Friday 31 August 2007

Bateman Saddington, apothecary of Fleet Street (1728 - 1804)

Over a period of time, I have accumulated various pieces of information about Bateman Saddington, and the time has come to put them together and try to get a proper view of the man.

Bateman Saddington was baptised on 1 September 1728 at Desford, LEI, the third of six children of Joseph Saddington and his wife, Faith Fellow (IGI). Bateman is an unusual first name, but one which continued to appear in this branch of the Saddington family until the end of the 19th century. As yet, it has not been possible to discover the origin of the name's use as a first name.

Not much is known about Bateman's childhood. His father, Joseph, was a tailor at Desford. He is known to have taken on at least one apprentice, and to have served his turn as churchwarden. Joseph must have been reasonably prosperous as two of his sons became butchers and Bateman was apprenticed to an apothecary. At some point after completing his apprenticeship, he then moved to London.

According to the records of the Society of Apothecaries of London, Bateman served a 7 year apprenticeship with one John Marshall, apothecary of Mountsorrel, Leicester. On April 4 1758, he attended the Society's Private Court, seeking admission to the freedom of the Society by redemption, i.e. by payment of a lump sum. This was necessary because, having qualified as an apothecary outside London, he was classed as a "foreigner". Bateman was examined by the Private Court, which was comprised of the Master and two Wardens, who gave their approval of his admission.

Having paid a Fine of £11 14s 0d (£1,432.73 in 2006), an additional 40s (£244.91) towards the Society's Physic Garden at Chelsea and other fees, Bateman was "sworn", i.e he recited the Oath of a Freeman, and was made free by Redemption of the Society of Apothecaries. He became a member of the Yeomanry, the lower ranks of the Society, and was then entitled to seek to become a Freeman of the City of London. His place of residence or shop was given as Fleet Street, and he remained at that address for professional purposes for the rest of his life.

Turning from Bateman's professional life to his private life, it appears that he had married a lady called Elizabeth - the details of their marriage and her surname are as yet unknown. The IGI states that their daughter, Elizabeth, was christened at Saint Andrew, Holborn on 31 December 1758, and her sister, Mary, was christened there on 8 October 1760. Whether Bateman and Elizabeth had any other children remains to be discovered.

On 3 September 1766, Bateman appeared at the Old Bailey as a witness for the prosecution in the case of Alice Weaver. Alice was accused of stealing a pair of shoes belonging to Bateman, valued at 4s (£18.88 in 2006), on or about July 13 1766. Bateman said that they were new shoes, never worn, and that he had identified them by his name written in them. Alice was subsequently acquitted, mainly because the prosecutor could not remember what she had said when charged with the crime by Sir John Fielding, the blind magistrate who sat at Bow Street.

Returning to his professional life, in 1770, having become a Freeman of the City of London, Bateman was promoted to the Livery, or upper ranks of the Society. On 1 September 1790, he took on an apprentice, William Westwood, for the term of 8 years and a consideration of £150 (£13,439.84 in 2006). This was not the first time that he had had an apprentice. On 21 July 1757, when living in St Giles, he had illegally taken on one Joseph Redmond as an apprentice for a term of 7 years and a consideration of £30 (£3,139.15 in 2006). This had been illegal, because, at that time, he was not a Freeman of the Society of Apothecaries and should not have been trading, let alone taking on an apprentice.

In 1796, Bateman was promoted to the Court of Assistants, which was the Society's governing body. On August 13 1802, he was elected Renter Warden, which was the junior of the two Wardens. The following year, on August 12 1803, he was elected Upper Warden, and would have been elected Master of the Society of Apothecaries in August 1804, had he not died in the February. His role as Upper Warden was taken over by Mr Augustine Towson, the then Renter Warden, for the remainder of the term, and a new Renter Warden, Mr A Moore, was chosen.

The final piece of the jigsaw is Bateman's Will, which was proved on 16 February 1804 at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. Bateman wrote his Will on 16 March 1800, and it was witnessed by Sarah Myers and John Hurst. As the Will is very long, I will just pick out the highlights.

