Herbert Haselden and Mary Benbow

© Philip Halling (cc-by-sa/2.0geograph.org.uk/p/7164781
Hereford Cathedral

Herbert Haselden (bap. 26 Nov 1731 in Hereford), son of Robert Haselden and Magdalene Howorth, married Mary Bendbow (sic) (b. 13 Jun 1740 in Ratcliff, Stepney), only daughter of Samuel Benbow and his second wife, Mary, married in Stepney (venue is not listed), on 10 May 1757.

This couple had two daughters:

1. Mary Magdalene Haselden b. 22 Feb 1758, bap. 23 Feb 1758 (at 1 day old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney.
2. Frances Haselden b. Monday, 19 May 1760, bap. 9 June 1760 (at 21 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney.

Both were listed as daughter of Herbert Haselden, Grocer, and Mary.

In 1747, Herbert Haselden, then 15, had been apprenticed, for a premium of £30 0s 0d to Thomas Hodgson, Grocer, in Warrington, Lancashire.

In 1761, Herbert Haselden, late of Broad Street, in the Hamlet of Ratcliff, in the Parish of St Dunstan, Stepney, in the County of Middlesex, Grocer and Tobacconist, was a Prisoner in Whitechapel Gaol, Debtors' prison. 

Did he pay off his debt, or did he die in debtor's prison? As yet, no idea.

In 1777, Frances Haselden was apprenticed to a Susanna Pingo, as a Milliner.

William Wood married Frances Haselden by licence dated 14 Apr 1787.

There was a possible marriage of Richard Webb to Mary Haselden, in Stepney, on 30 Aug 1788. Could this be the remarriage of Mary Haselden (née Benbow)? I cannot find a death under Mary Haselden, which might suggest that she remarried, but also cannot isolate records that confirm it.

Frances was mentioned in a Lease and Release with counterpart of release, dated 24 & 25 March, 1790: "William Wood of Little Russell Street, parish of Saint George, Bloomsbury, co. Middx., cider merchant and Frances his wife, only child and heir of Herbert Haselden late of Stepney in the fields, co. Middx., grocer and tobacconist, grand daughter and heir of Magdalen wife of Robert Haselden late of Over Hulton, co. Lancs., who was one of three devisees in fee under the will of Herbert Howorth of Burghill co. Hereford, and one of five sisters and co-heirs of Herbert Howorth."

Listing Frances as the only child and heir of Herbert Haselden suggests that her older sister had died, perhaps as an infant (not found a record), which further supports the 1788 marriage as possibly being that of her mother. 

Unfortunately, I can isolate no further records for this family.

(Herbert's parents, Robert Haselden and Magdalene Howorth, had married at Hereford Cathedral (St Ethelbert) on 8 May 1729. The record lists that the groom was from the parish of St Nicholas, Hereford and the bride was from Burghill. Magdalen Haselden, wife of Robert Haselden, was buried on 24 Jul 1763 in Winwick, Lancaster. Robert Hasleden of Over Hulton, Gentleman, appears to have died in 1768, as Probate was granted on 25 Apr 1768.)

John Benbow Gabbedy and Isabella Cleghorn

St Bride, Fleet Street, London EC4 - East end
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/1213706

John Benbow Gabbedy (b. 17 Nov 1771 in Limehouse, London) son of John Gabbdey and Elizabeth Travally, married Isabella Cleghorn (b. 7 Jul 1771 in Shadwell), daughter of Anthony Cleghorn and Margaret Jane Murray on 28 Apr 1795 at St Bride's, Fleet Street - the church with the famous "wedding cake" spire, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The record states they were married by banns and were both of the parish. Witnesses were John Brown and Martha Masters. What were these "Eastenders" doing up west?

