|
To go to John Hoare's
Family History page - click here
Site map and useful
family history links - click here
to
go to our family homepage click here
I would be interested to hear more about this family or swap information - to e-mail us click here
|
My Great Grandmother was Angelina Crux. In my haste to follow the family line back to its origins I had overlooked the Crux line, until I was contacted by the family on the internet, and told that they had not only researched the name in great depth, but that Michael Crux had privately published the family story as 'Living in Kent, a family history 1289-1900'. What is more, Angelina was in there!
The rest of this page is my version of a brief family history based on Michael's book.
The Crux family name is first recorded in the 12th century in north East Kent. The name is probably based on the Latin for 'cross'.
A fairly definite line exists from the will of William Crux dated1468. By the 16th century there were two lines - those who lived in the area of Medway and the Swale Estuary described themselves as mariners, while those who lived around Hartlipp called themselves yeomen or husbandmen.
One notably affluent family member was John Crux, who moved from Hartlipp to the Faversham area. He had considerable property around North Kent, and contributed to the Faversham Market hall, subsequently the Guildhall. John's will made in 1585, is detailed and fascinating.
On the mariners' side, William Crux is recorded as settling in Dover by 1641.
One of the earliest family 'artefacts' is in the parish Church of Hastingleigh, a village of some 200 souls, about five miles East of Ashford in Kent. Thomas Crux carved his name in the porch in 1653!
From 1798 to 1810 another John Crux was the landlord of the Sun Inn, Sun Street in Canterbury. This was used by Charles Dickens as the model for the 'Little Inn' visited by Mr. Micawber in 'David Copperfield'. In recent years the Sun hotel has been used as part of Debenham's department store but is now back in business as a hotel and tea rooms. When I visited it in 2006 it was being repainted, and the light didn't help, so you may like to see a better picture which I have found. |
|
|
By 1839 we find Henry Crux and his wife Mercy listed as running the Appledore Mill. Appledore is a little village 8 miles Soutwest of Ashford in South Kent. By 1861 they had four daughters, but no sons. The mill is pictured at the top of the page, and is an illustration from the Michael Crux book. It was very large, and running it must have been hard work. In 1864, aged 54, Henry sold up and moved to London, where he became a baker.
Edward Hoare, my Great Grandfather, was born in Merstham in Surrey, some nine miles North of Crawley, West Sussex, but grew up in London. By 1871 he was a shopman and corn dealer. We can conjecture that baker and corn dealer would have done business, and in 1875 Baker's eldest daughter married corn dealer.
©John Hoare 2006
I can thoroughly recommend the Crux family history I have
referred to. I have no commercial connection, but will pass on requests to the
Crux family - e-mail
me
