Another Bland Family Sexton

I've come across another Bland sexton of Hammersmith.  Robert Bland, son of sexton James Bland, reveals that he serves the same post as his father in his marriage licence.  That would make Robert the fifth Bland to occupy the post.  

Source Citation

London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: DD/0746/02/003

Source Information

Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1936 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Original data: Church of England Parish Registers. London Metropolitan Archives, London.

Sword Cutlers in the Bland Family

The first sword cutler we know of in the Bland family is John Highlord Bland, brother of our ancestor Stephen Bland. John was born circa 1732 and died childless  in 1791.  We don’t know who he apprenticed with or when, but we do know he was sword cutler to King George III, so he must have been good. 

Here’s one of my favourite advertising artifacts, property of the British Museum, unfortunately not on display:

Isn’t it elegant? I love it. 

If you go to the website of the Royal Collection Trust and search for Bland & Foster swords, you can see some images.  Here's a sample of some of their work: 

A straight cavalry sword. Brass stirrup hilt with scrolled branches and scalloped shells. Fishskin grip bound with herringbone brass wire. Double-edged steel blade with matted central section. Black leather scabbard tooled with crowned GR monogram and three brass mounts.  Provenance:  Acquired from Bland and Foster.

Thomas Bland, son of Edward and Frances Bland of Hammersmith and probably a younger brother of John Highlord, also apprenticed to be a sword cutler. 

 This Indenture Witnesseth that Thomas Bland son of Edward Bland of Hammersmith in the County of Middlesex Clerk of Hammersmith aforesaid doth put himself apprentice to Sanders Davenport Citizen and Cutler of London…

The apprenticeship term is seven years and the fee is only five shillings, which seems very low. The document is dated March 17, 1758.  Thomas  was born in 1741, which would make him 17 when this apprenticeship began. Unfortunately he died fairly young, at the age of 44.

Here’s the source and some information on what this document signifies.

It would be great if we knew that John Highlord and Thomas worked together, but I don’t think they did. Thomas did not apprentice with John Highlord, and we know that John Highlord had a partner who was not Thomas (his name was Robert Foster). 

Stephen Bland was John Highlord Bland's brother. His son James, who was John Highlord Bland’s nephew, apprentices to be a cutler on October 7, 1789 with John Foster, who is to be paid ten pounds for the seven year apprenticeship. 

This Indenture Witnesseth that James Bland son of Stephen Bland of Hammersmith in the county of Middlesex Gardener doth put himself apprentice to John Foster Of Fetter Lane London Sword Cutler …

James ultimately leaves sword-making, either before or after his apprenticeship is complete, to become the Hammersmith Sexton after his father’s death in 1810. 

We don’t have an apprenticeship record for Edward Bland, but the book London Silver-Hilted Swords, Their Makers, Suppliers and Allied Traders, with Directory by Leslie Southwick (Royal Armouries, 2003)  tells us that Edward is another son of Stephen Bland (so would be a brother to James), was apprenticed to Thomas Foster, and later worked in Fetter Lane. 

On April 2, 1819, Edward's  son Stephen John Highlord Bland enters an apprenticeship with sword cutler Charles Matthews. Stephen John Highlord Bland would be John Highlord’s great-nephew and the third generation of this family to work as a sword cutler. 

This Indenture Witnesseth that Stephen John Highlord Bland son of Edward Bland of  Cow Cross Street West Smithfield  Sword Cutler doth put himself Apprentice to Charles Matthews of Kings Head Court Shoe Lane London Cutler, a Citizen and Goldsmith of London, to learn the art of the Cutler. 

Smithfield is in West London and is the site of a very old weekly livestock market which began in the 1100s and ran until Victorian times, thus the name Cow Cross Street where these Blands made their home. There is a history of this area and street on the British History Online website.  Curiously, the apprenticeship fee of five pounds is to be paid to Charles Matthews by “the Treasurer of Christ’s Hospital London”, which is apparently not an actual hospital but rather a school and orphanage.

