Related to Phoebe?

I am writing in connection with the article on Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the Discover Your Ancestors magazine, Issue 9, page 92-97. After reading the article, I am wondering if she is a distant relation of mine. It is mentioned that Waller-Bridge are landed gentry of Cuckfield, Sussex. I have recently discovered my 6x-great-grandfather, Alexander Bridges (1713-81), is landed gentry, my 7x-great-grandfather of the same name was born in Cuckfield, Sussex in 1673, and my 8x-great-grandfather also of the same name (1638-1714) was living there. These links, plus the similarity in our names, makes me wonder if there is a connection.
James Bridges

Nick Thorne, the writer of the article about Phoebe Waller-Bridge in our latest print edition, replies:

If I am correct then you are descended from Alexander Bridges of Lindfield and Cuckfield.

In the case of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s family it was the Wallers who had come from Cuckfield (until the male line died out) and the Bridge family had come from Leyton, Essex.

Phoebe’s great grandfather was the Rev Horace Waller-Bridge, Rector of Worth and of Cuckfield House, Cuckfield. Horace Bridge had adopted the additional surname of Waller by Royal Licence in May 1913. This was because his wife, Elsie Noéline Ward-Boughton-Leigh was the only surviving child of the late Rev Theodosius Cotterel Henry Ward-Boughton-Leigh, BA, Vicar of Rodmersham in Kent, and his wife Florence née Maunsell. Florence was, in turn, the daughter of Louisa Maunsell, née Waller who inherited Cuckfield House as the sister and heir of Frederick Waller, QC, of Cuckfield, Sussex.

In the article I had used the Armorial Families resource on TheGenealogist which revealed that the Rev Horace Waller-Bridge is the second and only surviving child of the Rev Henry Darley Bridge of Leyton, Essex; that his father in turn had been the son of Lieut-Col.George Bridge of the 3rd Buffs and the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms. I have taken a look to see if I could find any connections between the Wallers and the Bridges in Cuckfield, sadly nothing has turned up so far.

Lost in Kent
I have been on a multi-year hunt for a single generation ancestor in Kent, but continue to smack into the proverbial brick wall. I think I am needing to be pointed at additional reference material, and am hoping that someone can send me some rudder orders.

I am searching for the parents of my 6x-great-grandfather, Solomon Hougham or Huffam, who is assumed to have been born about 1674. This date is probably based on his known marriage year, 1695, minus 21 years. Parish records show that he married Susanna Neale in Minster, Thanet on 25 February 1695. Both were listed as ‘of this parish’. Susanna’s family is located in Sandwich, with her christening found at Sandwich St Mary’s.

In 1696 Solomon and Susanna were located in Sandwich, St Peters, and began having children, starting with Richard, then Solomon (1698), John (1701) , Elizabeth (1705), John (1708), Stephen (1711), and Mary (1712). All were indicated to be christened at St Peters, but the only surviving male with issue was Solomon, Jr. This Solomon was convicted of grand larceny and transported to Virginia in the summer of 1721, thus founding the family in America.

Solomon Sr. died in 1740 in Sandwich; Susanna died in 1712.

I have digital copies of court and parish registers, and transcripts of parish registers for these facts.

I have been searching these same parish registers, land and tax records, and other court records for any indication of Solomon Sr’s birth / christening. The closest I have found is Solomon Huffam, christened 22 January 1659, at Sandwich St Peters, son of Richard Huffam and Mathew (last name unknown). Richard was christened 29 September 1623 at Sandwich St Peters, son of Richard Huffam and Clem Waite. I have not yet found the linkage of these two families to the greater bulk of the Hougham / Huffam line. I have not located any other Solomon in Kent born between 1656 and 1694. The 1656 Solomon is documented to have only had three daughters. I have consulted various collections of parish records and other Kentish sources online. Many of these records are affected by the English Civil War hiatus on parish record keeping. My Family History Center probably has a seat with my name on it for all the time I’ve spent reading parish records.

I have compared known information against records indicated at http://hougham-huffam.org/, based on lifelong works by Marian Hurley Pratt and Arthur Hougham, and at https://royroyes.net, which overlaps with Pratt’s work. These adept researchers found that Solomon Sr’s family died without issue, and stopped researching the line that was carried on by Solomon Jr. If I can link Solomon Sr. to Pratt, the family is extremely well documented back to 965, with Danish Vikings. Royes takes the family further into extremely early Norwegian and Swedish Vikings.
Hank Hufham, Arlington, Texas, USA

The editor replies: One option would be to commission a UK researcher (see www.agra.org.uk to find one) to help. Alas the index of pedigrees look at pedigrees held in the currently closed Society of Genealogists library (sog.org.uk) does not include the surnames Huffham/Hougham.

There is one PCC will on TheGenealogist.co.uk dated 1697 for a Soloman Hougham (of London, though it does seem to mention Sandwich so he may be the right family). And it would be worth consulting Kent Family History Society .