Thomas Vernon

Contents to include

Children

Saint Thomas mystry

Significance of Revd Richard simpson

Garraway family

Note about trees in Simpson papers

Chart family – possible apprentice

Violin playing (son a piano forte tuner)

Subscribers

Education of children

Henry an undertaker

Location of Vernon house on upper green & how I know it was there

Change in location of fieldgate lane

Possible relationship with Mark and therefore Robert Vernon of Chipstead

William Vernon who rented same house previously – William Vernon in Clapham (possibly from Brighton) and William Vernon in Banstead…? And how common is William.

William who died in Mitcham as an infant

Edward Vernon, Shoemaker

Southwark connection (church became Southwark Cathedral)

Cardinald Vernon – connection to William Hardy Vernon (who married CFV?)

Memorial poem by CFV

Reference to Thomas in letter by Elizabeth (to CFV?)

Local and national events during Thomas’ life – inventions / politics / wars etc

Thomas’ Childhood

Very little of Thomas’ early life is known – we don’t know who his parents were, where he came from, or any of his siblings. (All we know is that he was not born in the county of Surrey, because he was asked this question on the 1841 census. If he had lasted to the 1851 census, we would have found out where he was born!) From his age on his death certificate, he was probably born around December 1781. No baptism record has been found, but he was almost surely baptized Saint-Thomas Vernon. This is the name given in the official record at Reigate, at the time of his death, and also the name he gave to his first son.

Saint-Thomas Vernon in Reigate

In April 1803, Saint-Thomas Vernon married Jane Jupp in Reigate. They were married by a Vicar General’s licence, obtained (unusually) by Jane. This means that she would have been over 21 years old at the time. A search of the IGI reveals a Jane Jupp born at Lingfield, Surrey (a few miles away), and baptized on 2 Apr 1780. Although we can’t be sure, it is quite likely that this is the Jane that married Thomas. It is worth noting that between Lingfield, Oxted and Limpsfield, there seem to have been quite a few Jupps. There is another candidate Jane Jupp from Limpsfield, but judging from the date of her baptism (22 Apr 1787), she would likely have been only 16 or so at the time of Saint-Thomas’ first marriage.

The marriage entry in the parish register appears to have been signed in their own hands. This is the only known example of Saint-Thomas’ hand writing we have.

It is worth pausing for a moment to consider the different types of licences available for marriage. – Vicar General, Faculty Office, Comissary Court, local peculiar.

On 21 Dec 1803, Saint-Thomas and Jane baptized their first child, Saint-Thomas Vernon, and on 16 Oct 1805, their second, Jane. Unfortunately the baptism entry gives no more details than the name of the child and the parent. Sadly misfortune struck the family, and both children died in their infancy – Saint-Thomas was buried on 21 Apr 1805 (aged about 16 months), and Jane on 18 May 1806 (aged about 7 months). Jane’s birth was probably a difficult one for her mother too, for she was buried on 23 February 1806, just 4 months or so after her daughter was born.

The only other sign of Saint-Thomas in Reigate was an entry in the Land tax records for 1805, which shows that he was leasing a property for £6-10 per year from the Honorable John York (one of the two local MPs).

The Reigate land tax records also show an entry for a John Vernon Esq (proprietor), for every year from 1796 to 1831, but it not known if our Saint-Thomas was any relation. Certainly, there were some rich Vernon’s in the area. The Titsey estate was at this time owned by the Leveson-Gower family – an aristocratic family with Vernon connections. [explain.] And most of the property in Reigate was owned by Lord Somers, another family with Vernon connections.

Another name that crops up in the Reigate Land Tax was that of Daniel Garraway, renting a property at £6 per year. For many years later, Saint-Thomas rented a property in Mitcham from Daniel Garraway. It is likely, but not known for sure that it is the same person.

The Vernons in Chipstead

It is also around this time that Mark and Robert Vernon made an appearance in Chipstead. Mark was a very unusual name in these times, and it seems to me to be more than co-incidence that Thomas named his second son Mark in 1816. I think the chances are good that Mark was an uncle, but have been unable to prove this.

