The earliest Chatfields in my line date back to the marriage of Samuel Chatfield (1669 Up Marden, West Sussex-1708 South Hayling, Hampshire) to Elizabeth Vengham who died in 1702 in South Hayling. They were married in South Hayling in 1692 and they had two sons and two daughters, all born in South Hayling. The daughters were Frances Chatfield born 1694 and Elizabeth Chatfield born 1696. Thomas Chatfield born 1697 married Mary Copice in North Hayling and his brother, my direct descendant, was Samuel Chatfield (1699 South Hayling-1760 Greatham, West Sussex) who married Catherine Harfield (1710 West Thorney, Hampshire – 1795 Greatham) in 1729 at South Hayling. The younger Samuel started the long line of Chatfields who can trace their ancestry back to Greatham. Whilst the places quoted are either in Hampshire or West Sussex, they are a few miles apart, either side of the county border. All of the Chatfield connections detailed below can be traced back through this line, supported by DNA proof.

So, I thought I would approach this blog post working backwards from the perspective of these numerous Chatfield DNA connections. My paternal grandmother was Violet Chatfield (1892-1985). There is more about her in my blog pages “My Line of Backlers in East Sussex” and “The Chatfield Connection”. She is pictured below on her 90th birthday.

I had my DNA tested several years ago and the number of connections is slowly increasing as the Ancestry database increases. I have in my possession information from The Chatfield Family History Society and from my Aunty Betty – Brown neé Backler – my Dad’s sister. These records are extensive, which is why I have not conducted much research myself into the Chatfields. However, the DNA results have linked, using the Ancestry Thru-Lines feature, to distant relatives in the Chatfield hierarchy, where I had no idea there was a family connection. These are my DNA connections:

Norman Chatfield is my only DNA connection who bears the Chatfield surname and it seems he lives in Australia. I think his full name is Kevin Norman Chatfield. His father Thomas Ashworth Chatfield was born on 6th April 1898 in Caversham, Swan City, Western Australia and he passed away on 21st July 1982 in Safety Bay in the same state. Thomas married Eva May Luck (1900-1995) in 1921. His grandfather was Frederick Thomas Chatfield who was born in Greatham, in October 1854. He emigrated to Australia and died in Caversham on 4th April 1936. He married Nora Alicia Hardinge (1860-1949) in Auckland, New Zealand. All the remaining generations were based in Greatham, great-grandfather Robert Chatfield (1810-1862), who married Emma Maria Derby (1817-1854) in 1841, 2GGF Thomas Chatfield (1773-1817), who married Hannah Overington (1770-1838) in 1803, 3 GGF Richard Chatfield (1746-1817), who married Jane Talmey (1749-1796) in 1772 and our common relative his 4GGF and my 5GGF Samuel Chatfield (1699-1760).

Kevin Brooks is the son of Raymond W Brooks (1930-2002) and greenknee’s mother is Ruth Coralie Brooks (1937-?). Raymond’s and Ruth’s father is Harry Albert Brooks (1896-1980), who married Elsie May Quartermaine (1897-1973) in Katanning, Western Australia in 1923. Harry is the son of Alice Penfold (1871-1957), who is the sister of Harriet Jane Penfold mentioned under Nigel Moss’s paragraph, where her earlier ancestry is detailed. Alice married George Brooks in 1894 at Steyning, West Sussex and they were living across the border in Ringmer, East Sussex in the 1911 census.

Colin Barton Penfold is also descended from Harriet Chatfield as detailed in Nigel Moss’s paragraph above. Her son Hugh Penfold (1875-1966), born Pulborough, West Sussex was in the naval police, based at Harwich, Suffolk according to the 1911 census. Hugh married Agnes Mary Peach in 1907 on the Isle of Wight, who died the following year. Hugh then married Ann Phoebe Potter in 1920 in Eton. They had a son Peter W Penfold (1921-2016), who was Colin’s father and who married Rosemary M Scutt (1932-2015) in 1954 at Chanctonbury, West Sussex.

cdiana1422, my 4th cousin lives in the USA. She is descended from Charles Chatfield (1832-1920), who married Mary Anne Street in 1874 at West Hoathly, West Sussex. Charles was the son of Charles Chatfield (1807-1880) mentioned above in Nigel Moss’s paragraph. Charles emigrated to Essex County, New Jersey in 1885 and I located them in the 1900 USA census along with his wife Mary Anne Street (1845-1925) and his daughter Alice Ruth Marian Chatfield (1878-1957). Alice married Charles McCarthy in New Jersey in 1903 and they had a daughter, Alice M S McCarthy (1915-2007), who married George Gloeckner Shaw in 1939 in New York and who are cdiana1422’s parents.

