Clark family

[rebekahm28]

My great great gran was Mary Ann Clark born 1864/5 to James and Grace Clark, in Hastings, Sussex. Grace may have been a middle name. In 1871 they were living at Baggers Bush, Buxted, Sussex and in 1881 Mary Ann was caring for her young brothers and sisters in a tent on the downs in Giestling Sussex. Has anyone else got Romany CLARK's in their tree?  Mary Ann married a horse dealer named Samson Roberts around 1882, and they stayed in Hastings until the early 1900s when they moved upto South Wales.  Im unsure if she had a marriage ceremony, as the BMD doesnt show anything.

[WealdenClark]

Hi Rebeka,

Here's another Clark snippet for you discovered recently. As you know, I know my wealden Clark's were travelers, but I'm not yet ready to jump in just yet and say they were Romany, being cautious. Well, Great Great Aunt Emily Clark(e) had children with James Reynolds in 1875 and 1877 before getting married to him, C of E style in 1879.

A really funny thing happened to their names on the two pre-wedding birth certificates so far found.

On the pre-wedding birth certificates, James Reynolds went about calling himself James Clarke TAKING HIS WIFES NAME (shock! horror!). Just to make thing more confusing, Emily Clarke is calling herself Emily Wood (once) and Emily Stone (once). Eh? The addresses match with other records so it has to be them. However, at their wedding, their fathers were declared as being Robert Clark and James Reynolds (senior).

Have you come across this kind of thing in your family? Is it a Gypsy tradition?

Regards to you and all, Neil.

[rebekahm28]

I think a lot of Romany folk sometimes used different names, either to avoid someone or paying something, or they used their mothers maiden name - especially the case in women.
My Matilda Elliott called herself Matilda Braziel.  My Mary Bexell called herself Mary Smith.  My own great gran had nothing to do with legal documents, indeed each of her 3 'marriages' were really common law husbands, if anything official came thru the letterbox she'd put it in the bin!  So I suppose they thought using other names was no big deal, shame they didnt think of us!
PS, I have a Barton in my tree, and a Gumble witnessed my great grandads first marriage.

[social-butterflies]

hi there,
just reading your topic and thought you may like to know that quite a few clark's, gray's, stone, gumble's in the essex areas.
might be of use! or not!
happy to do look up as im in essex if its helpful

[WealdenClark]

Had some news in this week from a newly discovered Clark relative. Uncle Jack, who travelled, insisted to his wife Olive that he was a Romany Gipsy.
On one occasion he said he came from them - "..they weren't a bunch of didicoys".

That final bit of evidence clinches it. My Grandad was a Romany Gypsy.

WOW.

aa1Web - Thanks for the info - its the first thing I've heard on the Stones, who I've next to no info on. I think I need to begin enlarging the search into Essex and. I've found a William Clark in the 1881 census who was a Marine Store Dealer (like my grandad), from 'Fifield' in Essex, living in Gravesend, Kent. He could be one of mine or Rebekas.