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Reports

Report of the talk “Records of Vagrants, Gypsies, Travellers and Strangers”

By Gillian Rickard, 14^th October 2005.

Members were entertained by an interesting talk by Gillian on the sources available to researchers trying to trace travelling people.

  Strictly speaking, “vagrants” could cover such disparate groups as poachers, people returning to their home parish after being removed by officials from another area, and even wives whom their husbands, had deserted, but this talk concentrated on the more widely understood meaning of travellers. In the parish records, “travellers” and “strangers” could describe basket makers, chair bottomers, hairbuyers, and other people whose jobs were of an itinerant nature, as well as temporary employees and servants. “Strangers” could also apply to Huguenots living in the parish. Perhaps surprisingly, Gillian has only found one reference to “Romani” in the parish records.

  Gillian then outlined some of the records that may contain information on travellers.

Hawkers had to have a license in order to trade, and would have been a marvellous source of information, but sadly very few have survived. Names in the parish registers may indicate a traveller, with unusual forenames such as Ocean, or the use of Biblical names. Surnames can reveal a travelling origin; CHAPMAN was a pedlar on foot, whereas PACKMAN was a pedlar with a beast of burden. Early registers may reveal interesting detail, such as the 1743 baptism of a daughter to Samuel and Elizabeth BRUTON at Cranbrook, who ran a travelling puppetshow. After 1812, “traveller” may appear in the baptism records for the father’s occupation. Some travelling folk moved on regular routes between parishes, for example to Hopping areas, or regions of heathland and marshes, and would stop in the same places; for example, Fordwich Lane near Canterbury, which came under the jurisdiction of St Martin’s in Canterbury, has many entries in the 1820s and 30s to travelling families such as BARTON, LEE and SCAMP.

  Local newspapers can be a good source for reporting on burials, as travellers’ funerals can be lavish affairs. Prominent Gypsies’ deaths can also be reported. Wills can be essential in revealing the full names of a mother and father if they were not married, and which name the children went under. The census is a very important source, though information varies; in 1841 and 1851, people found in outbuildings, caravans and the like were merely counted, and their names not taken. In 1861, a separate list was drawn up for non-house dwellers, though again the amount of detail varied. From 1871, travellers are quite often on the last page of a district, even though they were supposed to be in enumeration order. Where the latter was used, it can sometimes be deduced exactly where on the road a caravan had stopped, in relation to the buildings either side of the entry.

  The parish chest can reveal other sources, such as the overseers and churchwardens’ accounts. St Mary Bredman in Canterbury made frequent payments to travellers and noted their names- their destination was even noted between 1689 and 1701. The poor law records can show settlement and removal orders from 1660 up to 1837. Removal orders were enforced for financial reasons, as the next parish could send travellers straight back, forcing the first parish to pay parish relief to look after them, without the all-important paperwork.

  Finally, criminal records such as quarter sessions and petty sessions should be consulted. Examinations often reveal that travellers would stay in one place during the winter months.

  Those wishing to conduct more research should contact bodies such as the Gypsy Law Society, whose publications have useful articles and photographs of travellers and their family trees.

Canterbury Branch Talk 11^th November 2005

  “Guy Fawkes”

  By Anne Carter

Anne Carter treated the members to an excellent talk on a most topical subject, with the country having just celebrated the 400^th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot.

  Anne opened her talk with a description of certain aspects of life in the early part of the seventeenth century, revealing that Parliament only sat for two or three months a year, most likely between October and May, as during Spring, and at Harvest time, many gentlemen MPs needed to be at home to supervise their estates, and military campaigns were usually put on hold during the Winter. Life for Roman Catholics at this time was hard, with restrictions on worship and movement. Catholic priests went abroad to train as missionaries, and returned to preach in secret; in 1603, when James I came to the throne, approximately 500 priests were in the country.

  Anne then outlined the events leading to this state of affairs. In 1534, the Act of Supremacy established Henry VIII as Defender of the Faith, replacing the Pope as head of the Church. In 1547, Henry’s son Edward came to the throne, and after his death in 1553, the tragic story of Lady Jane Grey was played out. With her 9-day reign over, Mary I ascended the throne, married Philip of Spain, and reinstated the Roman Catholic Church. Persecution and execution of Protestants ensued. England became a Protestant land again with Elizabeth I in 1558. Under Elizabeth, Roman Catholics were still persecuted, but not as often as before. A £20 fine could be levied on Roman Catholics if they failed to attend a Protestant church once a month.

  Guy Fawkes was born in York in 1570. His father was a wealthy lawyer, and unusually his mother also had money in her own right. His parents were Protestant, but had many Catholic friends. Guy was educated at St Peter’s School in York, but soon after leaving school, travelled to Spain, as his interest in Roman Catholicism grew. In Spain, Guy became a Colonel by his mid 20s, and commanded his men with a care unusual for that time. From Spain, Guy moved to Belgium, in order to fight the Dutch. Guy’s area of expertise in the army was the use of gunpowder…

  In 1603, James I came to the throne. James was very intelligent; as a boy he translated the Bible from Greek. James also famously wrote “A Counterblast against Tobacco”, and also published writings against witchcraft, in an era when belief in the existence of witches was high. James had a troubled upbringing; his mother was Mary, Queen of Scots, and his father Lord Darnley, who may have been blown up on the orders of his mother. James was physically rather misshapen, as his tongue was too big for his mouth, and food and drink tended to spill out. He didn’t wash much either. James loved to hunt, and would plunge his hands into the bowels of a kill. Despite all this, he was married to Anne of Denmark (who had Roman Catholic leanings), and produced seven children.

  The Roman Catholic community thought that life would be easier under James, but for some extremists, James was not acceptable. Several Plots were planned (and failed) after his accession; in particular the Bye Plot, whose members planned to capture the King and keep him in the Tower, and the Main Plot, when such figures as Lord Cobham and Sir Walter Raleigh wanted to kill the King, and place Lady Arabella Stuart on the throne. Lady Arabella sensibly wanted nothing to do with this, which saved her neck when many others were executed. In 1604, unrest was growing among Roman Catholics, agitated by Philip of Spain. A convert to Catholicism named Robert Catesby planned a new Plot, involving the blowing up of Parliament at the State Opening, killing the King and Prince Henry, and placing Princess Elizabeth on the throne (or failing her, Prince Charles, the future Charles I). Catesby had a supporter in Thomas Percy, of the famous Northumberland family, who owned a house next door to Parliament. Parliament in 1605 was a jumble of buildings, cheek-by-jowl with its neighbours. Guy, or Guido as he called himself by this time, was hired for his expertise. The plotters, without much success, tried to dig a tunnel from Percy’s house to the cellars of Parliament, which were at ground level with vaulted ceilings, and not underground. A coal merchant’s rooms in the cellars were hired instead, and Fawkes brought in powder at night by boat.

  The Opening of Parliament was delayed by the King’s desire to go hunting instead, but finally was announced for the 5^th November. Fawkes brought more powder in to replace that which was now damp, and finalised details of the ship on which he would escape to Flanders after Parliament was destroyed. The conspirators would gather at Dunsmore Heath, Warwickshire, to await news to start the rebellion. However, with 13 or more people involved, the secret was likely to come out, and on the 26^th October, one of the conspirators, Tresham, sent a letter to Lord Monteagle, warning him not to go to Parliament. Monteagle told Robert Cecil and the Lord Chancellor, who checked the cellars, and found Guy, using the name John Johnson. Guy was not arrested, though they were sure they had their man. The King was not informed, as he had an (understandable!) fear of assassination; his baggy clothing was filled with sawdust to stop a knife attack, for example. Finally, at 2am on the 5^th, a magistrate, Sir Thomas Nevitt, and soldiers arrested Fawkes in the cellars.

  Fawkes held out under questioning for a day and a half, to try to let any conspirators leave London before the City gates were sealed, but many were caught. By order of the King, Fawkes went to the Tower to be tortured. There were different levels of torture available, from “pinching”, where no food and water was given to a prisoner, through manacles, where a prisoner would hang from them, and could be tightened, up to the Rack, the only example of which was in the Tower. The very sight of it could make people talk. Fawkes endured two days on the Rack, before signing a confession.

  The conspirators in Warwickshire, receiving the bad news, set off with a wagon-full of gunpowder looking for a place of safety. After 3 days in the pouring rain, they reached Holbeach House in the Midlands, and promptly put the powder in front of the fire to dry! Many were killed in the subsequent explosion, and the King’s men who besieged the House shot most of the rest. The few survivors were found guilty and executed in January 1606, Fawkes and other key members being hung, drawn and quartered on the 31^st, outside Parliament. The 5^th of November became a public holiday, of increasing rowdiness, until Queen Victoria banned it.

  The tradition of bonfires pre-dated Guy Fawkes. The 31^st October was New Year’s Eve in the Celtic calendar, when ash from the fireplace was scattered on the ground, and the fire relit for the New Year. The 4^th November in Yorkshire was mischief-making night, when youths would steal hedges and gates to burn. For years before the Gunpowder Plot, Lewes in Sussex would burn effigies of the Pope, in retaliation for Protestants in the town being burnt in 1557 for daring to read the Bible, something only a priest was allowed to do. As late as the 19^th Century, the townsfolk would refuse permission for Catholics to be buried in the churchyard, and even beat up the Vicar of the town, who wished to bury his daughter, a Catholic nun. All the above elements have come together to form Bonfire night in its present form.

Canterbury Branch Meeting 9^th December 2005

  My Ancestors are Still Revolting

  By David Wood

A busy meeting heard a talk by Branch Secretary David Wood about the Battle of Bossenden Wood in 1838, and his ancestors’ part in it.

  David laid out the background to the tragic events that took place at Dunkirk, only a few miles from Canterbury. He started with an account of the early life of the protagonist of the Battle, one John Tom, who after showing worrying traits of madness back in his native Cornwall, disappeared, only to turn up in Canterbury in 1832 under the guise of Sir William Courtenay. His charismatic charm brought him lots of followers, and twice he stood for Parliament, without success. Eventually, he was convicted of perjury and sentenced for transportation, until his description was matched to his family’s plea for information in the Times, after which he became an inmate at the Kent Lunatic Asylum.

  On Courtenay’s release in 1837, he stayed with a supporter in Boughton-under-Blean, until he was thrown out for carrying a brace of pistols in his belt, and his increasing belief that he was the Messiah. Courtenay continued to gather followers, until May 1838, when the authorities decided that he should be arrested for inciting unrest. When the village constable, his brother, and an assistant arrived at Bossenden Farm to carry out the arrest, Courtenay shot the constable’s brother, Nicholas Mears, dead. After several hours pursuit, Courtenay and about 40 followers were cornered in Bossenden Wood by 100 soldiers from Canterbury Barracks; in the battle that ensued, Courtenay and nine local men were killed, and several injured, in addition to two deaths on the soldiers’ side. Among the injured was Mr. Wood’s 3-times great grandfather, Henry Hadlow.

  David concluded his talk with a description of the subsequent trial, and the transportation of Henry Hadlow’s uncle, William Wills, to Tasmania, as well as Henry’s life following his close shave with death.

  After the talk, members enjoyed free festive nibbles and drinks.

Friday, 10^th March 2006.

  London Sources

  Lady Mary Teviot

  Branch members turned out on a rainy evening to hear Lady Teviot give a very informative talk on the huge variety of sources available to family history researchers in London.

  Lady Teviot explained that three main archives cover London; The Guildhall Library, Aldermanbury, covers the City of London; Westminster Archives Centre, St Ann’s St, covers Westminster; and the London Metropolitan Archives, Northampton Rd, covers the rest of London and Middlesex. Researching London parishes reveals problems of scale unimagined by rural research; in 1827, for example, St Leonard’s, Shoreditch, baptised 800 people- in one day! Churches would have teams of curates to cope, and it is not unusual for the same family’s children to have been baptised the same day by different clergy. In Victorian London, populations grew quickly; Islington’s parish churches grew from 1 to 30 to cater for this. London’s system of parishes were replaced in 1889 by the founding of the London County Council, and the introduction of 28 metropolitan boroughs.

