People came from near and far, by plane, train and car, for the first Emptage / Emtage Gathering. They came in good humour, with the intention of enjoying themselves and contributing to the success.
It was a truly uplifting experience.
Gathering at the Viking Ship and Margate
There was no set programme on the Sunday but a number of suggestions for people to visit depending on the time they had available before leaving to make their way home. These included the Viking Ship, St John’s Church and Margate Museum.
Gathering at the Orangery
On the evening of the Saturday, thirty three of us gathered at the Orangery in Margate for dinner.
Not only was a fine time had by all but a surprise announcement was made.
Margate Lifeboat Men
When we visited the Margate lifeboat, Nick Smith, the archivist, had extracted the names of Emptages from the RNLI records, with their dates of service. He also provided a list of notable services and some historic photographs. This is an attempt to identify those Emptages.
Gathering at St Nicholas at Wade
On the Sunday of the Gathering weekend, several of us visited the church at St Nicholas at Wade, where Henry Emptage and Ann Peal were baptised in 1737 and married in 1763. Ten of their direct descendants were at the Gathering, including four who had flown from the USA.
Gathering at the Lifeboat
In recognition of our mariner heritage, we arranged a group visit to the RNLI’s Margate lifeboat for the Saturday afternoon of the Gathering.