My maternal ancestors
Soberton, Hampshire and the Pafford family
Between the ages of thirty and my mid-fifties, I resurrected my love of cycling, which began in my early
teens when I cycled alone for many miles in the countryside of southern Hampshire. In later life, I had
moved on to time trials of between ten and fifty miles and long, arduous Audax rides of 125 and 250
miles, which were also against the clock. This involved intensive training and hundreds of miles on the
road each week.
In my fifties, when staying with Mum at Portsmouth, I’d take the car to Denmead and unload my bike
for what became my favourite route to East and West Meon and back, using the country lanes and
meandering around Hambledon. This was a wonderful mix of climbs, views and long, gradual
descents. My ride included Worlds End, the lane which runs due north through Hoe Gate (see map
below) in the south-eastern corner of Soberton parish and the stretch of the Old Winchester Road from
West Meon towards Droxford. I deliberately chose this byway because when I was a boy, Grandpa
would take his family for a drive in the countryside on Sunday afternoons - to Chidden Downs in
Sussex, Petersfield Lake and the Meon Valley.
If one believes one is pulled to the places where our ancestors lived, then what I’ve described may
signal his and my returning to our roots, because for a century from around 1650, our ancestors lived
at Soberton.
Of Soberton in Hampshire
Soberton’s boundary to the west is almost entirely the River Meon, a beautiful, slow chalk
stream that meanders gently from the Salisbury Plain to the sea. The northern part of the parish
has been designated as an Area of Natural Beauty and the parish as a whole has a mix of
arable land, downland, part of the Forest of Bere and water meadows. There are three main
villages, Soberton, Soberton Heath and Newtown, together with smaller hamlets following lanes
at Hoe Gate, Hundred Acres and Kingsmead.
One feature that impinges on a study of the Paffords at Soberton is the clay-rich area in the
south-eastern corner which supported local brick-makers and roof-tile making. This is reflected
by local names such as Kiln Copse, Clamp Kiln Row, Clamp Farm and Kiln Hill. Brick cottages
‘of high quality’ were erected among the flint-built homes. T
Origins of the Pafford name in South Hampshire
The record of the Hearth Tax in Hampshire of 1662 and 1670 (a copy of which is available on the
Internet Archive website) provides a pivotal point when searching for some of the first Paffords in
the area - though it should be noted that this record is a transcription, which cannot be checked.
At Soberton in 1670, there was an Edward Parford (sic) and his home with two chimneys which
were chargeable, Philip Parford and John Harford’s (sic) houses both had one chimney which
was not chargeable. Despite the spellings, judging by later records, these three family heads
were probably Paffords
However, it is unlikely that Soberton was the first place in southern Hampshire where Paffords
first settled. In the seventeenth century there were Paffords at Titchfield, Clanfield, Droxford and
Southwick. Even earlier, in the 16thC, there were Paffords at Warnford (to the north of Soberton),
a Jeffrey Pafford died at Soberton in 1565 and a Richard Pafford who also passed away in the
same parish in 1657 - Richard may have been related to the three mentioned above.
There was a settlement at Soberton in Roman times, and then an early Anglo-Saxon presence. The
Domesday Book (1086) notes there were around forty-five families at the village. The parish church of
St Peter, Soberton, where my ancestors christened their children, married and were buried (Edward
Pafford who died in 1682 specifically asked to be buried in Soberton churchyard in his will), dates from
the thirteenth century.
It became a widespread parish of nine square miles in the River Meon Valley about fifteen miles from
Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester and eight miles north of Fareham. Neighbouring parishes
included Meonstoke, Hambledon, Southwick, Wickham and Droxford. When Soberton folk wed, they
often married mates from outside the parish and settled there, a fact that should be borne in mind
when constructing a pedigree. Pafford wills confirm this when describing the location of family
members and this mobility needs to be constantly taken into account when researching the family.
This is worth noting because some of my Pafford family moved south from Soberton to Titchfield,
and thence to Alverstoke, near Gosport. For example, Edward Pafford (baptised 30 May 1763 at
Soberton) moved first to Titchfield and then to Alverstoke, as shown by where his children were
christened between 1789 to 1801. Perhaps a reason for this migration had to do with the family
being involved in brick-making.
Carolyn Hughes, in her well-researched articles, Heavy Industry on the River Meon - Iron, and
Bricks, confirms that in 1741 a brick kiln was in the garden of John Pafford’s house at Soberton.
