Harriet Ford, born
1816, comes from a long line of Fords whose records of births deaths and
marriages have been kept in the registers of the ancient All Saints Church at
East Meon for hundreds of years. She was my husband’s great great Grandmother.To
date we have confirmed her family back five generations to the 1660s through
marriages of Fords with the Philip, Greest, Norman, Webb, Coll and Sylvester
families. The name Ford is of Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the old English
"ford" -- a shallow place in the river where people can ride or cross
with their animals. The surname has been recorded as Ford, Foord, Foard, Forth
and Forder since the time of the Saxons. The occupational surname Ford comes
from being known as the keeper of the ford or being in charge of the river
crossing.
Various church
records show the Ford ancestors as paupers. Given the surrounds, presumably
they were working as agricultural labourers in the nearby farms or around the
ancient mills such as Frogmore and Draytons. From the notations in the various
church records it looks like they and many others were literally “poor as the
proverbial” church mice. It’s a time of no social security for those unable to
work hence the need for an Alms House in town and another at Petersfield.
Daniel Ford b: 1675, d: 22 Mar
1730
... + Elizabeth Webb b: 22 Oct 1681 in East Meon, m: 02
Oct 1699 in East Meon, d: 11 Nov 1729 in East Meon
...... William Ford b: 28 Feb
1713 in East Meon, d: 18 Mar 1799 in East Meon
...... + Mary Norman b: 22 Nov 1719 in East Meon, m: 28 Jun 1737 in East
Meon, d: 24 Oct 1785 in East Meon; pauper
......... Henry Ford b: 13 Dec
1753 in East Meon
......... + Sarah Greest b: Abt. 1753, m: 10 Oct 1781 in Hambledon,
Hampshire, England, d: 07 Nov 1795 in Hambledon, Hampshire, England
............ Henry Ford b: 18 Apr 1784 in Hambledon, Hampshire, England, d: 1853 in
East Meon; Union house
............ + Mary Phillips b: 1790, m: 11 Oct 1811 in East Meon
............... Harriet Ford b: 30 Jun 1816 in East Meon
............... Henry Ford b: 22 Nov 1812
in East Meon parish Church, d: 1814
Harriet is born and
baptised in 1816. Records from the All
Saints Church show her father Henry and mother Mary are paupers. When the first
census is taken in 1841, Harriet Foard aged 25 lives with her mother Mary Foard (50)
and her four-year-old son Charles Foard at Frogmore part of the East Meon/Petersfield
registration district. Frogmore has a local farm and Mill and the hamlet is
located east of the main village. Both Harriett and her mother are agricultural
labourers presumably living and working for the owners. A notation on the
baptismal record shows little Charles as being the illegitimate son of Charles
Kill.
 |
| Harriet Foard, her mother Mary and son Charles in the 1841 census |
Some
of the Agricultural workers from the hamlet at that time include:
·
George and Hannah Sutton and
family
·
William and Charlotte
Blackman and family
·
Thomas Beames
·
Daniel and Mary Kent and
family
·
William and Mary Silk and
family
·
Olive Voakes and Hannah
Newland
·
Hannah Shawyer and family
·
John and Elizabeth Hiscock
and family
·
William and Leah Leach and
family
·
William and Lydia Bricknall
and family (life long friend of Harriett)
·
John and Ann Merritt and
family
·
Sarah Cross, Phoebe Spencer,
Nathaniel Taylor
By 1850 she had
married William Wilkes an East Meon man who was working as an Agricultural
labourer at Frogmore. Their marriage is recorded at Portsea on 27 May 1850.
Incidentally, William Wilk’s mother Mary was also a pauper and he is christened
in East Meon with a notation “illegitimate”. His marriage certificate does
however give his father’s name as Philip.
 |
| William Wilkes marries Harriet Ford 27th May 1850 |
The 1851 census shows
Harriet living with her sons Charles and William Ford as wife -Harriet Wilkes-
to William Wilkes. Her two illegitimate sons are noted as "sons in
law" by the census taker. Charles is now 14 and little William is 4.
