Tapley family

This family enter my tree with the birth of my 4th Great Grandmother Catherine in Chilham in 1786. Once establishing her as part of my tree by processes of elimination it is clear that the spelling of the name is not consistent from generation to generation, but as the family stayed in Chilham the parish registers enabled the tracking of the family back to Nicholas born circa 1602 my 9th Gt Grandfather as well as the various female lines en route. Wills have also been of use in this part of the family.

Some research claims our first Kentish ancestor was almost certainly William de TOPPECLYVE/TOPPECLYVE probably born around 1330, who, as the valet of the Archbishop of Canterbury, found such favour that he was appointed by him as bailiff for life in the Liberty of Maidstone on 20th August 1364 at Windsor Castle and to be the archbishop's commissioner in the Liberties of the counties of Kent, Essex, Sussex, Surrey, Middlesex and Hertfordshire for life also; his salary to be paid out of the revenues of the manor of Godmersham, a hamlet about 4 miles from Ashford on the Canterbury road.

There are a number of trees published and the evidence seems good to at least take the family back to the 1400's and possibly to 1260.