The
Link Family
Grandfather
Oswald Leonard Edward Link was born on
On the 1891 Census he is shown as 9
years old, living at
He had moved to
They had three children.
Oswald served as Private 29356 in
the 2nd Bn Grenadier Guards during the First World War and was killed in action
on
The following is taken from the Lynn
News and Advertiser (date of article unknown):- “Elder son of Mr and Mrs
J.E.Link of 24 Coronation Sq. Kings Lynn killed in action in
As mentioned above, his brother
Sidney J.Link was also killed in action during the First World War, just two
weeks before Armistice Day. He is buried
at
The following is a taken from the
Lynn News and Advertiser (date of article unknown):- “Younger son of Mr and Mrs
J.E.Link of
Great Grandfather
James Edward Link was born on
He was still living near Wisbech at the age of 8, at
Walsoken. Wisbech is located between Ely
and
In 1871 he was employed at a Flax
factory and living with his family at
James and Ada had at least six
children, all born in Kings Lynn:- Oswald
born in 1882, Beatrice born about 1884,
Una M. born
about 1888, Hilda born about 1890, Ellen W. born about 1896 and Sidney James
born in 1899.
The 1891 Census shows James as a
Labourer at
He later became a Blacksmith and died in 1943 in
Great Great Grandfather
John Link was born in
He married Mary Bocking on
He married again on
John and Rebecca had at least seven
children, all born in Walsoken except the youngest who was born in Kings Lynn:-
John born about 1853, Joseph H. born about 1854, James Edward born in 1855, Edward born about 1858, Henry H. born
about 1860, Mary M. born in 1861 and Caroline born about 1866.
On the 1861 census he is listed as a
Tailor aged 49 living with his wife and 6 children at
By 1881 at the grand age of 72, he
was a tailor living with his wife and three of their children at
Neither John or Rebecca can be found
on the 1891 or 1901 census records.
A journeyman was a day labourer who had served his apprenticeship. Unlike apprentices and employees engaged on a
longer-term basis, most journeymen lived away from their work. The term
has NO connection with travelling. The Statute
of Artificiers of 1563 laid down the journeyman's hours of work as being,
in summer, from, at or before
The Link/Linklater family
* Sources – Caroline Chapman and Trevor Cobbold.
John and Sarah Linklater had at least 4 children –
Phoebe, William Wilson, Joseph and John but it seems they all changed the name
to Link except for Joseph. There are
four other Links which could also be children of John and Sarah – George,
James, Elizabeth and Martha, although this has not been confirmed.
At the time of their son John’s marriage to Rebecca in
1851, John Link (Linklater) is shown as a Publican, deceased.
Details known about the first four children mentioned
above are as follows:-
Phoebe Link was born in about 1800 and had two
husbands – Captain John Langford who was lost at sea after three years of
marriage, and then Edward Hudson, a Blacksmith.
She had one child by her first husband and at least four by her
second. *Trevor Cobbold (born 1931) is
the Great Great Grandson of Edward and Phoebe Hudson, and lives in
William Wilson Link was born in 1806 and died at about
the age of two.
Joseph Linklater was born in 1803 and was married
twice. He had at least seven children
with his second wife – Elizabeth Anne Fuller born about 1811.
John Link (see above).
Great Grandmother
Ada Rosilia Hammond was born on
Ada Rosilia first appears on census records in 1861, as a one year old living with
her parents and three older brothers at Back Lanes, Burnham Westgate. She is not listed with her parents on
the 1871 census, but is instead with her Grandmother - Maria Booer at Burnham
Sutton.
In 1881 she is shown aged 21
with her parents and brother Oswald, at Coronation Tavern, Kings Lynn where her
father was a Publican. Later that year, she married James
Edward Link. The marriage took place at
St Margaret, Kings Lynn on
James and Ada had at least six
children, all born in Kings Lynn:- Oswald
born in 1882, Beatrice born about 1884, Una M. born about 1888, Hilda born
about 1890, Ellen W. born about 1896 and Sidney James born in 1899.
