Minster, Sheppey and David Penney will probably be the earliest in the book . Comments and suggestions will be welcomed by Dr. D. G. Penney, 'Coppers West', 1403 Sunset Bivd ., Royal Oak, MI 48067, U.S.A. who is a member of this Society.

ORPHANS: THE PAUPERS and THE PASSING RICH Orphaned pauper children, or those whose fathers deserted the family might be in the care of a charitable institution, from which they might be fostered, apprenticed, adopted or, sometimes, returned to their mothers. One example is that of the Thomas Coram Foundation where records are detailed and numerous. Orphaned children with means, whose affairs were administered by trustees, would also be well documented as detailed accounts were required to be kept. This is illustrated by the situation of Tomsyne Oulters.

THE LONDON FOUNDLING HOSPITAL AND ITS CONNECTIONS WITH NORTH WEST KENT Colin Masters

Hardly a week goes past without some section of the media referring to children in care or to foster parents and the problems which beset them. Despite this, the public are not well informed about foster care and there appears to be a widely held misconception that organised fostering is a comparatively recent innovation dating back only to the 1940s. In fact , one charity, The Thomas Coram Foundation for Children or, as it was formerly known, the Foundling Hospital, started employing foster parents some 200 years earlier, and many thousands of foundlings spent their early years in the Hospital's foster homes in North West Kent. Captain Thomas Coram, the charity's founder , was born in Dorset in 1668 and went to sea at the age of eleven. In the years that followed , he divided his time between this country and the American colonies, apparently prospering in both as, by 1732, he had been given the Freedom of the City of Liverpool, was a Younger Brother of Trinity House and a Tru stee for the settlement of Georgia. As well as an authoritative reputation, he acquired enough wealth to decide, soon after 1719, to retire from business and live in Rotherhithe. On his frequent journeyings between Rotherhithe and London, he was appalled to see abandoned babies on dung heaps, where they had been left to die by their mothers. Coram 's feelings for the abandone d children moved hirn to work towards the building of a Foundling Hospital, thus providing fo r the care

56

The Foundling Res tored to its Mother From a painting by Emma Bro wnlowin the possession of the Foundation and upbringing of children without homes of their own. His character, his work and his tenacity attracted the interest of George II and, after some initial setbacks, many of the notable figures of his time. The most significant of these were probably the painter, William Hogarth, who decorated the Governors' Court Room, gave two of his pictures to the Hospital and, with his wife Jane, was one of the Hospital's first foster parents; and the composer, Handel , who gave annual recitals of the Messiah in the Chapel to raise funds , leaving behin d a musical tradition which has continued to the present day. 'The Hospital for the maintenance and education of exposed and deserted young children' , to give the charity its proper title, was granted a Royal Charter in 1739, thus, in the views of some historians, becoming the world's first incorporated charity. The first children were admitted to temporary premises in Hatton Garden in 174 1 and an immediate problem was that of dealing with a large but indefinite number of children under two months old. To provide fo r the nursing ofal! these children at the Hospital was impossible, apart from being undesirable from the point of view of health. The Governors therefore decided that the only solution lay in placing the children with wet

57 nurses in various parts of the country , subsequently readmitting them to the hospital at the age of five. Thus started a tradition of fostering which has continued to the present day. The country districts selected included Beckenham, Bromley, Westerham, Tonbridge, East Malling, Hadlow, East and West Peckham and Hare Street. The nurses were paid Is. 6d. weekly for each child, and the practice continued well into the 19th century when it gradually began to be replaced by bottle feeding, however fostering continued until the age of five. The fostering of Foundling Hospital children was almost a 'cottage industry' in many small towns and villages and it undoubtedly made a significant contribution to the local economy . There are several instances of foster families caring for ten or more children over a period of years, taking on a new infant to replace each five year old readmitted to the Hospital. In the great majority of cases, the children seem to have been well taken care of by their foster parents. Invariably, they became incorporated into the family, and it was frequently a wrench when the child was returned to the Hospital . Nevertheless, foster parents often managed to maintain contact with their former foster children even after the child eventually left the Hospital, sometimes well into the child's adult life. The London Foundling Hospital was demolished in 1926 and the children were moved, first to Redhill, then in 1935 to a new purpose-built school at Berkhamsted. In 1953 the Governors of the Thomas Coram Foundation for Children decided that institutional care for the children was no longer appropriate, so all the children were placed with foster parents up to the age of eighteen. However, in recent years, the Foundation's role of caring for 'exposed and deserted young children' has gradually been taken over by the local authorities and this aspect of their work is being phased out, so bringing to an end a tradition of foster care going back for nearly two and a half centuries. Instead, the Foundation has moved into new areas of work with children where there is at present little or no local authority provision. Whether or not the Foundation is the oldest incorporated charity in the world, it is almost certainly one of the best documented. The Minute Books, some 120 in all, recording the proceedings of every Governors' meeting since 1739, are held at the Foundation's headquarters at Brunswick Square (and to this day they are still kept in copperplate hand in vellum-covered books). A further 10 tons in weight of records, including personal records of the 250,000 children cared for by the charity over the years, are held at the Greater London Record Office. The children's records are in remarkable detail and provide a wealth of information for historians and genealogists alike , but often are subject to a time limit embargo. In an article of this length, it is only possible to give the briefest outline of a few aspects of the Foundation's history, and, hopefully to whet the reader's appetite for further information. A list of publications recommended for further reading is given below and visitors to the Foundation, which is open to the public, will find a unique blend of ancient and modern in a building redolent with tradition, where the offices of a very active and forward-looking charity are located alongSide the historic art treasures and museum of the old Foundling Hospital. The records of children , nurses and foster parents are usually subject to a 150 year rule and all applications t.o see the records shoul d be

58 made to: C. P. Masters Esq., Director, Thomas Coram Foundation , 40 Brunswick Square, London WCIN lAZ . Fur ther Rea ding R. H. Nich ols an d rc. A. Wray, The History of th e Foundling Ho spital. Oxford Un iversity Press, 1935 Bcn edic t Nicolson, Tile Treasures of the Foundling Hosp ital. Oxfo rd Universi ty Press, 1972 Ruth K. \ !cClure, Coram 's Children, The L ondon Foundling Hospital in the Eighteenth Cellfllry . Yale Un iversi ty Press 198 1 - ISBN 0 300 02465 7. £1 3.75 (in c.p&p), av ailable fr o m the Foundation. Tile Story of Tile Tilo mas Coram Foundation for Ch ildren (illustrated pamphlet). £1 .00 inc.p &p, av aila ble fr om the Foundation .

