Bromham - The Broket Archive

The 19-20th C Bromham Broket clan

The first known Bromham Broket event was an isolated burial in 1663 of Elizabeth, wife of Andrew Brocket. The next records found don’t begin till over a century later—from the 1777 marriage of William and Elizabeth WILCOX of Kempston. Then between 1779-1874 there were some 60 births/baptisms making the Bromham clan the largest Bedfordshire Broket clan.1

There had been a BIRKETT clan in Bromham—variously spelt BYRCOTT, BURCOTT, BIRKIT—with about 5 households during its 85 or so years 1570s-1658. Its last record was Kath buried 1658, probably bap 1580, name recorded as BRICKET. But Elizabeth bur 1663, wife of Andrew Brocket, wasn’t one of them—neither first name was recorded for the Birkett clan.

Contents of this page:

  1. Elizabeth buried 1663
  2. William and Elizabeth WILCOX
  3. Thomas 1782-1841 and Ann CLARK
  4. James 1791-1873 and Lucy BATES
  5. John 1803-61 and Ann JAMES
  6. Joseph 1812-79 and Sarah CORRALL, …
  7. Samuel c 1817-93 and Mary Anne LOVEDAY
  8. Thomas 1828-1910 and Mary TEBBUTT

Elizabeth Brocket buried 1663

Elizabeth wife of Andrew Brocket was buried 2 Mar 1663” in Bromham.2 But Elizabeth wasn’t from Bromham. The Bromham Parish Register began in 1570 and Elizabeth’s burial, the first Broket entry, was 97 years later. The next Bromham Broket record wasn’t till 1777. It’s not feasible that Elizabeth was the last of a line of previous Bromham Brokets who entirely escaped record there for 97 years, nor the first of another Bromham line that escaped record there for a further 114 years. Her burial was an isolated occurrence. So who was she?

Without succumbing too readily to the temptation to make all available records link up or ignoring the possibility of gaps in them, research shows that Andrew was a sufficiently uncommon Broket name to safely assume that her husband was Andrew s/o Richard and that Elizabeth was his first wife—Elizabeth WIGMORE—whom he married in Sandy on 24 Jun 1650. The couple had subsequently lived in Blunham from at least 1655 till 1662, where they appear to have had three daughters and a son, all died young. They would therefore have been temporary or recent incomers to Bromham and it appears that Andrew left Bromham after Elizabeth’s death for neighbouring Kempston where his 2nd wife—another Elizabeth—died 7 years later in 1670.

William and Elizabeth WILCOX

Actually both natives of neighbouring Kempston, William and Elizabeth WILCOX married in Bromham on 27 Jun 1777 after Banns. Why would they come and marry in Bromham? Perhaps William found work and settled there some time before. Although they baptised their first child James back in Kempston—3½ months after their marriage (perhaps the reason for not marrying there)—William and Elizabeth would have lived in Bromham, where they baptised 9 further known children over a 17 year period 1779-96, till they died—she was buried there 5 Dec 1813, aged 63, and he 9 Aug 1818, aged 69.

William could have been no other than the 2nd son of William jnr and Sarah THOMPSON of neighbouring Kempston, b 5 Aug, bap 7 Oct 1753.

William and Elizabeth were unrelated contemporaries of William 1753-1813 and Ann HALL, who lived all their lives in Guilden Morden, Cambridgeshire, 16 miles to the east.

Terry Rooke3 considered that William, bap 1757, s/o Andrew and Ann INGRAM of Odell was the husband of Elizabeth WILCOX, however William, bap 1753 Kempston, was more likely for these reasons:

  1. Elizabeth had also been baptised in Kempston—Jul 21 1759, aged 6 months d/o John and Jane WILCOX. But why William and Elizabeth married in Bromham isn’t known—perhaps William found work and settled there some time before.
  2. William’s stated age at death of 69, ie b c 1749, matches William of Kempston’s baptism in 1753 better than William of Odell’s in 1757.
  3. They didn’t name a son Andrew.
  4. Bromham is 3 m from Kempston and 5 from Odell.

William and Elizabeth’s children:

    1. James bap 5 Oct 1777 Kempston. No further record in Bromham. He is the only recorded James who could have married Margaret HILLS in Blunham 1800. He died there 1845.4
    2. William bap 12 Sep 1779, twin? bur 23 Feb 1790/1 Bromham.5
    3. Elizabeth bap 12 Sep 1779, twin? Married George ODELL from Oakley Raines 16 Oct 1801 Bromham,6 also recorded 4 Oct 1801 in Oakley. No baptisms recorded of children up to 1812. She died 6 Jan 1845 in Kempston.7
    4. Ann bap 14 Oct 1781, bur 14 Mar 1785 Bromham.8
    5. Mary bap 25 May 1783; mother of Charlotte, bap Bromham 28 Sep 1814—no father mentioned—who married Richard ELMER Bromham 19 Jan 1835 after Banns there. Mary was recorded aged 60, Lacemaker, in Bromham at the home of daughter Charlotte, Lacemaker, and Richard, Agricultural Labourer, and their one-year old daughter Mary, for the 1841 census, all born in the County. Mary died Bromham 21 Aug 1844 of dropsy, aged 62, Lace-maker, in attendance Hannah CLARK, 9 bur Bromham 25 Aug.10
  1. Sarah bap 16 Oct 1785, ?married Bromham 27 Jul 1807 James CHURCH.11 She died Jan 1861 in Bromham.12
  2. Ann bap 14 Oct 1787, ?married Kempston 18 Oct 1813 James JORDAN. She died 1850 in Bell End, Bromham.13
  3. Richard bap 12 Oct 1788, bur 12 Dec 1793 Bromham.
  4. Hannah bap 23 Dec 1792, bur 15 Dec 1793 Bromham.
  5. Thomas bap 10 Jan 1796. After this there were no more Bromham Parish Register entries till 23 Dec 1803 when Thomas and Ann CLARK became the Broket child-bearing family in the village. This Thomas bap 1796 probably moved to Blunham following his brother James, where he was recorded as a Labourer with wife Mary and daughter Emma in 1835.

