Kent / Sussex Travellers

[rebekahm28]

William was known as Jockey Roberts, my granny remembers him!!!  Jockeys brother Samson was my great great grandad.  BUT we didnt know Jockey and Charity had an Eleanor? The kids we knew about are: Patience, Selina, Samson, John, Henry, Charity and Absalom.    However, Patience had a girl named Esther who married John Roberts.

[RobertsandJones]

hi rebekah great to hear from you - here is a list of relatives from gypsyjib 1911 census extract - hope im on the right track

ROBERTS William Head 41 Licenced Hawker Hastings Sussex (Born c1870)

ROBERTS Charity Wife (nee Wilson?) 39 Married 19 Years Assisting in Hawken Tunbridge Wells /Sussex/Kent (Born c1872)  Married Sept Quarter 1893 Hailsham (spans border of Sussex and East Sussex)* at the age of 21 yrs marriage info from free BMD

ROBERTS Patience Daughter Single 15 Hastings Sussex (Born c1896)

ROBERTS Eleanor Daughter 13 Hastings Sussex (Born c1898)

ROBERTS Samson Son 11 Hastings Sussex (Born c1899/1900)  Ticehurst spans border of Kent and Sussex

ROBERTS John Son 9 Hastings Sussex (Born  c1902)


Eleanor, also known as Ellen, my grandmother married a thomas jones in Cornwall 1925, they parted in 1930 and ellen went on to marry an edward ayres in aldershot around 1932

I guess we must be related?

[rebekahm28]

Yes thats the family Ive got but didnt have Eleanor.  Yes we're related, the common ancestors we share are William (Jockey) and Samson's parents; who were Matilda and Samson.  And yes, Charity was from the Wilson gypsy family.

[RobertsandJones]

Hello Reli 
Great, however, i did miss some siblings off in my excitement


ROBERTS Henry Son 6 School Tonbridge Wells Kent (Born c1905)
ROBERTS Charity Daughter 4 School Ledbury Hereford (Born c1907) (Died 1911)

ROBERTS Absolom Son 1 Llangynwyd Lower Glamorgan (Born c1910)

7 Children Born Alive

Licensed Hawker Coytrahene Near Bridgend Glamorganshire
RG14PN32540 RG78PN1858 RD591 SD1 ED15 SN89

Maybe your gran can remember Eleanor as I would love to trace eleanor's husband Thomas Jones origins - on their wedding cert it stated that thomas was a cutler and his father John was a general dealer.

[rebekahm28]

I'll get my aunty to ask her, Shes in her 80s tho and not very well she cant remember a lot.   Did you find Eleanor in 1911? Have you got anything (birth, marriage, death, baptism cert) with Eleanors name on? Im wondering if she used another name.

[RobertsandJones]

Thank you re your gran, I know it's tough as my mum Elizabeth is in her 80s too and doesn't remember as well as she used to.  Yes I have a marriage cert  and death cert both say Ellen  and on my mother's baptismal cert  it states Eleanor.

Eleanor is listed with the Roberts family on the Ancestry website 1911 census in Coytrahene Nr Aberkenfig reg district Bridgend Wales.

[RobertsandJones]

Just had another thought - Eleanor Roberts was 28 and Thomas Jones was 38 when they married in 1925 St Austell Cornwall, maybe they both had had another marriage previously?  Maybe someone with know?

[rebekahm28]

surprised to see a Cornwall connection, never known any of the family to be down there. Incidentally my 4th cousin Lisa (nee Roberts) is now living in Cornwall.   Many of the Roberts gypsies didnt marry officially, they had a gypsy ceremony. My great grandparents and all their ancestors are typical of this.

[RobertsandJones]

I think this is because Eleanor's husband Thomas Jones did his hawkering in Cornwall, he was known as the hawker of St Clere, my mother Elizabeth was born in Par Moor St Blazey in 1926 her sister Millicent was born in Cardiff 1928 and Rose Jane the youngest sister was born in Liskeard 1930.

Thomas also went to the Barry Island Fair to mend chairs, cutlering etc.

We'll carry on researching to try and find out more and let you know what we find.

Take care and thanks for all your info much appreciated.