Lucy Vernon married a William Killick in Chipstead too, and Mark Vernon was a witness at their wedding, so it is likely that there is a connection there too. There are some similarities between their marriages too:

Vernon	Spouse	Marriage Date	Marriage Location	Banns / Licence
Saint Thomas	Jane Jupp	11 April 1803	Reigate, Surrey	Vicar General’s Licence
Mark	Catherine Packham	17 October 1807	Croydon, Surrey	Faculty Office Licence
Lucy	William Killick	7 February 1810	Chipstead, Surrey	Commissary of Surrey Licence
Robert	Sarah Percival	1803	St Giles in the Field, London, Mddx	Not known – the records of St Giles in the field don’t appear to have survived – this marriage is known from the Pallot Index. It would be worth checking the marriage licences relevant to St Giles in the Field for marriage allegations and bonds, which may show where Robert Vernon was living…

There were other Vernons in Chipstead too. Most prominently there was an Edward Vernon, who died aged 78 in 1810, and managed to get his Epitaph into Gentleman’s magazine. There was also a Lucy Vernon who died in 1815 aged 67. Edward seems to have been considered a Gentleman at that time, and it seems likely to me that one Lucy was his wife, and the other Lucy his daughter. I have some letters written by a descendent of Robert Vernon (not to me) about his research into Robert Vernon’s past. Although unable to confirm anything, he did write that the family thought they were connected in some way to the aristocratic Vernons. On the other hand, it seems that Lucy Killick (nee Vernon) spent her last days in Reigate workhouse, dying there in XXXX whilst Robert Vernon was living on the large farm he owned in Banstead – hardly an end to an aristocratic life!

Thomas re-married in Southwark, London

Our Thomas next shows up at St. Saviour’s Church, Southwark, London on 19 November 1809, for his marriage to Elizabeth West. [picture of the church?] Elizabeth was the daughter of James West and Susannah Cave, and was born [baptized?] on 8 August, 1784, in Mitcham, Surrey. The church in which they married is quite a grand one. In more recent times, it has been promoted to Cathederal status (now called Southwark Cathedral) and is the ‘head’ church in the Diocese of Southwark.

The marriage entry in the parish register for Thomas and Elizabeth shows that they were married by banns. This is yet to be confirmed in the banns book for St Saviours, Southwark. Also, the entry describes him as a batchelor, whereas (if we have the right guy) he was in fact a widower. On the other hand, it would not be out of the ordinary for the marriage entry to have been made after the event by a careless clerk. Indeed the whole entry seems to be in the same handwriting – including the ‘signature’ - and it is not the same script as the Reigate marriage entry.

The marriage entry shows that they were both ‘of this parish’ and that they were married by banns. However ‘of this parish’ only means that they had to be living there for XXX if the banns were being read. The land tax records for Southwark should be checked for signs of any Vernons. Thomas was 28 when he married; Elizabeth was XXX. [Check land tax records for Southwark very thoroughly.]

Vernons in Mitcham

By 1811, the couple were living in Mitcham. Their first son, Henry was born this year, and was baptized in the parish church of Mitcham, Sts Peter and Paul, in November. They were almost certainly not the only Vernons in Mitcham at this time. For one thing, an Edward Vernon had advertised in Holdens Directory of 1805 as a Shoemaker, Mitcham. Although no evidence of Edward can be found in any other Mitcham records from that time. The earliest known Vernon in Mitcham appears in the parish burial register in 1795. The register shows that William, infant son of Vernon was buried aged XXX. Another William Vernon makes an appearance at a later date too. The Mitcham land tax records show that from 1811 to 1815, a William Vernon was renting a house from Daniel Garraway for £8 per year. Later, Thomas took over the lease of the property, so it seems reasonable to assume that they are closely related – perhaps William was the father or brother of Thomas.

The 1811 census for Mitcham shows a Vernon household with one family composed of one male and one female, employed as an artisan. This could refer Thomas, William, or even to Edward Vernon (advertsing in Holden's 1805 Directory). Note Thomas' first son was born in November 1811.

During 1811, a census was taken of the occupants of Mitcham. It still survives, and shows that there was only one Vernon family (one male and one female) in Mitcham. First names are not given; it shows only that the male was classified as an Artisan. [on what date was the census taken?] Most likely, Henry was not yet born, but it seems odd that the census does not show both Thomas and William as well as Thomas’ wife, Elizabeth. There are only a limited number of explanations:

1. the census represents William and his wife – Thomas and Elizabeth had not yet moved there;

2. the census represents Thomas and Elizabeth – William was Thomas’ father and held the lease, but didn’t actually live there;

3. William and Thomas were brothers, one or the other were simply away at the time;

4. or perhaps the Vernon listed was Edward the Shoemaker, or some other, and neither Thomas nor William had moved there yet.

Thomas and Elizabeth had several other children, the records of their baptisms survive in the church registers; HENRY (17 November 1811), HARRIOT (5 December 1813), MARK (4 May 1816), THOMAS (24 January 1819), CHARLES FREDERIC (29 May 1822), ANGELINA ELIZA (5 December 1824), EMELINE (27 March 1826), and EMILY ROSEANN (7 March 1830).

Thomas was a carpenter and cabinetmaker by trade. It is not known where or under whom he served his apprenticeship. No surviving articles of apprenticeship have been found in Surrey, or with the London records. However, his occupation is confirmed in the records of baptism of his children, in the 1841 census, and on his death certificate in 1846.

