Nine children or more in a family is rare today but not in past times. In Upchurch there are numerous examples.
The Drake family consisted of twelve children. Edmund Drake served as village vicar from 1560 to 1567. He originated from Devon and came to Upchurch after a spell living on a shipwreck on the River Medway. Drake’s eldest son Francis became a famous seaman who attacked the Spanish in the Caribbean and led the fight against the Spanish Armada in 1588. Edmund Drake is buried in the village churchyard.
Roger Chaffe, a gentleman and landowner who owned a large amount of land in Kent moved to Upchurch with his wife and nine children from London in the early nineteenth century. They lived in a big house known as Chaffes Place located near the entrance to Gore Farm in Chaffes Lane. Roger Chaffe became a patron of the church and the village school. When he died in 1843 his family moved away and the house was demolished to make way for Chaffes Cottages in 1858. Chaffes Lane is named after Roger Chaffe.
Reverend John Woodruff who served as the village vicar from 1834 to 1868 and his wife Elizabeth had a large family of ten children. They lived at Parsonage farmhouse which became the village vicarage until it was demolished in the mid-1970s. Reverend Woodruff is one of only a few Upchurch clergymen buried in the churchyard. Woodruff Close is named after him.
During the first half of the twentieth century some very large families existed in the village. Walter Godden worked as fruit foreman for farmers Wakeley Brothers and lived in Wallbridge Lane with his wife and twelve children. The family became well-known in the village but they emigrated to Canada during the 1930s. At about the same time Fred and Kate Seamer who lived in The Street had eleven children which included eight girls and three boys.
Some Upchurch farmers have produced large families. John Green and his wife Elizabeth who owned Horsham Farm during the mid-nineteenth century had fifteen children. John Green became an overseer of the poor and got involved in parish affairs. Following him James Stevens came to Upchurch during the 1870s. He lived at Boxted Farm and owned 240 acres of land in the area. He and his wife Mary produced eleven children consisting of seven boys and four girls. Some of the boys entered the family farming business and some became well-known local cricketers. Frank Stevens became a farmer, a parish council member and president of Upchurch Cricket Club during the early twentieth century, while Charles Stevens became a successful opening batsman for Upchurch Cricket Club. Les Stevens and his sons David and Mark are still involved in the family farming business.
The Barling family came to Bayford Farm during the 1920s. Charles and Esme Barling had nine children consisting of four boys and five girls. The family kept livestock and provided the village with milk for some years. Of the boys, Bill and Dave have become the most well known in the village as the owners of Upchurch River Valley Golf Course Ltd in Oak Lane. Numerous members of the family still reside in Upchurch.
Albert and Ivy Sketchley who lived in Chaffes Lane produced ten children, five boys and five girls. Albert, who worked as a bricklayer, gained fame as a footballer with Upchurch Football Club during the 1930s and as a successful darts league player for The Brown Jug pub. His youngest son Bernard who still lives in Upchurch became a successful marathon runner at the annual Upchurch Marathon. A patron of several village organisations, he started local window business 'Kent Trade Frames Limited.' Of the girls Evelyn became Upchurch Carnival Queen in 1954.
 |
Edward Cozens grave in the
churchyard at St. Mary's, Upchurch. |
Edward Cozens who owned a blacksmith’s business at The Old Bakery in Forge Lane lived in the village from 1874 to 1882. He and his wife Elizabeth had twenty one children, possibly the biggest recorded Upchurch family. Edward Cozens also served Newington and Lower Halstow as a blacksmith. When he left Upchurch his son Ernest continued living at The Old Bakery and became well-known as the village photographer, chairman of the parish council and as sub-postmaster during the early twentieth century. Edward and Elizabeth Cozens both died in 1904 and are buried in the churchyard. Their grave overlooks Forge Lane.
James and Sarah Button who first lived in Oak Lane and then at 4 Gore Bank Cottages produced what is thought to be the second biggest recorded Upchurch family of twenty children. Sarah Button also had twenty one brothers and sisters. The couple lived into old age and celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1931.
The descendants of past big Upchurch families continue to live in the village but exceptionally large families remain a feature of bygone days.
About David
David Wood was born, raised and still lives in Upchurch today. He is able to write from personal experience about village life and the changes that have taken place over the years, making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable book and detailed historical study of the village.
David's book, ‘Memories of Upchurch’ is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters.
Price £12 + £3.50 postage and packing.
David Wood
Space