TOMSYNE OULTERS - ELIZABETaAN ORPHAN

Linda Meaden

In Elizabethan times orphaned children might be taken into institutional care if there was no relative able to accept the responsibility. An orphan with property or an inheritance would be cared for by an appointed guardian whether a person or an authority. One such case was that of Tomsyne Oulters (Tamsen WaIters as she would probably be called today) who became a ward of Sandwich Corporation; when she married the responsibility would pass to her husband. From the accounts of her minority, which appear in Sandwich Orphans Book from 1588 to 1594, it is possible to infer much about her way oflife as all her expenses were noted. As Tomsyne was an heiress to house property in Sandwich, the guardians were responsible for repairs, so amounts spent on loads of bricks and lime, and the new leading and replacing of window panes intrude into the accounts. In keeping with he r status it was considered fitting to send her to a 'finishing school' in Canterbury in 1592. She boarded there and learned the accomplishments most suited to a young lady from a trading community. Her education included lace-making and embroidery (she would be expected to become skilled as a needlewoman) so this is reflected in her expenses for 1594: 'Item The sa/JIp/er, Irem Silks, Item 36 Bobbins.' T omsyne's attire had t o be in keeping with her position, fashionable yet within her mean s, hence - ten yards lisle grogram for a gown, peach coloured broa dcloth for a petticoat, cambric for her gorgetes and bands, red & black bilimen t and tawny bobbin lace and, the extravagance of a 10/- taffeta hat. This may have be en to impress some young man but would certainly be worn for chu rch and spe cial occasions. As was customary Tomsyne would have been chaperoned on most occasions but seemed to have had quite a number of outings. For instance, '13th June 4c1 givell Iur a bride ,' according to the habit of money gifts at weddings and christenings, also, pocket money at fair time with which to buy sensible things, necessities like pins, needles and thread ; if she bought more frivolous items the guardians knew n othing of them . In March 1594 she wen t to see a play , perhaps a Myste ry Play performe d by the Bethersde n Players on tour in Canterbury or Tenterden, perhaps licensed strolling playe rs who processed through the town then performe d in the market square or in an inn yard. T omsy ne seems to have been quite healthy, on the whole, but ex pen diture twice on blood-letting, and medicine 'to expel the ague' suggest an acute fever possibly malaria, which was not uncommon in marshy areas like Sandwich . She also h ad ' the itch' (scabies, or possibly eczema) for which three pennyworth of ointment was purchased, and a 'salve for h er h ande'.

59 Regular church-going was usual for Tomsyne but Easter was special; all the congregation would be wearing be st clothes and 12d was recorded as Tomsyne's offering. This indicates a way of life in considerable contrast to that of an orphan pauper child of this era. References Sandwich Corporation Orphans Book Bethersden Churchwardens' Accounts Some Kent Children: pub. Kent Education De pa rtment

DR. BARNARDO'S HOMES FOR CHILDREN The archives of this charity , which had its roots in the East End of London in the 1860s, have now been transferred to Liverpool University Library. Records over 100 years old will be made available to researchers.

A BATH BUN-GLE

Sheila

YOlllIgS

My mother was always sure that she had been born in Bath so, when I started on my family history, I took her word for it and did not follow it up - at firs t. When I did get round to asking her to find her birth certificate she produced on of those flimsy , short affairs which said, clearly enough, that Dorothy Mary Brown had been born on 16th August, 1905 in the District of Tiverton, SubDistrict of Tiverton. She was astonished to learn that she had been born in Devon and not Somerset, but it was not all that unlikely as her parents had been married in Plymouth and her father had been a commercial traveller. Some time later I thought I would get her full birth certificate to see precisely where she had been born and what her father was doing at the time. When I looked in the index at St.Catherine's House , the only entry for a Dorothy Mary Brown in the quarter was for a birth registered at Bath! I sent for a copy of the certificate and waited, intrigued, for its arrival. It appeared, not as a photocopy but a handwritten transcription, and it showed her birth in the District of Bath and the sub-District of Tiverton. Ah, so there is a Tiverton in Somerset as well, is there? - but my comprehensive gazeteer did not mention it. Anyone familiar with the Bath area has probably gu essed the explanation of this little puzzle. A search of the surroundings of Bath on a map revealed that there is a place on the western outskirts called Twerton, undoubtedly where mother was born, at 102 West Avenue. The word Twerton appears three times on the full certificate and each time it has been clearly written as 'Tiverton' with a dotted 'i'. When I looked again at the old short certificate [ saw that the word 'Twerton' was in the form of a rubber stamp in gothic lettering and , as tests on guinea pigs has proved, certainly looks more like 'Tiverton' than 'Twerton ' ; of course, the Registrar was in error in putting it down as the registration district as well as the sub-district. This little story is an interesting illustration of how we can be misled by documents th at 'must be right ' an d how the handwritten copies from the GRO always need to be looked at carefully. In this instance, grandmother's original information turned out to be right after all.

60 Our fo rmer Chairman, Dick Bourton, also has han dwritten copies of entries of deaths in 1866 and 1870, issued in 1972, which record the Registration District as Bath and the Sub-district (and place of death) as Tiverton; and it seems ex traordinary that the GRO should have miscopied the name in so many instances. Have any of our West Country readers another explanation? Reaney gives both Tiverton (Devon) and Twerton (Som .) as derived from Twyfydre 885 - 'double ford' . Ed.

