THE SWORDERS
   

   notes by P John Partington




INTRODUCTION

The Penguin Dictionary of Surnames states that ‘Sworder’ is an occupational surname deriving from Old English and meaning ‘sword-maker’;  it adds that it is a ‘Herts-Essex surname’.  P H Reaney’s Dictionary of British Surnames agrees about the etymology and meaning of the name, and gives three early occurrences:  one ‘Walter le Sorder’ is mentioned in a Sussex deed of 1324, while Richard Swordere and John Swerdere are mentioned in a document (apparently relating to Essex) of 1354.

It is not a common name.  In the 1881 census there were fewer than a hundred adults surnamed ‘Sworder’ recorded in the whole of Great Britain.  Almost all of these were demonstrably descended from Edmund Sworder (born 1678) of Little Hadham in Hertfordshire.

THE SWORDERS OF LITTLE HADHAM

There are a number of Sworders recorded in Little Hadham in the seventeenth century, not yet connected to our family tree, but evidently belonging to it.  Amongst them are William and a widow, Mary, buried there on 14 April 1654 and 22 September 1668 respectively, and Alice, who married John Saman there on 2 February 1669.

The trail becomes clearer with the will of Edmund, ‘yeoman of Little Hadham, in the county of Hertfordshire’ dated 12 November 1703, which refers to his wife Mary and to the following family members:  a son Thomas with daughters Mary and Sarah;  a daughter Mary;  a daughter Sarah, ‘now the wife of Thomas Saltmarsh’ of ‘Hatfield Regis’ in Essex and her son Thomas (aged under fourteen);  a daughter Elizabeth;  a son William;  and a son Edmund (presumably our ancestor – below), who was to share the residue of the estate with Edmund’s wife Mary.  Edmund’s date of death is not yet clear*, but Mary was buried in Little Hadham on 6 June 1728, “aged ninety-six”.

* the Sworder ‘stem’ notes [a collection of male Sworders derived from the researches of TJ Sworder in the nineteenth century] has this Edmund as dying in 1687, having been born in 1610 – but this is perhaps our Edmund’s father?

THE CHILDREN OF EDMUND SWORDER  (bef. 1657 - aft. 1702)

Edmund’s son Thomas was baptized at Little Hadham on 2 May 1673. Still “of Little Hadham”, he had daughters Mary and Sarah, aged under fourteen when his father wrote his will in 1703.  The Baptism register there records four other children:  Susanna, Elizabeth, Edmund and Thomas – no mother’s name is given.  (Details of all six children are given below.)

Edmund’s daughter Sarah married Thomas Saltmarsh of Hatfield Regis.  She was alive and had a young son, Thomas, when her father wrote his will in 1703.

Edmund’s son Edmund was baptized in Much Hadham on 19 May 1678.  On 17 September 1709, at Little Hadham, he married Martha Nichols.  They had five children – Edmund, Mary, William, John and Nicholas (details below).  Edmund died on 11 August 1751 “aged seventy-two years”, being recorded as “of Bury Green”, and was buried at Little Hadham.  Martha died on 7 June 1759 “aged seventy” and was buried with her husband.

Edmund’s daughter Elizabeth was born on 9 September 1679.  She was still unmarried when he wrote his will in 1703.

Edmund’s son William was baptized at Little Hadham on 24 February 1682.  He was still alive when his father wrote his will in 1703.

Edmund’s will also mentions a daughter, Mary, unmarried in 1703.  It was probably she who married Richard Wall, still at Little Hadham, on 30 April 1710.

THE CHILDREN OF THOMAS  (1673 - aft. 1706)

Thomas’ daughters Mary and Susanna were baptized in Little Hadham on 13 October 1700.  Mary, but not Susanna, is referred to in her grandfather’s will of 1703.

Thomas’ daughter Sarah was baptized in Little Hadham on 31 July 1702.  She was mentioned in her grandfather’s will of November 1703.

Three further children of Thomas were baptized at Little Hadham:  Elizabeth on 26 December 1704, Edmund on 16 August 1706 and Thomas on 28 May 1708.  Nothing further is known of them.

THE CHILDREN OF EDMUND  (c.1679 - 1751)

Edmund’s first child, another Edmund, was baptized on 28 July 1710 at Little Hadham.  On 3 December 1736 he married Mary Scott, with whom he had four daughters, all baptized in Great Munden – Mary in 1738, Ann in 1745, and Sarah and Elizabeth in 1749 (see below).  Edmund died on 28 March 1782 “aged seventy-two years”, and was buried at Little Hadham.

Edmund’s second child, Mary, was baptized at Little Hadham on 2 May 1712.  On 2 September 1733, still in Little Hadham, she married John Chapman “of Bishop’s Stortford”, by whom she had seven children – John, Edmund, Thomas, Mary baptized in 1738, Martha in 1741, Sarah in 1744, and Ann in 1745/6.

Edmund’s third child, William, was baptized on 30 March 1716 at Little Hadham.  He was recorded subsequently as “of Braughing”, but nothing beyond that is yet known of him.

Edmund’s fourth child, John, was baptized at Little Hadham on 8 January 1719.  On 29 June 1749 he married Ann Mickley (the daughter of Thomas Mickley and Ann née Hammond) at Layston, Herts.  The couple had nine children – Edmund baptized in 1750, John in 1752, William in 1754, Ann in 1756, Elizabeth in 1759, George in 1761, Sarah in 1764, Robert in 1766, and Mary in 1771 (details below).  John died in 1800.

Edmund’s fifth child, Nicholas or ‘Nicholls’, was baptized at Little Hadham on 14 October 1726.  On 30 April 1754, at Ardeley, he married Sarah Mardell, with whom he had two children – Sarah baptized in 1755 and Edmund in 1757 (details below).  Nicholas died on 31 May 1762 “aged thirty-two”, and Sarah died on 19 January 1803 “aged seventy-six”;  both were buried at Little Hadham.