  Lady Teviot pointed out some of the less well-known resources available.

·        At the Guildhall Library, registers of overseas parishes can be found, especially in the “International Memoranda”, covering 1816-1924, as the Bishop of London was responsible for all Anglican churches in Europe. If you ancestor became a doctor in London, their records are also held here.

·        Doctor William’s Library, Gordon Square, is a repository of non-conformist records.

·        Personnel records of Postmen (or Letter-Carriers before 1883) are held at the British Postal Museum, Mount Pleasant, on over 2 miles of shelving. Incidentally, the numbering of buildings started at the end of the 18^th Century; before that houses had hanging signs, the profusion of which led to their banning in 1762.

·        The Theatre Museum, Tavistock St, has information relating to actors and theatre staff; this was an industry employing huge numbers of people. Kent University, incidentally, has a theatre programme archive.

·        Newspapers can be accessed at the British Library archive at Colindale. A programme is starting to scan some of these onto the Internet.

·        The London Metropolitan Archives houses most of the records of the Foundling hospitals, formed in 1741. There is a 110-year closure on these records, and foundlings’ names were changed on arrival, but the full details of the child’s birth may be recorded.

·        The Latter-day Saints Resource Centre in Hyde Park Road, among it’s usual range of filmed records, has copies of Irish Births, Marriages and Deaths indexes.

  Lady Teviot recommended a website called Gendoc which gives good information on London researching, including cemeteries, and a Victorian A-Z street list. On the subject of burials, the private cemeteries sprang up as a result of cholera outbreaks, and the unhygienic conditions of overcrowded church graveyards. The new cemeteries were heavily used; in a 20-year period, one 1-acre site had 14000 burials.

  Finally, Lady Teviot highlighted three institutions with useful records.

• The Oriental and India Office Collection at the British Library. 186000 files on 9 miles of shelving contain the records of the East India Company, the Board of Control, and the India Office, all of which employed large numbers over a period of 300 years (Ceylon records are at the Colonial Office).

• The House of Lords Record Office contains all the Acts of Parliament, Protestation Returns (a 1642 list of people swearing an oath of loyalty to the Government), and evidence relating to private bills. Building plans submitted to Parliament are also held here.

Lambeth Palace Library has records of Church organisations.

8th September 2006

  “From Scarlet to Khaki”

  Speaker: Jon Mills

  Branch members were entertained with an interesting talk by Jon Mills on the subject of identifying your ancestors in army uniform.

  Between 1900 and 1966, your ancestor could be depicted in many different styles of uniform, from Full Dress right down to Kitchener Blue or Hospital Dress, depending on the age of the photograph. In Queen Victoria’s time, Khaki was only worn overseas, as the campaigns would invariably be in warmer climes; from 1902, the entire army went into khaki, with puttees up to 1939. Officers since 1902 have worn collar and tie, including on active service in World War One. In 1939, all ranks went into battledress, with a further change in 1949 resulting in collar and tie for all (Korean War, National Service, etc).

  Mr Mills advised that the best way to identify a soldier’s unit is to start with the cap badge, then check the collar badge, which will usually be different. If the badges are of a regiment, research is easier; if that of a corps (Artillery, Engineers), it is much harder. Officers’ ‘shoulder’ insignia were actually on the cuffs, but were mainly back in their original position by 1917, as officers stood out too easily for snipers before. In World War Two, the insignia travelled back down to the cuff, due to snipers in trees!

  Other Ranks shoulders had a brass strip with the regiment name on; a ‘T’ indicates a territorial. Other Ranks arm badges were originally metal, but in World War One, fabric patches with white words were used. Metal returned in peacetime, but patches returned in World War Two, this time with black writing. In wartime, soldiers also wore cloth shapes on the arm to indicate his division. Soldiers may also have trade and proficiency badges, such as a fleur-de-lis for a scout.

  Webbing was introduced in 1906, replacing white belts and pouches. The webbing was altered in 1937 to accommodate Bren gun magazines. Officers wore a Sam Browne belt that could carry a sword, though again wartime experience led to Other Ranks webbing being used, again to avoid enemy snipers.

  At the end of the talk, Mr Mills took questions, and looked at several members’ pictures, offering identification or guidance on research.

October 2006

Peter Christian- Finding Genealogy on the Internet

Well-known expert on Internet Genealogy, Peter Christian, gave a Powerpoint demonstration to the members showing how the Internet can be best utilised to help with research.

  The vastness of the Internet, and variations in spelling, present their own difficulties in finding the site for you. The tools available to search split down into three categories: Directories, Gateways, and Search Engines.

  Directories (such as Yahoo) are a good starting point, covering structured lists of information resources, compiled by hand rather than by computer “robot”, and therefore selective in their content. A good example is searching for ‘Canterbury’, ‘Family’ and ‘History’ on Yahoo, which finds the Society’s Canterbury Branch website, www.canterburykfhs.co.uk on the first page of results; the same search on a search engine such as Google ranks the site a long way down its list of ‘hits’.

  Gateways, also known as Portals or Hubs, are much more subject specific and show appropriate categories; examples are Familyrecords (for beginners), Genuki (for UK specific information), and Cyndi’s List (more comprehensive). More specialist Gateways include Archon for archive and museum details, and PORT, run by the National Maritime Museum.

  Search Engines (such as Google) are indexed databases of resources, compiled by computers searching the Internet; this results in very comprehensive information (good for locating individual resources), but not selective in their content. The drawbacks of search engines include too many results when searching for information, and high-profile websites dominating search results, requiring skill from the searcher to navigate to the required site.

  Gateways and search engines both have the same problem with being unable to access the “invisible” Web, that is to say sites that require registration (paid or free) before searching the databases, such as Ancestry.co.uk; a search engine will find a particular surname or pedigree, but not the detailed information contained on that site’s database.

  Tips for efficient searching include using more search terms, giving fewer results; using “or” to find alternatives (such as ‘Joe or Jane Bloggs, London’); putting phrases in speech marks in order to find the phrase, rather than the individual words; and to read the sites’ help pages for any special features they may contain.

  It is worth knowing that no search engines search more than half the Web individually, so the engine used is important; big engines will always find the high-profile sites, but several engines may be needed to find someone’s personal website. A Metasearch engine will use several search engines at once, giving broader coverage, but cannot exploit an individual engine’s special features, and will only show the top sites.

  Finally, do not overlook using Discussion Forums on the Web, in the form of mailing lists, or Web-based discussion groups. These are good places to ask questions, and to look for other peoples’ surname interests. Yahoo and Rootsweb host such sites of local interest, such as Kentgene, Kent-Eng, Isle-of-Thanet and Sussex-Plus.

November 2006

  “Dark Satanic Mills” by Wendy Anderson

A good audience of nearly 70 members enjoyed a talk by Wendy Anderson on the subject of the cotton industry in Lancashire, specifically centred on the town of Oldham.

  Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Oldham was a hamlet at the junction of several roads, in a region of North-West England far from centres of industry. Daniel Defoe described how this area was reliant on its trade in wool, the millstone grit in places such as Saddleworth Moor filtering water to a purity essential for wool production. This production was in family-run, cottage industries. The importation of raw cotton for processing led to the gentry families who owned the land around Oldham selling up to industrial entrepreneurs, who largely replaced the woollen industry with cotton mills, whose size increased as the means of powering them improved, from mule to water to steam. In 1787, 4 million lbs of raw cotton was imported into England; by 1790, that figure had increased to 31 million lbs, as quality and quantity increased to compete with overseas production, such as Indian calico.

  The mills in Oldham sprung up where water was available, and with close access to the roads. The need for coal to power the steam engines meant collieries appeared wherever a seam was found, even in the centre of town. The frequent adding of storeys to mills as production boomed eventually led to a tragedy in Oldham, when part of one mill collapsed, with the loss of 20 people.

  The movement of people from the country into the towns increased due to hardship caused by the wars with France from 1793 to 1815. Blockades led to shortages, and workers faced the possibility of famine, as food prices increased, with no corresponding rise in wages. By 1816, cotton spinners began to show discontent, Oldham in particular being a centre of radical thought from the masters as well as the workers. In 1819, Oldham workers were in Manchester with hundreds of others pressing for the formation of a friendly society to fight for workers’ rights. The use of cavalry to break up the illegal gathering resulted in the Peterloo Massacre.

  By the 1830s, Oldham had gradually grown outwards from its central crossroads into a built-up town, though still with rural areas close by. The increase in steam power (92 engines in 1832) led to attacks on seven mills by the Luddites, men who were fearful of mechanisation replacing their jobs. The work available in the mills was noisy and dangerous, as spinning rooms were constantly enlarged; sign language first developed amongst workers in the mill, as verbal communication was impossible. Terrible accidents befell workers who were caught in the machinery; most vulnerable of all were the ‘scavengers’, young boys whose job was to sweep for fluff underneath the moving spinning machines. However, on the whole, mill owners were quite philanthropic towards their workers in Oldham, who started to be allowed regular days off; a return trip on the canal was a popular option, in the absence of any other reliable and affordable transport.

  By the end of the 19^th Century, Old Oldham had been swept away, replaced by a large conurbation, with tightly packed houses for the workers, and large houses for the mill owners, with, as in so many Industrial towns, large Gothic municipal development in the centre of town, producing large, imposing, clean-looking public buildings, such as the Town Hall, the mill owners promoting a prosperous image to the world. Their wealth was not illusory; in 1820 John Lees was worth £2000. The Lees family fortune increased to the extent that by 1900 their estate was worth £500,000, and they now lived in London, with no need to be close to their business empire.

January 2007

  Peter Ewart “School Life in Victorian and Edwardian Times”

A large gathering of members thoroughly enjoyed a most interesting talk by Society Vice President Peter Ewart on the subject of school life in Victorian and Edwardian times.

1870 in England was a watershed in education, with the passing, in the face of strong opposition, of the Elementary Act. Also known as Forster’s Act, it purpose was “to bring Elementary education to all homes, and to children without homes”, and brought State involvement into schooling for the first time. Prior to 1870, schooling was provided by a variety of means. The Church of England had National schools in most towns and villages, with rudimentary facilities; Non-Conformists had British schools; Dame schools taught the three ‘R’s, R.E, and sewing, with various degrees of ability; and Ragged schools had helped to get urchins off the streets since 1820. The school leaving age in 1870 was ten years old. Industry and Agriculture were concerned that the new Act would lead to the disappearing of cheap labour, and the Church were reticent in merging their schools into the new Board school system. Further Acts in 1876 and 1880 made school compulsory until the age of thirteen, but only in 1892 was free primary education for all provided.

  The new Board schools were built using typical Victorian ecclesiastical architecture. Lessons were held in one room, with high windows to stop pupils looking outside, sitting on benches with no backs, to ensure children sat up straight. The headmaster would be the only teacher with qualifications, usually trained at the Borough Road School in Southwark. A Board school’s income was dependent on attendance and success in teaching the national curriculum, judged by a regular visit of a Government Inspector. In the early years of Board schools, there were problems with discipline, as some parents complained at teachers using corporal punishment, and in the 1880s and 1890s, attendance was poor due to truancy and children helping their parents at work (the summer holiday in Kent was movable in order to accommodate the hop picking). The realisation that many children were coming to school hungry led to charities providing free or penny breakfasts to encourage attendance; school dinners started in the large cities, and rippled out across the country.

  The curriculum expanded to include such subjects as singing and poetry, and boys were taught sewing and darning. School logbooks (kept by law) reveal a concern in instilling virtues of patriotism, duty, love of home, and respect of elders. Children were taught how to fill in the 1901 and 1911 censuses, in order to help their parents. In 1902, Board schools became County schools, and free secondary education started to be provided. The poor health of recruits in the Boer War also led to the introduction of the school medical, and physical education, as well as the appearance of ‘Nitty Nora’ for the first time!

  Peter Ewart rounded off his talk with an illustration of how a girl of fourteen wrote a letter of thanks to her school upon leaving. The handwriting was copperplate and immaculate, and illustrated how the introduction of State schooling had transformed the lives of children in England and Wales.

February 2007

  Mervyn Streatfield- “Were the Good Old Days- That Good?”

