The Brooksby Family

Previous: Brooksby of Falkirk | Contents | Next: Brooksby of Northamptonshire

Brooksby of Deal

The little town of Deal in Kent was an important place in the eighteenth
century.   It had become so when the ancient Cinque Port of Sandwich
silted up.   Only eighteen miles from Canterbury, and therefore on a
rapid route to London, for several centuries Deal had a great traffic in
merchant ships, and was also an important harbour for the navy and for
troopships.  Fleets used to gather in the shelter of the Downs - the
area of sea between the Kent coast and the Goodwin Sands.

It looks as though the first Brooksby to settle in Deal did so as a
Customs Officer.  His eldest son was in the service, and it would seem a
very likely reason for migrating to a small coastal town.

It is not clear at present where the first WILLIAM BROOKSBY (d. 1725)
came from, but as will be apparent, there are clues which make it more
than likely that he is fairly easily traceable, and it is to be hoped
that his descendants will take up the trail.

One of the Stoke Golding family, OBADIAH (1645-1685) became Vicar of
Bekesbourne near Canterbury, and it would have been most convenient to
find WILLIAM (d. 1725) of Deal as one of his children, but it is fairly
certain that OBADIAR had no children (see page 55).   If he had, and if
WILLIAM were that child, almost certainly WILLIAM would be spelling his
name BROKESBY.   So that suggestion may be discounted.

The best clues are to be found in the will of one of WILLIAM's sons -
see below. The first date in the history of the family in Deal is 1709,
when WILLIAM (1709-1770) son of WILLIAM (d. 1725) and ANNE (a. 1754) was
baptised in the parish church.   Once settled, the family remained in
Deal for two hundred years.

There were four more children.   It is possible, as no marriage has yet
been found, that WILLIAM was not the eldest, but unlikely.  There were
two more sons, JOHN (c. 1715), and EDWARD (c. 1720).   EDWARD died a
bachelor at an early age, and it is his will that offers a large number
of clues.   The will came to hand while this book was in the final
stages of preparation, which explains why so little research has been

EDWARD signed his will in 1752 and it was proved in April 1755.  He was
therefore 35 years old at his death, and yet he is described as 'of St.
John, Hackney, gent.' and he left at least £1000 in legacies.  He was
not even the eldest son; therefore he had either done phenomenally well
in business at an early age (an 18th century Charles Clore, and such
people did exist then as now), or he had come in for a considerable
fortune from someone other than his parents - adopted, possibly, by a
childless relative.

He leaves considerable sums to his brothers, widowed mother, and sister,
identifying them all as 'of Deal' which makes the relationship quite
clear. But he also mentions the following BROOKSBY's who do not, at
present, fit into any of the family trees.

EDWARD and ELIZABETH, children of VILIERS BROOKSBY, surgeon.

JOHN son of JOHN BROOKSBY, late of Westminster, coachman.

THOMAS BROOKSBY, surgeon, of New England.

'Cousin' JOHN BROOKSBY of London and his brother 'Cousin' WILLIAM
BROOKSBY, citizen and haberdasher.

There are also wills extant for the last named two 'cousins', but they
do not mention any BROOKSBBY not mentioned before.

The name of VILLERS BROOKSBY is particularly interesting because it
seems to indicate a close relationship to what we have called 'the old
family'.  He was apprenticed in 1714 to Charles Palmer of Loddon near
Norwich, a surgeon, and in 1720 was taking an apprentice himself, at
Stoke Holy Cross, near Norwich, where he also married in 1728.   It
should not be hard to trace these people further since, like their
relations in Deal, they belonged to the rising professional middle
class, which is usually well documented.

Returning to WILLIAM (1709-1770) of Deal, who profited to the extent of
a comfortable £200 by his brother's will, he married in 1736 SUSANNA
WEBB (d. 1769) and had three children.   He too left a will, but beyond
confirming that he was an 'officer of customs' it gives no detail of his
life or circumstances.

He had one son, EDWARD (c. 1738) who married in 1771 SARAH NORRIS,
widow, by licence.  EDWARD (c. 1736)  also had one son, another EDWARD
(1772-1639). This EDWARD was a baker, also quite well-to-do, since he
left a will, although at their marriage in 1797 his wife ELIZABETH
STOKES (d. 1850) could not sign her name.

EDWARD (1772-1639) is the last common ancestor of the two families of
present day descendants.  He had three sons, WILLIAM (1796-1677), EDWARD
CHARLES (1800-1866), and STEPHEN (1804-1846).   STEPHEN was a purser. 
This was not usually a sea-going title;  he would have worked on shore
at the business of revictualling ships.  He died young, leaving three
children, but the only son seems to have died without issue.

