John Lane, son of Sir Thomas Lane, Lord Mayor of London.

[JCTilley]

Hi Chasbaz

In my book, Prinny's Taylor:

"1809 was the year when Louis decided to give up South Stoneham House, which he sold to the merchant John Lane for ₤16,986/2/3.  Lane was bankrupt by 1815, whereupon the house was purchased by John Willis Fleming, M.P, whose family then owned it for the next 150 years."

Is that John Lane connected to yours?

It is possible that John Lane who bought South Stoneham House is the John Lane of Lane, Son and Fraser.

But, a trawl of the London Gazette shows that the company Lane, Son and Fraser (John Lane; Thomas Fraser; Thomas Boylston of Nicholas Lane, London) was in bankruptcy proceedings from at least 20 April 1793 until 22 July 1817.

The Literary Panorama, and National Register, Volume 9, Page 1094 puts the date at Tuesday 19 February 1793 when the Bank of England threw out the paper of Lane, Son, and Fraser, who had never recovered the shocks of the American war.

What is your source for John Lane being bankrupt by 1815 please?

[chasbaz]

I'm afraid I don't remember but most likely it was the London Gazette.

[JCTilley]

In 1815, The Gazette has a number of bankruptcy announcements relating to John Lane of Lane, Son & Fraser.

There is also at least one bankruptcy announcement for a John Lane of Arundel , Sussex, Corn Merchant, Dealer and Chapman.

The Wikipedia entry for South Stoneham House cites this document for when John Lane purchased. 

https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-425-1/dissemination/pdf/wessexar1-164666_1.pdf

3.1.4 About 1810 South Stoneham House was bought by John Lane, who in 1819 sold it to John Fleming, the owner of North Stoneham House.

[JCTilley]

I wonder whether Lane, Son and Fraser was originally

A) Thomas Lane (?-1784) (LANE)

B) John Lane (1743-1829) (SON)

1) Thomas Fraser (1736-?) (FRASER)

The Journal of Samuel Curwen, Loyalist Volume 1 (Google Books) shows that on Friday 4th August 1775, Samuel Curwen “Dined at John Lanes in the company with…Mrs. Lane, Mrs. Leggs and Thomas Lane (Thomas Lane and his son John were members of the mercantile house of Lane, Son & Fraser which carried on a substantial American business) to whom the son introduced me.

A case reported in Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the High Court of Chancery Volume 17 by Francis Vesey (Google Books) suggests that by 1781, Boylston had joined forces with the firm.

Deed dated 30th August 1784 is between Boylston, Lane and Fraser “…all which to be improved by us Lane and Fraser, in a line of commerce and business as partners; the same as was followed and pursued by us under the firm of Lane, Son and Fraser…”

This seems to be confirmed by “Joint Commission of Bankruptcy against Lane, Fraser, and Boylston 20th April 1793, merchants and co-partners, carrying on trade under the firm of Lane, Son, and Fraser.”

And The Literary Panorama, and National Register, Volume 9, Page 1094 puts the date at Tuesday 19 February 1793 when the Bank of England threw out the paper of Lane, Son, and Fraser, who had never recovered the shocks of the American war.

This implies, that on the death of Thomas Lane (1784), the firm became

B) John Lane (1743-1829)

1) Thomas Fraser (1736-?)

(and) Thomas Boylston (Boston Massachusetts, late of London) (1720-1798)

But retained the name Lane, Son and Fraser

In fact, The London Gazette part 2 Page 1633 printed 1817 (Google Books) name “…John Lane and Thomas Fraser late of Nicholas Lane, London, Merchants and Copartners (carrying on trade under the firm of Lane, Son, and Fraser)…”

Walter Maynard’s will made in 1804, noted that he had expended “large sums on New River Estate (Nevis), now belonging to Messrs. Lane, Son & Fraser under a promise…” (Liverpoolmuseums.org.uk)

Which is expanded in the Legacies of British Slave-ownership project to “…'expended a very large amount of money' on the New River estate, the property of the assigns of Messrs Lane Son and Fraser, on the promise that he would be the purchaser,…”

[JCTilley]

Reading wills give us further clues as to who the Lanes and Frasers were

A) Thomas Lane (d. 1784) m. Margaret

Thomas Lane buried St. Edmund the King, Lombard Street 1st June 1784

Will written 1781 proved 9th June 1784 identifies

B)   John Lane Son and Executor

C)   Eleanor Lane Daughter in Law

D)   Thomas Lane Grandson (not attained 21 years of age in 1781)

E)   Harriot Eleanor Lane Granddaughter

1)   Thomas Fraser Partner and Executor

2)   Thomas Fraser Godson, son of said Thomas Fraser

3)   Susannah Fraser the elder implying 5) Susannah Fraser younger

4)   Elizabeth Fraser Goddaughter

   All the writers or clerks employed in the counting house of Lane, Son and Fraser.

[JCTilley]

B) John Lane baptised 24th June 1743 in St. Nicholas Acons, London to A) Thomas Lane and Margaret.