 

And coming full circle, there is a John Highlord Bland working as a cutler at 2 Charterhouse Street, London, and listed in the 1865 and 1870 London Post Office Directories.  He's the son of Stephen John Highlord Bland and his wife Deborah Smithson, and he would represent the fourth generation of sword cutlers in this family.  

Edward’s Mysterious Marriage

 Did Edward Bland marry the same woman twice?  When I was looking for a record of his marriage to a woman named Hannah, this is what I found.

Here’s a close up of the names. Notice there is no detail about where they live or what Edward’s profession is. 

Fast-forward eighteen years, and the same database shows this. 

January 14, 1719. Edward Bland Widr & Gardner of Hammersmith and Hannah Every Spr. Ditto.

Hannah’s last name is actually indexed as Evry in the database, which is even more similar. Is this the same Edward? Is it the same Hannah?  It’s so strange. 

 

Early Bland Family Vital Records at St Paul Hammersmith Chapel

 These records, from the Chapel of St. Paul in Hammersmith, are out of order chronologically.  I am recording them in the order in which they appear in the record books on Ancestry, and  while some of the records go from early to late dates, as one would expect, occasionally some go from late to early. Also the records are largely organized so that all like categories (birth, marriage or burial) are listed together, which means that a certain baptism, for example, could appear in the records earlier than the marriage which preceded it, if baptisms are placed before marriages in the listings.  The first record book available (1671-1689) has no entries for the Bland family, which suggests that they perhaps came from elsewhere. The following are from the record set of St Paul Hammersmith from 1690-1728. There are very few marriages listed in this register, and none at all for the Bland family.  

Baptism.  June 12, 1700.  Mary d. Of Edward Bland & Mary. 

Burial.  February 19, 1697. Edward Bland buried S of Edward & Mary. 

Baptism. November 12, 1699. John Corles Bland S of Tho (Gardener) & Elisa. 

Baptism. March 23, 1697/8. Elisabeth Bland baptism, d of Edward and Mary.

Baptism. February 23, 1695/6. Thomas Bland baptism. S of Edmund (sic) and Mary.

Baptism. January 28, 1692. Edward Bland baptized Son of Edward and Mary, died age 5 (see above). 

Record book 1707-1717:

Burial. May 8, 1714. Elisa wife of Tho Bland.

Baptism.  January 1, 1709/10.  John S of Edward Bland & Mary.

That's it for this record collection.  There were some marriages recorded for the Hammersmith Chapel, but interestingly, they were all for people who came from other parishes.  I have no idea why.  The next record set is 1717-1723. 

November 28, 1722. John son of John Bland & Elisa. Could be John Eland?

Burial record. December 29, 1721-22. Hannah wife of Edward Bland. There are no records that show children born to this couple anywhere in London, but I did find a record of their marriage. It was in a sneaky little database that I don’t check very often called “London Clandestine Marriage and Baptism Registers 1667-1754”. Hannah was a spinster when they married but Edward was a widower, so this was at least his second marriage. There’s something odd about this marriage which I’ll get into in another post. 

January 14, 1719.  Edward Bland of Hammersmith (sic) Gard…Hannah Evry ditto. W. Sp. 

Burial record. March 22, 1718/9. Mary wife of Edward Bland. 

The record group 1723-1727 has nothing on the Bland family except the baptism of Edward, son of Edward and Frances. No John Highlord Bland anywhere.

Whitfields in Hammersmith

 Hey, did anyone else know that there are records of a Whitfield family in Hammersmith? The records seem to be before the era of Eleanor (Whitfield) Bland and then after, but not during. Perhaps there is a family connection, which could explain how she and Stephen became acquainted.

Edward Bland and Frances Winchester of Hammersmith

 In a recent post I explored which Bland family members had been sextons at St Paul Hammersmith chapel. The first one identified by the vestry minutes was Edward Bland, who married Frances Winchester on June 9, 1726, at St Giles in the Fields, Holborn, London. Frances was the daughter of John Winchester, yeoman, and his wife Mary, and she was baptized on August 8, 1699, at St John the Baptist, Pinner, Harrow, Middlesex. They were apparently married by licence but I have not located it so far.  The marriage record doesn’t say if Edward was a bachelor or a widower. 

