Gypsy Tragedy-perhaps missing ancestors

[Romany Knaves]

Not all researchers may know a tragedy which occurred in 1853 at Tudley,Hartlake nr maidstone,Kent.on the 20th oct while crossing the river medway on returning from a days hop picking a horse pulling a wagon stumbled on hartlake bridge causing it to crash through the wooden structure "which was in a poor state" and into the river 30 Gypsies travelling onboard lost their lives their ages ranged from just 2 years to 59 the verdict of the coroner was accidental drowning some of these Gypsies were said to be irish.

Elsey Family-William 22,Selinda 25,
Herne Family-John 28,Lunia 26,Gentine 4,Girl"unknown name"2,
Leatherhead Family-Samuel 59,Charlotte 56,Comfort 24,Selina 22,Alice 18,
Taylor Family-Sarah 55,Thomas 38,Thomas 4,

Ellen Collins 40,Cathrine Clare 28,Ellen Devine 19,Cathrine Donohue 42,Noah Donovan 31,Bridget Flynn 20,Ann Howard 49,Margaret King 20,Selina Maria Knight 6,James Mancer 18,Margaret Mahoney 50,Jeremiah Murphy 50,Cathrine Preswell 24,Mary Quinn 22,Cathrine Roach 21 and Richard Reed 30.

*There is a Memorial to them at St'marys Church,Hadlow,Kent.

[Sandymc47]

Hi there

This story was put on here last year by someone looking for a relative.

It was a tragic event and it must have been an awful sight to see
all those poor peole, most of them unable to swim.

Thanks for putting it on again as it is now part of history and I think
searching for relatives does bring forward the history we might not
know or have forgotten.

regards Sandymc   

[Romany Knaves]

hi'
I did wonder if it had been posted before the strange thing is I live about 15 miles away from the event in a town full of people with a Romany ancestor yet in all my years I had never known anyone to talk about this sad tradegy,it must of just past me by we think we know everything but we know very little that what is great about this site.

[ann255]

There is a whole chapter, The Hartlake Hoppers, about this tragedy in a book entitled Kent Headlines by Alan Bignell.
Briefly this is what happened. It had been an exceptionally wet season that year, the Medway had overflowed at Hadlow, flooding each side.  On the evening of October 25th the pickers (employed on Cox’s farm) had finished for the day and were being ferried back to the other side of the river.  Local people were taken home first, and then the waggoner returned to collect about 40 of the ‘strangers’ (hoppers down from London.)  The wagon was loaded with hoppers and the ‘pikes’ of hops and weighed about 2 ton. When they reached the Hartlake bridge, John Waghorn, the waggoner, climbed onto the back of the lead horse so he would not have to wade through the flood water on the ground at both ends of the timber bridge.  It would seem the water was so deep it came up to the knees of the horses, so this would also have helped him to control them rather than lead them through the water.  It was when the lead horse was nearing the other side of the bridge that the horse behind it stumbled. The wagon swerved and hit the side of the bridge with such force as to break it and the wagon, all those inside it and the horses and riders thrown into the water.  The current was exceptionally fast because of the heavy rains and 30 died.

More on the Hartlake tragedy can be found @ www.bbc.co.uk/kent/romany_roots/hartlake/
Photos, inquest, documentary, song, and more.

[king otg]

Ann Hughes originally brought the Hartlake drownings to the attention of the world and sent me a copy of all the burial entries which I can post if anybody still requires them.

TL

[king otg]

W.KT Hadlow br25/10/1853 (28) Catherine CLARE, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 (40) Ellen COLLINS, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br25/10/1853 (19) Ellen DEVINE, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br5/11/1853 (42) Catherine DONOGHUE, of H (drowned 20 Oct) [d reg: DONAHOE]

W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 (31) Noah DONOVAN, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br 26/10/1853 (22) William ELSLEY, of H (drowned 20 Oct)
W.KT Hadlow br 26/10/1853 (25) Selenda ELSLEY, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 (20) Bridget FLINN, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 (4) Centine HERNE, of H (drowned 20 Oct)
W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 (26) Lumia HERNE, of H (drowned 20 Oct)
W.KT Hadlow br26/10/1853 (28) John HERNE, of H (drowned 20 Oct)
W.KT Hadlow br14/11/1853 (2) HERNE (female acc to d Reg) of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br26/10/1853 (49) Ann HOWARD, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br5/11/1853 (20) Margaret KING, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br2/11/1853 (6) Selina Maria KNIGHT, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 (56) Charlotte LEATHERLAND, of H (drowned 20 Oct)
W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 (24) Comfort LEATHERLAND, of H (drowned 20 Oct)
W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 (59) Samuel LEATHERLAND, of H (drowned 20 Oct)
W.KT Hadlow br26/10/1853 (22) Selina LEATHERLAND, of H (drowned 20 Oct)
W.KT Hadlow br29/10/1853 (18) Alice LEATHERLAND, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br25/10/1853 (18) Margaret MAHONY, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 (18) James MANSER, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br25/10/1853 (50) Jeremiah MURPHY, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br25/10/1853 (24) Catherine PRESWELL, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 Mary QUINN, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 (30) Richard READ, of H (drowned 20 Oct) [

W.KT Hadlow br24/10/1853 (21) Catherine ROACH, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

W.KT Hadlow br25/10/1853 (38) Thomas TAYLOR, of H (drowned 20 Oct)
W.KT Hadlow br25/10/1853 (55) Sarah TAYLOR, of H (drowned 20 Oct)
W.KT Hadlow br2/11/1853 (4) Thomas TAYLOR, of H (drowned 20 Oct)

[seventyplus]

Hi

I am a direct descendant of the brother of Sarah Taylor who died in the tragedy.  He was Thomas Fisher b. 1793.  Can anyone please help with the names of their parents?  There was also another brother, William.

Thanks seventy plus

[horsesmad]

hi
i descend from sarah fisher, i do not know if this is correct but james fisher 1760 and hannah 1865

[Romany Knaves]

Hi,
I just visited the site last weekend their is a memorial under the new bridge and one on the rise of the bridge with all the surnames, quite a wide span and the old bridge must of elevated to allow boats beneath, I had read various bits n bobs on the tragedy but it puts it into perspective when you see the spot also went to the church yard to view the memorial there a very peaceful place in the small village of Hadlow in Kent.