Michelle Shepherd and Rebecca Farley have the same father Robert Edward Farley (1941-2020) and their mother was Inez Margaret Roche (1938-2015). They are descended from our common 2GGF Richard Chatfield (1813-1904). Michelle’s and Rebecca’s great grandfather, my great granduncle, was David Chatfield (1847-1938). His brother was my great grandfather William Chatfield (1850-1919). David was married to Ellen Gumbrell (1851-1911) in 1871 in Redhill, Surrey and they had a daughter Ellen Mary Chatfield (1872-1955), who was married twice, first to Edward Jenner (1866-1950) in 1887 and second to Frederick William Fuller (1875-?). Ellen Mary and Edward were divorced in 1906, but she had commenced living with Frederick long before the divorce. Frederick and Ellen Mary had a daughter Florence May Fuller (1901-1981), who was Robert Farley’s mother. Florence married John Alfred Ernest Farley in Ramsgate, Kent in 1926 and then they emigrated to British Columbia, Canada.

dougrossdawe and Lisa Perrett are descended from William Chatfield (1803-1962) my 2nd great granduncle, brother of my 2GGF Richard Chatfield. William married Frances Stanford on Christmas Day 1826in Ewhurst, Surrey. They had two daughters. The first daughter was Harriet Chatfield (1827-1911) who married Joseph Marsh in 1862 in Pulborough and they had a daughter Fanny Marsh (1870-1930), who married William James Ross in 1893. Their son was Douglas Joseph Howard Ross (1900-1976), dougrossdawe’s father. The second daughter was Emily Chatfield (1846-1926) who married Henry Heather in 1874. They had a daughter Jane Heather (1880-1954), who married Charles Charman in 1905 at Petworth, West Sussex. They had a son Frederick James Charman (1906-1986), who was Lisa Perrett’s grandfather. Her father has not been identified, presumably because he is still living.

Bryn Mabey is descended from John Chatfield (1857-1935) my great grand uncle, who is the brother of my great grandfather William Chatfield. John was first married to Caroline Knight in 1881 and they had a daughter Caroline Chatfield (1890-1972). She married Frederick Foord (1888-1995) in 1921 and they had a daughter Freda Joan Foord (born 1922), who married Reginald Mabey in 1944. These are Bryn’s grandparents, with his direct parental ancestors not revealed.

Linda Smith is descended from Charles Chatfield (1859-1905) another great grand uncle and brother to my great grand father William Chatfield. Charles married Elizabeth Ann Teague in Eastbourne in 1882 and they had a daughter Ellen Chatfield (1883-1987) who was born in Eastbourne, East Sussex and who married Henry Pocknell in 1903. They produced a son – Walter Pocknell (1918-2006) – who was Linda Smith’s father and she seems to have then married a Smith.

UPDATE 25th April 2023: I was notified via Ancestry that Nigel Moss (see above for more on Nigel) had added some Pocknell names to his tree. This was intriguing because he had Ellen Chatfield marrying George Pocknell in 1912. Having looked into his research, I can confirm that Nigel is correct (as he is a thorough researcher, I was certain I was wrong but wanted to find out why). I had found a 1911 UK census entry for Henry and Ellen in Sussex, UK, but it was the wrong Ellen and they were still there in the recently released 1921 census. It seems George emigrated to Ontario, Canada in 1911 and our Ellen joined him there the following year, when they were married. The marriage certificate confirms her parents – Charles and Elizabeth – and her birthplace. It is correct that they did produce a son Walter, but the 1921 Canada census also confirms his siblings: Kathleen Jessie Pocknell (1913 – 1997), Frank Pocknell (1914 – ?) and Elsie Pocknell (1916 – 2016 – just short of her 100th birthday). Nice to know that I have Pocknell relatives in Canada and to correct a mistake in this posting, courtesy of Nigel, who deserves my thanks.

Ishmael Gibbs is descended from Allan Chatfield (1861-1952) another great grand uncle and brother to my great grand father William Chatfield. Allan married Fanny Pates in 1884 in Eastbourne. They had a daughter Nellie Chatfield (1897-1983), who married Herbert Walter Hartshorn in Liverpool on 19th July 1918. Herbert was a private in the Canadian army and was at the Canadian Military Hospital – not sure whether serving or as a patient. The next three generations to connect to Ishmael have not been provided. More research needed, but I am guessing in Canadian records.

Cheryl Smith, my third cousin lives in Eastbourne and uses the Ancestry pseudonym sretsam150. She is descended from Esther Chatfield (1864-1931) a great-grand aunt and sister to my great grandfather William Chatfield. Esther married Joseph A Masters in 1892 and they had a son Arthur Richard Masters (1894-1980) who is Cheryl’s grandfather. Arthur had a daughter Jean Elizabeth Masters (1924-2012) who married Harry Edward Jones (1920-1991) in 1945 and they are Cheryl’s parents. We met at The Langham Hotel in Eastbourne on 18th September 2016, when Cheryl organised a Chatfield reunion. We met a distant cousin, Ann, who was visiting from Winnipeg in Canada and is descended from John Chatfield – see the paragraph above related to Bryn Mabey. We also met another cousin, Paige Thaxter, who is descended from David Chatfield – see the paragraph on Michelle Shepherd and Rebecca Farley.

These Chatfield connections all link back to the village of Greatham, West Sussex, situated between Pulborough to the north and Arundel to the south. This is the parish church. Greatham is pronounced “Grittum”. This blog has traced ancestors in the UK, Australia, the USA and Canada. I am aware that there are other connections to New Zealand and South Africa, so as usual, more research to do and I have plenty already partially completed for another post or two.