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Dover, Kent

The Staveleys from Dover, Kent appear to originate in the early 1700's.  The progenitors of this line however appear elusive.  Parish records are primarily located at St. Mary the Virgin, Dover.  The earliest records in this parish are for the family of John Staveley and Hannah.  Unfortunately there is no record of baptism for John in this register and so at this time his parentage is unknown.  Popular opinion seems to suggest that Hannah may possibly be Hannah Collins of Eastcheap, London as a marriage was recorded for a John Staveley and Hannah Collins in 1739 in Eastcheap. If this speculation is indeed correct, this may suggest a London origin for this Staveley line.

The following children were christened to John Staveley and Hannah at St. Mary the Virgin, Dover:

Son James Staveley married Ann NORRINGTON on November 24, 1769:

James' son Robert (b. 1781) married Ann THORNTON on July 8, 1809:

James Stavely (b. 1774) married Susanna PAGE July 11, 1793:

There is a christening in the register in 1816 for William Norrington Stavely, but no parents are given.  It is unknown if James and Susanna might be his parents:

A Thomas Staveley married Lydia GODDEN on February 21, 1830 at St. Mary the Virgin in Dover. It is unclear who Thomas' father was.  Thomas and Lydia had the following children:

Pigots Directory of Dover 1840 shows the following entries:

The following year, in 1841, we find Thomas and Lydia living in Rotherhithe, Surrey, and indeed Thomas is reported during that census as a Shipwright by trade.   Thomas later moved to Chelsea, Middlesex, where he died in 1849.  By 1851 we find Thomas' widow Lydia, and his son William, living in Chelsea.

James and Susanna's son Michael married Sarah PIPPER about 1832 and had the following children:

In 1851 George, Robert and Henry are residing at home with their parents:

1851: Finis Hill, St. Mary, Dover, Kent, England

1861:...den Lane, St. Mary, Dover, Kent, England

Son George had married Eliza, and is found in the 1861 census as follows:

1861: 11 Hawksbury St., St. Mary, Dover, Kent, England

In 1871 Michael and Sarah have moved to Hougham:

1871: 35 Hartley St., Hougham, Dover, Kent, England

Michael died the following year in the summer of 1872 aged 67.  His wife Sarah died in Dover in 1879, aged 73.

Son George is living in Hougham:

1871: 7 Bowling Green Hill, Hougham, Kent, England

Note that in 1861 the eldest daughter in the household was recorded as Victoria.  In 1871 daughter Clara is the same age Victoria would have been expected to be.  It is unknown at this time which of the two are in error.

George's brother Robert, the sailor,  was originally thought be aboard the "Princess" on census night 1871:

However, a recent discovery in the 1871 census suggests he was actually at home with is wife on census night:

1871: 17 Paradise Street, St. Mary, Dover, Kent, England

It is unclear at this time if Robert may have been accidently enumerated twice on the same night!

Robert's brother Henry is living in St. Mary in 1871:

1871: 35 Limekiln Street, St. Mary, Dover, Kent, England

In 1881 George and Eliza have moved to Hartley St. in Hougham:

1881: Hartley St., Hougham, Kent, England

In the March quarter of 1890 George and Eliza's son John William Staveley married Rose Agnes DEAN in Dover.

By 1881 George's brother Robert is living in Folkestone:

1881: 28 Rossendale St, Folkestone, Kent, England

Robert William Staveley (b. 1841) died in 1887 in the Elham registration in Kent, aged 47.  Isabella Augusta Staveley died in 1895 in Elham district aged 20.  None of the remaining family have been located in the 1891 or 1901 census records, except for son Charles Robert Staveley who in 1901 is found aboard the "Albatross" listed as an "able seaman" aged 22.  Unfortunately Charles Robert Staveley died 1906 in Elham at the young age of 27.

1881: 3 Ovenden Lane, St. Mary, Dover, Kent, England

Henry's wife Mary Zina Staveley died in 1884 at the age 40.

1891: 6 Portland Place, Hougham, Kent, England

George's wife Eliza died in Dover the following year in the summer of 1892, aged 57.

George and Eliza's son John is living back on Hartley St. next door to where his grandparents Michael and Sarah used to live:

1891: 33 Hartley St., Hougham, Kent, England

1891: 4 Round Tower Lane, St. Mary, Dover, Kent, England

In 1896 Henry's son Henry Thomas George Staveley married Sophie TERRY in Elham district.

1901: 6 Chapel Hill, St. Mary, Dover, Kent, England

It is thought that Sarah Dean, residing with George, may be related to his daughter in-law Rose Agnes Dean.

1901: 9 Pleasant Row, Hougham, Kent, England

1901: 32 Fern Bank Crescent, Folkestone, Kent, England

Staveleys can still be found in the Dover area today, and at least one branch from this family is known to have emigrated to Canada.

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