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An Adamthwaite tale of Tragedy, Bigamy and Intrigue
Sue Mastel
William Adamthwaite of Branthwaite and his descendants
On 22 October 1744 in
Sedbergh in the West Riding of Yorkshire, William Adamthwaite of
Branthwaite (1718-1776) married Deborah Allen (1724-1803) and
they had three children: John (1745-1819), Thomas (1748-1816) and Jane
(1751-?) all of whom were christened in Sedbergh. Following William’s
death, there was a lengthy dispute between his two sons John and
Thomas against their sister Jane who had married Reverend John
Turner. This family dispute was continued even after the death of the
Reverend John Adamthwaite in 1819 – I am still deciphering some of the
Chancery records about this case, but hope to have a summary published on
this site in the future.
William’s elder son
Reverend John Adamthwaite, DD (1745-1819) attended Sedbergh School and
Queen’s College Oxford, becoming an eminent churchman and theologian – who
nevertheless managed to become involved in several controversies! (see
Shackerston documents, the story of the
elopement
and the article the
Seven Reverends Adamthwaite). Reverend John was Vicar of Shackerstone
in the county of Warwickshire and also of Baddesley Ensor. He had a
protégée, another Reverend John Adamthwaite DD, who was born in
Ravenstonedale 1783 and was the son of Thomas Adamthwaite and Mary (Pearson)
– they appear not to be closely related – this second Rev John was involved
in the notorious Academies in Bowes and Winton, the former of which provided
the inspiration for Dickens’ ‘Dotheboys Hall’. Reverend John senior appears
on numerous lists as a subscriber to a variety of publications, from volumes
of poetry, to collections of sermons, scientific papers, maps and even a
book about genealogy! We have found one of his poetic compositions in a
publication [link to poem]. William’s
daughter Jane Adamthwaite (1751-?) married a Reverend John Turner and
they had two children, the elder of whom Ann seems to have married a David
Cooper or Cowper and subsequently became housekeeper to her uncle, the
Reverend John. Yet another lengthy family dispute, this time between Rev Turner and his wife
Jane and Thomas’s two sons, took place following Rev John Adamthwaite’s death
(this too will be written up in time).
William’s younger son
Thomas Adamthwaite (1748-1816) left Sedbergh and travelled to London
where he was a Notary Public, with offices at 4 St Michael’s Alley, Cornhill. In 1790, he married Lucy Vipond
(1755-1817) at St
Botolph without Aldersgate in the City of London – according to the marriage
licence, issued on 17 May 1790 – Thomas was a Batchelor upwards of 41 years
and of St Michael Cornhill and Lucy was a Spinster upwards of 26 years, of
St Boltolph Aldersgate.
Thomas Adamthwaite was
admitted as a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Scriveners on 2 July
1810; a position he held until his death in 1816.
Thomas and Lucy had two sons: William Vipond
Adamthwaite (1793-1872) and John Allen Adamthwaite (1795-1850).
The two sons were both christened on 26 July 1795 at St Michael Cornhill.
The above map shows the
location of St Michael's Church (just below the 'L' of Cornhill) and St
Michael's Alley, where Thomas Adamthwaite had his Notary's office, in 1799
(reproduced with kind permission of Motco Enterprises Limited
www.motco.com)
Although we have never
found Wills or burial records for either Thomas Adamthwaite or his wife
Lucy, their Death Duty Records show that
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Thomas Adamthwaite,
of Birchin Lane, London Probate granted on 19 June 1816. His
Estate was valued at £1500. The administrator was his widow Lucy
Adamthwaite of Dalston
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Lucy Adamthwaite,
of Dalston, parish of St John Hackney, Probate granted on 9 June 1817.
Her Estate was valued at £3000. Administrators were William Vipond
Adamthwaite and John Allen Adamthwaite, gentlemen of Dalston, sons.
It seems that the estate
was not settled until 20 Dec 1824, when a further grant was recorded.
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