Author Topic: struggling to find a marriage record for James whitehead and Ellenor st Marylebo  (Read 5389 times)

Offline GingerVicky

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Re: struggling to find a marriage record for James whitehead and Ellenor st Marylebo
« Reply #18 on: Tuesday 14 April 15 08:27 BST (UK) »
That would be a big help thanks.  I've tried reading it several times and the old script is just so hard to read. I suspect most of it is legal jargon but there are bits of it I can't understand at all. Let me know what you think.  Thanks Vicky :)

Offline Toban

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Re: struggling to find a marriage record for James whitehead and Ellenor st Marylebo
« Reply #19 on: Tuesday 14 April 15 15:13 BST (UK) »
Hey Vicky, as usual the lawyers tend to be a little too liberal with the thesaurus and the jargon, but the basics are:

Testator: James Whitehead, New Road, St. Pancras, Middlesex, stone-mason
- to wife, Ellen, all household goods and £20 for her own immediate use
- brothers William and John to have James' share of property and stock-in-trade from the partnership between James and William. This was to be held in trust for Ellen, who was to get an annual annuity of £100 from the rents etc. raised on the property.
- These properties were 'Hornsey Lane Close' - adjoining Hornsey Lane, Upper Holloway, Islington - which was 4 acres, 1 rood, and 13 perches in area, and land on the north side of Warren Street, extending to the New Road, in St. Pancras, which had five buildings built on it.
- Any excess or surplus monies raised from the rents etc. were to be divided equally between his five sons: James, Edward, John, Thomas and Henry, provided they were over 21.
- Each of the sons also received £200 on the same age condition.
- The rest of the will basically says that if either of his brothers die, their role as Trustee of his estate can be filled by one of his sons, if desired (as long as they're 21), or by some other 'credible' person; and that if any of the sons were to die, their share would be equally divided between his brothers or his children, if he had any.
- Executors: brothers John and William
- Witnesses: Benjamin and Philip Goode, Howland Street (obviously lawyers), and Charles Richardson, their clerk
Will written: 15 Sep 1813
Probate granted: 21 Jul 1814

Offline Toban

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Re: struggling to find a marriage record for James whitehead and Ellenor st Marylebo
« Reply #20 on: Tuesday 14 April 15 16:39 BST (UK) »
James' son, Edward, also left a will in which he leaves all his estate to his three children, Sarah, Mary Ann, and Edward. Edward (snr) was buried in St. Pancras 7 Mar 1830, less than a year after his wife, Ann (bd. 1 Jun 1829). Edward's will also mentions a cousin Charles Whitehead, Esq. which allows me to positively state that the William Whitehead, statuary and mason, who died 21 Jul 1828 and left a will is indeed James' brother. William had a number of children with his wife Mary in St. Marylebone:
- Elizabeth, b. ?, still spinster in 1849
- Charles, b. 28 Feb 1800, d. 8 Aug 1849
- Amelia, b. 30 Oct 1801, unmarried in 1849
- Ann, b. 27 Dec 1803, m. Timothy Owlett 27 Mar 1824, St. Pancras
- Harriet, b. 7 Nov 1806, unmarried in 1849
- Jane, b. 20 May 1808, unmarried in 1849
- Peter, b. 15 Jun 1810, d. Dec 1810
- Mary, b. 13 Sep 1811
- Catherine, b. 14 Apr 1814
- Ellen, b. 15 Nov 1815, d. Dec 1833

William's will mentions his wife, only son Charles, and eight daughters, as well as a friend, George Spencer Smith of Baker Street, Portman Square, builder. The only piece of land referenced specifically is a block of meadow or pasture in Tollington, Islington.

Offline GingerVicky

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Re: struggling to find a marriage record for James whitehead and Ellenor st Marylebo
« Reply #21 on: Tuesday 14 April 15 18:12 BST (UK) »
Wow thank you that is amazing.  I don't know how you managed to read all that.  A lot ifofnteresting information.  tells me a lot about James and his brother. Any ideas how I could find out more about where they came from? 
Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it


Offline Toban

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Re: struggling to find a marriage record for James whitehead and Ellenor st Marylebo
« Reply #22 on: Tuesday 14 April 15 23:28 BST (UK) »
Hey Vicky, I'm having trouble figuring out where they were from originally. They both mention land in Islington, so I suspect that was their centre of business operation, though St. Pancras is not far away either. James' age at death puts his birth c.1764, and William's c.1770 - I haven't been able to find a pair of parents that have kids fitting this description in London yet, so they may well have originated out of town. I will keep looking to see if anything comes up!

Offline Toban

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Re: struggling to find a marriage record for James whitehead and Ellenor st Marylebo
« Reply #23 on: Wednesday 15 April 15 00:30 BST (UK) »
Still on the hunt... I may have found something....

There was a marriage licence issued to a James Whitehead on 13 Aug 1785, allowing him to marry Ellen Roper in Wigan, Lancashire. The timing fits, and the licence stated James was 21 or above, putting his year of birth in 1764 or before - this fits with James Whitehead dying in St. Pancras in 1813 aged 49. The marriage took place the same day in St. Aidan's Chapel, Billinge, Wigan, in the presence of James Bentley and Thomas Shaw. Both James and Ellen signed their names.

Ellen was a widow, her maiden name being Howarth. Her first husband, William Roper (who she married in All Saints' Chapel, Hindley, Wigan on 1 Dec 1778) died in Nov 1781, aged 28, and was buried in Wigan.

The marriage record states this James was a dyer, not a stonemason. This is the only hiccup... That being said, it's possible that William was the first to go into statuary and masoning and James joined him later, deciding the dying trade was not for him...

I have also found a couple, James and Margaret Whitehead, who had sons James in 1764 and William in 1771 in Stockport, Cheshire, which is a bit over 30 miles from Wigan. However, I cannot find a son John for the couple....

I'm pretty happy to say dyer James, son of James & Margaret, married Ellen, widow Roper, but whether he's the same as mason James in London I'm not 100%. Also, given the fact that their son Benjamin was born in Marylebone some two months before the marriage in Wigan, it may not be the right fellow. Someone to think about though...

Offline GingerVicky

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Re: struggling to find a marriage record for James whitehead and Ellenor st Marylebo
« Reply #24 on: Wednesday 15 April 15 19:31 BST (UK) »
Thanks that's great.  I did see that marriage before and wonder if it was them as the ages fit. I didn't find as much detail on it so good to have more.  I have the same problem in finding a couple with all 3 sons I keep finding loads with 2 nut none with all 3.
 I'm not sure benjamin is their son as there was a james and Helen who got married in st Marylebone in 1778 which I think is too early for my james as he would have only been 14 and u think benjamin belongs to them as I think it said helen. Could be wrong. 
I did think james was probably from somewhere else Like Lancashire.  some whiteheads in my family think we are related to robert whitehead,  inventor of the torpedo, who was from Bolton.  I have not yet proved a link to him yet but this one family said it was passed down in their family that we are related. 
Let me know if you find anything else. 
Thank you
Vicky