Emma and William Elphick

We made an impromptu family trip to Pevensey Castle in the village of Pevensey, Sussex recently.  Pevensey is the ancestral home of my Russell ancestors. Either side of the castle are two churches, St Nicholas, which is in Pevensey and St Marys on the other side, is in the equally quaint parish of Westham.   I had made a previous expedition to Pevensey some months before and had a look round the churchyard of St Nicholas' with a little success in finding the graves of some relatives, so this time i thought I would take the opportunity to search round the grounds of St Marys with my little helpers!

I hadn't really done any in depth research into the brothers and sisters of my 2x Great Grandfather Frank Russell, but I knew that at least one of his sisters was buried in this graveyard so we began our search for her.  Having circled round most of the perimeter, we were feeling that we may not accomplish the task we had set out to achieve, when finally we found her.    
                                                                                                    

 It was purely by chance that we discovered her grave.  As the pictures tell, the face of her headstone is now facing a large section of overgrown trees and bushes.  However, this has probably been the saviour of it, keeping the letters and the really rather beautiful stonework from from the full buffering of the weather.  I now wanted to find out more about the relative whose grave I was standing on and was pleasantly surprised at what I was able to uncover.

Emma Russell was born in 1852 in Pevensey, East Sussex to John Russell and Ann Elphick. Emma was my 2x Great Grandfather Frank Russell' sister. In 1872 she married William Elphick.  Given that her mother was an Elphick from the parish of Wartling in Sussex, as was William and his father Edward, it seems quite possible that they may have been 1st cousins, but that is for my next trip to the archives to confirm or disprove.

By 1889 Emma and William had eight children, Herbert William(17), Earnest Albert(15), Lilian Emma(12), Anne Louise(10), Ethel Mary(8), Percy Walter(5), Frederick John(3) and Bertha(1). William was a farmer and the family were living on Langney Farm in Westham,Sussex. On the 10th January Percy contracted Diptheria, a common 19th century childhood disease, followed 2 days later by older sister Lilian.  Both children were transferred to the Infections Hospital in nearby Eastbourne.  Despite both children struggling with the infection for 10 and 11 days respectively, sadly, Percy died on the 20th January with Lilian dying three days later.

How this double tragedy in their lives affected the couple and their remaining children, we can only imagine but they went on to have six more children, Reginald(1890), Stanley Frank(1892), Harold Edwin(1894), Ruby Helen(1896), Hilda Marie Irene(1898) and Dudley Victor(1902).  Not long after their last child Dudley was born the family moved to Hankham Hall which is situated on the outskirts of Pevensey.  The Elphicks were a well known family in East Sussex by this point, heavily involved in the community, with William regularly and successfully exhibiting at the county fat stock shows.  Both William and Emma were also keen followers of the local hunting community, hosting many of the hunts at their home.

On the 14th February 1905 Emma died after a short illness of pneumonia.  Such was her standing in the community that there was a great number of friends and family that attended her funeral at St Mary's, following her coffin covered with flowers in a glass hearse followed by six mourning carriages. There was further anguish for William as he was unable to attend his beloved wife's funeral due to being confined to his bed with a severe cold.

On Monday 4th May 1908, William and Emma's eldest son Herbert, who worked for his father looking after land on his farm, was on his way back from looking at cattle on the Hailsham marshes. He had a lame cow in his cart, when he noticed that a chain had come undone.  After jumping down from the cart, the horse began to start and whilst trying to get it under control, he was knocked down and the cart, with the cow on, ran over him.
After being taken home, the doctor could find no major abrasions on his body and initially over the next few days he did seem to improve.  However on the Friday his knee began to swell and on Sunday was sent to the hospital where his knee was found to be septic, which continued its course to his death. Herbert left a widow and five children. There was a large attendance for his funeral and as the cortege passed on its way to the church in Westham, the houses and businesses drew their blinds in sympathy with the family.

December 1909 was to be another trying time for the family when on the 12th William had an accident on his way to Eastbourne. Having stopped to talk to a friend, he was in the process of starting up when the harness broke and he fell from his dog cart into the road and was rendered unconscious. An examination by the doctor on his return to Hankham Hall, he was found to have sustained severe bruises.

Tragically on the morning of Christmas Eve whilst recovering from his injuries, Williams son Reginald, who himself had been ill for some months, died. He was only 19 yrs old. The family were once again grieving for a loved one and so soon after the loss of Herbert must have put a wrench on their emotions.


William re-married in 1911 to Jane Harriet Hammond, a wealthy widow from Brighton. 
 Jane had 5 grown children from her first marriage and that same year her son Frank married Williams' daughter Anne Louise. 

William outlived Jane by three years dying on the 4th April 1943 at the grand old age of 95.  William is buried in the same grave as first wife Emma and children Percy and Lilian.  As Jane had already died, the executors of his will set about selling his property from which the money was to be divided between his surviving children and grandchildren.  

Image of Hankham Hall © to Julian P Guffogg

The announcements in the local newspapers give a more detailed description of Williams property and belongings. The final amount raised from the sale was £23893 2s 7d (equivalent to £1,004,172.76 today).

Sussex Agricultural Express-Friday 16 July 1943. Image © Johnston Press Plc.
Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

Sussex Agricultural Express-Friday 17 September 1943
Image © Johnston Press Plc. Image created courtesy
of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.