THE BURKIN F AMIL Y: DID THEY COME FROM CUDHAM? Elaine Wiltshire

William B

1742-1814 Susan JACKSON Ilenry llURKIN

Michael B

1776-1837 Sarah NOCKE

b.cl 715

Susannah B b .I775

\-Iary (2nd wife)

William B Michael B bl738

1771-1845 Elizabeth WICKENDEN

---L... 8 daugh ters

---.- 2 sons

i

~ ~~~fhters Henry B = Sophia JACKSO N (6th child)

1817-1896

I

3 daugh ters, 3 sons On 19 June, 1602, Robert Berkin, son of Rober t Berkin was baptised at Knockholt. Henry Georgc B = Eleanor J ane (4th child) HU XLEY This is the fi rst reference to the name in 1847-1910 Knockholt , although those registers I commenced in 1548. Other Berkin/Birkin/ 6 daughters, 1 son Byrkinn/ Burkin entries occur in this parish Henry George B = Kate Mary from this date until 1652. On 31 January, (4th child) CARTER 1610 Henry Bir kin married Dennis, baptised 1876-1957 \, in Chelsfield as Denise on 27 August, 1592, 2 sons the daughter of Rober t and Amy Kendoll both buried in Knockholt. It is impossible Henry James B = Henrietta Alice (1 st child) HAR T to tell what relation Henry was to Robert , 1904 born 1602; perhaps he was an elder son or a brother. There are no more references to Elaine = Robert WILTSHIRE this Robert after the baptism of Thomas in 1605 except the burial of J oane, wife of Robert. in 1619, although Robert became fairly usual as a name in the Burkin families in Croydon from the late 1600s. Henry and Dennis had six children baptised at Knockholt between 1610 and 1629, all with the surname spelt Birken. There are no further re ferences to this family in Knockholt after 1629 but on 15th July , 1643 Anne , daughter of Henry was baptised at Chelsfield. It would appear fro m Henry's will dated 17th June 1660, ten months before his bu rial at Chelsfiel d, th at this was the same family and that Dennis had died

61 between 1629 and 1643. He was described as a husbandman and left various sums of money to his children. The residue of his estate was left to his wife Mary and, "If Mary my wife or my dau Mary or dau Anne marrye; then t wo youngest daus Anne and Mary have one third equal share with Mary my wife of all my goodes" . Overseers: Richard Jewel of Chelsfield and Edward Clemmons of Nockholt. Witnesses: William Gennins and Emanuel Warren. His daughter Martha, baptised 1627, probably married Edward Vines at Seal on 21 May , 1655 bu t there is no mention of her in his will. The question is - where did they go after 1629 until their reappearance in 1643, and where had they come from in the beginning? 1548 is more or less the commencement date of parish registers in Knockholt and adjacent parishes, except for Cudham's which began in 1653. The Burkin name appears in Farnborough, Orpington, Keston, Hayes and West Wickharn at various dates between 1636 and 1802. Earlier than 1600 [ only have references in the Rornney Marsh area and London. I have searched the baptisms and burials for Cudharn for likely references to the daughters in their married names but without success, although the eighth baptism in the Cudham registers was of a Mari , dau. of Henry Berkin on 20 June , 1654. Unfortunately nearly every Burkin appears to have been called Henry or William . Thomas, son of Thomas and grandson of Robert, possibly married Anne Pope at Shoreham in 1660, but their three children were all baptised at Chelsfield between 1662 and 1668. Thomas, buried at Chelsfield on 17 September, 1669 , could be father or son, but certainly Thomas the elder was dead by 31 March 1680 when his son Henry , 'son of Thomas agricola of Chelsfield deceased', was apprenticed to Williarn Foster for seven years according to the records of the Drapers Company. He was made Free of the Company on 1 June, 1687 but the Quarterage book subsequently shows hin1 on the poor roll. I have no record of his marriage but his son Henry was admitted to tl1e Freedom of the Drapers Company by Patrimony on 12 Oct ober, 1720 and in 1744 was shown as beyond sea(?) while the Quarterage book shows him as a Writing Master in Fenchurch Street. His second son , Richard , was also admitted to the Freedom in 1723. My main interest with the family is that I have been trying to find the parentage of my ancestor Henry Burkin who was born circa 1715 and married Mary ? prior t o 1738 when his son Michael was born at Cudham. [ had hoped tha( perhaps, it was the Henry who received the Freedom of the Drapers Company in 1720 but this seems unlikely . Other possibilities are Henry, son of William , baptise d Farnborough 1708 and Henry son of Henry and Anne (Page) baptised Frindsbury , 1702. (Since writing the above I have found that Richard an d Theodosia Burkin had a son Henry baptise d on 21 March, 1717 at St.Katherine Coleman, London, so perhaps this is my missing Henry?) There is then a direct line of descent in Cudham from the baptism of Henry's second son William, baptised 21 st February 174 2, t o William the eldest son of William and Susan , who married Elizabeth Wickenden (b.17 82 at Chiddingstone, dau. of Edward and Sarah); their children and their families remained in Cudham. Son William was a Wood broker and appears in the accounts of Charles Darwin 's house at Downe. My great-great grandfa ther was the sixth child , Henry, (b.18 17), who marrie d Sophia Jackson in 1844; his brother, Thomas, married her sister Jemima Charlotte. Henry an d Sophia's son, Henry George, (b.184 7) , married Eleanor Jane Huxley at Camberwell on 26 February, 1870. Family tradition says that

62 Eleanor did the sewing for Charles Darwin and that he gave them a pair of brass candlesticks on their marriage, one of which is in the possession of a cousin of my father's . Certainly she was suppose d to have been a good needlewoman, doing work for Cu dham Church and teaching at Jail Lane school. They had six daughters and one son who was my grandfather, also Henry George, b. 7 March 1876. Most of the family took an active part in village affairs and had smallholdings where they grew strawberries and other fruit. In 1881 William , a fruit grower, had 12 acres and J esse 10 in South Street; Henry age d 63, hu sband of Sophia, was in Jail Lane working 23 acres as was his brother James, farming 25 acres. Other Burkins in the village were agricultural labourers . I have made a one-name study of the Burkin name and from 1837-1907 there were 514 births registered, comprising 244 males and 270 females and of these nearly 90% were born in Surrey, Kent and London with the largest concentrations in the Bromley (including Cudham) and Croydon registration districts. In the period 1908-1 978, there were 526 births, (268 males, 258 females) . It can be seen that the Burkin name occurs almost exclusively in Surrey, Kent and London while Birkin, which is much more common, occurs in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire etc . Berkin seems to be an amalgam of the other spellings - bu t much rarer - with spasmodic occurrences in the north and sou th. Other families connected with the Burkin family by marriage: Batcheior, Brooker, Covi l!, Crane , Friend, Jackson, Know, Langrange, Martyn, Nocke , Obard, Phillip, Sudds, TilIey . I should be most grateful for any references to the Burkin name as I am trying to build up a composite story. My address is 26 Simmil Road, Claygate, Esher, Surrey , KTlO ORT. May I acknowledge the great help I have had from The Drapers ' Company and membe rs of this Society, particularly Mrs Joyce Walker (on West Wickham Bur kins) and Mrs Winifred Paine.

