Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Roy: Uncle, you tell me, you say what you were telling me about, you knew those two Methodist ministers.

Charles: The two uncles.

Joan: Two uncles.

Roy: What were their names, do you know?

Charles: One was, no, not Robert, Albert, Albert Spurgeon. And I can't call to mind the other fella. In a place called Attleborough, just on the outskirts of Norwich. That's the county seat of Norfolk. And your grandmother, grandfather was born there. And your grandmother was born in a place called Reedham, a few miles away.

Roy: That's on the Norfolk Broads as well. And their father was who? One of these two we talked about?

Charles: Who's father?

Roy: My grandfather's father.

Joan: Was their father, because they were brothers.

Charles: Yes. There was your father and there was my father. What are you trying to get at Roy?

Roy: The two Methodist ministers, Albert and Robert, was it?

Charles: No.

Joan: We don't know their names.

Roy: Albert and somebody. They were what, brothers of...

Charles: They were brothers of your grandfather, yes.

Roy: They were, oh, I see.

Charles: Your grandfather was Albert Spurgeon.

Roy: Oh, was he. Yes.

Charles: No wait a minute, Walter, Walter.

Roy: My father was Walter, my grandfather was Albert.

Gladys: Wasn't your father's name Robert?

Charles: Yes, my fathers name was, but he wouldn't be my grandfather.

Gladys: No, but he'd be Roy's grandfather.

Charles: Roy's grandfather, that's right.

Roy: I'm like your son.

Graham: There's two Walters then? James father and James grandfather, they're both Walters.

Roy: Did they all come from the, they didn't come directly from Charles Haddon Spurgeon, did they?

Charles: Oh no, he was a 43rd, my father was a 43rd cousin of Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Roy: Oh, as much as that. So we're miles out. I always thought we were much closer than that.

Charles: No, I don't think so. As long as I've been able to trace it back. Isn't that it dear?

Gladys: Well, you said a 43rd cousin, I don't know how he got that far back.

Joan: Because your father used to say he was Charles Haddon Spurgeon's 3rd cousin, didn't he?

Roy: Yes.

Charles: No, he's mistaken.

Roy: Oh I see, its far.

Joan: It's a long way back.

Roy: Because Charles Haddon Spurgeon had a brother called James Archer.

Charles: Yes I was reading something about his history the other day, I don't know where it was.

Roy: Were you. Yes, I have a feeling we must come from that side of the family.

Charles: They all originated in Norfolk.

Roy: Yes they all gathered around that way. Charles Haddon came from Kelvedon in Essex, where he was born. And he had two sons, both of whom were ministers. One was the reverend Thomas, the other was the reverend Charles. They were twins apparently, and they were born in the New Kent Road. One of them was the minister of Efford church in Greenwich, in the 1880s. But I haven't been able to go further than there yet. It looks to me as though our family must stem from the other side, from Charles Haddon's brother.

Charles: Could be. I really never studied it.

Roy: No I haven't either. One of these days I must do it properly and see.

Charles: Yes.