Baldock/Fagg/Small Family History

On 28th May 2014, my father Ernest Joseph BALDOCK passed away after long ill-health. It was unexpected, but he was victim to multiple conditions affecting each other at the end. His last days were in Kent and Canterbury Hospital, but he was in the presence of family – myself, my sister and my mother.

Ernest Joseph Baldock was born on 18 July 1929 at Marshside, near Chislet, to Ernie, a farm horse-waggoner, and Elsie. He used to walk across the road that became the Thanet Way with his mother, brother Geoff and sister Dorothy to Hilborough Infants School near Reculver. On the return one day, he spotted his father working the fields and ran to greet him. He was knocked down by a car which failed to stop. The German monocled farmer for whom his father worked shouted, “Get his number, waggoner, get his number!”

This was the first evidence of his cast-iron constitution.

Following his father’s moves from farm to farm, he attended Chislet Primary School and Minster Primary School. The family finally arrived at St. Nicholas, Down Barton Road, where he finished schooling at the age of 14.
On leaving school, which he freely admitted was not his forté, he joined his father in farming. Farming was in his blood. In tracing the family history, I have discovered agricultural labourers at almost every step, with generations traversing East Kent back to the late 1500’s.

Having been laid off farm work by Colonel Tapp one year due to bad weather, at the age of 24 he joined Kent River Board and aided in the construction of the Reculver sea wall defences after the 1953 floods. There is even British Pathé News film footage of him and his colleagues at work during the construction available on the internet.
In 1954, he entered National Service with the Buffs, and on his return re-entered farm work.

In 1968, whilst on a pub crawl with his mates, he ended up at the Five Bells at Eastry, where he met his wife and fell in love. They married, started a family and remained in St. Nicholas for 25 years until his retirement from Linnington Farms in 1994, when he moved to Westgate.

He preferred to be called Joe, since his father was Ernest too. They became known by some as “Big Ern” and “Little Ern”, but he became known to many as “Lofty”, since he was tall and his brother Geoff, or “Tich”, the short one. Some might have known him as “Cauliflower Joe”, since he was often found in his trade-mark rolled-up shirtsleeves and cap, cutting cauliflowers with his fellow workers in the fields, or driving his tractor bailing straw. His children often visited him there.
Joe didn’t suffer fools gladly, but if you became a friend it was generally for life.

Tragically losing his sister, Dorothy CHRISTIAN (nee BALDOCK) abruptly three months ago on 17 March 2014, and himself succumbing to long-term ill-health, his cast-iron constitution finally had to give in, and he passed away calmly on 28 May 2014 in Kent and Canterbury Hospital in the company of his wife and two children, Stephen and Lisa.

A genuine, hard-working, family man, and avid vegetable gardener until his retirement, he will be greatly missed by all friends and family.

He was laid to rest in the cemetery of St. Nicholas-At-Wade, after a wonderfully packed church service, on 18th June 2014. The family would like to extend thanks to all those who attended and whom we did not get to thank personally.

We may mourn his passing, but celebrate his life.

Ernest Joseph BALDOCK, 1929-2014

See ya, Dad!

I have known about William BALDOCK the smuggler for quite a while now, and often wondered if and how he might fit into my research. I had also recently come across William Henry BALDOCK, High Sheriff of Kent (1800s).
I knew that the smuggler died in 1812, leaving an estate valued around £1.1m ! Was he also the same William BALDOCK who had bought much land and property in Canterbury and other areas of Kent? I had also learned that ‘his nephew’ was rather conveniently the coastal Riding Officer.
Was he related to William Henry? They certainly both appear to have been from or lived in Petham.
I had discovered that William Henry BALDOCK had married Elizabeth DELMAR on 8 Feb 1814 at St. Margaret’s, Canterbury, but could not confirm his parents.
Was William Henry BALDOCK also the same William BALDOCK mentioned as a banker of Petham House, Petham, Kent in an obituary of a New Zealand newspaper (The Grey River Argus, Tuesday October 30th 1883) concerning the death of the latter’s great-great niece and nephew, Julia Alice HARDS and Joseph Baldock HARDS! The obituary also mentioned a relationship to Richard Robinson, 1st Lord Rokeby! The same banker (and other relationships) were also mentioned in the obituary of Baldock BUTCHER in the Sydney Morning Herald of Sep 8th, 1883.

