Gowlland, Thomas  (1749 - 1814)

 

Thomas Gowlland was born in Buckland by Dover on 16th July 1749 (here), the youngest child of Joseph and Susanna; and died on January 9th 1814, aged 64, at St Mary Northgate, Canterbury

 

He married Hannah Bayford on 24 December 1772 at Christ Church, Spitalfields (click here).   Note that Hannah was illiterate. 

 

An interesting fact - the two witnesses, Abraham Dupree and John Rondeau, appear frequently in certificates recorded around this time.  Thus, for example, the two appear together on certificates dated 21st December, 17th January, and 4th 11th 17th and 19th February.  And Abraham Dupree appears alone on certificates dated 16th and 18th November, 8th December and 7th and 10th February.   Abraham Dupree cannot be traced; but unquestionably John Rondeau was the sexton of Christ Church (click here), born 1706.  He was descended from Jean Rondeau, a French Huguenot who arrived in London about 1685 and whose family has been traced back to Sedan in France in the 1500s.  His bones and coffin plate are now in the Museum of London after excavation from the Spitalfields crypt.

 

But were there no attendees of either family at the ceremony who could act as witnesses?

 

Incidentally, "Beauford" was a Huguenot name, but we have at present no reason to think that "Bayford" was an anglicization of it.

 

 

 

Christ Church, Spitalfields, in 2005

 

 

The three children of that 1772 marriage so far known are listed below.  In January 2008 the baptism records of Christ Church Spitalfields were checked individually from 1772 to 1783, and we are confident there are no Gowlland entries apart from the first two below; but of course it is possible that one or more additional children may have been born after the family's move to Canterbury, which presumably occurred some time between 1778 and 1783.

 

Joseph, (6/10/1776 - 1790) 

 

Baptised at Christ Church, Spitalfields (original document, which also gives Thomas' occupation as "carpenter", and shows the address as "Wood Street"  -  click here).    Thomas had presumably moved to London from Dover by 1772 (his wedding).

 

In 2007 we found what we think is his burial record (click here) from St Andrews, Canterbury of 1790.  The index had been transcribed in the name of "Joseph Goulland, son of Thos Gowland, of Northgate Canterbury" ; but evidently, as can be seen from the image, the "Goulland" is an error by the transcriber, and it should have been "Gowlland" (although it seems that the person making the entry hesitated before the first of the two "Ls").  We are  certain that this Joseph is the older of Thomas' two sons, who would have been about fourteen years of age, thus accounting for the minor's identification "son of  . . . " in the record.   Joseph had been born in Spitalfields in London, of course; but other members of his wider family were still living in the Northgate district of Canterbury.

 

 

Thomas, born 21/6/1778.

 

Also baptised at Christ Church, Spitalfields (IGI under Gowland).   So far we know no more about him, save that his wife may have been the "Mrs Gowlland, wife of Thomas Gowlland from Broad Street" buried in 1802 (here).  If this was not his wife, then the probability is that she was the wife of his father.

 

Hannah, (1783 - 1841)

Hannah was born in St Mary Northgate, Canterbury, on 20th April 1783: in other words, Thomas and Hannah, with their two sons, had moved to Canterbury from London at some time in the five years between Thomas' birth in 1778 and Hannah's birth in 1783..

Hannah died in 1841, her burial being recorded in St Martin, Canterbury, describing her as "of St Mary Magdalene, aged 58".  She was presumably named after her mother.  

She married Walter Mond, a saddler, (click here) in on 26th October 1802, in the parish of St Mary Northgate, Canterbury.   Hannah would have been about nineteen years of age.  Walter, we think, died on 29th April 1814 and was buried in St Mary Northgate (there is an element of doubt about this record as the name is shown as "Monet" but we are reasonably confident it is Walter Mond).

We believe at least three children were born to them.