Bateman's wife, Elizabeth, appears to have predeceased him, as the first beneficiary is "my daughter Elizabeth Hodgson but who is known as Elizabeth Saddington", a description which seems to indicate a possible marriage to a Mr Hodgson, maybe of short duration. Elizabeth inherits her father's three houses at Canterbury Place, Walworth, Surrey, and his house (No. 28) at Manor Place during her lifetime. She also inherits "all [his] Stocks standing in [his] name in the Company of Apothecarys with the dividends due on the Navy [?] and Laboratory Stocks that may become due at the time of [his] decease".

The next set of beneficiaries are, shall I say, of as yet unknown provenance. They consist of Sarah Dismore of No. 22 Balburns Gardens, and her three sons, Thomas Spicer Dismore, Joseph Dismore and George Dismore, all three of whom appear to be under 21 in 1800, when Bateman's Will was written. Sarah inherits any monies in his name in the 5% Navy Stock at the Bank of England, together with any dividends due. The three boys each inherit £200 (£9,977.63 in 2006) of the £600 that he has in the 5% Irish Stock in the Bank of England, to be paid to them when they reach 21, less £50 each to be used to apprentice them as their mother sees fit, and she to have the dividends for their support and maintenance during their minority.

Thomas is also to inherit No. 28 Manor Place when Elizabeth Hodgson/Saddington dies. Joseph Dismore will inherit No. 3 Canterbury Place, and George Dismore will inherit No. 1 Canterbury Place, also after Elizabeth's death.

Then the Will turns back to family, specifically to Joseph Jenkins, "my Grandson who I have brought up". My theory is that Joseph Jenkins is the son of Bateman's other daughter, Mary, so another marriage needs to be located and the matching burials. Joseph inherits No. 2 Canterbury Place, where Bateman is living at the time that he makes his Will, after his aunt Elizabeth's death. Joseph is also to receive £100 "to be paid by my Partner John Anderson my aforesaid daughter Eliz for the Lease of my House in Fleet Street deducting five pounds for every year from the sale of the aforesaid Lease to the time of my decease for the time elapsed". I am not sure from this just how much money Joseph actually received.

The Will concludes by leaving Charlotte Anderson, the sister of his Partner, John Anderson, £100 "to be paid out of my Book debts and Effects at my House in Fleet Street"; John Anderson inherits "what other debts may be coming to me", but only after Bateman's debts and funeral expenses have been paid; and finally he leaves £5 (£249.44 in 2006) to his brother, Thomas Saddington, for mourning.

A codicil names his Executors as his nephew, John Lister, and John Hart of the Stamp Office. The precise nature of his relationship with John Lister is unknown. Bateman had two sisters, Elizabeth and Maria, but nothing is known about them. Alternatively, John Lister could have been his wife Elizabeth's nephew.

So, although a lot is known about Bateman Saddington, a lot remains to be discovered. Who did he marry, when and where? Who did his daughters marry, and what more can be found out about their lives? Who are the Dismores, and what is their relationship to him? Where was he buried? And so on and so forth.

My thanks go to Dee Cook, Archivist at the Society of Apothecaries of London, to Stanley Saddington, author of "Some Saddington Families", and to Shelagh Mason's Mum, who transcribed Bateman's Will for me. The monetary calculations were done at Measuring Worth.

For those of you descended from the Appleby Magna Saddingtons, Bateman's brother, John, was the founder of this branch.

Any further information on Bateman Saddington, apothecary of Fleet Street, or any of his descendants or relations will be most welcome.

Wednesday 22 August 2007

Herbert was a bad lad!

Herbert Saddington was born on 31 January 1884 in Chorlton upon Medlock, Lancashire. (GRO ref: March quarter 1884, Chorlton Registration District, Vol 8c, Page 813). His parents are currently unknown.

