posted 10-28-2008 04:28 AM            

Having recently embarked on investigating the wills of some of the silver bucklemakers it has been most interesting to find that some may not have been quite as conventional as we imagine in their private lives.

Denis Langton –Smallworker and known bucklemaker
His will dated 6th April 1738 gave a guinea to Mr John Langton of Lombard Street, London, Goldsmith for a ring, the remainder to Mrs Mary Mordaunt, widow of the parish of St Clement Danes, who was also named as executrix and who proved the will. No mention whatsoever of any other beneficiaries.

However Denis apparently left a widow, Hannah Langton , who unsuccessfully contested the will in 1739.

I know nothing of Mary except that she petitioned (probably as executrix of Dennis ) for the bankruptcy of Thomas Mouldon, another silversmith , in July 1739.

Can anyone provide any more details of this.?

Samuel Moulton - Bucklemaker
His will dated 29th day of July 1816 gives a long list of bequests to various now unidentifiable legatees but the residue, presumably the bulk of his estate, to “Mary Frith, Spinster, Daughter of Thomas Frith” and nominates her as an executor as “Mary Frith Spinster now living with me”.
I have found legacies etc to servants which clearly state “my faithful house keeper for many year in recognition ….” Or words to that effect. This one I think implies a closer relationship – or am I am jumping to the wrong conclusion ?

Thomas Hatton Bucklemaker
Will dated 6th March 1764
Prominent silversmith who described himself as "Silver Buckle Maker”, the brother of Samuel Hatton ,also described as “Silver Buckle Maker”
Left virtually all his estate to a lady called Margaret Murphy, Widow. She was given as resident, like himself, in the Parish of St Annes (no address), Soho and in the will was treated as one would expect if she was his wife. The lady was described in one part of the will as "the reputed Wife" of Thomas Hatton and her daughter, Mary Murphy was also described as the "reputed daughter" of Thomas Hatton.
Are the words "reputed Wife " and "reputed Daughter" what we would now term "common law " or “de facto ”, etc or have I misconstrued this situation!

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Any comments from those without posting rights could be sent to my Email which is …..enquiries(at)taylorswaterways.co.uk – please substitute @ for (at) of course.
I have constructed a list of the Georgian silversmith wills which are available at the British National Archives if anyone is interested. It's in WORD so I can Email it to anyone interested.

As the NA charge £3.50 for a PDF file copy of the will I’ve not got many actual will copies – but they can solve a lot of problems. And cause a few more !

posted 10-28-2008 02:44 PM            

Similarly I have found that unrelated ladies in wills usually had a suitable description to avoid any hint of impropriety - hence my query re Mr Moulton because of the absence of same .

I personally make no moral judgement not my thing - only interest in the culture.

posted 12-04-2009 10:25 AM            

And one equally obscure will has revealed that one famous bucklemaker got his start by marrying his ex- masters niece. The will states that he will inherit the masters business if he marries this lady . Which he did, a few days before the master died ! As the will was dated some two years earlier the impeding death of his master seemed to make his mind up suddenly. Or perhaps the they coould not afford to marry until then.

posted 12-27-2009 05:44 PM            

I have located details of the action brought by Dennis Landton's widow against the mysterious Mary Mordaunt. The trial is recorded at the National Archives on PROB 18/51/57 and a photo copy of the details should soon be with me. Soon being a very relative turn at the NA.

Hopefully a tale of love, scandal, lust, and intrigue with a titled lady ( I think Mary Mordaunt may be The Right Honorable Mary Countess of Pembroke) and a betrayed wife Or perhaps not.
Let's hope the copy and the handwriting will be readable

We now know a little bit more now about Dennis Langton .
Seems to have been a man of many parts, especially banking .

He was involved in 1721 in the financing of a ship doing the triangular run, i.e out to Africa with goods to buy slaves, ransporting them to Virginia or Barbados and returning with a cargo, probably sugar or tobacco to England. Also concerned in other dubious fiscal affairs as reported below .
In 1738 the Daily Post reported "Last week was buried .....Mr Denis Langton formerly a noted Goldsmith in Lombard Street , who in the year 1720 was deeply concerned in the Bubbles and made the greatest Noise and Bustle in the Town , excepting John Long, of any man in his position ". He did however have a charitable interest in St Saviours School in Southwark - and may have loved cats .

posted 01-09-2010 02:04 PM            

It's very legal, hard to understand but , Polly will be delighted to known, is a story of love, lust and a woman betrayed!

Basically Langdon left two wills, one of 1724 leaving everything to his "Loving and indulging Wife Hannah Langton " and a later will of 1738 leaving everything to Mary Mordaunt.

Hannah Langton claims that Dennis Langton and Mary Mordaunt
"lived together in open adultery for several years before and to the time of the Deceased death and that during such time living together she had several Bastard or base begotten Children born by her and begotten by the said Deceased..."

There's a lot more which I will post if it proves of interest. Or of a grossly sensational nature.

Also I'm still not sure if Mary Mordaunt is indentifiable as the Countess of Pembroke who died in 1759.

posted 01-12-2010 11:54 AM            

The problem with the National Archives PCC files system is that everything is not filed as we would think normal. I expected to find all the records of the court case Langton v Mordant (Mordaunt) in one file. Not so ! Plaintiffs pleas are in PROB 18 series, which also contains the questions asked of witnesses by the plaintiff. PROB 23, 24 and 25 contain the depositions (witness statement in court), answers to the plaintiffs pleas, and other depositions. PROB 28 contains much the same as above but taken by commisioners away from the court.
PROB 29 and 30 have the actual minutes of the court. Other PROB series have inventoies etc , sometimes being part of court proceeding. There appear to be about a dozen PROB series files which could contain the full story of this trial.
I've only located the PROB 18 documents, and my search online of the other series has failed. This means one or more of the following
(a) The catalogue entries are not on the online catalogue but only on the card index at Kew.
(b) The documents have never been are not properly catalogued at all (unlikely), or have been misplaced. I know one county record office who use the intials CBM for Catalogued But Mislaid.
A deadly danger wth all card indexes is the public. If the cards are not secure in a tray, the public will use them as bookmarks and take them home by accident or put them back in the wrong place. In either case the records are lost for ever unless anyone re- catalogues. At Northampton recently we were researching the Eaton family (bucklemakers) and found two Robinson cards in the E filing drawer.

posted 03-04-2010 06:38 PM            

Grimwade gives very brief details of an Alexperry PARKES – just stating that there is no record of apprenticeship or freedom and only one mark entered , as a smallworker on 20 June 1765 at Old Street Square .

His full name was actually Alexander Perry PARKES and he died, described in the press as a Silver Bucklemaker, on the 7th July 1765. He appears prior to that date in Goldsmiths Hall records as being fined for sub-standard silver buckles, so he may well have marks in the lost register

His will, dated 5th July 1765, indicated that he was “weak in Body” , and left his entire estate to an Ann Mills of Old Street Square – unusually giving no description of her relationship or status.

She obtained probate as Executrix on 10th July 1765 , when she was described as a Spinster - so not a married or widowed daughter.