SSH and environs

Here is a further bit of name-dropping! This is not substantiated as I have never found the link which my father maintained existed. William Barnes, 'The Dorset Poet', is supposed to be related to my branch of the Chant family. It may have been wishful thinking but there could be a connection. In a biographical work I have seen recorded that Barnes would take his daughter to the top of Ham Hill and point out to her the various localities which were visible and which had played a part in his life.. Barnes is buried at Winterborne Came: his memorial is the Celtic cross you see. He was a friend of Thomas Hardy and in the living room at Hardy's home, Max Gate, a small painting once owned by Barnes is on display. When Hardy died this was disposed of, together with other memorabilia, by Hardy's sister. Subsequently it was repurchased as a gift to help record the friendship between the two men. http://www.william-barnes-society.org.uk/

Labels: Dorset, Genealogy

Now for a bit of name-dropping! Thomas Hardy O.M. used to worship at Stinsford church where his father had assisted with maintaining the tidiness and appearance. Hardy would walk over the fields from the home he had designed for himself called Max Gate. On his mother's side, my late cousin David Chant was a distant cousin of Hardy, a fact of which he was proud but which he often kept to himself in discussions. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-hardy-country

Labels: Dorset, Genealogy

Labels: Environs, Genealogy, Somerset

Labels: Environs, Genealogy, Somerset

The church at Broadway is rather small so there was an overflow of some sixty or so people standing in the churchyard listening and joining in the service, which was relayed by speakers, as the community said farewell to cousin Arleene's husband, Peter. Born in 1955 he had lived in the village all his life and been brought up on the family farm which he later operated.

Labels: Environs, Genealogy, Somerset

As always, I am pleased when a cousin comes to see me. This is the third time Ron has been this way in the last fifteen months so he must like it here. I got a phone call a few days before to invite me to lunch and we had a good chat.

Labels: Environs, Genealogy

Labels: Environs, Genealogy

A week or so ago my cousin Michael Loving and his wife, Wendy, came to see me. I had not seen Michael since I visited his parents with mine, when I was still at school, and it was holiday time. It was at a period when his family was in Axminster. Even after his dad had passed away we used to receive a Christmas card from his mum with bits of family news. When Amy died contact dropped but I had been looking to renew the relationship for some years. This did happen finally as Michael found one of my Internet postings.
Like me he had bits of family memorabilia and his and my pieces will fit together to mend some missing pieces to the puzzle. I did not know that my father had been Will Loving's Best Man but here was a photograph which suggested that was the case. Michael also had an autograph book that clarified the last visit to her sister (his grandmother) by our great aunt Emma, who had married Tom Gale and emigrated to America. This is useful for the Gale reunion which is taking place later this month for members of the family coming from Emma and Tom's son Vernon. It proves that Emma was alive after the date we had thought, although it is possible she died the next year.

Labels: Dorset, Genealogy

St Mary's at Stoke-sub-Hamdon had standing room only as the village came to say goodbye to Wendy Margetts on Thursday the 8th. She was born Wendy Fowler in 1944 to Robert Fowler and wife Dorothy Mary (Doll) née Comer. Wendy's grandmother was my great, great aunt, Annie Mary Comer née Fane.
It was apparent from the outset that this was to be no ordinary service as the pall bearers came in to 'The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music' from Julie Andrews. Indeed her family wanted this to be a celebration in memory of Wendy rather than to mourn her departure.
The Reverend lady who conducted affairs gave a short introduction then there was a familiar hymn to a tune which was totally unfamiliar to me. The service continued with a memorial address written by one of Wendy's long time friends followed by a reminiscence by her sister Mary and memories from daughter Jacqueline. Another of Wendy's friends then told of their childhood pranks and misdemeanours before we had a final hymn.
It seems a shame that in an increasing number of instances now there is no collection of the names of those attending so that the family has that record to cherish.

Labels: Environs, Genealogy, Somerset

When my late cousin David Chant and I were discussing a particular William Chant from Stoke-sub-Hamdon we always knew which of the many we meant by differentiating the family using his wife's census description. William does not appear with Elizabeth (Male) in any of the censuses and the only references we have to them are the marriage at St Mary's in Stoke and his name on the children's birth certificates.
They had six children and after William's death the family moved to Australia. There is a large tree coming from the children, particularly Alexander, who fathered thirteen. Trouble is that we do not know which William he might be, so cannot take the line back further or say if that family is related to mine or any other known one.
On Monday one of Alexander's great grandchildren came to see me and I took him, a namesake, and his wife to those local places we thought would be of interest. We stopped at St Mary's but also went to look at the church and graveyard at Barrington, and then went on to look at the estate where a great many of the Barrington labourers must have worked, including members of John's family. Barrington Court is now owned by the National Trust.
Here is John with the house in the background.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-barringtoncourt

Labels: Environs, Genealogy, National Trust, Somerset

Last weekend saw the annual flower festival in the church at Chiselborough. It is always interesting to see a theme in place and how the arrangers have interpreted it. Women who have made a difference was this year and I can think of several others I should like to have seen on display.

