Samuel Watlington and Anne Monke

Photo © John Salmon (cc-by-sa/2.0)

All Saints, Swallowfield, Berks - East end

Photo available for reuse under this Creative Commons licence.

Samuel Watlington (b. ~1660) married Anne Monke at All Saints' Church, Swallowfield, Berkshire, on 29 Dec 1687. The church stands well away from the village, nestled in a corner of Swallowfield Park. What, if any, link Anne Monke may have had to that estate would be a subject for further research, but it is interesting to note its later links to the East India Company.

Watlington House
Mr Ignavy (cc-by-sa/2.0)
geograph.org.uk/p/3628685

Watlington House (Watlington Street), Reading, now Grade II* listed and reputed to be the oldest surviving secular building in the town, was built in 1688 for Samuel Watlington, who was a wealthy clothier or cloth merchant and leading citizen the town who twice served as Mayor of Reading in 1695 and again in 1711 [Watlington House – History]. He was also known to have been a Churchwarden of St Laurence's Church, Reading. The family is said to have been "of considerable influence in local affairs" and a 1929 article in the Reading Standard says the first mention of them was in 1520, of Robert Watlyngton among the burgesses of the Merchant Guild of Reading.

Richard Watlington, presumably an ancestor, had been Mayor of Reading no less than five times, in 1566, 1574, 1584, 1589 and 1593 and Samuel's son, Abraham Watlington, served as Mayor of Reading in 1734, 1743 and 1755. 

There was a baptism of an Ann Monke on 8 Dec 1672 at St Laurence's Church, Reading, the daughter of William and Ann Monke. This would have potentially made her 15, or maybe just 16, when she married, which, for the time, probably wouldn't have been too unusual. A father's name of William makes sense too. This would have made her 44 when she gave birth to her last child, which is a heck of a lot more reasonable than one Ancestry family tree, which would have her giving birth at 61! Can they not do maths? 

Samuel and Anne Watlington had 12 children:

1. Samuel Watlington bap. 29 May 1689 at St Giles' Church, Reading
2. William Watlington bap. 16 Apr 1691 at St Giles' Church, Reading
3. John Watlington bap. 4 Jan 1693 at St Giles' Church, Reading
4. Ann Watlington bap. 18 Jul 1695 at St Giles' Church, Reading. Anne Watlington, daughter of Samuel & Anne Watlington, was buried on 12 Mar 1700 at St Laurence's Church, Reading
5. Abraham Watlington bap. 24 Jun 1697 at St Giles' Church, Reading
6. Edward Watlington bap. 23 May 1699 at St Giles' Church, Reading
7. Thomas Watlington b. approx. 1702 (no baptism found)
8. Joseph Watlington bap. 22 Mar 1704 at St Giles' Church, Reading
9. Benjamin Watlington bap. 19 Jun 1707 at St Giles' Church, Reading
10. James Watlington bap. 3 Jan 1709 at St Giles' Church, Reading. James Watlington, son of Samuel (Alderman) & Anne was buried at the church of St Laurence, Market Place, Reading on 18 Jun 1711
11. Mary Watlington bap. 10 Aug 1713 at St Giles' Church, Reading
12. Ann Watlington bap. 26 Apr 1716 at St Giles' Church, Reading

On 27 Apr 1704, Samuel Watlington, son of Samuel Watlington of Reading, Gentleman was apprenticed to Thomas Barnard, Citizen Draper of London (presumably a member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers) to learn his art, for a period of seven years. In Jun 1713, Samuel Watlington Jr was granted Freedom of the City of London, his occupation noted as Draper.

On 13 Dec 1706, John Watlington, then about 13, son of Samuel Watlington of Reading, Berkshire, Gentleman was apprenticed to to Charles Yalden, Fishmongers' Company (Worshipful Company of Fishmongers).

In 1716, Edward Watlington, son of Samuel Watlington of Reading, Gentleman, was apprenticed to Master Christopher Diggs, Gentleman, of Barnard's Inn, for which the premium paid was £107. 10s. 0d. 

In 1718, Thomas Watlington, son of Samuel Watlington of Reading, Gentleman, was apprenticed to William Watlington, Girdler (presumably a member of the Worshipful Company of Girdlers), City of London. The bargain premium was £50. 0s. 0d, presumably because his master was family.

