As of our private correspondance last summer Mervyn, I would certainly agree with you that Jacques Joseph Quatenyie does seem a more likely prospect for the unnamed legitimised child of Jean Jaques Grassart and Mary Elizabeth Cartigny, and concede I was unaware of this child, with the baptism being recorded under a variable spelling of the mother's surname.
I would just point out though that my research into this family was as part of a wider study of Spitalfields Huguenots, looking into a great many families, and the assumption of Thomas's place within that family was not the main focus of my work, and from my own point of view was neither particularly important or significant, though of course appreciate its signifance to his descendants, and regret if it was not made clear enough, and I concede it wasn't, that his place in the family tree was an assumption on my part, based on the fact to date it has been impossible to positively identify a baptism for Thomas. As Jean Jaques was the grandson of a Thomas, and his eldest brother was also named Thomas, it seemed reasonable to posit that he could have chosen that name for one of his own sons. With the existance of an unnamed legitimised child, the London Thomas seemed a very likely prospect at the time. In addition to that was the coincidence of Jean Jacques Grassart marrying at the Huguenot Church in Tournoi to Margeuritte Dumme, a on 19 July 1772, exactly seven days before Thomas was also married, in England, on 26 July 1772 at St Dunstan's.
The only real info on Thomas's arrival in London comes from his great-great granddaughter, Elizabeth Granshaw, b.1874 daughter of Thomas George Granshaw & Francis Jane Lee, an inmate of La Providence, The French Charity Hospital from 1934 to 1938. Her petition for entry gave the following details of her French descent: '[on] My mother's side; I have been told by my parents my Father's Grandfather was brought to England when a boy about four years at the time of the French Revolution.'
As the legitimised son of Jean Jacques Grassart must have been born between his first wife's death in 1755 and his remarriage to Elizabeth Cartigny in 1759, he would have been aged 3-7 when the family fled to England in 1762, so that seemed to fit well too, though again as noted in our private correspondence, I did have misgivings as it would make Thomas seventeen at the oldest at the time of his marriage. This would be highly unusual if true, as the Huguenots didn't generally go in for young marriages, more often they were in their mid to late twenties when they wed.
In the course of our correspondance I suggested, alternatively, that he might be the Thomas Grassart baptised 21/7/1748 as son to Thomas Grassart [QUIEVY/BMS [1737-1749] 1 MI 309 R 002 130/144] and was perhaps bought to England as a very young child with Jean Jacques' sister, Marie Barbe GRASSART (B.1720) when she came to England in September 1750 with her husband Jean Philipe Delporte. Young children certainly were smuggled out by aunts and uncles as this is how my own most recent Huguenot ancestor came to England, around the same time, 1753.
The problem still remains though is if Jean Jacques and Elizabeth did have all four of their children in London, as the records state, why is there plentiful evidence of the other three in later records there, but none at all for Jacques Joseph Cartigny/Grassart? Did he die in infancy in London? If so where is the burial record? If, alternatively, he died in infancy in France, then Thomas could still in fact be the fourth child on record with them in London, regardles of if he was an actual son or nephew to Jean Jaques. Then there is the possibility at least Jacques Joseph and Thomas are one and the same person, and Thomas was used as his alias, which would explain the lack of any records for him in London, under his baptismal name.
Anyway I add this for clarification, particularly if my earlier posts lacked clarity and had somewhat muddied the waters for Thomas's descendants. I look foward to further discoveries regarding this family, which will hopefully paint a clearer picture than currently exists.