John and Isabella Gabbedy had these seven children:

1. William Anthony Gabbedey b. 5 Feb 1796, bap. 8 May 1796 at St Dunstan's, Stepney at 93 days old.
2. John Cleghorn Gabbedey b. 25 Feb 1798, bap. 8 Apr 1798 at St Mary Magdalene Woolwich
3. Margaret Elizabeth Gabbady (sic) b. 30 May 1800, bap. 6 Jul 1800 at St Mary Magdalene Woolwich 
4. Charles Gabbedey b. 23 Dec 1803, bap. 5 Apr 1812 at St Dunstan's
5. Mary Gabbady (sic) b. 19 Aug 1805, bap. 11 Sep 1805 at St Mary Magdalene, Woolwich
6. Henry Ralph Gabady (sic) b. 18 Dec 1807, bap. 17 Jan 1808 at St Dunstan's, Stepney
7. Anne Elizabeth Gabbaday, b. 23 Feb 1811, bap. 14 Apr 1811 at St Anne's Limehouse 

In the Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures, on Friday, 30 Dec 1785, when he'll have just turned 14, John B Gabbedey was apprenticed to Owen Temple of Poplar in the County of Middlesex, Shipwright.

On William Anthony's baptism, the family's address was given just as 'Rat' (Ratcliff, between Limehouse and Shadwell), son of John, a Shipwright and Isabella. In 1808, John Benbow Gabbedy's occupation was again listed as Shipwright and on Henry Ralph's baptism, their address was Poplar. In 1811, John's occupation was listed as a Mariner, living in Gill Street, Limehouse. At the time of Charles' baptism in 1812, their address was listed as M.E.O.T. (Mile End Old Town) and John was again described as a Shipwright.

It seemed a strange career change for John to suddenly become a Mariner, when he already had a skill as a Shipwright, especially as he was 40. However, there's a record in British Royal Navy Allotment Declarations in 1811, where he's listed as John Gabidy (sic), with rank Co Mate, allotting part of his pay to his wife, Isabella. This record shows that he was with HMS Tortoise, an ex-East Indiaman, Sir Edward Hughes (1784 EIC ship). "Between March and July 1808 Tortoise was at Woolwich being fitted as a storeship for the Royal Navy." It would make total sense if he was involved in that conversion.

Under the columns for "When Allotment Ceases", is "D 27 Sept 1811 Invalid". The single D, I think means Discharged (it's DD for Discharged Dead), but, particularly as they don't have any more children after 1811, I wonder if he died then, or maybe shortly afterwards. Maybe that prompted Charles' baptism in 1812? John Benbow Gabbedy had certainly died by 1841.

In 1841, Isabella Gaberdey (sic) (70) was living in Wade's Place, Poplar in the household of William Newton (60) Mariner and his wife Margaret (40).

In 1851, Isabella Gabedy (84) Widow, from Shadwell, was a Pauper Inmate of Poplar Union Workhouse, then her only option for health or elder care.

Isabella Gabadey (sic) died in 1852 M Quarter in POPLAR UNION Volume 01C Page 419, with her age over-estimated to 86 (she was 'only' 80), and was buried at All Saints Church, Poplar on 20 Feb 1852.

Samuel Benbow and Mary Breeden

© Marathon (cc-by-sa/2.0) geograph.org.uk/p/6294630
St Dunstan's Church, Stepney

Samuel Benbow (b. ~ 1699), son of Richard Benbow and Grace Beer, married Mary Breeden at St Mary's Church, Bromley St Leonard's, on 10 Jan 1723.

Samuel and Mary Benbow had eight children:

