William De Levante

[warkworth]

Does anyone know anything about the origins of William de Levante (or variant), born in Hackney around 1803. He seems to have married a Jane Caroline Truman in 1822. He was an actor, a comedian, and apparently changed his name later to Deville. 

I've only found one reference to him on the internet, as the father of Jane Macarthy, herself an actress. He appears under the name of Deville in the censuses.

This is a new piece of research for me (possibly an ancestor of my husband), so I haven't yet been able to do more than search the usual online resources.

Many thanks.
Warkworth

[Valda]

Hi

Their children

16th April 1823 St John Hackney 
Edwin Thomas Delevante parents Williams and Jane Caroline, Dalston Terrace, father's occupation gentleman

2nd November 1824 St Leonard Shoreditch born 24th October
Jane Elizabeth Delevante parents William and Jane, Whitmore Row, father's occupation Gentleman

15th March 1826 West Hackney
William Harry Delevante  parents William and Jane, Balls Pond Road Islington, father's occupation surveyor
Henry Delevante buried 29th Novemeber 1829 St Leonard Shoreditch aged 3 years and 9 months West Hackney

7th May 1828 St Leonard Shoreditch
Frank John Delevant parents William and Jane, Kingsland Road, father's occupation comedian
Buried 26th March 1829 Frank De Levant aged 15 months at  St John Hoxton of Dorchester Street

1st Mar 1837 St Mary Haggerston born 14th June 1829   
Emily Ann Delevant  parents William and Caroline, Cross Street Bethnal Green, father's occupation surveyor


Baptisms in the Hackney area around 1800 for Delevant/e

5th June 1799 St Matthew, Bethnal Green born 23rd May
George Delevante parents Masahod and Jane

29th Oct 1800 St Matthew, Bethnal Green born 6th October
Ann Delevant parents Mosoad and Jane

Further information on Masahod Delevante (though the above might be a son named for the father)

http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.crosland/19.1/mb.ashx


Besides Masahod's son Joseph mentioned in the post above, this looks like another possible son

Burial
9th January 1865 West Hackney
Prosper Delevante aged 80 Kingsland 

1841 census HO107 1027/15 folio 25
High Street Newmarket Suffolk
Prosper Dalavant 55 born in Foreign Parts

1851 census HO107 1539 folio 630
7 St Matthews Palce Bethnal Green Middlesex
Prospero Delevanti 64 Head Married ? of Arabic and Spanish Algiers
Sarah Delevanti 60 Wife Married Norfolk
Rachael Delevanti 26 Daughter Norwich
Ann Riches 54 Wife's sister Unmarried Independent Norwich Norfolk
Edw Delevanti 23 Son Teacher of Latin ? London Middlesex
Fredk Delwanti 17 Son Teacher of Organ & Pianoforte London Middlesex

1861 census RG9 154 folio100
5 Tysen Place Shacklewell Road Hackney
Prosper De Levanti 74 Head Married Small income Gibraltar naturalised British subject
Sarah De Levanti 70 Wife Married Norwich Norfolk
Rachel R D De Levanti 27 Daughter Music seller Bethnal Green Middlesex
Anne Riches Sister-in-law unmarried small income Norwich Norfolk

8th September 1833 St Matthew Bethnal Green born 30th August 1823
Rachael Riches Delevante  parents Prosper and Sarah, Pansdown? Place, father's occupation hawker 
ceremony performed by the minister of the Episcoplian Jews Chapel
one of 8 children baptised to this couple.

Who also perhaps Anglicised his name

14th December 1817 St John at Hackney
Bartholomew Nevill
Sarah Riches
Bachelor and spinster of the parish
Married by banns
Sarah made her mark
Witnesses John Baley and Benj Crook

4 children baptised to Bartholomew Nevill and Sarah between 1819 and 1825 at St Leonard Shoreditch (one of which was a William Nevill born in 1818). The Delevante baptisms to Prospero and Sarah were all in the 1830s with children born earlier.


Joseph Delevante

1841 census HO107 688/7 folio 30
Kimbolton Place Chelsea
Joseph Dalevant 55 Wine merchant
Julia Dalevant 38
Matilda Dalevant 8
all born in county


1851 census HO107 1473 folio 446
3 Rumbolton Place Chelsea
Joseph Dalevant 66 Head Married West Indian Merchant Mile End Middlesex
Julia Dalevant 49 Wife Married Cripplegate Middlesex
Charlotte Dalevant 24 Daughter Chelsea Middlesex
Emma M Dalevant 17 Daughter Chelsea Middlsex
plus 1 servant


Masahod left a Prerogative Court of Canterbury will which should give some information on his children

Will of Masahod De Levante, Merchant of Saint Matthew Bethnal Green , Middlesex
Date 18 March 1817
Catalogue reference PROB 11/1590 

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/power-search.asp?searchType=powersearch

Masahod was buried in Novo New Cemetery - Spanish & Portuguese Jews Congregation (Bevis Marks) in 1817



Regards

Valda

[warkworth]

Valda

This is absolutely fascinating and I'm very grateful to you for such a wealth of information.  It will take me a little time to absorb it all.

The Jewish connection is particularly interesting - if my husband is a descendant. He has long been convinced that he has Jewish ancestors through his mother, but my recent research has discounted the line he'd believed to be Jewish (instead of an anglicised Jewish name, it was a good old Lancashire surname!). I've been exploring other lines and the de Levantes seemed a good prospect.