Labels: Environs, Genealogy, Somerset

Got it in one!

Labels: Genealogy, Gravestones, Wiltshire

This is the church which my great grandparents, William and Elizabeth Stanton attended. They are buried in the churchyard together with several of their children and grandchildren.
The family lived a fair step away in the hamlet of Birdsmoorgate and I think the walk to Marshwood on a Sunday would have been a little easier as the way was a good bit less hilly. Perhaps there were reasons I have not yet discovered.
I went down to the church on Wednesday to pay my respects and was lucky enough on my way home to meet the chap who now owns the old family home. He has still got the old, pre-registration deeds and has promised to look them out so I can see just what mortgages the Stantons and the Hansfords took out on the property as security for various family enterprises.

Labels: Dorset, Genealogy

This is not a member of my direct family but appears in the tree of my late cousin David Chant. In his notes David reports that William was a cabinet maker. It does not look like one of the England family businesses but there were a lot of irons in the fire and father John England was a pillar of the community running various enterprises.
William can not have found his occupation to be exciting enough for him or else was too intransigent. Whatever the reason he ran away from Crewkerne and went to join the Royal Engineers. He was based at Aldershot and served in Malta amongst his other postings.
In 1911 William became the boxing welterweight champion of the R.E. but this sport led to his ultimate demise. He was killed in a bout at Reading on 22nd July 1914. He had a military funeral and was buried at Crewkerne.
I have looked on the Internet to see if there is anything recorded about William's exploits and almost immediately have struck a snag. According to the R.E. website boxing did not start until 1920. Something else to be checked! http://www.remuseum.org.uk/rem_his_welfare.htm
Later:
I have found a little more in a collection of records being made about fatalities caused by boxing. William and his opponent Charles Eggleton were both recently discharged soldiers. The date and place given by David were correct. William became groggy in the sixth round of a lightweight bout and suffered a technical knock out. He left the ring under his own steam but was found unconscious in his dressing room a little later and taken to hospital, where he died the next day. The death was reported in various newspapers (including 'The Times' on 25th July 1914).

Labels: Genealogy

Gale is a very common name in my parts of Somerset and Dorset. George Claremont Gale was my second cousin, coming from my great aunt Emma's family after emigration. He came from Canada to serve in the second world war and was posted as missing in action. He is commemorated on the Air Force Memorial at Runnymede.

The name just visible on this stone at Bourton, near the Somerset/Wiltshire border is George Gideon Gale. He is from another part of my tree. This George was the son of Gideon and brother of Igdaliah. Igdaliah married Rosina Chant, daughter of Dan Chant who used to have 'The Duke of Cornwall' in Stoke-sub-Hamdon.

Although I have not identified Igdaliah and Rosina's resting place, his father is buried at St Mary's in Stoke.

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=1270553

Labels: Environs, Genealogy, Gravestones, Somerset

The family tree has been particularly active in recent days.


A couple of weeks ago I got in touch with Joy Chant on 'Genes Reunited'. Joy thought her family came from Stoke-sub-Hamdon as that had been family tradition. In my records all the people she named as near kin were Odcombe Chants so I have contacted Christine Ellis who is OPC for both Odcombe and Montacute. It is very interesting that Joy's family memories included Laura Ormiston Chant née Dibben, the suffragette. I have that Laura's husband was from a Stoke line ... are we to find a link at last?
Joy wrote several books in the past, one of which I read in the 1970s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Chant


My own fault for being inquisitive but I am being snowed under with questions prompted by responses to queries which I originated. I am also getting trees from other people which need to have the information checked against my own files. This can be very time consuming if the two do not match in every respect.


I have been working on a line for some distant Pattison kin. I had got a lot of my speculation wrong but now I am in touch with cousin Erin whose 8xG grandfather was my 5xG grandfather! She is putting some family photos on 'Facebook'. Erin has more pluck than I have as one of her recent activities has involved sky diving.


