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My Father Albert R D Hammond, recently told me that the SHEEPWASH family, of the Isle of Sheppey, were also formerly travellers or gypsies, who adopted the name in preference to their original last name of "BASTARD" for obvious reasons. He stated that other names chosen by this family included the LITES, CROCKFORDS and BRIGHTMAN,
He further thought that the BASTARDs drew their name from a child of Nel Gynn, though from historical sources these children were given the surname of BEAUCLERK. He said that he thought all these families had settled in Blue Town around the turn of the century.
They settled in Blue Town, Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey and James married a local woman Hilda Florence Gray of Cliff House, Minster, Isle of Sheppey. James served in WWI and was gassed, thereafter he developed TB, and died in Alyesford sanatorium, in 1929.
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(born abt. 1872- 1880, died from tuberculosis, 24th November 1929, Preston Hall Aylesford. Age given as 57)
A saying of James "Never buy what you can steal, never steal, what you can borrow, never borrow, what you can cadge, never cadge, what you can scrounge."
Another saying attributed to James "Never see, your children go hungry, always look the other way."
He ran a rag and bone service and dealt in scrap. During the carnival season, he would buy a large bag of confetti, which the family would sell in hand cones to the public, who were watching the parade.
After the carnival had passed by, his children were sent out to the street to brush up the used confetti to sell it again, at the next carnival.
James R. G. HAMMOND was a thoroughly disreputable individual, caught on one occasion selling the civic flowers from the park gardens in bunches, outside Sheerness train station and on another occasion caught selling firewood, made from Admiralty furniture. !!!!
Hilda Florence GRAY (born 19th November1885 Brickfield Cottage, Teynham, Faversham, died. 2nd June 1955, 43 Invicta Road, Sheerness, Isle of Sheppey (C1S685979) Had children to (i) William Newton Married on 1st January 1915 at Sheerness Registry Office, Sheppey Kent (ii) James Richard George HAMMOND (born abt. 1872- 1880, died from tuberculosis, 24th November 1929, Preston Hall Aylesford. Age given as 57) Her occupation was a Domestic Housemaid. At 1914 she was living at Cliff House, Minster, Isle of Sheppey.
children
Hilda May GRAY (born 18th August1906 Gun Lane, Strood Intra, Rochester , died 20th May1967 at Hammersmith.) (note, described as general servant of Cliffe.)
Stewart Lesley GRAY (changed last name to HAMMOND) (b. 1st August 1914, d. 25th October 1951 at H.M. Dockyard, Sheerness, Kent following a tragic accident)
(ii) children
Naomi HAMMOND (infant death)
George Arthur Liel HAMMOND (born 20th March 1917)
William Ernest Newton HAMMOND (born 26th December 1920)
Albert Richard Douglas HAMMOND (born 25th February 1925)
Frank Ronald Charles HAMMOND (8th June 1926)
Freddie HAMMOND (born 1929/30) (Infant Death)
When my Grandmother, Hilda Florence Hammond (nee Gray), needed to replace her old upright, fireside, chair, she asked one of her eldest sons, to saw off the back struts of it, turning it into a stool, as she had with every previous chair, to ensure that she was forced to sit upright, her back as straight as an arrow. I am told that when she visited relations she never sat with her back against the wood of the chair. Posture and the condition of her back was always important to her, after stretching she would say "That's one thing that's good for you, and it's free!"
I suspect, that not all of Hilda's family's births may have been registered, as my father related a story of Hilda's daughter also named Hilda.
When she died her son was almost refused a burial, because a birth certificate could not be produced, from any official source. He only managed to change this official postion, when he threatened to put the body on a trolley and push it round London with a sign telling people of the predicament.
On Linsdale Hike with the 2nd Sheppey Scout Battalion circa 1935, Albert Richard Douglas Hammond (right).
SHOPS & SHOPPING
Shopping wiv me mum, she's always in a hurry,
Picking up or putting down, making sure she's got her pound,
Pot veg for Wednesday, scrag end goes a long way,
Saturday, the day of joy, hap-nee for each good boy,
While Mum got the beef, the sprouts and dripping,
We to Millways all went skipping,
There wiv nose to glass we viewed the grand repast,
Gob-stoppers, big and round, locust beans, long and brown,
Trebor chews a farving each, and the sticky jelly sweets,
Sherbet dabs for noses tingling, liquorice string for all untangling,
Tiger nuts to keep you munching, treacle toffee for the crunching,
Coconut ice like lots of snow, bubble gum for yer to blow,
Iced mice, pink or white, trying to keep out of sight,
Striped humbugs, big and small, or rough brown aniseed ball.
They're all gorn na, those days, me Mum, the magic and Millway's,
Shopping can never be for me the treasure seeking pleasure
That it used to be.
Hilda Hammond & family - George & Albert in the back row, Frank on Hilda's knee with Bill sitting. Frank's head is bandaged following a serious accident which resulted in a metal plate being fixed to his skull.