YET MORE MANNINGS

Gertrude Nunns

Follo wing on from the articles by Fred Whyler and Geoffrey Barrow on this prolific Cray family, I have extracted the baptisms and burials of Foots Cray Mannings from the transcript of the parish regist er in the Society of Genealogists' Library . Some of these are mentioned here, with a few snippets of information abou t various Mannings which I have come across while researching other subjects in the area. Perhaps the most significant fact to the genealogist is the link with the Northamptonshire branch of the family mentioned in the will of Henry Manninge. Little infor mation is given in some entries, which makes it difficult to identify the pe ople concerned accura tely. For example, 'bapt. 20th Sept., 1583 Elizabet h Maning', yet ' bapt. 3rd Jan., 1680 Elizabeth Manning, dau . of Nicholas & Ann his wi fe of Foots Cray ' identifies Elizabeth immediately, while, 'bur. 15th April, 1776 Elizabeth Manning buried in the church in the family vault' locates this Elizabeth exactly.

oj

One entry , 'bap t . 2 nd Feb . 1675

Rich ard Manning, so n of William & Christian h is wife of Ch islehurst'

reminds us that the village of F oats Cray lay partly in the parish of Chislehurst ; the parish boundary ran from the bridge up the centre of the High Street and Church Road, Foots Cray to the Black Horse , Sidcup, so that those on the west of both roads were in Chislehurst Parish. (see map facing p.208 in the History of Chislehurst by Webb, Miller & Beckwith, published George AlIen , 1899, copy in Brornley Local Studies Library). 'The descent of the families of Manning and Anderdon from Hugh Manning in Cray ' is given in the History of Chislehurst (op.cit.), but no dates are given for the earlier ent ries. In the accompanying text there is a reference to Richard Manning, Rector of Chislehurst 1443-1446. John Gellibrand's will of 1588 (PCC 19 Leicester) includes a bequest 'unto my daughter Manning wife of Hughe Manning 20 marks. And to every of her children 5 shillings and 8 pence apiece'. The will of Henry Manninge of SLMary Cray, 1610 (PCC Abstract of Wills Soame 1620) mentions daughter Margaret (under 21), sons Edward and Jeremy, son John (under 21), son and executor Matthew, brother Hughe Manninge of Foots Cray. It also mentions 'tenements in Northampton which shall come to me after deacease of Mathewe Manninge of (blank) co.Northampton and of (blank) his son.' In 1634 Mr.Samuel Manning gave a new pulpit and a reading 'set e' and a clerk pew to the church of All Saints, Foots Cray. In 1654 Martin Manning was mentioned in a deed of Pear Tree Croft, Place Green, Sidcup (held at Hall Place, Bexley) and in 1655 he witnessed the will of Thomas Wood of Place Green. The iron grave in Foots Cray churchyard is the burial place of Martin Manning yeoman 'who departed this life on the 10 day of October 1656 aged 63 years' and of 'Barbara the wife of Martin Manning who departed this life on the 5 day of April 1665 aged 6 7 years' . Fortunately the inscription was recorded while it was still legible. (Arch. Cant. vol.XLIII p.2l5). In 1669 Nicholas was churchwarden at Foots Cray and in 1670 Capt.Samuel Manning heads the collection taken in response to the brief for 'the ransom of poor Englishmen taken captive by the Turks'. In 1673 he is surveyor for the highway . In 1703 Richard Maning of the Black Horse was Borsholder (i.e . Constable). There is a CANNON/MANNING connection. The will of John Canan of Chislehurst dated 22nd August 1630 mentions Martin Maning and his wife (PCC Scroop Folio 80) and the Probate Acts of 1637 includes Cannon , Susan, of Foots Cray, parish of Chislehurst, widow, and mentions her sons Richard and Martin Manning. Her will is PCC 118 Goare . n.b. A full list of Mannings extracted from the Foots Cray Parish Registers by Mrs Nunns may be seen in the Library of this Society . c.f.

'The Mannings of Cudham' by Fred Whyler (N .W.Kent Journal Vol. l.p.40) 'Further on the family of Manning' by Geoffrey Barrow (N .W. Kent Journal VoU .p.69) .

'Not to kno w what happened before we were born is to remain perpetually a ch ild. For what is th e worth o f a h uman li fe un less it is woven into the life of our ancestors ..... ' Ma rcus T u /lius Cicero, 106-43 B. C.

64

THE ELKINGTON COLLECTION

Edna L . Antrobus

Mu ch of my research seems to have consisted of 'Blood' - the sort tha t is thicker than wate r; 'Swe at' certainly when I calculate that I have , on a number of occasions, handled as many as 80 solid, leather-bound volumes in a few hours in Somerset House or at St.Catherine's House ; and if not exactly 'Tears' , then some rather lingering depressions. However, about five years ago, I had one great stroke of luck - I discovered The Elkington Collection. I had heard rumours of this , but had many disappointments, when researching this name of my paternal grandmother. However , in spite of scepticism, I eventually decided to plumb the basement depths at the Society of Genealogists where I had been told the collection was housed. I was astonished as piles of bound volumes were stacked before me. When I recovered sufficiently to inspect these in detail, I found they contained Census Returns, Wills, Parish Register extracts etc., all relating to the Elkington family, with a Master Index of its various branches. Later I learned that Mr.Arthur Edward Hardcastle Elkington , who died in 1975 , had bequeathed the collection to the Society . He had spent much of his retirement - from the Sudan Civil Service - in compiling this mammoth work which contains every particle of Elkington information he could reasonably discover. The spouses are mentioned, but their details are necessarily not enlarged upon. Once I had identified my family as belonging to Branch: Oxfordshire IV , I was able to trace it back to 1505. Incidentally , I did add from my own knowledge one item of information which cleared up a small mystery . In 1981 John Pullen drew a splendid Elkington Tree for me which is framed and measures 30 in . x 18 in . I would guess that the Elkington Collection is unique, and if anyone shares thi5 name with me, and isn't aware of the collection, then they have a treat in store in the basement of the Society of Genealogists . ( Anothe r member unexpectedly found information useful to her research in the basement at 37 Harrington Gardens - The Shapland Carew Papers. Ed .)

