A history of The Kent Family in Upton on Severn

The Cider Merchant business began in 1767 and closed in 1915.

Samuel Kent b.1719.d.25th March 1793. m. Anne Watkin b. Upton 1726 d. 6th Oct 1786 A.W. was a wealthy woman who brought a large dowry to the Kent family This may have been instrumental in the starting of the business.

William Kent b. 25th Jan 1746. Elder son, founder of the business in 1767. d.26th Jan 1824 at Stourbridge. m. Martha Bracey. Lived in Upton with 5 children.

Samuel Kent b. 1756 Upton. One of the 2 brothers who founded the Kent family business. My great, great, great Grandfather. m. Jane Goolden Lived in Upton with 2 sons and 1 daughter

Benjamin G. Kent Esq b. 31st March 1780 in Upton. Son of Samuel Kent + Jane Goolden. My great, great, great Uncle. d. Levant Lodge 14th March1864. burried at Earles Croome

m. 1st Nov 1806, Anne Clarke b. 24th Jan 1784 d. 6th Sep 1839 and lived 1st in Churchend, , then c.1815 moved to Levant Lodge, , A wealthy man. One of his daughters lived with him at Levant Lodge. The house can be seen on the hill, to the West of the A38, 1 Kilometer North of the Upton turn. Anne Clarke was the sister of George Clarke who was also a wine and spirit merchant in Upton. The two families were very close for many years and intermarried several times. A copy of his will is in my possession

Samuel Kent b. 1790 in Upton. d. 9th June 1847.Burried at . Ran the business with his brother Benjamin. My great, great Grandfather, m. Catherine Hensen (b.1791 Bainton Leics, d.3rd June 1864. bur @ Pendock ). m. on 8th May 1817 in Cheltenham. 10 children born from 1818 to 1831. Lived at “The Hill” from 1821 until his death. Rented from the Rev Joseph Martin, the Lord of the Manor for £75 / yr. (19 acres) Obviously a wealthy man. In 1841 three servants were listed.

John Clarke Kent Esq b.13th Aug 1810 Hanley Castle.d. 19th Oct 1889. Elder son of Benjamin m.,1834 Stephana Elizabeth Springet who was born in London but had connections with “Finchcocks” at Goudhurst in Kent. The family originally lived at 6,Chambers Court, Longdon, but moved to Bury Field House, Upton in 1845. 7 children,3 boys, 4 girls. Moved to Levant lodge on the death of his father in 1864. He controlled the family business for most of the later 1800’s, originally with his cousin Samuel then, after about 1860, on his own. His son Earnest lived in 1881 on the Hill, Severn Side and then moved to Castle House in Hanley Castle and ran the business until he took his own life in 1909. His daughter Edith died at Levant lodge 10th April 1894. I believe that J.C.K. is the “gent with the white beard” in the photo of the business from Upton museum.

1/ Catherine Hyacinth b.14th April 1818. in New Street, Upton on Severn. d.10th Jan 1907 @ Kent. “The Camp” Sunningdale. bur. Pendock 14th Jan 1907 m. 29th Sept 1840, Rev W.S.Symonds of Moor Court, Pendock, Worcs. 3 sons + 1 daughter 1/ Hyacinth Mary m. 1st, 18.., Sir William Jardine Bart. (ornithologist) 2nd Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker 1817-1911, curator of Kew Gardens after his father (botanist). Lived at Kew, then at “The Camp”, Sunningdale. 2 children, Joseph Symons Hooker + Richard Symonds Hooker. 2/ Powell W. Symonds. 1 child = Powell Biddolph Symonds. d. aged 33 3/ Elsdon Symonds. d. aged 7. 4/ Henry Symonds. Dr Charles Hooker (Cirencester) was the son of Sir J. Hooker from his first marriage.

