The children of John Curling and Mercy Long of St Laurence, Thanet.

By Clive Boyce and LucyAnn Curling

As we are descendants of John Curling and Mercy Long we are particularly interested in their children. The History and Antiquities of the Church and parish of St Laurence Thanet in the County of Kent by Charles Cotton provides the basis for most if not all the family trees published on the descendants of John and Mercy Curling. Our aim here is to validate and develop Cotton’s findings. The relevant part of Cotton’s record is:

John Curling made his Will Feb. 27^th, 1720, which was proved in 1721 by Daniel his son, sole executor. Of his eleven children, six were daughters, of whom Mercy married George Osborne of Lidden, near Dover; Elizabeth married William Harnett of Spratling Street, in the parish of St. Laurence; Ann married Henry Belsey, of Coldred Walsingham; Mary married Peter Harnett, and Margaret married Capt. Martin Read; Jane died unmarried, before her father. Of the sons, John Curling married Elizabeth Kirby of Thanet; Daniel Curling appears to have succeeded his father at Chilton; Alexander Curling married Mary Rainier; Thomas Curling seems to have died unmarried; and William Curling married Ann Shepherdson.

Cotton refers to John Curling’s will without indicating any of the content. In fact the will confirms John’s wife as Mercy and specifies his sons as Daniel, Alexander, Thomas, William and John and his daughters as Ann, Mary, Margaret, Mercy (wife of George Osborne) and Elizabeth (wife of Henry Harnett). John’s wife Mercy was to inherit the estate and at her death or on her remarriage her children Daniel, Alexander, Thomas were to inherit the majority of her late husband’s property at St Peters; William was to inherit the remaining  property in St Peters. Ann, Mary and Margaret were left £100 each. John, Mercy and Elizabeth received 20 shillings each. Daniel was sole executor and was to receive the residue after all the other bequests had been made. It is curious that the bequests were so unequal.

Cotton does not refer to the will of John Curling’s wife, Mercy.  Her will which was made on Nov. 13, 1759 and proved on 31 March 1765 provides an excellent starting point to validate the family. In her will Mercy refers to:

• my son John and his 4 children 20 shillings each
• my late son Daniel and his 4 children 20 shillings each,
• my late son Alexander and his 4 children 20 shillings each,
• my late son Thomas and his 3 children,
• my son William and his 7 children 20 shillings each,
• my late daughter Elizabeth Harnett and
• her daughter Mary married to William Stock, £5
• her daughter Thomasine wife of John Maxted £5
• her daughter Mercy married to Thomas Hollands £10
• her daughters Ann Harnett and Dorothy £10,
• her sons Peter, Henry and John £10.
• my late daughter Ann Belsey and her 4 children,
• my daughter Mary wife of Peter Harnett a pair of salts, her daughter Mercy another pair of salts,
• my late daughter Margaret Read and her 3 children £20 each,
• my daughter Mercy Osborn share of the residue (with Mary Harnett).

The burial of Mercy Curling at St Lawrence was 14 March 1765 (Tyler Index).

The two wills substantiate most of Cotton’s conclusions regarding the family of John and Mercy. All those mentioned in the wills are covered by Cotton except for Jane who is not included in either will and presumably predeceased her parents. Mercy’s will shows that Thomas did in fact marry and had three children and John’s will is clear that his daughter Elizabeth married Henry Harnett and not William Harnett as Cotton claims.

Baptisms Cotton gives little or no indication of the dates of birth (or baptism), marriage or death of the children. The baptisms of their children were all at St Laurence (ex Findmypast Parish Registers):  Mercy 1 Feb 1694/5,  John 7 Jan 1696/7, Elizabeth 4 Nov 1698, Daniel 2 Nov 1700, Ann 29 Dec 1702, Alexander  25 Mar 1704/5, Thomas 3 Feb 1707/8, Mary 29 Mar 1708/9, Margaret 20 Mar 1711,  Jane 6 May 1713, and William 1 Jul 1715