THE CHILDREN OF EDMUND  (1710 - 1782)

Edmund’s first child, Mary, was baptized on 28 April 1738 at Great Munden.  On 29 July 1766 she married John Scott at Little Hadham.  The couple had seven children all baptized in Little Hadham – John in 1767, Mary in 1769, Ann in 1771, Edmund in 1774, Elizabeth in 1776, Thomas in 1779 and Samuel in 1782.

Edmund’s second child, Ann, was baptized at Great Munden on 20 November 1745.  Nothing further is known of her.

Edmund’s third and fourth children, Sarah and Elizabeth, were baptized at Great Munden on 28 February 1749.  Sarah married William Yardley at St Michael’s, Bishops Stortford, on 5 September 1783, and Elizabeth married John Slape at Little Hadham on 6 June 1770.

THE CHILDREN OF JOHN  (1719 - 1800)

John’s first child, Edmund, was baptized at Much Hadham on 21 February 1750.  .  On 21 October 1779, in Little Hadham, he married Susanna Gillett.  The couple had three children baptized at Little Hadham:  Susanna on 14 January 1780, Edmund on 13 May 1781, and Annon 30 July 1784.  He died on 12 November 1787 “aged thirty-seven, of Bury Green” and was buried at Little Hadham.  (It was almost certainly Edmund’s daughter Susanna, “born in Little Hadham in 1780” who married Samuel Welch “of Braughing” there on 16 July 1801, and who in 1851 was a widow (Susanna Welch) – a ‘housekeeper’ at 19 Silver Street, St Olaf, City of London, with two sons:  forty-eight year old William a ‘cowkeeper’ and twenty-eight year old David, a labourer.)

John’s second child, John, was baptized at Much Hadham on 6 December 1752.  On 6 August 1793, still in Much Hadham, he married Ann Cockett.  He died, intestate and without issue, not long afterwards.

John’s third child, William, was baptized at Much Hadham on 16 December 1754.  In later years he lived in St Ippollits. He married Rose Wyman (daughter of Francis & Elizabeth née Warwick) on 19 February 1787 at Little Hormead, and had two sons, William born in 1788 and John in 1789 (details below).  He made a will in 1816, leaving his house and its contents to Rose, together with £300 pa;  a cottage in Stevenage to his son William;  and six cottages in Ippollitts and £1000 to his son John.  He added a codicil in 1828 because of his wife’s death, in which he left his house to John.  He himself died in 1830.

John’s fourth child, Ann, was baptized at Much Hadham on 3 November 1756.  She married twice:  first, on 9 December 1779 at Braughing, William Welch, by whom she had four children, all baptized in Braughing:  Samuel in 1782, Anne in 1785,  Mary in 1788, and John in 1790.  After William’s death she married James Watson on 27 May 1802, still in Braughing,  She died in 1816, and was buried on 13 May at St Mary’s Church in Braughing,

John’s fifth child, Elizabeth, was baptized at Much Hadham on 25 July 1759.  On 15 November 1781 she married William Wyman at Standon;  the couple had eight children, all baptized at Standon – Ann in 1782, Edward in 1784, John in 1785, Elizabeth in 1787, George in 1790, Richard (date unknown), Mary in 1793 and Mary Ann in 1797.  Elizabeth died in 1817, and William in 1825.

John’s sixth child, George, was baptized at Much Hadham on 25 September 1761.  He was still alive in 1797, when his father made his will, and is probably the George “from Stoken Perham” buried “in the vault” at Little Hadham on 13 May 1803.

John’s seventh child, Sarah, was baptized at Much Hadham on 25 May 1764.  She was buried at Little Hadham on 15 December that same year.

John’s eighth child, Robert, was baptized at Much Hadham on 14 April 1766.  He married Mary Clarke at Braughing on 6 July 1791  and had at least four  sons:  Robert born in 1793, John in about 1797, Charles in about 1806 and Thomas in 1809 (details below).  Robert died on 12 October 1837 “of Standon Lodge, aged seventy-two” and was buried at Little Hadham on 20 October.  Mary died on 17 September 1843 “aged seventy-six”, and was buried with her husband on 23 September.

John’s ninth child, Mary, was baptized at Much Hadham on 8 February 1771.  On 6 August 1798 she married Thomas Cole at Braughing.  The couple had seven children, all baptized in Braughing:  John in 1799, Mary in 1801, Thomas and William in 1802, Charles Robard in 1807, George in 1809 and Frances.



THE CHILDREN OF WILLIAM  (1754 - 1830)

William’s first child William was born in 1788 and baptized at Ippollitts on 8 May.  He lived at Stocking Pelham and married Sarah (surname unknown).  They had nine children, including William born in 1811/2, George Edward in 1814, Fanny in 1815, Henry in 1816/7, Ann in 1818, Emma Sarah in 1819/20, Edward in 1822/3, Sarah Elizabeth in 1824 and Caroline in 1825 (details below).  When William made his will in 1847 all his children were living.  He died in 1857, being buried at Stocking Pelham:  “William, died 3 December 1857 aged 70, of Hall Farm in Stocking Pelham”.

William’s second child John was baptized at Ippollitts on 8 May 1789.  He married Esther Bennett on 5 August 1813 at Standon.  They had six children – Esther baptized in 1814, John in 1816, Mary Bennett in 1817, Charles born in 1819, William in 1821 and Frederick in about 1823 (details below).  Esther died on 28 December 1822(3?) and was buried on 3 January at St Mary, Standon.  John subsequently married Elizabeth (surname unknown), with whom he had at least two further children – George and Henry (below).  John died in 1845, being buried, “aged fifty-six”, on 2 July.