Frances Winchester had several siblings, who are identified in the will of her brother John Winchester “of the Hamlet of Pinnor in the parish of Harrow on the Hill”,  proved April 21, 1742. John gives two acres of land, which he calls a close,  to his sister Mary Chandler, widow of the late George Chandler, for the course of her life and makes her his executrix. After Mary’s death the land passes to his sister Susanna Chandler, also a widow, and after Susanna’s death the land finally goes to Mary’s daughters Mary and Elizabeth Chandler.  John gives his sister Frances Bland one guinea, and his sister-in-law “Anne the widow of my late brother James” one shilling. Here’s the source for the will if you’d like to see it yourself:

These are the children of Edward and Frances that were baptized at Hammersmith:

1. Edward bap. June 25, 1727 died September 1766 (he was sexton at Hammersmith after his father)
2. Susanna bap. Jan. 24, 1733
3. Steven bap. Jan. 18, 1734 (potentially our ancestor and father to Ann Elliot)
4. Sarah bap. May 22, 1738
5. James birth unknown buried June 8, 1740
6. Thomas bap. Nov. 30, 1741 buried August 14, 1785 age 44

There is no record of John Highlord Bland’s birth, but nor is there anywhere else, and it is quite a distinctive name. His birth date is circa 1732 so he could fit in between Edward and Susanna.  There is a gap of six years between those two. 

We know that Edward Sr. dies in August of 1764. His widow Frances died March 10 and was buried March 14, 1773, age 74. By the way, Frances was the only Bland I have seen so far who was unable to write her name, as evidenced by this signature witnessing a marriage in Hammersmith Chapel in 1769. 

What do we know about the children? We don’t actually know from the vestry minutes whether Edward Jr. is married or not. There is an Edward Bland who marries a Mary Hubbard in Hammersmith on April 15, 1754 who could be this Edward.  They don’t seem to have had children. 

This may be the death record of Thomas Bland, son of Edward and Frances, potential brother to Stephen and John Highlord Bland. The dates fit exactly and he is buried in Hammersmith. August 14, 1785. This would make him 23 years old when Thomas and Gwyn Bland’s first child is born in 1764, which would be reasonable. 

What is purple fever, you ask? Well, so did I. It can mean various things, from childbed fever (obviously not applicable here), to typhus, to scarlet fever.  Poor Thomas. 

For the moment I can’t find any further records for Susanna or Sarah. 

The Signature of Eleanor Bland

 I hadn’t ever seen a copy of Eleanor (Whitfield) Bland’s signature, but it’s turned up today, as I was perusing marriage records from Hammersmith. Cool find. I don’t know the relationship between Eleanor and the newlyweds. 

What I Learned from the Vestry Meeting Minutes of St Paul Hammersmith, 1730-1825

I'd like to see if I can track down the relationships of the Bland family sextons, of the chapel of St. Paul Hammersmith, and trace their times in office, in an effort to connect Stephen Bland, our ancestor and sexton in the parish of St. Paul Hammersmith, to two Edward Blands, father and son, who hold the office of sexton in Hammersmith in the mid-1700s, and also Peers Watts, a gardener in Hammersmith,  and his family.  During the 1700s and early 1800s, until 1834, the Hammersmith chapel was part of the Fulham parish, although it had its own curate and other chapel employees. In 1834 it became its own independent parish. 