On 20 Jun 1720, Joseph Watlington, who would then have been round 15, son of Samuel, Reading, Berkshire, Farmer, was apprenticed to Arthur Walter, Fishmongers' Company, for a premium of £105. 0s. 0d.

Mrs Ann Watlington was buried at St Laurence's Church on 2 Sep 1735.

Samuel Watlington was buried at St Laurence's Church on 4 Oct 1735.

Probate was granted on 4 Nov 1735 on the Will of Samuel Watlington of Reading in the County of Berks, who requested that his body be buried in the North side of the Chancel of St Lawrence's Church. His bequests included those to his sons William Watlington, John Watlington, Abraham Watlington, Edward Watlington, Thomas Watlington, Joseph Watlington, and Benjamin Watlington, and daughters Mary Watlington, and Anne Watlington. Also mentioned were a Freehold Estate in Wokingham and a Copyhold Estate in Wargrave, amongst other assets. Samuel Watlington speaks of his "loving wife Anne Watlington during her widowhood", but the Will was drawn up on 13 Apr 1720, long before her death, which in the end was only around a month before his. He had said that she should have the use of all his plate and household goods and furniture, which he was then leaving (at the time of her marriage or death) to his son Samuel Watlington. From this we can deduce that their eight sons and two daughters were all still alive in 1720.

John Perry and Ann Watlington

Entrance to St Giles' Church, Reading
Bill Nicholls (cc-by-sa/2.0) geograph.org.uk/p/3278759

John Perry (b. 13 Dec 1712), son of Philip Perry and Elizabeth Flemming, married Ann Watlington (bap. 26 Apr 1716 at St Giles, Reading), daughter of Samuel Watlington and Ann Monke, at St Giles, Reading on 2 Jun 1737.

There are records for the following children of John and Ann Perry:

1. Philip Perry b. Monday, 18 Dec 1738, bap. 23 Dec 1738 (at 5 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney. The Chronicles of the Blackwall Yard lists Philip's birth year as 1739, but I don't see this as an inconsistency, as it was probably calculated from age. Philip Perry, eldest son of the late Mr. Perry, died (unmarried) at the age of thirty-seven, in 1776 (purportedly on 5 Jul 1776) and buried on 10 Jul 1776, at St Dunstan's, Stepney
2. Ann Perry b. Friday, 16 May 1740, bap. 6 Jun 1740 (at 21 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney
3. John Perry b. Sunday, 12 Sep 1742, bap. 14 Oct 1742 (at 32 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney. Reputedly died on 23 Nov 1742
4. John Perry b. Tuesday, 4 Jan 1743, bap. 25 Jan 1743 at St Dunstan's, Stepney (at 21 Days Old). This clearly doesn't agree with the birth date of 6 Apr 1743 on John's burial in 1810. Could this discrepancy be confusion from the change from the Julian to Gregorian calendar? *
5. Thomas Perry b. Tuesday, 2 Apr 1745, bap. 23 Apr 1745 (at 21 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney. Presume died in infancy.
6. Samuel Perry b. Wednesday, 6 May 1747, bap. 2 Jun 1747 (at 27 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney. Presume died in infancy.
7. Elizabeth Perry b. Monday, 15 Aug 1748, bap. 8 Sep 1748 (at 24 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney. (This child must have died as an infant: there is a potential burial on 3 Dec 1748 in Whitechapel)
8. Elizabeth Perry b. Monday, 28 Aug 1749, bap. 15 Sep 1749 (at 18 days old) at St Dunstan's, Stepney.

All baptisms list the parents as John Perry, Shipwright, and Ann of Poplar.

* At first there appears not to be enough time between John b. 1742 and John b. 1743 for them to have been of the same mother, however, the second John - the only one of these births falling in the first part of the year - was born in 1743 to him, but 1744 in our modern (Gregorian) calendar. The year difference before 1752 is due to the use of the Julian calendar, where the year began on March 25th, not January 1st. Thus entries between January 1st and March 24th of a given year would be one year behind our calendar. 

Ann Perry is reputed to have died on 6 Aug 1752 in Reading, Berkshire.

