Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Farming Family Marriages - The Horn Family example

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About 30 years ago I spent a lot of time researching the complex network of marriages between well to do farming families, because so many of the marriages turned out to be between cousins. When I started this site I summarized a small part of it  as Who is related to Who? which demonstrates how complex such networks can be - and also what a wide area they can cover.

In 2001 Pat contacted me about one of the families on the edge of my research - the Horn Family of Handside Farm, Hatfield and some years later James provided more information. Now Barry has written with a summary of the Horn family background.

I decided that the original list of William James Horn's children needed updating an in doing so found the following marriage relationships between his children I had not spotted before:
Thomas Cox Horn farmed Chambers Farm, Shottesbrook, Berkshire. His first wife was Elizabeth Gertrude Low, daughter of William Low and Sarah Wells (Beadlow, Clophill, Bedfordshire), and granddaughter of Robert and Elizabeth Low (Beadlow, Clophill, Bedfordshire). His sister, Susan Horn, married Frank William Low (of Brides Hall FarmSandridge / Wheathampstead) who was the son of James Low andEllen Chapman (Farm House, Willian, Herts & The Hall, Great Chishall, Essex), and grandson of the same Robert and Elizabeth Low.
Thomas Cox Horn's second wife was Constance Harvey, sister of Mary Harvey, who married Thomas's brother, William Cooper Horn of Brickwall Farm House, Lemsford, Hatfield. Their parents were John and Frances Jane Harvey of Great Appleford Farm, Godshill, Isle of Wight.
These examples, plus the information supplied by Barry, suggest that the Horn family was part of a similar network to the one I was studying (which was based of Sandridge) but centred on Bedfordshire and North Hertfordshire. There may well be other connections.

3 comments:

  1. Tried to work out the connection to Godshill. John Grimes Harvey was a huntsman with the Royal Hunt at Ascot 1 May 1888 to 31 March 1894, which brings him to the mainland. His boss was the Ninth Earl of Coventry, Master of the Buckhounds (a political appointment). There is some connection not fully worked out between the Coventrys and Appuldurcombe House, the neighbouring estate to Appleford at Godshill. In 1901 John was a boarder at Dalrymple House, Watford, which brings him closer to Hatfield. His wife and unmarried children, meanwhile, were at a separate establishment in Brentford. Anthony

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  2. John Grimes Harvey (1846 - 1931) was my grandfather's grandfather. I would be happy to share what information I have.

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  3. John Grimes HARVEY 1846-1931 was the son of John HARVEY 1797-1776 and Anne Harward Dalton Powlett GRIMES 1806-1906.
    John Grimes HARVEY married 1. Elizabeth Mary JOLIFFE and 2. Frances Jane BARTON.
    Mary 1871-1939 and Constance 1872- are the daughters of
    John's first marriage with Elizabeth Mary JOLIFFE

    ReplyDelete

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