THERE were Tilleys as far as the eye could see when four generations of a Hampshire family held their first get-together.

Nearly 200 members of the Tilley family met, some for the first time, at the Breezers social club in Eastleigh.

The children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Henry John Tilley, a coalman, and his wife Rachel chattered about their family through the ages.

Mr Tilley, who died aged 77, fathered ten children who all live around Eastleigh.

Annie Eccles, 73, Hilda Clewer, 77, Keith Tilley, 60, Stan Tilley, 66, Eric Tilley, 70, Dorothy Green, 84, Vera Prewitt, 81, Phyllis Bullen, 78, Lilian Primmer, 63, and June Chivers, 68, all attended the enormous family gathering.

It was the idea of grandchild Diane Brown, who organised the get-together after deciding to research the family tree a year ago.

On discovering it stretched back as far as the mid-18th century, she decided a reunion was called for.

After meeting her cousin Glenda Pike for the first time last November the two set about getting nearly 200 members of the family in the same room.

Diane, 43, said: "It's been marvellous. Some of these brothers and sisters haven't seen each other for 15 years.

"The Tilley family originally come from Ringwood but my grandfather moved to Eastleigh in 1903. As far as we know they started married life living in Market Street, then moved to The Haven and finally to Falcon Square.

"The memories my parents and aunties and uncles have of Eastleigh are fantastic. It's brought a lot of pleasure to a lot of old people."

The sales adviser, who lives in Scott Road, Eastleigh, said her research had shown Tilleys have always been close-knit families through the ages.

She added: "We're an old-fashioned family with old-fashioned values."