Another family note

How did people meet one another in the past? There are some coincidences in Beddome's history that a descendant (by marriage) has noted. On the paternal side, we can go back to John Beddome, the Deputy Town Clerk of Stratford on Avon (c1587 – 1646) and also to Roger Barnard (c 1590 – 1661). From at least as early as 1615 up to 1620 Roger Barnard was living in Wootten Wawen, a village some 5 miles west of Stratford on Avon. On Beddome's mother's side we can go back to Benjamin Brandon, the tailor, whose mother was named in his will as Hester Jordan, widow of Woolvy, Warwickshire. However, Benjamin the tailor's wife was Katherine Court and she was a daughter of Henry Court and Fortune Hawthorn. Henry and Fortune were married on April 22 1612 at Wootten Warwen and, though Henry was identified in the registers as "de Henley" which we assume to be Henley in Arden which is just over a mile north west of Wootten Warwen, their children were baptised at the latter village up to 1623 when the family moved to Tanworth in Arden. Both Roger Barnard and Henry Court would seem to have been men of substance - both left property in wills - and they were living very close to each other for a number of years - does it not seem likely that the families knew each other back then? It is not entirely clear what significance that has to the later history of the family but all roads lead back to Warwickshire. Going back a bit further, Fortune Hawthorn's parents were William Hawthorn and Fortune Ussold and they were married at Stratford Holy Trinity on July 27, 1578.

Ancestors

In the past we have referred to Beddome's mother Rachel (nee Brandon) c 1676-1758 and made reference to her will. We suggested that the source of the financial outlay to buy the family home in Alcester was perhaps from her side.

We have stated that she was the daughter of Mercy Neckless (d 1726) and Benjamin Brandon, a London silversmith said to be in an illegitimate line from Charles Brandon, first Duke of Suffolk and brother-in-law by marriage to Henry VIII (Cf Haykin, British Particular Baptists Vol 1, 169; Rippon, 314).

A Beddome descendant who makes contact from time to time has recently supplied me with a number of details in connection with this Mercy Neckless or Nicholas that she and others have uncovered.

She mentions that Mercy and Charles married at St James, Dukes Place (a parish church in Aldgate) in 1689. She also reveals that Mercy's mother (Benjamin's great grandmother) must have been Sarah Nicholas.

This Sarah was born Geary, Gery or Geere and married three times before her death around 1700. She married

1. Andrew Eve

2. Holborn butcher John Nicholas (to whom Andrew Eve had been apprenticed)

3. James Gosslin or Gosling.

In the obituary essay for Beddome in the Baptist Register there is a footnote that says that "Sir Thomas Geary and old Mrs Brandon, Mr Benjamin Beddome's mother's grandmother, were either brothers' or sisters' children".

This led researchers to conclude that Sarah's father (Benjamin's great great grandfather) must have been William Gery, uncle to Sir Thomas, brother to Richard Gery, Thomas Geary's father.

Sarah Geere's great grandmother was an Elizabeth Cavendish who was 'a gentlewoman to the privy chamber of Queen Elizabeth and 'aunt to the old Countess of Shrewsbury', that is the redoubtable Bess of Hardwick. This would mean that Elizabeth Cavendish was an aunt to Sir William Cavendish, Bess's second husband.

Signatures of the family

In the 19th century many of Beddome's grandchildren and great grandchildren emigrated to the Americas and to Australasia, taking with them various family documents. In more recent years it has been possible for Beddome descendants in Britain to trace these. One document (taken to Canada by the children of Beddome's youngest son, Josephus) is a page of Beddome signatures seen above (sent to me by Mrs N). One of the grandchildren has written underneath each signature how this person is related to him or her. At the top of the page are two signatures - Jos Brandon on the left (underneath 'Brother of my Great Grandmama' - in other words Beddome's mother's brother) and on the right Jos Beddome (underneath 'Grand Uncle' - Beddome's brother). Below that is Beddome's signature (underneath 'Grandpapa'), below that B Foskett ('Grandpapa's Tutor'), below that Mary Bright ('Grand Aunt' - Beddome's sister born in 1720, who had married first Moses Brain then Edward Bright), below that Rachel Beddome ('Great Grandmama' - Beddome's mother) and finally Thos Ludlow ('Grand Aunt Patty's Husband' - this was the husband of Beddome's youngest sister Martha, who was known as Patty).

What is not known is whether these signatures were all done at the same time or over a longer period. Mrs N favours the former view as the one missing is John Beddome, Beddome's father who died in October 1757. If they were all done at once, this could narrow down the date because we know that Bernard Foskett had a stroke on the morning of September 9, 1758 and died soon afterwards. However, we believe Rachel Beddome died on the March 23, 1758, which narrows the date even more - to the six months October 1757-March 1758 - possibly they were all together for Christmas 1757.

