James Caffyn 1818-1894

James Caffyn moved to Robertsbridge in 1840, it was in Robertsbridge that he ran his busy drapery and grocery shop, where he married Elizabeth Mannington on the 12th April 1842 and where they raised their large family. 

His first wife died there in 1864 and was buried on the 29th April, she was only 44 years old.  Their youngest surviving son was about 4 years old at the time.  James remarried on the 28th December 1865 in Mountfield to his second wife, Elizabeth Parsons. 

James Caffyn, not surprisingly, was a Baptist.  He purchased a house on the High Street in Robertsbridge for his friend James Weller to run as a chapel for the Baptists; it became the Bethel Strict Baptist Chapel and continued to operate until 1996 but it is now a private house again.

James and Elizabeth (nee Mannington)'s large family included:

James, born in 1843.  James initially worked with his father before becoming an auctioneer in Salehurst.  He married Martha Booth in Gloucestershire in 1865; their only child, Minnie Elizabeth, was born in 1871 in Robertsbridge but sadly she died the following year.  Martha died in 1884 aged 46 years and James remarried later the same year,  but his new wife, Delta (nee Kirby) was left a widow  when James died the following year.  Delta Caffyn never remarried, she died in 1918.

Martha, born in 1845.  Martha married Augustus Mannington, a farmer in nearby Ewhurst, in 1868 (probably a first cousin once removed from Martha's mother).  Five of their children (sadly 3 died young) were Isaac (1869), Kate (1870), Edith (1872), Frank (1874) and Mary Ann (1875).  Martha died in 1912 aged 67 years, Augustus in 1924 aged 79 years.

Elizabeth was born in 1846.  She never married and continued to live with her parents, after their deaths she moved to St Leonards on Sea for a while.  She died aged 80 years in 1927.

Mary, born in 1848.  She married George Ballard, a farmer, in 1872, their eldest son, George Caffyn Ballard was born in 1874, Horace (1875), Jane (1876), Emily (1878), Grace (1880), Winifred (1881), Elizabeth Caffyn Ballard (1883), James (1885) and Helen (1887).  Mary died in 1887 (apparently of scarlet fever) aged 38 years.  George never remarried and died in Kent in 1920 aged 74 years.

Stephen Mannington was born  on the 15th May 1850, he trained as a surgeon but was also an author and inventor.  He married Kathleen Hunt in February 1879 and they moved to Australia where their children were born, Stephen (jnr) and Winifred Zelma Mannington twins were born in 1881 and both died the same year, Harold Hunt (1882), Jack (1884) and Chalenor (1891).  The family returned to England in 1892 and were financially very well off, sending their children to schools in Europe.  Sadly things did not go well for them; Stephen was made bankrupt and then died of tb in 1896.  His widow wrote novels and was able to support her family but then their son Jack left to explore America in 1903 and was never heard from again (he was declared dead in 1919) and their sons Harold and Chalenor were both killed fighting in the First World War.  Kathleen died in Italy in 1926.

Daughter Sarah was born in 1852 and died the same year.

Peter William was born in 1853 and was an apprentice draper at the time of the 1871 census.  I have not found any record of him after this date and he wasn't mentioned in his father will (written 1893) suggesting he had died.

Joseph was born in 1855 and he married Sarah Ballard (probably a cousin of Mary's husband George Ballard) on the 8th April 1880.  They also had a large family including their eldest son Joseph Mannington Caffyn (1880) who was killed in the First World War, Harry (1882), Helen (1883), Elizabeth (1885), Jeannie (1887), Wilfred (1889), Gertrude (1893) and Daisy (1897).  Joseph was a miller, farmer and ran a post office and later on was a political agent.  Joseph died in 1922.

Jane was born in 1856 and went away to school in Hackney.  She died aged 24 years and was buried in Salehurst on the 4th December 1880.

Ellen was born in 1857 and like her sister she went away to school, in her case only as far as Uckfield.  She died in 1887 aged 29 years and was buried in Salehurst on the 14th March.

Alfred was born in 1860 and was a boarder at school in Lewes before he became a farmer in Burwash and then in Ticehurst.  He married Mary Florence Smith in 1984 and they had two daughters, Margaret (1885) and Norah (1891).  He was another well off member of this family as he was able to employ a governess for his children.  Alfred died in 1943.

The youngest child Charles was born in 1861 and died the following year.

James Caffyn lived to be 76 years, he was buried on the 27th October 1894 in Salehurst, seven of his children had predeceased him and many of them were buried in the same graveyard along with his first wife.  Elizabeth, James's second wife was also buried in Salehurst on the 27th January 1900 aged 89 years.