Crest Large tomb, St Andrews, Holborn, City of London

[Jean M]

Hello searchers,

would be grateful for your thoughts - large box tomb with
crest (see attached) KIRKBY and CUNNINGHAM were
just about readable although the stone is badly eroded.
ca 1790

Location ancient parish of St Andrews, Holborn, London WC1
the burial ground is detach from the church locaton
and is now a well tended public space in
Grays Inn Road+Wren Street.

LMet archive holds the records for this parish.

regards,
Jean M

[KGarrad]

The bit in the middle (inescutcheon) looks like Clan Cunningham of Scotland.

See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Cunningham

The inescutcheon would therefore be the wifes' arms, and the main shield the husband's.

So a Mr Kirkby married a Miss Cunningham?

[Jean M]

Hi K Garrad

many thanks for your reply.
The web.link for the Cunningham family is most helpful too

regards
JeanM

[behindthefrogs]

The tomb actually shows the shield and mantling from a coat of arms.  The crest usually sits on top of the shield and it is not clear whether there are the remnants of a crest on the tomb.  If there was a distinct crest we might be able to tell you more.

The small shield in the centre which is an escutcheon of pretence shows that the wife had no brothers who survived her father when he died and so she was her father's heraldic heir.  Further it indicates that her father died before her husband and she probably survived her husband as it would have been removed from his arms when she died.

[Jean M]

behindthefrogs
Hi,

your explanation is most welcome. 
Meantime I have found further information
and I shall forward the details tomorrow.
regards
JeanM

[Jean M]

The paper trail has begun to reveal vital clues amongst
 the following records:

James KIRKBY = Sarah CUNNINGHAM
married Westminster 1747 (Boyds' Marriages)

Will of James KIRKBY
Prerogative Court of Canterbury
Berkshire Sept 1790 PROB 11/1196

Residence Kirkbyhouse, Inkpen nr Hungerford, Berkshire
later owned by John Astor, M.P.

James KIRKBY had bequeathed his estate to Sarah
(daughter of James CUNNINGHAM), but it was claimed
by his brother William COMBER KIRKBY. Sarah filed
a petition in the Court of Chancery, and was successful in
her suit. On 16 March 1792 the house and estate
was purchased by Joseph BUTLER of Wantage.

The memorial inscriptions  at St Andrews burial ground,  had been collected and published by Frederick Teague CANSICK ca.1884
2 volumes London Met Archive.

Many thanks for the response to my message - it is much appreciated.

regards
JeanM

[behindthefrogs]

William Comber Kirkby who was living in Hatton Green in 1761 married Mary Hall 10 Jan 1756 at St Andrews Holborn.

If you put his name into Google you can pick up a lot of information about the family including their parents who were William Kirkby of Kirkby in Lancashire and Alice Comber daughter of Dean Comber(it was her second marriage)

[Jean M]

So pleased to have found the record of that marriage
Hatton Green (at a guess now Hatton Garden).

William Comber KIRKBY may be cast as
'wicked'  brother in law given his attempt at
grasping the family fortunes. 
 

many thanks for the update.
Jean M
 
 

[squaggie]

Hello … I hope you don't mind if I ask if you have a connection to Sarah Kirkby? She left things to my family in her will … I just can't work out why! It's her maternal Pratt line I am trying to trace. Thanks! Rosemary