David Kitcher

​David was born to Robert (an agricultural labourer) and Mary (nee Peckham) who, according to the baptismal certificate lived in Ower when David was baptised on 10th June 1832 at Fawley church. He was the eldest of their children.

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The 1841 census shows the David (9) living in Beaulieu Rails with his parents and siblings Ellen (7), Charles (5) and Edward (2).

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By 1851 David (18) and Charles (14) are working as agricultural labourers have four more younger siblings - sister Ellen has left home and is a servant at Thorns Farm, Beaulieu.​​

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Elizabeth 'Betsy' Gregory

​Betsy was born to Edward and Charlotte (nee Baker) in 1837 and was baptised on 9th July 1837 at Brockenhurst church by the Rev Charles Shrubb.

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In 1841 her parents and their five children were living with her paternal grandfather in Furzey Lodge, her father and grandfather both working as agricultural labourers.

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By 1851 Elizabeth (14) was in service at Leygreen Farm.

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​David married Betsy on 16th September 1853 at Boldre Church and over the next 28 years they had 14 children. When Betsy's grandfather Edward Gregory died she inherited a half share in a cottage in Furzey Lodge.

 

In 1861 they we living in Furzey Lodge Cottage with their four eldest children, Mary (7), Charles and Charlotte (both 5) and Edward (3). ​David and Betsy were both baptised at the chapel in 1865; David on  2nd April 1865 and Betsy on 4th June.

 

In 1871 they were living in Furzey Lodge with 9 children aged between 5 months and 17. By 1881, still living in Furzey Lodge they had had another four children, the youngest just 18 months old.​​​​​​​​​

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​David died 6 years later and was buried at the chapel on 6th May 1886 by George Botright.

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The 1891 census shows Betsey working as a charwoman with son  Frank (23) an agricultural labourer, daughter Elizabeth (19) a domestic servant and Robert (13) working as a cowboy to help support the family. ​The 1901 and 1911 censuses show Betsy living in Furzey Lodge with son Robert who worked as a domestic gardener.

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Betsy left the half share she owned in the cottage in Furzey Lodge to her son Jesse, stipulating that he could not sell it out of the family and the rest of her legacy equally shared among her 14 children with a few additional bequests. There is no record of Betsy's burial other than this headstone as the surviving burial register is from 1837 - 1894.

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The epitaph includes a quote of Revelation 14:13 and the final verse of the hymn "Death of the Righteous" by Anna Letitia Barbauld. She wrote a children's hymnal that was published in the US in 1818. Her husband, Rochemont, was a dissenting minister and she was a classics tutor at the dissenting academy at Warrington.