9 children, one Mum & Dad, zero benefits! Meet an utterly inspiring family of the sort you thought no longer existed

The Barrett family has two parents and nine kids aged between five and 27. Ann and William, 51, still live in the house they bought as a young couple. The family, from Wembley, North London, have never claimed child benefits. People often wrongly assume that they are a 'blended family' and their nine children are the result of a complex web of current and previous relationships. Sometimes they make the mistake of thinking the youngest two, Bessie, seven, and Johnboy, five, are Ann and William's grandchildren and one of their adult daughters is their mother. But, a rarity these days, all nine children have the same very happily married mum and dad, who both work to support their family without relying on any state benefits. 


From left to right: Louis 13, Oliver 21, Kitty 18, Florence 23, William (dad) 51, Livvy 27, Maitilde 19, Malachy 15. Front Row, Bessie 7, Ann (mum) 51 & Johnboy, five. I think they should be named Britain’s unique family.