On both the 1891 and 1901
censuses she is shown as wife of James Link at
Great Great Grandfather
Alfred Hammond was born in about 1824
at Colkirk,
On the 1841 census, Alfred is shown in
Colkirk as a Bricklayer aged 18 with his parents Adam (Bricklayer) and Harriett
Hammond (both aged 40) and his siblings Elijah aged 15 (Bricklayer), Elias aged
10, Israel aged 4 and Ephram aged 1.
Unfortunately his marriage certificate to
Emily Booer has not yet been found.
The 1851 census shows Alfred
Hamond, a Journeyman Bricklayer, with his wife and 7 month old son Walter
Alfred at
By 1861, Alfred is a
Bricklayer and Store Keeper at Back Lanes, Burnham Westgate with his wife and
four of their children. It is believed
that they had six children:- Walter Alfred born 1850, Herbert born about 1855,
Frederick born 1858, Ada Rosilia born 1860, Albert born 1863 and Oswald
born 1867.
The family appear again on
the 1871 Census and then on 1881 Census by which time Alfred is a Licensed
Victualler (Publican) and Bricklayer living at the Coronation Tavern,
Coronation Square, Kings Lynn with wife and children, Ada and Oswald. At the time of the 1891 census he was still a
Publican at the Coronation Tavern with his wife and son, Albert, a railway
clerk.
The ‘Kings Lynn Petty
Session Register’ found at website www.norfolkpubs.co.uk confirms
that Alfred was licensee for the Coronation Tavern from
Neither Alfred or Emily could be found on
the 1901 census.
Great Great Grandmother
Rebecca Mehew was born at Ely in
about 1827.
On the 1851 census Rebecca is shown
as a 25 year old dress maker living with her widowed father John Mehew, Baker
(Master), aged 55. They are residing at Bulls Lane, Wisbech along with her
brothers - Charles, Alfred and John W aged 17,12 and 8 respectively.
She married John Link on 27th
September 1851 at the Baptist Chapel, St Peter, Wisbech in Cambridgeshire and their witnesses
were John Mehew and Fanny Mehew. At this time she was a dressmaker and
they were both living at
John and Rebecca had at least seven
children, all born in Walsoken except the youngest who was born in Kings Lynn:-
John born about 1853, Joseph H. born about 1854, James Edward born in 1855, Edward born about 1858, Henry H. born
about 1860, Mary M. born in 1861 and Caroline born about 1866.
On census records from 1861 to 1881
Rebecca is shown as wife of John Link (see section on John Link for
details). Neither John or Rebecca can be
found on the 1891 or 1901 census records.
Great Great Great Grandfather
John Mehew was born at St Neots,
Huntingdonshire (now Cambridgeshire) in about 1796.
On the 1851 census he is
shown as a widower in Wisbech, occupation Master Baker. He is living with four
of his children – Rebecca aged 25 (dressmaker), Charles aged 17 (blacksmith
journeyman), Alfred aged 12 (tailor apprentice) and John W aged 8 (scholar).
Great Great Grandmother
Emily Booer was born
at Burnham Sutton in about 1827.
Emily must have married Alfred Hammond before 1851, as
she is listed with him on the all census records found (see the section on
Alfred Hammond for details of census records).
Unfortunately the marriage certificate has not yet been found.
It is believed that they had
six children:- Walter Alfred born 1850, Herbert born about 1855, Frederick born
1858, Ada Rosilia born 1860, Albert born 1863 and Oswald born 1867.
We can deduce the names of Emily’s parents because in
1871, her daughter Ada Rosilia is listed as living with her Grandmother Maria
Booer at Burnham Sutton. Maria’s date of
birth is shown as about 1789 and her birthplace as Anmer,
Grandmother
Nelly Churcher was born on
On the 1881 Census she is listed as
aged 4 at Hambrook Farm, Westbourne living with parents and siblings.
