Settlement exam
 

In 1835 my 4x gt grandfather, Joshua Webster is questioned re the settlement of his sister, Frances. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageview...387&pId=371390

In it he gets her dob wrong by 9 years but he names three "husbands". I have found the first marriage to Richard Clements in 1803 at St Andrew Undershaft, London but cannot find the others. Joshua names the "husbands" as Fox (no first name) and Wm Rabnett. Frances is buried in 1832 at St Mary Newington as Frances Rabnott.

So two questions - can anyone find marriages to Mr Fox or Wm Rabnott? I have doubts that there were any! And can anyone tell me why Joshua might have been cross examined about the Settlement of his sister three years after her death?

Who were Frances' children? If they were claiming poor relief, you might need someone to explain where she waas settled. It would change with each husband, so the authorities would need to know the father's settlement for each child (if she were indeed married!)

I can't find any baptisms either, Phoenix. It doesn't help that we don't know when she left Richard Clements or the first name of Mr Fox. William Rabnott is also very elusive...

There is an Anna Fox baptism 27 Aug 1820 at St Luke, Chelsea, daughter of John and Frances Fox of Lawrence Street, shoemaker. Date of birth given as 19 Oct 1815.

There's also this burial which I thought could be for another child of John and Frances:


John Fox Burial

b abt 1813 bur 24 Aug 1817 St Luke, Chelsea, Kensington and Chelsea, Abode, Lawrence Street.

Of course he might have a different mother or completely different parents.

Thankyou Kite and Merry.

I tend to overlook events further west than the City as so few of my ancestors hail from there. Although Joshua and Frances were born in Laleham, west of London!

Joshua states that Mr Fox was of Kent Street. The Victorian London Streets A_Z names five Kent Streets: Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, Southwark, Newington and Plaistow. Of course they probably moved about - none of my ancestors stayed in one place for long - but I was favouring the four first areas due to the fact that the Settlement Exam is for Shoreditch Poor Union and that she died in Newington.

I will have a look at the Chelsea Foxes (that sounds like a Channel Five programme:d) and see if I can find a connection.