#Ashford #Buckland #Chilham #Death #Dover #England #Faversham #Kent #Military #WWI
William Charles ABBOTT was the eighth of nine children born to Henry ABBOTT (1844 – 1908), an Agricultural Labourer, and Sarah ANDREWS (1857 – 1943).
Henry was born in Buckland, part of Dover, Kent, England but seems to have headed towards Faversham by the time of his marriage.
Sarah was born in Elmsted (east of Ashford) and has moved to the Chilham area which is just a few miles north towards Canterbury. They married on Christmas Day 1875. Henry was in his 30s but Sarah only just 18.
William had five sisters – Ellen Mary ABBOTT (1876 – 1921), Emma ABBOTT (1878 – 1943), Ada Lilly ABBOTT (1881 – 1940), Alice Elizabeth ABBOTT (1884 – 1950) and Frances ABBOTT (1888 – 1916). All five married and I know that at least three had offspring and one seems to have moved to Canada.
He also had three brothers – John Henry ABBOTT (1886 – 1916), Frederick George ABBOTT (1891 – 1966), and Ernest Walter ABBOTT (1896 – 1917). Frederick married but didn’t have any offspring of his own. Most of the family appears to have stayed around Kent.
In the 1881 Census William’s parents and the eldest two girls are living in Old Wives Lees which is a hamlet in the parish of Chilham.
William’s birth was registered Q1 1894 in East Ashford District. Other information gives it as 16 February 1894. He was baptised on 13 May 1894 in Chilham.
They seem to be around the same place (detail given as Chilham Lees) for the 1891 Census but now with six children listed.
In the 1901 Census the family are still in Chilham with the youngest five children. Location given as Park House next to Woods Hill. Age given as seven and that he was born in Chilham.
Sadly, in 1908, John’s father passes away in his early 60s leaving Sarah a widow. In 1911 his eldest brother and youngest brother are living with her at Yellow Cabbage Cottage, Luddenham in Faversham.
All of his sisters have married but sadly Frances died in 1916. He worked as a farm labourer before joining up. Two of his brothers were killed in action in 1917 [see their records for more information].
Regarding William’s military career military career and much more detail of his family’s life I am just going to link to the details given by the Lynsted with Kingsdown Society 1 which mentions him in relation to his brothers.
It seems that there was confusion over records between a William ABBOTT and William Charles ABBOTT. Think he received a gun shot wound to his arm on 12 October 1917. Lots of other detail held that originated from the same place but unable to find it as an original source currently.
On 21 August 1919 in Chelsea he married Mary Oliphant PHILP. She was from Fifeshire it appears. His remaining brother married a widow with child shortly after him and stayed around Faversham area.
The following year he and Mary had a daughter. Cannot find record on FreeBMD so it is possible that she was born in Scotland based on other information found.
In 1921 his eldest sibling Ellen died leaving just five of the nine children which must have been very hard on his mother especially if he was in Scotland and another of the girls out in Canada.
Looks like they had another two children and returned back to north Kent circa 1930. Per the 1939 Register he is working as a postman whilst wife undertakes Unpaid Domestic Duties. The children are at school and they are living at Plaistow Grove in Bromley.
In 1940 his sister Ada passed away and then his mother Sarah and sister Emma both in Q1 1943. His then remaining sister Alice, in Canada, died in 1950 and his remaining brother Frederick in 1966.
I think William’s eldest child went into nursing and after living in London retired to Scotland. Not sure ever married. The next child remained in Bromley but similarly not found a marriage record. The third child did marry and potentially had children but no definitive records.
William died on 23 July 1973, registered in Bromley District, and was buried 26 July 1973 in Lewisham. His wife Mary passed away two years later.
He was a 4C 2R to me.
Footnotes –
Most research undertaken using Ancestry, FreeBMD and Google Maps. Additional resources listed below if utilised.
- Lynsted Society – http://lynsted-society.co.uk/research_ww1_casualties_abbott_e_w.html ↩︎
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