THE CHILDREN OF WILLIAM  (1788 - 1857)

William’s son William was baptized in Stocking Pelham on 10 June 1812.  He married his cousin Esther at Willian on 1 November 1838, and had twelve children – Emma born in about 1839, William in 1840. Fanny in about 1842, Ellen in 1845/6, Henry in 1847, Charles Bennett in 1848, Sarah in 1850, Hugh in 1851, Harry in 1853/4, John in 1856, Kate in 1857 and in 1858/9 (details below).  In 1851, and ten and twenty years later, the family were at Tawney, with a Charles a ‘farmer’ – in the last of those years they were specifically mentioned as being at ‘Great Tawney Hall’.  In 1881 William was living with his brother-in-law Charles at the Manor House, Willian, working as a ‘farmer & valuer’.  He died in 1889.

William’s daughter Fanny was baptized at Stocking Pelham on 22 February 1815.  She married James Rolfe;  both of them were alive in 1858.

William’s son Henry was born in Stocking Pelham in July 1816 and baptized there on 26 January 1817.  He married Julia Smith (probably the younger sister of Catherine Sarah above) in Edmonton in 1846, and had at least nine children – John Smith born in about 1847, Julia in 1848, Henry in 1850, Walter in 1851/2, Frederick in 1853, Anne Elizabeth in 1856/7, Robert A in 1860/1, Katherine in 1864, and Richard Smith in 1867 (for further details see below).  In 1851 the family were at Hall Farm (Sawbridgeworth?) with nine-year old nephew William and three servants;  thirty years later they were still there, and a seventy-three year old Catherine Smith (a relation of Julia’s?) was with them;  Henry was the “farmer of 550 acres employing twenty men and four boys”.  He died in 1896.

William’s daughter Ann was baptized at Stocking Pelham on 29 November 1818.  She married John Mott Richardson;  both of them were alive in 1858.

William’s daughter Emma Sarah was baptized in Stocking Pelham on 23 February 1820.  In 1841 she was recorded by the census staying with her brother William and family.  She married her cousin Charles in 1846 and had at least four children – John William, born in 1847, Charles in about 1848, Frank in 1853 and Henry in 1862 (details below).  In 1881 the five of them were living at the Manor House, Willian.

William’s son Edward was born in Stocking Pelham in 1822/3 and baptized there on 6 March 1822.  He married Mary (surname unknown, born 1820/1 in Bishop’s Stortford).  In 1881 the two of them were living at Birchanger Hall, Stansted;  Edward was a ‘gentleman’.

William’s daughter Sarah Elizabeth was baptized at Pelham Stocking on 9 June 1824.  In 1847 she married her cousin William “of West Mill”, by whom she had at least three children – William born in 1848, Rose in 1849/50 and Ellen in 1859/60 (details below).  In 1881 William and the two children were living in Ampthill, but Sarah and Rose were ‘boarders’ at 3 Manchester Street, a ‘medical and surgical home’ in Marylebone, London.  William and Sarah both died in 1899, being buried at St Mary’s Hitchin.

William’s ninth child, Caroline, was baptized at Pelham Stocking on 23 November 1825.  She married Henry Trigg;  both of them were alive in 1858.

At least half of William & Esther’s children seem not to have had their births recorded officially – or at any rate, they are not found indexed as ‘Sworder’ in the General Register Office.  As a result, the following is a little more tentative than is usually the case in the mid nineteenth century.

William & Esther’s second child, William, was born in about 1841, and recorded with the family the following year and in 1861.  It was probably he who in 1851 was staying “aged nine” with his uncle Henry and family.  He married Ellen Cooper and had at least seven children – Ellen born in about 1867, William in 1869, Annie M in about 1870, John Cooper in 1872, Charles in 1875, Rose (date unknown) and Mary in about 1877 (details below).  In 1881 the family were at Brockholds Farm, Levens Green at Great Munden, Herts:  William was “Farmer, 400 Acres 3 Boys 11 Men”.  He died in 1916.

William & Esther’s third child, Fanny, was born in about 1842.  In 1851, 1861 and 1871 she was with her family at Tawney.

William & Esther’s fourth child, George, was born in 1844 and died that same year.

William & Esther’s fifth child, Ellen, was born in 1845/6.  She died aged six on 26 April 1852 and was buried at Stocking Pelham.

William & Esther’s sixth child, Henry, was born in 1847.  He died on 27 February 1850, being buried “of West Mill” in the family vault five days later.

William & Esther’s seventh child, Charles Bennett, was born in Stapleford Tawny, Essex, in 1848.  Three years later he was recorded there with his family, and likewise in 1861 and 1871.  He married his cousin Julia in Great Hallingbury on 23 July 1873, at which time he was recorded as a ‘merchant’.  The couple had at least five children:  Esther May born in 1874, Edith Julia in 1875, Jessie Marion in 1877, Frank Cecil in 1878/9 and Besford in about 1881 (details below).  In 1881 the census recorded the family in Bury Lane, Epping;  Charles was an “agricultural merchant”;  thirty years later they were at Latchmore, Hartland Road, Epping, with Charles now a “corn & coal merchant and auctioneer”.

William & Esther’s eighth child, Sarah, was born in 1850.  In 1851 and 1861 she was recorded at Tawney with her family.

William & Esther’s ninth child, Hugh, was born in 1851 – recorded, nameless, in that year’s census and again, as ‘Hugh’ in 1861.  He was a witness at his brother Charles Bennett’s wedding, and is recorded as churchwarden at St John’s Epping in 1910.

William & Esther’s tenth child, Harry, was born in 1853/4, and recorded with the family at Tawney in 1861.  It may be he, recorded as Henry, who in 1881 was living with his uncle Charles at the Manor House, Willian, working as a valuer.  William senior was also there.    He married Eleanor (surname unknown) and had at least three sons  – Norman and Gerald Hope, born in 1887 and Malcolm in 1893.

William & Esther’s eleventh child, John, was born in 1856, and died the following year.

William & Esther’s twelfth child, Kate, was born in 1857.  Nothing further is known of her.

William & Esther’s thirteenth child, Frank, was born in 1858/9, and was recorded with the family in Tawney in 1861.  He died in 1869/70.

