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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Sussex => Topic started by: Summercloud on Saturday 29 October 11 16:28 BST (UK)
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Interested in finding out more about the shipbuilders Harvey & Staffell whose yard was situated below the Green Steps at the end of Watchbell Street, Rye. Does anyone know when the firm was established? how long the business was in existence? the names of the founder members and subsequent owners and any other information about the firm?
Many Thanks,
Viv
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The Staffells owned the neighboring shipyard to Philip Clark d. 1806. Philip Clark son of the former drowned in the Irish Sea in 1815 and is on the MI's for the Staffells. He married Mary Machin Staffell, dau of john and jane Staffell. mary the widow lived past the 1841 census but Mary Clark is hard to sift out. She is listed on the tax records .
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Hi there
There are a number of tombstones in Rye Churchyard to the Staffell and Harvey Families from 1810 0nwards including these:
A50-
Sacred to the memory of John Staffell Senr, Shipwrigyht, who departed this
life May 3rd 1817 aged 80 years. 'Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart
in peace, according to thy word' Also of Jane Staffell his wife, who
departed this life May 13th 1821 aged 81 years
A53-
In memory of John Staffell, son of John & Jane Staffell, who died August
31st 1808, aged 34 years. In memory of Philip Clark who was unfortunately
drowned on his passage home from Ireland, in 1815, in the 50th year of his
age. Also of <ary Machin, wife of the above who died February 17th 1854,
aged 88 years Let me know if you want the others
Chris in 1066
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Hi Chris, Yes I have these and the other Clark ones. Have found a new cousin. I read a reference to Rye St Mary headstones being weathered beyond legibility. Can someone verify this? I have dreams of coming to Sussex someday and don't want to be disappointed. So glad they were transcribed by an industrious Victorian.
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Hi, I would say that the headstones at Rye are particularly unreadable. That's not to say that there may be the odd ones which are readable and they may well be the ones you need :)
I went there about 2 years ago, in my niavity, expecting to find the ones I wanted
" just like that" and was disappointed.
A lovely town, non the less and still well worth visiting the area just to see where your ancestors lived. Some of the streets are cobbled and altogether it's a unique place.
Best wishes HL
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I know what mine are supposed to say thanks to Mr. Butler's transcriptions. My family also has some graves where no headstone was erected. These I found thru the SFHG. I am missing john Clark who was baptized in 1696 and supposed to have died on some of the "trees" in 1737 but I canot confirm this Thanks for your interest LizR
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Hi LizR,
I agree that via SFHG there would be no record of his death in 1737. I have found his baptism in 1696 and am assuming you have too.
I also found online public trees on which he is entered but they seem, in the main to have his death as 1736 and the information was gathered from other ancestral trees. One of them has a probate record attached but John Clark isn't an unusual name so it's hard to prove that it's the right person on that probate record.
I looked elsewhere and found a Will for a John Clark which was made in 1734 and proved in 1736. He was on board HMS Kent. I don't know if this means anything to you. I find these documents very hard to read and could find nothing linking him to Rye. Although I believe in this document he's leaving his estate to his wife Mary, but there must be lots of John and Mary Clarks.
If HMS Kent looks a possibility I'll look again at it for you.
Best wishes HL
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Thanks so much. They were a maritime family. He was married to Mary Vousden. Found christenings for sons John, Philip, Thomas, Edward, and Dau Elizabeth, Mary and Martha. sons names are repeated in the next generations.
Philip 1730 -1806 is mine. He had a PCC will and sent boys to George Pikes school in Robertbridge so family wasn't poor. Would love to know more about will
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Not sure now if this will be your John Clark :(
Have sent you a PM :)
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MY John's mother was Martha Daniel. Read PM Thanks so much. Except for the PCC wills very hard to get the Archdeanery ones. LizR
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Sorry about that..........it won't be your Will in that case...... it was just a thought, to help you a little
Regards HL :)
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I really appreciate it. John Clark is not a great name to research. Especially that far back
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Interested in finding out more about the shipbuilders Harvey & Staffell
Viv,
I just found this thread today, and thought I would hasten to tell you that - because of my Harvey interest - I bought a booklet "Rye Memories, No 20, Rye Shipping" by Richard Horner, and published by a local-history group.
To paraphrase a bit:
Staffel and Harvey, both with first names JOHN. The yard began in 1762 as the boatyard of John Stoffel senior [name changed to Staffel in 1798].
Nicholas Harvey (son of John H, who d 1784) acquired a sail loft in 1829 from George Staffell, who died in that year. So George Staffell was a sailmaker until that date. [Today the sailmaking premises houses the Rye Visitor Centre!]
