Aunt Floss

some notes by Jonathan Simons

Florence 'Floss' Francis was one of my father's favourite relatives. She was a kind and caring lady. I knew her at Hillmead, Canterbury and later at Brookland. Talking to Olive about her I was surprised to find that Floss's earlier life took place in Sussex, just on my doorstep!

Floss was the youngest daughter of Jacobus and apparently a favourite of his. When Jacobus died she went to live with Francis and his first wife. However, Floss was not happy there and moved down to work in service in a 'big house in Sussex'. That house was Copsale Court, which is about two miles away from where I live. I hope to get myself invited into the house sometime soon.

On one of her days off, Floss went to Dragons Green to attend some sort of revivalist meeting at a church hall. There she met Frank Francis whose lived in the village. They became friends and then got married. Frank was a farm labourer and lived in a succession of houses. It was at Ferndale in Jolesfield, about a mile and half from where I now live, that Olive was born. They had another child, Ron, but I forget where he was born.

At one point the family lived at Thakeham on Peacock's Lane. It was there, as children, that Edward and my father Vic used to visit. Both Vic and Edward went back in later life to see if they could recognise which house it was where they played together so happily in the trees and fields.