It’s unlikely that William and Elizabeth had a surviving but unbaptised son Thomas, b 1782, and who married Ann CLARK, unless he was a son of William by another woman. Terry Rooke also wrongly listed John b 1803 (son of that Thomas and Ann of Bromham), who married Ann JAMES, as a late last son of William and Elizabeth. Their sons James and Thomas probably moved to Blunham, but again it’s unlikely that the John who also moved to Blunham at that period was a surviving but unbaptised s/o of William and Elizabeth, b c 1790.

Thomas 1782-1841 and Ann CLARK

On 12 Oct 1801 “Thomas Brokit from Bromham” married Ann CLARK in Biddenham. Biddenham was Ann’s parish—she was baptised there 26 Mar 1780, d/o William and Ann—and as was often the custom,Thomas and Ann baptised their first child in the wife’s parish. However their other 2 were baptised in Bromham, and the sole survivor, John, was a Bromham man all his life. The 1841 census recorded Thomas and Ann there in their 60s, and they both lived in Bromham from marriage till death. Thomas Brockett died 4 Jul 1841, Bromham, Labourer, of consumption, informant Sarah CLARKE, and was buried there 8 Jul, age given as 63 and 6414—actually 59—and Ann Brocket, Widow of Thomas Brocket, Farm Labourer, died 1 Aug 1863, Bromham, of general decay, informant Mary MILLARD, by her mark, and was buried there 4 Aug, aged 84.15

They were the only young Broket household in Bromham from 1801 to 1811, when James s/o John and Mary KENDAL of Biddenham married a Bromham bride and set up home a few doors away. No sons or sons’ sons of the only Bromham Broket family from the previous generation—that of William and Elizabeth WILCOX—were recorded with families there; they had apparently moved to Blunham.

On 21 May 1809 a Thomas, aged 27—on Apr 13, ie b c 1782was baptised in Bromham. Although this was after the baptisms of their own 3 children, and makes Thomas only 19 at marriage in 1801, when Ann was 21, it must have been the baptism of Ann CLARK’s husband. The records show only 3 Thomas Brokets in the whole of Bedfordshire during the 19th C—Thomas and Ann’s grandson, bap 1828 and his son bap 1867 being the other 2. That Thomas came into Bromham as a teenager from outside of Bedfordshire altogether is not realistic. Why in 1800 or before would a young unrelated Broket from another county come to such a small rural settlement as Bromham, where an older Broket couple was already living? Judging by the 149 marriages in Bromham over the 50 years 1760-1810 it would only have comprised about a hundred households at any one time. More likely is that Thomas moved into Bromham for work from a nearby parish, at least a year or two prior to his marriage—by which time he had become ‘of Bromham’.

In fact, comparison of a DNA sample in 2016 of a living male descendant of Thomas with the samples previously tested of other Bedfordshire Brokets confirmed that Thomas was closely related.

So who were his parents? The only 18th C baptism of a Thomas recorded in Bedfordshire was the last child of William and Elizabeth WILCOX in Bromham in 1796. It’s not impossible that William and Elizabeth had 2 sons called Thomas alive at the same time, separated by 14 years or more, but unlikely.

Of course a baptism may not have not been performed in the established church, however it looks unlikely that the baptism of Thomas in 1809, aged 27, was a making-good of an earlier oversight by William and Elizabeth WILCOX in 1782:

  1. All William and Elizabeth’s 10 known children were recorded baptised in Bromham Church as infants.
  2. The gaps separating the baptisms of their 5 known children in the 6 years 1779-85 were more or less:
    25 months—between Elizabeth and Ann
    19 months—between Ann and Mary, 14 Oct 1781 – 25 May 1783
    29 months—between Mary and Sarah
    24 months—between Sarah and Ann.

    If these reflected birth dates, Thomas’ birth on 13 Apr 1782 would have to have been during the 19 months between Ann and Mary’s baptisms—scarcely possible, unless he was a twin. But if he was, then why was he not baptised with his twin?

  3. Adult baptisms could reflect Nonconformist persuasions and no records suggest that William and Elizabeth were Nonconformists.

Without further records, the options are that Thomas was:

  1. a for-some-reason-unrecorded son of John and Mary KENDAL of Biddenham, married 1778.
    • This would mean Thomas was the elder brother of James, b 1791 and husband of Lucy BATES, who lived only a few doors away from Thomas and Ann in Bromham in 1841.
    • John and Mary KENDAL’s was the only Broket family in Biddenham in the 2nd half of the 18th C. It was Ann’s parish and where Thomas got married to her. If Thomas was a son of John and Mary KENDAL he would have known Ann from his days in Biddenham.
    • John and Mary KENDAL’s 8 known children were baptised 1779-99 with a possible unrecorded son Joseph b c 1795. There was a 4½ year gap between their first two children—1779-1784—and Thomas was b c 1782, in the middle of that period.
    • Was William—Thomas and Ann’s 1st son—named for Ann’s father, William CLARK? Was John—their 2nd son—named for Thomas’ father?
    • That Thomas was ‘of Bromham’ rather than Biddenham may just have meant he had moved there to work some time before the marriage. James, 10 years Thomas’ junior, had come to Bromham from Biddenham, and William who married Elizabeth WILCOX, had moved to Bromham from Kempston in the previous generation. Mobility between parishes in the vicinity of Bedford was common.
  2. an illegitimate son of William, husband of Elizabeth WILCOX, by another woman.
  3. from another—perhaps Nonconformist—family from the Bedfordshire Grouping.

The first option seems strongest.

Children of Thomas and Ann CLARK:16

  1. William, bap Biddenham 26 Sep 1802, bur Bromham 26 Feb 1803 aged 5 months.
  2. John, bap Bromham 23 Dec 1803. He married Ann JAMES 1824 Bromham. They lived all their married life in Bromham and had a large family. Details below. John died 1861, Ann 1870.
  3. Ann, bap Bromham 17 Nov 1805, bur Bromham 8 Dec 1805.

Census records for Thomas and Ann:    Read more

James 1791-1873 and Lucy BATES

Second son of John and Mary KENDAL of Biddenham, James was baptised 22 May 1791, Biddenham,17 probable twin of Mary. He married Lucy BATES 14 Oct 1811 in Bromham,18 after Banns at Bromham,19 and they lived the rest of their lives there. He was a younger contemporary of namesakes James, married to Elizabeth of Blunham, and James, married to Frances of Cardington.