2/ Samuel Cheselden Kent b.1819 in New Street, Upton. d.4th April1906 at Coln St Aldwyn My Great Uncle m. c.1845 Rebecca Isabella Forsten from Bloomsbury London. b. 1804 d. 1886 No children. Lived at Longdon Lodge with a groom and a house servant. Samuel ran the business with his cousin until about 1870 when he left his wife (and the business). In 1871 census he was living in London and then joined the Army where he became a Captain in the Warwickshire volunteer militia. Later he retired to “The Waterside” Coln St Aldwyn, close to his younger brother Alfred with a housekeeper and a housemaid. Listed in 1891 as Widower, own means. His wife lived on at Longdon Lodge on an anuity (pension) until at least 1881. She was reputed to have become insane. 3/ Robert William Kent b. 1821 at “The Hill” Upton. d. 23rd Oct 1899 West Hanney, Berks. My Great Grandfather m. 1st., March 1849 Cheltenham, Harriet Jane White d.1849. No children. Listed in 1851 as Widower, lodging in Cheltenham with Mrs Annie Watch and 1 servant.

m. 2nd , May 2nd 1866 Mary Anne Barnes d.1882. No children. m. 3rd 1883 Kate Kearney, b. 3rd Dec 1850 in Cork, Ireland, d.10th Jan 1942 Oxford. 1 child = R.W.C.K. 4/ Alfred Kent b. 14th March 1823 at “The Hill” Upton on Severn d.Oct 23rd 1895. Educated at Bromsgrove, Merchant Taylors and Cambridge (BA 1845, MA 1860). m.Lucy Tennant in 1850 (b.1815 at Little Aston Hall, Staffs d.1898 ). Minor Canon Gloucester Cathedral, became Vicar of Coln St Aldwins c. 1853. 4 children, Alice Lucy, Josephine, Aldwin Pelham, Alfred Urban. In 1861 had governess, cook, housemaid, nurse. In 1871 children gone, just cook + housemaid. There is a stained glass window in his name in the church. Lucy Tennant moved from Staffs to live with her brothers at Ham Court Upton. Her eldest brother William died there in 1848 and she married Alfred soon after. She was the daughter of Maria Charlotte Anderson-Pelham, who was born into aristocracy, and granddaughter of Lord Gasborough.

5/ Harriett Alicia Joan b. 16th July 1824 The Hill Upton on Severn. d. 21st April 1898 in Paris. Kent m. Emil Raynal (Fr) Poet and traveller. Lived in Paris. No known issue.

6/ Agnes Cowcher Kent b. 1st March 1826. The Hill Upton on Severn. d. 13th Aug 1863. buried at Pendock m. 8th Sept 1853 at Longdon, Dr Carsten Holthouse FRS.. Lived in London. The Holthouse family were sugar refiners in London and were of German extraction. Carston became a surgeon and he and Agnes travelled to Smyrna in the Crimea to run a hospital with Florence Nightingale. Back in , Carsten became an eye surgeon and founded the London eye hospital. Their g’son Edwin was also an eye surgeon in Harley St and he researched the Kent / Cheselden family in 1902. His records were lodged in the Northampton P.R.O.in 1949. Agnes made the model of “The Hill” which is in the Upton on Severn Museum The family called her “Dolly”. She died young in 1863, I believe giving birth to a child which also died at the same time. 7/ Margaret Anne Kent b. 1st March 1826 The Hill. d. 23rd Jan 1893 @ Ripple. m. Rev R. Holmes MA Cambs. who became Rector of and then Ripple, Worcs. 12 children, some of whom emigrated to Australia.. 8/ Henry Charles Henson b. 8th May 1828 The Hill Upton on Severn Kent Emigrated to U.S.A. No further info.

9/ Thomas Russell Kent b. 15th Oct 1829 “The Hill” Upton on Severn. d. 1907 He never married. Partner in the solicitor firm Russel + Kent at Sargeants Inn, London. Possibly buried at Brookwood Cemetry, Guildford. Died a very wealthy man in London. I have his will. Known as “Russell”.

10/ John Julian Cresset b. 15th Oct 1831 “The Hill” Upton on Severn. d.23rd March 1916 @ Ryde I.O.W. Lived @ “Draycot House” Kempsey, Worcs. m. 1st, Mary Elizabeth Phillippa Money, daughter of Cap Phillip John Money of Norwich (27th Regiment) d.1868. 9 children, Julian Money Terman, Arthur John Cresset, Mary Catherine Alice, Julia, Beatrice Orwell, Florence, Winifred, Agatha, Lionel, Godfrey. m. 2nd Mary Octavia, Daughter of General James Henderson of Musterville, Plymouth. d.12th July 1880.