Descendants of Richard Shoebridge and Mary Cheston

The Shoebridge Family History

There are only scattered entries for the Shoebridge family in the Rolvenden parish records, especially before the 1760’s.  The children of a John Shoebridge appear, Henry baptised 1 Mar 1578 and Saara 19 July 1582.  The next entry is for 27 June 1662, when Ellen Subridge married a Walter Brickenden.  Then there is no reference to a Shoebridge until 1764, but in the 1734 Poll Book of East Kent, Thomas Shoebridge, of Tenterden, parish of Ivychurch appears.

From 1764 there are frequent references to Shoebridges in the parish records, but these are incomplete for purposes of tracing a direct family line, either because their births, deaths and marriage are not all recorded or because of movements to other parishes.

Thomas and Mary Shoebridge had 6 children baptised:

(1)   Elizabeth, baptised 27 Jan 1764

(2)   Mary, baptised 29 Jan 1769, this may have been the Mary who had two “baseborn” (ie. out of wedlock) children (Jane, baptised 16 Nov 1788 and William, baptised 12 Dec 1789).  It may have been this Mary who was buried 23 July 1790 (but this was more likely to have been her mother-in-law – vide infra) or 7 Oct 1806 or 22 Aug 1837, aet 62 years.  Baseborn Jane may have died in infancy and been buried 24 May 1789.

(3)   John, baptised 11 Nov 1770.  It was probably he whose coming marriage was posted 6 Jan 1799 – “publication of banns of John Shoebridge and Sarah Curthbert, of Lambhurst”.  This John and Sarah had a son, John, who was baptised 4 Mar 1805, and a daughter Sarah, baptised 24 Mar 1907.  Also a John Shoebridge, widower, married Eliabeth French 16 Oct 1810.  It was probably the original John who was buried 29 Jan 1831, aet 61 years.

(4)   Robert, baptised 25 July 1773.  It was probably he and Mary Weller who were wed 19 July 1800, had a son, Robert, baptised 22 Nov 1801 and buried 6 Aug 1806, a daughter Mary, baptised 27 Oct 1803 and buried 7 Oct 1806, a daughter Elizabeth, baptised 24 Nov 1805, and probably John (from Mitchell Library shipping records a labourer, b. 1811 of parents Robert and Mary – emigrated to New South Wales, Australia in January 1856 with wife Elizabeth and Elizabeth and 3 children).  It was probably this Robert who was buried 10 Dec 1815, “of Sandhurst, aet 42 years”.  Jane and Anne and Johnson, of Robert and Mary Shoebridge were baptised on 7 Nov 1819.  Mary may have died 22 Aug 1837, aet 62 years.

(5)   Jane, baptised 21 Jan 1776 – probably buried 27 Aug 1779.

(6)   Richard, baptised 17 Nov 1788 – he may be the Richard who was buried 1 Apr 1780.

It was probably Thomas’ wife, Mary, who was buried 23 July 1790, for on 10 Feb 1791, Thomas Shoebridge, widower, married Ann Pial and, on 19 Jan 1794, their son William, was baptised.  It was perhaps this William and his wife Mary, who had a son, William baptised on 27 Jul 1817 – or perhaps the William and his wife, Jane, whose daughter Sara was baptised on 5 Dec 1824.  It was most probably Thomas who was buried 6 Nov 1819, aet 77 years (ie. he was probably born 1742).

On 25 Jan 1784, Thomas, “baseborn of Anne Shoebridge”, was baptised – Anne was probably buried 7 June 1784.

Richard and Sara Shoebridge are registered as having had a daughter, Mary, baptised 25 Sept 1791.  Mary was probably the mother of Lydia Collins (Q.V.).  Unless his baptism was considerably delayed, it does not seem possible that Richard (bapt 1778 son of Thomas and Mary) could not have impregnated Sara when just 12 years old.  Thus the origins of this Richard are unfortunately obscure.  There are no references to any other children of this couple.

Thomas Shoebridge and Jane Bryant were married 26 Oct 1810 and their daughter, Jane, was batpised 2 June 1811.  

Note: Shoebridge was often spelled Shoobridge.

History of Rolvenden, Kent  

(den - jutish word for swinepastures which became cultivated land with accompanying hamlets and isolated farmsteads, occasionally evolving into villiages.)

Rolvenden, a village in Kent, 3 miles south-west of Tenterden and 4 miles north-west of Wittersham, on the verge of Romney Marshes.  It is a delightful village with green verges along it’s wide street.  It has fine views and a windmill.  The 13th and 14th century church is light and spacious, with an excellent 14th century font and 17th century pulpit.  One of the oddest little places in the church is the squires pew, a room upstairs furnished with a table and chippendale chairs.  The other big pew belongs to Great Maythem, a fine old house near the entrance to the village.  The Maythem chapel has a coffin lid carved with a crozier (the pastoral staff or crook of a bishop or abbot).  The screens, stills and reredos (a screen or panelling behind an altar or seat; a choir-screen) are all carved and the work is notable for history’s sake, for it was done by a vicar.  On the walls of the church is one of the curious old sundials known as mass clocks, which told the time here long before the old hew was planted in the 15th century.  There is a sundial of 1732, and a fine old almsbox in the tower where there are traces of ancient paintings on the wall.

On one of the outside walls is a tablet telling the story of Lawrence Peters, a faithful servant who died in 1777, aet 77 years.  He was found in a destitute position by Captain James Moneypenny, and he lived with the Captain for the rest of his life.  He save 100 pounds in this service and left it for the poor of the parish.

Here once rolled the sea, for Rolvenden is on the edge of Romney marshes.  A whale has been found here, and an old boat thought to have been wrecked in the 13th century, with the skull of a man and the skeleton of a child in it.  A vase found in the boat is in the Maidstone Museum.

There are many charming peeps in Rolvenden.  The blacksmith’s shop is very old, and there is still to be seen a lovely black and white gabled house with an oriel window where John Wesley preached.  At Halden Place, long before it became a farmhouse, lived Lady Jane Grey, the first Queen of England, Queen for 9 days.  She must have known the Hold Park, which has grown up about the ancient hold well – it’s Elizabeth house, greatly added to last century, stands among 260 acres of timber.