In 1891 Census she is shown as
‘Domestic help’ aged 14 with her parents, 2 siblings and niece Alice Brown at
‘Little Hambrook’. The rest of the Brown
family are living in
There is no Nelly Churcher from
The family recall that she was a
Cook, and it is said that she cooked for King Edward during her time in
London. When she married Oswald in 1909,
she was living at
They had three children.
Great Grandfather
Edward Churcher was born in about 1832 in
On the 1841 census, Edward is shown
as age 9 with his parents and four siblings at Westbourne, Sussex. His father
is noted as a Farmer.
The 1851 census shows Edward aged 18
living ‘in the village’ at Westbourne with his widowed Mother Rhoda. Her occupation is described as ‘Farms 43
acres – 2 labourers, and he is ‘Farmer’s son’.
Living with them his sister Harriett aged 14.
Edward married Jane Eliza Stares on
19th November 1856 at Portsea Parish Church, Hampshire. On their marriage
certificate Edward is recorded as a Carpenter aged 25, living at Stawnton P. Their witnesses were Ellen Bedford, G Wm Churcher.
They had at least twelve children:-
Bertha Louisa born about 1857, Eliza Jane born about 1859, George Edward born
about 1861, Albert John born about 1863, Alice Mary born about 1865, Laura
Annie born about 1867, Frederick born about 1869, Jessie born about 1871, Rhoda
Lucy born about 1873, Nelly born in
1876, Leonard born about 1878 and Fanny born about 1880.
On the 1861 Census Edward is an Agricultural Labourer
aged 28 with his wife, Jane Eliza and 3 children at
The following reference was found in ‘The Westbourne Story’ book by Lucinda Roch and Matthew Toms
- Pg.112 Westbourne farming:-
“An Inland Revenue licence to keep a
single horse or a mule, dated 1872 for £0 10s. 6d.
‘No.2812, Portsmouth Collection,
Chichester Div. or Ride.
Mr Edward Churcher of Westbourne in
the Parish of Westbourne in the
The 1881 Census shows
At the time of the 1891 Census he is
a Farmer at Little Hambrook with wife, 3 children and 1 grand-daughter and by
1901 he is shown as ‘Farmer (own account)’ at Little Hambrook, Westbourne with
his wife and children Leonard and Fanny Beatrice. Leonard is listed as ‘Farmer’s son (worker)’.
Granny said that Edward may have
died around 1916 and this was confirmed by the Index of Wills on Ancestry.co.uk.
The probate date was 21 June 1916 and it states “Churcher Edward of Hambrook in
the Parish of Westbourne Sussex died 17 May 1916 Probate London 21 June to
Albert John Churcher naval pensioner and Peter John Palmer gardener. Effects
£988 2s 6d.” Albert was his son and Peter was his daughter Laura’s
husband.
Great Great Grandfather
George Churcher was born in about 1781 in
“Churcher’s farmhouse dates back to
when farmers lives with their plots of land immediately behind their houses, as
opposed to being situated outside the village as they are today. The farmhouse is named after the Churchers,
an old farming Westbourne family. In the
early 1800s, George Churcher made the then owner’s daughter, Louisa Clear,
pregnant. After a shotgun wedding,
George later inherited both house and farm.
However, it didn’t stay in the Churcher name for long. A curious legal arrangement – Borough English
– which was common at this time, allowed younger sons and daughters to inherit,
on the assumption that the eldest son had been amply rewarded during his
father’s lifetime. In Churcher’s case, a
preponderance of daughters meant that by the late 19th century it
was in the hands of the Scadgells.”
George and Louisa had one child (also called Louisa) before
she died. On
On the 1841 Census George is listed
as a Farmer aged 60 in Westbourne Village, with his wife Rhoda and five of his
children. His son Edward’s marriage
certificate in 1856 confirms his name and occupation.
