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St Andrew Undershaft |
Ephraim Reinhold Seehl (b. ~1718 in Sweden) of
Bromley St Leonard, Batchelor, aged upwards of twenty-seven years, Chemist, son of Captain Reinhold Seehl (apparently a German volunteer with the Swedish Army), married
Sarah Perry (bap. 12 Mar 1721 at
St Mary Magdalene Woolwich), of the Parish of
St Dunstan's, Stepney, Spinster, aged upwards of twenty-two years, daughter of
Philip Perry and Elizabeth Flemming, at
St Andrew Undershaft,
City of London, (a rare example of a City church that survived both the
Great Fire of London and
the Blitz) by Licence, on
19 Nov 1745.
There is no evidence of any children being born to this couple.
Seehl was known as a manufacturer of
Iron(II) sulfate (known since ancient times as
copperas and as
green vitriol) and was apparently leasing the Copperas Works from Sarah's brother,
John Perry (and probably later from her nephew,
John Perry). As we see here in
An Account of the Hamlet of Poplar, in Middlesex, From "The Universal magazine" for June, 1795, "
Not far from this dock, Mr. Perry has a copperas work, situate on the river Lea, near the Thames, in the parish of St. Leonard Bromley, and which, although not so large as his copperas works at Whitstable in Kent, and Walton-on-the-Naze, in Essex, is allowed to be the most complete work of the kind in England."
Ephraim Reinhold Seehl appears in various London directories from 1752, through until well after his death, listed as a chemist, or copperas merchant, to be found at Blackwall, or at one of the
London Coffee Houses, such as the
Bank Coffee House in
Threadneedle Street. From 1765, he began to be listed at Blackwall and
Baltic Coffee House, Sweeting's Alley (or
Sweeting' Rents) and later,
Cole's Coffee House, Ball Court,
Cornhill, London.
The Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures, 1710-1811, show that on 15 May 1749, Ephraim Reinhold Seehl of Blackwall, Middlesex, Copperas Maker, took as his apprentice one John Bridges Buckle.
(As an aside, but this
could have been the same chap previously apprenticed to Seehl, a John Bridges Buckle, Gent, was buried on 26 Apr 1756 at
Saint Giles in the Fields, Holborn.
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey dated 28 May 1756 explain the case where Buckle had been stabbed by a Mr Venables, who said in his defence, "
I saw Mr Buckle upon my wife in the bed naked as I am to appear before God". Venables was found guilty of Manslaughter.)
The six pages of the Will of Ephraim Reinhold Seehl of the Parish of Bromley St Leonards in the County of Middlesex Chemist and Copperas Maker, which was originally drafted in 1757, has been one of the most difficult to read because of the quality of the squashed up handwriting. Nevertheless, he mentions therein, his loving wife Sarah; his brothers-in-law
John Perry and
John Brown; his sisters-in-law
Elizabeth Brown, wife of John Brown;
Susanna Gilbert, Widow; and Mrs [unreadable] Perry, Widow (certain this is
Hellen Perry, widow of Philip Perry); as well as his niece Sarah Brown eldest daughter of the said John Brown; and Kitty Brown youngest daughter of John Brown (in 1757 Catherine Brown (Kitty) was the youngest daughter; her younger sister Ann was born in 1758). Seehl left most of his property to his '
dearly beloved wife Sarah' and appointed Sarah as sole Executrix. He seemed to make some changes to the Will in 1769, but added a Codicil, dated 29 Apr 1775, in which he began, "
That as my two brothers-in-law and Mrs [unreadable] Perry are since the making of this Will dead ..." and changes the beneficiaries: in place of John Brown, is Kitty Brown and in place of Mrs [unreadable] Perry, was her daughter Susanna Taylor. Also mentioned is Mrs Sarah Clark. And, "...
to my nephew John Perry and also to my niece Elizabeth Perry his wife ... as had given and bequeathed before in the Will to their fathers John Perry and John Brown". The Will also mentions his nephew Joseph Hankey (who was married to John Perry Sr's daughter, Ann); the
Copyhold property in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex and the Copyhold estate in Bromley St Leonard. The Will was proved on 12 Sep 1783.
Sarah Seehl died on 28 Apr 1804. The Commercial Chronicle of 1 May 1804 (Tuesday) reported "
On Saturday last, at Limehouse, Mrs Sarah Seehl, relict of Ephraim Seehl, Esq." Sarah Seehl was buried on 4 Jun 1804 (?). The Parish Register of St Dunstan's, Stepney lists the burial of, "
Sarah Seehl of Poplar at Poplar", which I assume to be once again at Poplar Chapel (
St Matthias Old Church) - in her Will, Sarah stated her wish to be buried in the vault with her late husband - although there's also a record in the Parish Register of
All Saints Church, Poplar on the same date of the burial of Sarah Seehl (86).
Probate was granted on the Will (with three Codicils the last dated 3 Jun 1802) - which runs to 15 handwritten pages - of Sarah Seehl of Church Row, Limehouse, Widow, to the surviving Executor, John Perry, on 20 Jun 1804.
