London 18-19th Centuries

1. 18th Century

Seven out of the 12 were from the Willingale clan:

i. Annis Widow d 1702

Will written 17 June 1701, pr PCC Sep 1702 (PROB 11/466):

Annis' 4 children:

1. John
2. Annis
3. Abell
4. Hannah

were still minors (ll 35-39 and 50-51) therefore the eldest was born after 17 June 1680 and Annis probably married John after 1680. It is not clear who he was, but if they married early 1680s he would have been born late 1650s or early 1660s. There are no suitable marriage or baptismal records in the IGI, which doesn't contain the registers of St Paul Shadwell 1670-1934. Since Annis was heavily pregnant in mid June 1701, John would have died after mid Oct 1700, but his will has not been found. Given that Annis had property, John was probably either:

• Only son of Edward of Wheathapstead Gent, bap 1660
• Second son of Charles of Westminster Gent, b aft 1654
• Elder son of Robert of Millow, Bedfordshire b 1656/7.

Annis' connection with Shingey in Cambridgeshire might suggest the last, but her property and London residence suggest one of the others.

ii. Jesse 1722

Jesse was the last known member of the Southwark clan. Mentioned in wills of father Joseph 1696 and uncle Job 1704. Married Phoebe TOWLE 12 Feb 1722/3 St Mary Whitechapel Middx by Faculty Office licence. No issue? Jesse's will was written 31 Jul 1727, pr 3 Feb 1730/1 PCC—Phoebe still living.

iii. William Fruiterer d 1729

William's parents are not yet known. PRO C11/683/8 of 2 Nov 1730 consists of 2 huge parchments:

1. the Complaint of Nathaniel West of St James Westminster, Tallow Chandler, that William Brockett late of the same parish, Fruiterer, and Willam Norris of St Paul Covent Garden, Taylor, owed him £20
2. an inventory of William's debts and credits.

William d Oct 1729 and Frances his widow was defendant against West's Complaint. William's will left everything to her, sole executrix (written 3 Oct 1729, pr PCC 4 Oct), but 2 items in the inventory show that they had children:

• 'Paid for mourning for this Deft & her two Daughters £18 16s'
• 'Claimed by the aforesaid Willaim Norris Taylor for Mourning for the Testators three Sons £27 4s'.

The IGI shows no relevant baptisms for a couple William and Frances, but there was a marriage of a William 7 Jan 1699 to Frances ROGERS at St Mary Magdalene Old Fish St, London. There were marriages there later of John and Sarah COX 1710, Mary and William GOODGER 1719 and Elizabeth and Richard WALKER 1726.

In Nov 1630 Frances sued in Chancery (PRO C11/1210/14) to recover a debt of £30 owing to William by Henry Chapman of St Martin in the Fields, Coachmaker, and John Wade of Mile End, Gent.

iv. Dew 1752

London Brokets can be more difficult to identify than provincial ones.

A Bible inscription 'Dew Brocket 17th September 1752' was probably a christening as Dew married Harriot ALNUT 35 years later—28 Aug 1787—in St George's Hanover Square. They were both 'of this parish' and one of the witnesses was Ann Brockett. London parishes have unsuccessfully been checked for Dew's baptism, but he may have been Nonconformist. The IGI records the marriage of an Anne Brooket [sic] to Edward Miles 13 Apr 1750 St Georges Chapel or Mayfair or St George's Hanover Square. No will has been found for Dew nor any Chancery proceedings or letters patent, etc.