I'm using a familysearch film (#008451633) catalogued under the record group "Parish Chest Materials, 1651-1904" for this research.  The film itself is "Vestry Minutes, 1730-1825."  The entries are fragmentary, and look like they've had bits ripped off.  The meetings irregular and infrequent, and I believe there are pages missing but there is no way to tell exactly  which ones.   Nevertheless, it was fun taking a few days to browse through these minutes. I read about people refusing to pay their tax to relieve the parish poor, and the politics of pew rental, and the sometimes frosty relations between the congregants of the St. Paul Chapel and the congregants of the Fulham Church (which leaned on the St. Paul Chapel folk to pitch in to the Fulham Church repair fund from time to time).  I read about never-ending road maintenance and building repair, and about the Hammersmith Workhouse where the poor of the Hamlet were housed. It's a real glimpse into the past.  I searched for mentions of the Bland family, or signatures of family members to confirm that they were around at various times and active in their church.  This is what I found.  

The first entry I can see which mentions the parish sexton is image 11, dated May 5, 1731.  Here's my best attempt at transcription of the final paragraph, which mentions an Ed. Bland, but as a clerk:  

" Ordered, at  the  same time that Ed. Bland the clerk...and Christ & Hammersmith the sexton to Responded (sic)  from...from acting  in their offices. And that...asks or Do  officials as Grave Digger and that the...of  the Vestry (said?) officials...as clerk until this...and sexton.  Do recount with the churchwardon (sic)...due to the churchwardon (sic)." 

Here's the actual page, first in close-up, then in full:  

A few pages later, on image 13, we see the signature of an E. Bland.  It's part of a fragment with other signatures.  The fragment above it mentions "supporting and maintaining" and also mentions  "the lame".  It is dated November 24, 1731.

For the vestry meeting of February 9, 1732, there is a somewhat different signature:  Edw Bland junior.  I'm not a handwriting expert, but the hand looks very similar to me.  These may be the same men.  

On December 3, 1732, a vestry meeting was held to approve payment to a coroner to examine the violent death of a church member (the name is not clear).  Both Edward Bland and Peers Watts sign the document, almost side by side.  

On January 11, 1733, Peers Watts was elected to the board of trustees of the Workhouse (image 21).  

A new Bland signature appears in the record of a vestry meeting on March 4, 1733, which concerned a payment of five pounds from the poor fund to employ a Mr. Arbrough to take care of a Mr. John Wrantmore, who "has had the misfortune to break his Thigh...".  Tho (or Thomas) Bland is the last signature on the list. (Image 22).  This is one of two times he signs the minutes, so perhaps he moves elsewhere after this date.  

On December 1, 1737, a meeting takes place where Peers Watts is named as a churchwarden for the first time.  On January 1, 1738, another meeting occurs which has to do with the assigning of church pews.  Peers signs as churchwarden, and Thomas Bland's signature is also visible.  I'm printing the whole page because it's fascinating to me to see how many people were interested in this issue--they had a full house!  (image 30) 

Being a churchwarden comes with risks, as Peers discovers:

Dated February 3, 1739, the above meeting minutes record that "Whereas Benedict Dudall hath commenced a Suit at Law against several of the Inhabitants of this Hamelt, (viz.) Mr. John Fennell late Churchwarden, Mr. Peers Watts the present Churchwarden, Mr. John Alloway and Stephen Leonard present Overseers of the Poor, and Mr. Richards Duke one of the late Overseers. It is hereby Ordered and Agreed upon by us whose names are hereunto written, that the said Churchwardens and Overseers do defend the said Suit at the Expence (sic) of the Inhabitants of the said Hamelt.  And that they employ Mr. Robinson as their Attorney." (image 34).  

Here is a record of the money raised by pew rentals in 1739.  Notice that Edward Bland was regularly involved in collecting the funds.  (image 38)

On August 16, 1740, Edward Bland is given the post of Sexton:

" The place of sexton in this Hamlet being vac...the Death of Christopher Hamnet.  It is the unanimous opinion of this Vestry that Edward Bland the present Clerk Do officiate as Se...during the pleasure of the Inhabitants, and ...the Fees and profits thereof to his own use...another sexton shall be duly appointed."  (image 43)

This financial document, dated April 20 1746, appears to track salary or payments to various Church employees over a five year period.  Edward Bland appears each year.  I don't know what the "Collector" underneath his name refers to--perhaps he collected money from the pew rentals?  He appears to have made about 30 pounds over a five year period.  It doesn't seem like much compared to the salaries of Dr. Allan, the Curate,  and Mr. Howell, the Assistant Curate, for example (375 pounds and 170 pounds, respectively).  (image 54).  