Marinerclark,
this same booklet has quite a lot about the Clark(e)s.
John Clark(e) - a ship and boatbuilder, set up in 1753 below the Ypres Tower - was the grandfather of Thomas Staffell Clark, boatbuilder and bargebuilder of Rye.
Also the great grandfather of William Evans Clark.
John Clark married into the Staffell family.
Samuel Clark managed the boatbuilding yard in 1867.
Thomas Staffell Clark was b 1798; nephew of John STaffell and grandson of Thomas Clark, and d 5 Dec 1883. He had a yard near Strand Quay.
william Evans Clark (c1829-1909), son of the above Thomas, had a yard on the W side of Winchelsea Rd in 1869.
It looks as if Thomas Staffell Clark married Margaret Winser.
They had a daughter Sarah Winser Clark, who m (1) James William Smith (drowned in Rye Bay) and then (2) (?Capt) George Bayley.
Does all this make any sense to you? I must admit, I have just tried to draw up a rough tree, and can't quite make it fit. If you PM me an email address, I'll scan some of the pages for you.
Angela
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It is many years since I researched the Rye Harveys in the original registers, while dragging my heavy card index around. I am delighted to see that there are others who have become interested. These are my notes on John Harvey of the shipbuilders Harvey and Staffell.
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That was wonderful. How I would love to dig into all those records. I have found on Ancestry a large family born to John Clark and Mary in the 1720's. Philip was born 1730. He left a will filed with the Canterbury court in 1806. His messuage was leased to a Paine and located on the Strand by the gate. Philip and Thomas Clark were crew on the Swallow, privateer, in 1757. Prize Notice in the London Gazette. The captain was Philip Lilborne. Investors read like a Who's Who of Rye. The one notice is all I have found from 6000 miles away. Maybe the ship in 1760 was to honor the Swallow which set them up with capital, though Swallow was a common name.
Mary Machin Staffell married Philip Clark, son of the Philip above, in 1788. He was a mate on the Stag, a cutter. Would love to know more about John Clark. Mary Vousden's mother was a Lilbourne.
Didn't dig files but do have dates. thanks so much for posting. LizR
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Hi Ken,
Thanks so much for your private message. I have tried to reply via email, to send you a family tree, but for some reason it does not want to leave my Outbox. I wonder if there is an error in your email address - though it looks pretty simple to me. Would you like to message me again with it?
I am the 5x great granddaughter of John Harvey who died in Menorca
via
John's son Nicholas Harvey
His son Richard Nelson Harvey
His son Nicholas William Harvey
His son, and my great grandfather Nicholas Charles Harvey
Angela
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Thanks Ken for posting such a fantastic record of the Harvey family. I've enjoyed discovering more about the Harvey and Clark family connection to shipbuilding in Rye. I am descended from Nicholas Harvey's(b.1708) marriage to Elizabeth Cooper, their son Nicholas Harvey(b.C1752), his son Lester Harvey(b.C1784, a Sailmaker),his son Stephen Stocks Harvey(b. C1815) and his son Robert Surtees Harvey (b.1841- my great, great grandfather).
Recently, I discovered the family association with the Battle Gunpowder Mills. The following site, gives a wonderful account of the history of the Mills and you will find Lester Harvey (b.1730) and some of his descendants mentioned. Four of his children are included in his will, proved on the 15th April 1801, Mary (the wife of Rev. Thomas Fuller of Heathfield), Jane (the wife of William Holtham), Hannah Harvey (unmarried) and William Gillmore Harvey.
http://www.battle-abbey.co.uk/_New%20Site/_gunpowder.html
Regards,
Viv.
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Hi everyone posting on here. Please forgive my inexperience, I haven't posted on Rootschat before.
I have read this post with excitement and gratitude as I am researching my (Gunpowder) Harvey's from Battle. I am the 7x Great Grandaughter of Nicholas Harvey (born 1708 in Rye). My 5x Great Grandfather, William Gilmore Harvey of Powdermill House, Battle, was the grandson of Nicholas Harvey.
Does anyone have any new information on the Rye Shipbuilding Harvey's or on the 'Battle' Harvey's?
I would love to correspond but I'm not sure if I can post my email address here. I have emailed Ken in Turkey but didn't receive a reply. I will keep an eye on this and hope to hear from someone.
regards
Helen (NZ)
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Sorry you had trouble making contact.
Try again at ken95 at me dot com
substitute the usual for 'at' and 'dot'. It is all one word.
Ken Harvey