The following is taken from ‘The Westbourne Story’ -
“Across the road from Rose Cottage
is an enchanting thatched, box-framed property with the date 1548 inscribed in
a wall. Originally the dwelling known
simply as Box Cottage, was for a time home to George Churcher until his death
in 1845 when only four of his nine children were still alive. He left his estates to his wife and
thereafter to his three surviving daughters in equal shares, leaving £50 to his
son George. His estates, which included
Churcher’s Farm in
George’s death in the 1840s is
confirmed by the 1851 Census which shows Rhoda as a widow aged 56 whose
occupation was ‘Farmer of 43 acres’.
Living with her was her son Edward aged 18 and daughter Harriett aged
14. By 1861 Rhoda was listed as ‘Farmer
of 33 acres, and living with her in
On the 1873 ‘Return of Owners of
Land’ on Ancestry, there is a George Churcher of Westbourne with the following
‘Extent of Lands’ - A.23 R.2 P.13, and ‘Gross Estimated Rental’ - £60 17s. This
may be George’s eldest son George William Churcher born 1820.
More on the Churchers…
*Source – Daphne Parker.
It is believed that George
Churcher’s parents were William Churcher and Elizabeth Jelley, and that William
lived from 1745 to 1824. The IGI gives
their marriage as
On searching the IGI for children of
William Churcher and Elizabeth, the following Westbourne records are found:-
Elizth christened
Haryet christened
William christened
Polly christened
Sarah christened
George christened
Phillis christened
Jarratt christened
Vashti christened
A Vashti Churcher is mentioned in ‘The Westbourne
Story’ - Pg.141 Westbourne Pubs:-
“On the north side of the square was
the George and Dragon, now a doctor’s surgery.
This was the smallest of the old alehouses to survive into the age of
public houses. We first hear of it in
the 1830s when its large brewing copper was used by a local man as a hiding
place from the Swing Rioters. It was
then owned by Vashti Churcher before being acquired by various breweries and
rebuilt.”
On the 1851 Census Vashti is shown
in Westbourne village as an unmarried ‘dealer’, aged 67 and by 1861 she is
shown as a ‘Proprieter houses’ – quite an entrepreneur by all accounts! She was still going strong in 1871, living at
There are some other references to
the Churcher family in the book ‘The Westbourne Story’ as follows:-
Pg.59
“At the top of
Pg.63 Woodmancote
“Like most families in Westbourne,
the Palmers are related to other long standing village names. George Palmer’s father St Peter John Palmer,
a gardener at Hollybank House, married Laura Annie Churcher in 1885 in
Funtington. One of their daughters,
another Laura Annie, became the wife of Edward Alfred Edgell in 1911.”
Pg.147 The Woodmancote Arms
“For many years the Woodmancote Arms
has played an integral role on the social life of Woodmancote. Taken over by the Brown family in the early
1900s, they ran it for the next 50 years.
Bertha Brown (née Churcher) was born in
Great Grandmother
Jane Eliza Stares was born in about 1836
in or near
All census records found so far list
Jane Eliza as wife of Edward (see section on Edward Churcher). They all give her place of birth as
Not much is known about the Stares
family, although on Edward and Jane’s marriage certificate her father is shown
as George Stares, a farmer. There are
two IGI records which may be relevant but have not been confirmed. The first is the christening of Jane Eliza
Stairs on
The 1851 Census may be able to
provide more details of Jane Eliza’s family.
Grandfather
Frederick Anderson was born on
He married Ellen on
They had five children.
Granny said that
His brother John Anthony Anderson
was an RAF pilot during WW2 and survived the war despite three major
incidents. Granny said that he fell out
of a Hurricane whilst flying upside down over
The following records were found on the internet:-
1.
26th April 1940 – near
Rickmansworth near the Harefield estate. The Pilot of Hurricane L1668 of 253
Squadron, was Sgt J.A.Anderson. service no.535829. He lost control during an
Interception Exercise and baled out injured.