B) John Lane (1743-1829) married C) Eleanor Everitt (1747-1827) 30th June 1767

Named individuals in B) John Lane will written 4th  August 1827:

D) Thomas Lane (1768-1834) son living in Jamaica 1827

E) Harriet Eleanor Lane (1776-1860) daughter living in Camberwell, Peckham

C) Eleanor Lane (late dear wife) who died on the fourteenth day of May last

H) Sarah Rule (my cousin ) daughter of F) Thomas and G) Sarah Rule who now resides with. 

This implies A) Thomas Lane or his wife Margaret had a brother F) Thomas or a sister G) Sarah.

According to the 1851 Census, H) Sarah Rule was living with E) Harriet Eleanor Lane and born abt. 1774.

F) Thomas and G) Sarah Rule had a daughter born 18th December 1773 and baptised 27th March 1774 St. Olave, Southwark Surrey.

F) Thomas Rule married G) Sarah Newman 24th November 1771, St. Saviour, Southwark, Surrey

I) G Everitt son of the late Thomas Everitt the portrait of his grandfather the late Captain Michael Everitt

[JCTilley]

1) Thomas Fraser, merchant of the Parish St. Nicholas Acons, (1736-?) posted £200 Bond to m. 3) Susanna Culpepper (b. 1738-?) on 06th May 1761.     

Children currently identified

2) Thomas Fraser, Godson, son of said Thomas Fraser

4) Elizabeth Fraser, Goddaughter baptised 28th June 1774 St. Giles Camberwell.  Married John Tilley 1st February 1804.  Tilley believed factor at Bunce Island and associate of Andersons of Philpot Lane, the nephews and beneficiaries of Richard Oswald. 
Witnesses at the marriage were John Anderson, Alexander Anderson, George Wilson and Charlotte Enniston.

5) Susannah Fraser (implied younger) married John Anderson of Philpot Lane, brother of Alexander Anderson Philpot Lane and James Anderson plantation owner of South Carolina U.S.A (brothers and beneficiaries of Richard Oswald) 6th October 1792.  Witnesses Thomas Fraser and Alexander Anderson

[JCTilley]

Identifying the death of 1) Thomas Fraser and 2) Thomas Fraser is a work in progress, although The Maine Historical Magazine 1888 page 186 (Forgottenbooks.com) indicates that 1) Thomas Fraser was still alive in 1803 as named in the will of Thomas Russell of Boston.

Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Court of Chancery of the State of South Caroline  (Google Books) in the case Winthrop, Todd and Winthrop, vs. Survivors of Lane, Son & Fraser in dealings between 1785-1789 (1811), the only survivor of Lane, Son and Fraser was John Lane.

Other names which seem to appear regularly within the Lane, Fraser, Anderson connection are Charlton and Thomas Palmer.

The Bedford (Massachusetts) Historical Society have published 2 letters from The Lane Family Papers which are signed as Lane, Son & Fraser and are from Job & John Lane, Gentlemen, Merchants of Beverly, New England.   It appears that John Lane (Lane, Son and Fraser) was related to Job Lane (1718-1796 of Massachusetts)

[JCTilley]

1) Thomas Fraser, merchant of the Parish St. Nicholas Acons, (1736-?) posted £200 Bond to m. 3) Susanna Culpepper (b. 1738-?) on 06th May 1761.

Held in a private collection in New Zealand are framed copies of 1) Thomas Fraser and 3) Susanna Culpepper. 

Noted on the rear of 1) Thomas Fraser " Thomas Fraser married Miss Culpepper of Leeds Castle Kent.  Their daughter Susannah Fraser married John Anderson and so were grandparents to the 3 Miss Andersons, daughters of John and Susannah."

Noted on the rear of 3) Susanna Culpepper "Miss Culpepper of Leeds Castle, Kent married Thomas Fraser  Their daughter Susannah Fraser married John Anderson and so were grandparents to the 3 Miss Andersons, daughters of John and Susannah."

These 3 Miss Anderson daughters are Mary Anderson (1799-?) m. William Stewart Sterling Crawford; Elizabeth Anderson (1800-?) and Susanna Fraser Anderson (1801-1884) m. William Eglinton Montgomerie 07 Jan 1824 in Dreghorn, Ayrshire.

The Will of Sir John Anthony Cecil Tilley (1952) states
"To my son Roger Tilley my books pictures of himself and my late wife by A.R. MacDonald and of my Grandfather John Tilley (believed factor of Bance Island); my Father John Tilley (Sir John Tilley K.C.B); my sister Edith Tilley and of my great-grandfather and great-grandmotherMr. and Mrs. Thomas Fraser..."

Sadly, only the picture of Sir John Tilley K.C.B survives along with a picture of his third wife and mother of Sir John Anthony Cecil Tilley, Susannah Anderson Montgomerie, daughter of Susanna Fraser Anderson and William Eglinton Montgomerie.