My great grandfather Edward Chapman, a stonemason, was killed in a quarry accident at Crich in Derbyshire. He had been married for only two and a half years and his son, my grandfather John, was two months old. John’s mother, Marie (née Hill) remarried William Booth in 1842 and they were to have a further six children.
John eventually adopted his stepfather’s name when he took up bare knuckle prize fighting and was known as Battling Jack Booth. He fought for a sovereign a time and saved up enough money after marrying my grandmother, Emma Haynes, on 27 May 1862 at Holloway Chapel, Ripley, when she was seventeen years old, to fund the purchase of property on their arrival in Kiveton Park. By the time they came to Kiveton in 1869 they already had three children:
They would have a further eight children in Kiveton Park, three of whom would die in infancy. They were: John (24 June 1870 – 4 August 1927), Isaiah (first quarter of 1873, died three weeks old), Lilly (first quarter of 1874, died five months old), Matthew (31 January, 1876, died 10 March 1937), Herbert (19 January 1878 – 6 January 1934), Henry (Harry, 23 February 1880 – 29 September 1916), Ernest Haynes (11 August 1885 – 17 October 1962), Percy (second quarter, 1888 – third quarter 1884).
He went to play football for Grimsby Town before settling there and marrying twice. He became the chief Stevador on the docks and had a reputation for being a formidable bowler in the people’s park bowling club. His first marriage to Henrietta Amour produced one child, a girl, Annie Augusta. His second marriage was to Jane Healey, they had four children: twins, Elsie who only lived for two years and Gladys, John and Millicent.
Lived all her life in Kiveton Park and married William Rodgers from South Anston. He was one of the men who sank the shaft at Kiveton Colliery and had the nickname of ‘Sinker’. They had seven children: Herbert who died in infancy, Emma Haynes whose musical reputation was legendary in the area, Annie Chapman and John William, who also died in infancy, Lily, Ethel Elizabeth and Mildred.
John became famous as a trade union leader and magistrate. He also served on numerous committees and on the Parish Council. He was instrumental in the development of such projects as the recreation ground, St. John’s Hall, the cinema and was a governor of Woodhouse Grammar School. On the day of his funeral the Colliery and all the shops in Kiveton and Wales closed as a mark of respect, and it is estimated that 3,000 people attended the funeral. He had married Hannah Maria Whaley from Eckington in 1891 and they had seven children: Mabel, Percy, Bertha Mildred, Elsie Aimee, Daisy Sybil and Herbert.
He married Mary Scott of Kiveton Park at St. John’s Church, Wales, and followed Thomas to Grimsby where he worked for Grimsby Corporation as a Sanitary Inspector. He was a keen sportsman, a director of Grimsby Town Football Club and a prominent Mason. His partnership with his brother Thomas is legendary in Grimsby bowling circles. They had five children: Albert Max, Herbert Victor, Doris Mary, Harold Scott (died in infancy) and Frank Wilfred.
Herbert became the most famous member of the family and perhaps the most famous son of Kiveton Park. His achievements are dealt with separately elsewhere on this site. He married a schoolteacher called Poxon, who had come to teach at Kiveton on secondment. They had four children: Kenneth Herbert, who played for Harlequins RUFC and President of the Rugby Union, John Bruce Derek, Nancy Molly, and Joyce. Herbert still lives on at the Arsenal where in 2007 they have brought out a commemorative away shirt in his honour.
Although perhaps overshadowed by Herbert’s achievements, Harry was considered a far superior footballer and was always introduced as the best uncapped inside forward of his day. He played his professional career for Sheffield Wednesday and Hull City, where he became Manager before his untimely death in 1916 from turbercolosis. He married Miranda Chappell who married at 10 Old Rows – Harry lived at number 17. they had three children: Harry, Reginald and Walter Chappell. Miranda died the day after giving birth to Walter and Harry died some ten months later. The three boys were ‘adopted’ by members of the family: Harry was looked after by Herbert, Reginald by Martha Mary and Walter by John.
He was a good enough footballer to be given a trial by Chesterfield but suffered from Tubercolosis which put an end to his footballing career. He became the landlord of the Blacksmith’s Arms in South Anston, where he met his first wife, Laura Fisher Whitfield. They had two children, Martha Mary and Ernest Haynes (jnr).
Laura died in 1927 and Ernest married my mother, Elsie Chapman, née Peat. (My mother’s first marriage, to Dick Stockdale Chapman of Embsay, near Skipton, had died after being gassed in the First World War). A native of Harthill she came home and studied to become a midwife. They married in 1928 and had my brother Roger and myself. My father worked down Kiveton Pit until 1957 when he retired aged seventy. He passed away in 1962, after three years of illness.
I am now the most senior member of this side of the Chapman family, and am currently researching a book about our history which will be available to read and download from this website soon.
Ken Chapman
Chair, Kiveton Park and Wales History Society