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