Thomas Clark (1787 - 1868)

Born 1787 in Wilstone, Hertfordshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Mortimer) Clark — married 24 Feb 1808 in Wingrave, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 1868 at about age 81 in Wilstone, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Susan Aucoin [send private message]

Biography

A Tavern Keeper & Bricklayer's Son in the Evolving Village of Wilstone

Closely following Thomas Clark's birth in late 18th century Wilstone, Hertfordshire, the tranquil repose of his small village would be animated by the construction of the Grand Union Canal and the Wilstone Reservoir. Wilstone Reservoir was one of a group known as the Tring Reservoirs which were built to feed water into the Grand Union Canal. As a young boy familiar only with quiet farm fields dotted with half-timbered cottages and a cozy village centre, Thomas must have been mesmerized by the dazzling activity involved in building the canal and reservoir. Born in Wilstone and baptized on the 2nd of December 1787 in Tring, Hertfordshire^[1], Thomas was the last child of bricklayer and tavern keeper Joseph CLARK and his wife Elizabeth MEAD. His father ran the Half Moon ale house in Wilstone^[2][3], and having had to supplement his earnings from the tavern by labouring as a bricklayer^[4], Joseph likely welcomed the financial opportunities the changes offered his family. The Grand Union Canal opened up access to the markets in London, and brought to Wilstone a host of labourers hired for the construction of the canal and reservoir. With the increased population and a new market within which to trade, Wilstone prospered^[5][6].

A Carpenter, A Marriage in Wingrave & A Family Established in Wilstone

Thomas took advantage of the developing village and began working as a carpenter, an occupation that would have been in demand considering the number of new cottages required for the growing population of Wilstone. Established as a carpenter^{[7][8][9][10][11]}, Thomas was in a position to marry, and on the 24th of February 1808 in the nearby parish of Wingrave, Thomas and Elizabeth MORTIMER, of Wingrave, were wed^[12]. Where Thomas and Elizabeth spent the early years of their marriage is unknown, yet during that time, their first two children were born. Sarah was born roughly in the year 1808, and Mary Ann roughly in the year 1810. Their baptisms, though, could not be found in the parish registers of Tring, which hold records for Wilstone, or in Wingrave, the parish of Thomas and Elizabeth's marriage^[13]. The records are either missing, or perhaps were recorded in a parish whose registers have not been researched; the latter scenario suggests that Thomas and Elizabeth may not have been living in Wilstone in the early days of their marriage. In either case, the possibility remains that Thomas and Elizabeth may have had additional children between 1808 and 1815 who have not yet been identified^[14]. By 1815, however, Thomas and Elizabeth were settled in Wilstone and attending church in neighbouring Marsworth, Buckinghamshire, where the rest of their known children were baptized, beginning with George Mead on the 7th of May 1815^[15], three year old Joseph and infant William on the 20th of September 1821^[16], and ending with Elizabeth and Thomas on the 25th of December 1836^[17]. Why Marsworth was the favoured church of Thomas and Elizabeth cannot be discerned, yet their reasons may have been as simple as a preference for the pastor.

The Village Shopkeeper, Coal Merchant and Beer House Keeper

Following the year 1821, Thomas appears to have acquired a shop in the village of Wilstone^[18], which was either an inheritance from his father Joseph who had passed away in that year, and who had inherited property in Wilstone from his father Joseph, or an investment that Thomas made independently. Although Thomas was now the village shopkeeper, he continued his work as a carpenter^[19]. A seemingly enterprising individual, Thomas again broadened his prospects and became involved in the coal trade^[20][21][22], likely selling his product from his shop, and finally, somehow, perhaps again through inheritance from his father Joseph, acquired the Bricklayer's Arms in Wilstone with its adjoining cottages^[23][24], and became the owner of a tavern and inn.At that time, the Bricklayer's Arms would also have been known as a Beer House, from which Thomas would have sold beer purchased from a local brewer. Thomas' establishments are strongly suspected to have lined Tring Road, where the somewhat altered forms of these historic buildings still stand today.

Just a short distance from his father's tavern, the Half Moon at 60 Tring Road, stood Thomas' 'Bricklayer's Arms' at 44 Tring Road^[25], later to be called the Buckingham Arms^[26][27], and now a private home. And finally, at 34 Tring Road is the Wilstone Village Shop, still in use.