Mr Streatfield opened his talk with a question to the assembled audience; is life today better, worse, or much the same as the life our ancestors would have experienced?

  Our impressions of life in the past are, of course, mainly expressed to us through the writings of the survivors. To quote Thomas Hobbes, life was ‘nasty, brutish and short’; compared with today, our eighteenth century ancestors accepted death as a part of life. Their obsession with mortality is shown in the passion for family vaults that started around this time. From the mid-nineteenth century on, however, the majority of people managed to live a reasonably long life; by 1900, 49 was the average age. Today, that has extended to 70 or more, but many more people now have no quality of life to enjoy their long life spans.

  The concept of community has altered from previous generations; fifty years ago, most people living in a village would know their fellow villagers, and would have known them all their lives. As recently as 1970,10% of houses contained only one adult male: today, the figure is 40%.

  People today tend to view the past, whether experienced or not, with rose-tinted glasses. A major reason why the older generations are nostalgic towards the Second World War is not for the bad times, but the intense camaraderie experienced during the conflict. Mr Streatfield stated that the idea of wishing to live in a historical period such as, for example, the Tudors, is silly, as the reality was most people then were not comfortable, but lived very hard lives; the concept of planning for the future was unknown, and life was lived more urgently. Paradoxically, our ancestors would have been more sensitive to horrific sights than we are, as a constant bombardment of harrowing imagery in the media has desensitised us, to our detriment. Although many aspects of modern life make life today better, emotionally the past will always be better, as that is when we remember loved ones who are no longer with us, and that love is different to that which we feel for our younger generations.

  The talk concluded with a discussion with the audience, the subject being “would you rather live in Canterbury 50 years ago, or now”. A member suggested that for women, life is better now, but the struggle still continues. Another suggestion was that life then was more innocent than today, as we are bombarded with information trying to tell us how we should think, with a dearth of good news to even up the bad. It was also stated that with a lifetime of advertising, the level at which people today are satisfied with their lot is higher. Overall, it was thought that because life today is so different, it is difficult to compare.

March 2007.

Paul Blake “The Metropolitan Nightmare”.

A well-attended meeting saw members entertained by a lecture by Paul Blake about London, touching on its history, research problems and available resources to trace ancestors in the capital.

  London’s origins were dictated by geography; the Thames (much shallower and wider than today) could be forded, the gravel provided a base for bridge building, and vessels could sail upriver from the sea. When Boudicca razed Londinium to the ground, it was an undefended trading post; when rebuilt, a defensive wall enclosed the area still known as “the Square Mile”, the City of London. By the third century AD, London was the provincial capital, and a century later the boundary was three miles in length, prosperous and self-sufficient in trades, and populated by 6000 people. With the collapse of the Roman Empire, London disappears from the records for nearly two centuries; however, the constant influx of foreign merchants ensured that by 1066, London was the richest town in William the Conqueror’s realm.

  London continued to grow within and without the City walls in medieval times, and the Dissolution of the monasteries released space inside the walls for further development and growth. During Tudor and Stuart times, Westminster and the East End began to develop. The City increasingly became the centre for working, rather than living, and Southwark the centre for entertainment.

  Until the 1850s, there were far more deaths in London than births, the rise in the population due to constant migration and immigration. In the nineteenth century, London’s high growth and expansion was unique in Europe; two and a half million people in 1851 had grown to six and a half million by 1901, some 5% of whom were Irish. Population growth was greater further from the centre of London, the railways helping to facilitate this growth. One consequence was the movement of better-paid workers out to suburbs such as Wimbledon, and the poorer inhabitants filling the space between the suburbs and central London.

  London’s complex administration provides problems with research. Until 1889, no single body was responsible, London consisting of the City, other areas coming under Middlesex, Essex, Kent and Surrey. In 1889, London County Council was formed to administer London outside of the City, until the Greater London Council was formed in 1965. Religious records came under six dioceses, with no fewer than seventeen ecclesiastical courts at different times up to 1858 overseeing such records as wills and probate. In a nutshell, London provides the same problems as elsewhere, but in much greater proportions, making the need for proof of your finding more certain. Many people in London deliberately avoided being recorded by the authorities, and a sixth of Victorian Londoners were religious non-conformists. In 1851, 60% of Londoners did not go to church regularly, and with 103 parishes in the Square Mile of the City alone, research is daunting!

  Guildhall Library, founded in 1484 by Dick Whittington, contains archives for the City of London, including the livery company records. Guildhall also has the best collection of street directories covering the whole country. The County of London and areas formerly in Middlesex are found at the London Metropolitan Archives. The LMA also contains administrative records of the Corporation of London, and freedom of the City records, as well as a great photographic collection covering Greater London. Westminster has its own archives centre, whilst areas of London outside the London County Council in Surrey, Essex and Kent will be found in Woking, Chelmsford and the Centre for Kentish Studies at Maidstone. In addition, from 1965, London boroughs have kept their own records; boroughs such as Southwark and Lambeth have superb archives with incredibly knowledgeable staff.

  Research sources to consult include the censuses, which are now found on the Internet. Parish registers have generally not been transcribed, due to the sheer size of the task; St Mary Lambeth alone has 300,000 entries over 400 years! Marriage licences are important, as their use was more common in London than banns, and various indexes compiled by people such as Pallot and Boyd must be consulted, especially for pre-1837 events.

  In conclusion, Paul Blake could use no finer statement than that of Samuel Johnson: “No, Sir; When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford”.

April 2007

  Meryl Catty: “To Coin a Phrase”

Canterbury Branch members were entertained at the April meeting by well-known genealogical teacher Meryl Catty’s talk “To Coin a Phrase”, on the subject of the origins of phrases used in everyday English, such as ‘Knowing the Ropes’, ‘On the Right Tack’, and to be at ‘Sixes and Sevens’, without realising their true meaning.

  Britain’s nautical heritage provides a huge array of phrases; ‘Knowing the Ropes’, of course, was vitally important, as using the wrong one on a sail could spell disaster at sea. ‘On the Right Tack’ means to steer a good course, originally by tacking a boat in zigzags to maintain a particular direction; ‘Getting Down to Brass Tacks’, on the other hand, has nothing to do with the sea, originating in drapers’ shops, where a series of brass tacks were hammered into the counter at intervals as a measure. When the cloth was measured out, you were at the stage of closing the deal, which is the modern meaning of this phrase.

  To return to the sea, ‘Gilding the Lily’, and ‘Knocking the Gilt off the Gingerbread’ both refer to the gilded carvings at the rear of vessels such as HMS Victory; one putting it on, the other taking it off when a boat was broken up. To be ‘Over a Barrel’ was a hopeless position, as you would be stretched, face-down, over the barrel of a cannon and whipped as punishment. A sailor’s macabre sense of humour was evident in phrases such as ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’ to describe their contempt for their meat rations, referring to a young girl murdered and dismembered in Hampshire!

  Moving on to dry land, ‘Sixes and Sevens’ dates back to the Livery Guilds of the City of London in the Middle Ages. The Guilds had a strict hierarchy, the Mercers being the first in seniority. The Merchant Tailors and the Skinners argued for generations who was number six, and who number seven. Eventually, they agreed to alternate each year, which has lasted to the present day. Whilst on the subject of work, apprentices who had learnt their trade for seven years were expected to produce a final example, often in miniature, to show their expertise; this was called a ‘masterpiece’, which now has a wider meaning relating to anything of exquisite quality. After qualifying, a tradesman would be known as a ‘Journeyman’, not because he travelled, but from the French ‘Journée’, meaning ‘day’, as he would receive a daily wage. Printing has given us the phrase ‘Out of Sorts’. Sorts were sets of letters, and if a printer ran out of particular letters and was unable to complete, he would be a bit down and fed-up with things! ‘To Kick the Bucket’ comes from butchery, the Bucket being a frame on which a slaughtered pig would be bled.

  Meryl also gave examples of how leisure has provided phrases. Card games produced ‘Above Board’, meaning all hands were kept above the board, or table; and ‘Underhand’, when a player changed his cards out of sight of the others. Horse racing came up with ‘To Win Hands Down’, meaning the horse was so far ahead, the jockey had no need of the whip to urge his ride on. In the Theatre, ‘Limelight’ was, of course, the substance used to light the stage before gas and electricity, but ‘Claptrap’ was another early device, used to encourage the audience to applaud, regardless of how good the performance was!

  Finally, examples of how our ancestors were terrified of a ‘Frog in the Throat’, whilst being happy to ‘Eat their Hats’! When water had to come from the local pond or river, people were afraid that if they drank frogspawn, the frogs would grow inside; hence their fear when they coughed due to a throat irritation. You could easily win a bet to eat your hat, if you ate the original meaning of ‘Hattes’, a dish comprising egg, veal, dates and saffron.

May 2007

  Martin Lloyd: ‘Buzz Bombs and Bicycles’

The May meeting commenced with the branch AGM. After the AGM, the assembled audience heard an interesting talk by Martin Lloyd entitled “Buzz Bombs and Bicycles”, described as a cyclist’s look at the V1 campaign in North West France.

  Germany developed three ‘revenge’ weapons in World War Two; the V1 was a pilotless aircraft, the V2 was a long-range rocket, and the V3 was an immense underground gun. Only the V1 and V2 saw service.

  Mr Lloyd then went on to describe the V1 in detail. Building a plane with no pilot may seem odd, but the most expensive and heavy part of an aircraft is the crew and cockpit, and the removal of these simplified production. The V1’s distinctive noise was due to the Argus pulse jet, a simple tube in which petrol and air is mixed and ignited, the gas escaping rearwards through slats like those on a bathroom vent, closing between ignitions. The pulse jet was not powerful enough to launch the V1, so the building of 150-foot long ramps was necessary, each having a cast iron pin, steam-propelled at 1000psi to take the V1 to 250 mph up the ramp to enable it to launch.

  A compass kept on its heading by electrical contacts kept it on course. A gyroscope on bearings maintained the height of the flight path. The V1’s wings were totally straight, ensuring if the rudder moved the plane could only skid sideways through the air and maintain the correct height. Range was determined by the airlog, a small idling propeller at the front set to turn a specific number of revolutions, equating to the distance to London from launch (as a target, London was ideal- it was large, and did not move!) When the range was reached, the airlog stopped, guillotines cut the fuel pipe and compressed air tubes, and a small explosive device went off to tip the V1 over into its dive. 6000 V1s were launched, of which 2000 reached their targets, many being brought down short over Kent.

  The V1s were built in Germany, and then transported to France by rail. On arrival, the wingless V1s were put in armoured shelters, and then taken to workshops to be tested. Once the V1s were fuelled, eight at a time were stored in ‘ski-site’ buildings, curved at one end like a ski to deflect bomb blast. Once the wings were attached, the V1s were wheeled by hand to a non-magnetic building with no iron in the concrete to swing the compass; the V1 being tapped with wooden mallets, which lined up the molecules with the Earth’s magnetic field.

  400 V1 sites were built in Northern France, but the concrete roads leading into woods was a giveaway. The Germans learned to only make cosmetic repairs, and to erect the ramps only when needed on the western sides of tall hedges (the shadows from which hid the ramps) in order to fool reconnaissance planes. The Germans asked their agents in Britain to report where V1s landed, but they had already been captured and imprisoned in Wormwood Scrubs, from where they were forced to transmit false information to have the range reduced. This was the reason why suburbs such as Croydon were the worst hit.

  Mr Lloyd illustrated his talk with slides taken on cycling tours of the V1 sites, showing just how much still survives over sixty years on.

Outdoor Meeting June 2007.

Michael Peters: Huguenot Canterbury

Over 30 branch members enjoyed a walking tour of central Canterbury by guide Michael Peters, concentrating on the history of the Walloons and Huguenots in the City.

