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| St George the Martyr, Southwark cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Stephen Craven - geograph.org.uk/p/1733209 |
Thomas Fossey (b. 1789 purportedly in Popar, Middlesex) married Esther Elizabeth Evans (b. 20 Jan 1793), daughter of William Evans and Esther Gabbaday, at St George the Martyr, Southwark on 6 Feb 1810.
As far as I can tell, Thomas and Esther had 12 children:
- William Fossey b. 4 Dec 1810, bap. 20 Jan 1811 at St Dunstan's, Stepney, son of Thomas Fossey and Elizabeth
- Thomas Fossey b. 10 May 1812 (reputedly, still to see confirmation)
- Sarah Fossey b. 26 Mar 1814, daughter of Thomas Fossey, Lighterman, and Esther Elizabeth, bap. 25 Apr 1814 at St Dunstan's, Stepney
- Charles Henry Fossey b. 26 Feb 1816 in Poplar, son of Thomas Fossey, Lighterman and Esther, bap. 5 May 1816 at All Saints Church, Poplar
- Edward Fossey b. 3 Feb 1818, son of Thomas Fossey, Lighterman and Esther, bap. 26 Apr 1818 at All Saints, Poplar. (Assume died in infancy).
- George Edward Fossey b. 15 Feb 1820, son of Thomas Fossey, Lighterman and Esther, bap. 11 Jun 1820 at All Saints, Poplar
- Edward Fossey b. 2 Dec 1821, son of Thomas Fossey, Lighterman and Esther, bap. 20 Jan 1822 at All Saints, Poplar
- Esther Fossey b. 10 Jun 1824, daughter of Thomas Fossey, Lighterman, and Esther Elizabeth, bap. 25 Jul 1824 at All Saints, Poplar
- Anna Eliza Fossey, daughter of Thomas Fossey, Lighterman, and Esther Elizabeth, bap. 11 Feb 1827 at All Saints, Poplar
- Walter Fossey b. 27 Sep 1828, son of Thomas Fossey, Lighterman and Esther, bap. 2 Nov 1828 at All Saints, Poplar
- John Henry Fossey b. 23 Jan 1831 (reputedly, still to see confirmation)
- Julia Fossey b. 2 Apr 1833, daughter of Thomas Fossey, Timber Merchant, and Esther Elizabeth, bap. 22 May 1833 at All Saints, Poplar
Records of Thames Watermen & Lightermen confirm that on 2 Feb 1804, Thomas Fossey, had been bound as an apprentice to William Fossey.
On 18 Sep 1816, The Proceedings of the Old Bailey inform us that a JOHN WILLIAMS was indicted for stealing, on the 10th of June, a pepper-box, value 10s. the property of Thomas Fossey. ESTHER FOSSEY: "I lost a pepper-box in the latter end of May last, out of our house; it had been in the parlour at the back of the shop. The prisoner had come for a hat, and had been asked into the parlour. After he was gone, it was missed." JOHN MACHIN: "I am a silversmith and jeweller. The prisoner brought this to me for sale; it was very much bruized (sic), and I gave him ten shillings for it." John Williams was found guilty, fined 1 shilling and discharged. From this, we can deduce that Esther Fossey kept a shop that sold hats and that they were doing well enough to own a pepper box that was still worth 10 bob, even battered.
The Binding Records of the Thames Watermen & Lightermen show that on 6 Apr 1820, Charles James Evans - Esther's brother, who would then have been the right age of 15 - was bound as an apprentice to Thomas Fossey.
Thomas Fossey (38) was on a List Of Free Watermen in Apr 1827.
In 1841, Thomas Fossey (~50) Timber Merchant, was living in Ferry Road, All Saints Poplar, with Esther Fossey (45), George Fossey (20), Edmund Fossey (15), Walter Fossey (12), Esther Fossey (15), Anna Fossey (14), John Mills (20) Clerk; Frederick Daycot (15) Apprentice and Elizabeth Weathursh (15) F.S. [Female Servant]. (Sarah and Charles having already left home.) Julia Fossey (7) was in the household of John and Eliza Jane Tolley in Lamb Street, Whitechapel (Eliza Jane was her aunt; her mother's youngest sister.)
The Morning Post of 25 Dec 1844, reported, under POLICE INTELLIGENCE, THAMES OFFICE- Yesterday Thomas Smith, a shipwright and barge builder, of Spratley's Row, Millwall, Poplar, who is in affluent circumstances, and has long maintained the reputation of being a respectable tradesman, was brought before Mr Broderip for final examination, charged with stealing a quantity of deals from the premises of two of his neighbours, Mr Thomas Fossey, timber merchant, and Mr Thomas Snook, shipbuilder, both of Millwall.