1. Sarah Benbow b. 18 Jan 1724, daughter of Samuel Benbow, Bricklayer and Mary, bap. 7 Feb 1724 (at 20 days old), at St Dunstan's, Stepney
2. Grace Benbow, daughter of Samuel Benbow, Bricklayer was buried on 1 Apr 1726, at St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney. Assuming she had been born that same year and died at birth, or shortly thereafter.
3. Joseph Benbow, son of Samuel Benbow and Mary, bap. 21 May 1727 and buried on 28 May 1727, in Stepney, Middlesex
4. John Benbow son of Samuel Benbow and Mary, bap. 19 May 1728
5. Elizabeth Benbow, daughter of Samuel Benbow and Mary, bap. 18 Jan 1729; died aged 13 and was buried on 20 Nov 1742 in Stepney
6. Ann Benbow b. Friday, 12 May 1732, daughter of Samuel Benbow, Bricklayer of Rat (Ratcliff) and Mary, bap. 4 Jun 1732 (at 23 days)
7. Joseph Benbow b. Monday, 14 Oct 1734, son of Samuel Benbow, Bricklayer of Rat (Ratcliff) and Mary, bap. 10 Nov 1734 (at 27 days). Died just before his first birthday, on 2 Oct 1735.
8. Mary Benbow b. Sunday, 5 Oct 1735, daughter of Samuel Benbow, Bricklayer of Rat (Ratcliff) and Mary, bap. 2 Nov 1735 (at 28 days old), at St Dunstan, Stepney. Mary, daughter of Samuel Benbow was buried at St Dunstan, on 30 Sep 1737, just short of her 2nd birthday.

Mary Benbow, wife of Samuel Benbow was said to have been buried at St Dunstan, Stepney on 26 Feb 1735. Unfortunately, relying on a transcription of this record only, I feel it's most likely that this was actually 1736.

Samuel Benbow, Widower, then married Mary Hudson, Widow, both of the Parish of St Dunstan, Stepney at St Botolph's Aldgate (the previous Medieval church), on 24 Feb 1738. It hasn't been possible to narrow down a possible previous marriage to determine this Mary's maiden name and parentage.

In 1739, tax records place Samuel Benbow in Brooke Street, Ratcliff.

Samuel Benbow and his second wife had one daughter:

1. Mary Benbow b. Friday, 13 Jun 1740, daughter of Samuel Benbow, Bricklayer of Ratcliff and Mary, bap. 29 Jun 1740 (at 16 days old).

In 1746, tax records place Samuel Benbow on Cock Hill (The Highway).

Samuel Benbow of Ratcliff, Bricklayer, aged about 51 years, died on the 14 Nov 1750. (Actually, the original record says 1751, however, the deaths either side of his were in 1750 and Probate was granted on 20 Dec 1750, so I believe the record keeper saw his age of 51 and made a slip up in the year.) Samuel reportedly died of convulsions and was buried on 18 Nov 1750, at the Friends Burying Ground near Schoolhouse Lane. He left everything to his 'affectionate wife Mary Benbow' and appointed her sole Executrix.

John Warber and Sarah Benbow

© Steve Daniels (cc-by-sa/2.0) geograph.org.uk/p/2196307
St Clement Dane Church, Strand, London

John Warber (b. Friday, 19 February 1697, bap. 17 Mar 1697 (at 26 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney), Bachelor, son of Jacob Warber, Mariner, and his wife Sarah, married Sarah Benbow (b. circa 1690), Spinster, daughter of Richard Benbow and Grace Beer, both from the Parish of St Dunstan, Stepney, at the church of St Clement Danes, Westminster (the first church mentioned in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons) on 22 Dec 1724.

The Churchwardens' Account Books at St Dionis Backchurch show that 1 shilling was given to John Warber on 1 Jan 1737, presumably as Parish Relief. "Located in the heart of the City of London, St Dionis Backchurch was a typical small, rich City parish. With a population of under 1,000 throughout the eighteenth century, few pockets of serious deprivation and a substantial portfolio of charitable funds, the parish could afford to be generous to its pensioners and to reward its officers with regular parish dinners."

John Warber, Pensioner, was buried in the North Churchyard at St Dionis Backchurch, City of London, on 23 Feb 1739. Mentioned on a "List of Burials for which nothing was received," an account of the expenses for John Warber leading up to his death and burial, had totalled £1 15 shillings. 

