The Will of Richard Berens, Esquire Mayfair Queen St.

[Acrossthepond]

Hello. I am at a brick wall with my g-g grandmother Jane Murray. I know nothing about her except that a set of Bibles exist in the family that were given to her in 1849 with the inscription "Given by Henry Berens from the library of her late master Richard Berens in memory of her care & attention toward him. June 22, 1849".  I discovered that Richard Berens of All Souls College Oxford also had a home at 19 Mayfair Queen St. London, and a Will listing Jane Murray as recipient of 50 pounds at his death "if in Tutors service".  Would 'tutors service' reference something other than servant?  Anyhow, would anyone know if there would be household records for staff existing for prominent families that far back, or any other records one could think of that I might be able to gleen ANY information from regarding Jane? Also, I'd be interested in knowing if anyone at that time could find a 'job' in prominent homes, or if Jane would have had to have references to work for the Berens family?  I don't even know her date of birth, so wonder if she could have been a young girl in his service as well as a pupil ('tutors service')?  I have also looked for 19 Mayfair in the 1841 census & don't see her there.  Any help & direction would be very appreciated.  Thank you.

[avm228]

It's an odd phrase, but I wonder whether it meant she was in service as a governess?

What happened to Jane later on - presumably she gave birth to a child who was your great grandparent? Can she be found in a later English census to ascertain an approx birthdate, or is there some reason such as emigration which prevents this?

[avm228]

Am I right in thinking that the relevant address should be 19 Queen St, Mayfair, rather than 19 Mayfair, Queen St?

[Ladyhawk]

Am I right in thinking that the relevant address should be 19 Queen St, Mayfair, rather than 19 Mayfair, Queen St?

I think you are right

1839 Electoral Register 
Richard Berens house Queen Street

1844 ER
RB address 19 Queen Street

1847 ER
RB address 19 Queen Street Mayfair

 

[tink.tech]

It may help if we could have your Grt Grt Grandmothers childrens name/s and details so we can go back from there, if we find them on a cencus hopeful she'll be there with birth year and town.

tink.tech

[Acrossthepond]

Yes, it should be 19 Queen St. Mayfair.... 
In answer to your 1st question,  I haven't found her in the 1851 or 1861 census as I don't know which Jane she would be... I wondered, if given the fact she worked for a prominent citizen, after Berens' death in 1849 would she have been able to use her reference to work for someone else of the same calibre? 
I know my great grandfather John Murray was born in 1862 in either Richmond or Chertsey, Surrey (depending on the census).  No birth certificate has been found - he claimed his mother died when he was 12 leaving him an orphan and a 'stable boy' - he never mentioned siblings... to be raised by an 'Aunt Ellen' ?...  He never talked about his mother or lack of father.
There is a  Richmond, Surrey parish record I have showing a 'single woman Jane Murray' having a son John Murray born in 1860 but christened 1862 - her last residence 'Aldham Park, Herts'... but the 1861 Aldham Park census doesn't show a Jane Murray, and I don't know if this is them.
 John Murray married Emma Cole in Battersea, Wandsworth 1883.  He finally shows up in a census in 1891 - a Coachman at 16 Compton (?) Mews, Kensington.  He states on his marriage certificate that his father is "John Murray - Butler", but I think he made that up.  He never spoke of a 'father' to his kids except to say once that his father was a 'Scottish Chieftan'!. 
A few days ago I found a burial record for the Wandsworth Union Workhouse showing  "Jane Murray 36 years" dying in 1872 (which would have made John around 12 & would fit with his story), but to think a woman that worked near Buckingham Palace for the uppercrust, would possibly end up in the workhouse is hard to believe...  the other interesting point I have is John was very cultured, played the organ, painted, could read/write, fabulous carpenter and carver, poet and became a well dressed Coachman... we just don't know where or how he learned all this on his own.  It all adds to the mystery and I'm determined to solve it...

[avm228]

Have you seen this pair?

1871 census: RG10/1146/20/33

11 Wilton St, Portsea, Hampshire

Jane MURRAY Head Wid 53 Cook birthplace Not Known
John do Son Unm 11 Scholar Richmond Surrey

[alpinecottage]

I have just found that record too - looks very interesting to me.  ADDED  Jane's age should read 33, not 53, on above census

As regards a servant  at a posh house ending up dying in the workhouse, this is not unexpected. If she had got pregnant outside marriage, she would almost certainly have been given the push at once.  Workhouses also acted as hospitals, so without an adult to look after her, she would have been likely to find herself in the workhouse.  It may be worth buying the death cert, if you can identify it and also looking into whether there are any workhouse records in existence.

[avm228]

A few days ago I found a burial record for the Wandsworth Union Workhouse showing  "Jane Murray 36 years" dying in 1872 (which would have made John around 12 & would fit with his story), but to think a woman that worked near Buckingham Palace for the uppercrust, would possibly end up in the workhouse is hard to believe...

I agree with alpinecottage that there is nothing inherently unlikely in a servant dying in the workhouse (whether as an inmate or an infirmary patient), even if she had worked for grand families.  However if she died aged 36 in 1872 she'd have been born about 1836 and therefore only about 13 in 1849 - not impossibly young for a servant, but I wonder whether such a young servant would have been sufficiently noticed by her master to be recognised in his will?