Thomas Beckwith (1788)

Born 23 Mar 1788 in Holborn, Middlesex, England

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Biography

Born 23 MAR 1788. Holborn, Middlesex, England. Died Thomas Beckwith b 23rd March 1788 (mss dates sheet - see below), Bap St Sepulchre's, Holborn 11th May 1788, d 29th Oct 1864.

Like his brother George, he also spent time in the City of London Workhouse from July 1795, but in hiscase it was almost exactly 2 years to the day. Unfortunately it is not clear from the release notes who was to care for him.

He obtained Goldsmith's Freedom by Patrimony on 1st August 1821 at which time living in Bedfordbury. Later he lived at St Andrew's Hill, thence Crane Court and Bowling Green Lane (RTB) - he was certainly at Bowling Green Lane working as a porter in 1832 when his son Thomas was baptised in Clerkenwell (MGS).

In 1823 in Clerkenwell Thomas married Sarah PRICKETT who was born in Aylesbury on 4th Dec 1796 (mss dates sheet) and died in Islington Mar qtr 1868, age 71. Positively identified only in mid-2015 as a result of some Buckinghamshire records at last coming on line, it was previously thought that her name was possibly Sarah IVATTS. This was because son Thomas John recorded in his diary for May 1865 the death of Uncle Ivatts - one Henry Ivatts who died in Chelsea aged 76 (so bc1789) and who appears in the 1861 census as born in Aylesbury. The thinking thus was that since both he and Sarah were from the same place and born at about the same time, they were possibly brother & sister, a thought compounded by Thomas & Sarah's son Thomas John naming his second-born son George Ivatts Beckwith..

Turns out that this theory was half right - they were actually half brother and sister. Sarah's father William Prickett (from Aylesbury) married an Ann Ivatts in St Andrews, Holborn on 274/1796. Ann nee THORPE was born in Aylesbury in 1763 and married a John Ivatts of Aylesbury in Aylesbury in 1785. In the following 6 years they had 5 children (all born & baptised in Aylesbury), amongst whom was said Henry (actually born late Dec 1787). John Ivatts died between 1791 an 1796 and a fitting death record has been found for him in Aylesbury in 1792. Just how come Ann Ivatts (presumably accompanied by her 5 children) ended up marrying in St Andrews is a mystery, ditto husband William too, but it is believed that Ann died in 1801 shortly after the birth of the couple's 3rd child (another) Ann. .

Birth Dates for Thomas, Sarah & family

Birth Dates etc for Thomas, Sarah & family probably written by son Thomas John.

In the 1841 census Sarah is shown as "Coffee House Keeper" aged '40' in Hatton Wall with children Ann (18), James (12) and John (4) but no sign there of husband Thomas or indeed son George. Their whereabouts remained a mystery for some years but an entry has now been found in Richmond Road, Twickenham for Thomas (age 50 and a labourer) plus George aged 6. Although it's pretty clear from the original hand-written census page that the surname is Backworth (so has been indexed by Ancestry.Com as Balkwill !!), the ages are spot on (given the rounding of adult ages in 1841) and Thomas may not have known how to spell the name out to the Enumerator. .

Hatton Wall ran between the notorious Saffron Hill of Dickens Fagin fame and Hatton Garden. The Post Office Directory for 1848 lists Thomas as the proprietor of the Coffee House at 31 Hatton Wall. In the 1851 census, Sarah is again shown as a "Coffee House Keeper" living at 31 Hatton Wall, but this time aged 54 and born in Aylesbury, and living with 1st, 3rd & 4th sons James (21), George (16) & John (13) plus 5 sundry lodgers (including a silversmith and another gas fitter). However there's no sign of any of daughters ... and again no husband Thomas. This time he has probably been traced to the Stewards Office in Lincoln's Inn Fields where he is shown as working as 'Porter on Night Duty'. Birth in Clerkenwell is correct for 'our' Thomas but the age is 60 (rather than just 63). A plausible scenario arises from Thomas's apparently unskilled jobs combined with Sarah having to run a Coffee House and take in lodgers. This is that son Thomas John was just one too-many mouth to feed or body to accommodate so was packed offto be brought up by others.

Thomas hasn't been traced in 1861 yet but son Thomas John records in his diary for 29th Oct 1865 "Anniversary of father's death" and a corresponding death is registered for a Thomas Beckwith in Clerkenwell in Dec qtr 1864. Sarah (who died just after Thomas in 1868 in Islington) has also yet to be traced in the 1861 census but it is believed that the 1861 census for parts of Saffron Hill were destroyed..

Sources

• Family Tree