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Brenda's Family History

My Parents were Francis George Kenneth (Frank) BOWLES 1920-2005 and Edna ESCOTT 1928-1989

Frank Bowles Edna Escott

pictured here on their wedding day, 2nd November 1946

Ken Bowles
My paternal grandfather was Kenneth George BOWLES 1887-1956.

He married Fanny Ethel MUNN and was the only one of my grandparents whom I did not know, but his is the line on which I now have most information about. A combination of his propensity to bet on the horses, a taste for alcohol and the general economic slump of the 1920s, together with some interference from members of her family, meant that the marriage was short lived and he ended up living rough with very little contact with any of his family. The BOWLES family were firmly rooted in the Weald of Kent; several generations of blacksmiths through the 19th century and before that yeoman farmers.

There are several other BOWLES families in Kent, as yet no known links, but more information about these other families on Tom LaPorte's website.

His direct ancestors were:  
George BOWLES&Emily REED dau ofWilliam READ & Sophia YOUNG
George Roots Harris BOWLES*& Hannah RUMBOLD** dau of Charles RUMBOLD & Mary BEVIS
Mary HARRIS~ George ROOTS son of Thomas ROOTS & Mary CRIPPS***
Robert ROOTS & Mary son of Robert ROOTS
   

Subsequent to the birth of George Roots Harris Bowles, his mother Mary Harris married John Bowles. Prior to confirming the identity of George's paternal father I had researched several generations of John's ancesters. I now know them to be family history rather than genealogy, and I retain them as 'honorary ancestors'.

John BOWLES & Mary HARRIS dau of George Harris & Elisabeth
George BOWLES & Mary TYLER dau of John TYLER & Mary NICHOLLS
Richard BOWLES & Ann RELF dau of Wilm. RELF & Ann Offin
John BOWLES & Hannah GOMMERY dau of Thomas GOMERY & Mary

** Hannah Rumbold's ancestors (from Hampshire) were:

Charles RUMBOLD & Mary BEVES Richard & Elizabeth BEVES
James RUMBOLD & Mary ROLF  
Mary GLUE (married John RUMBEL)  

***Mary Cripps's ancestors (from Sussex) were:

Edward CRIPPS & Mary
William CRIPPS & Elizabeth RUSSELL dau of John RUSSELL & Sarah DELVES

 




My paternal grandmother was Fanny Ethel MUNN 1887-1980.

The MUNN line also come from Kent, mostly Ag Labs from the Darenth Valley area but in nineteenth century they moved to Milton-Gravesend and married into the LOVEL family and inherited their dairy business.

The HOLDAWAYs were mostly market gardeners and migrated from Southfleet, Kent into nearby Gravesend and Milton.


View four unidentified photos found amongst others of the MUNN family, which are possibly Fanny's grandparents: Richard MUNN, Elizabeth HOLDAWAY, Thomas LOVEL and Fanny Fearall SAUNDERS.



Fanny Munn
Grandma's direct ancestors were:  
Richard (Dick) MUNN&Helen LOVEL*  
Richard MUNN&Elizabeth HOLDAWAY**  
John MUNN&Sophia CUPHIS dau of John CUPHIS & Elizabeth
John MUNN&Jane SHRIMPTON dau of Joseph SHRIMPTON & Ann JENNINGS
Joseph MUNN&Sarah CHRISTOPHER dau of John CHRISTOPHER & Elizabeth

*Helen LOVEL's direct ancestors (from Hayes, Middlesex) were:
Thomas LOVEL&Fanny Fearall SAUNDERS dau of Benjamin SAUNDERS & Lydia COUCHMAN ***
Samuel LOVEL&Susan/Susannah LEATHER  
Thomas LOVEL&Sarah SCRAGG  

** Elizabeth HOLDAWAY's direct ancestors were:
James HOLDAWAY & Susan WIGGINS   
William HOLDAWAY & Elizabeth MARTIN  
Thomas HOLDAWAY & Sarah  

***Lydia COUCHMAN's direct ancestors were:

William COUCHMAN & Frances FAIRALL dau of William FAIRALL and Mary SMITH
Adam COUCHMAN & Elizabeth NARMER  
Thomas SMITH & Frances FOREMAN  
John FOREMAN & Mary HOLLANDS  
Thomas HOLLANDS & Elizabeth MANNINGTON  

Links to other COUCHMAN families in Kent



Frank Escott
My maternal grandfather was Frank Charles ESCOTT 1888-1973.

Although born more than half a century into civil registration Grandfer's birth was never registered. I've always known that he didn't have a birth certificate, family story was that his mother had saved up the necessary 6d, but his father spent it wetting the new baby's head. I used to think that it was just the certificate he didn't have but a search of the GRO indexes at FRC Myddelton Street failed to find an entry for him. A generation earlier his mother had escaped registration also.

Grandad's direct ancestors were:  
Joseph Albert ESCOTT & Emma TURVEY*  
Robert ESCOTT & Elizabeth BAYLIS, widow  
Henry ESCOTT & Mary FEAR Daughter of Richard FEAR** & Mary FOWLER
William ESCOTT & Mary PULLIN  

*Emma's line, from Worcestershire, was:
Robert TURVEY & Hannah WHEELER dau of Edward WHEELER
Thomas TURVEY & Elizabeth YOUNG  

**The FEAR family from Chew Magna, Somerset goes back to the early 16th Century
Links to other people researching FEAR in Somerset



My maternal grandmother was Laura SLEATOR 1890-1969.

Granny was born in Sligo, Ireland but the family moved to Belfast during her youth. Her first husband Frank THOMPSON died in WW1 leaving her with a young son, Frank. She subsequently married Frank Charles ESCOTT, a British soldier, in 1923 in Belfast and within a couple of years had settled in England. As a child she was the grandparent I knew best, but I now realize that I actually know very little about her family.

There were three brothers, Jackie, Georgie and Charlie, and two sisters, Lena (married Bertie BRIDLE) and Lizzie (married Jack CHAMPION). Aunty Lizzie also moved to England and has descendants, the others remained in Ireland. Aunty Lena had no children and nor did Georgie who was invalided by gas during WW1. I believe that Jacky and Charlie probably have descendants in N Ireland.

Laura Sleator
Laura's direct line was:  
George William SLEATER & Margaret COOKE dau of Robert COOKE & Mary HIGGINSON
James SLEATOR & Elizabeth BELL John COOKE



If you think that you have a link to any of my ancestors please e-mail me
Brenda's family history pages were last updated on


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marriages search on the Kent Registration Services website click here

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