NOTES FROM LOCAL RECORD OFFICES Croydon Local History Library The range of holdings here is more consistent with that of a record office than most libraries and includes material on the old county of Surrey, Croydon and neighbouring parishes. Holdings of particular interest to family historians: Parish Registers, mainly from 1538 Maps & Plans, va riou s from 1785 Newspapers and defunct local periodicals, including military & hospital magazines Census Returns - indexed, 1841-71 Directories, commercial and general , especially Croydon section of 1798 British Commercial Directory also - Paget's Notebooks of Croydon (deeds, wills etc .), Auction Sale particulars , Poll Books from 1865, Register of Apprentices, Burial Board records, Sessions reco rds, Manorial records. Please telephone before visiting to check availability of reco rds. Mrs.Garrett,

65 Local History Librarian, Central Library, Katharine St. , Croydon CR9 lET (01-6883627) will be pleased to answer queries. Kent County Record Office There will be a temporary closure of the Maidstone Archives (Kent C.R .O.) for structural alterations for about six months from June 1983. Please telephone to check the closure and reopening dates before visiting to research . Maidstone 671411.

ROOTS CENTRE A Roots Centre has recently been established at the Stirling Library, Glasgow, by the Museum of Scottish Tartans, Comrie , to help people of Scottish descent trace their ancestry . Archive holdings will include shipping lists as well as local, parish records since Glasgow was a primary departure point for emigrants to the American Colonies and Canada.

EMIGRANT CHECK A Surnan1e Archive Index of approxin1ately 100 published and unpublished sources of emigrants to America, Canada and the West Indies 1600-1850. Details and costs from the compiler; Mr. F. Leeson, F.S.G., 108 Sea Lane, Ferring, Sussex BN12 5HB. Please send s.a.e.

REGISTERS OF BIRTHS, MARRIAGES AND DEATHS A Private Member's Bill to transfer the registers of births, marriages and deaths to the Public Records Office at Kew, is proceeding through the House of Lords. The proposer, Lord Teviot, is concerned to achieve public access to the registers, albeit on microfilm, as well as the present indexes, subject to the 100 year rule .

RECENT ARTICLES Sources for Internal and External Migration by Anthony Camp in Family History Nov.1982 (Journal of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies) Solving Lond·standing Major Genealogical Problems by George Olin Zabriskie in

Family History Nov.1982 . Irish Personal Names An article on the sources of personal names in use in Ireland today and how they mirror the country's history appeare d in Ireland Today, Bulletin of the Department of Foreign Affairs No.988 , May 1982. By kind permission of the Editor, and the authors Donnchadh O'Corrain , Professor of Irish History at University College, Cork, and Fidelma Maguire, a secondary school teacher in

66 Cork, a copy may be seen in the library of this Society. See also: A Handbook of Irish Genealogy by Heraldic Artists Ltd., Trinity Street, Dublin. This book covers a wide range of sources including religious censuses and lists of immigrants to America from Eire and Northern Ireland. Genealogical Research in Gibraltar Genealogists Magazine, March, 1983.

by

Lawrence

R.

Burness (article)

RECENT PUBLICA nONS Thanet: An Outline History by John Hilton pub .1982, 44pp, 12 illust. £ 1.50p Despite the title , Mr Hilton manages to inclu de considerable detail and convey the atmosphere of the area and the change of emphasis during diffe rent periods of its history, partly by using anec dotes and quotations from contemporary material. Mr.Hilton is also the author of 'Your House and its History', 60p Greater London Cemeteries and Crematoria and Their Registers by Mrs.Patricia M. Wolfston, pub. Society of Genealogists 1982. £1. 50 + 25 p p.& p. 'j'he Old Afelbourn e Cemetery 1837-1922 by Marjorie J. Morgan. pub . Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies, 198 1, Aust.$20. This contains a wealth of information relating t o Melbourne 's first official cemetery including details of people in the Burial Registers, 1866-19 17, chronologically and by denomination, also Headstone Inscri ptions, Jewish Bu rials and lists of people such as Undertakers and Ministers.

BOOK REVIEW Village Records by John West, 2nd Edition , pub. Phillimore & Co., Chichester. 1982. £12 . Class No. 942.47 Most family historians have unlimited patience and give great attention t o detail. They will certainly need both if they study Village Records as it is a book for serious students and should be used, as W. G. Hoskins says in his excellent foreword 'to reconstruct the past landscape of their parish and village'. A family is part of the same landscape and this book is also a great help in the reconstruction (or story) of a family, although the selection of documents studied is perhaps wider than many family historians would require , at least in the earlier stages of their research. On the other hand they will not find a better gui de to the many primary and secondary sources available in national and local repositories. The author follows the documentary history of one village, Chaddesley Corbett in Here ford and Worcester, ranging through Saxon charters, manorial court rolls, inventories, and wills to land tax returns, parish documents and probate records to mention but a few. There are many excellent illustrations of original documents with transcripts and translations which are particularly useful when, for example , the family historian meets, for the first time, an Inquisition Post Mortem or a very

67 detailed domestic inventory. Each documentary section includes full bibliographies both of general reading and of local publications arranged by county. Village Records will be of less value to those whose main concern is the skeleton of bare genealogy but its use by the true family historian could well pay a good dividend. The book is well worth reading and I would recommend all those deeply interested in family history to place Village Records on their library lists. Peter Harrison