Sarah Warber married James Terney at Newington St Mary (Surrey) on 9 Sep 1740. (James Tearny (sic) may have been bap. 17 Jun 1699 at St Margaret's, Westminster, son of Bryan and Sarah. There is marriage of James Terney and Sarah Starkey, both resident in Stepney, Middlesex, also at St Mary, Newingon on 10 Jan 1723, likely to be James' previous marriage.)

(Terney is the surname listed in Sarah's brother James Benbow's will.) 

James and Sarah Terney had a daughter:

1. Elizabeth Terney bap. 19 Jun 1741 at St George in the East. (This suggests that Sarah was a little younger than we're being told.)

There is a burial of James Turney (sic) of Francis Court Poor, age estimated as 50, at St James's Church, Clerkenwell on 13 Dec 1759.

Sarah Turney (sic) was buried at St James, Piccadilly on 30 Nov 1768.

James Benbow and Frances Stalker

Marathon (cc-by-sa/2.0) geograph.org.uk/p/7925691
River Thames at Ratcliff (The Lost Hamlet Of Ratcliff)

James Bendbow (sic) (b. about 1699) of Ratcliff, Bricklayer, son of Richard Bendbow of the same place and trade, deceased (then eldest surviving son of Richard Benbow and Grace Beer), married Frances Stalker, daughter of Thomas Stalker of Sotheringby, Cumberland, Carpenter, deceased, at the Monthly Meeting of Peel's Court, John Street, Westminster on 27 Nov 1740. Relatives present were: Samuel and Mary Bendbow, Sarah and James Terney and Hannah Preston [1]. (Many people in this era considered Quaker couples to be living in sin because they didn't have clergy to officiate.)

As they had married late, both aged around 40, they did not have children.

James Benbow of Brook Street in the Parish of Stepney, aged about 62 years, died on 23 Apr 1761, of convulsions. He was buried on 26 Apr 1761 at the Friends Burying Ground at Ratcliff (Ratcliffe Quaker Burial Ground). The will of James Bendbow (sic) of St Dunstan's Stepney, Bricklayer, left everything (including 11 freehold houses) to his wife Frances to dispose of, as mentioned above, with bequeaths to his sister Sarah Terney, and nieces (he'd said cousins) Elizabeth Travally, Ann Benbow and Mary Haselden [2].

Frances Bendbow (sic) of Brook Street, Ratcliff in the Parish of Stepney, aged about 66 years, died on 17 May 1766, of a Dropsy (Edema, also spelled oedema, also known as fluid retention), and was buried on 23 May 1766 at the Friends Burying Ground, near School House Lane, Ratcliff.

[1] Found no other records of Hannah Preston to know how she was related.

[2] Ann Benbow and Mary Haselden were daughters of Samuel Benbow.

Winnall Travally and Elizabeth Benbow

St Dunstan's Church, Stepney
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Marathon - geograph.org.uk/p/6294631

Winnall Travally (bap. 15 May 1715 at St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney), son of Thomas Travally and Rachel Winnall, married Elizabeth Benbow (bap. 5 Aug 1716 at St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney), daughter of Richard Benbow and Elizabeth Cowtley by Licence granted on 14 Oct 1738.

Winnall Travally and Elizabeth Benbow, it appears, had four children; 

1. Sarah Travaly b. Sunday, 5 Aug 1739, Sarah Trevelly (sic) daughter of Winnall Trevelly (sic) Waterman of White Horse Street and Elizabeth, bap. 19 Aug 1739 (at 14 days old) at St Anne's Limehouse
2. Winnall Travally b. Tuesday, 11 Aug 1741, Winnall son of Winnall Travally, Waterman of White Horse Street, Ratt & Elizabeth, bap. 6 Sep 1741 (at 26 days old) at St Anne's Limehouse. Winnall son of Winnall Travally, Waterman was buried 8 Nov 1741, at St Anne's Limehouse
3. Elizabeth Travally b. Sunday, 3 Oct 1742, Elizabeth daughter of Winnall Travally, Waterman of White Horse Street & Elizabeth bap. 14 Nov 1742 (at 42 days old) at St Anne's Limehouse
4. Esther Travally b. Thursday, 27 Sep 1744, Hestor (sic) daughter of Winnall Travally, Lighterman of White Horse Street and Elizabeth bap. 21 Oct 1744 (at 24 days old) at St Anne's Limehouse

Winnall Travally, was a Waterman on the Thames, as was his father.

