Person:David Kempson (1)

David Kempson was baptised on Christmas Day 1811 at Totternhoe in Bedfordshire, son of Rebecca Kempson, formerly Turnham, and her husband George Kempson. David was baptised on the same day as his brother John. Given that there was less than two years since George and Rebecca's previous child's baptism, David and John were probably twins. David's mother died in 1833.

On 22nd October 1835, aged 24, David married Alice Gurney at the nearby village of Studham. They appear to have had five children together, although one died young. Their first two children were born in Totternhoe in the late 1830s, but by 1841 they had moved to the village of Kensworth, which at that time was part of Hertfordshire. David was described as a straw dealer. The 1851 and 1861 censuses similarly find David, Alice and their children living in Kensworth. David's father died in 1853.

In 1868, David was convicted of assaulting a man, for which he had to pay a fine of thirteen shillings and six pence. The following year, David was admitted to the Three Counties Lunatic Asylum at Stotfold, nearly twenty miles north-east of Kensworth. He stayed there for nearly eight years, appearing there in the 1871 census, when Alice and her youngest two children were still living in Kensworth.

In September 1877 David was transferred from the Three Counties Asylum to the recently opened Northamptonshire County Lunatic Asylum at Berry Wood in the parish of Upton, just west of Northampton. His notes indicate that his condition had not improved. He stayed there for nearly a year and a half, and died there on 8th February 1879. He was 67 years old.

Alice survived David by four years.

1. ↑ Church of England. Parish Church of Totternhoe. Parish register transcripts, 1559-1812.

   ch. 25 Dec 1811: Dav[id] s[on of] Geo[rge] & Reb[ecca] Kemson

2. ↑ England. 1841 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 441; Book 11; Folio 9; Page 13, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Drury, Kensworth, Hertfordshire
   David Kempson, male, 25 [1811-16], Straw dealer, not born in county
   Alice Kempson, female, 25 [1811-16], not born in county
   Eliza Kempson, female, 4 [1836/7], not born in county
   Sarah Kempson, female, 2 [1838/9], not born in county
   Abagail Cooper, female, 15 [1821-6], Straw Plaiter, born in county

3. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1757; Folio 279; Page 9, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Village Road, Kensworth, Bedfordshire
   David Kempson, head, married, male, 37 [1813/14], Dealer in Straws, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Alice Kempson, wife, married, female, 35 [1815/16], Straw Plaiter, b. Whipsnade, Bedfordshire
   Eliza Kempson, daughter, female, 14 [1836/7], Scholar, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Sarah A. Kempson, daughter, female, 12 [1838/9], Scholar, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Emma Kempson, daughter, female, 5 [1845/6], Scholar, b. Kensworth, Hertfordshire

4. ↑ England. 1861 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   RG9; Piece 1011; Folio 120; Page 7, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: North side, Kensworth Road, Kensworth, Hertfordshire
   David Kempson, head, married, male, 37 [1823/4], Lab[ourer], b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Alice Kempson, wife, married, female, 36 [1824/5], Straw Plaitter, b. Whipsnade, Bedfordshire
   Sarah A. Kempson, daughter, unmarried, female, 22 [1838/9], Straw Plaitter, b. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire
   Emma Kempson, daughter, unmarried, female, 14 [1846/7], Straw Plaitter, b. Kensworth, Hertfordshire
   Charles Kempson, son, male, 9 [1851/2], Straw Plaitter, b. Kensworth, Hertfordshire

5.   Bedfordshire Mercury, in United Kingdom. The British Newspaper Archive
   Page 8, 9 May 1868.

   LUTON.
   PETTY SESSIONS, MONDAY, APRIL 27.
   ASSAULT.-David Kempson, of Kensworth, was convicted of assaulting John Turvey, at Totternhoe, on April 24th. Fined, with costs, 13s. 6d.

6.   UK, Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, 1846-1912 (National Archives, Kew / ancestry.co.uk)
   Class MH94; Piece 21.

   No. 40116
   Name: Kempson, David
   Male Pauper
   Date of Admission: 27 Oct 1869
   Asylum: Beds
   Date of Discharge or Death: 7 Sep 1877
   Discharged: Not Improved

7. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 1552; Folio 156; Page 19, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: Three Counties Lunatic Asylum, Stotfold, Bedfordshire
   [Many patients, including:]
   D.K., patient, married, male, 63 [1808/9], Straw dealer, b. Totnell, Bedfordshire

8.   UK, Lunacy Patients Admission Registers, 1846-1912 (National Archives, Kew / ancestry.co.uk)
   Class MH94; Piece 24.

   No. 26635
   Name: Kempson, David
   Male Pauper
   Date of Admission: 7 Sep 1877
   Asylum: Berry Wood
   Died 8 Feb 1879

9. ↑ Death register, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   1879. DEATHS in the Sub-District of Bugbrooke in the County of Northampton
   No. 438
   When and Where Died: Eighth February 1879, County Lunatic Asylum, Upton
   Name and Surname: David Kempson
   Sex: Male
   Age: 70 years
   Rank or Profession: Straw Dealer
   Cause of Death: Senile decay accelerated by abscess, Certified by Richard Greene L.R.C.P.
   Signature, Description, and Residence of Informant: Richard Green, Medical Superintendent, County Asylum Northampton
   When Registered: Seventeenth February 1879
   Signature of Registrar: John Stanion, Registrar