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Edward (Ned) Quaife and Mary Waters © The son of Walter Quaife and wife Mary, Edward was baptized, as Ned, in St Laurence the Parish Church Catsfield Sussex on the 28th February, 17691. On the 21st October, 1792, Edward married Mary Waters, by License, in the Parish Church, Catsfield, Sussex2. The record shows they were both from the Parish of Catsfield, neither had been previously married and they both signed the Register. The witnesses were William Quaife and Mary Boots. Mary, the daughter of John Waters and Martha (nee Crayford) was baptized on the 1st January, 17723&7 in the Withyham Parish Church, St Michael and All Angels, Sussex. The record shows Mary was the first ever Baptism performed by S.S.B. Jnr, presumed to be son of Sackville Spencer Bale, Rector of Withyham. Lying at the edge of the Weald, in the Valley of the River Medway, roughly 41km north of Catsfield, the name Withyham is derived from the Old English meaning 'Withy’ a ‘water-meadow'. Withyham is not included in the Domesday Book, although the manor of Buckhurst is, recorded as ‘Biochest’, probably from the Saxon ’boc hyrst’ or ‘beech wood’. It is thought that Wythyham village was probably founded for the workers on the Buckhurst estate, which lies behind the church. Withyham village itself is very small, containing a few houses, the church, a bed and breakfast, and the Dorset Arms, the village pub which was once a farmhouse. It is assumed Edward & Mary settled in or around Catsfield after their marriage, and Census records suggest Edward was an Agricultural Labourer. However, the Sussex Weekly Advertiser has entries referring to Edward Quaife and his brother William. From the 17th June to the 9th March, 1812, it would appear they were trying to let a family Linen Drapers and Grocers establishment3. It is not known what connection Edward actually had to the establishment. Edward also appears in a list of principal inhabitants of the area in a Contraband Notice which appeared in a local newspaper on 31st March, 18213. The inhabitants were attempting to stem the 'selling of goods' and ‘baneful effects’ and ‘ruined peace and constitution of individuals, and this group together offered a reward of Three Guineas for information which identified those involved in ‘this iniquitous trade’. It is assumed this referred to illegal liquor. Parish Records indicate Edward and Mary had at least twelve children, 5 daughters and seven sons, all baptised in Catsfield: Elizabeth 1794; Sarah 1795; Edward 1797; William 1798; Walter 1800; George 1801; James 1804; Samuel 1805; Jane 1807; Robert 1808; Anne 1809, she married William Rudlan Hawkins 1829; and Eliza 1813. Mary died from Typhus Fever on the 11th May, 18384 at Whatlington. Her husband Edward was the Informant and he registered the death on the 14th May. It is not yet known where Mary was buried. Typhus fever is a disease caused by bacteria called Rickettsia Typhi or Rickettsia Felis. The disease is not directly spread from person-to-person, but is spread after bacteria are transferred to humans, usually by the bite of fleas or lice that have acquired the Rickettsia micro-organisms from animals such as rats or cats. Whatlington is approximately 9km north of Catsfield. Found on the 1841 Census5, Edward is living at Mill Corner, Northiam. He is in the house of his daughter Elizabeth, with her husband John Dengate and their children. Edward's occupation at this time recorded as an Agricultural Labourer, he is aged 72, and it is said he was born in the County. Northiam is approximately 8km north-north-east of Whatlington. On an 1848 Shipping List of the Emperor6, headed to Australia, daughter Ann states her father Edward is living in Hastings, which s 16km south of Northiam. The 1851 Census5 indicates Edward was a resident in the Union Workhouse in Battle. The workhouse catered for the infirm from all the local Parishes: Ashburnham, Battle, Bexhill, Brightling, Catsfield, Crowhurst, Dallington, Ewhurst, Hollington, Mountfield, Penhurst, Sedlescomb, Westfield, and Whatlington. Listed as an 83year old Widower, occupation Pauper Labourer, his birthplace is recorded as Ashburnham, Sussex. Battle is roughly 10km south-south-west of Northiam and about 5km south-south-west from Catsfield. A parliamentary report of 1777 recorded a parish workhouses in operation at Battle, for up to 55 inmates. The Battle Poor Law Union was formed in June 1835 and architect Frederick Thatcher was commissioned to design a new workhouse. Built in 1840 and designed to hold up to 440 inmates, the workhouse plan was a combination of the two most popular layouts. To the rear, the main accommodation blocks form an inverted 'T', with an octagonal hub at the centre. Two-stories high to the east and west, with a three-story wing to the north. The outbuildings across the arms of the 'T' are angled to give a semi-hexagonal perimeter. The front features an entrance archway, rising to three stories at its centre, with single storey blocks to each side. An isolation hospital was later added at the north-west of the site. This was later used as a nurses' home. After 1930, the workhouse was known as the Battle Public Assistance Institution, then in 1948 it became the Battle Hospital, specializing in geriatric care. Following the hospital's closure in the late 1990s, the buildings were converted for residential use. Edward died on the 4th February, 18554 in the Union Workhouse at Battle, Sussex. He was 86 Years old, his occupation listed as 'Late Farmer', cause of death was recorded as 'Old Age'. Edward was buried in Catsfield on the 8th February, 18557.
References: 4. Death Certificate 5. 1841 & 1851 Census via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk 6. Passenger Lists Emperor Immigration Board 1848 via Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk 7. Parish Burial Record via LDS Film Other Sources: Ancestry.co.uk https://www.ancestry.co.uk British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk Catsfield Parish Register via Sussex Record Office Open Domesday Book http://opendomesday.org/ Weald, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, The http://theweald.org/home.asp WebMD http://www.webmd.com/ Workhouse, The http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Battle/ |