OFFERS OF HELP Mrs Rosemary Cross, Alvere, Bridgwater Road, Dundry, Bristol BS18 8JP is researching the name of BURTON in Lewisham and Sydenham. She is willing to offer reciprocal research in Bristol. Mrs S. M. Stagg, 16 Woodbridge Road , Barking, Essex IG 11 9ER has kindly offered to get copies of certificates from St.Catherine's House or copies of wills from Somerset House or the P.R.D. at Chancery Lane for members unable to come to London easily. Costs and expenses should be agreed beforehand then refunded. Mrs J. A. Sturges, 12 The Grove, West Wickham, Kent BR4 9JS has kindly offered to collect certificates from St.Catherine's House or photocopies of wills from Somerset House for more distant members in return for expenses.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Mr Jon G. Martindale, President, Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies Inc., P.D. Box 68, Dakleigh, Vic 3166 , writes:

'Further to Michael Walcot's article in 'Someone Has Been There Before Me' , November 1982 issue, I would like to suggest a further source , viz. American Book Publishing Record 1876-1981 . This has author, title and subject approaches in three single sequences covering the entire period. It is published on microfiche and appears to have an excellent coverage, including private publishers. I found the privately published Martindale family history, of which I had no previous knowledge. Similarly, other national bibliographies such as the Australian National Bibliography and New Zealand National Bibliography list famil y histories published in those countries which frequentl y trace the families back to the British Isles. However, these are , in the main, unaccumulate d and have the same disadvantage as British National Bibliography . The American Book Publishing Record is probably the easiest of all the tools to use because of its single sequence.'

* * * *

68

BACKGROUND TO THE 1851 CENSUS One of our m embers who collec ts eph emera, has p rodu ced a copy o f the form wh ich was d istributed to householders, and wh ich will be of particular interest to th ose who are working o n the 'great m atter'.

TO THE HOUSEHOLDER You are requested t o insert the p arti culars specified on the other page, respec t ing all th e persons who slept or abod e in your house on th e night of March 3 0th , in co mpliance with an Act which passed the House of Commo ns, and t he House o f Lords in t h e last Sessio n o f Parl iament, and received the assent of Her Maj esty, The Queen , on t h e 5th o f August, 18 50 .

This paper will be called for on :r:londay, March 31st, by the appointed Officer; and it will save trouble if, as t he Act requires, yo u have the answers writ t en in the proper co lumns by t hat t ime. It is his du t y to verify th e facts , and if you have omitted to com ply w ith t he above instruction, to record them at your reside nce on that day . Persons who refuse to give CORRECT information, incu r a Penalty of Five Pounds ; besides the inco nve n ience and annoyance of appearing before two J ustices o f th e Peac e , and being co nvicted o f having made a w ilful mis-statement o f age , or of any of the other particulars. The R etu rn is req uired to enable the Secretary o f State to complete t he CENSUS; which is t o show the num ber o f the population ~ t heir arrangement by ages and families in differen t ranks, professi ons , employ m ents, and trades ~ t heir d istribution over the country in villages, t owns, and ci t ies ~ t heir i:lCrease and progress in the last ten years. GEORGE GRAHAM, Approved, R egistrar General. G . G R EY .

GENERAL INSTRUCTION T h is Sc hedule is t o b e filled up by the OCCUPIE R or Person in charge of the house ; if th e house is let o r sub-le t to di fferent persons or famili es, in separate stories or apartme nts, t he OCCUPIE R or P erso n in charge of each such story or apartmen t m ust ma ke a separate return for his portion of t he house upon a se parate Householder's Schedule .

INSTRUCTIONS for filling up the Column headed "RANK, PROFESSION, or OCCUPATION." The Super ior Titles of PEERS and other PERSONS OF RANK to be inserted, as well as any high office which they may hold. Magistrates, Aldermen, and o ther important public officers to state the ir profession after their official title. A RMY, NA VY, AND CIVIL SERVICE . ~Add after t he rank, "Army," "Artillery ," "Royal Navy , " "Marines, " "East India Company's Service, " as the case may b e~distinguishing those on half-pay . Persons in the CIVIL SERVICE to state the Department to which they are attached, after their title or rank; th o se on the Superannuation List t o be so distinguished. Chelsea, Greenwich, and other Pensioners, to be clearly designated. CLERGYMEN of the Church of England t o return themselves as "Rector of ~ ", "Vicar of ~ ", "Curate of ~, " &c., o r as not having cure of souls. They are requested not to employ the indefinite term "Clerk. " Presbyterian Minist ers and Roman Catholic Priests, to re turn themselves as such , and to state the name of the ch urch o r ch apel in w h ich t hey officiat e. Disse n ting Minis ters to return themsel ves as "Indep endent Minister of ~ Chapel, " "Baptis t Ministe r of Chape l, "&c. Local o r occasional prea chers m ust return their ordinary o ccupations. LEGAL PROFESSION . Barristers, to st ate w he the r or not in actual p rac t ice; O fficers o f any Co ur t, &c., t o state t he descrip ti o n of office and name of Cou r t. The designation "A ttorney " o r "S o licitor" to be confin ed to t hose whose nam es are ac t ually upon t he R o ll. P ersons in Solicitors ' office s should dist in guish whe ther "Solicitor's Managi ng, A rticled, Writing, or Gen eral Clerk. "

