No Carver without a Spillett

My title relates to the topic this week. Without the Spillett family there would have been no branch of the Carver family that I belong to. The union of these two families created a considerable dynasty of the Oxted Carver’s that stretches through five generations from my parent’s branch across the past 100 years. When I started out in my family history research activities about ten years ago, I created a chart of my family tree from parents down. I was astonished at how far it was stretching and through so many generations. When my mother died, she was a two times great grandmother in her own lifetime.

Having spent so much time on the history of the Spillett’s, I need to start work on explaining the origins of the Carver’s in my family tree. This is a sketch of his beginnings.

Clarence George Sydney Carver was my grandfather. He was born in Lodsworth, a village in Sussex, in 1886, the son of an Agricultural Labourer.

Clarence Carver birth registration, 1886. (National Registry Office)

Clarence was always known as George Carver to his family and friends, but obviously records and documents will always refer to Clarence. There might be a bit of mixing and matching as I try to thread the story.

His father was a country man, working on the land. The 1901 Census return shows that William and his wife Emily Annie, were living in Smithbrook, a hamlet that was regarded as part of Lodsworth, with their three children.

I cannot think of a more attractive part of the country to have lived in. Having said that, the lives of these country people would have been harsh, especially in winter.

The Census tells us that William was a Stockman (on farm) and the eldest son, William James, was a Labourer (on Farm). My guess is that Smithbrook had developed as a farming community. Also in the house was Clarence who at the age of 15 was a Newspaper Boy. What that entailed in the village is not known to me but given that newspaper print was in its heyday, I can imagine a lot of local deliveries of many different newspapers and their various editions. The youngest in the family was Evelyn, aged 13 and presumably at school, although the enumerator has not told us that.

William Carver, my great grandfather, was born and brought up in Lodsworth. His baptism register entry tells us that he was born in 1856 to James and Mary Carver.

William and Emily married in 1881, in Selham Parish Church. This lies a mile to the south of Lodsworth, and they were both living there at the time of their marriage. Emily was aged 19 and William was of ‘full age’ meaning that he was over 21. In fact, he was 25 years old. Emily’s father was a Blacksmith and Williams father was a Labourer. His name was James Carver.

So, I now have a great great grandfather that I never knew about. The Carver’s and Rapson’s have a significant presence in Lodsworth and surrounding villages and hamlets. There are several other Carver families in Lodsworth and the surrounding area. Establishing their connection is going to be interesting.

It was not too long before Clarence Carver, my grandfather, decided to travel beyond the village to a small and developing town in Surrey, Oxted. He met my grandmother, Ada Spillett, in this town and they were married in 1911. Their marriage registration shows that Clarence was working as a Groom at the Grange in Limpsfield. The building and grounds are now a school for girls with autism, maintained by Surrey County Council, but in its previous history I suspect that it was a grand mansion and estate.

Extract from Ada and Clarence Carver’s marriage registration (NRS via Ancestry.com)

This short introduction to the Carver’s of Lodsworth will be developed into a longer story as I continue my research. This will include new information that I notice is cropping up all the time in those, sometimes, irritating hints that are a feature of Ancestry.