From an email sent to me from Jeff Stumbke, 2 January, 2009.

On 14th December 1789, William Paramor, labourer married Mary Rose, spinster at Eastry parish church by licence (10)(11) The marriage seems to have been a somewhat belated recognition of their first child, Sarah, born some two years earlier. They went on to have - at least - eight children:— -
Sarah baptised Eastry 13-5-1787
Jane 27-2-1790
Mary 28-12-1791
William 26-12-1793
Robert 4-12-1796 ( 10)
Elizabeth
Richard
John (3)
William junior married Maria Carlton who came from the village of Nonington (1)
The couple settled in the mining village of Tilmanstone where William was initially employed as a labourer. They had nine children, all born in Barvil Tilmanstone:-

Joseph baptised 1-5-1829
Mary Ann 7-11-1830
Richard 16-12-1832
Bradley 31-8-1834
Frederick 26-6-1836
Henry John 15-4-1838
Harriet 1-3-1840
Walter James 12 -9-1842 (1)( 12)
Frances Maria 21-1-1844 (1)( 2)( 12)

About 1845 William took up the post of bailiff to Mr. Boys (12). Between 1845 and 1851 (1) the family moved to Farthing Loe Hougham, near Dover where William had secured the post of bailiff to Henry Elves (1). By 1851 son Joseph was a mariner (‘sailor' had been entered by the enumerator, but hastily scored out and “mariner” substituted, no doubt to placate the indignant Paramors who were very particular about being described as ‘mariners' and not as sailors! (1) (5). Richard and Bradley were agricultural labourers, Mary a servant and the other children were at school (!)
In 1858 William took ‘The Alma' public house in Folkestone Road Dover. William died on 19th January 1860 (4). Maria took over the pub and ran it more or less for the rest of her life. By 1861(1) Bradley, Frederick and Henry had joined their elder brother as mariners in the Dutch service. Walter however was shewing independence of direction and had become a paperhanger. Frances was dressmaker and Mary Ann and her husband William Palmer a builders labourer were living on the premises. The family income was supplemented by the rent from no less than eight lodgers(1).
Two of Williams sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, neither of whom had married also lived in Dover, keeping a lodging house at 4,St Martins Street. They died in 1865 and 1867 respectively. Each shared her estate out between their brothers or their brothers children. Touchingly Mary left ‘my gold watch seal and key to her niece Mary Ann Palmer.(3)
On 24th February 1864 Frances had an illegitimate son, William Ralph Barron Paramor .A reasonable guess would be that the father's name as Ralph Barron (1) By 1871(1) Maria was being helped in the running of the pub by her two married daughters Mary and Harriet (who had married shipowner Robert Hatton). Only one of the sons, Walter was still at home, and he had progressed to becoming a cabinetmaker. Walter subsequently opened his own furniture and upholstery business at 11,Biggin Street (4). He died aged 80 in 1921 (3) (one of his grandsons was Norman ‘Norrie' Paramor, the bandleader) .Of the other brothers, Bradley the 1881 census finds Bradley living with Sarah described as his wife (1) at 48 Folkestone Road. He became a shipowner,and died in l884 described as a bachelor. This ties in with my being unable to unable to find marriage I assume he was simply living with Sarah. Joseph became a publican and died in 1865. Henry became a master mariner (1882) and then retired to take a public house, first the Prince Louis in Chapel Lane (1887/8) and then the Park Inn in Park Place until he died in 1893. Frederick appears to have stayed at sea, he married and lived, when at home, in Priory Place (1). After Maria died circa 1890 William Palmer her son-in-law who had been working in the pub became the licensee into the mid 1890s.


William Ralph Barron Paramor, Frances' illegitimate son, was brought up by his aunt Mary Ann Palmer (5). His education included schooling in Lille France, paid for by members of his family. He was subsequently apprenticed as an engineer and fitter (1). On 4th January 1866, he married Lizzie Giles at Christchurch Hougham, which immediately adjoined the ‘Alma' (one of the pages was William Paramor, the bridegrooms first cousin, later Norrie Paramor's father) (5), Both bride and groom gave their ages as 22. She was the daughter of Edwin Giles horse dealer (6). He hid his illegitimacy by declaring his father to be Joseph Paramor engine driver. The couple had six children—

Walter
Florrie Maria
Elsie
James
Albert
Nora
Elsie (5)

William was set up by his family in the ‘Invicta' Snargate Street, Dover but he spent much of his time away. For a while he was an engineer with the Blue Star Line (7), which took him as far afield as St Petersburg in Russia (where he got iced in) and to New York (5). For a while also he was an engineer at Tilmanstone Colliery. The pubs were by and large run Lizzie, a small hard working lady. She was quite capable of shewing the largest, roughest most drunken mariner the door. At home William was rather wayward, he spent a lot of time and money drinking — in other peoples pubs. Despite this his daughter Florrie remembered him fondly as being a ‘good dad' (8). There were two dreadful tragedies little Nora died of diphtheria aged two, and Walter, aged 19 on his first voyage slipped off the quay in a Scottish port, and was crushed against the quay wall by an incoming vessel. It was Christmas day (5). William had to travel up to identify his son. An appalling journey. William himself was involved in a bizarre incident when walking along the seafront at Dover. An R.N.A.S, seaplane took off and shed part of its propeller blade. It struck William on the shoulder and broke it. He had to have a plate inserted in his shoulder, and received £50 compensation. Just before the First World War he took ‘The Chance' Inn at the small village of Guston just outside Dover. They kept this quiet pub until just after the war (4), when they moved to Athol Terrace a house below the cliffs at the eastern end of Dover seafront. Williams two Sons Albert and James (‘Jim') both followed their father into becoming engineers, on the Dover Harbour Board tugs ‘Lady Duncannon' and ‘Lady Brassey'. The inevitable rivalry between the two tugs (salvage!) reflected itself in the two brothers who would argue their respective merits for hours. Often they were quietly egged on by their father who would then sit back and enjoy the fruits of his stirring! Both vessels and Jim and Albert were called upon to play their part in the evacuation of Dunkerque.
Of the daughters, Elsie married Frank Chambers, who was a young officer in the Dover garrison in the First World War. Florrie the eldest daughter spent most of her early childhood minding the younger children. In fact she felt that this denied her own childhood, with the pleasure of play. For a while she was privately educated, staying with an aunt at Barham. On leaving school she went into service with the Wyndham family at Surrendon Park. She was paid 12/6d (62.5p) a week, plus 2/6d laundry money and 2/6d beer money as ladies maid. These amounts were all paid quarterly in arrear! She managed to save by doing her own washing and not drinking! This wage was augmented by the tips they were given at important functions which could amount to £5. She subsequently moved to the employ of Lord Montague, Park Lane in winter, Thames Ditton in summer, and for part of the year Beaulieu. On these occasions an entire train was hired to transport the household. In 1909 she married Morris John Nethercott a chauffeur (see the account on the Nethercott family).(5)
William and Lizzie continued to live in Dover Lizzie died in 1933 and William two years later in 1935(2)


Paramor
1. Census returns
2. G.R,O.Index
5. P.P.R.Will
4. Directory
5. Florrie Maria Nethercott nee Paramor daughter of William Ralph Barron Paramor
6. G.R.0.Certificate
7. R.J.Nethercott son of F.M.Nethercott
8. Florrie Maria Nethercott conversation two weeks before she died
9. But I could not trace the baptismal entry
10. Eastry Bishops Transcripts
11. Archdeacons licence Canterbury Cathedral Archive
12. Tilmanstone Bishops Transcripts
15. Neither Ralph nor Barron are traditional Paramor names