Our Family Tree's founding father, Gordon Kearvell from Slough, wrote in his booklet "The Kearvells of Bosham" in January 1978 about the inspiration behind his quest to put together the first tree. In 1960, whilst working on the Post Office counter in Slough, he had his first encounter with someone else named Kearvell. A chat with this Miss  Kearvell led to contact with her brother in Farnham, Surrey who was able to advise that the family came from Bosham in West Sussex. The brother also recounted the story that was written in their family Bible about two brothers who set out by road from Bosham in 1747 to seek their fortune. I am not sure if the Bible story ever indicated exactly where the two were headed, all good fortune seeking stories would surely have the participants heading for London, but it does tell where they ended up. One in Warfield in Berkshire and the other at East Sheen in Middlesex. A glance at a map of south-east England would show that both these points are roughly in line for a journey from Bosham, on the West Sussex coast, headed towards London with a detour or two along the way!

 

If we look through the Family Tree it is possible to identify who the two brothers were, although they could not have commenced their journey as early as was originally suggested. The two were Francis Kervell (1767-1844) and Richard Kervell (1768-1845), two of the sons of Francis Kervell (1728-1798) and Mary Walker (1729-1805) from Bosham and great grandsons of our oldest ancestor Francis Kervil (Unk-1715). There was a third son, John (1770-1771) but he died in infancy.

 

From our known history of the Family we can see that,at least one of the brothers, Richard,

did get to London. In April 1793 he married Elizabeth Hobbs at Saint Dunstans in Stepney

London. Their first child, Francis, is born in June 1793 at Mortlake Surrey. By the time of the

birth of their second child, Mary, in 1796 the family is living at Warfield Berkshire where a

further seven children will be born. Richard was a wheelwright by trade.

 

The Marriage Banns for Richard's Wedding were called at Haslemere Parish Church, Surrey

indicating that he, or his wife-to-be, was living there in 1793. Interestingly, the witnesses to

his Marriage Banns were his brother, Francis and Elizabeth Hoad - who themselves were to

marry some while later in 1802.

 

 

A Bible story told ..........

continued

St Dunstans Stepney