Hi Robert,
No, Herbert William Urch is not directly related to me. My family of Urch's came from the Chelvey area of Bristol, Bedminster and ended up in South Wales working in the Coal Mines around Risca in Monmouthshire. I live in Barking in Essex, East of London. My father was Aubrey Urch who was born in Risca, Monmouthshire in 1913. He passed away in 1968.
I have a One Name Study of my surname and although it is far from completion, at the moment I have about 2,500 Urch births/baptisms listed which commence about the year 1530 up to 2004. Not many by any standard, my surname is extremely rare.
I have often taken it that as there are so few Urch's, that we are all related in some small way.
I can trace most Urch Families back to the 1500's, but am still missing some connections due to missing records.
I have made educated guess's on some Urch family connections because I don't have all the facts, but these have usually panned out.
These educated guess's are ones where records are missing, especially on the Anabaptist records, where no baptisms are recorded, these were mainly from the Mark area.
Francis Keen was I believe baptised in Banwell on the 24 August 1736 to parents Francis & Mary Keen nee Hurnman who were married on the 11 May 1736. Francis Keen married Jane Laney in Banwell on the 1 April 1755. Jane Keen nee Laney his wife was buried in Banwell on the 26 May 1779.
Francis Keen was buried in Banwell on the 18 September 1817 aged 81.
Meare is only about 15 miles to Banwell, so your Keen family could be related to Francis Keen, I cannot trace where Francis Keen's parents came from as yet, I suspect the family name was KEENE and goes back to the year 1636 in Banwell.
I cannot rightly state if John Urch was directly connected to Herbert William Urch. If he was it goes way back to the early 1600's, with the likes of Leonard Urch birth circa 1579 and his son Alexander Urch born 1617.
Alun Urch
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