On 5 April 1891, Herbert was living at 6 Rosamund Place, Chorlton upon Medlock, Manchester, the adopted son of Samuel Hartwell, Carter, aged 63, born in Derbyshire, and his wife, Anne, also aged 63, born in Cheshire (RG12/3183, Folio 59, Page 4). However, as Herbert was only 7, it seems to me that there must have been some kind of connection for two such relatively elderly people to have taken in a small boy.

According to his Continuous Service Record (ADM188/355), Herbert joined the training ship, HMS Impregnable, as Boy 2nd Class on 28 April 1899. He became Boy 1st Class, and served on the Impregnable in that capacity from 1 February 1900 to 26 September 1900. His conduct was described as VG [Very Good].

On 27 September 1900, Herbert transferred to the frigate,HMS Agincourt until 6 November 1900, moving to the battleship, HMS Nile, on 7 November 1900. On 31 March 1901, according to the census index, Herbert was in Devonport, Devon, and his occupation was Boy 1st Class. He was still serving on board HMS Nile, and remained there until 28 June 1901.

On 29 June 1901, Herbert moved to another battleship, HMS Magnificent, and his conduct was again described as Very Good.

Indeed, Herbert was still on board HMS Magnificent when he enlisted for a 12 year stretch in the Royal Navy on 31 January 1902. His occupation was described as OS [Ordinary Seaman], "Arethusa", although there is as yet no evidence that he trained on the Arethusa. For further information on the "Arethusa", please see here.

When Herbert enlisted in January 1902, he was 18 years old, 5 foot 4 1/2 inches tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He also had an anchor and a bracelet tattooed on his left wrist.

However, this was when things began to come apart at the seams. Between 31 January 1902 and 24 February 1902, his conduct was only described as Good, and he spent 7 days in the cells for an unspecified reason. During the period 4 March 1902 and 7 December 1902, his conduct was described as Indifferent.

On 8 December 1902, Herbert was court martialled and sentenced to 12 months hard labour for (1) "Using threatening & insulting language & behaving with contempt to his Superior Officer" and (2) "Striking his Superior Officer being in the execution of his office". It is likely that Herbert would have served his sentence at one of the two naval prisons at Bodmin in Cornwall or Lewes in Sussex.

However, less than 12 months later, on 31 October 1903, Herbert is back on board ship, this time on HMS Viva II as an Ordinary Seaman. He remains on board until 15 December 1903, and his conduct is again Indifferent. On 16 December 1903, he transferred to the cruiser, HMS Bonaventure, where he was promoted to Able Seaman. He stayed with HMS Bonaventure until 14 February 1904, when he spent another 7 days in the cells, before being transferred to the destroyer, HMS Griffon, which was to be his last ship.

Herbert served on board HMS Griffon from 21 February 1904 to 6 June 1904. He then spent a further 14 days in the cells, returning to duty on 21 June 1904. It is unclear from his Record what Herbert did wrong next, but he is not counted as serving between 28 August 1904 and 27 November 1904. Herbert is then back on board HMS Griffon, but he does not stay long. The last date given for service is 12 January 1905, and in the Remarks section of Herbert's Continuous Service Record, it says "13.2.05 Approves discharge - services no longer required".

It all started out so well, but only 3 years into a 12 year enlistment, Herbert was discharged from the Royal Navy, having spent 35 days in the cells and about 10 months in a naval prison. As yet, I do not know where Herbert went and what he did with the rest of his life, but it will be very interesting to find out. I also hope to make further enquiries into his various misdeeds whilst in the Navy. Any further information on this bad lad will be gratefully received!

Friday 10 August 2007

Eaton Saddington (circa 1831 - 1892) [Updated 14 August 2007]

Another piece about a Saddington who crossed the Herring Pond to find a new life.

Eaton Saddington was born in Denford, Northamptonshire, circa 1831, son of Samuel and Susan Saddington. There is a possible record of his christening, in that the IGI has a reference to a Stanton Saddington, son of Samuel and Susannah, who was christened in Denford on 18 December 1831, but this needs to be looked into in more detail.

The first definite reference that I have to Eaton is in the 1841 census for Denford - HO107/803, Folio 8, Page 9, Schedule No. 43.

