Marchant
   HENRY MARCHANT was the son of ROBERT MARCHANT and SOPHIA JONES. He was baptized on 12 May 1837 in Maidstone, Kent, England (England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013; FHL Film Number: 1835449; Reference ID: 1 64 506), He was baptized at same time as another Marchant child, Elizabeth, but there's no evidence that they are twins. A Henry Marchant aged 7 is in the workhouse in 1841. Henry survived the workhouse and became a cordwainer/shoemaker.
   Henry married Mary Jane Brealsford Holness (1838-1862), daughter of John Holness (1805-1891) and Hannah Brealsford (1809-1864). Holness is a habitational name that is derived from the term "holiness": It could also be from a lost Holmherst in Smarden (Kent) from Old English holegn ('holly') + hyrst ('hillock copse'). In 1554, Andrew Holness, of Seton in Ickham parish, left small bequests to the poor; and in 1667 Edward Holness was lessee of Branding manor in the same parish.¹
   Henry and Mary Jane had four children:

CHILDREN OF HENRY MARCHANT AND MARY JANE HOLNESS
  • ELIZA BREALSFORD MARCHANT was born in Oct 1857 in Dover, Kent, and baptized on 17 Jan 1858 in Charlton near Dover, Kent, England (FHL Film Number 1786211). On 30 Oct 1876 she married corkmaker John Monkton Philpott (1856-1934) in Camberwell, Surrey (now part of London), England. Their children were Stephen Frederick George (1877-1943), Elizabeth Mary Jane (Godden, 1878-1924), John Monkton II (1880-1884), Albert Edward (1881-1957), William Henry (1882-1917), Eliza Brailsford (Twist, 1885-1926), Richard Alexander (1888-1969), Charles Robert (1890-1983), Arthur Henry (1891-1958), Grace Mary (Fox, 1894-1964), Florence Agnes (1895-1916) and Robert Bevan Philpott (1900-1900). She died in Mar 1927 in Dover, Kent, England.
  • MARY ANN MARCHANT was born around Jan 1859 in Dover, Kent, England. She was baptized on 17 Apr 1859 in Charlton near Dover, Kent, England. She lives with her maternal grandfather, John Holness, in Dover, Kent, in the 1871 and 1881 England Censuses. In the 1891 Cenus, he has passed away and she lives alone in Buckland Valley (a village now merged with Dover), Kent, England.
  • HENRY WILLIAM MARCHANT was born around Oct 1860 in Dover, Kent, England. He died as an infant in 1861.
  • ELIZABETH JANE MARCHANT was born in Jan 1862 in Dover, Kent, England. In June 1882 she married Joseph George Naish (1861-1931) in Dover, Kent, England. They had Lily Elizabeth Naish (Sproule, 1883-1943), Ethel May Cecil Naish (Collis, 1892-1985). She died around Sep 1926 in Farnham, Surrey, England.

    •    Henry Jr., died as an infant in 1861 and Mary Jane (wife/mother) died soon after the birth of Elizabeth in 1862. They lived with Mary Jane's parents in Dover² and Eliza and Mary are still there in 1871. Elizabeth was then with a great uncle and aunt nearby. Henry seems to have disappeared. When Eliza married in 1876 her marriage certificate says Henry is deceased. There is a newspaper report of the sudden death of a shoemaker named Henry Marchant in Reading (Berkshire) in 1869. He was buried in consecrated ground (like William) in London Road Cemetery, Wokingham on 29 Sep 1869 (Berkshire Burial Records).

