Thomas and Elizabeth Mockett (My Great Grandparents

Thomas MOCkETt 1827-1898

All the information that I have about Thomas comes from census forms and the various certificates that one is able to find.

Thomas was the son of Stephen Mockett 1782-1827, a labourer, and Elizabeth Leadner 1783 -1875. It would appear that his father died the year that Thomas was born and his mother died when he was aged 3.  On the marriage certificate it is witnessed by John Mockett who I believe is a cousin of his.

Thomas married Elizabeth Ratcliffe on 24th November 1854 in Ripple Church.

Thomas and Elizabeth were living with her family – Daniel Ratcliffe (born in 1806) and his two daughters – in Ripple in the 1861 census and by that time they had a son and two daughters of their own. Elizabeth’s mother was Sarah Fials  who married Daniel Ratcliff on 26th February 1831  in Ewell, Kent and who had died in 1859. I have not been able to trace Daniel Ratcliff back to find his parents.

Ten years later, in 1871 they are living in their own home and now have 9 children. By 1881 they are living at Upper Deal Road, Deal

Thomas and Elizabeth  had 13 children of which George William Mockett – my Grandfather – was the eighth

The children were:

• John Mockett born in 1857. John married Agnes Miriam Gunner in 1898 at Eastry in Kent although she was born in Wandsworth. According to the 1901 census, John and Agnes had moved to St Lawrence in Ramsgate and at the ages of 43 & 41 were running the Rose Inn in the High Street there. The Rose Inn has now been demolished and has a Tesco on the site, with BodySym behind which is the physiotherapist that I go to.

According to notes from Horace Mockett, this John Mockett was running the Magnet Pub in Deal in 1913 and 1914 and I have found this photo and list of licencees of that pub which does show that Horace is correct so I assume that they moved back to Deal at some point.  http://www.dover-kent.com/Magnet-Inn-Deal.html

• Sarah Elizabeth Mockett who was born in 1858 in Great Mongeham, near Deal. Sarah died at the age of 6 in 1864

• Frances Ann Mockett was born the following year in 1859 . Frances married a Richard Canney in 1881 in Eastry. Richard was a  bricklayer and a widower  with a daughter and in the 1881 census Frances was his housekeeper at 134 Middle Street Deal. Richard  died in 1917 and she then married Arthur Parker in 1924 but sadly Frances died in 1927 in Deal only three years after marrying him.
• Stephen Mockett born in 1861 in Ripple, Deal. He married Eliza Ann Goodban in 1886 and they had five children. Stephen was a bricklayer and by 1911 is described as a builder. He lived in Upper Deal Road and also in Holly Cottage, London Road, Deal. Stephen died in 1938 in Deal.

Through pure chance, I was contacted by a lady called Jane Bushell, who had visited Thelune cemetery to see the grave of a relative, the very next day after my daughter had visited it for me. It appears that Jane is a second cousin of mine through the Pysden family. However, she put me in touch with Judith Davies nee Gaunt, who is related through the Pysden side too, Judith has written some very interesting books about Deal and its traders which I purchased. I found these photos of Stephen Mockett in it and as a result managed to speak to his Great Grandson, also a Stephen, who lives in Deal. Hopefully I shall meet up with him at some point. I have since bought a book, called Tradesmen of Deal and Walmer and written by a second cousin, Judith Gaunt. In it there are the following photos of Stephen.

The amazing thing is that I was given a Deal newspaper by a friend who knew I was a Mockett. In it was a photograph of Rita Mockett being presented with a cup for having won a dance competition. When I showed this to Hugh, he said my thoughts : that Rita looked so like me at that age. When I spoke to the Great Grandson Stephen it transpired that she was his sister and had died a few weeks beforehand so  sadly we could never meet.

• Phoebe Mockett born in Great Mongeham in 1862. According to the 1881 census Phoebe was a patient in the Kent and Canterbury Hospital aged 18.  Phoebe married Alfred Hopkins in 1893 in Strood, Kent. In the 1891 census Phoebe was a servant in Northfleet and married Alfred two years later. In the 1901 census they are living in Northfleet with two sons and also have Alfred’s father living with them as well as 3 boarders.  Alfred was working in an iron mongers. They had two children and Phoebe died in 1909 back in Deal. The 1911 census describes Alfred as a widower and a domestic gardener still  living in Northfleet

• Ellen Mockett born in 1864 in Great Mongeham married William Allen in 1895 at the old parish church of Walmer – across the main road from Helen’s school, Leelands.  My Grandfather – George William – was a witness at their wedding.