2. “On Saturday,
3rd August 1940, a Fairey Battle Mark 3 L5110 of No 253 Squadron en route from
Northolt to Turnhouse suffered an engine fire and then engine failure as they
flew over Tanfield at about 19.00. The aircraft crashed just to the NW of
Causey. The crew, Sergeant J.L. Anderson and LAC Ricks, baled out and landed on
Gibside Estate; both were injured and were taken to Rowlands Gill.” NB. RAF Turnhouse was near Edinburgh and
Tanfield is in Durham so this may relate to the second incident, although his
middle initial is incorrect so this needs to be confirmed – see below.
3. “Sgt J.A.Anderson of No 253 Squadron was wounded on the 14th of September 1940. He was in combat with a Bf 109 near Faversham and baled out of his stricken Hurricane I (P3804) at 18:10hrs.”
On this day the records states - “There were probing raids on
Found on the
internet:- http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3212106.html
Form 1860
circa 1939 was A3 size folded to A4 making a four page servicing record for
every RAF aircraft.
Fairey Battle MkIII (shown on form as MkI) L5110 was one of 1029 built by the
Austin Motor Company and was delivered to 6 MU Manston storage on May 12th
1939. The records continued on this oil-stained form until December 12th 1939.
At some point the aircraft was delivered to 253 Hurricane Squadron to join
another Battle as Squadron hack! These two were obviously spared the Fairey
Battle massacre over in France.
On August 3rd 1940, the aircraft was en route from Northolt to Turnhouse when
the engine caught fire over Tanfield, County Durham and both men, 187307 Sgt J
A Anderson and LAC Ricks bailed out and came down on Gibsey Estate. The Battle
crashed at Causey.
The full story of this crash only emerged much later. Sgt Anderson had
exhibited great bravery that day as this excerpt from his obituary explains:
" John Anderson, or 'Andy' as he was affectionately known to his close
friends died on the 28th May, 1978, aged 61. The Squadron had been given two
old Battles for hack work and target practice, when one day one of them burst into
flames. An airman passenger in the rear gunner's well was too shaken to jump
and Andy, despite the flames, climbed along the fuselage (outside) trying to
persuade the airman to jump and pull his rip-cord. Unfortunately, Andy was
blown off by the slipstream and landed by parachute after suffering some burns.
Meanwhile the airman had pulled his rip-cord while still in the well and
miraculously was snatched clear by the open parachute, breaking a leg on the
mainplane but otherwise landing safely intact"
Tom Gleave - ex 253 colleague.
Great Grandfather
William John Anderson was born between 1847 and 1854 in
William John and Catherine had at
least five children all born in the Bermondsey/Rotherhithe area:- Catherine
born about 1882, Mary born about 1885, Frederick
born about 1886, William born about 1891 and George born about 1893.
At the time of the 1881 Census he
was a General Labourer living at what looks like “
On the 1891 Census he is listed as a
Dock waterside labourer aged 44 living at 1 Ship Yard, Southwark with
family. Incidentally, some of the Curran
family were living in the next road at 14 Green Bank.
He is not shown with the family on
the 1901 Census and unfortunately Catherine’s marital status is not shown. Either he was away from home or had already
died. On his son Frederick’s marriage
certificate in 1911 he is noted as ‘Deceased, Wharf Labourer’.
Granny was told by her father that
William was born in Deal or
Great Grandmother
Catherine Hastings was born about 1854 in
The Commonwealth War
Graves Commission has the following entry:-
“In memory of William
James Anderson, Corporal 8849 5th Bn., King’s Shropshire Light
Infantry who died on
The 1861 census shows a Catherine
Haistings, living with her widowed mother Mary, and siblings - Peter and
Ellen. They are listed at 1 Nags Head
Ally,
In 1871, at 1 Eddy’s Entry in
By 1881 Catherine is married to
William Anderson and living in Bermondsey.
Not much is known about the
Great Great Grandmother
Mary (Catherine Hastings’
mother) was born in about 1821 in
The 1861 census shows Mary Haistings
as a widow aged 39, with her three children at 1 Nags Head Ally in
In 1871, at 1 Eddy’s Entry in
By 1881 Mary is living with daughter
Ellen, again at 1 Eddy’s Entry, with Ellen working as a Glass
manufacturer. By this time Catherine is
married to William Anderson and living in Bermondsey, while there is an
unmarried Peter T. Hastings aged 32 boarding with the Quinn family just north
of
The 1891 Census shows Ellen living
at 1 Eddy’s Entry but with her brother Peter.