THE CHILDREN OF WILLIAM  (c.1841 - 1916)

William’s first child, Ellen, was born in about 1867.  In 1881 she was with her family at Brockholds Farm, Levens Green in Great Munden, Herts.

William’s second child, also William, was born in 1869.  He had a son, Reginald Charles, born in 1906 and dying in 1917.

William’s third child, Annie M, was born in about 1870.  In 1881 she was with her family at Brockholds Farm.

William’s fourth child, John Cooper, was born in 1872.  In 1881 he was with his family at Brockholds Farm.  In 1900 he married his second cousin once-removed,  Ellen Sworder.

William’s fifth child, Charles, was born in 1875.  In 1881 he was with his family at Brockholds Farm.  He had two sons, William Lester born in 1896 and Stanley Charles in 1901.

Williams’s sixth and seventh children were Rose (birth-date unknown) and Mary, born in about 1877.  In 1881 they were with their family at Brockholds Farm.

THE CHILDREN OF CHARLES BENNETT  (1848 - )  AND  JULIA  (1848 - )

Charles’ first child, Esther May, was born in Epping in 1874.  In 1881 she was living with her family in Bury Lane, Epping;  in 1901 she was still living in Epping.  In 1911 she was still single and living with the rest of the family;  she is now described as a “missionary, north China”.

Charles’ second child, Edith Julia, was born in Epping in 1875.  In 1881 she was living with her family in Bury Lane;  twenty years later she was an “assistant mistress of a school.” in Watford.  In 1911 she was still single, an “assistant mistress” living with the rest of the family.

Charles’ third child, Jessie Marion, was born in Epping in 1877.  In 1881 she was living with her family in Bury Lane.  In 1911 she was still single and living with the rest of the family;  no occupation is given.

Charles’ fourth child, Frank Cecil, was born in Epping in 1878/9.  In 1881 he was living with his family in Bury Lane. Twenty years later he was still living in Epping, working as a corn merchant’s clerk.  In 1911 he was still with his family, now described as a “corn merchant”.  Two years later he married Edwyna Frances Symondson, with whom he had at least two children.

Charles’ fifth child, Besford, was born in Epping in 1881.  Thirty years later he was still living with his parents and four older siblings, working as a “fire insurance turner”.



THE CHILDREN OF GEORGE EDWARD  (1814 - 1884)

George’s first child, George Waller, was born in Bishop’s Stortford in 1849.  In 1879 he entered his father’s business, and in 1881 he was living with his parents in North Street, working as an auctioneer.  He died in 1904.  (George’s sons had continued to run the ironmongery shop at 17a North Street, as well as the more lucrative estate agent and auctioneering part of the business housed in No 17, but after George Waller’s death Arthur and Herbert sold the ironmongery to Sworder’s chief clerk, Henry Sparrow.)

George’s second child, Arthur, was born in Bishop’s Stortford in 1850/1.  In 1879 he entered his father’s business, and in 1881 he was living with his parents in North Street, working as an “ironmonger & upholsterer”.

George’s third child, Alice, was born in Bishop’s Stortford in 1852.  In 1881 she was living with her parents in North Street.

George’s fourth child, Herbert, was born in Bishop’s Stortford in 1853.  In 1879 he entered his father’s business, and in 1881 he was living with his parents in North Street, working as an auctioneer.

George’s fifth child, Ellen, was born in Bishop’s Stortford in 1858.  In 1881 she was living with her parents in North Street.



THE CHILDREN OF HENRY  (1816- aft. 1880)

Henry’s first child, John Smith, was born in 1847/8.  Three years later he was recorded with his family at Hall Farm.  He married Gertrude Grace Rogers and had two sons:  Harold John, born in 1879, and Kenneth Favier in 1885.

Henry’s second child, Julia, was born in Great Hallingbury, Essex, on 9 December 1848.  She married her cousin Charles Bennett Sworder in Great Hallingbury on 23 July 1873.  The couple had at least five children:  Esther May born in 1874, Edith Julia in 1875, Jessie Marion in 1877, Frank Cecil in 1878/9 and Besford in about 1881 (details above).  In 1881 the census recorded the family in Bury Lane, Epping;  Charles was an “agricultural merchant”;  thirty years later they were at Latchmore, Hartland Road, Epping, with Charles now a “corn & coal merchant and auctioneer”.

Henry’s third child, Henry, was born in 1850.  The following year he was recorded with his family at Hall Farm.

Henry’s fourth child, Walter, was born in Great Hallingbury in 1851/2.  In 1881 he was living with his parents at Hall Farm, Sawbridgeworth, working as a corn salesman.  He had a son, Reginald Walter, in 1897.

Henry’s fifth child, Frederick, was born in Great Hallingbury in 1853.  In 1881 he was living with his parents at Hall Farm, Sawbridgeworth.

Henry’s sixth child, Alfred, was born in 1855.

Henry’s seventh child, Anne Elizabeth, was born in Great Hallingbury in 1856/7.  In 1881 she was living with her parents at Hall Farm, Sawbridgeworth.

Henry’s eighth child, Robert A, was born in Great Hallingbury in 1860/1.  In 1881 he was living with his parents at Hall Farm, Sawbridgeworth, working as a mercantile shipping clerk.

Henry’s ninth child, Katherine, was born in Great Hallingbury in 1864.  In 1881 she was living with her parents at Hall Farm, Sawbridgeworth.

Henry’s tenth child, Richard Smith, was born in Great Hallingbury in 1867.  In 1881 he was living with his parents at Hall Farm, Sawbridgeworth, a ‘scholar’.