And which William is the one represented in the painting ‘William Baldock of Petham, near Canterbury’ by T. Dinsdale, held in the collections of Canterbury City Council Museums and Galleries?

William BALDOCK of Petham, near Canterbury, by T Dinsdale (painting)
(c) Canterbury City Council Museums and Galleries

Then, recently, I located a goldmine…

“The Seasalter Company – A Smuggling Fraternity (1740-1854)” was written by Walter Harvey and first printed in 1983. It mentions gang members and their ‘business’ dealings, and a considerable amount is given over to William BALDOCK and his nephew, the Riding Officer, …. Richard Hobday BALDOCK !!

.. Hold on a moment, that name HOBDAY rings a bell!

In August 2009, a year or so after I started my genealogy research proper, I visited the Society of Genealogists in London to investigate their holding of a BALDOCK (of Elham) pedigree roll. It transpired that, at the time, I did not have any record of the names mentioned, so I copied down the family tree contained on the roll and filed it.
This week I located the tree, had a look and there they were – Richard Hobday BALDOCK, William BALDOCK (d. 1812) and William Henry BALDOCK (High Sheriff 1818, and partner in the Union Bank, Canterbury), all linked to the Elham tree! It turns out that Richard Hobday and William Henry were brothers, and both nephews of William the smuggler! Their parents were Richard BALDOCK and Mary HOBDAY.

William the smuggler was know to have at least one boat, and no doubt used his regular trips round the coast to London to hide his smuggling activities. Wallace Harvey also wrote a book called “Whitstable and the French Prisoners of War” (1971), and this will be another purchase soon.
The inland smuggling route included Lenham where, along with Pluckley, Charing and Egerton, many of BALDOCK ancestors may be found. Were other relatives of his in the area also involved? I would add that I have not yet linked my ancestors from this area to William the smuggler.

Sources variously claim William’s early life was as a cowherd, or hairdresser’s boy; his father appears to have been a bricklayer. Hence, my choice of the word ‘labourer’.

During the Christmas break, I had also managed to just miss out (by £1 !!) on an ebay auction item consisting of a 1794 indenture of property sale concerning William BALDOCK the smuggler. How gutted was I?!

A recent conversation with a local professional genealogist said I’d done well to link up my research after only five years. He’s got some that’s lasted around twenty!

A brief investigation regarding any link to Lord Rokeby has turned up nothing yet, although some descendants show up in Canterbury.

I now need to check and combine information in the trees with my own research, and look forward to growing my tree further!

Watch this space!

Whilst perusing through the parish registers for Stalisfield this weekend, I came across an unusual entry:

William’s father was also his step-grandfather!

It says ‘William the Son of Thomas BOLDUC by Esther KINGSLAND his wifes daughter, his wife being then alive‘. William was baptised 23 Dec 1753 in Stalisfield, Kent.

A quick check through my records would indicate that I probably don’t have this Thomas (although his birthdate needs further research). The wife mentioned was Mary ELLETT who married John KINGSLAND on 6 Oct 1710 in Throwley, three and a half miles away. Esther (Hester) was baptised 21 Jun 1719 in Throwley. Mary married Thomas on 30 Sep 1747 in Throwley.

Therefore, Esther was probably around thirty-four when she gave birth to William, whose father was her own step-father.

I will probably never find out whether this family affair was desired by both parties, or indeed accepted by the family. I have not yet determined what happened to Thomas’s marriage thereafter. The fact that the parentage is mentioned in parish registers, even that of one over three miles away, would hint that they did not feel shame in admitting it, or that the knowledge was known outside the family.

Social historians would no doubt be able to indicate the commonality of such a union. I guess today we would judge by their appearance on the Jeremy Kyle or Jerry Springer shows!

References:

1. STALISFIELD St. Mary, composite parish register 1699-1812, CCA-U3-264/1/1, Canterbury Cathedral Archives.