The other two sons were both bakers and apparently carried on the family
business in partnership, as the street directories give only one name
and one address, although the census returns confirm that both were in
the bakery trade. In 1851 WILLIAM lived at 27 West Street, and EDWARD at
73 Beach Street, and each had several children.

WILLIAM BROOKSBY (1798-1877) family.

WILLIAM (1798-1877) lived and died in Deal.  His wife was called MARIA
(surname unknown), and they had seven children.   The two sons who
reached maturity, THOMAS (1829-1873) and WILLIAM (1640-1916), were both
butchers. THOMAS did not marry.  WILLIAM married in 1866 and had three
daughters which should have marked the end of this BROOKSBY line, but
the youngest daughter ADELAIDE HARRIET (b. 1869) had an illegitimate son
in 1899.

Later she married, but the boy, ARTHUR WILLIAM (1699-1956) remained with
his grandfather the butcher at 102 West Street, and kept the name of
BROOKSBBY. ART!WR WILLIAM married a Yorkshire girl and moved to
Yorkshire where his descendants now live.

Members of the family of WILLIAM BROOKSBY (1798-1877).

WILLIAM (1798-1877) m. NARIA (1801-1879), and had issue:

1.      THOMAS (1829-1873)

2.      MARY ANN (b. 1831) m. 1859.

3.      JANE (b. 1837) m. 1864

4.  WILLIAM (1840-1916) m. 1866 -  and had issue:

	a)      MARY ANN (1866-1937)

	b)      CLARA (b. 1866) m. 1893

	a)      ADELAIDE HARRIET (b. 1869) n. 1906. Had issue:

		i)      ARTHUR WILLIAM (1899-1956) m.. 1921 - MORTIMER, and had issue:

			A)      ThANK RONALD (b. 1921) m. 1942 - LAZENBY, and had issue:

				I) CAROL (b. 1944) m. 1964 - WOOLFIT

				II) DENNIS (b. 1946) m. 1969 - HOTHAN

				III) NEVILLE P. (b. 1953)

				IV) GRAHAM A. (b. 1957)

		        B)      PAULINE C. (b. 1923) m. 1943    -       HULONCE

		        C)      PETER D. (b. 1929) M. 1956      -       FOX, and had issue:

				I) PHILIP A. (b. 1957)

				II) SALLIE A. (b. 1958)

				III) PETER C. (b. 1960)

				IV) JONATHAN D. (b. 1962)

5.  ALFRED CUTFIELD (1841-1908)

6.  ELIZA (b. 1845) m. 1876

EDWARD CHARLES BROOKSBY (1800-1886) family.

EDWARD CHARLES (1800-1886) married ANN LONG (1803-1878).  He had six
children, but only two sons, and only the eldest, EDWARD LONG
(1829-1896) seems to have had children.  He married and settled in
Norwich, and it would be interesting to know whether this was
coincidence or whether the earlier connection with VILLERS BROOKSBY and
Norwich had anything to do with it.  EDWARD LONG (18291896) had three
sons, but the elder two disappear from the records;  possibly they
emigrated.   The youngest, CHARLES,  (b. 1870) continued the line to the
present day.

Members of the family of KDWARD CHARLES HROOKSBB? (1800-1886).

EDWARD CHARLES (1800-1886) m. ANN LONG (1803-1878) and had issue:

1.      EDWARD LONG (1829-1896) m. 1860  and had issue:

	a)      ADELINE ANN (b. 1861) m. 1886

	b)      EDWARD JOSEPH (b. 1863)

	c)      HIRAM GEORGE (1864-1667)

	d)      GEORGE WILLIAM (b. 1867)

	e)      CHARLES (b. 1870) m. 1900 and had issue:

		i)  CHARLES WILLIAM (1901-1901)

		ii)  JAMES EDWARD (1904-1957) m. 1929         - CHANDIET and had issue:

			A. JOYCE L. (b. 1929) m. 1951 -   BRYAN

			B. JAMES E. (b. 1939)

			C. ROBERT A. (b. 1942) m. 1967   - POTTER and had issue:

				GARY (b. 1966)

				KEVIN (b. 1970)

				ANDREW (b. 1975)

		iii)  SARAH ELIZABETH (b. 1929 -  ROSS

		iv)  GEORGE ALFRED (1907-1907)

		v)  HENRY (1910-1910)

2.      ANNE C. (b. 1830) m. 1855

3.      HARRIET (b. 1853) m. 1864.

4.      ELIZABETH (1835-1853)

5.      CHARLES WILLIAM (1837-1862) m. (i) 1872 - m (2) 1881  -

6.      ADELINE RHODES (1838-1872)