John Horspool was born c.1818 in the Billesdon District of Leicestershire, England, the son of William Horspool and Ann Dalby. He was to die during the Sequiti War in South Africa in 1865. In 1845 he married Hannah Isitt and their first child Sarah Ann Horspool was born in the same year. The place of her birth is given as Keithhope Lodge, Leicestreshire but no such place has been found. There is however a Keythorpe Lodge Farm next to Thugby Church where John and Hannah were married.  In the 1851 census they are living at nearby Loddington, Leicestershire. There is a house called Horsepools Farm at Loddington which can be found on Google Street View and could be the family home

Their second child Hannah Mary was born 24th March 1860 but as no registration has been found for the birth and the family have not been found in the 1861 census it must be assumed that they had emigrated to South Africa sometime before this date.

There were five wars waged against the Basotho of Basutoland and allied African Tribes of South Africa between 1850 and 1881 and John HORSPOOL of Bethulie was killed 15 Aug 1865 during the Sequiti War in the assault on Thaba Bosiu. His name is also written as Hirschpohl, Horsepoole and Horspoole.

A third child, named John William after his father, was born in 1865 but died in 1879 aged 13 years. The two daughters both married and died in Bethulie, Free State, South Africa.  Sarah Ann married William Glass and died in 1880, Mary Hannah became Mary Hannah Bilse and died in 1937.  

                          Gravestones of  the children of John Horspool and Hannah Isitt  

HORSPOOL - John Horspool * Leicestershire, Engeland c. 1818 † op pad v. Thaba Bosigo (waar hy gewond is) na sy plaas by Bethulie 12.9.1865 x Hannah ISSETT * Leicestershire c. 1824 † Bethulie 3.11.1886 (62.1.-) (William-dg) 

b1 Sarah Ann * Leicestershire c. 1846 † Bethulie 18.1.1880 (34.4.13) x William GLASS 

b2 Mary Ann 

b3 John William * Bethulie c. 1865 † Bethulie 24.5.1879

Source: GISA (Genealogiese Instituut van Suid Afrika) at http://www.gisa.org.za