Origin of name: From the Old English meaning 'Land of the East Saxons'
Name first recorded: 604 as East Seaxe.
This page reflects the life of William Earthy/Atthey 1719-1758 and the Earthy/Earthey descendants who have lived and worked in Essex for the past 283 years.
James Arthee born ca 1653
Thomas Atthey born 27/4/1679
William Earthy/Atthey 1719
William Earthy 1719-1758
William was a Blacksmith by trade and lived in Little Clacton, he was born in Lindsey, Suffolk on the 21st of September 1719, and died in Little Clacton on the 25th of February 1758. He married Elizabeth (surname unknown) they had 7 children:
Elizabeth Earthey, born Abt 1747.
Martha Earthey, born Abt 1748, married (Little Clacton, Essex) 2/5/1769, John James, Witness: Elizabeth Earthey. 2/5/1769.
Hannah Earthey, born Abt 1749, married (Little Clacton, Essex) 23/1/1770, Abraham Durrant, Witness: John James.
Joseph Earthey, born 21/1/1750-1 (more details below)
Susannah Earthy, born 1754, married (Little Clacton, Essex) 6/8/1775, John Ames.
Samuel Earthey, born Abt 1756 died 7/4/1809, married (Little Clacton, Essex) 12./12/1784, Elizabeth Smith.
Mary Earthey, born 1757
click here To view William's will.
Joseph Earthey 1751-1808
Joseph Earthey, (Son of William Atthey) was born on the 21st of January 1751 in Little Clacton, in a document from 1782 he is described as a 'Yeoman' he married Susanna Hatch in Little Clacton on 7th August 1787,
The first page of a Family Bible published in 1772 given to David Earthy a Canadian descendant, in 1970 during a visit to Little Clacton near Clacton-on-Sea, by three of his Great-aunts, Alice, Caroline and Nancy.
Joseph and Susanna had nine children all born in Little Clacton between 1788 and 1807, as named on pages 2 and 3 of the family bible as shown above. Joseph was buried in Little Clacton on the 8th of January 1808, aged 57.
Susannah Earthey, born 6/9/1788.
Joseph Earthey, born 11/2/1790 - died 29/6/1866, married (Little Clacton) 8/8/1838, Mary Ann Pudney. (more details below)
William Earthey, born 4/1/1792 - died 1860, married Elizabeth E Bacon.
James Earthey, born 6/1/1794, married Eliza.
Mary Earthey, born 14/11/1796 - died 20/12/1802
Samuel Earthey, born 20/12/1799 - died 1881, 1st marriage to Phoebe Graham 19/11/1825, 2nd marriage to Susan Scoffield 12/10/1851.
Edward Flour Earthey, born 7/5/1802.
Mary Earthey, born 9/10/1804 - died 5/10/1808.
Sarah Earthey b 7/2/1807 - died 4./11/1808.
Pages from the bible containing miscellaneous writing with reference to two different Susannah Hatch names, with dates.
It should be noted that Joseph's marriage to Susanna was in fact his fourth! the three previous marriages were to:
Sarah Durrant on the 13th of September 1772.
Mary Aves on the 22nd of December 1773, they had 2 children: Joseph 28/1/1779 - 13/11/1779 and Sarah 3074/1780 - 30/7/1780.
Charity Rayner on the 22nd of April 1782, they had 1 child: Elizabeth Earthy 15/6/1783 - 1/7/1783.
Joseph Earthy 1790-1866
Fort Wellington
Joseph and Susanna's eldest son, Joseph, born in 1790 served in the East Essex Militia and then in 1813 at the age of 22, joined the 16th Regiment of Infantry at Mullingar in the County of Westmeath, Ireland, under the name Joseph Arthy. From then until at least the end of 1818, he was stationed in Ireland, with the exception of June 1814 - June 1815 when he was at Fort Wellington, Canada, a British military fort built during the War of 1812 to defend the St. Lawrence Frontier against invasion from North America.
Joseph served in the East Indies from 1820 to 1836, during which period he carved his initials on a piece of ivory (shown above). In 1836, Joseph was discharged as medically unfit and sent home - still a Private. At this time, he was described as "a very small man debilitated and emaciated from the effects of climate and ''likely to be permanently incapacitated for military duty due to chronic rheumatic disease''.
In spite of this at the age of 46 Joseph married Mary Ann Pudney on the 8th of August 1838 in Little Clacton, and fathered 4 children all born in Little Clacton:
Edward Earthy, born 1840 - died 5/2/1903.
Elizabeth Earthy, born Abt 1841.
Thomas Earthy, born 1844 (more details below)
Harry Earthy, born 1845 - died 24/6/1856.
Proceedings of the Regimental Board held in conformity to the Articles of War for the purpose of verifying and recording the service, conduct, character and cause of discharge of No. 144 Joseph Arthy, Private in the 16 th Regiment of Infantry.
Cause of Discharge: chronic rheumatism. has been repeatedly in hospital since May 1833 and has done no duty since September 1835. He is a very small man debilitated and emaciated from the effects of climate.
Character: The Regimental Board is of the opinion that he is tolerable, (Daun Pauri)pore, Bengal 26 th of September 1836.
Tried by Regimental Court Martial and sentenced to 17 days imprisonment 17.6.1833 - 3.7.1833.
Opinion of the Principal Medical Officer at Chatham, May 26 th 1837: After examination at this general hospital, I am of the opinion that Joseph (Arthur ?) is unfit for service and is likely to be permanently incapacitated for military duty due to chronic rheumatic disease - Horse Guards 29.6.1837
Description on discharge: Age 45, Height 5' 4'', brown hair, hazel eyes, fresh complexion, by trade a laborer.
 