Although Bromham was Lucy’s parish—bap there 7 Aug 1791, d/o Thomas and Ann BATES20—it would be too much of a coincidence if James wasn’t related to Thomas of Bromham, husband of Ann CLARK. Bromham was a small settlement with no more than a dozen baptisms per year in the 1790s and in 1841 the 2 households were near each other in Tolegate.

Census records for James and Lucy:    Read more


Lucy was buried 22 Nov 1866 Bromham, aged 75.21 James was recorded as a Farm Labourer that year.22 He died 15 Sep 1873 of heart disease at Bromham, aged 82, Farm Labourer, informant daughter Eliza23 and was buried Bromham 17 Sep 1873 aged 82.24 Children:

  1. Joseph, b 5 Oct 1812, Bromham; d 1879, Bedford District. Married 1st Sarah CORRALL, 2nd Mary Ann GOSLING.
  2. ?Hannah, b c 1813, bur Bromham 10 Dec 1833, aged 20.25
  3. Samuel, b 1815. He married Mary Anne LOVEDAY 6 Mar 1838 in Bromham.26
  4. Mary Ann, b Bromham 24 Feb, bap 21 Mar 1819;27 married 1 Sep 1836 Richard STAFFERTON Bromham.28
  5. John, b c 1828, bap Bromham 20 Apr.29 Married 5 Oct 1856 Elizabeth RUSSELL Bedford St Paul, she b c 1826.30 To be distingished from John of Bedford and Northampton, bap 1828, s/o John and Maria DARLING, and from John s/o James and Frances CURTIS of Cardington who also married an Elizabeth.+Census records for John and Elizabeth:    Read more
    John died of emphysema and bronchitis 7 Jan 1887 at 19 Patteshall St, Bedford St Paul, aged 58, Labourer, informant son James William.31 Elizabeth died 12 Nov 1905 at 19 Patteshall St Bedford, widow, estate valued at £109 11s, administration at Northampton 1 Dec to James William, Fitter. Children:

    1. Harriett Lucy born 1858 Bedford District,32 bap 16 May 1858 Bedford St Paul;33 m 26 May 1881 Harry Joseph PEARSON Holy Trinity Bedford.34 In 1901 the couple were living at 21, Alexander Road, Cheshunt, Herts, he a Sergeant in the Metropolitan Police, aged 43, she, aged 41, both born Bedford Borough.35
    2. James William, b 1860 Bedford District.36 Still living with his mother in 1901.37 Proved Mother’s Will 1905. Married 1909 Elsie CAMPBELL, Housekeeper, Huntly, Aberdeenshire.38 James William died Alloa 1938 aged 78, ie b 1860.39 Elspeth died Alloa 1944 aged 86, ie b 1858.40 No issue recorded.41+Census records for James and Elsie:    Read more
      To be distinguished from James William, b 1879 in Twickenham, s/o David and Selina CLARK.
    3. Annie Eliza born 1863 Bedford District.42 m 1895 … … Bedford District.43.
  6. Eliza, bap Bromham 3 Mar 1830;44 married William TEBBUT Bromham 28 Jan 1848 (probably the older brother of Mary, who married Thomas Brocket of Bromham in 1851.)45 Signed with her mark as informant of father’s death 1873. Recorded with 3 sons and 3 daughters in Webbs Lane, Bromham for the 1871 census, two doors from father James. Eliza gave William 14 known children, mostly baptised at Bromham, at least 6 of whom died in infancy:46 Emma, 1848; Ellen, 1849; Amy, 1852; William, 1854; James, 1856; Joseph, 1857; George, 1859; Fanny, 1860; Ann, 1861; Edward, 1862; Lucy, 1864; Mary, 1865; Caroline, 1867; Annie Eliza, 1870. William Tebbutt the father died 19 Apr 1892 at Bell End Kempston, aged 62, Farm Labourer, of Pneumonia;47 Eliza Tebbutt the mother died 7 Feb 1899 in the Workhouse, Bedford, aged 69, Widow, of Hemiplegia, Apoplexy 3 days.48

John 1803-61 and Ann JAMES

Bap Bromham 23 Dec 1803, 2nd son and only surviving child of Thomas and Ann CLARK of Bromham.49 TR wrongly listed John as a last s/o William and Elizabeth WILCOX. He married Ann JAMES 22 Mar 1824 Bromham, both of the parish. She was probably bap 29 Jul 1804 Great Barford d/o John and Sarah. They lived all their married life in Bromham and had a large family, born over 18 years 1827-45. John’s occupation was Farm/Agricultural Labourer in all known records from 1841 through to sons’ MCs after his death. John died from diabetes 11 Jun 1861 Bromham, aged 58, informant [daughter?] Ann MILLARD, as with daughter Sarah Ann,50 bur Bromham 15 Jun.51 Ann was bur Bromham 15 Jun 1870, aged 68, ie b c 1802.52

Census records for John and Ann:    Read more


Children:53

  1. Harriet, b 16 Mar 1827, Bromham.54 ?Died 1830.
  2. Thomas, bap 11 May 1828, Bromham.55 Married 1851 Mary TEBBUTT Bromham; d there 1910.
  3. Sarah Ann, bap 3 Jun 1832, Bromham;56 witness to brother Thomas’ marriage—with an X; d 29 Sep 1853, Bromham, of malignant disease of the uterus and paralysis, aged 21, Lacemaker, informant [sister?] Ann MILLARD, as with father;57 bur Bromham 3 Oct.58
  4. Ann, bap 13 Apr 1834, Bromham.59 ?Married … MILLARD (informant of deaths of sister Sarah 1853 and father 1861), but no GRO record found.
  5. Harriet, bap 3 Apr 1836, Bromham;60 bur 7 Nov 1836, Bromham, aged 6 months.61
  6. James, b 5 Jan 1838, Bromham.62 Married 1 Apr 1861 Bromham Elizabeth Lucy LONGFORD, he a Bachelor Soldier, she a Spinster Servant, witnesses Daniel—probably his brother—and Mary, perhaps brother Thomas’ wife,63 after Banns at Bromham64 +Census records for James and Elizabeth:    Read more
    James probably died 1890 Portsea Hants, the naval base, aged 5265 and Elizabeth L died 1912 Portsmouth, aged 80, ie b c 1832.66 No known issue.

