Kerslake?

This page is devoted to the KERSLAKE family, both my own branch and any others that may be connected to it. If you are a Kerslake and would like to trace your family, or pass on some information to me I would be delighted to hear from you.

For starters it seems very likely that the Kerslake family originate from Devon, there are written records of Kerslakes living in Tiverton as far back as the 1200′s. To this day there are a large number of Kerslakes living in the town and surrounding towns such as Cullompton and Crediton. There are also Kerslakes in many of the villages and towns throughout the county, as well as in the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Just over the county border with Somerset you will also find pockets of Kerslakes living in Wellington and Taunton. Further afield you will find Kerslakes living in London and quite a number in South Wales. Many Kerslakes left the UK around a hundred years ago and today their descendants will be found in Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.

There is some evidence that there are two entirely separate strains of Kerslakes. First are the original Devonians, and second are French Huguenot protestants who fled France about 400 years ago and settled in the West Country. It is thought that some of them adopted local names partly as a thank you for the help they received from local inhabitants and maybe partly to blend in a bit. In France they had been persecuted because they were different and perhaps this had some effect?

It’s also thought that the names Keslake and Carslake are corruptions of the original name, so members of these families may well find that back in time they were also Kerslakes!

To my knowledge there are a number of other Kerslakes trying to trace their family trees, and I am in touch with two of them at present. If we can arrange to collaborate we may be able to put some of the interesting information we have discovered up on a web site.

It may interest you to know that there is even a road named after a Kerslake family member in Devon. Kerslake’s Court can be found in the east Devon town of Honiton. I don’t know why this honour was bestowed, so if anyone has further information I would be pleased to receive it.

One other place in east Devon of interest to Kerslakes can be found in the village of Colyton. Just outside the old station, now used by the Seaton Tramway is a bridge which carries the tramway down towards the coast.

It was built back in the 1860′s by the firm of Thomas Kerslake of Fore Street in Exeter. And the name Kerslake can be clearly seen on both sides of the bridge in both small and large letters. The bridge is known locally and by the tramway company as Kerslake Bridge and is named as such on the official map for the tramway.

I have recently discovered two farms both known as Kerslake Farm, one is in Yettington, East Devon, and the other is in Mid Devon. I’ll try and find out some more information about these farms.

I have also started up a Yahoo e-group for Kerslakes to talk with each other. If you want to join then just click and sign up here.

Please feel free to send me any more information or any suggestions you may have for a possible Kerslake web site. I can be contacted via Email

 

 

 

 

FAMOUS KERSLAKES:

David Kerslake – ex QPR, Ipswich, Tottenham and Leeds footballer who recently took up the post of assistant manager at Cardiff City Football Club. Born in 1966 in London he went on to win 29 England youth caps, a record at the time.

Glyn Kerslake – stage actor/singer
(West End plays & radio)

Rosie Kerslake – actress (Emmerdale Farm)

The Rev Hinton with daughter Barbara (Rosie Kerslake) in 1983. Recently estranged from her husband, Barbara caused the vicar great distress by launching into a relationship with Joe Sugden.

Sir Bob Kerslake – New Head of the Civil Service

Lee Kerslake – rock musician (Uriah Heep)

Kevin Kerslake – rock group music video director (Nirvana amongst others)