Thomas was the head carpenter during the rebuilding of Mitcham Church (xxxx to xxxx). JR Chart, a descendent of the builder commissioned to do the work left the following in his memoirs in the early 1900’s:

The fonts of the galleries [of Mitcham's new Parish Church] were carved in solid oak. The carving was done by Mr Vernon, my grandfather's head carpenter, and took twelve months. ... The carved work of the front of the galleries may be seen in a photograph I took in 1861 by the wet process (dry plates were only just coming in). ... When the church was finished, they had no organ, but used a string band. Mr Vernon, the head carpenter, was one of the violins of the orchestra, and a good player too. (“Old Mitcham - Village Anecdotes” by J.R.Chart ref RM681 & RM 682 bound together, Merton Local Studies Centre).

The musical tradition seems to have continued in the family – Henry, Thomas’ first son lived in Upper Mitcham, and advertised as a piano forte tuner for some years in Pigot’s directories for Mitcham from 1832 to 1840. However, from 1845 to 1878 he variously advertised as an upholsterer, cabinet maker (and even once as an undertaker) at Bexleyheath, where the family moved to on Thomas’ death.

The line of Descent – Charles Frederick Vernon

Probably the religious current ran more strongly. The third son of Thomas was Charles Frederick (the grand father of my grand father); he became a Baptist minister. His son XXX dsflkdlsdklkj.

Incidentally, we have found some common (distant relations) related via Charles Frederick. Whilst I was researching Thomas at the Surrey History center, I came across a descendent of Alexander Vernon, who was researching his family at the same time. Over the last few years my father has made contact with some descendents of Edward Henry. He emigrated to Canada under a cloud, and his family have remained there. Unfortunately these contacts have not helped us learn any more about Thomas Vernon.

Charles Frederick married SARAH LOUISA KNOTT on 3 March 1845 in Parish Church, Carshalton, Surrey, England A Revd William Hardy Vernon conducted the ceremony. He was a well pedigreed Vernon who lived in Carshalton and Sutton and is the likely cause of a Vernon Street in Sutton. But Family lore has it that he was "no known relation", and I haven’t (yet) found any link. The children of Charles Frederick and Sarah were FREDERICK CHARLES (2 March 1846, Dartford, Kent), EMILY LOUISA (1850), EDWARD HENRY (7 October 1852), SIDNEY (1855), ALEXANDER (1858, Thaxted, Essex), HOWARD (1 January 1860, Park St. Thaxted, Essex) and CHARLES (30 December 1863).

Some of Charles’ early writings survive. He spent some time as a teenager writing poetry. One interesting piece he wrote to his father follows:

We also found the following lines amongst his writings:

[ INSERT REMEMBRANCE POEM TO THOMAS VERNON FROM CHARLES VERNON]

However, these are not original as they come from an inscription at St Margarets Church, Chipstead, on the tomb of XXXXX Vernon. The inscription has faded away today, but was reproduced in Gentleman’s Magazine in XXXX

The Churchwarden accounts for Mitcham, held at Surrey History Centre, Woking, (ref: P40/3/4, 1825-1870) show that on Dec 8, 1826 he was paid £3:18s for psalm books. The Vernon family was also on a list drawn up in xxxx of people subscribing for hymn books

In 1832, the property owned by Daniel Garraway in which Thomas Vernon lived was passed to his granddaughter: (SHC K18/4/4)

I do will and bequeath to my Grand-daughter Charlotte Rebecca Garraway all that copyhold part freehold estate purchased from General Hibbert situate and being in the Upper Green in the parish of Mitcham in the County of Surrey to her and heirs for ever.

But there is no record of this causing the family to move at that time. However, in 1846, Thomas passed away. Registration had just been introduced, and his death was duly registered at Croydon, as well as in the parish burial register. His name on the death certificate and in the Burial Register appears as 'Saint' Thomas Vernon. Confirming that the Thomas who married Elizabeth in St Saviour’s is almost surely the same Saint Thomas who married Jane Jupp in Reigate in 1803.

This property of the Garraway family appears in the land tax records as follows:

1812 - 1815 rented to William Vernon £8pa

1816 - 1820 rented to Vernon £7pa

1821 - 1831 rented to Thomas Vernon £7pa

By comparing the land tax records with the tithe apportionment records[how exactly?], and we can see that the property leased by Thomas was a house situated in a prime spot on Upper Green, for £7 per year - a decent place in those days. In the 1841 census his address appears as Field Gate Lane, and a map of about XXXX confirms the location as being on the Upper Green. Confusingly, in recent times, this stretch of road has been renamed XXX RD, and Field Gate Lane is now a small alley way running from XXX road towards the Church.

There is no record of a William Vernon dying in Mitcham between 1815 and 1831. Perhaps I should check the neighbouring parishes?