Family Tree

A family tree featuring Benjamin Beddome can be found here online.
Here we learn that
1. John Beddome was born 1675 in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire and died 1757 in Pithay, Bristol. He married Rachel Brandon in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire, England.

Their children were:
i. Martha Beddome, born in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire.

ii. John Beddome, born 1716 in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire.
iii. Benjamin Brandon Beddome, born 1717 in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire; died 1795 in Bourton on Water, Gloucestershire. He married Elizabeth Boswell 1749 in Bourton on Water.
iv. Joseph Beddome, born 1718 in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire.
v. Rachel Beddome, born 1719 in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire.
vi. Mary Beddome, born 1720 in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire.
vii. Bernard Beddome, born 1721 in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire.
viii. Sarah Beddome, born 1727 in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire.
ix. Caleb Beddome, born 1729 in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire.

2. John Beddome (1675-1757) had a father, probably called Benjamin and his mother was Mary Tibbetts. This Benjamin was born 1655 in Stratford on Avon and died 1682 in Stratford on Avon. A note in a family tree at Bristol Baptist College suggests that he was a shoemaker who lived at 3 Sheep Street, Stratford. He married in 1675. Besides John Beddome (1675-1757) they had Mary Beddome (d 1677 in Stratford on Avon) and Mary Tibbetts Beddome.

3. This Benjamin, father of John, was the son of another probably Benjamin and a Susannah (nee Barnard, I discover elsewhere). This Benjamin was born 1620 in Stratford on Avon and died 1680 in Stratford on Avon. The Bristol family tree suggest he was a joiner at the same address. He married Susannah 1643 in Stratford on Avon.
Their children were:
i. Charles Beddome, born in Stratford on Avon.

ii. John Beddome, born 1647 in Stratford on Avon.
iii. Elizabeth Beddome, born 1656 in Stratford on Avon.
iv. Susanna Beddome, born 1659 in Stratford on Avon.
v. Katharin Beddome, born 1665 in Stratford on Avon.
vi. Emmet Beddome, born 1650.
vii. Benjamin? Beddome, born 1655 in Stratford on Avon; died 1682 in Stratford on Avon.
viii. John Beddome, died 1646 in Stratford on Avon.
ix. Benjamin Beddome, died 1650.

4. Going back further again, this Benjamin was the son of a John and Emme. This John was born about 1600 in Stratford on Avon and died 1646 in Stratford on Avon. The Bristol document suggests that among other things he was a schoolteacher. he had also been town clerk. He married Emme in 1617 in Stratford on Avon.

5. The online document also states that the children of our Benjamin Beddome (1717-1795) were:

i. John Reynolds Beddome, born 1750. He died 1769 (Bristol document)
ii. Samuel Beddome, born 1756. He married Jane Wilkins of Cirencester in Clapham in 1781 (Bristol document). He died 1815.
iii. Foskett Beddome, born 1758. This is the one who drowned at Deptford in 1784.
iv. Boswell Brandon Beddome, born 1763.
v. Elizabeth Beddome, born 1765.
vi. Richard Beddome, born 1769.

vii. Josephus Beddome, born 1779. He married Sophie Petrie (in Clapham 1804 says the Bristol document).
(There is also viii. Benjamin (1753-1778) who became a medical doctor according to the Bristol manuscript. He is the one died young from a "putrid fever" in Edinburgh).

Also a Joseph was born in 1768. He appears to ahve died from whooping coughon OCtober 17, 1775, aged seven. Another child was born in 1775 (a tenth Snooke calls him).

6. As for Beddome's grandchildren we know (from the Bristol manuscript) that Samuel and Jane had six children (Mary Ann who married William Binnings, Elizabeth who married Rev J W Charlesworth of a long line of Anglican clerics, Benjamin, Samuel Archdale, Jane and Richard) and Josephus and Sophia had seven (John Reynolds, William Wilkins, Anne whose second marriage was to Olinthus Gilbert Gregory [1774-1841] the author of a brief memoir affixed to an edition of Beddome's sermons, Boswell Brandon, Samuel, Jane and Sophia).

7. The son of Elizabeth and Rev Charlesworth was Samuel Beddome Charlesworth, Rector of Limpsfield. He married his first cousin Maria Beddome daughter of wealthy barrister Richard (1818). They had three daughters. The youngest Maud Elizabeth (1865-1948) was married to the leading Salvationist Ballington Booth, son of William Booth.