Hetty, Emma and Bessie were three of the four sons and eight daughters of Edmund Catchlove (b 1839 Compton, West Sussex) and Selina Jane (Penn) Catchlove (b 1847 Chalton, Hants), some of the last members of the Catchlove family (of the West Sussex/East Hants area) remaining in the UK. In 2000, there were only 18 telephone entries in the whole of the country - 2 in Southampton and 1 in Chandlers Ford, Hants (who may be related to each other and perhaps to the Hanns), 3 in Bristol (who are probably related), 3 in Woking, Surrey and 1 in Cobham, Surrey (who are probably related), 2 in Luton, 1 in Dunstable, Beds and 1 in Bedford (who are probably related), 1 in Coventry, West Midlands, 1 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, 1 in Ramsey, Cambs and 1 in Nottingham. There may be a few others too. I have not started to research the families of father’s Catchlove aunts and uncles in depth yet, so if anybody has any information they wish to volunteer......

Since originally writing this page, I have discovered an even earlier, though convoluted Hann-Catchlove connection. It appears that a Jane Catchlove born ca1812, who could well have been my first cousin four times removed (christened at St Mary's Church, Portsea, Portsmouth on 12 December 1812) married a William Williams and had a daughter - Martha Mary Williams. Martha Mary subsequently married Robert Ralph Slape and had a daughter, another Mary Martha. Mary Martha Slape in turn married William Nicholas HANN (1869-?) of the Montacute branch, grandson of John Hann (1795-1861) of Preston Plucknett, Somerset and Rachel Bugler (1788-?) of Thornford, Dorset and son of Edmund (1831-?) who, with his brother Emmanuel (1834-?). provided the roots of most of the Hanns of the Adelaide area of South Australia - the area of the world which probably also nowadays has the largest population of Catchloves

Like the origins of the Hann surname, that of Catchlove also seemed incorrect.

Hann is nearly always shown to be a diminutive of John or to be connected with Henry whereas my research has revealed an interchangeability with Hand, which would not be present if the perceived etymology was correct

Catchlove, similarly is said to be the English version of the Norman-French 'cacheloup' or the French 'chasseloup' (wolf-chaser or wolf-hunter) - or even a corruption of Catchpole. Cache though means to hide, so I thought wolf-chaser should be chasseloup, which is a French surname, but not much like Catchlove in pronunciation  Although there is a Rue Cacheloup in Hérisson the nearest French surname I could find is Cacheleu(x)  The earliest records I've found so far dating back to 13th century Winchester indicate the spelling of Catchlove then to be Cac(c)helove and Kacchelove.  In the 1500s Cac(c)h(e)lowe made an appearance and, in the 1600s, Ketchlove, Ketchlow(e), Kachelove and Catch(e)love.  It would therefore indicate that the first part is definitely a 'catch' or 'cache' sound and the latter 'love' or 'low'

I have now discovered that there was an old northern French verb 'cachier' from which English has derived 'to catch'.  Using this knowledge would seem to imply that that the said origin is correct after all and the name comes from the old Anglo-Norman words 'cache' (catch) and 'lou' (m) or louve (f) (wolf), rather than the French 'Cacheloup'. The modern-day French 'Cacheleu(x)' family, predominantly in Rouen the ancient capital of Normandie, being their equivalent. 

The arms of the Cacheleu family are 'D'azur, à trois  pattes de loup d'or, posėes en pal, deux et une -  a blue background with three gold wolf's feet, two above the other'.  At times they were seigneurs of Bouilloncourt, Poupaincourt, Loches, Thoras, Houdan and of Poupaincourt and Buffu, Loches and Poupaincourt,  Thoras and  St Leger and Thoras, Houdan and Framicourt,

For further information why not visit Sue Ballard's excellent site