Even earlier, in 1716, John Pafford of Soberton, brick-maker (possibly the same man) was
granted a bond for the the administration of Ann Pafford’s estate (his mother?). A descendant of
John, William Pafford, who was living at Charleswood, Soberton was noted as a brick-maker in
the 1841 and 1851 censuses. Carolyn also reports that there is evidence from trade directories of
brick-making in the village until the mid- 20th century.
Also, in 1744, Philip Pafford of Soberton was described as a brick-burner of ‘Underwood in
Mitchell Land Coppice in Southwick’ who supplied bricks and tiles to Mr White of Porchester for
his new house. Thirty years later, a Philip Pafford, brick-burner (who was married to Maria - my
direct ancestors) took out a mortgage on a newly-erected cottage at Kings Mead, Soberton. Two
years later, in 1779, Simon Antrim of Portsmouth signed a lease with Maria Pafford, widow,
Thomas and Mary (nee Pafford) Knight, of Denmead, and Philip Pafford of Soberton (brick-
burner, and probably Philip and Maria’s son for a cottage garden and pasture occupying six acres
adjacent to Kings Mead.
The history of another branch of my family at Henley-on-Thames illustrates how brick-makers
and brick-layers built their own houses and owned more buildings, so we should be alive to this
possibility in the case of the Paffords at Soberton.
Carolyn also highlighted the presence of brick kilns at nearby Funtley and Fareham. Bricks from
this area were used to build Fort Widley on Portsdown Hill, to the north of Portsmouth. Also the
area around Titchfield had brick kilns as Greenwood’s map from 1826 illustrates:
Historically, there are several Pafford families in the USA and their potential roots in the UK have
been eagerly examined. There has been a Pafford convention at Springhead, Georgia for around
125 years. This branch notes Paffords in Devon ‘between Chatford and Drewsteignton and a
William de Pafford in Cornwall (1324 - 1339) and jumps 500 years to the early nineteenth century
when a James Pafford went to Georgia from Tennessee to sell mules and horses to early settlers in
1838. Many of today’s Pafford claim to have been descended from him via his son, Rowan.
There is also a website devoted to those with Pafford DNA evidence which has twenty contributors
who presumably are attempting to trace their origins and connections.
It is clear that here there is a chasm stretching centuries which requires provable research to
establish familial links with the past. My wife’s maiden name is Courtney, and many in her family
fervently declare that they are descended from a de Courtney who came to England with the
Norman invasion. However, with the best will in the world, I can only take her family’s history back
to around 1600 - another black hole of many centuries with few surviving records. Wishful thinking
and eager belief is no substitute for solid genealogical proof - and even that is under intense DNA
scrutiny these days. For my part, genealogy and genetic fact come together to prove my descent
specifically from George (1752 - 1836) and Mary Pafford, via their daughter Charlotte Mills Antrim
(nee Pafford) as I have two DNA matches to other descendants of 18 and 10 cMs.
I should mention here that I also have a match valued as 10 cMs with someone who includes a
Ruth Pafford (1675 -1745) of North Tawnton, Devon among her ancestors.
Pafford families in America
In June 1784, John was back in England and living with Peter Pafford, a plumber and glazier of
Gosport, Hants. Peter was noted as living at Gosport when he died and was buried at Titchfield
on 2 August 1818, aged sixty-eight. It is probable that John and Peter were brothers, the sons of
Philip and Maria(h) Pafford who were baptised at Soberton on 16 August 1741 and
4 January 1750 respectively. These two were also brothers of my ancestor, George Pafford (who
was baptised at Soberton on 19 September 1752).
A positive identification of a Pafford from Soberton in America in the late eighteenth century
(I am indebted to Rachel Littlechild for her research which has helped
my Pafford delvings considerably)
River Meon and water meadow at Soberton, Hants.
St Peter, Soberton - shown, with the kind permission of Colette Sinton
What I’m about to write may be dismissed as whimsical and bizarre, and I shan’t insist on its being
relevant. "Ancestral memory" or "genetic memory" refers to the feeling that people have about their
ancestors living in a particular place, without prior knowledge. This concept suggests that individuals
may have an intuitive connection to places where their ancestors lived, even if they have never been
there before.
Many people report experiencing a sense of familiarity or belonging when visiting locations associated
with their ancestral heritage. This phenomenon is described by some as a "sixth sense" or an
"unexplained connection" to a place. But note that while many people report these experiences, the
scientific basis for genetic memory remains a topic of debate.
First, a history lesson to explain the circumstances in which John Pafford, late of the parish of
Soberton, Hants (baptised on 16 August 1741), found himself embroiled.
