Sarah lived close to St Mary’s church, Kennington, Ashford and was implicated in events surrounding The Battle of Bossenden Woods in 1838 and her association with a self-styled Messiah, Sir William Courtenay.
This is a name I knew previously. Geoff, a former friend and coleague, lived at a house called ‘Culvers’ in Ball Lane, beside the church. I remember visiting back in the 90s and he mentioned at the time something about Sarah Culver and prisoner in relation to the house in which he lived. It didn’t quite sink in at the time.
This stone lies in St Mary’s churchyard and it reminded me of what Geoff had told me. I looked it up and found an excellent recounting of the events here, so I won’t repeat it all. Please do read through the article, it explains a great deal. Sarah certainly had an interesting life it seems.
1793…
Sarah Culver is born in Molash. Her Father was William, a Farmer, and her Mother was Mary Elizabeth. She was baptised on 20th May, 1793 in Molash.
Somewhere in here…
Around 1838, before her first appearance on the first ever census in 1841, Sarah had become involved with a movement led by a self-styled ‘Knight of Malta’ who called himself Sir William Courtenay. His real name was John Nichols Tom, a spirit merchant from Cornwall. He was it seems often thought to be a Messiah by some and a madman by others. He seemed to be causing trouble in the name of the impoverished agricultural labourers and the poor in general in and around Boughton, Hernhill and Dunkirk in north Kent. At some point it seems he was staying with the Culvers in Dunkirk and I imagine this is where he crossed paths with Sarah.
After the death of ‘Sir William Courtenay’ in the ‘Battle of Bossenden Wood’ (1838), a place close to the Red Lion Public House in Dunkirk, a number of people were rounded up and later convicted for their association with Courtenay. Sarah was one of those. What her penalty was I am unsure, but she appears in the 1840 census at Dunkirk, with her parents, so was certainly free by then and then for the first time in Ashford in the 1851 census.
Interestingly there is a lane named Courtenay Road in Dunkirk now, so this is clearly very much part of the folklore of the area.
I acknowledge the site linked to above for this outline, namely https://favershamlife.org/the-battle-of-bossenden-wood-1838/
1841 Census
Sarah is shown living in Dunkirk with her Father William (70) and Mother Mary (65). Also listed is a John Culver (70) who may have been her Father’s twin brother? Also another John Culver with Mary Culver, both 40, so her brother perhaps and William Culver (15), a Farmer, another brother? These are relationships that could be investigated but I am focused on Sarah here.
1851 Census
Sarah (57), unmarried, is shown living in Ball Lane, Kennington as a ‘Landed Proprietes’ and was born in Molash.
1871 Census
Sarah (77), unmarried, is shown as still in Ball Lane, Kennington and her means are “House and Land and interest of money”.
11th April 1875…
Sarah died and was buried on 15th April, 1875 in St Mary’s churchyard, Kennington, Ashford.
Sarah’s name lives on, as the house, Culvers, still bears her name as do, I believe, one or two nearby dwellings now.
I found that Sarah was born a man in 1796— this may explain her appearance on meeting sir william courtney as described in book —BATTLE OF BOSSENDEN WOOD