When I need to contact a family member who has disappeared over the course of time I carry out a simple search. If that does not bear fruit I leave messages on web sites where I think the person will go as and when they start their own tree. One such message which I put on the 'Curious Fox' web site quite a while ago brought me a response yesterday. I have not been in contact with my cousin Michael Loving for over forty years. Now I have high hopes as I have sent him an e-mail with my telephone number. The picture is of Michael's and my great uncle Joseph Stanton.


Cousin Diana phoned yesterday as she wants to see the standing stone circle on Ham Hill that was put there for the millennium. We swapped some local family gossip about a couple of kinfolk who have been very unwell recently; and, also, that Diana has not heard from one of her family correspondents in Canada. Since Diana does not use the Internet I have written to cousin Troy Chant to see if there are ill tidings about his gran.


This morning the post brought a package from Australia: it was posted on the 9th! This was from cousin Ken Chant and his wife Alison and contained a copy of a book produced by the family based upon the reminiscences of Ken's dad, James Oswald Chant. I shall really enjoy reading them.


Cousin Jenni Hall might have come today but has car trouble which will not be fixed until later in the week. That means I shall have a visitor for the weekend.

Labels: Family, Genealogy, Somerset

Labels: Genealogy, Gravestones, Somerset

This was another interesting church. It was almost as if I was making an approach up a private roadway. It was quite compact and the bell ropes were hanging in the porch looped up out of the reach of temptation for small children. There was a notice to one side of the porch to the effect that you did not enter whilst bell ringing was in progress.

I mentioned a week or so ago that my great grandparents were landlords of 'The Phelips Arms' in Montacute at the time of the 1861 census. There are Phelips buried at Montacute, but, I feel, not so many as there are here in another churchyard from which you have magnificent views over miles of British countryside.

The Phelips are connected with the Fane family in Montacute and various of my kin from the line of James Fane, who married at St. Mary's, Stoke-sub-Hamdon in 1761 would like to think that we have this aristocratic connection. If we have, there is no history for James: he may have been a younger son or even an unofficial one. Something could come to light one day, but I am one member of the family who is not holding my breath!
http://ingilbyhistory.ripleycastle.co.uk/ingilby_3/PHELIPS%20of%20Montacute.pdf

Labels: Genealogy, Somerset

My cousin Kathryn advised trying 'The Phelips Arms' for a meal when cousin Maureen and husband Bert were with me a few weeks back. We had a good meal there and it was excellent value.

For the last couple of years cousin Marcia, her husband, Melvyn, and I have had a birthday celebration meal at a local pub so this year I suggested that we come here and that Kathryn join us. Time passed very quickly with meals we all enjoyed interspersed with a good deal of chat.

For me 'The Phelips Arms' has a special significance as when viewed at the time of the 1861 census the landlords were my great grandparents, William and Elizabeth Stanton. Also present was my grandmother aged nine months. William was a butcher by trade but he and his wife were in training to take over 'The Rose and Crown' at Birdsmoorgate in Dorset from his parents when they retired. My grandmother was later passed over to her childless aunt Sarah at 'The Fleur de Lis' in Stoke-sub-Hamdon for upbringing and training in the licenced trade. Eventually she ran the 'Fleur' and her four children, including my father, were born there.
http://www.thephelipsarms.co.uk/

Labels: Environs, Genealogy

This is the church at Hutton in Essex which I visited on the 25th. At one time there was a wealthy local family named Offin and Mary Ann Offin married Samuel Chant. He was from a Shoreditch family with stockbroking connections. I can trace his line back, but only so far because of missing records. Samuel is buried here.

Mary Ann's great niece, Catherine Offin, moved to Crewkerne. She married Ptolemy Colmer. There are still Colmers in the area but I have not tied any of them to my Chant family yet.

Mary Ann's nephew, Henry Offin, married Clara Purdy. Clara was the daughter of John Purdy a gun spring maker from the east end of London. When Henry died Clara moved to Albert Square (Stratford not Walford), less than a quarter of a mile from Chant Street where property was owned by related members of Samuel's Chant family.

Before I started on the family tree and when Eastenders was new on television I mentioned Albert Square to my mother. "I was born there," she said. Although that does not reflect on her birth certificate, why should she have said that? It certainly stuck in my mind and she was not one to court an association with a television programme, no matter how popular. A fact which could occur, probably only to me, was that there may have been a family connection. She was the first born and her mother could have gone to a relative for her confinement. Her Longley mother was a Purdy!

Labels: Essex, Genealogy