The Harveys
A Farming Family in Thundersley, Hadleigh & Faraway Places
Less than a century and a half ago, before the ascendency of the internal combustion engine and just a little after the coming of the railway, much of Essex was still rural and depended on agriculture. Into such a world the Harveys were born and flourished.
Gentleman Farmer Stephen Harvey and his family tenant-farmed much of the land around the ancient ribbon village of Thundersley. Vivienne Salmon – the great great granddaughter of our patriarch Stephen – has made her family’s history an abiding passion for the past three decades. In this book, Vivienne tells the Harvey’s story with luminous authority and an engaging enthusiasm.
Her 95-page book includes a useful index of place-names and is a thrilling expedition of discovery amongst her ancestors, depicting with numerous photographs the fascinating tapestry of life in Victorian and Edwardian Essex and farther afield.
Anyone with a keen interest in South-East Essex or similar communities will find information and links developed between families, friends and institutions, inspiring the reader to empathise with a famously vibrant landscape and community.
In addition to the Harveys, many other families are mentioned, including: Everard, Gillman, Griggs, Patmore, Pratt, Thorington, Wiggins and Yeaxlee. There is also a surprising connection with Victoria, Vancouver Island.
Published in September 2021 by Hadleigh & Thundersley Community Archive.
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I really enjoyed this book because, although my family did not arrive in Hadleigh until 1875, I was brought up in Thundersley and can even remember the pond in front of Hart Cottages and also the forge, although I am not sure what it was used for at the time. It was interesting to read about the village before it was built up.
Also, on page 47, there is a reference to my great uncle, Frederick Victor Hawks who married Isabel Harvey.
Having recently purchased this and read through it with delight, I found it utterly enchanting – fabulous photographs and intricate details into the lives of our forbears of Essex. I would thoroughly recommend this booklet on The Harveys to anyone.
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