Jarvist Arnold (1815-1896) was skipper of the lifeboat in the village of Kingsdown on the East Kent coast and became a celebrated hero, due to the lives he and his crew saved from the treacherous seas.
There are monastic records of a landowner named Herlewin le Hoppere living in the village of Ickham in Kent in the 13th century. As the present-day Hopper line has been traced back as far as 16th Century Ickham, it's quite likely that Herlewin is their ancestor...
Study of a letter written by my 2xGreat Grandfather, Alfred Kingsnorth, to his daughters on 10 March 1891 while he was staying with his son in Westbourne, Dorset. His son owned and ran the Beehive Stores on Seamoor Road - a 'Family Grocer and Provision Merchant'.
A number of men in The Willis Tree fought 'for King and Country' during the Great War (1914-1918) and World War 2 (1939-1945). Two brothers - George and Edwin Pile - are recorded as showing exceptional bravery in the line of duty...