Again, thank you very much indeed.
Joyce

[CliftonDelevante]

I am directly related to William Delevante through his daughter Emily Ann Delevante (born 1829, baptised 1837).

Please be aware that there are more than on Delevante lines, so not all the Delevante/ De Levante/ Delevanti/ Delevant/ Dalevant people will be directly related to William.

William's father was Masahod Delevante a Sephardi Jew possibly born in Mogador, Morocco. His name is also given in other languages as Masoud or Prospero - they all mean the same thing. The same applies to his surname - in Morocco you might see it in other forms such as Sarique/ Chriqui.

Is there something in particular you are interested in? I am interested to know how you fit in to the family tree.

'Hope to hear from you soon.

[warkworth]

Clifton

Many thanks for this.

I have been doing a little research into my husband's ancestry - he's not that interested in it himself, so nothing in depth yet.

I've traced one line back to William and Jane Macarthy, both actors. They were possibly the couple of the same names who founded a theatre in Todmorden in 1851 - they were in the same area at the time of the census. That Jane is said to have been the daughter of William de Levante, later Deville.  Essentially I'm trying to establish beyond doubt whether the two Macarthy couples are one and the same.

I haven't found a marriage record for our Macarthys, though it could have taken place around the time registration started, and as they were itinerant, I don't know where to look for it in parish registers. (And I can't discount the possibility that they weren't married at all).

I have access to quite a bit of material on theatre history, but haven't yet had time to go through it all. At the moment I can't see a connection with the actor Eugene Macarthy, who came from Ireland.

Any help or pointers would be gratefully received.

Warkworth

[Valda]

Hi

1861 census RG9 3170 folio 28
Fell Croft Dalton Lancashire
William Macarte 51 Head Married Comedian Bristol Somerset
Jane Macarte 35 Wife Married Actress Hoxton Middlesex
Mary Macarte 8 Daughter Grimsby Lincolnshire
Caroline Macarte 6 Daughter Derby Derbyshire
Emily F Macarte 4 Daughter Hull Yorkshire
William Macarte 1 Son Northallerton Yorkshire

Births Mar 1857   
Macarthy  Emily Florence     Hull  9d 204


As long as you can track one birth registration you have the mother's maiden name from the birth certificate.



Regards

Valda

[snowball]

Hi -

In case you haven't got this mention from 1827 in the London Gazette:

"De Levante", William, formerly of Dalston-Terrace then of
North-Place, Dalston,' but of business, then of Whitmore-
Road, Horton, all in.Middlesex, and also of Princes-Street,
Bank, London, Auctioneer, (in copartnership with Frederick
Sadgrove, as Auctioneers, and Surveyors).,, then of Balls Pnd Road, Islington, and late ofx Derby-Road; Kingsland, Middlesex,
Auctioneer, out of busness..."

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/18345/pages/684

Regards
Rob

[CliftonDelevante]

Dear Joye, Valda and Rob,

Myself and two other budding family historians have been researching the Delevantes for a number of years. It really does get quite complicated at times - and not just for the reasons I outlined above.

The following is in a nutshell due to space and time, but I am happy to expand on things later.

Masahod Delevante (as I said before) was a Sephardi Jew. He came to London in the early 1780s and married his wife Miriam in Bevis Marks. They had a number of children but only two boys survived to adult hood: Joseph and Jacob (aka John). They went on to have their own families, which are where some of the Delevantes you might find come from.

Masahod had other relatives that also came over - although we can't be sure of the degree of relationship, i.e. brothers, cousins, uncle and nephew etc. These include Esther (born 1799), Absalom/ Selim, Haim, and Prospero. You will also see Delevantes that belong to their line and not to Masahod.

We think when Miriam took ill, Masahod started a relationship with a gentile. They had a number of children, of which William was the second (I believe).

William had a number of failed businesses (including Sadgrove and Delevante, as mentioned by Rob). He then moved into working in the theatre. In 1841 you will find him in the census with his wife and daughter (my ancestor), but after then you may then have noticed that he disappears. This is because he went into the theatre himself and changed his name to Deville. We think this is because there was an acrobatic troupe that decided to use the name Delevante.

Of his children with Jane, both Jane (junior) and Emily work in the theatre. Emily married Henry Clifton who is a French polisher/ Stage Carpenter and also acts, and Jane's FIRST husband was William Macarthy. Both Williams took their turn at being actor managers. William Macarthy was married previously, and I can't recall if his first wife died - which might be why you can't find a marriage record.

The Macarthys, Cliftons and Devilles toured the provincial theatres, particularly in Yorkshire. If you look in The Era you'll see them listed as Mr Deville, Mr & Mrs Macarthy and Mr & Mrs H Clifton.

Henry and Emily managed to have 13 children between 1847 and 1872 and still tour the theatre circuit.

Between the three of us that have been researching this for a while, we have gathered a lot of information. Joyce, is it Jane (Junior) that your husband is related to?

Erica

[warkworth]

Thank you all for this.  You've all been working a lot longer than I have on this and my in-laws will be thrilled.

My husband's ancestor is Emily Florence Macarthy and I haven't yet ordered her birth or marriage certificates. (Or for any other of his forebears, as it seemed daft to spend the money when he himself isn't that interested. I can see now I shall have to).

I've got the Macarthys in both the 1851 and 1861 censuses. In 1851, no children are mentioned.

All the best
Joyce