Marriages The following marriages support Cotton’s findings and agree with John and Mercy Curling’s wills:  Mercy (recorded as Cullen rather than Curling) married George Osbourne of Lydden at St Mary Bredman, Canterbury on 29 Apr 1717 (ex Findmypast PR). Daniel married Elizabeth Pamfleet at St Peters, Thanet on 23 Apr 1723 (ex Findmypast PR). Ann married Henry Belsey at Lydden 25 May 1723 (ex Findmypast PR). Alexander married Mary Rainer or Reinier at St Laurence on 6 Jan 1725 (ex Findmypast PR). Mary married Peter Harnett of Lydden at St Margaret Canterbury 4 Dec 1736.  Margaret married Martin Read at Woodnesborough on 18 Feb 1733 (ex FMP PR)  William married Ann Shepherdson, both of St Laurence at Canterbury Cathedral 9 Nov 1738 (ex Findmypast PR, see also Canterbury Marriage Lic).

Cotton concludes that Thomas did not marry whereas Thomas’ mother makes clear that he did and when she wrote her will in 1765 he had died leaving three children. We suggest he is the Thomas Curling who married Mary Bax at St Clement, Sandwich on 8 Dec 1730. The record (Findmypast PR) shows they were both of St Laurence and married by licence. They did have three surviving children when Mercy’s will was written.

Two of the marriages which Cotton proposes are wrong or in serious doubt: Cotton concludes that Elizabeth Curling married William Harnett of Spratling Street, in the parish of St. Laurence. In fact she married Henry Harnett [Tyler note CML Henry Harnett of St. Laurence bachelor & Eliz Curling same place spinster at St. L. 16 June 1720] Findmypast PR has 23 June 1720 and definitely to Henry. Moreover the children of Elizabeth and Henry Harnett agree with those cited in Mercy’s will and there are no children for William and Elizabeth Harnett.  We can find no marriage record for the marriage of John Curling to Elizabeth Kirby nor any children for this couple. However there is a marriage of John Curling to Mary Kirby at St Peters, Thanet on 10 Jan 1716.

It is likely that Cotton made an error with the spouse’s Christian name as he did for Elizabeth’s Curling’s husband. Cotton had the benefit of ancient family records and it is very likely that the Kirby is correct. The following points support this view:

1. John Curling of Barham died Jan 24 1781, aged 84 ie born 1697 which fits well with the son of John and Mercy baptised St Lawrence 27 Jan 1696/7; this would make him about 20 when he married (but he was not described as a minor). A memorial inscription at Barham church which we have checked, clearly gives his date of death and his age. There are no records of Curlings at Barham prior to 1716 (when he married) and John must have been born elsewhere.
2. John and Mary had 4 children alive at the time of Mercy’s death as her will states.
3. John and Mary’s first born child was Alexander which was relatively unusual outside of the family of John and Mercy Curling.
4. Two of John and Mercy’s daughters also moved away from Thanet to marry. Ann and Mary both married in Canterbury and brought up their families in or near Lydden which is very close to Barham. 
   It is therefore our contention that John and Mercy’s son John married Mary Kirby and lived his adult life in Barham.

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Deaths Cotton gives the death of John and Mercy’s son Daniel ‘at the age of 45 in 1715’. This is clearly wrong as Daniel was born about 1700 and married in 1723. The true date is 1745 and 1715 was probably a typographical error.  John and Mercy Curling’s wills show that several of their children had predeceased them: Alexander – his mother’s will refers to his four children and that he had predeceased her ie he died before 1765. His death was before 1751 as he is given as deceased when his daughter Mary died March 1750/51. His burial has not been found. Thomas the baptism of his son Thomas in April 1741 indicates he died just before the baptism. He cannot be Thomas Curling widower buried at St Laurence March 1740 as his wife Mary died much later. Elizabeth was buried at St Laurence 30 Aug 1743, wife of Henry Harnett. Ann wife of Henry Belsey was buried at Lydden on 13 Aug 1738. Margaret was buried at St Laurence on 21 Dec 1753, wife of Martin, ex FMP PR. There is a memorial inscription: Near this place lies the body of Margaret, the wife of Martin Read and the daughter of John and Mercy Curling of Chilton died 16 Dec 1753 in her 44th year.