William Ford is found recorded in the Parish records as the illegitimate son of
Henry Holmes having christened while Harriet was living in Poor Union House at
Petersfield.
William Wilkes was
working as an Agricultural labourer and young Charles aged 14 was listed as a Farm Under Carter
Others
Agricultural labourers living nearby include:
·
Henry and Charlotte Pink and
family
·
James and Jane Oliver and
family
·
Henry and Hannah Shayer and
family
·
William and Elizabeth
Titheridge and family
·
William Smith
·
William and Leah Leech and
family
·
William and Lydia Bricknell
and family
·
Thomas and Rhoda Beams and
family
·
Jeremiah and Marrian Pollard
·
Johnathon and Lucy Pink and
family
·
John and Martha Appleton and
family
·
James and Elizabeth Leach
·
Anne Merrett and family
Frogmore Mill
sign a little worse for wear
 |
The Harriett Wilks nee Ford, William Wilks and the Ford
boys 1851 census
Our George (My
husband’s great grandfather) came along 1st April 1851 one day after the census
was taken. Finally Harriet takes a legitimate baby along to the local church in
East Meon for baptism. George is christened George Wilkes but his birth is registered
as George Wilks, son of William Wilks and Harriet Wilks nee Foard.
George’s Birth Certificate records date of birth one year
earlier than recorded on his Naval records
Here’s
Harriett’s family details:
Harriet
Ford b: 30 Jun 1816 in East Meon; from parish
register East Meon, d: 25 Sep 1859 in Riplington, (Riplington Farm East Meon)
+ William Wilks b: 17 Nov 1816 in East Meon;
illegitimate, m: 1850 in Portsea Island, Hampshire, England Burial 14 March
1881
Charles Ford illegitimate son of Charles Kill b 1836
William Ford illegitimate son of William Holmes b 1846
George Wilks b 1851
It seems that the
family moves from Frogmore during the next 10 years. In September 1859 Harriet
Wilkes dies aged 43 with the Parish records recording her abode as Riplington. Riplington
Farm house Petersfield is now Grade 2 heritage listed. The informant is her
elderly neighbour from Frogmore, Lydia Bricknell who at this time is the wife
of a (pauper) labourer at Frogmore. Harriett’s cause of death is lung disease
which she has suffered from “long since”.
We visited Riplington
in 2014. Presumably William and Harriett lived in some of the outer farm
buildings as shown here.
 |
| Riplington Farm outbuildings where William, Harriett and George lived at the time of Harriett’s death. |
 | ||
| Riplington Farm - grade 2 Heritage listed |
Harriet Wilkes nee Foard Death
Certificate 1959
By 1861 Harriett’s
two older sons have moved on. Charles at 22 is lodging as an agricultural
labourer at Soberton Village and William, 14 works as a servant for George and
Elizabeth Gregory and family at a nearby farm. George,10 lives with his father
William Wilks an Agricultural Labourer having
been put to work as a Carter at Drayton cottages in Frogmore.
Drayton Farm in 2014
– presumably the cottages were attached to the farm land.
George and his father William Wilks at Frogmore 1861
census
William Ford enlisted
in the Royal Artillery at Fareham in 1866 aged 18 years 9 months. He is described as a 5 foot 7 inch fresh faced labourer with grey
eyes and brown hair. 18 months later he is back in East Meon vouching for his
brother, George as he enlists in Her
Majesty's Navy in January 1868. George who signs with his mark "X" commences his engagement in 1868
as George Ford not George Wilks.
The conversation may
have gone something like :
"I'm
his brother William Ford. Me mam’s died and I’m bringing my brother George to
sign up for the Navy."
"Okay.
Father's name?"
"William"
"Right
then George (Ford) your brother has vouched for you. Welcome to the Navy"
George was a farm laborer
at nine and had probably skimped on his education. William had got his age wrong
by about a year but neither has noticed the incorrect surname. From then on
Harriet's son George Wilks is George Ford Seaman and the Ford name carries on.
There are questions
we will never know the answer to. This is one possible scenario we are clinging
to. There could be others
·
Did George get on with his
father? Did he run away?
