My 3xgreat grandparents James Stocking (1829-1883) and his wife Mary Ann Collins (1828-1881) had eleven children between 1851-1869 who in turn produced 121 children of their own, although not all survived infancy. I believe I have found records for: 11 children; 121 grandchildren; 174 great grandchildren and 21 great-great grandchildren (although I have not researched the later generations as much as the earlier ones). But even this suggests that, over four generations, James and Mary Ann Stocking had at least 325 descendants. I must have a lot of distant cousins out there! Here’s an overview of the lives of James and Mary’s 11 children, their known descendants and links to their stories.

1. Mary Ann Susan Stocking (1851-1912).

My 2xgreat grand aunt married William James Ward, a Packing Case Maker, in 1873. Their entry in the 1911 census states they have had 11 children, only four of whom were still alive. I have only found records for nine children. Three died in their teens, two in infancy. Of the four others, I have not been able to trace their later lives, marriages, offspring or deaths. What I know of the family is detailed here.

2. James Thomas Stocking (1853-1920).

My 2xgreat grandfather James Thomas Stocking married Alice Mary Wales in 1874. They had a remarkable 19 children (some pictured with them below in c.1904); two died as babies and one as a teenager, but the rest survived to adulthood and to marry and raise their own families – producing 43 grandchildren and at least 34 great grandchildren between them. WW1 impacted the family: read the stories of those who served here. Apart from Stocking, descendants’ surnames include: Schofield; Vaines; Humber; Martin; Hanna; Bishop; Partridge; Lawrence; Frost; True; Gash; Evans; Monk; Turner; Gregson; Greenslade; Smith; Golder and Rowson.

3. Caroline Jane Stocking (1855-1917).

Caroline married Carman Charles Baker in 1878. They had eleven children according to the 1911 census, although I have only found records for eight. She reports that four of the children had died by then. I know at least one died as a baby. Of the records I have found of the surviving children, they married and had at least three children of their own, a fairly modest dynasty compared to others in the family – but I may not have found all relevant information. What I have found is here.

4. Richard Daniel Stocking (1857-1938).

In 1880, Richard married Martha Maria Goodman. She died after 15 years of marriage, and the birth of eight children. Sadly, the first six children died in infancy, only the two youngest surviving to adulthood and the birth of two grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. The story of Richard’s losses and the places the family lived and died is told here.

5. Robert Matthew Stocking (1859-1945).

Martha seems to have been a common name in the 1850s; Robert Stocking married Martha Elizabeth Silverlock in 1884. He was a Leather Dresser, and this post describes their lives in Bermondsey, the ‘Land of Leather’. Robert and Martha raised seven children who, unlike many of his nieces and nephews, all lived to maturity and produced 21 children of their own. The First World War took its toll on the family, as is told in this post.

6. Frederick James Stocking (1861-1940)

His wife and their first (illegitimate) child both appear to have been named Rose, but their stories have a hint of mystery. Frederick married Rose Wallen (sometimes written Waller, Walley, Warren) in 1883. Her home address on the marriage register is recorded as Aylesbury Street. Nothing unusual about that at first sight, it was close to where they married. However, it seems that this address was used by a very large proportion of brides marrying the same year (and in other years) at the same church. Something of a mystery; read more about the brides of Aylesbury Street. The marriage produced ten children (the first, Rose Mary, was born before their marriage), who had at least a further 25 children between them. Read about their lives here.

7. George Thomas Stocking (1862-1947).

A Leather Dresser, George married Fanny Whicher in November 1882 and their 56-year marriage produced 17 children (according to the 1911 census). I have only found records for 15, born between December 1882 and January 1905. Five died as babies or children, and two were killed in WW1. The story of George’s family as far as I know it is told in this post. George was the first of his siblings to be able to sign his name, which he did as witness on most of his surviving children’s marriages. The at least 26 descendants of those children bore the surnames Stocking; Southwell; Woolard; Baple; Chalkley and Brown.

8. William Thomas Stocking (1864-1923).

William was a Carman who married Elizabeth Ellen Smith in March 1885 and they had 13 children. The family were very much part of the industries of Bermondsey, and their lives in the teeming streets and noisy factories and wharves close to the Thames are described in this post. Like his older brother George, William and his wife lost several children in infancy and to the First World War. Find out more here. The 11+ descendants of their surviving children bore the surnames Stocking; Chandler; Dowsett; Denney and Garratty.

9. Henry John Stocking (1866-1938).

Henry married Alice Matilda Vidler in 1887. He spent much of his life working as a Labourer of various kinds, including in the Tripe Dressing industry, in and around Bermondsey. Five of their children died young. The family’s story can be found here. The five surviving children had descendants with surnames Stocking; Barber and Baker.

10. Albert Stocking (1867-1943).

Bermondsey’s Leather Market featured strongly in the life of Albert Stocking, as he was for a long time a Leather Dresser, then Carman (delivery driver) and later Horse Keeper. He married Florence White on the last day of 1888 and they had 12 children, another large family to contribute to the descendants of James and Mary Ann Stocking. They lived relatively long lives, with both Albert and Florence dying shortly after the end of WW2. Their stories are told here. Their children’s 21 known descendants carried the surnames Stocking; Roskilly; Coleman and White.

11. Prince Arthur Stocking (1869-1940).

Speculation on why James and Mary Ann gave their youngest child the first name Prince is covered in this post. He married Eleanor Young, also known as ‘Ellen’, in 1891; a few years later, they moved from Bermondsey to Godalming in Surrey to what, perhaps, they hoped might be better conditions but which, it seems, were just as over-crowded and insanitary as those they’d left behind. They were impelled to board or ‘put out’ their first five children, the youngest only two years old, after a summons for over-crowding. Read more about the court case and newspaper reports here. In all they had 11 children, although three died young. The surviving children had at least nine children of their own, bearing the surnames Stocking, Duddridge, Fagg and Meech.