Samuel Sadington 34 Labour Y
Susan do 3 - Y [incomplete age on original image]
George do 11 - Y
Eaton do 9 - Y
Elizabeth 2 - Y

According to the 1851 census, the family has moved to Leicester, and is living at 8 Barbers Yard [?], Belgrave Gate in the parish of St Margaret (HO107/2089, Folio 144, Page 15, Schedule No. 51).

Samuel Saddington Head Mar 44 Laborer Northants Denford
Susannah do Wife Mar 42 - do Woodford
Eaton do Son U 17 Laborer do Denford
Eliza do Daur - 12 At Home do do
Elizabeth do Daur - 10 do do do
Thomas do Son - 5 - do do

However, Samuel and Susannah did not stay in Leicester. On 25 September 1851, the family set sail out of Liverpool on the "Ashburton", bound for New York. The passenger list shows that some amendments have been made to the family's ages, perhaps to make them more acceptable to the authorities on the other side of the Atlantic.

Saml Saddington 40 M Laborer Eng
Susan Saddington 39 F - Eng
Eaton Saddington 16 M - Eng
Eliza Saddington 10 F - Eng
Elizabeth Saddington 7 F - Eng
Thos Saddington 5 M - Eng

[New York Passenger Lists 1820-1957 - Ancestry.co.uk]

In 1857, according to the IGI, Eaton marries Emma Jane Rich in Lapper [Lapeer], Lapeer County, Michigan. He has been indexed as Ealon at this time.

The 1860 United States federal census, taken on 13 August 1860, indicates that the whole family has migrated to Michigan, and are now living next door to each other in Davison, Genesee County. The two amounts listed for Samuel and Eaton relate to the value of their real estate and personal estate respectively.

Samuel Sidington 54 M Farmer 300 200 England
Susannah do 52 F - - - do
Thomas do 15 M do Labr -- do

Eaton do 28 M do do 300 100 do
Emogine do 18 F - - - NY
Rosina do 3/12 F - - - Mich

[Roll M653_544, Page 0, Image 310]

On 8 June 1870, the federal census shows the two families still living next door to one another in Davison, Genesee County, Michigan. For some reason, Samuel has been enumerated as Eaton - this might relate to what questions were asked and who answered them. "W", in this instance, stands for "White".

Sidington Eaton 64 M W Farmer 300 175 England
do Susannah 62 F W Keeping House - - England

Sidington Eaton 39 M W Farmer 400 280 England
do Emma Jane 28 F W Keeping House - - New York
do Susannah 8 F W At School - - Michigan
do Ida May 4 F W - - - Michigan
Sidington Elizabeth 1 F W - - - Michigan

In 1880, according to Family Search, the federal census shows Eaton's family still in Davison, Genesee. The last two pieces of information given indicate the birthplaces of the person's father and mother in that order. There is therefore some issue with the mother's birthplace given for the three daughters, as they should all read NY if Emma Jane is their mother, which must be the case.

Eaton Saddington Self M Male W 49 ENG Farm Laborer ENG ENG
Emma J Saddington Wife M Female W 38 NY Keeping House NY MI
Mary E Saddington Dau S Female W 11 MI At School ENG MI
Betsey L Saddington Dau S Female W 8 MI - ENG ENG
Lilly Saddington Dau S Female W 5 MI - ENG ENG

Eaton lived out the rest of his life in Genesee County, Michigan. Most of the 1890 federal census was destroyed in a fire in 1921, so there is no record of the family at that point. However, the Flint Genealogical Society's Genesee County Death Index indicates that Eaton died on 20 September 1892.

A reference in the Dibean Marriage Index for Genesee County seems to show Eaton's daughter, Lilly, marrying only 3 months after her father's death.

SADDINGTON, LILLIE - BURTON, GEORGE H - GENESEE - 28 DEC 1892

Please could anyone with any additional knowledge about Eaton Saddington, his birth family or the family he created in Michigan please contact me.