Thomas and his family likely lived in one of these buildings. One of Thomas' cottages is described in A Short History of Wilstone by author A. R. Gomm, who writes, "The other cottage in this row worth a mention is No. 44 which has also some fine old beams, the pitch of the roof points to the building being thatched in days gone by, and the wall facing the Buckingham Arms (before the decorations) gave the appearance of having been joined to some former dwelling."^[28] The cottages dated back three or four hundred years, and had "old massive beams" and the typical "inglenook fireplace", and altogether must have been charming.

Financial Collapse, An Auction and 'Conveyance to Gaol'

Thomas' success with his diverse businesses was temporal. Whether the fault of foul economic times, having borrowed above his means, poor management, or a failed litigation, in 1853 Thomas became embroiled in unmanageable debt and was compelled to sell his holdings^[29]. An 1854 newspaper notice confirms Thomas' financial woes in a brief account of the suit of brewer Edward Terry against Thomas for an outstanding debt of £11, a considerable amount at that time^[30]. In mid-19th century England, an insolvent or bankrupt debtor was considered criminal and punishable by imprisonment until his or her debts could be cleared^[31]. Thomas' recourse was to engage the village auctioneer, William Brown, to sell his estate^[32]. The arrangements took four years to complete, during which time Mr. Brown organized an auction at the 'Commercial Hall', printed 'bills and… advertisements announcing [the] sale of effects by auction', and hired 'criers' and 'porters'. Following Thomas' instructions, Mr. Brown also made arrangements for Thomas' 'writ and warrant' and 'levy & conveyance to gaol', or debtor's prison. Thomas may have been sent to Aylesbury Prison, which was established in 1847. It was not until 1857 that the 'Beer House Premises & Two Cottages adjoining' were purchased by William Brown, and the remainder of Thomas' property purchased by Edward NEWENS, his son-in-law^[33], following which event Thomas would finally have been able to clear his debts.

Perseverance & the Comfort of Home

His debts defrayed, Thomas would have been released from debtor's prison to rejoin his family in Wilstone. Considering the purchase of his property by his son-in-law and daughter, it seems reasonable to imagine Thomas returning to his former home. With the help of this benevolent gesture, and resuming his work as a carpenter, Thomas persevered and continued to provide for his family. The 1861 Census of England shows Thomas reunited with Elizabeth^[34], now in their seventies, and raising the children of their daughter Mary Ann, who sadly, had passed away. Aside from his brief term in debtor's prison, Wilstone would remain the comforting home of Thomas until he passed away at the age of eighty-one in 1868^[35], predeceased by Elizabeth in 1864^[36]. The following year, the practise of imprisoning bankrupt debtors in England was abolished^[37].

