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 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 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.
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.