Charleston (originally Charles Town) is a city on the coast of South Carolina and is 670 miles
south of New York. Its neighbouring state to the south is Georgia. Goose Creek is eighteen miles
inland from Charleston.
Charleston was founded in 1670 as a British colony. Its location resulted in rapid expansion so
that by 1750 it was the wealthiest city in southern America. It exported rice and indigo from
plantations cultivated by African slaves. Huge profits were made which built a society that
mirrored European aristocratic lifestyles.
Meanwhile at Goose Creek, ‘a colony within a colony’ was created in the 1660s by white
Barbadian planters who sought to replicate their Caribbean success on the North American
mainland. Goose Creek emerged as a political and agricultural stronghold defined by its
contentious relationship with colonial authorities, its reliance on slaves, and its role in shaping the
region’s geopolitical landscape.
There were attempts to promote religious tolerance, which threatened the Goose Creek Men’s
Anglican hegemony and the settlers’ participation in the Indian slave trade - a lucrative enterprise
that involved capturing and selling Native Americans to Caribbean plantations further destabilized
the region.
Socially, Charleston had a small class of wealthy planters and merchants and more than half its
population were slaves on whom the economy relied. There were periodic attempts at revolution.
The rich were also threatened by taxation from Britain, which culminated in the city’s Tea Party in
1773 when 257 chests of taxed tea were confiscated.
Charleston’s leaders saw a threat to its self-governance and in 1774 South Carolina aligned itself
with other rebellious colonies and attempted to overthrown the British royal authority, seizing
control of key installations in 1775.
In June 1776, British forces led by General Henry Clinton attempted to capture Charleston, but
were repulsed. Encouraged by what was seen as Loyalist support in Charleston, Clinton laid
siege to the city in 1780, with 14,000 troops and a naval blockade. During this time, on
6 June 1780, a number of people living in Charleston sent an address to Clinton expressing their
loyal support for his work to restore peace instead of rebellion. They wrote:
After six weeks, the British temporarily reasserted control over the South. Now, Charleston’s
economy was devastated. Rice exports plummeted; many plantations were requisitioned or
destroyed and slaves seized their chance to flee. The city was gradually reconstructed with
slaves still underpinning trade. Charleston became a symbol of Southern resistance
John Pafford arrived at this hotbed of intrigue and rebellion in around 1768. He was twenty-
seven years of age. He had absolutely no experience of working with slaves - but did know
how to make bricks.
His experiences were summarised when he sought redress in England for his later losses:
Other comments add details to this pen-picture. The following is an extract from Spies in the
Continental Capital and its chapter, Commuter Spies: New York and Philadelphia:
John married Hannah Marshall at St Philip, Charleston on 5 June 1777. The report above
indicates that the couple had two children.
John was one of the Charleston men who added their signature to the address to General
Clinton in 1780
During the siege of Charleston, a slave named ‘Robert’ took advantage of the situation and
ran away from his master, John Pafford. Sir |Henry Clinton ordered him to be returned and
on 31 May 1781 that order was carried out (Jenkins’ Memorandum Book).
Perhaps John also married again in New York on 28 August 1781: “John Pafford (a brick-
maker) married the widow, Ann Florintine”.
More about John’s exploits can be found at The (English) National Archives where there is
a holding dated 22 August 1781 re: John Pafford, Refugee. New York. Note by Major
Thomas Murray that Colonel Morris will be pleased to continue rations until Mr Pafford can
get a passage to Charlestown.
Researching Paffords at Goose Creek, South Carolina using DNA matches evidence
Finally, I note that there may be a later connection of Paffords from Georgia, with Goose Creek,
Charleston. Frances Bertha Pafford (born on 26 October 1918 in South Carolina to Lucious
Cleveland and Rose Lee [nee Hughes] Pafford) married Jack Wilbourne Ogletree. In the 1920 US
census they were noted as living at Goose Creek.
Lucious was born on 13 December 1893 at Coffee County, Georgia and married Rose on
21 November 1915 at Ware, Georgia. As Goose Creek is approximately 230 miles from Ware it
seems perhaps unlikely for it to be a random choice to which this couple would move. A trawl of
the internet indicates that today there are several Paffords at Goose Creek (population less than
50,000).
Based on this information, may I suggest that some of my American cousins ‘Do the genealogy’
(as Diahan Southard is fond of extolling) and trace Lucious’ roots, and also check their DNA
matches of those with the Pafford name who may be currently living at Goose Creek. This may
produce proof positive of their English roots which so many are keen to establish.