Kemballs and Kembles of Suffolk and Essex

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Les Kemble on the far left, his brother Ron Kemble third from right, and their father William Kemble on the far right: builders in Wivenhoe working for Barrell’s, around the 1950s.

I’ve spent many years, on and off, trying to trace my grandma’s Kemble ancestors. They arrived in Wivenhoe in Essex from Suffolk via Fingringhoe, and saw a change in surname from Kemball to Kemble – in fact, my 3 x gt-grandfather’s surname was spelt three different ways!

I’ve managed to trace them back to Hitcham and my 6 x gt-grandparents, John Kemball and his wife Mary, but I’ve never found their marriage and I can’t go any further back.

To try to break down the brick wall – which ironic, seeing as Kembles and Kemballs were builders – I’ve been transcribing Hitcham’s parish register as well as registers for parishes nearby, looking through wills, and researching the Kemballs around that area. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll find an unclaimed John Kemball in those trees who could just be my ancestor.

Thomas Kemball and Grace

William Kemball and Elizabeth Burgess

Kemball resources