    Eliza with her husband John Monkton Philpott and their family in Dover, taken about 1906. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

    Philpott
    Eliza Marchant with John Philpott, 1900
       ELIZA BREALSFORD MARCHANT married John Monkton Philpott (1856, 1834), a Corkmaker, in Camberwell, Surrey (now part of London). John was named after his paternal grandfather, who lived in Dover.
       The surname Philpott was first found in Herefordshire where they held a family seat from early times. Their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Philipot in 1327, on the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex during the reign of King Edward III. One of the earliest records of the family was that of Sir John Phelipot (died 1384.) He was Mayor of London, but was a native of Kent. He became a member of the Grocers' Company of London, where one of the earliest members was Phelypot Farnham.¹
    Philpott
       Philpott is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest of 1066 brought to England. It comes from the name Phillipot, which is a version of the ancient given name Phillip. Phillip derives from the Greek name Phillipos, which derives from the words philein, meaning to love, and hippos, meaning horse.
       Eliza and John lived in London—Bethnal Green—but later in life settled in his hometown of Dover.² They had 12 children in all, 10 of whom lived to adulthood. Their first child Stephen was born just 2 or 3 months after their marriage. Their daughter Florence died young at the age of 20 in 1916, while engaged to be married. The rest of their children:

    CHILDREN OF ELIZA MARCHANT AND JOHN PHILPOTT
  • STEPHEN FREDERICK GEORGE PHILPOTT was born between Jan-Mar 1877 in Bethnal Green, London, England, and baptized on 14 Feb 1877. On 15 Sep 1900 he married Emily Susan Beale (1879-1951) in Buckland (Near Dover), Kent, England. They had the following children: Bertha Louise Philpott (1903-1938), Violet Lilian Philpott (1904-1914), Gilbert Philpott (1906-1914), Lucy Emily Philpott (1908–1914), Edward George Philpott (1909-1989), Winifred E Philpott (b. 1911), Doris Maud Philpott (Marsh, 1912–2001), Nora Kathleen Philpott (Simpson, 1914-2004), and Stanley Charles Philpott (1916-1989). Stephen died in Dec 1943 in Thanet, Kent, England.
  • ELIZABETH MARY JANE PHILPOTT was born on 26 Jun 1878 in Bethnal Green, London, England. She died between Apr-Jun 1924 in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England.
    		•
  • JOHN MONKTON PHILPOTT II was born on 18 Jan 1880 in Aldgate, London, England. He died about Sep 1884 in Bethnal Green, London, England.
    		•
  • ALBERT EDWARD PHILPOTT was born on 20 Oct 1881 in Dover, Kent, England. He died on 17 Oct 1957 in Northfleet, Kent, England.
    		•
  • WILLIAM HENRY PHILPOTT was born about 1884 in Bethnal Green, London, England. In late 1905 he married Violet Louisa Delaney (1883-1968) in Fulham, Middlesex, England, and they had William Arthur (1906-1940), Walter Edward (1907-1911), Lillian (Bailey, 1909-2002), and Elsie Philpott (Barber, 1913-1999). William died on 19 May 1917 between France and Flanders in World War I: "PHILPOTT, WILLIAM HENRY. Reg. No. 43458. Rank, Private, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, 1st Batt.; killed in action, France, May 19, 1917; born Bethnal Green." (Source: The Committee of the Irish National War Memorial, comp. Ireland's Memorial Records 1914-1918. 8 volumes. Dublin: Maunsel and Roberts, 1923.)
  • ELIZA BRAILSFORD PHILPOTT was born around Jul 1885 in Bethnal Green, London, England. She married Basil Alfred Twist. She died betwee Oct-Dec 1926 in Dover, Kent, England.
    		•
  • RICHARD ALEXANDER PHILPOTT was born on 17 Aug 1888 in Dover, Kent, England, and baptized on 4 Nov 1889 in Charlton, Kent, England. In 1908, Lilian Clinick (1884-1941) in All Saints Parish Church in Okehampton, Devon, England. They had the following children: Alexander William Philpott (1910-1916), Evaline May Philpott (Gould, 1912-1991), John Austin Philpott (1914-2006), George Anthony Philpott (1923-1980), Margaret Joan Philpott (Teeling, 1927-2020), and Myra Audrey Philpott (Sykes, 1928-2018). and lived there for the rest of his life (except for his time serving in the First World War in France). He died on 12 Aug 1969 in Exeter, Devon, England.
  • CHARLES ROBERT PHILPOTT was born between Apr-Jun 1890 in Dover, Kent, England. He married (1) Muriel Kathleen Kearton (1911-2000) and (2) Ethel Muriel Bannham (1911-1998). He died in 26 Mar 1983 in Depwade, Norfolk, England.
    		•
  • ARTHUR HENRY PHILPOTT was born around Dec 1891 in Dover, Kent, England; In Apr 1914 he married Eliza Ann Hutchings (1893-1982) in Tavistock, Devon, England. They had no children. Arthur died between Apr-Jun 1958 in Southampton, Hampshire, England.
    		•
  • GRACE MARY PHILPOTT was born between Apr-Jun 1894 in Dover, Kent, England. In 1915 she married Alfred James Fox (1889-1954) in Dover, Kent, England. They had the following children: Alfred Patrick Charles Fox (1920-1992), Edward B Fox (b. 1921), Lilian B M Fox (b. 1925), and Eric William Fox (1927-2004). She died between Jan-Mar 1964 in Dover, Kent, England.
    		•
  • FLORENCE AGNES PHILPOTT was born around Oct 1895 in Dover, Kent, England, and baptized on 02 Feb 1896 in Charlton, Dover, Kent, England. She was engaged to be married to Albert Arthur Westbrook (1893-1997) but died between Oct-Dec 1916 in Dover, Kent, England, at the age of 20.
    		•
  • ROBERT BEVAN PHILPOTT was born about Jul 1900 in Dover, Kent, England and baptized on 26 Aug 1900 in Dover, Kent, England. He died sometime around 1900 in Dover, Kent, England.
    		•