Elizabeth Travally reportedly "Inherited three houses on White Horse Street, Ratcliff, left to her in the Will of her uncle James Bendbow (sic) (died 1761), on the death of his widow Frances in 1766." In fact, James' Will specifies "give unto Elizabeth Travally my cousin three houses freehold in White Horse Street ...", but she was his niece as James was her father's brother.

Elizabeth Travally of Poplar died, aged 63, from 'mortification' (mortification is more technically called gangrene or necrosis) and was buried on Thursday, 24 Jun 1779, at St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney. 

Winnall Travally of Poplar died, aged 68, of Consumption (Tuberculosis) and was buried, on 18 Jul 1783, in the Rector's Grounds at St Dunstan's, Stepney.

Richard Benbow and Elizabeth Cowtley

St Dunstan & All Saints, Stepney
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/3477077
This beautiful church is often spoken of as the Mother Church of the East End. It is, of course, one of the 'Oranges and Lemons' churches, ("When will that be/ Said the bells of Stepney").

Richard Benbow, listed as 24, which would suggest birth year of 1690, of Ratt. (Ratcliff), Bricklayer, son of Richard Benbow and Grace Beer, married Elizabeth Cowtley (bap. 4 Oct 1696 at Saint Dunstan, Stepney), daughter of John Cowtley and Mary Pateman, on 18 Sep 1714 at St Dunstan's, Stepney. Elizabeth was said to be 21, but she was then a minor, at only 18.

A transcript of a London Apprenticeship Abstract lists that Richard - who would then have been the correct age of 15 - son of Richard Bendbow (sic), Stepney, Middlesex, bricklayer was apprenticed to William Mart, Grocers' Company (Worshipful Company of Grocers). Why he was apprenticed to a grocer when he clearly came back to bricklaying, we'll never know.

Less than six months after the wedding, on 4 Mar 1715, under Burials in the Parish of Stepney, was the burial of Richard Benbow, Ratc[liffe], Bricklayer.

Richard and Elizabeth's only child:

1. Elizabeth Benbow, b. Sunday, 15 Jul 1716 - posthumously - bap. 5 Aug 1716 at St Dunstan's, Stepney (at 21 days old), listed as Elizabeth [daughter] of Richard and Elizabeth Benbow, Ratt, Bricklayer.

I cannot [yet] say what happened to Elizabeth Benbow (née Cowtley) or whether perhaps she remarried. There are surprisingly too many records of Elizabeth Benbow to isolate the relevant ones without more clues.

Richard's brother, James, also listed as son of Richard and a Bricklayer, later left three houses to Richard's daughter, Elizabeth Travally, his niece. From this alone, I think 'bricklayer' in their context means a firm of builders doing quite nicely, rather than a bunch of jobbing brickies living hand to mouth.

It has been claimed that Richard Benbow's father was John Benbow even attributing a baptism on 7 Nov 1693, at St Paul's, Deptford - which was the baptism of the son of then Captain John Benbow. One very good reason not to accept the 1693 baptism is because that child (already the 2nd child the Admiral had named Richard), was buried in Jan 1694. 

A third Richard was born to Captain John and Martha Benbow in 1696. Still not unreasonable at the same age as Elizabeth Cowtley. If that had been relevant, it would have made the infamous Admiral my 8x Great-Grandfather. But, of course, it's not true. Whoever originally attributed that baptism for 'our' Richard was - as is so often the case - grabbing the nearest available record, just because. 

