Kemp Family History: 1714 to Present

John Kemp

John Kemp, Marriage Certificate 1737

Born: 1714, died in 1757

Married: 1737 Martha (surname not known)

Lived: Essex Little Samford and Prittlewell

Children: Two sons and one daughter

Born: 1737, died in 1810

Married: Mary Sumner in London

Lived: Essex

Children: Seventeen children! Eight girls and nine boys. Four of their children died before the age of six months, and another two before the age of two years. They had interesting lives: Martha became a missionary in India, William was the Master of the Smack boat ‘Two Partners’, and Robert migrated to America.

Career: Farmer, Householder, and gentleman of Little Stambridge.

Of note: The family name Durival has been given to several members of the Kemp family over the generations as a middle name. The name has been spelt in different ways: Durrell, Durival, Durrivell, sometimes abbreviated as Durr. The origins of this name are not certain. One explanation is that it was a Christian name of the Shorts family of Kent, one of whom married a Kemp.

Born: 1770, died in 1844

Married: Susan Stonard

Lived: Broomhills, Essex

Children: Eight. Four sons and four daughters

Career: Farmer, Grocer, and a man of independent means

Of note: The marriage of John Kemp and Susan Stonard took place by licence. This was an option favoured by the wealthy and by non-conformists since it avoided the necessity of having banns publicly read in the parish church. The licence was purchased from the diocesan or other relevant authority, who required a sworn allegiance accompanied by a bond; there was no legal impediment to the marriage. Initially, John and Susanna lived in Rochford and, after 1794, moved to Broomhills, a large house near Rochford in the parish of Great Stambridge, which still survives to this day.

Born: in 1810, little Stambridge Essex, died in 1877 in Dibod, Egypt (where he went due to ill health)

Married: Emily Lydia Kelsall

Lived: Great Stambridge Essex, London, Beechwood Rochdale

Children: Six, including five girls and one boy. One of his daughters, Jessie, had a remarkable life. She went to India on missionary work. After returning due to ill health, she then went to China. She married Thomas Wesley Pigott, and they had one son named Wesley. In 1892, they founded an independent mission in Shouyang, where she worked as an evangelist and gave medical help. In the 1900 Boxer Revolution, they were all captured and publicly beheaded.

Career: At the age of fifteen, George started a seven-year apprenticeship in the manufacture of silk (see the section ‘of note’ for the terms of his apprenticeship – they were pretty remarkable!). He later became a JP in Lancashire and joined forces with the Kelsall family to create the flannel manufacturing company Kelsall and Kemp, where he worked from 1861 to 1877. He was also a founding member of the Bloomsbury Baptist Church.

Of note: On starting his seven-year apprenticeship at fifteen, he had to agree to the terms laid out in his indenture. It was something to behold. The terms included: ‘he shall not commit fornication, nor contract matrimony within the said term. He shall not play at cards, dice, tables, or any other unlawful games, whereby his said master may have any loss. He shall not haunt taverns or playhouses…’ and so it goes on! George’s circumstances had changed radically by the midpoint of his professional life. In 1851, he was living at 43 Tavistock Square, London, helped by three staff. He then moved to a substantial property in Rochdale, and the Census of 1871 shows he had seven staff helping his family, including a Governess, Rosina Droy, from Switzerland.

Born: 1866, died in 1945

Educated: Shrewsbury and Balliol and Trinity Colleges

Married: Beatrice Mary Egerton (Daughter of the 3rd Earl of Ellesmere)

Lived: Old Hall, Highgate Village in London, Butts House in Rochdale, and Lingholm in the Lake District.

Children: Three. One son and two older daughters

Career: Served as a Captain in the Boer War with the Duke of Lancaster’s own Imperial Yeomanry (a unit of volunteers who served alongside the regulars) that was mentioned three times in dispatches. He served in the First World War at the age of forty-eight. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Lancashire Fusiliers (reserves) in Egypt and the ill-fated and bloody campaign at Gallipoli. On the 4th of June 1915, he led the ‘Manchesters’; of the nine hundred men he ‘took over the top’, less than three hundred survived. He was so appalled by what was happening at Gallipoli that he asked for special leave to report the facts directly to the prime minister and Lord Kitchener, after which he then returned to Gallipoli. He was a Liberal Unionist MP for Heywood (1895 to 1906) and a liberal MP for NW Manchester from 1910 to 1912. He was knighted in 1909 in recognition of his military service and created a Baron in 1913 also in recognition of his military service and political contributions. He held several positions, including Director of Barclays Bank and Chair of Kelsall and Kemp.

Interests: Cricket (he played for Lancashire from 1885 to 1893), hunting, shooting and tennis

Of note: The Census of 2nd April, 1911 showed how the fortunes of the Kemp family continued to evolve. George, his wife Beatrice, their daughter, and son lived at 32 Grosvenor Gardens, London, a house with thirty rooms. They were supported by fifteen servants, including a butler, footman, second footman, three housekeepers, two chauffeurs, two ladies’ housekeepers, a cook, kitchen help, a scullery housekeeper and under housekeeper. George was a true believer in Liberal politics and a staunch supporter of free trade. By the end of his political career, he had tired of being a politician and was disillusioned with shenanigans and the unenlightened positions held by the government of the time. He left with the parting words that he ‘loathed politics’ and politics ‘had been a source of unmitigated dislike and unhappiness to him.’

Born: 1906, died in 1993

Educated: Eton and Trinity College Cambridge

Married: Elinor Dorothea Pease

Lived: Lingholm, Lake District

Children: There were two children, one son and one daughter.

Career: During the Second World War, he was part of the British Expeditionary Force and the mass evacuation of British troops from the shores of Dunkirk. By chance, he could pull Alec Davidson (who had worked for his father) from the sea into the small boat he had just been hauled into. He saw active service throughout Europe, India, and the Pacific, where he was attached to the US forces and promoted to Honorary Brigadier. He was awarded an OBE in 1945. He became Chair of Kelsall and Kemp in 1945. He was appointed Chair of the Cotton Board in 1957 and was a cotton industry and trade champion. In his memoirs, Harold Macmillan (British prime minister) wrote, “The chair of the British Cotton Board was Lord Rochdale, a man of infinite patience and skill, combined with absolute integrity. Without Lord Rochdale, we could have achieved nothing. I never ceased to admire his devotion to a task he had undertaken purely from a sense of public duty.” He was also a director of several businesses and financial institutions. He held various roles in shipping, including Chair of the National Ports Council, Harland and Wolff and headed a three-year enquiry into UK shipping. He was made a Viscount in 1960 in recognition of his public service. He was also a very active and conscientious member of the House of Lords.

Interests: The gardens and woodlands at his home, Lingholm, the arts and Christian Science and social engagements.

Of note: He was a firm conservative and believer in government intervention in the right circumstances. He always believed that universities should prepare people not only for the professions but also for manufacturing. He knew that manufacturing and trading worldwide were essential to creating wealth. John was greatly assisted by his assistant of 30 years, Marjorie Dymock, whose organisational and administrative skills enabled him to focus entirely on his business and political responsibilities. On his death, Marjorie continued to work for his wife, Elinor.

Born: 1938, died 2015

Educated: Eton and Leeds University

Married: Serena Kemp

Lived: Lingholm, Keswick, Cumbria

Children: Survived by eldest son Jonathan Hugo Durival Kemp

Career: Scots guard, sales for a protective clothing company, councillor on Cumbria County Council, chairman of the development committee of the Lake District Special Planning Board. Director of Lingholm Private Trust (former family estate)

Interests: High altitude climbing (Two-man team with professional mountaineer Neil Allinson), cycling and walking.