Dew is an unusual name, perhaps unique. Clerk and copyist made an error. Both the original marriage entry and Boyd's Marriage Index had 'Hugh' altered to 'Dew', and the christening records of their sons both listed parents 'Den' and Harriot Brocket:

1. Joseph christened 21 Feb 1790 George Yard Independent Chapel, Hammersmith; family parish given as St Stephen's Coleman Street, London.
2. Rebecca, although not christened in the Chapel like her brothers, was probably b c 1792. Married Richard BRAND at St Stephen's Coleman Street, London 22 Aug 1812, Batchelor and Spinster both of the parish, witnesses Joseph Smallwood and Ann Brockett. Richard was a Currier, Freeman of the City of London 30 Mar 1815 and called to Livery of the Currier's Company 27 Mar 1830. Rebecca d 1864 Ilford Essex. A sampler exists by Rebecca Brocket dated 1805.
3. William christened 8 Oct 1795 George Yard Independent Chapel, Hammersmith.

The 1851 census for London recorded no Josephs and only 1 William—an old soldier in Chelsea, born c 1761.

The IGI records no other suitable baptisms of Ann for London 1730-1800.

Most London Brokets in this century were craftsmen and labourers. Some belonged to 2 clans not yet linked to a major Broket Group, descendants of Charles Stonemason and William Cordwainer.

i. William, Stonemason d 1806

William's parents are not yet known, nor if he had children, nor if he was related to his contemporary Charles, Stonemason.

ii. Charles, Stonemason

The only record found so far is the marriage certificate of his son Thomas' 2nd marriage in 1880 at Trinity Church, Lambeth, which gave the name and occupation of his father as Charles Brockett Stonemason. It did not say 'deceased' but Thomas himself by then was in his late 60s. Assuming Thomas was b c 1810, Charles probably married 1790-1810, and may have been b 1760-85.

Descendants today still live in Kent and others have emigrated.

iii. Thomas, Bricklayer b c 1810-3 d 1897

Son of Charles, Stonemason, Thomas Brockett Bricklayer and family were recorded frequently from 1841, mainly in Lambeth. They were Cockney Londoners—born and bred within earshot of the Bow Bells. Some were Catholics, and until the 20th C most were bricklayers or labourers.

Thomas was born c 1810-3, but where is uncertain. The IGI has no baptisms or births of a Thomas between 1718 and 1827 (Bromham, Beds). It is of course incomplete, even for Bromham, where a Thomas for instance was baptised 1796. The 3 census entries found so far for Thomas conflict:

1. 1851 age 38 birthplace: Bexley (?) Kent; wife Margaret's birthplace: Chichester, Sussex.
2. 1861 age 51 birthplace: Chichester—written by the enumerator in the empty space above his name, with 'ditto' written underneath in the correct space; wife Margaret's birthplace: Camberwell. The enumerator appears to have mixed the two up. Chichester is not otherwise a Brockett place—they do not figure there at all in the IGI nor even in the whole of Sussex for the 1881 census. The IGI for Ryan—Margaret's maiden name—records 32 Ryan baptisms or marriages for Sussex 1748-1874. Ten of these were from St Paul Chichester in the space of the 18 years 1856-74. But there is a likelihood that Margaret was an Irish Catholic, and if so is unlikely to have been born in Chichester.
3. 1881 age 71 birthplace: Lambeth; wife Mary Anne's birthplace also Lambeth. Lambeth was where they were then living. The entry was under Bricket, reel 596.

Thomas married 1st Margaret RYAN (died 1874 Lambeth). Children:

1. Robert b 13 Feb 1841 Kennington. There is a death recorded in St Catherine's in 1855 Marylebone. On the other hand the 1861 census recorded a Robert, wife Jane Elizabeth and son John Robert, residing 1 Circus Mews, Marylebone (RG 9/79-99).
2. Sarah b c 1841. Sarah and Robert were probably twins. Robert's birth is registered in St Catherine's in 1841 Q1 Lambeth and there is a Sarah Elizabeth on the same page. St Catherine's has a marriage of a Sarah Elizabeth in 1860.
3. Thomas b 22 Dec 1842 Camberwell. Bricklayer. Married Catherine Louisa MILLS 19 Aug 1861 in St Mary the Virgin, Strand. Children: Catherine Louisa b 1862 d 1862; Catherine Elizabeth b 1864; George b 1867 d c 1945; James Edward b 1869 d 1953; Joseph Thomas b 1875 d 1944; William b 1878; Alice d c 1950; Arthur b 3 Nov 1882.
4. George b 31 Jul 1844 Lambeth d 1900 Hackney. Bricklayer. Married Elizabeth WHEELER 8 Oct 1865 Stoke Newington Parish Church. Children: George b 1869; Elizabeth b 1872; James Edward b 1874; Marie b 1876.
5. John b c 1846. ?Married 1867 Q3 in St George's Hanover Square.
6. James b c 1848 Lambeth. Probably still unmarried at the age of 33 (1881 census).
7. Harriett b c 1850. No St Catherine's record of her birth, marriage or death.
8. Edward b c 1854 St Pancras. For the 1881 census (reel 595) he was described as a one-armed Bricklayer's Labourer, living with wife Ann Phoebe, Laundress, at 92 Union St, Lambeth. No children recorded.
9. Marie married ... Saunders, informant at father's death in 1897, residing 63 Dalberg Rd, Brixton. Or was she his granddaughter—daughter of George?

Thomas and Margaret did not apparently register the birth of John, James, Harriett, Marie and perhaps Edward. In Surrey and Middlesex in the early decades of registration as much as 15% of births went unrecorded (Hey 1997 p v).

Thomas married 2nd Mary Ann WEAVERS 16 Aug 1880 at Trinity Church, Lambeth. No children. Mary Ann d 1909 Lambeth.

With Thomas in the building trade, the family moved frequently:

• In 13 Feb 1841, for the birth of son Robert they were at 6 Henry Street, Dorset Street, Lambeth.
• By Dec 1842, for son Thomas' birth they were at 5 Edmont Street, Camberwell.
• In Jul 1844, for son George's birth they were at 10 Henry Street, Dorset Street.
• For the 1851 census they were at 2 Wants Cottage, Kings Road, St Pancras.
• For the 1861 census the family was at 12 Mitre Place, Lambeth.
• In 1880 he was with his new wife at 12 Royal Street, Lambeth.
• For the 1881 census they were at 108 Regent Street, Lambeth.
• 13 Jan 1897 Thomas died at 1 Gandulf St, Lambeth.

iv. William b c 1797

The first record is of William Brocket Cordwainer marrying Jane BENGE 27 Jan 1822 in Chertsey, Surrey (IGI).

Children:

1. Edward b c 1827. For the 1881 census (IGI transcript) he was aged 54, Bricklayer's Labourer, residing Kingston on Thames, born Stockwell, wife Margaret aged 50, born Paris B.S., and their 4 children, all born in Ham, were:
   1. Betsey aged 16—b c 1865
   2. George aged 11—b c 1860
   3. Jessie aged 9—b c 1872
   4. Alfred aged 6—b c 1875.
   Their marriage is not in St Catherine's Index.
2. Francis Henry b 1839 Brentford District, Musician—flautist, d 1914 Kingston District, married Agnes Georgina ROWSON 22 Feb 1860 in Norbiton, Surrey (Marriage Certificate). The family lived at Lavender Hill, Clapham Junction. There were said to have been 17 children, many either still born or miscarried. In the Mormon transcription of the 1881 census he is mistakenly called Morris H Brockett. Children:
1. Francis Henry 'Frank' b c 1860 d c 1950, married Sarah BEECH 25 Dec 1883 in St. Peter's, Pimilico. Musician. 2 sons, 1 dau. Descendants living today.
2. George b c 1862, married Caroline Hilda HART 18 Aug 1883 Register Office, St George's Hanover Sq. Flautist. Resided 1883 Vauxhall Bridge Rd, Westminster.
3. Agnes married ... .... 1 son, 3 daus
4. Daisy married ARTHUR BARNET. 1 dau, 1 son.
5. Lil married LAD .... 1 dau
6. Rosa Jane
7. others died young?

To follow...