69 Members of the MEDICAL PROFESSION to state the University, College, or Hall, of which they are Graduates, F ellows, or Licentiates-also whether they practice as Physician, Surgeon, or General Practitioner, or are "not practising. " PROFESSORS, TEACHERS, PUBLIC WRITERS, Authors, an d Scientific men-to state the particular branch of Science or Literature which they teach or pursue; Artists, the art which they cultivate. Graduates should enter their degree in this column. PERSONS ENGAGED IN COMMERCE, as Merchants, Brokers, Agents, Clerks, Commercial Travellers, to state the particular kind of business in which they are engaged, or the staple in which they deal. The term FARMER to be applied only to the occupier of land, who is to be returned-"Farmer of [317] acres employing f12] labourers;" the number of acres, and of in and out-door labourers, on March 31st, being in all cases inserted. Sons or daughters employed at home or on the farm , may be returned- "Farmer's Son, " "Farmer's Daughter. " In TRADES t he Master is to be distinguished from the Journeyman and Apprentice, thus-(Carpenter - Master employing [6] men);" inserting always the number of persons of the trade in his employ on March 31st. In the case of WORKERS IN MINES OR MANUFACTURES, and generally in the constructive ARTS the particular branch of work, and the material, are always to be distinctly expressed if they are not implied in the names, as in Coal-miner, Brass-founder, Wool-carder, Silk-throwster. Where the trade is much sub-divided, both trade and branch are to be returned thus-"Watchmaker Finisher;" "Printer - Compositor. " A person following MORE THAN ONE DISTINCT TRADE may insert his occupations in the order of their importance . MESSENGERS, PORTERS, LABOURERS, and SERVANTS, to be described according to the place and nature of their employment. Persons foll owing no Profession, Trade or calling, and holding no public office, but deriving th eir incomes chiefly from land, houses, mines, or other real property, from dividends, interest of money , annuities, &c. may designate themselves " Landed Proprietor," "Proprietor of Iron Mines," "Proprietor of Houses," " Fund-holder," "Annuitant," &c ., as the case may be. Perso ns of advanced age who have RETIRED FROM BUSINESS to be entered t hus-"Retired Silk Merchan t," " Retired Watchmaker," & c. ALMSPEOPLE, and persons in the receipt of parish relief should, after being described as such, have their previous occupations inserted . WOMEN AND CHILDREN.-The t itles or occupations of ladies who are householders to be entered according to the above Instructions. The occupations of women who are regularly employed from home, or at home, in any but domestic duties, t o be distinctly recorded. So also of children, and young persons. Against the names of children above five years of age, if daily attending school, or receiving regular tuition under a master or governess at home, write "Scholar, " and in the latter case add ''at home. "

MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTION AT ST.MARY MAGDALEN, BERMONDSEY noted by Mr & Mrs F. P. Pingram In memory of Sussanna Wood I wife of Mr Games Wood of Kent Road I Mathematical Instrument Maker I who after a long & painful illness which she bore I with the greatest fortitude departed this life the I 16th of June 1810 in the 58th year of her age I She was tapped 97 times and had 461 gallons of I water taken from her without ever lamenting her case I or fearing the operations I Also the above Mr. Games Wood I who departed th is life the 10th of May 1837 I aged 108 years I Much and devotedly lamented.

(A rival for Dame Mary Page? See VoU, page 178 of this Journal .)

70 NEW MEMBERS The Society is please d to welcome the following new members: AKEHURST, Mr L E, 3 Ivy House, Eastbury Road, Watford. WDl 4QH ALLWRIGHT, Mr W A, 21 Wilson Crescent, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada T4N 5V6 BROWN, Miss S, 24 Arabin Road, Crofton Park, London SE4 BRYAN, Mrs A, 85 Lower Camden, Chislehurst, Kent CAMPBELL-WILSON, Miss M E A, 161 Duffield Road, Derby DE3 1AH CLARK, Mrs H M, 13 8A Northwood Road, Harefie1d, Uxbridge, Middx UB9 6PS CROSS, Mrs R, "Alveare", Bridgwater Road, Dundry, Bristol BS18 8JP EMMETT, Mr R F , 68 Holmdale Road, Chislehurst, Kent BR 7 6BZ GALLON, Mrs P, 146 Court Road, Orpington, Kent GOODWINS, Miss J 0 , 35 Cheyne Walk, Meopham, Kent GRIFFITHS, Mrs J, 38 Winsford Road, Catford, London SE6 HARDING , Mrs W, 60 Brooklands Close, Luton, Beds HERD, Mrs W, 30 Curtis Road, Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead, Herts JOANES, Mrs A, 20 Woodhall Drive, Dulwich, London SE21 7HJ KELL, Mr Band Mrs S, 5 Edgewood Green, Shirley, Croydon, Surrey KING, Miss J C, 16 Shipman Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 2DY LA YTON, Mrs L, 18 Lucerne Road, Orpington, Kent MEREDITH, Mrs F C, 37 South Eden Park Road, Beckenham, Kent PAINE, Mr A, 4 Arcadia Road, Istead Rise, Northfleet, Kent RASON, Mrs D, 1 South Drive, Orpington, Kent REYNOLDS, Mr F G and Mrs E R, 247 Days Lane, Sidcup, Kent RUSSELL, Mr C J, 6 Fresham House, 12 Durham Road, Bromley, Kent RUSSELL, Mr J Wand Mrs J A, 97 Heathway , Northumberland Heath, Erith, Kent, DA8 3L2 SETTERFIELD, Miss J, 7 Sandforth Road, Bexleyheath, Kent, DA 7 4AX SEXTON, Miss A, 67 Opawa Road, Christchurch 2, New Zealand ST ANDIDGE, Mr E R, 21 Gumping Road, Orpington, Kent TIDY, Mr D J, 5 Nethewode Court, 1 Lower Park Road, Belvedere, Kent WELLS, Mrs D M, 3 Orchard Drive, Meopham, Kent DAl3 OLN WILKINS, Mrs N F , 7 Steele Road, Hamilton, New Zealand WILSON, Mrs C G, 76 Cloonmore Avenue, Orpir;gton, Kent WINDER, Ms C A, 5 Nethewode Court, 1 Lower Park Road, Belvedere, Kent WRAIGHT , Mr S J and Mr J W, 16 Darwin Close, Farnborough, Kent Change of address Miss E R WOOLLAM now Mrs E R MUSSELL 15 Hatc1iffe Close, Blackheath, London SE3 9UE Miss J M SNITH, 40 Parsonage Road , Henfield, Sussex BN5 9JG Mr N H GRAHAM, 69 Crest View Drive, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent BR5 1BX PROFILES OF MEMBERS Mr Leslie Charles BERRY, 3 Bryce Avenue, Edinburgh, EH7 6TX is a member of the Birmingham and Midland Society of Genealogy and Heraldry. Family names are BERRY (Kent, Mddx, Warwickshire and Northants), TREE (Kent) and FLETCHER (Kent). Mr Basil Roy CHIPPERFIELD, 4 Brent Close, Dartford, Kent, DA 2 6DB is researching CHIPPERFIELD, MONK and SEARLE from Saffron Walden, Essex and CAMPKIN from Belvedere, Kent