Notes

1. ↑ Parish Registers of Tring, 1566 — 1971, Church of England, Parish Church of Tring, Hertfordshire, Family History Library Film 991338, microfilm of the original register, transcribed by the author, '1787 Dec 2 — Thomas the son of Joseph & Elizabeth CLARK’.
2. ↑ Source: #PD ...'TAVERNS & PUBLIC HOUSES... Jos & Jas CLARK, Willstone'...
3. ↑ Source: #ARG ..."Later during the 19th century with the change of landlords was added: "The tenure and occupation formally of Joseph Clark or Widow Lyon — James Reeves (and near the turn of the century) James Thomas Reeves." From this document taken from the Enclosure Awards we know that the Clark family were landlords of the inn during all the many changes that were taking place during the latter years of the 18th century"...
4. ↑ Source: #PD ...'BRICKLAYERS... CLARK, Joseph — Wilstone'...
5. ↑ Source: #DB
6. ↑ A brief history of Wilstone can be read at the site 'Welcome to Wilstone Village'.
7. ↑ Source: #PD ...'CARPENTERS... CLARK, Thomas, Wilstone'...
8. ↑ Source: #FORONE
9. ↑ Source: #FIFONE
10. ↑ Source: #SIXONE
11. ↑ Thomas’ occupation as a carpenter is also known from the baptism records of children George Mead, William and Joseph.
12. ↑ Parish Registers for Wingrave, 1550 — 1965, Church of England, Parish Church of Wingrave, Buckinghamshire, Family History Library Film 1966921, scanned image of the original register, transcribed by the author, 'Thomas CLARK & Elizabeth MORTIMER, both of this parish, married in this Church by Banns this twenty-fourth day of Feby in the Year One Thousand Eight Hundred and eight by me T. Doxon, Vicar. In the presence of John COLEMAN, William CLARK.' A record of Thomas and Elizabeth’s marriage was first sought in the registers of both Tring in Hertfordshire, which holds records for Wilstone, the residence of Thomas and Elizabeth, and Marsworth in Buckinghamshire, where Thomas and Elizabeth’s children were baptised, yet both sources failed to reveal their record of marriage. The parish of Wingrave, Bucks, the birthplace of Elizabeth, was next searched, and the record found.
13. ↑ See the individual profiles for Sarah and Mary Ann for citations, and further discussion regarding their identification as children of Thomas and Elizabeth.
14. ↑ It is possible that not all of Thomas and Elizabeth’s children have been identified, for not all of their children’s baptism records could be found in the parish registers of Marsworth, Buckinghamshire, their favoured parish, or the parish of Tring, which holds records for Wilstone, the parish of their residence. Additionally, Thomas and Elizabeth's eldest children cannot be identified directly using census returns, for by the time of the 1841 Census of England, those children would have married or moved away from home. For example, see the profiles for daughters Sarah and Mary Ann. Further, the considerable gap that exists between the year of Thomas and Elizabeth’s marriage in 1808 and the baptism of their son George Mead in Marsworth in 1815, suggests either that a portion of records from the original register of Marsworth was lost or not transcribed when the Bishop’s Transcripts were written, or that Thomas and Elizabeth were somewhat transitory in the early years of their marriage before settling in Wilstone, and baptised some of their children in parishes that have not been researched.
15. ↑ Source: #BTMA
16. ↑ Source: #BTMA
17. ↑ Source: #BTMB
18. ↑ The 1836 baptism record of Thomas' daughter Elizabeth is the first mention of his occupation as a shopkeeper. Bishop’s Transcripts for Marsworth, 1575 — 1842, Church of England, Parish Church of Marsworth, Buckinghamshire, Family History Library Film 1999447, microfilm of the original register, transcribed by the author, ‘Dec 25, 1836, Elizabeth, Thomas & Elizabeth CLARK, Wilstone, Shopkeeper'.
19. ↑ Source: #SIXONE Thomas is known to have been a carpenter as late at the 1861 Census of England.
20. ↑ Source: #PD ...'COAL DEALERS... CLARK, Thomas, Wilstone'...
21. ↑ Source: #SIXONE
22. ↑ Thomas' occupation as a coal merchant is also known from the marriage record of his son William.
23. ↑ Source: #WBL The entry for Thomas' account on page 202 of William Brown's auction ledger notes the 1857 'purchase of Beer House Premises & Two Cottages adjoining', the beer house and cottages having comprised a portion of Thomas' estate.
24. ↑ Source: #ARG See also notes 23 and 26.
25. ↑ Source: #ARG In A Short History of Wilstone, A. R. Gomm identifies the cottage attached to the 'Buckingham Arms' as No. 44', which a tour of the neighbourhood at Right Move shows has been combined as one unit with the former tavern.
26. ↑ Source: #ARG A. R. Gomm writes in A Short History of Wilstone "...The first mention of the Buckingham Arms comes from 'Hertfordshire Inns' written by Brangh [sic: Branch] Johnson some years ago, who gives the name of the landlord in 1838 as Thomas Clark, the inn then named the Bricklayers Arms..."
27. ↑ Fowler, Jill, Tring Through Time, (Amberley Publishing, 2009).
28. ↑ Source: #ARG
29. ↑ Source: #WBL
30. ↑ British Newspapers 1710— 1953, Bucks Herald, November 25, 1854, page 3, column 1, scanned image of the original newspaper page, transcribed by the author, Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, accessed 6 March 2105 from FindMyPast, …'Buckinghamshire, Aylesbury… Aylesbury County Court, Nov 23 — Edward Terry, Brewer, Aylesbury. v. Thos. Clark, beer seller, Wilstone. — Claim for £11, for beer supplied. Defendant admitted the debt. Ordered to pay forthwith.'
31. ↑ The Gen Guide: Bankruptcy & Debtors Records
32. ↑ Source: #WBL page 157.
33. ↑ Source: #WBL page 202. Edward was the husband of Thomas' daughter Elizabeth. For details, see Elizabeth's profile.
34. ↑ Source: #SIXONE
35. ↑ Thomas last appears on the 1861 Census of England at the age of seventy-six. The England & Wales Civil Registration Indexes show the entry for Thomas’s death at the age of 81 in the District of Berkhampstead, Counties of Hertfordshire & Buckinghamshire, for the 3rd Quarter ending Sept 1868, volume 3a, page 284.
36. ↑ "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2NLP-FBN : accessed 10 April 2016), Elizabeth Clark, 1864; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England, ‘Elizabeth CLARK…Jan-Feb-Mar, 1864…Volume 3A, Page 297, Line Number 29.'
37. ↑ The Gen Guide: Bankruptcy & Debtors Records

