A Short Obituary for Margaret (Whitfield) Berkeley

I found a short death notice for Margaret Berkeley, sister of Eleanor Whitfield, and daughter of James Whitfield, peruke-maker in London, and Ann Unknown.  Doesn't give a death date, but this is from the Oxford University and City Herald, July 11, 1807.

Still Fixating on the Whitfield Family

In genealogy, a problem that you can't resolve is known as a "brick wall".  I'm still hitting my head against the brick wall posed by Anne Unknown, wife of James Whitfield, peruke-maker in London, mother of Eleanor Whitfield and grandmother of Ann Bland, who in turn was the wife of Robert Elliot. What's tantalizing is that another researcher has discovered a great clue!  A newspaper   obituary tells us that Anne's uncle is Sir Robert Cotton, 5th Baronet of Connington, and her first cousin is Sir John Bruce Cotton, 6th Baronet of Connington.  With information like that you'd think that finding out who Anne's parents were would be as easy as flipping through a volume of Burke's, but alas, so far no one can find her.  I'm not having much luck discovering the family of James Whitfield, either.  I know that he is the son of another James Whitfield who lived in "Hodington" or Headington, Oxfordshire, but I can't discover anything at all about James the elder.  Many genealogists that I've read suggest that if you need help smashing through those brick walls, you should widen your search to other members of the family and you may find valuable clues.

Now Anne (Unknown) Whitfield's granddaughter, Anne Bland, married Robert Elliot, who appears to have come from a fairly prosperous middle-class family but who was essentially a tradesman (he built a career as a currier in both Hammersmith, England and later in Ontario).  Anne Whitfield's daughter, Eleanor Whitfield, was the wife of James Bland, a gardener in Hammersmith (his brother, Stephen Bland, was a sword-cutler to the King, which sounds pretty fancy but is still a job, i.e. not something a nobleman would do).

However, it's interesting to look at the family that James and Anne Whitfield's daughter Margaret married into.   Eleanor's sister married a man named Lionel Spencer Berkeley.

From Notes and Queries, p. 418, ed. William White. 

Here's an excerpt of what Volume III of The Peerage of England by Arthur Collins has to say about the Berkeley family:

 

 

So, in case you're overwhelmed by the meandering style of this family history, let me set out some key points.

• Margaret Whitfield's father-in-law, Henry Berkeley, held positions in which he directly served  English royalty (he was page of honour to Queen Anne, and Master of the Horse to George I).  He had a distinguished military career and was a Member of Parliament for many years.  
• Her husband's grandfather was the 2nd Earl of Berkeley.  He was for a time the equivalent of an English Ambassador to Holland, and was later, among many other positions, on the Privy Council of England. 
• Her husband's uncle was the 3rd Earl of Berkeley.  He also had a distinguished military career, which culminated in the position of Vice-Admiral of Great Britain,  and like his father was on the Privy Council.  

James Berkeley, 3rd Earl of Berkeley, Margaret Whitfield's Uncle-in-law. 

I could go on some more about the Berkeleys, but the point is, this is quite a family to be attached to. Not to mention that: 

•  Lionel Spencer Berkeley's mother, Mary Cornwall or Cornewall, was the daughter of the wealthy Colonel Henry Cornewall, M.P. for Weoboly, Hereford and  Herefordshire, and Susanna Williams, daughter of Sir John Williams.    Her brother Velters was also an MP, and her other brothers were all officers in the military.  
• His paternal grandmother (wife of Charles Berkeley) was Elizabeth Noel.  She was the daughter of Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount of Campden, and his third wife Hester Wotton.   

While all of these glamorous connections formed by James and Anne's daughter doesn't directly tell us what Anne's connection to the Cotton family is, it does add credence to the idea that the Whitfields are connected somehow to the Baronets of Cotton.   People very rarely drastically jump class lines when they marry--if someone connected to nobility marries into a family, it can be a sign that the first family has good connections as well.

So who did James and Anne Whitfield's other children marry?  The only other sibling of Eleanor's who lived long enough to marry was her sister Anne, who married a man named John Latimer in 1746.  This is probably the same John Latimer (or Lattimer, as it is spelled in the apprenticeship documents) who was her father's apprentice and paid him an apprenticeship fee in 1731.  They had a son named Cotton Edwards Latimer and a daughter named Margaret Sophia Latimer.  What was John's social standing?  I haven't yet found his family, but I'm still trying.  Remember that James Whitfield's father was from Headington?  Coincidentally, there is a Latimer family (headed by Edward Latimer, wine merchant (1774-1845) who had a thriving business in Headington and owned a place called Headington House from 1815-1848.  Of course this is later than James's time, and this Edward appears to have been born elsewhere.  As far as I can tell, they are not connected.  Dead ends everywhere!

