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Adamthwaite Miscellany
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an Elopement scandal
Here is the
story ...
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Thomas Garrett (who apparently fancied himself as a poet),
was born in Baddeley
Ensor near Atherstone (Staffordshire) in 1796, the son of a farmer.
After a village school education, he received private tuition from
Reverend Dr. John Adamthwaite to prepare him
for the Bishop's examination for Holy Orders - but Garrett eloped to
Scotland with the vicar's niece, one Ann Cooper who was also an heiress.
His wife and child died within 2 years, at which point Garrett came back
to England, met up again with Dr Adamthwaite and was eventually ordained in 1821. (MU/BA)
... and a
possible explanation
Now this story raised some questions -
was this Ann Cooper related in any way to Rev John's housekeeper Ann
Cowper, to whom he bequeathed everything in his
Will
in 1819? And if the Ann who eloped was Rev John's niece, was she
the housekeeper herself, or the housekeeper's daughter? I have not come across a
sister Ann (although someone out there may know of one), but he did have
a sister Jane (born in 1751) and she married one Rev John Turner in
1782. John and Jane Turner had two daughters - Ann (chr 8 dec 1782
in Pontefract) and Mary (chr 14 apr 1784 in Pontefract. And IGI
has an Ann Turner who married David Cooper in 1803 at St Peter's in
Leeds ... so it looks as if Rev John could indeed have had a niece called Ann
Cooper. [Note: the ages do not tie up exactly, the Ann
christened in Pontefract would have been 35 at the time of the following
marriage, whereas the one who died in 1820 would only have been 32. And
Thomas would have been just 21.]
Bob has come up with some more
evidence to support the story:
Thomas Garratt married
Ann Cowper at Kingston, Warwicks on 20 July 1817 (though not in
Scotland as in the story!)
and also a very sad gravestone
inscription from Lancaster Priory:
GARRATT
Ann, an Exemplary and
truly valuable woman died 5 Oct 1820 Aged 35;
John Adamthwaite
Garratt died 17 Jan 1820 Aged 3 months 8 days;
Ann died 13 Oct 1820
Aged 8 days.
Followed by an
illegible verse
Rev John had in fact written his
will in 1813 - several years before his death - at a time when Ann
Cooper was still his housekeeper. And he named Ann Cooper and Rev
John Adamthwaite junior (not a relative but a protegee) as Executors of
the Will. As well as bequeathing everything to Ann and Rev John,
he included a strange clause to the effect that if anyone was
dissatisfied with the terms of the will they should be cut off completely
and not receive anything.
Ann was still alive (though
presumably no longer his housekeeper?) when he died in March 1819.
The document itself is very difficult to read, but I think it says
that two clerics from the Cathedral Church of Lichfield appeared
personally in June 1819 to sign an affidavit that the handwriting was
indeed that of Rev John Adamthwaite.
The Will was proved in July 1819
and administration granted to Jane Turner, wife of Rev John Turner, the
natural and lawful sister (and I believe she is described as his only
next of kin). So there is still a mystery about why Ann and the
other Rev John who were named in the will as Executors and beneficiaries seem to have been left out.
Incidentally - Thomas Garratt
was eventually ordained (though I don't know the actual date). He
appears on
the clergy database as curate (in 1830)
and subsequent vicar (in 1833) in the parish of Audley in the diocese of
Coventry and Lichfield.
Can anyone add more to this
story?
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