Pile Family
Catchlove Family
Scott Family
Westbourne Family
References
Kelly's Directory 1911
Listed Buildings
The River Ems
WESTBOURNE
A village history in West Sussex
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LOCAL AFFAIRS
In 1855 William and Jemima Pile's daughter, Kezia, took assisted emigration to Australia. She embarked on the ship “Blenheim” at Southampton on 31 March and arrived just over four months later on 5 July at Botany Bay. The Immigration Board records describe her as a 34 years old housekeeper, in good health and able to read and write. She had no relations in the colony. Why Kezia left England is not known, nor where she lived and worked but in 1866 she married Henry Robinson in Sydney. Nothing further is known of her until her death in 1899. She and Henry appear to have had no children.
In 1855 The Post Office Directory of Sussex (later Kelly’s Directory) records a William Pile trading in Westbourne as a cattle dealer. This is most likely the farmer but could be George and Martha’s eldest son.
On Christmas Day 1855 Charlotte Pile married George Crees (or Creese) at the parish church, Charlotte's sister Jane Kennett was a witness.
Martha Pile died at Commonside on 13 January 1858, her death certificate records her as seventy years old and the cause of her death as enlargement of the liver. Emma Mathews, her daughter by her first marriage registered the death. Martha was buried in the churchyard with her second husband, the grave however remained unmarked.
On 11 November 1859 William Pile, the farmer, died at the age of seventy years, he was buried in Westbourne churchyard next to his late wife Jemima.
George and Martha’s eldest son William appears to have had a long-
Westbourne parish registers list nine children born illegitimately to a Harriet Griffin between 1841 and 1867, in all cases no father is recorded. The first is the baptism of George Griffin on 12 October 1841; if this is our Harriet she would have been only fifteen.
In the eighteen years between 1849 and 1867 Harriet had eight children, four sons and four daughters. Two of the sons, William baptised in 1852 and James baptised in 1860 were Christened William Thomas Pile Griffin and James Pile Griffin respectively ensuring that the father was identified.
In the 1861 census they are all listed as living at Queen Haven in Westbourne although Harriet and the children are in the household of her mother, Mary and are all recorded as Griffins. William meantime is living just two doors away as a lodger with his youngest, now married sister, Charlotte Creese, her husband George and children Ernest and Harry aged four and one respectively.
George and Martha's third daughter Jane Kennett is living at 2 Hermitage, Westbourne with her sons William, 6 and Harry, 4. William was born at Warblington and Harry at Westbourne. Jane is described as “mariner's wife husband at sea”. William Kennett is the mate aboard the ship Isabella which is recorded as being in Bridlington Bay.
William and Harriet had two further children, David in 1865 (christened David Henry) and Louisa in 1868.
By the time of the next census in 1871, William Pile was living at North Street in Westbourne with Harriet Griffin living with him as his “housekeeper”. William is an agricultural labourer and Harriet a needlewoman, both are listed as forty-
Jane Kennett is now living at South Street Warblington with children Charles (previously Harry), 14 and Joseph, 2 both are recorded as being born at Emsworth. Jane's husband William is presumably at sea but has be found in the census, their eldest son also William is also not present.
Charlotte Creese is living at The Brickyard and Potteries in Westbourne with her husband George and children Ernest, Harry, Maria, Lizzie, William, Martha and Henrietta. George is a brickmaker and his son Ernest is a labourer in the brickfield.
In 1873 William Pile's eldest known son William joined the Royal Navy. He served as a stoker aboard HMS Orontes from 10 January to 2 May 1873 and on 20 November 1873 he signed up for a period of ten years and served on ten different ships in this period, after this he signed up again and served until 1886.
William's seaman's service record gives a physical description of him as 5 feet 5 inches tall with a dark complexion, brown hair and hazel eyes; it also states that William has a burn on his left breast.
In 1879 Harriet Griffin's eldest daughter Sarah Maria had an illegitimate son whom she called William.