Fullagar Tomb Restoration

Bob Chown of the Woodchurch Ancestry Group has undertaken an ambitious project to restore the Fullagar tomb close to the school wall in the north-west section of All Saints churchyard. This impressive table tomb is collapsing into the vault underneath and has a limited life having deteriorated seriously over the last ten years. Bob has provided the following background to the project and information about the tomb itself.

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Update - 4 March 2007
Bob writes: "It is now a year since I decided to try to restore the Fullagar Tomb in All Saints Churchyard. I spent the summer months writing to the Parochial Church Council and finding a monumental mason who was willing to carry out the job.

By September I had received permission from the PCC and the mason, Ivor Spencer, had prepared a quotation and submitted a 'faculty' to the Diocesan Advisory Committee at Canterbury Cathedral Precincts. After discussion at the DAC, a site visit was arranged first for September 8th, our daughter's wedding day, and then rearranged to December 8th.

On a very wet and windy day in December, three members of the DAC with myself, the mason and the Vicar visited the churchyard and viewed the tomb. In January, after the DAC's next meeting, the committee agreed in principle to the restoration subject to an archaelogical report from Paul Barnett of the Canterbury Archaelogical Trust. That is awaited.

According to Ivor Spencer, the mason, the work will need to be carried out during the summer months for safety reasons. Hopefully a date will be fixed for the tomb's opening sometime this summer."

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Taken on 9th March 1997, Mothering Sunday, with Bob Chown's mother, Margaret Joyce Chown née Fullagar now 90, standing behind.

The Fullagar Tomb

The tomb and vault contain the remains of six people and bears these inscriptions:

Top of the tomb	To the memory of Thomas Fullagar of this parish who died 6th September 1813. Mary Fullagar of this parish, spinster, who died 9th November 1818 aged 54 years.
West side	To the Memory of Ann wife of Thomas Fullagar of this parish who died 3rd April 1775 aged 51 years. Afflictions sore long time I bore, Physicans were in vain, Till God did please, Death should me seize, To ease me of my pain.
South end	Also of Sarah his second wife who died 10th August 1804, aged 72 years. In love I lived, In peace I died, My life was good, But God denied.
East side	In memory of Elizabeth wife of Samuel Fullagar who died 4th June 1811 aged 77 years. And also Samuel Fullagar of this parish who died 24th September 1825 aged 90 years. (Addendum Robert Chown).

The tomb was numbered No 69 in the north-west section of the churchyard by Ken Bourne whose wonderful work on recording the monumental inscriptions in the church and yard it is hoped to publish later this year.

Anne Fullagar
The first to be buried was Anne Fullagar (1724-1775) née Jewerst, first wife of Thomas Fullagar (1730-1813). She died on 3rd April 1775 at the aged of 51 and was buried 10th April 1775. It appears she had not been well for some time as her epitaph reads;

Afflictions sore long time I bore, Physicans were in vain, Till God did please, Death should me seize, To ease me of my pain.

It is difficult to imagine a modern epitaph stating how much the NHS had failed the deceased!

Thomas and Anne, who was living at Brookland at the time, were married at All Saints, Woodchurch on 22 April 1762 by banns when William Jewerst and Daniel Turner were witnesses. All made a mark. Later in life when Thomas made his will, he could sign his name but at the age of 30 he could not. From his Will summarised below, Thomas seems to have had enough money at the time of Anne's death to pay for the tomb.

Sarah Fullagar
Next to be buried was Sarah Fullagar (1732-1804) née Pearson who was living at Bethersden at the time of her marriage, second wife of Thomas Fullagar. They were married at All Saints on 16th September 1777 by licence. The witnesses were Thomas Briggs and William Illenden. Again noone signed their names but Thomas must have had some money by this time as a marriage licence was expensive and often used to show status and standing rather than to avoid the reading of banns. Both of Thomas's marriages were at his parish church. Sarah died 10th August 1804 at the age of 72. Neither of Thomas's wives had children, not surprising considering the age they were married, 38 and 45 respectively, and Thomas was left childless and a widower.

Thomas Fullagar
Thomas Fullagar himself died 6th September 1813 at the age of 83. He had been born at Marden where he was christened on 19th February 1730. As a child he accompanied his father John Fullagar (1700-1746) when he moved to Woodchurch to be Innkeeper at the Bonny Cravat Inn in 1734. Thomas wrote one of the longest wills I have ever seen. It is a goldmine of information for a Fullagar family researcher. In summary it reads:

Will of Thomas Fullagar of Woodchurch, farmer
11 July 1808, Consistory Court of Canterbury

Bequests to:

