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See also Knight Family Notes The
Knight Family of Badsey and Bretforton and the Over the last three centuries, the surname Knight has been the commonest name in Badsey records, and has also featured prominently in Bretforton and Littleton records. As far as the Badsey Knights are concerned, the majority are descended from Joseph Knight who moved to Aldington in the late 17th century. He had 14 children between the years 1686 and 1715. Where Joseph was born is not known, but he died at Aldington in 1727. Sara Westwood who was a pupil at Badsey School (1959-1965) and who now lives in Hampshire has discovered that she is a descendant of the Knights of Badsey. Sara acknowledges with thanks the help she received from distant cousins Brian E Moss (via William James Knight) and William Keyte (via Beatrice J M Smith) in compiling this ancestral record. Interestingly, Barry is related to John Sheppard who was the first known school teacher in Badsey c1662. Sara's line of descent can be traced as follows:
1. Joseph Knight – Joseph Knight was born outside of Badsey and also married elsewhere. Joseph, and Eleanor his wife, had fourteen children: Twins, Thomas and William (1686), Alice (1688), Joseph (1690), Margaret (1693), John (1695), Henry (1699), Samuel (1700), Francis (1702), Edward (1704), Benjamin (1705), James (1707), Valentine (1708) and James (1715). Joseph died in September 1727 while living at Aldington and was buried in Badsey on 22nd September 1727, but Eleanor appears to have survived to a grand old age, not dying until August 1760 when she would have been at least 90 years old. 2. Thomas Knight - Thomas Knight was born in 1686 at Badsey, the son of Joseph and Eleanor Knight. He married Ann before 1707 and had seven sons and one daughter: Joseph (1707), Thomas (1709), Henry (1712-1778), Ann (1714), David (1715), John (1717), William (1721) and James (1723-1729). Thomas was buried on 20th April 1723 whilst his son was baptised on 9th June 1723 and so the baby may well have been born after his father had died. Ann died 6 years later in 1729. 3. Henry Knight – Henry Knight was born in 1712. Henry married Elizabeth Taylor (1716-1791) at Wickhamford on 30th May 1736 and lived at Aldington. Elizabeth was the daughter of Francis and Anne Taylor. She was baptised in Badsey on 27th October 1716. Henry and Elizabeth had ten children: Hannah, (1736-1738), Ann (1737), Thomas (1739), William (1741), Sarah (1744-1744), Elizabeth (1745), Henry (1747), Joseph (1749-1828), Mary (1752), James baptised 25th May 1760-1814. Henry died in 1778 and was buried in Badsey on the 29th April. Elizabeth died a pauper, 13 years later in 1791, at the age of 74. She was buried on 6th May 1791. 4. James Knight – James Knight was born in 1760, the son of Henry and Elizabeth Taylor. He married Sarah Jefferies on 10th August 1785. Sarah, the daughter of Arthur and Sarah Jefferey, was baptised on 9th May 1762. James and Sarah had six children: Sarah (1785-1798), Thomas baptised 11th May 1788-1856, Elizabeth (1790-1794), Elizabeth (1796), Mary (1799) and James (1802-1812). James was buried in Badsey on 1st June 1814, just two years after the death of his son, also named James. Sarah survived James by 22 years, she was buried in Badsey on 3rd July 1836. 5. Thomas Knight – born in 1788, the son of James and Sarah Jefferies. He married Elizabeth Read on 9th May 1810. Thomas and Elizabeth had eight children, seven boys and one girl: George (1810), James (1812), Charles (1814-1877), Joseph baptised 19th October 1817-1895, John (1820-1898), Mary (1823-1827), William (1825), and Edwin (1827). In both the 1841 and 1851 censuses Thomas is shown as living in Badsey. Elizabeth died in 1850 and Thomas died on 18th October 1856. 6. Joseph Knight – was born in 1817, the son of Thomas Knight and Elizabeth Read. Joseph married Elizabeth Bates (1817-1895) who came from Weston Subedge on 13th October 1838. Joseph and Elizabeth had at least eight children: Thomas (1839-after 1851), Mary Ann Maria (1841-c1920s), Louisa (1843- after 1861), George Edwin (1845-after 1851) William James (1848-1931), Selina Susannah (1850-after 1881), Ellen Caroline (1853-after 1895) and Amelia Martha (1856-after 1881). Joseph lived his early-married life in Bretforton where his first three children were born and his remaining five children were born in Aston Subedge. Joseph was an agricultural labourer and died in 1895 at the age of 77, as did his wife Elizabeth; they were united in death as they were in life- Elizabeth died on 8th April 1895 and Joseph died one day later on 9th April 1895. 7. Mary Ann Maria Knight - was baptised on 15th August 1841 in Bretforton, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Knight. Mary Ann Maria married Charles Smith (1841- after 1901) from Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire on 25th November 1861. Charles was a carpenter and latterly a shepherd. Mary Ann and Charles (pictured below) lived in Chipping Campden and they had ten children: George (1862) Elizabeth Ann “Bessie” (1866), William J (1869), Thomas (1870), Charles Albert (1873), Joseph H K (1874), Arthur Henry (1876), Frederick Walter (1878-1957), Beatrice Jesse Mary “Beat” (1881-1975), Rose Ellen G “Nellie” (1883). Charles died after 1901 and Mary Ann lived until the 1920s.