Mary Hastings cannot be found so it is likely that she had died. Peter’s birthplace is difficult to make out
but looks like ‘Bingham Stone Mayo
Ireland’. He is working as a ‘White
firebrick maker’ and Ellen is a ‘Glass works sale woman’.
The best
match for Peter’s place of birth (given on the 1891 census) is ‘Binghamstown’
in
Some of the dates on the 1861 census
do not agree with later ones, but assuming the others are correct and that
Peter was born in
Grandmother
Ellen Barry was born on
Frederick and Ellen Anderson had five
children.
On the 1891 census she is shown aged
3, with her parents and two brothers at 18 Gibbon’s Rents, Horslydown,
Southwark . By the 1901 census the
family had moved to
Granny said Ellen was a Seamstress,
that her family came from
According to Granny, Ellen died on
Great Grandfather
John Barry was born in St.Olave Southwark,
(If the marriage certificate can be
found linking Barry and Rylah, the names of the witnesses may help to confirm
the birth certificate. If they married
in
The 1871 census shows John as a 12
year old employed as a fur worker and living at
In 1881 John was a labourer aged 22
and still living with his parents at 127 Snowfields, Bermondsey. On
John and Catherine had at least four
children:- Patrick born about 1887, Ellen
born in 1888, Jeremiah born about 1890 and John born about 1893.
John was a Waterside Labourer living
at
On his daughter Ellen’s marriage
certificate in 1911 he is shown as a Wharf Labourer.
The Charles Booth Online Archive has information on
the Rotherhithe area including roads where the Barry, Anderson and Curran
families lived. The website address
is http://booth.lse.ac.uk/ - “Charles Booth's Inquiry into the
Life and Labour of the People in
Great Great Grandfather
Patrick Barry was born in about 1826 in
In 1851 there is a Patrick Barry aged 25 living with
his elder brother John at
Patrick Barry married Mary, possibly née Rylah. This has yet to be confirmed.
At the time of the 1861 census he was living at
By 1871 the family had moved to
In 1881, Patrick and Mary had moved to 127 Snowfields,
Bermondsey and living with them were two of their children, John, a labourer
and Mary, a domestic servant.
Neither Patrick or Mary have been located on the later
censuses.
Great Grandmother
Catherine Curran was born in about 1857 in the
Southwark/Bermondsey area. Her birth
certificate has not yet been located.
We know her rough date of birth and that her father was called Jeremiah
from her marriage certificate.
In 1861 she is shown with her parents at
In 1871 Catherine is shown aged 13, living at
She married John Barry on
John and Catherine had at least four
children:- Patrick born about 1887, Ellen
born in 1888, Jeremiah born about 1890 and John born about 1893.
John and Catherine are listed with
at 18 Gibbon’s Rents at the time of the 1891 Census, and then at
Great Great Grandfather
Jeremiah Curran was born around 1820 in
There is a Jeremiah Curran on the 1851 Census aged 25
from
On the 1861 census Jeremiah Curren is shown as a Wharf
Labourer aged 48 married to Margaret aged 40.
Living with them are daughters Polly aged 15, Catherine aged 6, Henora
aged 2 and also two lodgers – Dennis Crawley aged 26 and Moris Field aged 22,
both unmarried and from Ireland. As
mentioned before, these ages are not consistent with other information found.
In 1871 Jeremiah Curran is shown as a Waterside
labourer aged 50, married to Mary aged 42, a House keeper at
By 1881 the family are listed at
By 1901 Mary Curran, widow, is listed as 75 years of
age living at 22 English Ground, St.Olave.
Living with her is her widowed daughter Hannah Barrett with four
sons. Also there are seven boarders by
the names of
V2
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