Mr Pelham attended for the prisoner.
It appeared in evidence that the premises of the prisoner are about a hundred yards from Mr Fossey's. About the 7th instant Mr Fossey missed several deals from his wharf, and two days afterwards he missed three fifteen feet deals. On Saturday, the 14th instant, two deals, having the same marks as those he missed, a spruce batten and a pine plank were brought to Mr Fossey's yard to be cut up for a person named Philpot, who is a pattern maker, for castings, and lives at No. 7 Regent Street, Limehouse. On Mr Fossey identifying his own wood which had been returned to him in such a singular manner, he made inquiries of Philpot, who brought four deals of the prisoner on 3d (sic) of December, for 12s., and was to give him 12s more for a second lot, which he had not yet paid him. Mr Fossey waited on the prisoner, and on asking him to account for his possession of the property, he said he bought them of a man named Tom Kent, who said he had picked them up. Mr Fossey accompanied the prisoner to several houses in Narrow Street, Ratcliff, where Smith alleged Tom Kent was in the habit of coming, but they could hear of no such person. This account did not tally with the one he gave to Mr Philpot when he sold the deals, and to whom he stated that a bargeman had been repairing his barge, and they were surplus deals, and at the same time he exhibited two more of the second lot in his boat shed in his premises. The prisoner had previously offered deals of a similar description for sale to various other persons. On being taken into custody on Monday the 16th instant, by Mr Evans, a Thames police inspector, he said the man of whom he bought the deals was a lighterman, about his own size and appearance, that he had known him for two or three years, and that he worked for Mr Gabriel, in the Regent's Canal. On the previous day, in a conversation with Webb, another inspector of Thames police, whom he called upon, he said he was in trouble about some deals which turned out to be stolen, and that he was in the Torrington Arms, Millwall, on the previous Thursday when a man came in and asked for Mr Smith, and said he had some deals for sale, and that he bought them for twelve shillings, and sold them for the same price. The prisoner said nothing about the other four deals sold to Mr Philpot until Tuesday morning, when he made some vague excuse. A man named Pink, in the employ of Mr Snook, the ship builder, said he missed four deals from a pile on his master's premises, and they were numbered on the ends. He afterwards saw two of them, 7 and 8, in the possession of the Thames police, who received them from Mr Fossey. The prisoner had been frequently on his master's premises.
Mr Thomas Ward, examined for the first time yesterday, said he had been fourteen years in the employ of Mr Gabriel, and that no person named Tom Kent was in his service during that time.
Mr Snook identified his property, and said he was very sorry to see the prisoner in such a position. Mr Smith had served his apprenticeship to his (Mr Snook's) father, and was afterwards employed by him for many years. He never heard anything against the prisoner's character before.
Mr Pelham contended that the second case was a very slight one indeed and not sufficient to send the prisoner for trial.
Mr Broderip said both cases must go to the sessions.
Mr Pelham said the two cases were made up principally of informers, and really they were not, prima facia, very strong to send before a Jury. He hoped, at all events, bail would be taken for the prisoner.
Mr Broderip was reluctant to say anything prejudicial to a prisoner, but he could not help saying the facts were very strong. He declined taking bail, and committed the prisoner for trial.
In 1851, Thomas Fossey (62) Retired Timber Merchant was living at 6, Burch Road, Northfleet, North Aylesford, Kent with Esther Fossey (59), Julia Fossey (18) and Mary Moon (27) General Servant from Cliffe, Kent.
Esther Fossey died, at 65, in 1858 J Quarter in NORTH AYLESFORD Volume 02A Page 187). Esther Elizabeth Fossey (née Evans) of Burch Road, Rosherville, was buried on 21 May 1858 at Gravesend Cemetery from St George's Church, Gravesend. (It appears that the grave stone suggests a date of death of 27 May 1858, but the burial date, in the correct sequence, on the original record clearly quotes the burial date being six days previously.)
In 1861, Thomas Fossey (71) Retired Timber Merchant, Widower was still living at 6, Burch Road, North Aylesford, Kent attended by Martha Hems (58) Widow, and Emily Taylor (18) both House servants.
Thomas Fossey died. at 73, on 6 Dec 1862 (1862 D Quarter in NORTH AYLESFORD Volume 02A Page 200) and was buried, on 12 Dec 1862, at Gravesend Municipal Cemetery, with his late wife.
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| Burch Road, Rosherville cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Chris Whippet - geograph.org.uk/p/3677977 The house 2nd from the left hand/far end is currently number 6. |