The Hamlet of Hankham

[Rod In Sussex]

I have reached a bit of a sticking point in my own family tree researches. So, for a bit of a busmans holiday, I am going finish off a local history project I started some time ago, on Hankham, in the Parish of Westham (between Eastbourne and Hailsham). It can also be spelt Handcombe.

I have the Webbers running the Post Office, local farmers called Foord, Gorringe, Hunter, Venn and Martin; blacksmiths called Thorpe and Geering; several generations of millers called Crisford, gentry called Rood, Schill, Owen and Breton; as well as a fine selection of shepherds and agricultural laborers called Westgate, Watson, Tucknot, Honneyset (several spellings), Paul, Marchant, Moon, Christie, Colbean, and a few others as well.

Can anyone add some additional facts for this project, other then the traces on the Victorian censuses and Directories. All snipits would be gratefully received and faithfully used.

Rod

[mnmilt]

Rod,
I have a bit of information about Hankham/Westham that I would be happy to share with you.  What exactly are you looking for?  The names that you mentioned intrigue me since several of them are in my family tree.  For example, my ggg grandfather was Edward Foord (married to Jane Bodle on 1 Jul 1821).  They had 10 children including William Foord (my gg grandfather) and Caroline Foord.  Caroline married John Webber.  I have photos of John Webber's and Edward Foord's gravestones.  I have been able to trace Edward Foord back one more generation to William Foord but no further than that.  I also haven't been able to find a firm link between my Foords and Foord's lane in Westham.  Interestingly, you list the Foords as being farmers.  In 1841 Edward Foord was listed as being a Farm Labourer and in 1851 he was a farmer of 10 acres.  Several of his descendants became very successful farmers.  For example, his son William moved to Ringmer where he died in 1891.  His son (another Edward Foord, my great grandfather) farmed at Broyle Place Farm in Ringmer.  Another of Edward and Jane Foord's children, George Foord was a farmer of 615 acres in Rottingdean before he emigrated to the US.  The transition of the Foords from Farm Labourers to Farmers has always intrigued me.  They may have inherited money which could have come from Jane (Bodle) Foord's family.  Jane Bodle was born in Hailsham and was the daughter of Edward Bodle and Harriet Sinnock.  Harriett was the daughter of John Sinnock and Mary Roads who in turn was the daughter of William Roads and Mary Crowhurst.  All of this is a very obtuse way of pointing out another possible link to the Roods gentry listed in your posting.  Based on information from the access to archives database (www.pro.gov.uk), the Roods family includes Henry Crowhurst Roods.  I haven't yet gathered enough information to firmly link these Roods with my Roads, but it seems highly likely that they are related.  There are two Henry Crowhurst Roods (one born in 1773 and one born in 1805).  I have a copy of the will for the elder as well as the will for his brother, Samuel Roods.  I haven't had time to transcribe them yet.
I also have connections to the Honneysett Family (Elfrida, the sister of Jane Bodle married a Honneysett) and the Paul family (Edward and Jane (Bodle) Foord's daughter Frances married Silas Paul).

I'd be most happy to share information with you (perhaps send me a PM) and would like to learn more about the information that you have on the Foords, Webbers, Roods and Pauls.

Regards

Mark

[Rod In Sussex]

Thanks you for your help. I will send you a message with more information.

Rod

[Chota]

A Jane Marchant married Joseph Dunk and lived in  Hankham Street.  Have you come across Peter Hunnisett's One Name Study which deals with a Hankham Hunnisett ot two.
http://www.hunnisett.org.uk
James Dunk, son of Joseph and Jane and his wife Mary were living in Dog House, Handcome in 1841. and Emma Dunk daughter of Joseph and Jane married a Willo(u)by from the farm round the corner.
Dog House is still there, no longer several cottages but a beautifully maintained single home.

If anyone has any information about Jane Marchant I would be grateful.  I have her tentatively attached to Joseph Marchant and Susannah Manser but feel pretty doubtful about that.
I am looking for Dunks of Hellingly, Chiddingly, Westham and Newhaven as well as Marchant, Wenham and Vine.
Chota

[Rod In Sussex]

Chota,

thanks for the extra information. I will look out my notes and see if I have anything extra on your names. The Dog House is a somewhat sad place, as it is where the local MP was murdered in an IRA bomb attack. I have a copy of the 1965 Kelley's for the area and it shows three Vines, all I think brothers, living in the adjacent cottages near the Red Lion. The local Vicar is also a local Vine from Westham, but not related to the three. although he was at school with one of the boys. Small world sometimes!

Thanks again for your information. 

Rod

[davefoord]

I appreciate this reply is to a post made over 10 years ago (sorry, only just found this interesting discussion).

Mark mentioned in his post, that he couldn't identify a link between his line of Foords and Foord's Lane in Hankham. The Edward Foord (who married Jane Bodle), is my ggg grandad (I descend from his son George). I have been told by my father and Aunt that Foord's Lane is actually named after Edward Foord, after he built Foord's Cottage there. I haven't been able to locate concrete proof of this, but have no reason to disbelief this.

I too have wondered how the family went from being generations of poor farm labourers with large families, to suddenly being a farm/land owner that could afford to have a new house built. My hypothesis was that they made a lot of money from smuggling, as my Aunt had told me that she had uncovered information suggesting that some of my ancestors were smugglers (I don't know which ones) - and the timescales fitted times of high levels of smuggling in Sussex.

It is interesting that Mark has hypothesised that Edward married into wealth (more likely but less exciting than my hypothesis!)

If anyone is still following this thread and knows any more about the Foords and Foord's Lane - I would live to hear the information

[RobertWilliams]

Hi Dave
Just a quick reply to your post. I live in Foords Cottage and I can tell you that the cottage was not built by Edward Foord. I have a document stating that it was sold to the Foords by a family called Geering. If you see this reply get back to me and I can give you more info.

[davefoord]

Hi Robert, yes I have received this message, and I would be very interested in any information you have on Foords Cottage and Edward Foords ownership of it.

[RobertWilliams]

Hi Davefoord,
I have the Indenture which shows that on 19th November 1874 George Geering sold Foords Cottage to Edward Foord for the sum of £55.
I have tried to send 2 copies of the Indenture but the files are too big. If you would like them we may have to exchange emails unless you have a better idea?
Rob