|
A SUMMARY
Of all my great grandparents, Thomas Kidwell intrigues me
the most.
He was born in Maidstone, second son to Thomas and Mary Kidwell
(nee Newton), baptised (1776) as were his three brothers and
five sisters at All Saints Parish Church between 1767 and 1791.
His early life is little known to me but I do feel that he
had his fair share of ill luck in his private life. At the age
of eleven, a Removal Order of 8 October 1787 sent his parents,
himself and siblings from Maidstone to Feltham in Surrey. But
just seven weeks later Settlement was awarded to them in Maidstone
on 30 November 1787. Another Settlement was recorded for his
parents and siblings on 23 May 1790 but Thomas was not mentioned,
presumably he had settlement in his own right by that time, as
he had been born in Maidstone.
His first marriage (12 Dec1798) to Ann Dodson gave him three
children Ann (1800-?), Thomas (1803-1803) and Phillis(1804-?).
Phillis married James Gilbert in 1823 at Aylesford and had one
child Charlotte baptised 1825 in Teston. Unfortunately Thomas'
wife died in 1805.
Thomas left Kent shortly afterwards and travelled to Worcestershire
where he married Elizabeth Gibbs in 1806 at Tardebigge. Their
first child, another Thomas was born in 1807, my 3x great grandmother
Avis, baptised 1809 at Ipsley and Elizabeth 1811 at Beoley. Ipsley
and Beoley both had papermills. Thomas had to suffer another
loss in 1813 when his son Thomas died, he was buried at Tardebigge.
Sometime between 1813 and 1817 Thomas and Elizabeth journeyed
to Kent with their two daughters. William, another son was baptised
in Snodland in 1817. Little is known of William, he married Amelia
Barker (nee Parmenter), a widow in 1840 at All Saints, Maidstone.
In 1830 Thomas' luck seemed to desert him again. At Snodland
his daughter Elizabeth died in February aged 18, his wife in
April and his daughter Avis left in October to marry James Barker
of Loose at Rochester.
The Barkers were extremely influential in the Maidstone area
as JP's on the Bearsted and Chatham Benches, Mayors of Maidstone
and John Barker (James' nephew), later Sir John, the founder
of the London Department Store, John Barkers of Kensington, now
part of the Fraser group, and MP for Maidstone, later Penrhyn
and Falmouth.
Thomas married for a third time to Ann Fielder, nee Bassett,
a widow in 1831 at All Saints, Maidstone. They continued to live
in Snodland where Thomas was a paper maker. Thomas seemed to
be a leading light in the non-conformist congregation in Snodland,
where his home was used as their Church. Ann died in 1852. Once
again Thomas was alone, he died in 1860 at the age of 84 and
is buried in Snodland. |
KIDWELL