THE CHILDREN OF JOHN  (1789 - 1845)

John’s first child, Esther, was baptized in Ippollitts on 17 July 1814.  She married her cousin William at Willian on 1 November 1838, and had twelve children – Emma born in about 1839, William in 1840, Fanny in about 1842, Ellen in 1845/6, Henry in 1847, Charles Bennett in 1848, Sarah in 1850, Hugh in 1851, Harry in 1853/4, John in 1856, Kate in 1857 and Frank in 1858/9 (details above).  In 1851, and ten and twenty years later, the family were at Tawney, with a Charles a ‘farmer’ – in the last of those years they were specifically mentioned as being at ‘Great Tawney Hall’.  She seems to have died by 1881, when William was living with his brother-in-law Charles at the Manor House, Willian, working as a ‘farmer & valuer’.

John’s third child, Mary Bennett, was born on 23 November 1817.  Set to inherit by her father’s will of 1845, that was changed by a codicil to a ‘life-interest’ only, with stipulation  that her husband should have no access to the funds – but since it appears that she never married, some since-forgotten romantic difficulties may be hinted at here.  In fact in 1851 she was living with her brother John;  and she died that year, being buried on 30 May at St Mary’s Hitchin.

John’s fourth child Charles was born in Ippollitts, Herts, in 1819 and baptized there on 27 June.  He married his cousin, Emma Sarah, in 1846 and had at least four children – John William, born in 1847, Charles in about 1848, Frank in 1853 and Henry in 1862 (details below).  In 1851 the census recorded the young family, with Charles a ‘farmer of 463 acres employing twenty-five labourers’;  in 1881 Charles & Emma were living at the Manor House, Willian, with John, Frank & Henry;  Charles was a ‘farmer of 653 acres employing eighteen men and seven boys’.  He died in 1889.

John’s fifth child William was baptized in Ippollitts on 27 May 1821.  In 1847 he married his cousin Sarah Elizabeth, with whom he had at least three children – William born in 1848, Rose in 1851 and Ellen in 1859/60 (details below). In 1851 William & Sarah were recorded with baby Rose at West Mill;  William was a ‘visitor’ at his uncle John’s.  Thirty years later  William, William junior and Ellen were living at West Mill, Shillington;  William senior was the “farmer of three hundred acres, and miller, employing fourteen men and eighteen boys;  meanwhile Sarah and Rose were ‘boarders’ at 3 Manchester Street, a ‘medical and surgical home’ in Marylebone, London.  William and Sarah both died in 1899, being buried at St Mary’s Hitchin.

John sixth child, Frederick, was baptized in Ippollitts on 30 December 1822.  He died on 5 May 1829, being buried at St Mary’s Standon four days later.

John’s seventh child (his first with his second wife) was George.  He is referred to in his father’s will of 1845.

John’s eighth child, Henry, was born in about 1830, and also figures in his father’s will.  In 1851 he was staying with his half-brother John.  He died in 1892.


THE CHILDREN OF CHARLES  (1818 - 1889) AND EMMA SARAH  (1820 - aft. 1880)

Charles & Emma’s first child, John William, was born in 1847 in Hitchin, and recorded with his parents in 1851.  In 1881 he was living with his parents at the Manor, Willian, working as a farmer.  In 1888 he married Annie Jane Perkins at Barkway, Royston.  The couple had two sons:  John Perkins born in 1889 and Hubert Perham in 1897 (details below), both of whom were killed in action in the First World War.

Charles & Emma’s second child, Charles, was born in about 1848, and recorded with his parents in 1851.  He had two sons – Charles Waller, born in 1893, and George Christopher in 1899.  He died in 1906.

Charles & Emma’s third child, Frank, was born in 1853 in Willian, Herts.  In 1881 he was living with his parents at the Manor, working as a farmer.

Charles & Emma’s fourth child, Henry, was born in Willian in 1862 and baptized there on 31 August.  In 1881 he was living with his parents at the Manor, also working as a farmer.  He had three sons:  Cedric Charles born in 1894, Edward Victor in 1901 and Edgar Henry in 1902.

John William’s first son, John Perkins, was born on 2 July 1889.  He died of wounds in France on 24 July 1918, after service in Palestine and on the Western Front.

John William’s second son, Hubert Perham, was born at Barkway, Royston, in Hertfordshire in 1897.  He attended Thurlow School, St Wilfrid’s Bexhill and Haileybury College before joining up as a Second Lieutenant in The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) on 21 June 1915. In August 1916, after various promotions, he taransferred to the Royal Flying Corps, being posted to 57 Squadron on the Western Front.  He was shot down and killed on 2 April 1917, being buried at Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez.  His commanding officer wrote to his parents “I would like to let you know how much we thought of your son’s ability as a pilot . . . His Flight Commander used to allude to [him]as ‘very sound’, which was his highest form of praise for anyone.”

William’s first child, William, was born in Shillington in 1848.  In 1851, as a small child, he was recorded as a ‘visitor’ in the home of his uncle John.  In 1881 he was living with his father and sister Ellen at West Mill, Shillington.  He had two sons:  John Leslie born in 1892 and Charles Frederick in 1895.

William’s second child, Rose, was born in 1851  In 1881 she was a ‘boarder’ at 3 Manchester Street, a ‘medical and surgical home’ in Marylebone, London, together with her mother.  Which of them was there for what medical purpose is not clear, but later that same year Rose married Richard Sale back at Ampthill.

William’s third child, Ellen, was born in Shillington in 1859/60.  In 1881 she was living with her father and brother William at West Mill, Shillington.    In 1900 she married her first cousin once-removed, John Cooper Sworder.



THE CHILDREN OF ROBERT  (1766 - 1837)

Robert’s first known son, also Robert, was born in 1793.   In 1817 he left Standon Lodge and moved as tenant farmer to The Bury in Kingsmill, Hertfordshire.  He married Lucy King on 10 September 1822 at St Vigor, Fulbourn, Cambridge, and had children, all born at The Bury and baptized in Westmill – Thomas in 1823, Caroline in 1825, John and Robert in 1828, Lucy in 1830, George in 1832, Charles in 1835 and Mary Ann in 1838 (details below).  In 1838 Robert became churchwarden at St Mary’s – the village church opposite the Bury.  In 1841 the family were living at West Mill with five servants;  Robert was a farmer.  Robert senior died on 27 December 1846 after ten days of typhus fever, being buried on 2 January.  Five years later Lucy was still living in Westmill, an ‘annuitant’, with four of the children and seven servants.  She subsequently moved to Cherry Green, about a mile-and-a-half away – to a house which was burnt down by a drunken farm labourer in the 1880s (the Buntingford fire engine failing to arrive because the engine overran its poor horse on the hill down into Westfield).

