A. L. R. Clements

Alison Clements Posted: 8 Jun 2019

Alice La(y)man Rach(a)el Clements (nee Joyce) was born on 13 May 1849, the youngest child (of at least 6 children) of Benjamin and Ann Joyce. She was born in Deptford, on the Kent/London border.

The Joyce family belonged to a non-conformist Methodist sect founded by Lady Huntingdon in the late 18th century, called the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion.

Aged 13, Rachael was living away from her family, as a house servant with the Jordan family, in Woodford, Essex.

On 12 April 1868, Rachael was baptised at All Saints, Cambridge at age 19. Her baptism was the very first mention of the forenames Alice Layman. Her birth certificate records her only as ‘Rachel’ with no middle names. It appears that she went by the name Rachael throughout her life, although formal mentions of her in the New Zealand press tended to be to Mrs ALR Clements.

In the 1871 census, Rachael (22) and her mother Ann (63) were living with Thomas Clements (gentleman) at 59 Jesus Lane, Raedegund Buildings, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. Ann’s occupation was as a nurse and Rachael’s was a domestic servant. Her father, Benjamin Joyce (65-tailor) was living alone but nearby.

On 12 October 1872, Alice Layman Rachael Joyce married Charles Clements (no relation of Thomas Clements above) at All Saints church Fulbourn. Charles’ occupation was blacksmith.

On 20 April 1874, Charles and Rachael’s first son Charles Thomas Clements was born in Cambridge. Charles Thomas was the only one of Charles and Rachel’s children born in England.

On 2 November 1875, Charles and Rachael emigrated from Gravesend which is on the Thames Estuary just east of London, to Otago New Zealand on the ship Corona, together with their son Charles Thomas (age 1). On the ship’s manifest, Charles is recorded with the occupation general smith.

Their second son (Arthur Corona Clements) was born during the passage about two weeks before the ship's arrival in NZ.

The Corona arrived at Port Chalmers on 6 February 1876. Unit it was held in quarantine. After the family had been cleared for immigration, Charles was employed by the New Zealand Australian Land Company. Daughter Alice Jane was born in 1877. In January 1879 they were living in Edendale where Charles worked as a blacksmith. Four more children Catherine Elizabeth, Philip George, Alfred Joyce and William were born in Edendale.

Charles’ Edendale blacksmith business lasted for eight years. However in December 1886 he was placed into bankruptcy.

The family moved to Princess Street in Timaru, where youngest child George Henry Clements was born. It was here that, as ALR Clements, Rachael signed the suffrage petition in 1893.

Sometime between 1897-1903, the family moved to Christchurch. Rachael was widowed when Charles died 28 April 1903.

Rachael did not remarry but she outlived her husband by 20 years.

Charles Thomas and Alice Jane predeceased their mother.

Rachael was an active member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union and of the Union Methodist Church, Addington in Christchurch.

Rachael died on 20 May 1923, aged 74 at Riccarton, Christchurch. She is buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, alongside her husband. At the time of her death, she had six sons, two daughters, 32 grand-children, and four great-grandchildren.

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