Bourne, Elizabeth née Fullagar niece and wife of James Bourne
Davis, Mary née Fullagar sister, wife of John Davis Woodchurch Farmer
East, Mary née Fullagar niece and wife of John East of Frittenden Butcher
Fullagar, Anne née Jewerst 1st wife
Fullagar, Ann daughter of deceased nephew John Fullagar Woodchurch Victualler
Fullagar, Benjamin son of nephew Joseph Fullagar
Fullagar, Elizabeth niece sister of Thomas
Fullagar, Elizabeth sister
Fullagar, John nephew deceased Woodchurch Victualler
Fullagar, John the son of nephew Thomas Fullagar
Fullagar, John son of nephew Joseph Fullagar
Fullagar, John father, deceased
Fullagar, Joseph nephew, of Town Sutton (Sutton Valence) Farmer
Fullagar, Joseph son of nephew Joseph Fullagar
Fullagar, Mary sister
Fullagar, Mary niece and daughter of brother Samuel Fullagar
Fullagar, Mary daughter of deceased brother John Fullagar
Fullagar, Richard son of deceased nephew John Fullagar
Fullagar, Samuel brother
Fullagar, Samuel one of the sons of brother Samuel Fullagar
Fullagar, Samuel son of nephew Joseph Fullagar
Fullagar, Sarah daughter of John Fullagar
Fullagar, Sarah daughter of deceased nephew John Fullagar Woodchurch
Fullagar, Susanna daughter of deceased nephew
Fullagar, Thomas Woodchurch Malster son of deceased brother John Fullagar
Fullagar, Thomas son of deceased nephew John Fullagar
Fullagar, Thomas son of nephew Thomas Fullagar
Fullagar, Thomas son of nephew Joseph Fullagar
Fullagar, Thomas Farmer nephew and son of brother Samuel
Fullagar, Thomas son of nephew Thomas Fullagar
Fullagar, William Thomas son of nephew Joseph Fullagar
Jewerst, Anne Repair, clean and paint the Vault and Tomb of first deceased wife
Jones, Sarah née Fullagar niece and wife of William Jones
Kingsnorth, John nephew, of Woodchurch cordwainer
Kingsnorth, John son of nephew John Kingsnorth
Rawlins, Elizabeth née Fullagar sister
Turner, Mary wife's niece the daughter of the married sister of Anne Fullagar née Jewerst 1st wife

Other people mentioned:
George Austen, (blank) Parsons Widow, John Curteis, Edward Young,
Thomas Austen, David Jones, John Savage servant to Mr. Waterman Tenterden, John Barber Woodchurch, Wm. Waterman junior Attorney At Law Tenterden - 1808, Peter Sims, Wm. Waterman attorney at law Tenterden - 1811,
Rev. John Francis clerk surrogate to the Right Honourable Sir William Scott Knight Doctor of Laws Commissary General of the City and Diocese of Canterbury.
Assets other than money. Property known as Gilham Lands situate lying and being at or near a certain Green called the Lower Green in the parish of Woodchurch.
A parcel of arable land called the Church Rowen lately part of the Glebe Lane belonging to the Rectory of Woodchurch
White House Lands situate lying and being in Woodchurch
Little Ingham

CODICIL signed 17th July 1811
Proved 13th October 1813.

Thomas left some money to maintain the tomb and the grave of his father. The Benefaction in the church tower reads as follows:

Fullagar Charity
Thomas Fullagar of this parish, farmer, by his will dated July 11th 1808, and proved in the Consistory Court of Canterbury, 1813, gave for ever the following to the Churchwardens during their term of office. One annuity of 10s. to be issued out of his lands called the White House lands, situated in this parish, commencing on Lady Day next after his decease and payable when the same should amount to the sum of £4, (with power of distress) upon trust that said Churchwardens should expend every eighth year to repair, clean and paint the vault and tomb over the same, which he then lately erected to the memory of his first deceased wife, and also the headstone put up to the memory of his then late father John Fullagar deceased, both standing in the churchyard of this parish, and in case the said four pounds should not be necessary for the purposes aforesaid, the residue thereof should be paid to the poor of this parish, as said Churchwardens should think fit.

The repairs of the tombs up to 1830 have amounted to £8 9s. 11.5d. so that at Lady Day (March 25th), 1830, when the last eight years payment was accounted for, there was overpaid 19s. 11.5d. The owner or occupier later repudiated the payment, and so repairs to the tombs ceased.

Thomas may not have been the most popular of men, as many on those who benefited from his will were still alive in the 1830s but would not pay for the 'repair, clean and paint' the vault and tomb when his charity was exhausted.

Samuel, Elizabeth and Mary Fullagar
The other three members of the family buried in the vault are Samuel Fullagar, Elizabeth his wife and Mary their daughter.

Elizabeth Fullagar (-1760) née Howland married Samuel Fullagar (1735-1825) who was Thomas Fullagar's younger brother. She was living at Kenardington at the time of their marriage and that is where they married on 12th October 1760. Elizabeth died 4th June 1811 and was laid to rest 8th June 1811. Samuel and Thomas must have been on very good terms as Elizabeth was interred before Thomas himself.

Mary Fullagar (1762-1818) was the eldest child of Samuel and Elizabeth. She never married. She was christened at Woodchurch on 25th february 1762, died 9th November 1818 aged 54 and was laid to rest 16th November 1818.

Samuel Fullagar (1735-1825) was christened in Woodchurch on 17th December 1735, died 24th September 1825 when his age was given as 90, and buried on 29th September 1825. Samuel was a farmer and owned the farm he worked. He left a will but no more money fror the upkeep of the tomb and vault.

If anyone has any more source information on these six Fullagars, please contact Bob Chown.

Restoration

Ivor Spencer of Cleverly and Spencer, the monumental mason who will carry out the work of restoration, believes the vault was first dug underneath and the table tomb was then constructed on top of the mound produced by the spoil from the vault hole. An entrance or even steps led down to the vault to allow easier access when depositing a coffin. The opening of the tomb and vault, necessary if a full restoration is to take place, will give the answers.

Taken on the 26th June 2005 after Bob Chown and two friends had cleared the soil dumped by modern gravediggers round the back and sides of the tomb.