Robert’s second known child, John, was born in Standon in about 1797.  He married Elizabeth Collin on June 1823.  The couple had nine children:  Elizabeth baptized in 1824, Anne in 1826, Emily in 1829, Sarah born in 1831, John in 1833, Mary baptized in 1835, Ellen born in 1837, Frances Hannah in 1839 and Francis William in 1842 (details below).   In 1841 the family were living at Water Row, Ware;  John was working as a ‘maltster’.  Ten years later the family were still in Ware, with just John & Francis William still at home with their parents.  John died on 12 April 1878 “aged eighty-one”;  he was buried at Little Hadham.  Elizabeth died on 13 May 1880 also “aged eighty-one” and was buried with her husband.

Robert’s third child, Charles, was born in about 1806.  He died at Standon Lodge on 24 March 1848, and was buried seven days later.

Robert’s fourth child, Thomas, was born in 1809.  On 14 April 1842, now an “attorney of Fore Street, Hertford”, he married Frances Jane Hawks “of Birchenden” in Hertford.  The couple had twelve children, most baptized at All Saints & St John, Hertford – Thomas Edward in 1842, Frances Mary in 1843, Thomas Joseph in 1845, Edward Robert in 1847, Alfred in 1849, Alice Elizabeth in 1850, Frederick William in 1851, Emily Anne in 1853, Helen Julia in 1859, Margaret Susan in 1860, Florence Nina in 1862, and  Isabel Evelyn in 1864 (details below).  In 1851 the family were at 66 Fore Street, Hertford, with three servants.  After the death of his brother Robert in 1846, Thomas had become increasingly involved in supporting Robert’s children, especially his nephew Thomas, guaranteeing many of the latter’s loans in respect of his rather precarious brewing business (see below).  He died in 1875, having become the County Coroner.

THE CHILDREN OF ROBERT  (1793 - 1846)

Robert’s first child, Thomas, was baptized at Westmill on 7 November 1823.  In 1841 he was living at Westmill with his family, working as an ‘articled clerk’ – training in fact with his uncle Thomas of Longmore & Sworder in Hertford.  When his father died five years later, Thomas was left a “considerable sum of money”, some of which he invested in the Cennen Tower Estate at Llandeilo in Wales, which later turned out to have been considerably over-priced.  His siblings, notably John and Caroline, began to press him for money owed to them from their father’s estate, which “reduced his finances such that he needed the financial support of his uncle Thomas”.  As a result he was also obliged to concentrate “on being a brewer rather than a solicitor”.  By 1851 he was living with his brother Robert in Luton – the two of them having bought the Crown & Anchor Brewery there just over a year previously.  In the words of a history of the brewery, “For the next forty-eight years Thomas’ business affairs [were] a byzantine web of dealings and mortgages which it is now impossible ... to fully understand” – a situation not helped by his brother Robert’s gambling and drinking habits (see below).  In 1851, still in Luton, he married Ellen Charlotte Vyse and had children, all born in Luton:  Arthur Thomas in 1852, Horace in 1854, Alice Vyse in 1855, Ellen Charlotte in 1856, Clara in 1858, Ada Lucy in 1860, Emily in 1862, Florence May in 1863/4, Edith in 1865, Sidney Vyse in 1867, Ernest George in 1868, a daughter (unnamed) in 1869/70, Constance Maud in 1871, Neville Robert in 1872 and Hilda Minet in 1873/4 (details below).  In 1861 the family, and Thomas’s brother Charles, were living in Luton.  In 1871 Thomas and Ellen were still in Luton, with daughter Florence May;  Emily Vyse was visiting them.  In 1881 the family were living at Holly Lodge in Luton;  Thomas was a ‘brewer & wine merchant’.  He died in 1910.

Robert’s second child, Caroline, was baptized at Westmill, Hertford, on 21 December 1825.  In 1841 she was living at Westmill with her family, and ten years later she was still there, with her widowed mother.  In 1881 she was living at The Grange, Harbledown, Kent, “on interest of money” with her sister-in-law Harriet Ann.

Robert’s third child, Robert, was born in 1827 and baptized with his younger brother John at Westmill on 19 May 1829.  In 1849 he and his older brother Thomas bought a brewery in Luton (where the 1851 census records them).  The partnership was not a happy one, since Robert was, in the words of the brewery history, “profligate with his money and ... seriously involved in betting on horse racing and owning race horses.”  As his older brother Thomas noted in a letter to his uncle in 1853, “For my own part I cannot say but that I have confidence in Robert but if he continues to mix himself up with racing society there is no telling what might happen to him”.  Robert was sent to Dowlais to manage the brewery he had bought there, which Thomas eventually had to take off his hands.  In another letter to Uncle Thomas, dated 1858, a local solicitor wrote:  “Pray impress upon [Robert] the necessity of his keeping out of the society that frequents the ‘George’.  I shudder at the idea myself as I well know his past conduct even now makes Tom’s credit shaky and I am sadly afraid he will if he returns get to his old friends again.”  Soon afterwards Robert sailed for America where, failing to find work in New York he joined the 13th Cavalry – being killed in action in the Civil War in 1863.