    The other contemporary namesakes in Bedfordshire were James of Biddenham, 1822-77, married Anne WRENCH 1857 and James of Blunham, 1840-, married Hannah ALFORD 1867
  7. William, b 27 Aug 1840, Bromham,67 bap Bromham 6 Sep.68 Died 1841 Bedford District,69 bur Bromham 27 Jun, aged 10 months.70
  8. Daniel, b 27 Apr 1842, Bromham,71 bap Bromham 29 Apr;72 m Jane WOODWARD 30 May 1864 in Sandy. Daniel and Jane and 5 children arrived in New Zealand Feb 1875. Daniel d 9 May 1919, Allanton, New Zealand.
  9. Abraham, b 1845, Bedford District,73 bap 25 May 1845, Bromham;74 d 1919, Kettering, Northants. He married Sarah Anne TAYLOR 16 May 1864 in Clapham, Bedfordshire.75 They moved from Bromham to Northampton by 1873. Joseph and Maria COTTERILL and his mother and brothers were there at that time.+Census records for Abraham and Sarah Anne:    Read more
    Sarah Ann died 1910 Kettering Northants, aged 67.76 Abraham died 1919 in Kettering, Northants.77 The GRO marriage record spelt his name Abram Brocket and death record Abram Brockett. Children:

    1. Charlotte Louisa, b 1864, Bedford District;78 married 1883 William JAMES in Wellingborough, Northants,79 and was mother to the 4 grandchildren living with Abram in 1911. In 1891 the family were in Wadcroft St, Kettering, Northants: William JAMES, Head, Shoe Laster, aged 31, born Wollaston, Northamptonshire; Charlotte, Wife, 27, born Clapham, Bedfordshire; George, 7, Scholar, born Doddington, Northamptonshire; William, 1, born Kettering.80 By 1899 Charlotte had married again, and as Charlotte PARKER, was informant at brother John’s son’s birth. In 1901 the family were in Upper Street, Kettering, Northants: William PARKER, Head, Shoe Hand, aged 30, born Kettering; Charlotte, Wife, 35, born Clapham, Bedfordshire; 5 stepchildren surnamed JAMES, and a daughter Doris PARKER, aged 2, born Kettering.81 Had Charlotte died by 1911? William John PARKER, Heel Builder, aged 40, was at 20 Avondale Road, Kettering, with wife of 2 years Emily Frances PARKER, aged 30, daughter Doris, aged 12, born Kettering, and 4 other children aged between 10 and 2.82 This would have been why the JAMES children were with Charlotte’s parents. At least 4 of the 5 PARKER children would have been Charlotte’s so she gave birth to about 9 children in about 15 years.
    2. John Samuel, b 1869, Bedford District,83 bap Bromham 7 Mar.84 Married 1894 Kate NEWBERRY Towcester, Northants.85 Coal Carter,86 General Labourer.87 John S died 1938 Nottingham, aged 69.88 Kate died 1939 Nottingham, aged 68.89 +Census records for John and Kate:    Read more
      Children:

      1. Louisa, b 1896 Towcester;90 married 1919 Nottingham … RICHARDS.91
      2. John Thomas, b 6 Aug 1899, 100 Upper Field St, Kettering, father’s name John Thomas by dittography;92 d 1899 Kettering.93 Twin.
      3. Mary Ellen, b and d 1899 Kettering.94 Twin.
      4. Helen ‘Nellie‘ Kay, b 1901 Kettering;95 bur 5 May 1902 aged 13 months, St Mary the Virgin, Burton Latimer.96
      5. Lucy, b 1904 Kettering;97 married 1923 Nottingham … BRYAN.98
      6. Jessie, b 1908 Kettering;99 d Nottingham 1913.100
      7. Ethel, b 19 Jul 1910 at 7 Orchard St, Langley Mill, Heanor;101 married 1928 Nottingham … HARLEY.102
    3. Mary Ann, b 1873, Northampton District;103 ?married 1898 Kettering Northants.104

Joseph 1812-79

First s/o James and Lucy BATES of Bromham, b 5, bap 25 Oct 1812 in Bromham,105 and died Bromham 26 Mar 1879.106 Occupation; 1837 Labourer,107 1867 Farm Labourer;108 1891—retrospectively—Gardene.109 Only 1 other Joseph is known from this period, husband first of Anne WRENCH from 1815, and then of Patience TRUEMAN from 1838, resided Biddenham.

Joseph married 1st Hannah JAMES in Bromham 5 Apr 1833.110 She was buried 7 Nov 1836 Bromham, aged 27½,111 and possibly bap 27 Jul 1809 Riseley, c 8m N of Bedford—in any case not in Bromham.112 Were the 2 infant twins Joseph and Samuel, bur Bromham 2 Apr 1833,113 sons of Hannah and Joseph? Was either William or George, apparent 1st and 2nd sons of Sarah and Joseph, actually son of Hannah and Joseph? Did she die in childbirth with him? Joseph married 2nd Sarah CORRALL.114

The census records show that Joseph and family lived in Kempston, however most of the children were apparently baptised in Bromham:   Read more


Children—all, except maybe one of whom, emigrated north or overseas:115

  1. George, b 30 Oct 1837, Kempston116 but Bromham according to the censuses. Curiously, for the 1841 and 51 censuses he was recorded as 2 years older than brother William. Aged c 23, George wasn’t recorded in the 1861 census for Bedfordshire or Greater London. Perhaps he was in the army somewhere, as 13 years later on 4 Jun 1874 he was married in Scotland—to Mary DOWNING in the Episcopal Chapel, Hamilton.117 He gave his occupation as Gentleman’s Coachman, residing the Cavalry Barracks, Hamilton, Bachelor, aged 31 (actually 36½). Mary was 23, Domestic Servant, Spinster, residing the Yews, Hamilton. George’s parents were both given on the MC as deceased—although only Sarah was—and Joseph’s occupation as Coachman. Child:

    Thomas William was born 31 Mar 1875 Lydney, Chepstow,118 Gloucestershire, s/o George, Coachman (Domestic) and Mary DOWNING.119 He died 22 Aug 1940 at Lydney and District Hospital, Forest of Dean, Gloucs, of uraemia, acute nephritis and double thrombo phlebitis, aged 65, Opener at Tinplate Works, of 9 Forest Rd, Lydney, informant cousin B S Downing of 8 Stanford Rd, Lydney.120 The London Probate Register records that his estate of £1613 7s 7d did not go to any Brockets. + Census records for Thomas:    Read more

    No apparent record of George’s death in the GRO. Mary BROCKET died 1918 Chepstow, Monmouth, Wales, aged 67, ie b c 1851.121 The London Probate Register records her as Widow, of Lydney, Gloucs, of 3 Bathhurst Park Rd, Lydney. Gloucs, d 3 Dec 1918, Administration Chichester 8 Jan to Thomas William Brocket, Template Worker, effects valued at £210 15s.