  For 430 years, every Sunday without fail, a service in French is held in the Chapel of Prince Edward, otherwise known as the Black Prince’s Chantry, occupying a small area of the Crypt of the Cathedral. The origins of French Protestantism in Canterbury dates back to Philip the Fair of Flanders, and his marriage to the Infanta Joanna of Spain. His grandson, Philip II of Spain, Portugal and Flanders, gave the Protestants of the Low Countries a choice; become Catholic, leave, or die. The Walloons from the 1560s brought prosperity to a city that had suffered financially since the abrupt end in the 1530s to the pilgrimages to Becket’s tomb, as many of the ‘strangers’ were woollen weavers of the highest quality. In 1575, Archbishop Parker asked Elizabeth I for a church in the city for their use, and St Alphege’s in Palace Street was chosen. Within a year, larger premises were needed, and the western half of the Crypt was allocated. By 1600, between one third and one half of the population of Canterbury were French-speaking refugees. Under the Edict of Nantes in 1589, the French King Henry IV gave freedom of worship to the Huguenots, and the numbers in Canterbury declined until his Catholic grandson Louis XIV revoked the Edict in 1685, the climax of persecution that resulted in a huge wave of Huguenots settling in Canterbury. The Huguenots specialised in silk weaving, and the trade continued for another century, until changing fashions and the movement of weaving to Spitalfields in London, meant that by 1837 none remained. The Huguenots assimilated with the local population, and many of their descendants played a leading role in Canterbury’s affairs up to the present day.

  Among the sites of interest covered on the walk were houses in Turnagain Lane that still possess an original long row of windows necessary for providing enough light for weaving, and the Blackfriars buildings, used by the weavers as their community centre and Franking Hall, where the woven cloth was taxed by the City authorities. The walk ended at the Black Prince’s Chantry in the Crypt, where the history of the development of the chapel was described.

July 2007

  Brian Fagg: The Chelsea Flower Show and How It Came into Being

In the last meeting before the summer break, members heard a talk by Brian Fagg on the history of the Chelsea Flower Show.

  Chelsea’s story dates back to 1803, when John Wedgwood, who had an interest in flowers, teamed up with his friend William Forsyth, head gardener to George IV, to set up an organisation, with the encouragement of Joseph Banks at Kew. The organisation, known as ‘The Society for the Promotion, Growth and Development of Plants in Horticulture’, met during 1808 and 1809 at Hatchards Booksellers in Piccadilly. The Duke of Northumberland lent the Society a corner of the grounds of Chiswick House to use. Eventually, a larger site was needed, so Prince Albert was approached for help, and Queen Victoria granted them land in Kensington.

  In 1860, Queen Victoria issued the Society with a royal warrant, and their name changed to the Royal Horticultural Society. At this time, the Inner Temple in London was used for their main show, with land at Wisley in Surrey being acquired for the growing of the plants. By the 1880s, the RHS started selling teas and cakes at their show, much to the disapproval of the Inner Temple! In 1900/1901, the RHS started to have a band at the shows, and the Temple imposed restrictions on noise and refreshments. Clearly, a more suitable site was required, and the opportunity arose in 1912, when the International Horticultural Exhibition negotiated the use of land at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and the RHS joined forces. The following year, the RHS held a show at Chelsea, named ‘The Royal Chelsea Flower Show’, and has continued to the present day, with breaks during wartime when the grounds were required for crops, and the abandonment of the show for one year in the 1920s due to the weather, and surviving financial difficulty caused by the treasurer of the RHS and the Royal Hospital fiddling the books!

  Tidbits of information from the Mr Fagg included the two items strictly forbidden at the show, namely artificial flowers and garden gnomes, and that the phrase ‘cash and carry’ originated at Chelsea, with the traditional selling off at the end of anything that the purchaser can carry away. Mr Fagg finished off by showing slides of the show.

September 2007

Bob Ogley: Doodlebugs and Rockets: The V1 and V2 attacks on Kent

  In September, the first meeting of the new season got off to a very good start when Bob Ogley gave a talk about Doodlebugs and Rockets – “Hitler’s Secret Weapons”.  Bob told how, when he was researching his book on the subject, he began by writing letters to every paper in “Doodlebug Alley” asking for correspondence on the subject.  To his surprise he received more than 400 replies and he managed to meet up with many who had been involved with dealing with Doodlebugs.  Bob spoke by telephone to Professor R V Jones who was Scientific Advisor to the Air Ministry who gave him much useful information.  He also heard from Constance Babbington Smith whose job had been to study photographs for suspicious looking objects – she had spotted the “mini aircraft” on ramps and small rockets.  All in all Bob heard much first hand information about how Britain had dealt with the threat of doodlebugs. 

  He then went on to tell the audience how, because of a huge raid where every available bomber had bombed the installations, Hitler’s programme had been delayed by six months.  This meant they began after D Day so British troops were in France by the time they came.  The targets then were civilian.  The first doodlebug crossed at Dymchurch on 13 June 1944, crossed over Romney Marsh and dived into a potato field next to what is now the Bluewater shopping complex.  They were 25 foot long with a 17 foot wingspan and the third one sent over managed to kill three people in Bethnal Green.  Altogether 1400 were shot down or crashed in Kent but many got through.  Altogether 2752 people were killed and 8000 injured. The gunners on the coast were Britain’s first line of defence, fighter aircraft the second and barrage balloons the third. 

  Bob heard many anecdotal stories of how luck saved several people.  In Surrey a mother moved her baby boy in his cot out of pure instinct and just shortly afterwards a doodlebug hit the house in front of her.  Fourteen died in the road – the baby boy became a Prime Minister – John Major.

  Kent hosted “Doodlebug Alley” for 80 days and nights and after much bombing they ceased in September.  However, even worse was to come as the V2 Rocket came over from The Hague in Holland.  These could reach Britain four minutes later and broke the sound barrier.  Every day until the 25^th  of March 1945 at least one and often 20 rockets landed in England.  The worst incident on a Saturday morning in New Cross killed 160 people.  With the doodlebug there were usually 12 seconds of silence before it landed giving people a small chance of taking cover.  However, the V2 was more deadly as they made no sound before they fell giving no warning.

  After Bob’s talk there was an interesting question and answer session and many in the audience shared their own memories.

October 2007

Peter Ewart: The History of Rye 

A well-attended meeting heard a talk by Society vice-president Peter Ewart on the history of the Sussex town of Rye. Perched on its sandstone rock, geography has dictated the history of the red-roofed town, as the constant shift of shingle from west to east along the Channel resulted in the River Rother changing course from its original outlet near Romney to a new outlet, where Rye came into being as a port. In the middle ages, Rye was on an island, which gradually joined to the mainland with the formation of a narrow causeway; the silting and erosion also led to the gradual collapse of part of the eastern side of the town.

  In the fourteenth century, fleets from the Cinque Ports (of which Rye was an ‘ancient town’ member) carried out raids on France, and vice-versa. In 1377, Rye was sacked by the French and burnt, with only the stone buildings surviving. By the sixteenth century, fishing and trade were in decline, as Rye silted up; the population at this time stood at about four thousand, including 1500 Huguenots.

  A famous event in the town’s history took place in 1725, when the fleet carrying King George I was driven ashore near Lydd, and the King was taken to Rye for shelter; the mayor, James Lamb, housed the monarch for several days whilst a snowstorm raged. The mayor’s wife gave birth at that time to a son, who was naturally named George, and the King agreed to be his godfather at the christening. The Lamb family dominated the town in the eighteenth century, providing the mayor for 90 years, plus two MPs (Rye being a rotten borough). Corrupt politics dominated nineteenth-century Rye. In 1825, William Holloway and Henry Pocock Clarke, appalled by the state of affairs, ransacked the town hall searching for incriminating documents, then staged a ‘sit-in’ for six weeks, keeping the mayor and corporation locked out. The 1832 Reform Act failed to change matters in Rye, as a schemer named Jeremiah Smith effectively ran the town and chose who would serve on the council; at election times, Smith and his rival, Curtiss, would bribe all the eligible voters! Smith was eventually jailed for perjury in Newgate prison, London, but was still influential, and persuaded (bribed?) the jury from his trial to petition for a pardon, returning to Rye in triumph.

  Throughout this period, Rye was a poor community; by the early twentieth century, the last three boatyards closed down. Tourism would prove to be the town’s salvation, and its main source of income up to the present day.

November 2007

David Wood: 'Why Didn't We Remember Them?'

The well-attended November meeting saw a last-minute change of speaker, with the branch secretary, David Wood, stepping in with a talk entitled “Why Didn’t We Remember Them”, on the subject of cousins uncovered during the course of family history research who were lost in wars over the course of the twentieth century.

  George Santer, from Tenterden, became a mounted trooper in the Boer War, but died in 1901, not in action, but by drowning in the river near Pretoria. Henry Gilham, from Chislet, joined the Navy in 1906, and served for five years. At the outbreak of war in 1914, Henry was immediately called up and joined the crew of HMS Hawke as a stoker. In October of 1914, a German submarine sank Hawke in the North Sea, with the loss of 525 souls, including Henry.

  Jumping forward to the Second World War, Robert Darby from Herne Bay joined the RAF in 1941, and after training in Canada and Leicestershire, flew operations as a tail gunner on Lancasters with IX Squadron from Bardney, Lincolnshire in the autumn of 1943. On his seventh mission, Robert was shot down over Bavaria en-route to Stuttgart, and was lost along with all but one of his crew. The final cousin, Geoffrey Austen, came from Shottenden, near Chilham, and also joined the RAF, as a motor mechanic. At the time of Pearl Harbour, Geoffrey was with a repair unit in Malaya, and was soon involved in the long retreat to Singapore, and eventually Java, where he was captured in March of 1942. After two and a half years of captivity, Geoffrey was placed on a rusting merchant vessel called the Junyo Maru for transportation to Sumatra to work on building a railway. Geoffrey never reached Sumatra, as the submarine HMS Tradewind sank the Junyo Maru on the 18^th of September 1944 just off the coast of Sumatra, with loss of 5620 prisoners, mostly Indonesian labourers. This sinking is one of the worst maritime disasters in history, but is shamefully almost unknown today.

January 2008

Peter Ewart: 'Records of the Overseer'

At the branch’s first meeting of 2008, the Society’s Vice-President Peter Ewart, in his regular January slot, entertained a large audience with a talk on The Records of the Overseer.

  The records of the parish overseer of the poor are easily accessible, and have a fair to good survival rate. The overseers were almost entirely responsible for care of the poor in each parish for over 200 years. In 1597 the Elizabethan Poor Law brought in taxation to pay for poor relief, plus houses of corrections to house “rogues and vagabonds”. The 1662 Law of Settlement and Removal, determining which parish an individual would be sent to for poor relief, was a harsh law, but generated additional reams of documentation. Surviving books detailing the collection of Poor Rates tax date from the 1660s through to 1834.

  The main records in the overseers accounts concern Assessments and Dispersements. Assessments include a list of householders in each parish, the value of their property, and the vestry’s decision on how much in the pound will be charged in tax. Parishioners can be traced year by year, showing where they lived, what they owned, and when they died. Dispersements shows payments made to families, sometimes for a few weeks, sometimes for years, detailing money given for clothes, fuel, doctors and rent.  If no settlement and removal certificates survive in a particular parish, the overseers records are worth consulting for any costs incurred by the parish in removing an individual. The greatest value of the records are the revelations into the lives of the poor, and Peter finished his talk with an example from Godmersham, where the records show a Matthew Fryer, a young adult, being cared for after the death of his mother. The care included washing and clothing him, and the inference has to be that he was disabled. Eventually the parish tried to stop the payments by marrying him off twice, but twice he became a widower, and the parish continued to pay for his care until the day he died.

February 2008

Marjorie Lyle: 'Slaves to Missionaries'

Members at the February meeting were royally entertained by well-known Canterbury resident Marjorie Lyle, whose talk, ‘Slaves to Missionaries’, described the amazing exploits of her mainly Scottish ancestors, among whom were Robert Watt, senior and junior, who moved from Scotland to Liverpool as gardeners. Richard Watt, Robert Watt junior’s son, moved to Jamaica to run a plantation, and his nephew, also Richard, became manager of the three-way trade in wool, slaves and rum between Britain, Africa and the Caribbean, making one and a half million Pounds, and buying Speke Hall near Liverpool.

