The Hampshire Family Historian | Vol.48 No.4 | March 2022

Member’s article

two children, Elizabeth Jane and William James were baptised at Lymington in 1833 and 1836 respectively. Next, their daughter, Sarah Ellen VIRTIL , was baptised in 1840 at Hamble. Interestingly, in the GRO index the mother’s maiden name is entered as HATCHER , but the 1842 GRO entry for the next child gives the mother’s name as GRACE so it appears that Jane used both surnames. Sarah Ellen VERTIL married George Morris CREMER in 1858 and she died in 1870. Phoebe HATCHER (nee GRACE ) was buried 15th March 1868 at Southampton Old Cemetery, Sarah Ellen CRIMER (nee Vertil) was buried in the same plot on 27th March 1870, followed by her father, James VERTEL , on 11th November 1883 and her mother, Jane VERTEL (nee GRACE ), on 10th January 1894. The information about the birth of the twins and the financial provision made for Phoebe and the children by Ashley parish has enabled me to learn more about my 4x Great Grandmother and how girls in her situation had to cope when faced with having illegitimate children. Certainly, it would have been a struggle for a girl aged just 17 to bring up one child in these circumstances and she had twins to care for. My research also shows how helpful the Overseers Accounts and Removal Orders can be for family historians. Marion Gilmour ( Member #70)

Notes on Ashley Ashley is a small parish near to Kings

Somborne. The name derives from the Old English meaning ‘meadow by the ash wood’. A castle was constructed there in around 1200 and it is thought that this led to the establishment of a small community, with the building of a church afterwards. St Mary’s church, which stands in the outer bailey of the Norman castle, has a chancel, nave, and south porch. The walls are built mainly of flint rubble with chalk block dressings and quoins, all rendered with lime mortar. The chancel was extended in the 13th century which makes the church very narrow for its length. The font is Norman and is probably contemporary with the founding of the church. Some early windows survive. In 1976 the parish vested the church in the Redundant Churches Fund (now the Churches Conservation Trust). It is open to visitors and occasional services are still held. These brief details are taken from the

publication by The Churches Conservation Trust written by John E Vigar, Regional Development Manager, The Churches Conservation Trust. Have your Query published in the journal Please email it to: searchers@hgs-online.org.uk

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