Mary Walker/Newham/Archer/Bentall

[Merry]

4. Is there any way to find out how she was supported financially? Which of the men in her life helped to pay for her son's education?

Well, we don't know what she received from her father during his lifetime, but there was several hundred pounds in trust "for and towards the maintenance education and advancement in life of my grandson James William Newham" left in the will of Mary's first father-in-law, James Newham whose (PCC) will was proved in 1835. The will is quite long and I only read up to that mention of the grandson which was at the top of the first full page. The will was signed 6 Aug 1835 and proved 5 Nov 1835.

[Merry]

London Evening Standard 02 October 1835

Oct 1st, at his residence, York Place, Portman Square, James Newham Esq., in his 59th year.

He was buried on 8 Oct 1835 at St James, Piccadilly.

[Merry]

Thomas Walker was at 8 Oxford Market in 1811 (watch and clock maker) - London and Country Directory, 1811

[Merry]

It would be nice to be able to make a decision about this baptism one way or the other:

Baptism date 13 Mar 1797 at Minster in Sheppey, Kent
James Thomas Walker the son of Thomas and Elizabeth


There's a James Walker on the 1851 census who says he was born in Minster and aged 54 He has his 52-year-old unmarried sister Sarah living with him, also born in Minster, but I've not been able to match her up with a baptism (at Minster in Sheppey or Minster in Thanet) to try and work out if her brother is the one who originally had two forenames and therefore definitely not your James Thomas.

I don't think images for Minster in Sheppey baptisms are available anywhere online.

[Merry]

Originally Posted by Merry

Thomas Walker was at 8 Oxford Market in 1811 (watch and clock maker) - London and Country Directory, 1811

It looks very likely that he was there in 1806 as well as I found this on the TNA site:

Reference:
MS 11936/437/792916
Description:
Insured: William Minshull, 8 Oxford Market, butcher
Other property or occupiers: Walker
Date:
11 September 1806
Held by:
London Metropolitan Archives: City of London, not available at The National Archives

This makes it more likely the 1809 baptism is the right one for Mary Walker but then she would be only 15 at her marriage and her age at death would be a few years out (unless it was supposed to be 31 rather than 37 - do you have the certificate?) I thought her age might have been rounded down in 1841 because her husband was younger than her.

There are a lot of baptisms for children of Thomas and Sarah in Marylebone, but I think there may be more than one couple as there would need to be quite a few deaths before Thomas's death in order for there to be only three beneficiaries and I've only found a couple.

[Merry]

I do think it likely Thomas arrived in Marylebone after the birth of James Thomas.

[Merry]

Info on Marylebone baps, parents Thomas and Sarah 1795-1833

Date............ Forename(s)..Address?.. dob?.......... Occ of Father?

27 Mar 1807..John................No.........08 Mar 1807...No
13 Aug 1809...Mary...............No........12 Jun 1809....No
12 Aug 1812...Eliza................No........18 Mar 1812...No
06 Feb 1814...John................No.........30 Dec 1813..Trade
02 Apr 1815...Thomas............No.........11 Mar 1815..Trade
29 Sep 1816...Sarah..............No.........04 Sep 1816..Trade
25 Aug 1818...William............No.........25 Aug 1818..Trade
28 Oct 1819....Charles............No.........25 Oct 1818..Trade
08 May 1821...Frederick..........No.........11 Apr 1821..Trade
12 Jul 1823....Alfred...............No.........18 Jun 1823..Trade
20 Apr 1825...Marg. Mason...164 Oxf'd St. 07 Mar 1825 Haberdasher

19 Jun 1827 Four children of the haberdasher, b 1821, 23, 25 and 27. Three of them had been baptised previously - Frederick 1821, Alfred 1823 and Margaret Mason 1825 (matching dates of birth recorded). The extra child was Amelia b 1827.
After this, Thomas the Haberdasher became a draper (still living in Oxford St) and had two more children (Maria and Hester) born and baptised after 1827. I didn't look after 1833 as your Thomas died in 1832.

So, all the children born 1821 and after belong to the haberdasher and his wife. However, they were married 22 April 1811 (Sarah was Sarah Mason) at Marylebone, so those children born 1811 to 1819 could belong to them or could belong to your Thomas and Sarah!

So, the next step must be to look for burials for the following as they were not in your Thomas's will - any that lived and were born after 1811 might belong to the other couple:

John b 1807 buried 6 Jan 1813 Marylebone. Age not given but says child.
Eliza b 1812 buried 6 Jul 1813 Marylebone. Child.
John b 1814 buried 17 Aug 1830 Marylebone aged 17. Address Oxford Street so might possibly be the other family. However there are a couple of other possible burials for children named John in 1815 and 1821.
Thomas b 1815 buried 7 Apr 1822 Marylebone. Child.
Sarah b 1816 buried 24 Oct 1819 Marylebone. Child.
Charles b 1819 Three possible burials 1822 1824 and 1827 Marylebone, all children.

So, impossible to tell who most of these children belonged to as it's very likely they all died. John b 1807 is probably the son of your Thomas as he was born before 1811. I suppose there's a chance the second John is another sibling as he was born soon after the first John died.

[Merry]

The 'other' Thomas and Sarah wee living at 17 Old Quebec St Marylebone in 1841and 1851 with some of their younger children.

I looked at burials for your Sarah Walker between the birth of her son William and the death of her husband in Marylebone but none of them were an obvious fit as none of them had an address I recognised.

[Merry]

I'm not sure if any of this helps at all?

London, Westminster Marylebone census 1821 & 1831

1821 Census 17 Castle Street East Marylebone

Inhabitants' Names: Walker
Families occupying house: 2
Males in the house : 7
Females in the house: 6
Families in the house employed in trade or manufactures: 2
Ages of males:
Under 5: 1
5-10: 1
20-30: 3
30-40: 1
40-50: 1
Ages of females:
Under 5: 1
5-10: 1
10-15: 1
15-20: 1
30-40: 1
40-50:1

Maybe if there was only one family it might have helped?

1831 Census 17 Castle Street Marylebone

Name of Householder: Walker
Families occupying house: 2
Families employed in agriculture: -
Families employed in trade/manufactures: -
Male persons: 3
Female persons: 5
Total persons: 8
Number of males aged 20 and upward: 2
Number of those (2) males who are wholesale merchants, bankers, professional persons or other educated men: 1
Number of those (2) males who are labourers not employed in agriculture: 1
Of the female persons (5) how many are household servants: 1

[Merry]

I note that Thomas Walker made a codicil to his will replacing his son, William, as executor. The new executor was George Munday also of 17 Castle Street.

I did wonder if George Munday was the head of the other family living at that address in the 1831 Marylebone census, but it looks fairly unlikely as I can't see him being described as a labourer (non agricultural).

George was George Mitchell Munday bap 1795 in Finsbury, d 1873 Marylebone. He married in 1831 (I think after the census) and was at Castle St when his first child was baptised in 1832. After that he lived at 6 Great Portland St Marylebone for the rest of his life and was described variously as a jeweller and/or silversmith, so not a labourer.