  Other ancestors were not so controversial in their trades; Alexander Waugh became a minister in the 1780s, married well, and moved south from Scotland to London. His six sons included the ancestors of the writers Auberon and Evelyn Waugh, and the Australian cricketers Mark and Steve Waugh. The Reverend James Brice (1767-1857) moved to Ireland, lived on only £60 a year, and produced eight children. Of the eight, no less than six became doctors, and one grandson became British ambassador to the United States.

  Marjorie’s grandfather, Henry Fowler Watt, has possibly the most interesting tale, as he owned one of the last sailing cargo vessels to be built in the late nineteenth century, which he named ‘Elissa’. Henry survived near-shipwreck and mutiny during the time he tried to run the vessel, but eventually sold it in 1890, his health ruined, and ending his days in an asylum. Amazingly, ‘Elissa’ still survives, purchased as a wreck in Greece, and lovingly restored by the Galveston Seaport Museum to full sailing order. Marjorie was invited to see the vessel in 1994, and was given the freedom of the city of Galveston.

March 2008

Dr David Wright: 'Probate Records'

Professional genealogist and lecturer Dr David Wright gave a most informative talk to members on the subject of probate records. If you think your ancestors were too humble to make a will, think again- wills are probably the most valuable, yet least used records, in family history, and can solve many problems in research, such as place of birth, illegitimate offspring, and even changes of name.

  Post-1858, will indexes are found at First Avenue House, High Holborn. The indexes cover both wills and administrations (when someone dies intestate), the latter being just as important in research. Several thousand people die each year with no will, which means that only blood relatives descended from the deceased’s grandparents can inherit- friends, partners, etc would have no claim.

  Prior to 1858, the Church administered wills through various church courts; the more property and spread of holdings, the higher the court responsible. County archives will hold the local wills, with the highest court, the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, being held by the National Archives at Kew; the latter are now available through the National Archives website. Administrations are not online, and many pre-1858 indexes for other courts have not included them, requiring research at the archive concerned to consult them.

  Dr Wright highlighted some of the pitfalls found in wills, especially with terms of relationship, ‘step’, ‘natural’, ‘in-law’ and ‘cousin’ not necessarily having the same meaning as today. Important points to remember are that as many labourers as gentlemen appear in the indexes, and to consult the probate act books, not just the wills, as details such as the parish where death occurred would be found there.

April 2008

Michael Gandy: 'Chancery and Exchequer'

Renowned genealogist and professional researcher Michael Gandy spoke to members on the subject of Chancery and Exchequer. The records produced are those of civil, not criminal, cases, especially people suing each other on matters related to finance.

  Chancery and Exchequer records start from after the Civil War, the minor courts they replaced closing in 1641. The records of Chancery and Exchequer are all found at The National Archives at Kew, and are indexed to a certain extent prior to 1758; after this date, it is very difficult to trace information without already possessing specific details. Cases to be found usually revolve around debts, will disputes and marriage settlements, such as the children of a first wife not receiving money owed from a second wife. Disputes over leases and contracts will also be found, as in the case of a ferry company contracted to work seven days, only for the council to decide that Sunday working would not be allowed.

  The existence of such cases may be referred to in a will, or a land deed, as a clue for researching. When searching, it is best to start with the plaintiff; a second page would contain details of the answer, sometimes finding defendants were in the right and the plaintiff wrong. This occurrence will then result in a third page, containing the plaintiff’s rejoinder.

  The difficulty of finding information on cases is not helped by the revelation that only 10% of cases actually get to a judgement, most people settling out of court. The system was taken advantage of for many years by people wishing to buy land, who would collude to bring a civil case (having already agreed a price). The seller would claim that the buyer had evicted him or her, the court would find in the seller’s favour, and charge the originally decided price. This method also resulted in receiving a legal document of the transcription as proof of ownership.

May 2008

Members Talks

Following the branch AGM, two of our members gave short presentations relating to their family trees:

Anthony Cooke – World War I

  After Mr Cooke's parents died, he found an envelope with various papers. One item was a poster-style list, which included his father who went missing in WWI. It was printed by an Association named: 'Queen Victoria   Association Geneva 1897’ for the relief of British subjects in distress' . When found the list was in much need of preservation and he had been helped in this by the Conservation Department at the Cathedral Archives. Originally there were over 80 copies of the list but now only a few can be traced.  Despite exhaustive research Anthony has been unable to find out any more information about this Association and none of the other museums with copies know anything about the origin of the Association either. A lively discussion took place about other areas of research he might take in order to find out more about the Association.

Charles Fagg – Gt Grand Uncle Matthew:

  An incredible-but-true tale of the Black Sheep of the family; his grandfather’s brother. Hailing from Barham, Great Grand-Uncle Matthew had been in trouble with the law for ‘highway robbery’; specifically stealing herrings from a cart, for which he was found guilty and imprisoned for 18 months. From witness statements Charles was able to relate the incident to us, piecing together what he thinks actually happened.

  Following his release from prison, Uncle Matthew then stole half a sheep for which he was deported to Tasmania . Charles had found a vast amount of information from a wide variety of sources, including researching HMS Rodney, the ship on which Uncle Matthew had travelled to Tasmania .

  Charles contacted Maggie Woodroffe, the Australian branch secretary of KFHS, who had put him in touch with various people.  From this source he had been provided with much information, such as the prison record, notice of discharge etc. Uncle Matthew’s wife and children eventually joined him at the end of his sentence, but Charles is still trying to find any direct descendants from this branch. During his investigations ‘down under', Charles was contacted by a man with the surname of Fagg. Although there is no direct link through their paternal lines, they have established a connection via their maternal line and this had opened another area of research for both of them. 

July 2008

Anne Carter: 'Rochester Cathedral'

  In our last meeting before the summer break, members were entertained by speaker Anne Carter about the history of Rochester Cathedral.

  Rochester is the second-oldest cathedral in England, founded by Justus, Paulinus and Mellitus in 601AD, just a few years after Augustine’s arrival in Canterbury. Justus became the first bishop in 604, Rochester gaining its first English bishop, Iffimar, in 642. By 1075, the Saxon structure was falling down, but the installation of Gundulph as bishop two years later led to major construction, the earliest parts of the present building dating from this time. In 1130, St Andrew’s church was dedicated, but on the 7^th of May of that year, a devastating fire destroyed the town and much of the church. In 1160, the oldest surviving Norman columned doorway in the country was inserted in the cathedral.

  In 1179, a party was held to celebrate the completion of reconstruction following the fire of 1130; during the party, another fire was accidentally started, which promptly destroyed Rochester and much of the cathedral (scorch marks can still be seen to this day)! Most of the current building, measuring 310 feet long, dates from the 12^th and 13^th-century reconstruction. The walls of the cathedral were covered in paintings of Bible stories for the instruction of the congregation, priests being the only people allowed to read the Latin Bible. One such painting, dating from 1240, entitled ‘Wheel of Fortune’, survives owing to its having been hidden behind the pulpit, and was discovered when the pulpit was moved.

  The Crypt of Rochester Cathedral is the finest in England. The only examples of Medieval glass are to be found here, the rest in the cathedral being of Victorian origin.

  Rochester Cathedral Priory, with its vinery, orchards and stewponds, and its well-appointed library, fell victim to the Dissolution on the 20^th March 1540, with the cloisters being destroyed to make way for a Royal palace for Henry VIII.

  A memorial in the cathedral commemorates the Royal Engineers. One of the names inscribed is that of a Major By, who constructed a canal in Canada. The settlement of Bytown was named in his honour; later being renamed Ottawa, the future capital city.

September 2008

Chris McCooey -  ‘Kent and Sussex Women- Famous, Infamous and Unsung’

Chris started his talk with a story about how he had become a free lance writer, and recommend any ‘would be’ writers to join a writer’s circle. At his writers’ circle he had met a centegenarian lady who introduced him to her sister. Both ladies had kept diaries. The elder through WWI and the younger through WWII. Both sets of diaries are now held in the Imperial War Museum. The WWII diaries, which  commenced at the start of 1939 and ended on V. E. day, were stuffed with memorabilia; photograph’s, newspaper articles etc. These diaries became the subject of the speaker’s first book in which he quipped that as editor he had only contributed the first five words of the title, ‘Despatches from the Home Front: The War Diaries of Joan Strange 1939-1945. After a fire at his publisher destroyed all stocks of the book it was suggested that Chris might like to publish the book himself; and this was the beginning of the small catalogue of books he now edits and publishes about interesting people with connections to the counties of Kent and Sussex.

When Chris decided on the book about Kent Women, the main subject of his talk, he was inundated with stories and had to whittle it down to the 39 women whose tales make up the chapters of the book. Chris stressed that these women may not have been born and bred in Kent but they had strong connections with the county. He then went on to describe the stories of five of these women.

The first was the sad tale of Rebecca Ralf [Pocahontas] who was married to John Ralf. There were many aspects of her story which were quite sad notwithstanding that she was still very young at her death and that she never returned to her homeland. She had been particularly susceptible to illness when living in London and when her ship’s departure was delayed in that city it allowed time for her to contract the illness which killed her. She died before her ship had left the Thames estuary. We know she is buried in Greenwich, possibly in the church there. But since the church has been rebuilt some years ago and there are no documents to say precisely where the original church stood her actual resting place remains in doubt.

Then followed the story of Simone Weil the extremely intelligent 20th century French philosopher. Now interred in Bybrook Cemetery, she died at Ashford, in 1943. Chris suggested it was probably from anorexia as she was always living on a higher plane and failing to look after herself. 

Next we were regaled with the ‘ménage a toir’ of the early 20th century author E . H. Nesbitt, her husband and their housekeeper when they lived at Eltham - which was then in Kent. Edith Nesbitt spent her last years bedridden with cancer at a house in St Mary’s Bay and is buried in the churchyard of St Mary in the Marsh. She lived in an unusual house, which had been made from two ex naval buildings named ‘The Jolly Boat’ and ‘The Long Boat’ linked by the kitchen area named ‘The Galley’ which her husband had built for her. Chris told us about how he had been shown around by the current occupier who said she felt Edith’s presence in the house and that thought Edith was wishing her well in a house she had once loved.

Charles Dickens’s mistress, Nelly Turner was the next subject. Nelly was from an acting family and met the famous author when he was considering her mother as a professional actress to play a part in a play written for charity by Willkie Collins. Dickens’s had gone to great lengths throughout his life to preserve his public image as a family man and Nelly became the ‘invisible’ woman at a house he bought for them in Peckham; an area which was much more upmarket in Dickens’s day. His celebrity status ensured that Nelly and her mother’s presence on the train involved in the Staplehurst rail crash was kept out of the papers.

October 2008

Professor Walter Bodmer: People of the British Isles – Genetic mapping

  A very busy evening in which branch members were joined by many visitors answering a request for people to take part in genetic mapping research.

  The evening started with Wine & Canapés courtesy of the team of researchers from The Dept. of Pharmacology Oxford University. The Team were present to take blood samples, in order to study the DNA, of those people who matched the profile that all 4 of their Grandparents lived in the same rural area.

  Whilst his team were taking samples Prof Bodmer described the purpose of the four year project which was being funded by the Wellcome Trust.  Samples were being taken from all over the  British Isles . The study was not of individuals and those giving samples would not be given their DNA profile. But the overall findings of the study would be published in a Newsletter which can be accessed from http://www.peopleofthebritishisles.org/press/?r=I 

  Prof Bodmer said there was confusion between genetic studies and social studies, that is comparing Biology with History and Archaeology. We can find much about Leaders of a community from fancy burials but not about the ordinary folk. Patterns of communities change.  In modern times most of the population live in large towns whereas in the past more people lived in small rural communities.

  He described briefly the history of Genetics. DNA was discovered about a century years ago by a monk named Mendal who was studying peas. In 1953 the structure of the double helix was discovered at Cambridge by Watson and Crick.

  The geographical frequencies of blood types can be tracked worldwide. We all appreciate that there are tissue types for organ transplants and that poor matches would mean rejection and infections as the body would see the introduced tissue as a foreign body attacking it. Even in a family tissue types can vary with an even chance that a quarter of one family may be a good tissue match for each other. Diseases can be inherited in the same way for example if you inherited the genetic marker B27 there is a possibility that you will be susceptible to ankylosing spondylitis but if you haven’t inherited B27 then you will never get ankylosing spondylitis.