On April 4, 1747, Peers Watts is elected (or re-elected?) to the post of Trustee, along with a number of other men, to be in charge of pew rentals, "Letting  Pews and disposing of the Revenues thereof..." .  (image 643) (By the way, if  anyone  is interested in the history of pews and pew rentals, there's an interesting Wikipedia article on the subject here.) In the same month there is an account of pew rental funds in 1746, and Edward Bland is still listed as the Collector.  

On April 27, 1752 a meeting was held to decide if the churchyard needed enlarging. The record is cut off  on the left side, but a Mr. (possibly Edward) Bland was identified as living next to the churchyard. (image 95)

 

This next image is hard to read, but it has something to do with valuing "Mr. Edward Bland's Ground"  and something to do with the "Chappel Yard".  It comes from minutes taken on October 18, 1752.  Edward Bland does not appear to have been at the meeting.  The Vestry officials seem to have decided to enlarge the churchyard and are negotiating with various people.  (image 105)

Not long afterwards, in a meeting on December 4, 1752, on the same topic,  there is a mention of the "Crop" of Mr. Edward Bland. (image 107)

"And they farther Report that they have employ...Persons to Value the crop of Mr. Edward Bland...is on the Piece of Ground purchased of Mr. Thomas Fell ...Henrietta his Wife for enlargement of the Chapel...viz. William Fletcher on behalf of the Hamlet of ...smith and Henry Lewis on behalf of the said Edw. Bland. 

And they have appraised & valued, the said Crop at fourteen pounds five shillings and elevenpence, which sum was paid to the said Edward Bland out of the Pew Money which is in the Hands of  Mr. M...Impey, and they have farther agreed with Mr. Edw. Bland by the consent & order of this present Vestry to sell to him for two Guineas the Crop upon the piece of ground above...and that the two Guineas shall be paid to Mr. Michael Impey Treasurer of the Pews of the Chapel of Hammersmith, placed to his acco' of cash received for Pewage. The said Edward Bland has also agreed to Levall the said grounds & sow it with Grass seed before Christmas next, before time the two Guineas shall be paid to..."     

The side is noted "Crop Sold to Mr. Bland".  I find this a confusing transaction.  This is how I read it:  Mr. Fell and his wife owned land which the parish wanted to buy to extend the Churchyard.  However, Edward Bland was growing some kind of crop on this land, and would need to be recompensed for the lost value. The parish found men to value the crop, bought it from Edward Bland at the appraised value, and then allowed him to buy the crop back from them (that's the part I find confusing.  Was the crop ready to harvest?  It's December!).  Edward Bland also agreed to level the ground and plant grass to prepare it for chapel use (perhaps as an extension to the graveyard). 

In a meeting held June 22, 1755, Edward Bland signs his name in a new way.  I'm almost positive he writes "Edward Bland Elder".  (image 125)  

 

Here's an interesting, very detailed list of fees for services of various church employees, including "the Curate of the Chapel of Hammersmith the Churchwarden of Fulham for Hammersmith Side the Clerk and Sexton of Hammersmith..." .  Dated June 1, 1756, it is unfortunately cut off at the left side, so we cannot see fees for anyone except the Curate and also the Vicar of Fulham (although he was not listed above).  Unfortunately it does not name the clerk or sexton.  I notice the Curate seems to be paid for just about everything, including tasks I'm sure he doesn't do personally, i.e. "For Tolling or Ringing Out the Great Bell upon the death of any Inhabitant".  Perhaps the Curate gets paid and then passes the fee along to the sexton?  I'm not sure. (Image 136)

Although he hasn't signed the vestry minute book for three years, Edward Bland is one of the only inhabitants to turn up at this 1758 meeting.  (image 141)