    COUSINS, COLLABORATORS & CO-CONSPIRATORS...
  • ALISON TEELING: "I'm the eldest daughter of Margaret (known always as Joan) and Ken Teeling. I have a younger sister Janet Mary (known as Mary). Here are the promised photos of Eliza with her husband John Monkton Philpott and then with her family in Dover. I'm afraid I don't know the year it was taken, but I'm guessing it could be about 1900 for the two of them and about 1906 for the family. It must have been before 1908 because my grandfather Richard Alexander Philpott was married in that year in Okehampton, Devon and lived there for the rest of his life (except for his time serving in the First World War in France). He is third from left on the back row. My Mum acquired these photos from her older brother, but there are no details written on the back of them. We always wondered if the family were together for a wedding, or just to have their photo taken together. My great-grandfather John was a Corkmaker. He married Eliza in Camberwell, Surrey (now part of London) and their first child was born just 2 or 3 months afterwards. They did live in London - Bethnal Green - for a while but later in life settled in Dover. My Mum always said that he was a bit of a drinker and she thought Eliza had some Irish ancestry, but I've never been able to find any evidence of that. It's been difficult trying to find any cousins from John and Eliza's children. I did meet one of my grandfather's brothers - Arthur - who is standing on his left, when I was a very young girl. . He died in the 1950s but we met up with his widow many times; they didn't have any children. Another sad story is that one of the daughters - Florence - died young at the age of 20 in 1916, and I found a newspaper cutting of her funeral in which said her fiance was present. I haven't found much evidence of army careers in this side of the family as the children seemed to be labourers or gardeners. I think the Marchants had more careers in the Army! I do have a lot more army careers in my paternal side of the family, and my paternal great-great-grandfather became a Chelsea Pensioner after his wife died. My paternal great-grandfather also served in the army in Canada for about 8 years, he was based in Halifax and got married there to a girl of, we think, Scottish descent. It's very difficult to find much about her family as she was a McDonald."
  • PAUL HARRINGTON is the great-grandson of William Marchant's brother, Robert. "Robert went to sea (boys from the workhouse often joined the army or the merchant navy). He ended up in Liverpool where he married a Sarah Greenwood in 1854. Their children died in infancy and Sarah died in 1866. Then Robert married Elisabeth Lambert (our great grandmother)." Robert's daughter, Mary, married a Michael Sarsfield in 1891. "We family searchers—cousins Julie (Callanan), Michael and myself—are children of three of their daughters: Nora (1913-2007), Eileen (1905-1993) and Winifred (1901-1994). Winifred married Philip Harrington in 1930, and they had Margaret (1931-2000), Philip (b. 1938-) and myself (b. 1943). By my reckoning that makes my grandmother Mary 1st cousin to William H Marchant; my mother Winifred 2nd cousin to Lillie and Marjorie; and I'm 3rd cousin to Gretchen and Carlton Sr." See Paul with wife Jean by clicking on the photo at right.