  2. William, b 1837 Kempston,122 bap Bromham 26 Nov 1837.123 It’s odd that his birth wasn’t registered like brother George. Curiously, for the 1841 and 51 censuses he was recorded as 2 years younger than George. Married Charlotte CHAPPELL and apparently emigrated with their family to Tasmania 1870s.
  3. Lucy, b 27 Oct 1839,124 bap Bromham 8 Dec.125 Lucy wasn’t recorded in the 1861 census with the rest of her siblings and no death was recorded in the GRO 1839-61, so the marriage of Lucy Brocket to William FROSSELL 23 Dec 1860 in Kempston126 would have been her. BLARS has a fine photo of her. 6 sons and 6 daus (last child Esther, b 1884).+Census records for Lucy and family:    Read more
  4. Frederick, b 4 Aug 1842, Kempston,127 bap Bromham 28 Aug.128 The 1861 census recorded him at his parents’ home in Kempston, aged 19, ie b c 1842, Agricultural Labourer, born in Kempston. Married in Sunderland1868 and worked as a Gardener in Haltwhistle, but no further record found of him after the 1871 census.
  5. Samuel, b 1844, Bedford District. Like his brother and sister he moved north to Northumberland. Died there 1915.
  6. Jane, b 1846, Bedford District,129 bap Bromham 3 Oct.130 The 1861 census recorded her at her parents’ home in Kempston, aged 14, Lacemaker, born Kempston. Married her first cousin Reuben 24 Dec 1870 Holy Trinity, Bedford. Soon after the 1871 census—for which Jane, aged 24, Lace Maker, b Kempston, was living in Bedford with husband Reuben, aged 22, Labourer in Brick Yard, b Bromham—they moved north to Northumberland.

Sarah died Bromham 14 Nov 1865131 and Joseph married 3rd Mary Ann GOSLING 10 Apr 1866 in Bedford Register Office, he a Widower, Farm Labourer, aged 51, she a Spinster, 34, both of Kempston.132 Joseph died 1879 Bedford District, aged 67.133 Mary Ann died of senile decay 16 Apr 1915 at 3 Beatrice St, Kempston, aged 79, Widow of Joseph, Farm Labourer, informant A E Brockett, daughter in law.134 Children:

  1. Charles Alfred, b 18 Aug 1867, Moor End, Kempston,135 bap 18 Oct 1867 Bromham as Alfred Charles.136 Recorded in the 1871 census as Charles, and in the 1891 and 1901 censuses living with his mother in Bedford as Alfred, and in 1911 as Alfred Charles. Married 30 Oct 1910 Ada Emily ALLEN at the Holy Innocents C of E Church, Fallowfield, Manchester, he aged 42, Bachelor, Fireman, of 3 Beatrice St, Kempston, she 40, Spinster, Domestic Servant, of 18 Portland Grove, Fallowfield.137Census records for Charles Alfred and Ada Emily:    Read more
    Alfred C died 1933 Bedford District, aged 65.138 Ada E died 1952 Biggleswade District Bed, aged 84, ie b c 1868.139 No known issue.
  2. Eleanor Eve, b 1870 Bedford District.140 Recorded as Ellen in the 1881 census. Married as Ella Mary, Spinster, aged 21, on 31 Mar 1891 Register Office, Northampton, Arthur Tom TAYLOR, Bachelor, 29, Coach Painter, both of 13 St John’s Place, Northampton.141

Samuel c 1817-93 and Mary Anne LOVEDAY

Second s/o James and Lucy BATES of Bromham, b and bap there 15 and 19 Jul 1815.142. He married Mary Anne LOVEDAY 6 Mar 1838 in Bromham, he a Labourer, she a Servant,143 after Banns at Bromham.144 She wasn’t baptised in Bromham, but like James and Lucy before them, Samuel and Mary Anne probably lived in Bromham all their married lives.

Census records for Samuel and Mary Anne:    Read more


Samuel was a Labourer 1866,145 Farm Bailiff 1888,146 Stationary Engine Driver, Brewery.147 Mary Ann, wife of Samuel, a Foreman on a Farm, died in Bromham of cancer 10 Oct 1891, aged 76, informant daughter Mary Ann SMITH of 17 St Peters St, Bedford,148 bur Bromham.149 Samuel died Bromham 6 Jul 1893, aged 77 .150 Adopted descendants still living, but the blood male line appears to have died out. Children:

  1. Elizabeth, b 1839 Bedford District,151 bap Bromham 13 Oct;152 married George PEPPER Bromham 2 Jun 1873.153
  2. Alfred, b 13 Mar 1842, Bromham,154 bap Bromham 10 Apr;155 Married Bedford Register Office 21 Jan 1866 Mary Ann LORD, he aged 23, Labourer, she aged 22.156 His occupation: Farm Labourer 1868,157 Engineer in son’s MC 1906.+Census records for Alfred and Mary Ann:    Read more
    Alfred died Bromham 26 Feb 1901.158 Mary Ann died 21 Apr 1920 of bronchitis and heart failure, living with son JS at 40 Priory St, Bedford, aged 76, ie b c 1844 ,159 bur Bromham.160 Children:

    1. Charles, b 6 Feb 1868, Bromham;161 bur Bromham 27 May 1870162 aged 2.
    2. Juliana, b 24 Nov 1869 Bromham.163 In 1891 she was a General Servant, single, aged 21, at 90 High St, Bedford St Peter, b Beds Bromham.164 A Sick Nurse, aged 41, Single, for the 1911 census, at 52 Dukes Avenue, Chiswick, Brentford, Middlesex, the residence of Evan Davies, 68, Grocer and Storekeeper. She died unmarried 1949 Biggleswade District, aged 79.165
    3. Lewis, b 1871 Bedford District;166 bap 4 Jun and d 12 Jun Bromham.167
    4. Lucretia, b 1875, Bedford District.168 In 1891 she was a General Servant Domestic, single, aged 15, at 8 Newnham St, Bedford St Cuthbert, b Beds Bromham, in the home of Maria PEERS, Widow, aged 66, living alone on her own means, b Warwickshire, Edgehill.169 Lucretia married 1899.170 Not apparently in Bedfordshire in 1901 or 1911.171
    5. James Samuel, b 1876, Bedford District;172 d 40 Priory St, Bedford, bur Bromham 30 Nov 1946.173 Married 5 Aug 1906 Amelia Ellen STEVENS in All Saints Parish Church, Portsea, Co Southampton, he aged 30, Bachelor, Whitesmith, of 28 Garfield St, she 25, Spinster, of 30 Garfield St.174 He died 27 Nov 1946 Bedford District, aged 70,175 estate £662 9s 5d to Widow Amelia Ellen.176 Amelia Ellen died 10 Jul 1969, aged 89, ie b c 1880, at 24 Beckett Court, Bedford, Will proved Oxford 25 Aug £306.177 No recorded surviving issue in GRO. Since Amelia was born Portsmouth and had family in Landport, she may well have met James though her older cousin by marriage Elizabeth, widow of an earlier military Bromham James, who was also born in Landport and was living there in the early 1900s. That James was the son of John and Ann JAMES who in 1881 were living next door to this James’ great grandparents.+Census records for James Samuel and Amelia Ellen:    Read more
  3. Mary Ann Loveday, b 18 Aug, bap 20 Oct 1844, Bromham.178 Married William SMITH 17 Sep 1879 Bromham.179
  4. Lucretia, b 12 Sep 1846, Bedford District,180 bap Bromham 19 Oct.181 Married Bromham 18 Apr 1870182 Charles HEBBES after Banns at Bromham.183
  5. Reuben, b 1849, Bedford District—Bromham.184 Married his 1st cousin Jane 1870 and moved north to Northumberland about a year later. Died there 1934.
  6. Henrietta, b 17 Aug 1851, Bedford District,185 bap Bromham 14 Sep.186 For 1881 census Domestic Servant in Bedford St Paul, aged 29, b Bromham. Married William JONES, Grocer’s Assistant, 30 May 1888 Throcking, Herts.187
  7. Hannah Durance, b c 1856,188 bap Bromham 3 Jul 1856;189 mCharles FRANCIS Bromham 29 Mar 1880.190

Thomas 1828-1910 and Mary TEBBUTT

First son of John and Ann JAMES, bap 11 May 1828, Bromham,191 married Mary TEBBUTT 14 Oct 1851 Bromham, he aged 22, Labourer, she 17, witness his sister Sarah Ann,192 after Banns at Bromham.193 Thomas Agricultural Labourer 1856.194 Mary was baptised 3 May 1835, probably the younger sister of William, who married Eliza Brocket of Bromham in 1848.195

Census records for Thomas and Mary:    Read more


Mary died of heart disease 11 Mar 1894 Bromham, aged 59, ‘wife of Thomas Brockett a Farm Labourer’, informant son W Brockett;197 bur Bromham 14 Mar.198 Thomas died 1910 Bedford District, aged 80 ,199 bur Bromham 14 Mar.200 Children:

  1. Matilda, b Bromham 21 May 1853,201 bap 24 Jul 1853, Bromham.202 In Surrey, aged 18, for the 1871 census. Married 1872 Bedford District203
  2. Harry, b Bromham 22 Jul 185,204 bap 26 Aug 1855, Bromham;205 d of fever, Bromham 2 Feb 1856, aged 6 months, informant Mary STUDDS;206 bur there 4 Feb.207
  3. Isaac, b Bromham 22 Dec 1856,208 bap 1 Feb 1857, Bromham.209 He married Clara MAYES of Stagsden 27 Aug 1883.210 Emigrated to Australia 1883.211
  4. Sarah Ann, b 1859,212, bap 25 Dec 1859, Bromham.213 Recorded in the 1881 census as a General Servant, b Bromham, in the house of William and Sarah AYERS, 3 Cambridge Rd, Walmer, Kent, aged 21. Walmer is near Deal, c 6m NE of Dover. Married 14 May 1881 William LAKER in St Wilfrid’s District Church, Cuckfield Parish, Sussex, she aged 21, Spinster, Domestic Servant, residing Brompton, he 24, Bachelor, Labourer, residing St Wilfrid’s.214 Cuckfield is c 1m W of Haywards Heath. Brompton—if this wasn’t an error for Bromham—is in Gillingham, Kent. A namesake Sarah Ann married 5 Dec 1881 in Kingsthorpe, Northampton, aged 20, to John BUCKLER, and another had married in 1872, d/o William and Eliza EMERY of Blunham.
  5. Lizzy Emma, b Bromham 30 May 1862,215 bap 27 Jul 1862, Bromham.216 Married 1880 South Kensington … KING.
  6. Mary Ruth, b Bromham 28 Dec 1865,217 bap 11 Mar 1865, Bromham.218 Married 1888 Bedford District.219
  7. Thomas Charles, b 24 Jul 1867,220 bap 22 Sep Bromham.221 As Charles, married Laura SHEARMAN in Potton 12 Aug 1892, he aged 25, Bachelor, Carpenter, residing Bromham, she aged 22, Spinster, residing Potton, witness sister Louisa Isabel,222 Banns at Bromham.223 The family moved to Bedford 1911.224 Thomas Charles died 7 May 1947 West Denbighshire Hospital, Colwyn Bay, Aled, Denbighshire, aged 79, of 5 Arfon Terrace, …, Old Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, Retired Merchant Navy Chief Steward, of fracture of the skull sustained in an accidental collison with a moving motor vehicle, Coroner’s inquest 8 May 1947.225 Census records for Charles and Laura:    Read more
    Children:

    1. Emily Ruth, b 1893, Bedford District,226 bap Bromham 7 Jun.227 Died Bromham 25 Jan 1899,228 aged 5.
    2. Mabel Isobel Mary, b 1895, Bedford District,229 bap Bromham 18 Mar.230 Died Bromham 19 Apr 1900, aged 5.231
    3. Lily, b 1897, Bedford District.232 No further GRO record found to 1955.
    4. Nellie Maud, b 1899, Bedford District,233 bap Bromham 3 Dec.234 Probably married 1924 Bedford District … JEFFRIES.235
    5. Florence, b 26 Sep 1901, Bedford District,236 bap Bromham 8 Dec.237 Married 1948 Bedford District … HARRISON,238 resided Lovell Rd, Bedford.239
    6. Ezra John, b 9 Jan 1904, Bedford District,240 bap Bromham 8 May.241 Married 1st 1928 Bedford District … JOHNSON,242 no issue recorded in GRO. Married 2nd 1935 Bedford District … SPYER,243 1 son. Ezra’s occupation 1958 Police Station Orderly.244 Ezra died 1980 Bedford District, aged 76.245
    7. Alice Maud, b 22 Jul 1906,246 bap Bromham 21 Oct;247 married 1928 Bedford District … SPAVINS.248
    8. Rufus Isaac, b 30 Jun 1909, Bedford District;249 bap Bromham 11 Apr;250 married 1937 Bedford District … PITKIN.251 Resided 21 Chestnut Ave, Bedford.252
    9. Laura E, b 1912, Bedford District;253 married Bedford District 1933 … CRANE.254
  8. William, bap Bromham 2 Dec 1869,255 registered 1870,256 bur Bromham 7 Jan 1870.257
  9. Louisa Isabella, b 1871,258 bap Bromham 22 Feb.259 Married Bromham 18 Oct 1899 Thomas ROACH,260 after Banns at Bromham.261
  10. William Henry, b 4 Mar 1874, Bedford District,262 bap Bromham 10 May.263 A William Henry Brockett married 1901264 Florence Skeels / Skells JEFFS in Kettering Northants. Occupation 1901 Boot Laster.265 No apparent further GRO record, nor of Florence. William emigrated to Australia where “he died a bachelor in the 1950s”.266+Census records for William Henry and Florence Skells:    Read more
    Son:

    Harry Kenneth, b 28 Jul 1901 at 3 Upper Field St Ave, Kettering.267 No further GRO record. Said to have died in Australia 1925.
  11. Harry, b 5 May 1877, Bedford District,268 bap Bromham 10 Jun.269 Died 4 Oct 1897 Fulham, London, aged 20.270

Page Last Updated: May 1, 2021

Footnotes

For full bibliographical details please see the sections Publications or Glossary.

Expand

[1] In addition to the GRO, Parish Registers, censuses and the IGI, Terry Rooke, former Parish Clerk of Bromham (TR), Barbara Webster from Australia, Brenda McKeown from the New Zealand clan and three others from that clan have generously contributed information. Where sources aren't mentioned, they will be one of these.

[2] Parish Register.

[3] Bromham Parish Clerk henceforth 'TR'.

[4] Death certificate.

[5] Parish Register.

[6] Parish Register.

[7] Thanks to Janet Rogers for this information.

[8] Parish Register; the BT mistakenly recorded this as a baptism.

[9] Death certificate.

[10] Thanks to Terry Rooke for this information.

[11] Thanks to Janet Rogers for this information.

[12] Thanks to Janet Rogers for this information.

[13] Thanks to Janet Rogers for this information.

[14] Death certificate; TR.

[15] Death certificate; TR.

[16] All from Parish Registers.

[17] Parish Register.

[18] Parish Register.

[19] TR.

[20] Parish Register.

[21] GRO qtr 4; TR.

[22] Son Joseph's marriage certificate.

[23] Death certificate.

[24] TR.

[25] TR.

[26] Marriage certificate.

[27] TR.

[28] TR.

[29] TR.

[30] Marriage certificate.

[31] Death certificate.

[32] GRO qtr 2.

[33] IGI.

[34] GRO qtr 2; IGI.

[35] Census.

[36] GRO qtr 3.

[37] Census.

[38] BMDS.

[39] BMDS.

[40] BMDS.

[41] BMDS.

[42] GRO qtr 1.

[43] GRO qtr 2.

[44] TR.

[45] GRO qtr 1; TR.

[46] Information kindly supplied by Andrew Tebbutt, Aug 2020, mainly from the GRO and Steven Gibbs Bedfordshire website, dates indicating birth or baptism.

[47] DC kindly supplied by Andrew Tebbutt, Oct 2020.

[48] DC kindly supplied by Andrew Tebbutt, Oct 2020.

[49] Parish Register.

[50] Death certificate.

[51] TR.

[52] GRO qtr 2; TR.

[53] All IGI references patron-submitted.

[54] IGI.

[55] IGI; TR.

[56] IGI; TR.

[57] Death certificate.

[58] TR.

[59] IGI; TR.

[60] IGI.

[61] TR.

[62] GRO qtr 1; IGI; TR.

[63] Marriage certificate.

[64] TR.

[65] GRO qtr 1.

[66] GRO qtr 2.

[67] GRO qtr 3; IGI.

[68] TR.

[69] GRO qtr 2.

[70] TR.

[71] IGI.

[72] TR.

[73] GRO qtr 2.

[74] IGI; TR.

[75] GRO qtr 2; familysearch.org batch # M00375.

[76] GRO qtr 2.

[77] GRO qtr 4.

[78] GRO qtr 4.

[79] GRO qtr 3.

[80] Census.

[81] Census.

[82] Census.

[83] GRO qtr 1.

[84] TR.

[85] GRO qtr 3.

[86] Birth certificate of son 1899.

[87] Birth certificate of daughter 1910.

[88] GRO qtr 4.

[89] GRO qtr 4.

[90] GRO qtr 4.

[91] GRO qtr 2.

[92] Birth certificate.

[93] GRO qtr 3.

[94] GRO qtr 3.

[95] GRO qtr 2.

[96] NBI.

[97] GRO qtr 1.

[98] GRO qtr 1.

[99] GRO qtr 3.

[100] GRO qtr 4.

[101] Birth certificate.

[102] GRO qtr 1.