October 10, 1759 we have the first occasion of Stephen Bland signing the minute book (Edward Bland Senior is also present).  (image 143)

In a meeting dated December 11, 1760, Peers Watts Senior and Peers Watts Junior are among 39 men who are empowered to handle pew rental and their revenues for seven years from Christmas 1760.  This is the first time Peers Watts Jr's name has appeared in the vestry minutes. (image 149)  On January 12 1761, E. Bland Jr's name appears for the first time, along with Peers Watts and Edward Bland Elder, as he calls himself.  Both Peers and the elder Edward's signatures are becoming rather shaky. (image 151) 

In 1764, there was a meeting regarding the offices of clerk and sexton (image 168):

"The Church Warden and Overseers of the poor of this Hamlet desire the Inhabitants to meet them in the Vestry Room on Wednesday next at 3 O'Clock in the afternoon, to appoint a Clerk, and a Sexton in the room of Mr. Edward Bland Deceas'd...

Edward Bland was buried in Hammersmith on August 22, 1764.  His burial record says "Edward Bland Chapel Clerk 36 yrs". This would make his birth year circa 1728, which does not make sense if this is the same Edward Bland who was clerk in 1731.  Perhaps he was the clerk for 36 years, or perhaps he is not the same man. I wish the records went back further.  (London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; Reference Number: DD/0071/011).  Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 for Edward Bland.)  Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 for Edward Bland

Hammersmith and Fulham

St Paul, Hammersmith

1752-1795

Hammersmith Sunday August 1764...

At a Vestry held in this Vestry Room this 29th day of August 1764, Pursuant...the above notice the Vestry being and the Inhabitants are pleased to recommend Edward Bland to the Rev Mr. Sampson,...appointed accordingly clerk in ye room of his Father deceas'd,  and it is agreed he shall be clerk, on condition that he (comport?) himself, and...such Fees, and only such as are expressed and ordained in...of Fees. 

The Vestry then proceeded to appoint a Sexton, when Edward...&Stephen Bland appeared Candidates, when from...Hands it appeared Edwd Bland had a Majority,...declared duly Sexton, on condition that he shall allow, and...Mother Frances Bland out of the income of both places,...Pounds (sign) 15 a year, to be paid her in 4 equal Quarterly Payments...Payment to be made at Xmas next.      

So now that we know that the deceased Edward Bland's widow is named Frances, we should be able to work out more of his story.  For one thing, we can locate his marriage record (Edward Bland of Hammersmith & Frances Winchester of Harrow on the hill by Mr. Clark, June 9, 1726, Saint Giles in the Fields, Holborn): 

And here is Edward Bland Jr.'s baptismal record (Hammersmith, June 25, 1727):

On September 2, 1764,  there was another meeting to confirm Edward Bland Jr in the position of clerk and agree that if any lawsuits arose because of Edward's work the parish would pay for his defense. (image 170). 

In January 1765 there was a meeting about Hammersmith's responsibility regarding the repair of Blyth Lane.  The "ancient inhabitants" were especially invited to come and give historical information about repairing this lane.  One of the people heard from was "Mr. Peers Watts Gardener of Hammersmith aged about 80 years"  who declared that "he did not repair the said lane, or ever knew it repaired by the inhabitants".  (image 172).  

This information gives us a birth date for Peers Watts Senior of about 1685.  The way the document is worded makes it seem that Peers is still working as a gardener at age 80.  Possibly he is still referred to by his old job title but is retired?  Or perhaps he is still working, long past what we would consider retirement age.  (image 172)

On April 17,  1765 there was a vestry meeting where it was rather tartly concluded that "the choice and appointment of such chapel or parish clerk is solely in the ...of this Hamlet, and not in the Minister of the said Hamlet...".  The reason for clarifying this is not explicitly stated, but perhaps the Curate had someone else in mind for the position.  (image 174)