Sources

• Source: [ARG] Gomm, A.R., A Short History of Wilstone, which can be read online at Welcome to St. Cross.

• Source: [BTMA] Bishop’s Transcripts for Marsworth, 1575 — 1842, Church of England, Parish Church of Marsworth, Buckinghamshire, Family History Library Film 1999446, microfilm of the original register, transcribed by the author.

• Source: [BTMB] Bishop’s Transcripts for Marsworth, 1575 — 1842, Church of England, Parish Church of Marsworth, Buckinghamshire, Family History Library Film 1999447, microfilm of the original register, transcribed by the author.

• Source: [DB] Discovering Britain — Water in Reserve: A self guided walk around the Tring Reservoirs in Hertfordshire. The Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers, London, 2013. Document downloaded from Discovering Britain January 2015. The guide discusses the history of the Grand Union Canal and the Wilstone Reservoir, and the changes brought to Wilstone by their construction.

• Source: [PD] Pigot & Co.'s Royal National & Commercial Directory and Topography, September 1839, Tring, transcription accessed 2010 from This is Tring, website discontinued when accessed 27 January 2015.

• Source: [WBL] William Brown, Auctioneer & Land Surveyor, High Street, Tring. Clients' Account General Ledger Volume 'C', 1851 - 1860. Entry for 'Mr Thomas CLARKE, Wilstone', 1853, page 157 and entry for 'Mr Thomas CLARK, Wilstone', 1854, page 202. Index and digital images of the original ledger pages created by Chris Reynolds, Genealogy in Hertfordshire, accessed 27 January 2015.

Thomas Clark in Census Returns

• Source: [FORONE] 1841 Census of England & Wales, County of Hertfordshire, Registration District of Berkhampstead, Hundred of Dacorum, Wilstone in the parish of Tring, HO107, piece 442, book 7, folio 9, page 12, 'Thomas CLARK, 50, Carpenter, yes/Elizabeth CLARK, 50, yes/William CLARK, 15, yes/Elizabeth CLARK, 15, yes/Thomas CLARK, 8, yes'. The answer 'yes' was given in response to a question asking whether or not the individual had been born in the same county in which they were living. It should also be noted that the 1841 census required individuals aged fifteen and older to round their actual age to the nearest five years, thus obscuring the person’s actual year of birth.

• Source: [FIFONE] 1851 Census of England & Wales, County of Hertfordshire, Registration District of Berkhampstead, Wilstone in the parish of Tring, HO107, piece 1716, folio 289, page 7, 'Thomas CLARK, head, married, 64, Carpenter & Coal Merchant, Herts, Tring/Elizabeth CLARK, wife, married, 64, Bucks, Wingrave/Thomas CLARK, son, unmarried, 17, Servant, Herts, Tring/Frederick FAULKNER, grandson, 3, Scholar, Herts, Tring.

• Source: [SIXONE] 1861 Census of England & Wales, County of Hertfordshire, Registration District of Berkhampstead, Sub-District of Tring, Wilstone in the parish of Tring, RG9, piece 843, folio 122, pages 15 to 16, 'Thomas CLARK, head, married, 76, Carpenter, Herts, Wilstone/Elizabeth CLARK, wife, married, 75, Carpenter's Wife, Bucks, Wingrave/Frederick FAULKNER, gdson, 12, Scholar, Bucks, Marsworth/William FAULKNER, gdson, 10, Scholar, Herts, Bu???.