Ellen had quite an interesting life as in 1881 she was a servant at 8 Middle Street, Deal  and ten years later she was in Weston Super Mare as a servant to Dowager Countess Caroline A. Cava but she married William Allen  in 1895 back in Kent.

In 1901 they were living in Felixstowe when William was a Regimental Sargeant Major in the army. They had their first child, William John in 1896, he was born at Woolwich. They then had a second son, Herbert Allen,  in 1899 born in Woolwich and  their third child – a daughter Ellen Rose – was born in Gibraltar in 1902. Ellen died in 1929 in Deal, Kent.

• Thomas Mockett was born in 1866, in Great  Mongeham. He married Elizabeth Groombridge in 1894 in Dover. In 1881 at age 15 Thomas is a live-in general labourer in Upper Deal Road, and his brother Stephen is living at the same address also a servant. I have  been unable to find him in the 1891 census but  ten years later, in 1901, Thomas  is a bricklayer living with his wife and two children in Upper Deal Road. By the time of the 1911 census, his children have all left home and he is living at 15 Radigunds Road, Dover with his wife and five  boarders. Thomas died in late 1943

• George William Mockett – my Grandfather- born on 18th August 1867 at Deal. He married Alice Florence Pysden who was born in Ramsgate in 1872 and had nine sons.

• Charles E Mockett born in 1869 in Great Mongham. Charles married Adelaide Celia Philips in June 1895 in Eastry. Charles and Adelaide had two sons,  Lewis C born in 1898 and who died in WW1 on 3rd October 1918. He served in the 8th battalion of the Tank Corps and died of his wounds.  The second son, Philip Edward was born in 1907 in Deal and died in 1988 in Worthing. Sussex

• Richard Mockett born 1872/3 as he was baptised on 26th January 1873. Richard was a visitor footman in 1901 at Ascott House, Wing, Buckinghamshire when it was owned by Leopold De Rothschild

In 1911 he is butler at Stanway House owned by Elcho who does not appear on the guest list of 1901.

Richard married Edith Theedom Jennings who gave him 5 children and he died in 1939 in North Waltham, Norfolk.

• Frederick J Mockett born in 1872 and who died in Ashford in 1937. Frederick married Emma Louisa Coleman in 1899 and they had 2 sons. Frederick was a milkman
• Alice Mockett born in 1874. According to the 1891 census she was a cook at the same address as her sister Phoebe was a servant  at 14 Barch Road, Northfleet. She married Stephen Robert Newing in 1899 in Strood, Kent and in 1911 they were living at Spout House, Lympne, Hythe, Kent with three children. Stephen was described as a Naval Pensioner. Stephen died in 1949  and Alice the following year, both in Chatham
• Jane Elizabeth Mockett born in 1878 in Great Mongeham. Deal

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Elizabeth Mockett nee RATCLIFF

1833-1898

Elizabeth was born in Ripple in 1833 to Daniel Ratcliffe (1803- 1884) and his wife Sarah nee Fials  (born  1811- 1859) and daughter of James and Elizabeth Fials

Elizabeth’s father was an agricultural labourer and he and his wife married in 1831 and had the following ten children

• Elizabeth and a son William  both in 1833 so probably but not definitely twins
• Daniel in 1834
• Margaret in  1835
• John in 1838
• Sarah in 1840 or 1841 and who possibly died in 1859
• James  and Phoebe both in 1842
• Mary 1849
• Ann in 1858

In the 1851 census Elizabeth at the age of 18 is a servant in Upper Deal

In 1861 Daniel is a widower and he has his two daughters Anne and Mary living with him and also his son in law, Thomas Mockett with his wife Elizabeth and three of their children, Frances, John and Sarah.

Daniel Ratcliff who was an agricultural labourer appears to have fallen on hard times and in both the 1871 and 1881 census he is in the Eastry  workhouse before dying there in 1884.

I have found an interesting article which shows  what the workhouse was like in the days that Daniel was there:

http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Eastry/

Now we can read about my Grandparents-  George William and Alice Florence Mockett