·
Was he sick of the poverty?
·
Did he change his name
deliberately?
Certainly at the time
the Navy was seen as good pay, a stable job, an eventual pension and probably
adventure. George’s story of Life in the Navy, his marriage to Alice Barter,
the birth of his many children and his life working with the Irish and English
Coast Guard can be accessed by contacting Robyn Ford kanahookarob@yahoo.com.au
*******
So what became of
William Wilks or Wilkes? Although in 1861 he is with with George at Draytons
cottage farm. there is a good possibility he marries again after the death of
Harriett. But maybe not. He appears in the 1871 Census at Frogmore again, a
farm labourer widower aged 55.
On 15 Mar 1879 William Wilks 63yo,Widower,Labourer
of Frogmore son of Mary Wilks (illegitimate son) married Maria Pearce a 63yo,Spinster of Frogmore. Wilks is a fairly common
name in the district but there is a burial recorded at East Meon which could
well be him. The burial occurred 14/3/1881 of a William Wilkes aged 65 at East
Meon. This was just a couple of weeks short of the 1881 census.
*******
In 1861 Charles at 22
is lodging as an agricultural labourer at Soberton Village, Hampshire Shortly
after 1861 Charles Ford moves on to Widley Farm where he remains for the rest
of his life.
Charles earns his
living as a long-term agricultural labourer in Hampshire. He outlives both his
brothers dying at the age of 77 years. He lived and worked at Widley Farm until
his death in 1913. His wife Deborah
Mason whom he marries in 1874 in Portsea died in 1895 after producing two
daughters, Alice Emily and Elizabeth Fanny Ford. Both married and settled
locally in the Widley Coreham area. Perhaps the family tradition has continued.
Technically the Ford
name in our line should die out with Charles.
*******
And William Ford ….? After
his early days as an agricultural labourer William enlisted in the Royal
Artillery at
Fareham in 1866 aged 18 years 9 months. We know he returned to East Meon and is
involved in signing
his brother George into the Navy. He returns to the Army. Chris Ford his great,great-nephew,
after reading William’s military records described him as "quite a
lad" and was probably correct in his assessment of him being “quite
mad". His military records contain words like "bad",
"awaiting trial", "placed under restraint as a lunatic".
Sadly, in July 1875 he is discharged after being described as
"melancholic" (Suicidal). So after his 10 years as a gunner in the
Royal Artillery including five years service in India, he is considered unfit
for further service. Returning to Petersfield aged 28 years where he works as a
labourer. In November 1880 he pleaded
guilty to setting fire to a barn at nearby Froxfield causing over £1000 damage. This was reported in the The Hampshire
Advertiser (Southampton, England),
Wednesday, November 17, 1880; pg. 4; Issue 3592.
There is evidence
from this case and another case in 1878 that William was a heavy drinker. The
judge sentenced him to 10 years hard labour and the 1881 Census records him as
a convicted felon at Pentonville Prison, Islington. As there is no further
record of him it appears he is the William Ford whose death is recorded in 1882
at Islington.
*********
Decisions and actions
taken after Harriet's death caused
George's life to be vastly different to that of his mother and father,
forefathers and surely his older brothers. William escaped for a while.
Probably today his malaise would be called "post-traumatic stress
disorder" and he would be pensioned out of the Army and receive treatment
for his problems.
Three brothers- three
fathers- three very different lives. Born in harsh times they may have remained
paupers, died young, lived a tough life. One would like to think that Harriet
and William fought for respectability and improvement of their lot through hard
work and family.
Each of the boys and their
father William Wilks maintained stable paid work. George's decision to join the
Navy set a whole other train of career paths for the Fords to come. When he
signed up, George was a boy of only 5 foot 2 1/4 inches tall. When he re-signed this ruddy
faced farm labourer had grown three inches
and this blue eyed brown haired gentleman had begun a whole other story
away from the quiet life of East Meon....
Pictured above is the ancient lead baptismal font where various family members have been
baptised
All Saints Church East Meon 2014 where many Ford /Wilks records are
recorded
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