Thomas Earthy 1844 -1917
 
Thomas was born in Little Clacton on the 18th of May 1844, he married Sarah Ann Bareham on the 30th of September 1882, he spent all his life in Little Clacton where he also died on the 7th of April 1917.
Thomas and Sarah had six children all born in Little Clacton:
Jessie Sarah Mary Earthy, born 6./6/1883 married 1914 Jack Parkinson.
Francis Augusta Earthy, born 10/10/1885 married (Guelph, Ontario, Canada) 9/10/1908 Clarence Wilbert Bernhardt.
Alice Florence Earthy, born 18/1/1877 married (Clacton-on-Sea) 16/1/1909 Frederick John Hume.
Caroline Emily Earthy, born 5/2/1889 married (Kings Lynn) George Plain.
Joseph Stephen Earthy, born 24/5/1891 married (Brantford,Ontario,Canada) 18/10/1912 Margaret Ann Salter.
Nancy Anne Earthy, born 29/5/1897.
 
 
The only son Joseph Steven emigrated to Canada, this family photograph was taken shortly before his departure from Little Clacton to Brantford, Ontario, Canada in the summer of 1907.
Top row standing from the left: Caroline Emily, Joseph Stephen, Francis Augusta.
Bottom row sitting from the left: Alice Florence, Sarah Ann, Nancy Anne (standing), Thomas, Jessie Sarah Mary.
 
 
(Son) Joseph Steven's home 'Little Clacton Church Cottages' as photographed in 1970.
 
Originally three dwellings, built in the mid-1800's. All of Joseph Steven's family lived in the middle, on one side lived his mothers brother Stephen Bareham with his wife and family and on the other side lived his other uncle Lawrence Bareham with wife and family.
 
 
A book published by Emily Dora Earthy.
 
 
Emily Dora Earthy was born in Great Warley, Essex in 1874,
She worked as a missionary in Portugese East Africa (Mozambique) for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, from September 1917 to December 1930. She then obtained a grant from the Research Committee of Bantu Studies of the University of Witwatersrand, to cover six month's fieldwork among the Valenge women of that country, compiling raw material for her book Valenge Women: the social and economic life of the Valenge women of Portugese East Africa (Oxford University Press, 1933).
 
 
The Little Clacton Parish church.
 
It is at this church through the generations that many Earthy/Earthey's have been baptised and have got married. It is understood that a part of the church, still standing was built within 50 years of the Norman conquest in 1066.
 
 
Research by Dick Earthy, David Earthy, Margaret Masters.