[103] GRO qtr 4.

[104] GRO qtr 2.

[105] Parish Register.

[106] GRO qtr 1. aged 67; TR.

[107] Birth certificate of son George.

[108] Birth certificate of son.

[109] Marriage certificate of daughter.

[110] IGI; TR.

[111] TR.

[112] IGI.

[113] TR.

[114] No obvious IGI marriage record; surname from birth certificate of son George—no obvious IGI baptism record.

[115] Patron-submitted entries to the IGI recorded the baptisms of 6 children in Bromham: William, Lucy, Frederich (sic), Samuel, Jane and Alfred Charles, but they were actually a Kempston family. It also recorded a patron-submitted baptism of a son George on 18 Oct 1835 to Joseph and Mary in Bromham. This is an error as there was no Joseph married to a Mary in Bedfordshire at this time. Joseph s/o James and Lucy was married to Hannah in 1835 and the BC of son George b 30 Oct 1837 gave the parents as Joseph and Sarah CORRALL of Kempston.

[116] Birth certificate.

[117] Marriage certificate.

[118] Chepstow is a parish, seaport, and market town, in the county of Monmouth. Lydney is c 8 m NE of Chepstow up the Severn, c 19 m E of Pontypool. Yorkley is c 2 m N of Lydney in the Forest of Dean.

[119] Birth certificate.

[120] Death certificate.

[121] GRO qtr 4.

[122] Aged 13 and 23 in the 1851 and 61 censuses.

[123] TR.

[124] GRO qtr 4 Bedford District; IGI patron entry: Bromham; TR.

[125] TR.

[126] GRO qtr 4; IGI.

[127] 1861 census; GRO qtr 3 Bedford District; IGI patron entry: Bromham.

[128] TR.

[129] GRO qtr 3.

[130] TR.

[131] GRO qtr 4; TR.

[132] Marriage certificate.

[133] GRO qtr 1.

[134] Death certificate.

[135] Birth certificate.

[136] IGI patron; TR.

[137] Marriage certificate.

[138] GRO qtr 3.

[139] GRO qtr 2.

[140] GRO qtr 1.

[141] Marriage certificate.

[142] TR.

[143] Marriage certificate.

[144] TR.

[145] Marriage certificate of son Alfred.

[146] Marriage certificate of daughter Henrietta, witness.

[147] Death certificate of wife 1920.

[148] Death certificate.

[149] TR.

[150] GRO qtr 3; TR.

[151] GRO qtr 3.

[152] IGI patron; TR.

[153] GRO qtr 2; TR.

[154] Birth certificate.

[155] TR.

[156] Marriage certificate, Mary Ann signed as witness—mother or sister?.

[157] Birth certificate of son Charles.

[158] GRO qtr 1; TR.

[159] Death certificate.

[160] TR.

[161] Birth certificate—mother signed with X.

[162] GRO qtr 2; TR.

[163] GRO qtr 4; TR.

[164] Census.

[165] GRO qtr 3.

[166] GRO qtr 3.

[167] TR.

[168] GRO qtr 1.

[169] Census.

[170] GRO qtr 3.

[171] Censuses.

[172] GRO qtr 4.

[173] GRO qtr 4, aged 70; TR.

[174] Marriage certificate.

[175] GRO qtr 4.

[176] LPR.

[177] GRO qtr 3; LPR.

[178] GRO qtr 3; TR.

[179] GRO qtr 3; TR.

[180] GRO qtr 4; TR.

[181] TR.

[182] GRO qtr 2; TR.

[183] TR.

[184] 1871 census.

[185] GRO qtr 3; TR.

[186] TR.

[187] Marriage certificate.

[188] 1861 census, aged 5; no GRO record found.

[189] TR.

[190] GRO qtr 1; TR.

[191] IGI patron.

[192] Marriage certificate.

[193] TR.

[194] Death certificate of son.

[195] Information kindly supplied by Andrew Tebbutt, Aug 2020.

[196] The transcription wrongly mixed up Mary and Matilda.

[197] Death certificate.

[198] TR.

[199] GRO qtr 1.

[200] TR.

[201] GRO qtr 2; TR.

[202] IGI; TR.

[203] GRO qtr 3.

[204] GRO qtr 3; TR.

[205] IGI; TR.

[206] Death certificate.

[207] TR.

[208] GRO qtr 1 1857; TR.

[209] IGI; TR.

[210] GRO qtr 3; TR.

[211] Many thanks to Barbara Webster for information on him.

[212] GRO qtr 4.

[213] IGI; TR.

[214] Marriage certificate.

[215] GRO qtr 2; TR.

[216] IGI; TR.

[217] GRO qtr 1 1865; TR.

[218] IGI; TR.

[219] GRO qtr 1.

[220] GRO qtr 3; TR.

[221] IGI; TR.

[222] Marriage certificate.

[223] TR.

[224] TR.

[225] Death certificate.

[226] GRO qtr 2, 2nd name also Rosa.

[227] TR.

[228] GRO qtr 1; TR.

[229] GRO qtr 1.

[230] TR.

[231] GRO qtr 2; TR.

[232] GRO qtr 1.

[233] GRO qtr 3.

[234] TR.

[235] GRO qtr 2.

[236] GRO qtr 4; TR.

[237] TR.

[238] GRO qtr 4.

[239] TR.

[240] GRO qtr 1.

[241] TR.

[242] GRO qtr 4.

[243] GRO qtr 4.

[244] Marriage certificate of son.

[245] GRO qtr 2.

[246] GRO qtr 3; TR.

[247] TR.

[248] GRO qtr 4.

[249] GRO qtr 1; TR.

[250] TR.

[251] GRO qtr 4.

[252] TR.

[253] GRO qtr 3.

[254] GRO qtr 1.

[255] TR.

[256] GRO qtr 1.

[257] GRO qtr 1; TR.

[258] GRO qtr 1.

[259] TR.

[260] GRO qtr 4; TR.

[261] TR.

[262] GRO qtr 1; TR.

[263] TR.

[264] GRO qtr 1.

[265] Birth certificate of son.

[266] 1988 letter from a descendant of brother Isaac.

[267] Birth certificate.

[268] GRO qtr 2; TR.

[269] TR.

[270] GRO qtr 3; TR.