John Perry married Catherine Gibson on 3 Dec 1754 at St Dunstan-in-the-West. The marriage record reads: "John Perry of Blackwall in the Parish of Saint Dunstan Stepney Widower in the County of Middlesex and Catherine Gibson of this Parish Spinster were Married in this Church by Licence this Third day of December, in the year One Thousand and seven hundred fifty four, by leave of the Vicar by me John Gibson Clerk." The Reverend John Gibson, was Catherine's elder brother. Witnesses were Bartholomew Gibson and William Gibson, her other two brothers. Catherine Gibson (bap. 11 May 1720 at St Paul's, Covent Garden) was the daughter of John Gibson and Dorcas Shower (m. 4 Sep 1716 at St John the Baptist, Pinner.)

John Gibson senior was until about 1720 a jeweller in Bow Street. In 1718 he inherited property at Bury Pond Hill in Pinner from an aunt, Elizabeth Darden, and in 1720 his wife inherited Islips Manor Farm in Northolt, and property at Pinner Hill. She was Dorcas, only daughter and heiress of William Shower, and, through him, of her uncle, Sir Bartholemew Shower, recorder of London. [Source] "one of the most vilified and despised Tories of his generation."

Mrs Catherine Perry was buried on 20 Dec 1766 on St John the Baptist, Pinner, Harrow, Middlesex. The Will of Katherine Perry formerly Gibson states that she was the wife of Mr John Perry of Blackwall, Shipwright. It mentions her house at Pinner: she left "the house, called the White House and all the land surrounding the house to my husband, John Perry, together with the furniture that is mine." The rest of my fortune that my father John Gibson left me and all that has been left me or given to me by other friends Mr Perry has given me the Liberty to Dispose of it at my Death ..." These included bequeaths to her brothers William Gibson, Barth[olemew] Gibson and John Gibson and to her sisters Elizabeth Gibson and Dorcas Gibson. 

The Chronicles of the Blackwall Yard (PDF) says, ''John Perry died [listed in various locations as on 20 Jan 1771] at Blackwall, and was buried with his wife and father in the grounds of Poplar Chapel (St Matthias Old Church)." His grandson, Mr. Richard Perry, writes of this:—"My grandfather was of a very religious turn, and was supposed by the family to have passed away while engaged in his devotions ('Beatus ille!'). He had retired to his chamber one evening for that purpose, and was found dead upon the floor; the candle had fallen from his hand, and had providentially become extinguished." Mr. Perry left two sons and several daughters. His eldest son Philip died shortly afterwards, and his second son John succeeded him in business. By his will, dated 1772, "Mr. John Perry, of Blackwall, shipbuilder, left the interest of £200 to be given half-yearly in bread to the poor of the hamlet."

Probate was granted on 1 Feb 1771. In his will John Perry of Walthamstow in the County of Essex Esq, indeed states that "it is my will and desire to be buried in my vault in Poplar Church Yard." John Perry left his eldest son "Philip Perry the sum of five thousand pounds part of my four percent consolidated bank annuities and the five thousand pounds part of my three percent consolidated bank annuities to and for his own use which sums I direct shall be transferred within two months after my decease in the names of my two sons Philip and John Perry and of my sister Sarah Seehl wife of Mr Ephraim Rinhold Seehl." He left his share of the partnership trade of a shipwright in the Great Yard at Blackwall to his son John. He also gave John his share of the capital stock in the trade of Ropemaker. To his daughter Ann Hankey (wife of Joseph Hankey), "I give to my said daughter Ann my best Tea Equipage at Walthamstow ... the Carved Rosewood Table and the set of China Tea Chest Spoons and Cannisters belonging to the same and the Silver Tea Kettle Lamp ... used therewith and also the large case of silver spoons." The Will lists his three sisters Sarah Seehl, Susanna Gilbert and Elizabeth Brown.

The statement that "Mr. Perry left two sons and several daughters" suggests that Thomas and Samuel had predeceased him, or died as infants, however I've not found evidence of that. They were certainly not mentioned in their father's will either, but I have seen suggestions (not yet researched them) that either one or both lived to be adults. The Chronicles of the Blackwall Yard also suggests his wife (which one?) was buried at Poplar Chapel, but I can find no record substantiating this. And "several daughters" would also suggest there were more than the two I've found records for, but only Ann was mentioned by name in his will. There have been numerous inconsistencies and, given that Wigram & Green published the Chronicles of the Blackwall Yard in 1881, over 100 years and at least three generations of Perry's had passed, that, whilst I have more faith in their account of the shipbuilding (there'll be ledgers and other records for those), it looks like most of the family information is half right when it comes to the males directly involved in the business and decidedly shaky for all the rest and should not be relied upon.