Robert’s fourth child, John, was born at The Bury, Westmill on 11 September 1828 and baptized at the village church on 19 May the following year.  After his father’s death in 1846 he took over the management of the farm, and in 1851 he was living there with his widowed mother, managing 540 acres with a workforce of 21 men.  Within ten years the land under his management had grown threefold, and he was managing 1500 acres with 59 men and boys.  He married Charlotte Elizabeth Leatham on his thirty-third birthday, at St Mary’s Bryanston Square in London.  The couple had five children:  John Charles in 1862, Rosa in 1863, Georgina C in about 1864, Ethel G in about 1865 and Herbert Leatham in 1868 (details below).  A history of the village records that John used to attend church “accompanied by his pretty wife and their children”.  In the 1860s he became a founding director of the ‘Ware, Hadham & Buntingford Railway’, later subsumed into the Great Eastern.  By 1871 he was managing 1700 acres with a workforce of 90.  Like many of the family he was actively involved in the local hunt, with Baily’s Magazine recording in 1870 that “among other real good farmers who hunt with the Puckeridge ... is Mr John Sworder of Westmill Bury ... who, like all the Sworder family, rides well”.  In 1881 John & Charlotte were recorded, now at ‘Buntingford’ (the same property) with John, Georgina and Ethel;  he was a “farmer of 1725 acres employing 67 men & 20 boys”.  Two years later Charlotte appeared as a witness in a trial at the Old Bailey.  In the mid 1890s John and Charlotte gave up The Bury and moved to live for a while with their oldest child, Charles.  They then moved south of London, first to Norwood and then, in 1901, to Sidcup in Kent – to a house which Charlotte named ‘Roseau’, after the town in Dominica where she grew up.  Their daughter Ethel moved with them:  sadly, being profoundly deaf, she failed to hear Charlotte’s cries for help when she fell from bed and broke both legs – as a result spending her final twenty-six years in leg-braces.  John died on 18 January 1905. 

Robert’s fifth child, Lucy, was baptized at Westmill on 27 October 1830.  In 1851 she was living there with her widowed mother.  Ten years later she was in Brighton, recorded as a visitor to Martha Waller and her daughter Fanny.

Robert’s sixth child, George, was baptized at Westmill on 15 June 1832.  In 1841 he was living at Westmill with his family, and ten years later he was still there with his widowed mother.  In 1851 he was farming at Cottered Warren, Westmill.  He married Mary Sophia Ashford in 1859/60, and in 1881 was living with her at Gatehampton Farm, Goring, a “Farmer 537 Acres Employing 10 Men & 2 Boys”.

Robert’s seventh child, Charles, was baptized at Westmill on 17 April 1835.  In 1861 he was living, or staying, with his brother Thomas and family in Luton.  It seems that he subsequently married Harriet Ann, with whom he had eight children, all with “Du Pont” as a second Christian name:    Edward born in about 1865, Robert in 1867, Ellen in 1868, Charles in about 1869, John in about 1870, Lucy in 1873, Annie in 1878 and Harold in 1879 (details below).  Charles apparently worked as a brewer, but failed to prosper, becoming bankrupt in the process.  In 1881 Harriet and some of the children were at The Grange, Harbledown with her ‘sister’ Caroline, above.

Thomas’ first child, Arthur Thomas, was born in Luton in 1852.  In 1861 he was living with his parents, still in Luton.

Thomas’ second child, Horace, was born in Luton in 1854, and in 1861 was living with his parents there.  In 1879, still in Luton, he married Caroline Kershaw.  Two years later the couple were at Durham House, George Street, in Luton;  Horace was working as a medical practitioner, and Caroline’s aunt, Harriet Vyse, was with them.

Thomas’ third child, Alice Vyse, was born in Luton in 1855,  In 1861 she was living with her parents, still in Luton.  She married John Cross Minet there on 6 November 1873.

Thomas’ fourth child, Ellen Charlotte, was born in Luton in 1856,  In 1861 she was living with her parents, still in Luton.  She married there in 1875.

Thomas’ fifth and sixth children, Clara and Ada Lucy, were born in Luton in 1858 and 1860.  In 1861 and 1881 they were recorded living there with their parents.

Thomas’ seventh child, Emily, was born in Luton in 1862.  In 1881 she was living there with her parents.

Thomas’ eighth child, Florence May, was born in Luton in 1863/4.  In 1871 she was still there, with her parents.

Thomas’ ninth child, Sydney Vyse, was born in 1867, and his tenth, Ernest George, in 1868.

Thomas’ eleventh child, Constance Maud, was born in Luton in 1871.  In 1881 she was living there with her parents.  She married in 1905.

Thomas’ twelfth child, Neville Robert, was born in Luton in 1872, and was recorded there with his family in 1881.  On 6 December 1900, in Watford, he married Mildred Norten Turner.

Thomas’ thirteenth child, Hilda Minet, was born in Luton in 1873/4.  In 1881 she was living there with her parents.

THE CHILDREN OF JOHN  (1828 - 1905)

John’s first child, John Charles (known by his second name), was born in 1862.  He attended Clifton College for two years from 1876.  He married Minnie Phillips and moved to 57 High Street, Buntingford, where the couple had two children, Lawrence born in 1891 (dying at just eight weeks old) and Dorothy in about 1892.  They then moved to ‘The Wilderness’ where they had another child – Wilfrid born in 1894.  Finally they moved to Little Court, where their fourth child, Marion, was born in 1899. 

John’s second child, Rosa, was born in 1863.  She never married.

John’s third child, Georgina C, was born in about 1864.  In 1898 she married Willie Phillips – a London barrister and the brother of Georgina’s sister-in-law Minnie.

John’s fourth child, Ethel G, was born in about 1865.  Profoundly deaf after childhood mumps, she never married.  In the early twentieth century she moved to Sidcup with her parents.

John’s fifth child, Herbert Leatham, was born in 1868.

Charles’ second child, Robert Du Pont, was born in 1867 and his third, Ellen Du Pont, in 1868.

Charles’ fourth child, Charles Du Pont, was born in about 1869.  In 1881 the census recorded him at Cranleigh School.

Charles’ fifth child, John Du Pont, was born in about 1870.  In 1881 the census recorded him at Cranleigh School.  He had a son, Bernard John, in 1900.