On March 16, 1766, notice was given for a vestry meeting "to elect and appoint a proper person Sexton for this Hamlet instead of Edward Bland." (image 184) On October 12, 1766, there was a follow-up announcement that the meeting would take place "on Friday next at four of the Clock in the afternoon, in order to Choose a Chapel Clerk for the Chapel of this Hamlet in the room of Edward Bland lately deceased, Persuant to ancient custom of this Hamlet".  (Image 185)  A man named Thomas Harris was appointed clerk at this meeting.  I don't see a record of  anyone being appointed sexton. Perhaps we  are missing  a page. It is interesting to see that Edward held the posts of Sexton and Clerk until his death, although we do not know his age at death.  He had held these positions for just two short years.  His burial date is September 16, but his burial record does not record his age or position.  

May 1, 1768.  Scandal in the vestry!  The congregation are suing their Curate!  Stephen  Bland was  in attendance at this heated meeting. (image 198)

"The Churchwarden laid before the Vestry Sundry instances wherein Mr. Sampson hath refused to comply with the usual and customary manner of burying of the dead, particularly on Sunday April 24, when Mr. Sampson refused to go  into the  Church with a Corps, and  going home  to  his house, the Corps was left in the Church  all night, next day being Saint  Mark Mr. Sampson neglected or refused to read Prayers, as also on Wednesday, and Friday the  27th and 29th of April, the  bells chiming and tolling in as  usual and  the congregation assembling as usual, the Corps remained...Church still.   And also for extorting money of...what he calls his dues, for going into the Church...various other complaints."  

I'd complain, too, if someone in my family laid unburied in church for almost  a week after the funeral was scheduled. 

On April 27, 1770, we learn that a Reverend Mr. Thomas, who is presumably the new Curate,  is suing the parish, and particularly Stephen Bland, over the pew rental money.  The edges of this page are particularly tattered, and if Stephen's  job title is mentioned, it is no longer visible.  However, he must have something to do with administering money for the pew rentals. (image 213/214)

 Later in the same meeting it is mentioned that there is also a suit brought against Stephen Bland by the Reverend Thomas  Sampson for "Brawling in the Church Yard".  I'm so curious to see these court records, but they don't seem to be digitized.  They live at the British National Archives, so I'm not  likely to see them any time soon.  

The next set  of meeting minutes (beginning with May 29, 1772)  are missing a lot off of the both the left and right sides, which make them difficult to interpret.  That's a shame because they are about removing  bodies from the  burial ground, a  subject of interest to me.  I've gone through various sources of monumental inscriptions for the Hammersmith chapel yard and can't find inscriptions  for either the  Bland or Watts families, although I know they were originally buried there.  Were they among  the bodies removed, and if so, where  were they taken?  (images 233, 234) 

The meeting of October 11, 1776 must have been an uncomfortable one for Stephen.  After an audit of the pew rents, the Committee singled out Stephen for the "vague and incorrect manner" in which he had been collecting money for the Chapel.  "It appearing to our committee that many sums of...to a considerable amount had been lost to the Hamlet thro' inattention...in our Collector Mr. Bland, we thought it advisable to Dismiss...from that office, and appoint Mr. Geo Lewis the Vestry Clerk in his stead...as the Revenue of the Pews fall greatly short of what they used to..."   (images 301, 302)

How embarrassing for poor Stephen!   

The vestry meeting on October 4, 1810, sought to hire a new sexton for the parish, following the death of Stephen Bland.  So although we don't know when his duties began, we know he held the title of sexton until his death, despite his fallibility as a clerk.  James Bland was voted in, the position was changed to an annual election from a position held for life, and  the sexton was given the additional duty of caring for the Hamlet's fire engine.  (image 595)  Although Stephen's relationship to James is not made explicit in this document, he is in fact Stephen's son by  his second wife, Eleanor Whitfield. Stephen’s death records tell us that he was 77 years old at his death, which would put his birth circa 1733. It’s suggestive that Edward and Frances Bland had a number of children in Hammersmith, including a son named Steven who was baptized on January 18, 1734. 