The above marriage of Richard and Elizabeth is even considered as being that of the Admiral's son in this biography of Bravebenbow and I can see why. When the Admiral's son John Benbow died in 1709, he left a legacy, amongst others, to his brother Richard, however, when the Admiral's widow died, in 1722, Richard was not mentioned, from which it could be assumed he had died between those dates, which entirely fits with 'our' Richard above. 

Having had misgivings that a bricklayer could be a son of an Admiral the crucial proofs are Richard's apprenticeship, which names his father as Richard and the fact that 'our' Richard's father was a Quaker. None of the baptisms would be the right ones, because Quakers don't practice baptism.

All that notwithstanding, clearly the Admiral was very keen to have a son named Richard for some reason, so we might assume this was a family name. The famous John Benbow was born in 1653; Richard Benbow Sr, Bricklayer, was born around 1659. At the very least they were contemporaries and we know that they lived within the same parish; Benbow is hardly a common name so there could still be a familial link and given the mere six year difference, it isn't inconceivable for John Benbow and Richard Benbow Sr to have been brothers - I just can't produce a record to prove it.

Richard Benbow and Grace Beer

Site of the former St James', Dukes Place
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Basher Eyre - geograph.org.uk/p/921191
A former church, demolished in 1874.

Richard Benbow (b. 1659) Bachelor, married Grace Beer (b. 1663) Spinster, at the church of St James, Duke's Place, City of London, on 15 Aug 1686. Nicholas Poor is listed presumably as a witness to the marriage. Described variously as "Aldgate’s own version of Gretna Green" and the church that defied convention, St James's was "the place where people could get hitched while bypassing the irksome rules and regulations that would normally apply", with no need to wait for banns to be called; no need for a licence and, best of all, parental consent was not required to tie the knot there. Why this couple, a pair of my 8x great-grandparents, chose to marry there, isn't obvious.

They appear to have been the parents of at least four children:

1. Richard Benbow b. around 1690
2. Sarah Benbow b. around 1690
3. James Benbow b. around 1699
4. Samuel Benbow b. around 1699

Birth years are very approximate and mostly calculated from ages at death. There are no baptism records for any of their children, as they were Quakers and Quakers don't practice baptism. There could, therefore, have been other children, that we just don't encounter records for or cannot link to them.

We know that Richard Benbow is their child from a London Apprenticeship Abstract record, which lists him as the "son of Richard Bendbow (sic), Stepney, Middlesex, bricklayer". To confirm that link, James, also listed as son of Richard and a Bricklayer, later left three houses to Richard's daughter, Elizabeth Travally. Sarah is identified as his sister in James' will, as were his nieces Ann and Mary, daughters of Samuel. In the absense of the usual records, these are all we have to be able to glue this family together. 

Richard Benbow, of Ratcliff, in the Parish of Stepney, in the County of Middlesex, Bricklayer, aged about 64 years, died the 26th day of the month called April, 1723. Buried in Friends Burying Ground Ratcliff. [In The London Burial Grounds, by Isabella M. Holmes, is the information "There was a little meeting-house with a burial-ground attached in Wapping Street, which seems to have been used until about 1779, but was then demolished, the worshippers moving to the meeting in Brook Street, Ratcliff."]. Richard Benbow was reported to have died "of a Dropsy" (Edema, also spelled oedema, also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling).

A tax record places Grace Benbow in Brooke Street, Ratcliff, in 1730.

Grace Benbow died, aged about 83, of old age. The record says she died (well, one version said she 'dyed' and one wonders what colour) on the 4th day of the 10th month called December and was buried on the 7th day of said month, 1746, also at the Friends Burying Ground at Ratcliff. (December was then the 10th month. Until 1752, the new year in England still began on Lady Day, March 25th. In addition, Quakers sometimes used a Calendar that differed from both the English custom of beginning the year on March 25 and from the Scottish custom of beginning the year on January 1. Many Quakers, such as George Fox and William Penn, began the year on March 1.)

• Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers
• The History of Brick Building in England
• Brickwork: Historic Development
• Stepney: Protestant Nonconformity to 1689
• Quakers around Shoreditch