  • THIRZA PHILPOTT: "Hello Cousin Jeff. How brilliant to hear from you. Yes I am their 3rd daughter - 7th of 9 siblings. Thanks for getting in touch and clarifying our connection. I remember I'd established Henry Marchant in my research. Wow, you've done a lot of work. William Marchant....joined the military at 15...., gosh it amazes me what our ancestors had the courage (mostly as economic migrants/out of necessity) to do, and the conditions they lived in. I wonder if William and Henry managed to keep in contact by letter, otherwise that's it isn't it....they just had to get on with it and do their best. As well as looking into Dover/Kent history, I've been studying the relevant areas of London and just started reading a really good book called 'The Blackest Streets' by Sarah Wise. (An essential 'add-on' to Dickens perhaps). On the Teeling side there were also few ancestors in London, some, I've discovered, lived around the corner from where I live ! (abt. 1881 - my 2x Great Uncle and a GG Aunt). They were poor/working class too, having come to London from Devon for work. I live in W11 (aka Notting Hill/Kensington & Chelsea), which is a mix of extremely wealthy and very poor...i'm at the lower end economically. I love the area. I'll have a look at your link, thanks for that. I get a bit overwhelmed by the extent of it all, so I'll take my time. My son Jack (Jack Miller Philpott) and I had our DNA analysed at the same time. There's going to be a lot of fun ahead. Where in the 'States are you? My oldest brother, Lindsey, lives in Long Beach, California."
    		•
  • JAYNE BUTLER: "George Anthony Philpott was my much adored father. I had 8 siblings, I am the eldest, married to Brian P Butler we have two daughters and 4 grandchildren. We live in the SW of the UK. , Lindsey is next and resides in Long beach with his wife Kim. Lindsey has 4 children and 4 grandchildren, then came Shaun who died in a diving accident in 1980, he had no children, then came Kim who also died in 1980 after another accident, he is survived by his widow (now married to Dave) and two children and 7 grandchildren. Adrian - now name changed to John Fox, with one child and no grands; then Ann name changed to Oriana with 4 girls and 5 grands, then Thirza and one child, Dawn with two children no grands yet then Simon no children. Phew. John, Oriana, Thirza and Dawn and Simon all reside in the UK. Phew. hard remembering them all!! Thirza and I are keen genealogists and Thirza in particular is following up the lives of the ancestors who lived and worked in London whereas I am keen to follow up those who travelled and emigrated. As a child I accompanied my parents to Somalia where we lived until I was 8 years old. We have relatives in Australia and in the USA, Georges' niece being a 'War Bride' and settling in the USA in Michigan. Her children - all 11 of them reside in the USA. Some in California. Do you know anything of the MacDonalds ancestors of ours? I know that through my mother Joyce Thirza Philpott lineage, her paternal grandfather was a David McDonald whose daughter Nora was born in Nova Scotia. The McDonalds came via Ireland and Scotland. I am working on verifying information about them at the moment. Where in the states do you reside? My husband Brian is an engineer and served as an officer in our Royal Navy for 27 years, now in semi-retirement and occupying his time as an examiner of engineering apprentices. I have always been involved with art and textiles, working as a designer then lecturer now exhibiting stitched textiles. Our daughters, one a teacher the other a midwife are busy with their children. When Brians’ RN ships visited USA I had the opportunity to drive from Long Beach down through the southern areas through to Tucson and the on down to Mexico. I also went across the mountains to San Diego, fantastic waterfront there! I lived in Liverpool for 5 years at the start of my fashion design career, I loved the city!! My good friends still live there."
    		•

    TOP PAINTING: "Charlton Church" by G. Castle; oil on canvas, 1866; property of Dover Collections (ArtUK.org).

    NOTES ON THIS PAGE:

      ¹—"Homes of Family Names in Great Britain" (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy.

      ²—The town of Dover is a major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at 21 miles from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. The town is the administrative centre of the Dover District and home of the Port of Dover.