71 Mrs Pat GALLON, 146 Court Road, Orpington,Kent is researching the names of JELF and ORPIN in Kent, JELF in Gloucestershire, GALLON in Tyne & Wear, and PARKER in Suffolk. Mrs Joyce GOODWILL, 51 St Johns Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN 13 3NA is researching BECKETT (Bucks), SICKEL, GOODWILL, PAYNE & FREEBORN from London. Mrs Diana HARLEY, Bargate, Snowdenham Links Road, Bramley, Surrey is researching GRAHAM, CARPENTER & KIRTON from Kent. Mrs Winifred HERD, 30 Curtis Road, Leverstock Green, Hemel Hempstead, Herts is interested in oil painting and gardening. Family names are BODMAN, HOWLETT, FERRINGTON-JONES from Kent, BANKS and BOLSHAW from Penrith and Northampton, Mrs Lesley Anne HILL YER, 35 Grove Road, Strood, Kent is researching her mother's family name of CONST ANT /CONSET in Gravesend, Northfleet, Swanscombe, Dartford and Rotherhithe, Kent. Miss Dorothy Famw LETTON, 2 Manor Court, High Street, West Wickham, Kent BR4 6PT is interested in the family name of LETTON in No rfolk, Hereford and Essex. Mrs Linda Marion LINTERN, 50 Oakwood Avenue , Purley, Surrey CR2 l AQ is researching the names of LINT ERN (Somerset), FEY, GOLDFINCH and NEVE from South London. Mrs Ann Renee RAWLINSON, 33 Bardfield Way, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 9HE enjoys watching garden birds, gardening and flower arranging. Family names are SKINNER, ARGAR, WEBB (Kent), DOLTON (Hants), CASTELL (Berks) and NAPIER STUART (Scotland). Mr Frederick George and Mrs Edna Rose REYNOLDS , 247 Days Lane , Sidcup, Kent. Mr Reynolds is researching ROBINSON , PAGE and REYNOLDS (Kent) and BUCKLEY (Ireland), Mrs Reynolds' family names are WOOD, MARSH, SQUANCE, TURPIN and WEBB from Devon and CLAYTON and POPLETT from Kent. Mr Colin John RUSSELL, 6 Fresham House, 12 Durham Road, Bromley, Kent. Family names of interest are BUSH, BYE, RUSSELL and WATSON (Kent), BRADFORD (Sussex), BULL (Northants), BUSTI N (Warwickshire, Northants, Oxon), HITCHCOX, HOWE/HOWS (Oxon). Miss Ann SEXTON, 67 Opawa Road, Christchurch 2, New Zealand. Names of interest are COCKLE, MURRA Y, F REELAND, McCART(H)Y, (Kent), COULTAS, HOPPER and JOHNSON (Yorks), Mr Leonard Cyril Samuel WAGHORN, 121 Shepherds Lane, Dartford, Kent DA 7 2NU is interested in drawing and painting and the piano. He is researching the names of WAG HORN, MARSH, SAINT, WHITING and GARDINER (Kent), NEWDICK (London) and ARM STRONG (Durham). Mr Thomas William WEDDELL, 47 Kingswood Avenue, Shortlands, Bromley Kent BR2 ONR. Names of interest are WEDDELL, MARSHALL, DAVIDSON, CURRY, TOPPIN(G) and PATTERSON (Northumberland), SCOTT (Berwick) and YOUNG (Roxburgh). Mrs Sally Elizabeth WHIFFING, 6 Lambert Road, Grimsby, S.Humberside DN32 OHT works at Welholme Galleries (a museum) in Grimsby where she is involved in cataloguing old photographs of Lincolnshire. She is particularly interested in old photographs and their genealogical use. Family names are WHIFFIN(G) (London and Kent), BREA(R)LEY (Staffs), TRETHEWEY (Cornwall), EDWARDS (Devon & Cornwall), MUSSELLWHITE (Kent), HICKMAN (Kent & Sussex) :md THO RLEY (Staffs).

72 Mrs Norma Frances WILKINS (nee Hansen), 7 Steele Road, Hamilton, New Zealand. Names of interest are ROSS (Kent), NAYLOR (Middx) , ALLEN and WILSON ( Lon don) and HANSEN (Norway). Miss Carol Ann WINDER , 5 Nethewode Court, 1 Lower Park Road, Belvedere, Kent DA 17 6EJ enjoys music, reading, military model making, collect· ing antique china, travelling and photography. Family names are EAGLESTONE, COOK, COOPER , SHUTER, CARD, WINDER, FULLAGER, SACKREE, MILES, MILLEN, POTTER , SAGE/SEDGE and CRACKNELL all from Kent. Mr James Walter WRAIGHT, 16 Darwin Close, Farnborough, Orpington, Kent is interested in numismatics, archaeology and genealogy. Family names are John WRAIGHT (Cranbrook) , John WRAIGHT (Frittenden) and David WRAIGHT (Yalding) all in Kent.

'Look, Mr Grant, let 's you and I start at the very beginning of this thing. Without history books, or mode rn versio ns, or any one's opinion abou t anything. Tru th isn't in accounts but in account books.' 'A neat ph rase,' Grant said, complimentary. 'Does it mean anything?' 'It means every thing. The real history is writte n in forms not meant as history. In Wardrobe accounts, in Privy Purse expenses, in personal letters , in estate books. If someone, say , insists that Lady Whoosit never had a child, and y ou find in the account book the entry: " For the son born to my lady on Michaelmas eve: five yards of blue ribbon, fo urpence halfpenny" it's a reasonably fair deduction that my lady had a son on Michaelmas eve.' Reproduced with the kind permission of the author and Penguin Books Ltd . from Chapter 8 of The Daughter of Time by J osephine Tey

ODD CORNERS Old documents may be pushed to the back of a drawer, left in a pocket, slippe d into ornaments or books or tucked into any corner. If you are at an auction , helping with a jumble sale or just 'turning ou t', do have another look - you may find somethi ng use ful to a family historian.

NEXT ISSUE Articles, queries and letters etc. for publication in the next issue of the Journal should be sent to the Editor as soon as possible, in any event not later than 6 th July, 1983 .