Firstly, Maria Mond, baptised on April 8th 1804, in St Mary, Northgate (the mother's name on the record is shown as Anna, but we are certain it is Hannah): she died shortly after her birth, and we have her death certificate (click here) dated October 1804 and emanating from Blackfriars Baptist Chapel, Canterbury.  There is a mystery attached to this certificate, which specifically describes Maria as "grand-daughter of Thomas Gowlland"  [you may need to enlarge the image to be able to read clearly the various entries detailed below].   As a rule children are identified by their parents' names, not grandparents'.  Why was the procedure different on this occasion?  Is it possible that Thomas was of some importance within the chapel hierarchy, more so than his daughter?

Secondly, a son Edward Mond, baptised on 30th June 1805, in St Mary Magdalene.  He survived at least until 1841 (see below)

Thirdly, another daughter, also called Maria Mond, baptised on 15th August 1813, also in St Mary Magdalene.  She survived until at least 1851.

After Walter's death in 1814, Hannah married again, on 1st September 1822, John M Thomas, a glover, originally from Wales.  At the time of the marriage she was aged about thirty-nine and John was aged about twenty-eight, appreciably younger than his wife.  John was still living in 1861: we have no information about his date of death.  We know of no children from this second marriage.

Cross-checking with census information:-

1841 (here)     We have in Burgate Street, Canterbury, Hannah aged 55, now surnamed Thomas, living with her second husband John M Thomas "45, glove and breeches maker, not born in Kent" and Hannah's daughter from her first marriage, Maria Mond, "25 years of age and born in Kent".  

In the same house are Edward Mond "35, tailor and brace maker, born in Kent" and his wife (presumably) Harriott [sic] "35 - born in Kent", plus two children Walter (15) and Morris (11), both also born in Kent, and presumably their children.   We assume Edward is the son of Walter Mond and Hannah, mentioned above, born in 1805.

1851 (here)    Still in Burgate Street, John M Thomas, aged 56, is now described as "widower", (Hannah had died in 1841) a glover, born in Whitford, Flintshire, Wales.  With him are living Maria Mond "step-daughter, 37, unmarried, housekeeper, born in Canterbury" and Morris Mond "grandson, 21, unmarried, glover, born in Canterbury".  If Morris were the son of Edward, the description of "grandson" is incorrect (or did they think that "step-grandson" was too much of a mouthful?). 

1861 (here)    John Thomas "widower, 65, independent [means]" is living in Winchester with Henrietta Kingsford "47 - unmarried - step-daughter": evidently he had remarried after Hannah's death, and been widowed once again. 

As to this step-daughter, there is a record (here) of a birth of a Henrietta Kingsford on 27th July 1814 in Northgate, Canterbury, to Thomas and Elizabeth Kingsford "of Barton Mills", and we believe this is she.  Presumably Thomas Kingsford died, and John Thomas subsequently married Elizabeth Kingsford.  Henrietta, incidentally appears in the 1851 census (here) as a lodger (unmarried - 36 - annuitant - b Canterbury) in Wincheap [?] Street, St Mildreds, Canterbury, in the house of a Hester Hasler (widow - 42 - grocer - b Chislet Kent) and her son Thomas (11 - scholar - b Canterbury).  And there is a mention in a document regarding Baptists in Canterbury, dated 26th October 1789, reading "Building or house in the parish of Bridge in the occupation of Mary Peake.  Application signed by Squire Harvey, Phil: Chapman, Wm. Kingsford, Matthew Porter, Copper Chapman and Samp(so)n Kingsford.  Endorsed:-  Mr W. Kingsford, Barton Mill, near Cant(e)r(bu)y".  The death of Sampson Kingsford, we found, was recorded at the Baptists Chapel in Canterbury on 3rd September 1821, as was that of Mary, his widow, on 6th April 1824 - he was the Elder of Canterbury Baptists.

John Thomas and Elizabeth had at least one more child, a daughter Ellen, born on 14th August 1812  -  the record is on the same entry as Henrietta's birth above.

On the burial record for the first Maria, incidentally, (click here) appears "Mrs Gowlland, wife of Thomas Gowlland, from Broad Street Feb 7th 1802", and, as noted above, the only possible candidates for the widowers appear to be Thomas Snr (b 1749) or Thomas Jnr (b 1778).