© 2008 Tony Kirkman

Twyford is about 5 miles from Melbourne and shares its Parish register with Barrow upon Trent. It has a fascinating story. The introductory note on page 57 of the Twyford Parish (1657 to 1812) Register at the Derby Record Office says:

"Amongst notable families mentioned are the Kirkmans of Twyford of whom it is related that one family had three boys with only one hat, in consequence of which only one could go out of doors at a time. One went to London about 1780 and became Lord Major, and was knighted."  The story is nearly true! It starts with John Kirkman b abt 1645 and his wife Alice, identified from beautiful slate gravestones in St Andrews Church, Twyford. They have been linked to the Kings Newton Kirkmans through difficult & rigorous analysis of sixteenth century Melbourne Rolls.

 

 

 

 

Son John Kirkman b 1681 in Twyford was a Fisherman, but his family moved to Coventry some 40 miles North. He had 4 sons Joseph, John, William & Samuel, who all became extremely wealthy. John b 1710 entered the silk trade, and started a business in Friday Street, London. His daughter Ann married James Philips, who received a dowry of £2,000 from her father (£276,000 in 2007 value). A Bond dated 1757 demonstrates their wealth: “James Birch of Coventry, Esq., John Kirkman and Samuel Kirkman of Coventry, merchants and William Kirkman of Bow Churchyard, London, linen draper, bound to George II in £20,000 for collection of Land Tax in Warwickshire and Coventry.”

 

John’s brother Joseph b 1708 married Esther Elton at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1741. Some of his descendants are today in Australia

 

John’s son John, b 1744, inherited his father’s business. He must have been a charismatic man. He married  Maria Marsh, daughter of the governor of the Bank of England.  It was he, a freeman of both the Fishermonger’s and Weaver’s Guilds, that became elected an MP on 15 September 1780.  He died that evening. There is an engraving of his Funeral Procession. His 2 sons, John b 1776 and Robert b 1775 opened a cotton thread manufacturing business in Liverpool in the 1790’s, but by 1805 they were bankrupt with debts of over £35,000!

 

 

 

 

Key Locations

 

• Twyford
• Coventry
• London
• Liverpool
• Hampshire
• Sussex
• Essex