The minutes read, in part,  "...Mr. Wills proposed Mr. James Bland as a Proper person to succeed to the office seconded by Mr. William Marshall--Mr. John Ruth proposed Mr. Jacob Hurst seconded by Mr. Mountford Mr Phillip Davies proposed himself for the choice of the Vestry seconded by Mr. Edw Roberts, upon a poll being demanded the Numbers polled for Mr. James Bland  were  142 for Mr. Jacob Hurst 103 and for Mr. P. Davies 0  whereupon Mr. James Bland  was declared duly elected..." 

The new resolution to elect sextons annually should make it easier to track dates for the Bland family from now on.  James Bland was re-elected as sexton on October 10, 1811 (image 614), October 12, 1812 (image 653), December 8, 1815 (image 687) and March 25, 1818 (image 711).  The elections are either not annual or they are missing from the minutes.  On March 5, 1819, James gets a significant raise.  (image 724)

The Vestry then proceeded to take into consideration the present Salary of the Sexton of this Hamlet when it was Resolved that the Salary of the sd Sexton be increased Ten Pounds Per Ann from Christmas last making the present Salary Forty Pounds Pr Annum.  

James is again re-elected to the office of sexton on March 25, 1819 (image 726), and every year thereafter until 1833, although he does get a radical pay cut on April 1, 1830 (his  salary is knocked down to 10 pounds for the rest of the year--whether this is a one-year  measure or a permanent cut is not specified).  

James dies and is buried in the Hammersmith chapel yard on August 29, 1832.  For  the  following two years, his widow Mary Ann Bland is elected to the  role of sexton.  She is the first woman I have seen in the minutes with any official role in the Hammersmith Chapel.  (images 140 and  157, film # 008451664)  We know from Mary Ann's will that  she has a daughter, Frances Ann, in an asylum.  Is this the parish's way of keeping the family afloat?  

  

On March 25, 1835, Robert Bland, son of Edward and Mary Ann, takes over the sexton role.  

Mary Ann Bland died in January 1835 at the age of 62 and was buried January 29.  Her burial record states her sexton role in the Hammersmith community.  I find this quite remarkable.

London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London Church of England Parish Registers; Reference Number: DD/0746/03/007.  Ancestry.com. London, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-2003 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Just for fun, I counted how many family signatures I could find in these records up until 1810.  Peers Watts Senior attended 36 meetings, dated from 1740 to 1784.  Peers Jr. was a lightweight next to his father, with only a handful of meetings to his name.  Edward Bland Sr. signed 15 times, between 1748 and 1764.  Edward Jr. knocked everyone out of the park with 50 signatures from 1764 to 1790.  Of course these are very rough numbers--often signatures were blotched or torn away, and there are some long gaps between meetings that make me suspect missing pages.  

So, to summarize:  we learned from the minutes so far that Peers Watts senior was born circa 1685 and was a gardener in Hammersmith. We learned that Edward Bland, who is 1732 signs his name Ed. Bland Jr. (strongly implying that his father is also an Edward Bland) and in 1755 is signing his name Edward Bland Elder, was married to Frances Winchester in 1726 and had his eldest son, Edward, in 1727.  He was originally the Hammersmith Chapel Clerk, and was hired as the Hammersmith sexton in  addition to the clerkship in 1740, after the death of the former sexton Christopher Hamnet.  He died in 1764, when his son Edward Jr. became the sexton for two years before he died in 1766.  Stephen Bland, our ancestor, became sexton at an unknown date (perhaps immediately after Edward's death, perhaps later) and remained in the post until his own death in 1810.  The next sexton was James Bland, son of Stephen, who died circa 1836.  Mary Ann, James' widow, was sexton for two years, and upon her death their son Robert inherited the role.    

It’s just so darn tantalizing. The link between the second Edward Bland and our Stephen is literally the only non-specified relationship in the whole chain! Arrgh!  But I feel as if these records have given me some valuable information about the Blands of Hammersmith, and perhaps if I fill in the family trees of Edward/Frances as well as the Edwards who pre- and post-dated them, I may finally have a breakthrough.