Charles’ sixth child, Lucy Du Pont, was born in 1873.  Nothing further is yet known of her

Charles’ seventh child, Annie Du Pont, was born in 1878 and baptized on 5 April 1878 at Harbledown, Kent.

Charles’ eighth child, Harold Du Pont, was born in 1879.

John’ first two children were baptized in Ware:  Elizabeth on 2 June 1824 and Anne on 20 July 1826.  Nothing further is yet known of them.

John’s third child, Emily, was baptized in Ware on 3 March 1829.  She died early the following year, and was buried “aged eleven months” on January 26th in Little Hadham.

John’s fourth child, Sarah, was born on 20 January 1831 and baptized at Ware on 23 February.  She died in 1833, being buried on April 23rd at Little Hadham.

John’s fifth child, John, was born on 2 April 1833 and baptized in Ware on the 28th of that month.  In 1841 he was living with his parents in Water Row, Ware;  ten years later he was still there.  It is believed that he had a son Stanley Robert, and died in 1870.

John’s sixth child, Mary, was baptized at Ware on 15 February 1835.    In 1841 she was living with her parents in Water Row, Ware.

John’s seventh child, Ellen, was born on 17 February 1837 and baptized at Ware exactly a month later.  In 1841 she was living with her parents in Water Row, Ware.  She married twice:  first, on 21 September 1858, George Chambers, the grandson of Elizabeth Sworder.  The couple had at least three children – Agnes Ellen in about 1859, Madeline Frances in about 1860 and Annie Elizabeth in about 1862.  George died on 11 October 1868 at Standon, being buried there four days later, and some time later Ellen married Rev Charles Wigan Harvey, with whom she had at least two children – Bernard William born in about 1875 and Leonard Charles in about 1877.  In 1881 she was living with Charles and five children at Throcking Rectory in Hertfordshire.

John’s eighth child, Frances Hannah, was born in 1839 and baptized at Ware on 7 August.  In 1841 she was living with her parents in Water Row, Ware.

John’s ninth child, Francis William, was born on 7 February 1842 and baptized at Ware on 11 March.  In 1851 he was living with his parents in Ware.  He died on 25 January 1866 and was buried at Little Hadham.

THE CHILDREN OF THOMAS  (1809 - 1875)

Thomas’s first child, Thomas Edward, was baptized at All Saints & St John, Hertford, in 1842.  He died, apparently just a day old, and was buried on 16 December.

Thomas’ second child, Frances Mary, was born in 1843, and baptized at All Saints & St John, Hertford.  In 1851 she was with her parents at 66 Fore Street, Hertford.  On 6 June 1866 she married William Henry Butler in Hertford.

Thomas’ third child, Thomas Joseph, was born in 1845 and baptized at All Saints & St John, Hertford.  He married Sarah Parkes in 1877/8 and followed in his father’s footsteps as a solicitor and coroner, taking over the latter rôle following the death of his father. The couple had two daughters (names not yet known) and later moved to Balsams.  A keen cricketer, he was the first President of Hertford Cricket Club (whose move to Balls Park he achieved in 1883).  He was a member of the Rifle Club and the Militia, and much involved in the affairs of Hertford – not only sports clubs but businesses, charities and public works. He died on 29 May 1912 after a fall, aged sixty-six.

Thomas’ fourth child, Edward Robert, was born in 1847.  In 1851 he was with his parents at 66 Fore Street, Hertford.  On 5 September 1877, still in Hertford, he married Eliza Shepherd, with whom he had six sons (and an unknown number of daughters):  Frederick Robert born in 1879, Gerald Humphrey in 1880, Ronald Edward in 1882, Kenneth Lancelot in 1883, Denys Keith in 1884 and Cyril Hubert in 1886 (details below).  He died in 1905.

Thomas’ fifth child, Alfred, was born in 1849 and died later that same year.

Thomas’ sixth child, Alice Elizabeth, was born in 1850;  the following year she was with her parents at 66 Fore Street, Hertford.  On 23 August 1876, still in Hertford, she married Henry Ludlow.

Thomas’ eighth child, Emily Anne, was born in 1853 and baptized at All Saints & St John, Hertford.  On 16 July 1874, still in Hertford, she married John Henry Newnum.

Thomas’s ninth child, Helen Julia, was born in Hertford in 1858/9.  On 18 November 1880 she married Charles Elton Longmore at All Saints & St John Hertford.

Thomas’ tenth child, Margaret Susan, was born on 12 January1860, and baptized at All Saints & St John, Hertford, on 11 April.

Thomas’ eleventh child, Florence Nina, was born in 1862, and his twelfth, Isabel Evelyn, in 1864.  Nothing further is yet known of them.

THE CHILDREN OF  EDWARD ROBERT  (1847 - 1905)

Edward Robert’s first son, Frederick Robert F, was born in 1878.  He married Hilda Geraldine Hall in 1904 and had three children – Phyllis, Deirdre Kathleen in 1907 and Edward Robert in 1909.

Edward Robert’s second son, Gerald Humphrey, was born in 1880.  He had a son, Cyril Noel, in 1917.

Edward Robert’s third son, Ronald Edward, was born in 1882.  He had two sons – Edward Stanley born in 1908 and Cedric John in 1912.

Edward Robert’s fourth son, Kenneth Lancelot, was born in 1883, his fifth, Denys Keith, in 1884, and his sixth, Cyril Hubert, in 1886.

THE CHILDREN OF NICHOLAS  (1726 - 1754)

Nicholas’ first child, Sarah, was baptized at Great Munden on 18 August 1755.  Nothing further is yet known of her.

Nicholas’ second child, Edmund, was baptized at Great Munden on 29 June 1757.  It may well be he who married Sarah Pennyfeather at Digswell on 14 August 1782, and had two children baptized at Kimpton – Edmund on 4 July 1783 and Jane on 16 August 1784.  Edmund died on 3 June 1788 “aged thirty” and was buried at Little Hadham a fortnight (?) later.

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