  The Y Chromosome, which determines maleness, is only passed from father to son and has been useful in looking at the movements of men. From this it can be shown that the Vikings were not one people but two [Norse and Danish] and the places to which each group travelled are not the same; as we saw on a map of Europe .

  There is a huge variety of genes different ones occurring in other regions throughout the world, the variety is more than the number of people alive. In Pembrokeshire it can be shown today that the population are predominantly descended from Flemish Farmers introduced into the area in the reign of Henry II. In Cyprus it can be proved that Turkish & Greek Cypriots are the same race with any difference being cultural. Whereas people from Turkey and Greece are  two distinct groups.

  On a map we were shown the agricultural migration of the first people who farmed in Africa . As they travelled northwards and intermarried with the local population their genetics were diluted but not as many made it to Briton and the genetics of ancient Britons were almost pure.

  The Romans had more of a cultural influence than genetic. Anglo Saxons were arguably the first genetic influence on the indigenous population of Briton. But there are many arguments for whether the men came alone, if they brought families, if they killed the locals. Next invasion were Vikings from the two areas Norway and Denmark . The Danes tended to settle in the South Norwegian in the Western seaboard. They didn’t have as much influence as the Anglo/Jutes who were from a similar area and arrived a few years later. But the Normans were mainly Vikings at the time of the invasion.

  The pilot study of 400 – 500 people [10% of the whole study] has already given information. Such as the migration of people with red hair [genetic marker Mc1], Y Chromosome distribution of Norse Vikings with high instances in Russia and the Orkneys. The study of the Anglo Saxons suggests that they did not wipe out the Ancient Britons and in some areas they intermarried, whilst in others they brought their families.

  The study is primarily to help to show disease susceptibility and to do this 3,500   samples will be taken the quota for tonight was reached although they will continue to take samples as these will need to be checked so they will go on and will be returning tomorrow morning to continue. They also hope to come to another venue in Kent as yet to be advised. Future areas of study will be faces as some features already suggest certain areas. Subject would be approached to have their photograph taken. Prof Bodmer asked if that would be something we would be happy to do? A show of hands proved in favour.

November 2008

 Richard Ratcliffe: 'Was She a Murderess?'

At our November meeting, members were entertained by Richard Ratcliffe, president of the Birmingham Midland and Lincolnshire Family History Societies, with his talk entitled: ‘Was She a Murderess?’ The title refers to a nurse named Elizabeth Brandish, born at Moreton-in-Marsh in 1858. Elizabeth lived at her brother’s house, Dry Bank Farm, at Ettington, just outside Stratford-upon-Avon, but in 1895 gave birth to an illegitimate boy at Dover. The child, named Rhys, was fostered to a family called Post, living at Wye.

In 1897, Elizabeth came to Wye to collect Rhys and take him to Ettington, in spite of the Posts’ protests, the boy having recently been ill. The nurse travelled with Rhys, and a large tin box purchased in Ashford. On 11th of September, Elizabeth arrived at Ettington looking distressed, with the box, but without her son. The Posts contacted the police, who arrested Elizabeth for murder, after she claimed she had given Rhys away to a woman. On the 13th of November 1897, the body of an unidentified boy was found buried in quicklime at Dry Bank Farm. At the inquest on the 5th of December, the jury decided that Rhys was willfully murdered, and the case sent to assizes.

The case was of sensational interest, with 2000 applicants for the 30 places in the court. Elizabeth pleaded Not Guilty. Witnesses reported seeing Elizabeth and her child at various times on the journey. From Towcester, Elizabeth paid the excess for a first-class compartment, and drew the blinds. The porter at Ettington stated that Elizabeth alighted with a ‘light’ box, and carrying a bundle. The carrier who transported her to Dry Bank Farm, on the other hand, reported that the box was ’heavy’, and Elizabeth had no bundle. The body, never fully identified as being that of Rhys, was about 2 and a half years old, and death was considered to be by suffocation. The motive was purported to be Elizabeth wishing to hide the evidence of her illegitimate son, as she wanted to marry a policeman, Sgt Nerromore, who knew nothing of her past. The motive sat uneasily, however, with the money Elizabeth had regularly sent to the Posts to help with Rhys’ upbringing.

The Jury were unable to reach a verdict, with one juror refusing to find her guilty; said juror subsequently receiving letters of congratulation from around the country . A second trial was held, and this time the jury reached a verdict… Not Guilty, the same result that a show of hands in the hall produced, prior to Mr Ratcliffe revealing the result. Elizabeth lived to the age of 68, but remained unmarried for the rest of her life.

December 2008

Anne Carter: 'Queen Victoria'

A festive final meeting in our old venue: from 2009 our new ‘home’ will be Kendall Hall Nunnery Fields.

The speaker at the December meeting was Anne Carter who in widow’s weeds (the characteristic costume of Queen Victoria ) became Her Majesty for the evening. Ann used the Queen’s published journals and letters, as the text of her talk. Quotes from Victoria ’s personal letters, especially those to her daughter Vicky, allowed us an insight into the human side of this great lady.

Starting with memories of her childhood Victoria wrote that she had never slept alone until she became Queen. She went on to recall a visit to Canterbury on 29th  November 1836 and mentioned the severe weather, which resulted in a hurricane at Sittingbourne on the return journey.

Next were her fond memories of the summer of 1838, the first of her reign.  She several times mentioned with affection her first Prime Minister Lord Melbourne who she “loved like a father” and recalled that at the coronation, he had tears in his eyes as he swore his allegiance to her. Amongst other recollections of the coronation was an amusing behind the scenes view of St Edward’s Chapel being used for the participants’ refreshments, with sandwiches and drinks being laid out on the altar.

It was apparent from her words that Queen Victoria doted on her “dear soldiers” and she frequently met sick and wounded men. One recollection of military hospitals was of both Chatham Hospitals, which she said she did not like as the windows were so high they felt more like prisons than hospitals. Her keen interest in the welfare of her soldiers was demonstrated in her letters to Florence Nightingale. The Queen also wrote of her admiration of Miss Nightingale’s work and bravery in helping the men at the front. She sent a brooch to Miss Nightingale to wear in commemoration of her great work and to show the appreciation of her sovereign.

When Sebastopol fell the Queen was in Scotland and bonfires were lit “in true Highland fashion” to celebrate the event. She was pleased to have the Victoria Cross, a new medal created in her name. But when the final proofs were sent for her approval she asked that the citation be changed from ‘For Bravery’ to ‘For Valour’ as she said all her soldiers were brave not just the medal holders. 

She proudly writes about her husband Prince Albert ’s involvement in the Great Exhibition. In reading aloud the Queen’s journal entry for1 January 1862 Ann Carter demonstrated the profound sadness Victoria felt at the sudden loss of her beloved husband at Osborne House on 14th December 1861 . The final journal entries quoted dealt with the run-up to her Jubilee Celebrations.

January 2009

Peter Ewart: 'Newspaper Research for the Family Historian'

The night of the January Meeting must have been the coldest this winter but members had still turned up for the first event at our new venue. Our speaker was Peter Ewart, a Professional Genealogist and Kent Family History Society’s Hon. Vice President. In his own scintillating style, he gave members an amusing, informative and interesting talk on ‘Newspaper Research for the Family Historian’.

Peter started by observing that, for him, the January meeting had become a regular slot at Canterbury and he recalled the various halls in which he had given talks to the Branch since the days when it was the founder branch of the Society. Now he was pleased to be the first speaker in our latest venue, Kendall Hall.

By just using his and his wife’s families as examples Peter said he had at least a hundred newspaper cuttings to choose from to reinforce his talk and yet his family were not that special just ordinary fishmongers, agricultural labourers etc. and, there is no reason why other families shouldn’t have the same coverage in the press.

Newspapers can lead you to other areas of research which is often never recorded elsewhere, although this could mean that it will be difficult to backup the information. But nonetheless newspapers can provide biographical detail for your research, help you establish dates of family events, detail of family relationships, find lost relatives and sometimes even confirm the family story handed down by elderly relatives. Newspapers will give you no transcription headaches as they are printed in black on white. However, there can be disadvantages, as the print may be too small to skim through plus there will be a vast scope of material to sift through with few helpful short cuts such as indexes, headlines and images. The list of items where your relatives could be mentioned are Police Reports, Quarter Sessions, Petty Sessions, Domestic Violence etc, But unless you know the date you are in for a long drawn out investigation. Then you will undoubtedly get sidetracked by other fascinating items not necessarily to do with your research although you may find that an enjoyable disadvantage.

Originally local papers carried advertising on their front pages plus National and International news within with a small amount of Local items. The early papers had family notices but mostly for the upper classes, although accidents were covered no matter how humble the person. By the 19^th and 20^th centuries reports on births, deaths and marriages covered more classes with obituaries for minor people reported from about 1920 to 1970. These obituaries list mourners, their relationship to the deceased and even instances in the person’s life. One of his ordinary chap’s obituaries had even made The Times. He read out an obituary which reported the number of the deceased’s descendants down to his 18 Gt grandchildren and another which mentioned his mother’s Uncle who aged 10 was ‘killed by a teacher’. This led him to research the original reports of the death.

One of the obituaries read out commented on what a respected family they were locally. Then Peter read snippets where the same family had been up in court for drunken brawls, fist fighting and swearing in the street. A 9 year old who had broken a window and another who hadn’t reported for work for 7 days. He said that he had criminals in nearly every generation of his family, imprisoned for all kinds of offences, but he wasn’t any different to anyone else as we have all got criminals in our trees.

In 1914 there was an amazing amount of patriotism in the newspapers. Often reporting names, addresses and photographs of who had joined up and the regiment joined and some adding great detail about the new recruits. The letters column of 1914/18 often printed personal letters from soldiers at the front which had been sent in by their families. Even reports from hospitals how so and so was recovering etc. Local newspapers from the years of the second World War are also a mine of information.

The British Newspaper Library in Collingwood is the central depository for newspapers in this country and include some international and Commonwealth newspapers. They are currently digitalising to enable online searches and are in a bit of an upheaval as they are moving the archive to Yorkshire . Most town libraries and archives have copies of their local papers. For example in the Beaney Library Canterbury hold copies of the Kentish Gazette from 1761 to date.

 February 2009

Gillian Rickard: 'Goods and Chattels- Probate Inventories'.

Gillian Rickard is a professional genealogist and author of several guides for the Kent family historian. She has spent more than two decades in family research and by using some original Probate Inventory to illustrate the talk was able to make her subject meaningful for members of all levels of experience.

Gillian set the scene by reminding us briefly of the usefulness of Wills in our research. That they may be of help in confirm relationships and ownership of property. They may also include interesting facts; as in William Shakespeare’s Will where he left his second best bed to his wife. Gillian was not certain who had been left the best bed.

A quick search for ‘Kent Wills’ on the web will give you many links but the one which was particularly recommended is currently first on Google. This is Mr Mrs Mike Cousins index to the ‘Canterbury Probate Office Records - East Kent Wills and probate 1396 – 1858’ on the Kent Archaeological Society’s pages. On Cousin’s index you may find a reference for a will by looking for either a name or a place. The National Archives also has searchable online probate indexes which you may download for £3.50 or obtain free from within The National Archives at Kew .

From the reign of Henry VIII Wills were proved in local ecclesiastical courts; until 1858 when the Local Probate Courts were demolished. During this period it was the custom for 4 people who knew the deceased to be appointed as appraisers. These appraisers received no percentage or payment for their efforts. They would go from room to room in the deceased house making an inventory under the name of the room of all the deceased belongings found within. This was generally done within days but not more than a few weeks after the death. Nothing was too small to note from clothes, books [sometimes the titles are recorded too] tools, utensils, money, looms, cloth, beds, livestock, crops, ground etc. Items which were in someone else’s home at the time of death are not usually mentioned. But more often mentioned are other lands and property which the deceased owned. For example fishermen often had shares in several boats. More so before insurance was readily available so they didn’t loose their entire assets if a boat sank.