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8. Frederick Walter Smith - was born on 28th May 1878, the 7th and last son of Mary Ann Maria Knight and Charles Smith. Frederick was described in the 1891 census as a plough boy when he was 13 and spent all his working life as an agricultural worker. Frederick stayed at home to look after his mother and younger sisters after his father died at a relatively young age. Frederick married Harriet Lester on the 22nd December 1908 in Weston Subedge when he was 30 and she was 24. Frederick and Harriet lived in Chipping Campden and had seven children. William Charles “Charlie” Smith (1909-2002), Alice (1911-1911), Ethel Irene (1912-2004), Walter (1915-1989), Doris (1917-), Phoebe Joan (1924-2004) and Philip Gordon (1927-). Charlie used to work on the farm that was owned by William Keyte’s grandparents. |
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Frederick, like so many workers in those days, walked miles to get to work each day and had little free time. He loved his garden at Berrington Road in Campden and provided for the family with home grown vegetables and eggs from the hens allowed to run in the backyard. Harriet had a coal range in the kitchen on which she cooked and provided all the hot water for the household. Frederick died in 1957 at the age of 79. Harriet died in 1960 at the age of 76. They are both buried in St. James Parish Church churchyard Chipping Campden. Pictured left is Frederick and Harriet in the 1900s. Below is Charlie, Ethel, baby Doris and Walter in 1918. Left Below is Ethel, baby Phoebe and Doris in 1924.
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9. Doris Smith – was born on 6th December 1917 and is the daughter of Frederick Smith and Harriet Lester. Doris won a place at Chipping Campden grammar school but, like so many of her generation, had to leave school at 16 to go into domestic service. She worked for several wealthy families in both Chipping Campden and Stratford-upon-Avon acting as housekeeper and cook. During WWII she made aircraft instruments at Smiths factory at Bishop’s Cleeve and at this time she met RAF Warrant Officer William “Bill” Herbert George Kitcher who had been stationed in the area. They married in 1948 and had one daughter Sara Anne (1954-). They spent their early-married life in Bishop’s Cleeve, and then Chipping Campden before moving to Pebworth House in Pebworth. After the war Bill set up a driving school, “Cotswold School of Motoring” with his partner Cecil Ward in Wickhamford. Cecil was married to member of the Pethard family, Violet “Vi” who attended Badsey School with her sisters Marjorie and Nancy in the 1900s. After Cecil and Vi retired in 1965, Bill and Doris continued to run the business until 1982, with Bill retiring at 73 years of age. Bill has taught many people who live in the Evesham area over the years, he often taught three generations in the same family. Doris and Bill live in Wickhamford and Bill has just celebrated his 96th birthday. They can still be seen “clubbing” at the Alcester social club with their friends. 10. Sara Anne Kitcher - Sara was born in 1954 and is the daughter of Doris Smith and Bill Kitcher. She attended Badsey School and was Head Girl in 1964-1965. Recently Sara discovered the Badsey website and has left a message in the visitor’s book. She has very fond memories of the school tortoise and was most disappointed to find that although she is in the “Heads and Tales” book about Badsey School the tortoise is not. If anyone has a picture of him/her please email it to Sara! Pictured below is Bill and Doris in the Cotswolds during WWII. Far Right is Sara at Evesham High School in 1972. |
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Postscript from Sara Westwood in October 2007 : in the article about the Knight/Smith Family I mention Dad (William Herbert George "Bill" Kitcher) still dancing at 96 years old in Alcester. I am sad to report that Dad passed away aged 98 on 6th February 2007 after a short illness. He was the oldest resident in Wickhamford and is sadly missed by all his friends and family. His funeral service was at our family church of St James, Chipping Campden, Glos. and he is buried in Wickhamford Cemetery. Updated 10 Octobeer 2007. Contact email: History@Badsey.net |
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