If you find money has been listed in the right margin against the rooms then it shows an inventory took place and there could be more paperwork for you to look up.

The 17th century inventory of John Pike was used as an example of what may be found from a probate inventory. He was a stonemason and the inventory lists a quarry where he kept a barrow and stone which makes us pretty certain that he owned the quarry. Local directories may be useful to provide background information. They may not have been printed until 100 years after the death but often give a short resume of the locality and may mention topographical features such as quarries and the type of stone quarried.

John and his wife Susannah lived in a 10 roomed house which was quite large for a medieval property. But this could be because their Hall house had been divided into rooms. There were no room dimensions listed and no carpets; they come in as time goes by. Many items may be mentioned which are not in use today,  for example a Court Cupboard, which had a similar use to a Dresser. There are several glossaries which can tell you about these items. Some things with which we might be familiar may not be so when listed in a local dialect. Gillian recommended Alan Major’s book ‘A New Dictionary of Kentish Dialect’ to help with this.  

Even though he had 10 rooms John’s inventory totalled under £20 whereas in another example the deceased only had 3 rooms but his goods and chattels came to nearly £50. But If there isn’t an inventory it does not necessarily mean that your ancestor was poor. For example a Farmer might pass his farm on to a son and move out to live with other family or friend. A widow may be granted all the contents of a room. .Bequests may be observed as items are passed through the family.

You can tell a great deal about how your ancestors lived from the descriptions of items in the inventory. You can tell if a room had a fire from implements mentioned. If they were tidy by the number of items being left in wrong rooms. Rooms may or may not be named the same as we would name them today but they had a definite purpose as we can see  from the items kept in it. For example John Pike’s Cellar had all the equipment for making wine and beer although it may not have been underground as we would think of a cellar today. Underground rooms were not normally a feature of a Hall House. His house had a Hall, a Buttery, a Dairy and a small room under the stairs.

March 2009

Peter Ewart:    The Swing Riots: The Agricultural Labourers' Revolt of 1830’.

Peter Ewart kindly stepped into the breach and gave us an enthralling and informative talk in his usual inimitable style when the published speaker had to withdraw.  

In answering his own question “Why Swing?” Peter described the situation in Kent which led to a series of disturbances and acts of dissent by agricultural workers which became known as ‘Swing’. When Peter showed several letters signed by ‘Captain Swing’ in various hands and degrees of sophistication it became apparent that he was not one person but an alias to protect identities.

There had been minor unrest and the odd rick burning in 1829 when Kent farmers hired new machines to do the work. Men were horrified as there was no work for them and their families.  A few dozen agricultural labourers protested as their families were destitute and in August 1830 men from Lyminge, Elham and Newington smashed a machine on a farm in Upper Hardres and started a period of civil unrest which escalated throughout Kent in the summer of 1830. There were reported incidences of gangs of men going about the countryside calling agricultural workers from their homes to aid with burning haystack, breaking machines and rioting. Numbers were rising had at Digges place in Bridge the gang was said to number between 80 to 100 men. This unrest spread rapidly into other counties with such speed that the government of the day were convinced this was the start of a Revolution as had happened in France .

1830 was the last decade of the Georgian period and the country was undergoing a severe recession with the economy nose diving. But the country was still using the 15th & 16th century Elizabethan Poor Laws which were managed at parish level. A poor rate was levied on those in the parish who could afford to pay and in turn these funds were paid out to those in the parish who were in need. The collection and administration of funds were dealt with by parish officers; the Churchwardens and the Overseers of the Poor.

By 1830 this system was creaking at the seams despite various attempts to improve the Poor Laws. Fewer people could afford to pay into the parish funds but more people in the parish required help. As the price of bread went through the roof and unemployment was at 40% the poor rate couldn’t cope and families were becoming destitute. Poverty was rife amongst agricultural workers and in Kent people were actually starving to death. For the first time in our history people were worse off than their grandparents. A situation which hadn’t happened before or since.

The first agitators taken before the Quarter sessions in Maidstone were treated lightly by Edward Knatchball who was criticised for his light sentencing. He told the defendant’s that he knew why they had done it but asked them not to continue and he would petition parliament. 

William Cobbett rode around the country writing about what he saw. Although a political agitator with an axe to grind it is thought he accurately described the situation he found and was shocked at the abject poverty. He noted the dirty ragged poor around Ash and noted that between Canterbury & Thanet there are not even any trees for the poor to collect and burn for heating. The imagined chocolate box cottages of the countryside with roses round the door and market gardens were more accurately one roomed hovels with mud floors. They were cold damp and dark with holes for windows and rags stuffed to keep out the weather. Hardly any furniture or cooking facilities and no land to grow food or rear animals for themselves. Cobbett was arrested and charged with seditions but he successfully defended himself against the charges.

As the unrest escalated 2,000 people throughout the country were arrested. No lenient sentences with even unguarded remarks attracting deportation. Whereas hangings had been public events now they took place in prisons for fear that the mob would prevent justice being done.  Many were sentenced to long years of deportation and were never to see their families again whilst others were sentenced to hard labour in prison which few survived. Gradually the riots died out. But in 1838 William Toms – self styled Sir William Courtney gathered a large crowd of 1,000 followers about him to join in a revolution. This cumulated in the Battle of Bossington Wood.

April 2009

Steve Cordery: 'Ten Things to do with your Electronic Family Tree'.

A well attended April meeting saw Steve Cordery give a talk entitled “Ten Things To Do With Your Electronic Family Tree”.  Steve explained various ways to record research and why using a computer is a good idea.  He showed how to make the most of it and ten ways in which to exploit your family tree once it is computerised. 

Steve explained that computers can be used for classic storage instead of a filing cabinet eg by holding to do lists, files, card indexes etc.  He briefly explained how the computerised filing system works.  He detailed some of the many types of specific family history programs available and explained that they were not the answer to problems but could make problems easier to solve sometimes if used properly.  He explained that using a program means that all the information is in one place instead of searching lots of paper files.  It can be portable (if on a laptop or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).  It is easier to find specific people if on a large family tree and trees can be displayed in different ways.

Steve also explained how the LDS Church had invented “Gedcom”.  This is a common computer language which enables information to be moved between all other family history programs.  (The abbreviation stands for GEnealogical Data COMmunications.  The file extension of a Gedcom file will always be .ged and all family history programs are designed to read it.  At this point the audience discovered that together they were able to understand (if not speak) Esperanto!

Steve then went on to give 10 reasons why having an Electronic (as opposed to paper) family tree is a good thing to do.  These ranged from portability – to be able to carry all your information on a small USB which can be plugged into someone else’s computer, to being able to set up your own Web Site and have many people around the world able to see it.

May 2009

Ted Maynard and Ros Clark: 'Members' Talks'.

After the branch AGM in May two members gave fascinating talks. 

Ros Clark’s talk was entitled “It’s Their Story Too” and was about three out of the ten women’s individual stories she has researched in depth.  Her idea came out of a visit to the Pioneer Women’s Museum in Alice Springs .  Ros spoke about Elizabeth Windibank (her great great grand-mother) who had lived in rural Hampshire and, unusually for women at the time, could read and write.  This was discovered by the finding of two “Chapman” Books - History Of A Doll and Little Red Riding Hood when her house has been cleared.  (Ros’s family had lived in the house for several generations).The first book (published around 1800) was signed and dated 16.12.1803.  Chapmen were Pedlars who sold small books amongst other things from door to door.  The small books became known as “Chapbooks” and cost 1 or 2 old pennies.  Ros brought her two books to the meeting – they are tiny and in amazingly good condition.

Ros’s next story was entitled “To Wed or Not To Wed” and was about her great-grandfather and his marriage to Emma Pitts.  However, after Emma died John Williams lived with her sister Elizabeth and had a further six children with her.  Ros went on to explain that it was not uncommon for an unmarried sister to move in with her late sister’s husband to look after the children.  She knew of other cases where the relationship had moved on and the second sister had also had children by the widowed husband.  In 1907 the Deceased Wife’s Sisters Marriage Act became law and then was a peak in the marriage rate as many now were able to make their relationship legal.  The Deceased Brother’s Widow’s Act to balance things up did not, however, come in until 1921.

Her final story was about Zilpah Hubbard and her life as “a spinster, a Londoner and a typical Victorian woman”.   Zilpah was Ros’s great Aunt who was born in 1860 and moved to London when her father, a blacksmith, moved to an area near Victoria Station.  Zilpah never married and continued to live in the same small area around “Princes Row” between the Royal Mews and the Stag Brewery until her death by bronchitis in 1917.   By following Zilpah’s life through the censuses Ros was able to track her movements.  She was unable to find her on the 1911 census until she searched all the Hubbards and then found her name mis-spelled as “Filpah”.

Ted Maynard then spoke about the “The Saga of Walter Ponting – Part One”.  Walter Ponting was born in 1849 in Wiltshire and was duly found in the 1851, 1861 and 1881 censuses.  However his name was misspelled in the 1871 census as Walter Poynting and it took some searching to find him.  He was listed as tailor and this remained his occupation until the end of his life.  He married Elizabeth Winder and the story that had come down the generations was that she had had 16 children in 23 years.  Ted decided to investigate all the children and, by plotting a timeline giving a birth roughly every 18 months, managed to find the registrations of all but one of their births.  The census showed that eight of the children had survived.  Seven had not and Ted was able to track all the children’s deaths.  There was one missing and a possible gap so Ted believes there may have been a stillbirth and those, at that time, were not registered.

Also by looking at each census and Birth Certificates Ted found that Walter had lived in 16 different homes – 12 of them shared with Elizabeth .  Why he had so many different homes in different areas is not certain.  Ted surmised that perhaps he needed to keep moving to cope with the increasing size of his family.

July 2009

Lady Mary Teviot:  ‘ I Never Thought of That: A Second Look at Problems.’

Our July speaker, Lady Mary Teviot, is a professional probate researcher with over 30 years experience in genealogy. Currently President of the Federation of the Family History Societies she has recently been featured as one of  BBC TV’s ‘Heir Hunter’s’ in the programme of that name’..

Although when she started research books on family history were woefully inadequate nowadays we have a wealth of sources and documents at our disposal. But along with the current belief that “it must be right because its’ on the computer”, errors can and do exist even in official and original documents. These may be genuine mistakes on the part of our ancestors or an official but equally it could an be intentional act to conceal matters our relatives did not want revealed.

As examples of misinformation Lady Mary told us about an elderly Aunt who had married in her forties but at her wedding said she was twenty-eight. The latter age is now recorded on her marriage certificate for posterity. At another marriage, a 14 year old girl was the bride and her sister was acting as the witness. They not only lied about the brides age but also said that their father was deceased when he was still alive. On a death certificate the informant was recorded as the niece of the deceased when in fact she was only a foster child. All these errors are now in the official documents which most of us take at face value.

School records are a good source to verify  evidence. An instance was given  of a man who could not be found on any census or registrations of birth. His marriage in St George in the East in 1903 was found when he was aged 35. Taking the 1881 census when the he would have been of school age they looked for the nearest schools in a radius from St George in the East and were lucky in finding him on the roll of the nearest school. The school roll gave his father’s name which led to him being traced in the baptism records where his Mother’s name was recorded. His parent’s who had never married had failed to register his birth.  

Foundling Hospital records although closed for 110 years it is possible for family members to gain permission to see them are another source. The Foundling Hospital was started in 1742 by Captain Thomas Coram. A child under 5 years was usually farmed out into the countryside, which could be as far away from London as Yorkshire . They were run by Committees who the Mothers had to petition and applications could be rejected. Mother had to give a lot of detail in their application including where, when and by whom the child was conceived. Hampstead Heath being quite the most popular place listed in their records brought a laugh from the audience.

If you use the IGI it should be with care as it does contain errors with some of the private submissions. Care should also be taken with baptisms not everyone was baptised close to their birth date. In the large London parishes the records of baptism show that ‘teams’ of curates were doing something in the order of 800 baptisms in a day and even though a batch of siblings were done on the same day they may not have been baptised by the same curate.

High mortality rates for women in childbirth often resulted in a man having several wives and should they have the same Christian name it may not be obvious that the Mary or Elizabeth in the records is wife one or two.

People do not always carry one name throughout their lives for a variety of reasons. An example given was of a spinster who had used a step-father’s all her life and therefore at death was registered by the name she was using even though it was not an official change.

People may not marry until quite elderly they may have lived as man and wife and brought up a family without being married. However, in their seventies they couldn’t claim a pension without the marriage licence so they do often secretly in another town, Brighton being quite popular in this instance. Registrations of birth can take place after the death of the father but in one case a woman had registered her child to her late husband even though he had died years before.

Errors after death can cause problems at probate as for one man who was wrongly named by the funeral directors and this error was recorded in the burial records. The Executors had to make a case to prove his identity so that the PRs could be changed. But this may never have come to light if he hadn’t had money to leave.

September 2009

Helen Allinson - ‘Life in the Workhouse’

The first meeting after the summer break our speaker was Helen Allison, the author of several local history books, who spoke on the emotive subject of living conditions in the Workhouse.

Helen began by reminding us of the dread our 19th and 20th century ancestors had of the workhouse; a threat used to quell naughty children. She then gave a summary of how Elizabethan Poor Laws had worked well until the 19th century when increased population coupled with the mechanisation of farming methods, caused massive unemployment. Systems for managing the poor became overloaded, there was no longer enough money to feed everyone and unrest turned into riots. Radical changes were called for which led to the introduction of the1834 Poor Law Act.

The new laws stopped the system of ‘out relief’ because the poor were thought to be lazy and would prefer to stay in their cottages receiving relief and not working. Therefore, everyone who needed assistance now had to enter the workhouse to receive it. The able bodied poor were to be given work; but those too old or ill to work were taken into wards along with the, verminous, tramps, orphans, unmarried mothers and the milder cases of mental illness; the workhouse being a cheaper option than the County Lunatic Asylums.

The day to day running of the workhouse was in the hands of a Master and Matron who were a married couple. Families arriving at the Workhouse were separated to keep men, women and children apart. A doctor examined them upon entry and if they were found unfit for work they received better food than the able bodied. The doctor could also prescribe milk or weak beer for nursing mothers and the sick but if he prescribed Brandy it meant you were expected to die. Initially those who were considered unfit to work were not provided with anything to do and boredom was common. Those who were passed fit would be set to pick oakum for the shipyards or breaking stones for the local authority to build roads. Older women were set to knitting stockings for their fellow inmates and later elderly men to grow food for the workhouse kitchens. They were issued with a striped uniform and their own clothes were taken from them and fumigated to be returned when they were released. The only way out of the workhouse was if they had a job to go to. One of the duties of the Board of Guardians would be to find work for inmates especially children when they reached the age of 12 years. Boys were often sent to sea whilst girls were trained as servants. To start with life for children was dreadful they were not taught lessons only to clean and mend, then qualified teachers taught children in the workhouse and then they were sent out to the local school. Finally the workhouse no longer received children instead they were n put in children’s homes with house parents or fostered.

The Guardian’s were in charge of discipline. Some inmates who refused to work were brought before the civil courts and sent to prison often 7 days hard labour. But the food and conditions in prison were much better than in the workhouse and so some poor actually offended in front of a policeman to receive a prison sentence in preference to the workhouse.

Food was not much to look forward to and portions were small. But for those who had less than a couple of meals a week before entering the Workhouse they were at least regular. There were dietary plans; either the bread and cheese plan or the gruel plan. The bread and cheese plan was the most common in Kent with bread and cheese at every meal except for a Vegetable stew with dumplings on two weekday meals and Sundays when one meal would be a meat stew with dumplings made from bits of neck of Mutton. Now and then a local farmer might donate an excess of fruit and on Christmas Day a good meal was usually laid on.

There were many different versions of workhouses with some being considered ‘soft’ like Hollingbourne. Workhouse inspectors made annual visits to workhouses and complained that the Board of Guardians at Hollingbourne were not sticking to the rules and were not being strict enough on the inmates. Hollingbourne Guardians of the Poor were made up of rich men who ignored the inspector and tried to make life better for the poor in their care. Annually each Hollingbourne inmate received a new set of clothes, whilst one of the Governors paid from his own pocket for the elderly men to have snuff. Faversham was another example of a caring Union with inmates being allowed to wear their own clothes and elderly married couples given their own rooms. In most Workhouses exercise was limited to the yard but at Faversham elderly inmates were allowed to take exercise away from the workhouse and even to walk into town.  But most workhouses in Kent were run strictly to the rules. In Milton Regis regardless of common sense unmarried mothers were released after their confinement with their babies unclad because the rules did not specify that babies should be given clothing.

Kentish workhouse had some of the most poorly run workhouses in badly designed buildings; built with windows facing inwards to the yard and with dormitories next to hospital wards allowing any sickness to run through all the inmates. Eventually Isolation Hospitals were built which stopped the spread of disease and hospital wards were used for non contagious ailments. Helen explained that it could be misleading if your ancestor died in the workhouse as they may not have been poor. Some people who were comfortably off were only in the workhouse because they had been admitted to the hospital for medical treatment.

Gradually workhouses improved but life was still bleak within them. In the World Wars they were used as hospitals. The inception of the NHS coincided with the closure of the workhouse system of managing the poor and many became Geriatric Hospitals. Now some former workhouse buildings have become luxury apartments. 

October 2009

'Sandgate to Rye ; Napoleon’s Gateway', by Julia Page

Julia Page, a historian of 24 years standing, more than adequately filled the gap when our published speaker had to withdraw at the last moment. Julia’s well researched subject on the coastal defences during the Napoleonic Wars was warmly received by members.  

In 1802, despite the unrest in Europe , the Whigs were still proposing a Channel Tunnel. Julia showed us a cartoon of the time depicting the threat people feared with French cavalry and troops filling the tunnel en route to Dover whilst at the coast men were being landing from ships and overhead hot air balloons. 

In 1803 despite the Peace of Amiens it was obvious that Napoleon was seriously planning an invasion of England . He now held Holland and his troops were encamped along the long European coastline. He needed to have control of England before turning his attentions towards Egypt and the Orient. Communities from Norwich to Southampton had started to build defences as a French invasion was considered inevitable. It was just a matter of when and where they would land. All over England troops were marching southwards but there was concern that our forces could not be mobilised to the south coast as quickly as the French could get across the Channel.

England only had 40,000 men to defend the coast and stop the enemy from gaining a southern port and to form a protective ring about London . So where exactly should the troops be stationed to be most effective was the military command’s quandary.

The threat to Kent, the county with the longest coastline and having the shortest crossing from mainland Europe was possibly the greatest. The beaches along the coast of Dungeness and the Marshes were considered the most vulnerable. Therefore, a line of defence was set up along the higher ground of the old Saxon shoreline. The main body of troops would be in encampments up to eight miles inland ready to be marched in any direction once it was seen where the French were heading.

One of the original plans was a to flood the marshes by opening the sluice gates but this would cause extensive damage to good farm land which would take 15 years to desalinate. Notwithstanding the compensation the country would need to pay the land owners. Another plan was a scorched earth policy on the lands between the coast and the hills of the Saxon shoreline. Lists had been drawn up of people and animals to be evacuated whilst crops and buildings were destroyed behind them to leave the enemy no shelter or forage. Some of these lists are still in existence; as the one Julia showed us for Appledore. However, John Moore, one of the military commanders vetoed that idea realising the confusion it would cause in the narrow country lanes as civilians and animals marching inland met troops heading for the coast. A new policy of staying and defending their lands and villages was therefore planned.

Defences built in Henry VIII’s reign included several castles and forts some were in ruin but could be repaired. The plan for a line of forts along the coast suggested before war broke out kept being held over on the Agenda as the Treasury realised how expensive they would be. However, once the invasion was almost upon us John Moore was able to give first hand account of the defensive power of the Tower Forts in Corsica and work was started on building the first Martello Towers .

The Royal Military Canal which stretched from Hythe to beyond Rye to the cliffs of Sussex had the duel purpose of defence and communications by water and the road which was built along the leeward side of it.

December 2009

‘History in Comic Verse - from 1066 to the Internet’ by Geoff Hutchinson

At the last branch meeting of 2009 members were put in a party mood as our speaker gave us a quirky look at history through the medium of comic verse, humorous readings and folk songs.

Starting with that well-known monologue of Harold at Hastings, which was delivered in the traditional Bolton dialect made famous by Stanley Holloway, Geoff soon had the meeting warmed up with members calling out the punch line “on ‘is ‘orse with ‘is ‘awk in ‘is ‘and”.

Continuing from 1066 to the Middle Ages we heard various rhymes in rapid succession about knights, their ladies, chastity belts with lost keys and Henry VIII, to name but a few. By this time Geoff had many of his audience almost rolling in the aisles in fits of laughter.

The Georgian kings were next to receive Geoff’s attentions which led him neatly on to Pitt the Younger, the Napoleonic War period and observations about how much of an obstacle was the Hythe canal to an army which had already crossed many of Europe’s major rivers. Geoff left the Napoleonic War era with the Battle of Waterloo and another Holloway monologue; the tale of Sam Small and his fallen musket. 

Moving closer to the modern period Geoff read out a series of unbelievable but true epitaphs, some he had seen on tombstones himself whilst others had been sent to him. He ended his performance with a few of life’s idiosyncrasies from the 21st century.

After the talk festive food was served by Sheila and Daphne Pearson.

Our first meeting in 2010 will be on 9 February. Members were reminded that from next year the Canterbury branch will no longer hold meetings in January but will have meetings in August instead.

February 2010

  “Nor the Years Condemn”, by Peter Ewart

  Peter opened by explaining how Britain’s War Memorials had not been cared for officially, in the same way as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission looked after the cemeteries, until a Dr Alan Borg wrote a letter to the Times pointing out that there was no official body; the National Inventory of Memorials being set up as a result.

  Peter went on to demonstrate with the use of slides the many forms that memorials can take. A few memorials prior to the two World Wars exist; Brompton in Kent has a Crimean War memorial to the Royal Engineers, and of course the Dane John Gardens in Canterbury has an impressive Boer War memorial to the Buffs, but these are regimental memorials, not relating to a particular community (The Warriors Chapel in Canterbury Cathedral houses the Buffs memorial for the 20^th Century; every day since the 1920’s the Memorial book has a page turned at 11am in a short ceremony.). To commemorate the dead of the First and Second World War, most churches and non-conformist halls will have a Roll of Honour inside. Richer parishioners have commissioned stained glass windows in churches as memorials to a lost relative.

  The Royal British Legion was formed in the 1920’s, though the poppy was not used until the middle of that decade. After World War One, tanks were erected as memorials in towns such as Folkestone, Canterbury and Ashford (the latter still in situ). The village of Mereworth restored the church tower to remember its Second World War dead. The villages of Newnham and Doddington shared the cost of a memorial, which was placed on the boundary between them. The memorial at Folkestone was placed at the top of the hill leading down to the harbour, the road being renamed the “Road of Remembrance”, as thousands of troops marched down it to board ships for France, many never to return.

  Not all memorials are made of stone; Northiam in Sussex has one made out of wood. At Shoreham in Kent, a cross is carved into the hillside, so positioned that it is only fully symmetrical when viewed from the memorial in the churchyard. There are also memorials in more unusual places, such as the one at the St Lawrence ground in Canterbury to Kent and England cricketer Colin Blythe, who died in the First World War. Famous names appear on memorials also; the list at Barham in Kent is headed by Lord Kitchener (of England Needs You fame), who died on the 1^st of June 1916 when HMS Hampshire was mined en route to Russia. Kitchener had recently purchased Broome Park in the village, hence his inclusion.

  When discussing memorials, George Blomfield has to be included. He designed probably the most unusual war memorial, that of Rye Cottage Hospital. His most famous designs, of course, were the Menin Gate in Ypres, and the Cross of Sacrifice, used in British War Cemeteries around the world. The Cross is not used in Britain, with the exception of Rye churchyard, in honour of their local designer.