The Whitfields also seem to have a connection to Twickenham (both James Whitfield and his wife died there).  There probably isn't a relationship here either, but the Twickenham Museum Website has some information about a Mr. George Whitefield, pronounced Whitfield, and his religious influence in Twickenham.  Yesterday I went to the Toronto Reference Library where most of the library's genealogical material is held, and looked at two books on the history of Twickenham. One (Twickenham Past, a Visual History of Twickenham and Whitton by the Borough of Twickenham Local History Society, published in 1993) was quite interesting but had nothing of direct relevance.  (I did discover that Twickenham during the Whitfield's time was awash with famous writers, such as Alexander Pope).  The second book (Memorials of Twickenham, Parochial and Topographical by Richard Stuteley Cobbett, published in 1872) had some information which I can't connect to our family at the moment.  One chapter contains excerpts from the register of Parish burials from 1743 to 1762, and it contains the two following entries, on pages 68 and 71 respectively:

"The wife of Lionel Berkeley, Esq.  May 6, 1751."
"Cornwall Berkeley, infant son of Lionel Berkeley, Esq., August 30, 1753".  

And on page 100 there is this entry, describing memorials on the floor of the church nave:

"Here lies the body of Martha Berkley (the faithful widow of Lionel Spencer Berkley) who departed this life the 29th day of April, 1751, in the 30th year of her age.  Whose conduct was an ornament to herself, a pattern to her sex, and a pleasure to her husband".  

So, since he is dead by 1751,  this is obviously some other Lionel Spencer Berkeley.  There is a Lionel Spencer Berkeley who married a Martha Colthart in St. Mary's Church, St. Marylebone, London, on March 28, 1740, according to England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973.  The Registers of Marriage of St. Mary le Bone, Middlesex, 1668-1812 and of Oxford Chapel, Vere street, St. Mary le Bone, 1736-1754 also has the following entry under marriages in 1740:

"March 28.  Lionel Spencer Berkeley Esq. of St. Anne's, Westm, & Martha Colthart of St. James, Westm. L."  

The two Lionel Spencer Berkeleys were probably related, although I don't know how.  So it turns out that this information is probably not that relevant to my search for the Whitfield family.  I'm not giving up!

Eleanor Whitfield's Mother

As we saw in our last post, Eleanor Whitfield's mother (first name unknown, maiden name also unknown), was identified in one of her obituaries as "Niece to the present Sir Robert Cotton, of Gidden, Bart. and first Cousin of John Cotton, of Shatton, Esq....".  I'm hoping this information will make her name and parentage easier to trace.

The information below is taken from:  A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland and Scotland by John Burke and John Bernard Burke, 2nd edition.  Sir Robert Cotton (1669-1749)  appears on page 138, although the section on the family (Cotton, of Connington) begins on page 136.  The title was created in 1611 and went extinct in 1752.  This family is one of three Cotton families to receive a Baronetcy in England;  the others are the Cottons of Landwade and the Cottons of Combermere.

"v.  Sir Robert Cotton, of Gedding, in the county of Huntingdon, who m. first Elizabeth, daughter of ____ Wigston, esq;  and secondly, Mrs. Morton.  He died 12th July, 1749, aged eighty, and was succeeded by his son, 
vi.  Sir John Cotton [this is the John Cotton who was identified as Mrs. Whitfield's first cousin]  who m. Jane, daughter of Robert Burdett, bart. of Bramcote, and had one son and four daughters, viz. 
 John, died at Durham of the small-pox, 15th November 1739.
Jane, m. in October 1741, to Thomas Hart, edq. of Warfield, Berks.
Elizabeth.
Frances.
Mary.
Sir John d. 27th March, 1752, when the BARONETCY became EXTINCT."

So if Mrs. Whitfield, is Sir Robert's niece, it follows she is descended from either one of Sir Robert's siblings or possibly a sibling of one of his two wives.  Sir Robert Cotton's father was Sir John Cotton (1621- 1702)  and Sir John  had children by two successive wives.  The people highlighted in yellow are Sir John Cotton's children and Sir Robert Cotton's siblings, and the people highlighted in pink are Sir Robert's nieces and nephews.  The third generation is highlighted in green.  Sir Robert himself is highlighted in blue. 

"He m. first, Dorothy, daughter and sole heir of Edmund Anderson, of Stratton and Eyworth, in the county of Bedford, who had issue, 
John, who m. Frances, daughter of Sir George Downing, bart. of East Hatley, in the county of Cambridge, and dying in the lifetime of his father, anno 1681, left two sons and a daughter, viz. 
John, successor to his grandfather.
Thomas, m. Frances, only daughter and heir of William Langton, esq. of Peterborough, and left an only daughter, Mary. 
Frances,  b. 1677, m. to William Hanbury, esq. of Little Marcle, in Herefordshire, and had issue*
 (footnote: The daughters of Frances Cotton and William Hanbury were, 
Mary Hanbury, m. to the Rev. Martin Annesley, D.D., vicar of Bucklebury, Berks, and had issue....
Elizabeth Hanbury, m. to Thomas Neale, esq.
Frances Hanbury, m. to F. Bareel, esq.  
Catherine Hanbury, m. to Velters Cornewall, esq. of Moccas Court.)



Dorothy, m. to ____ Dennis, esq., of Gloucestershire.

He m. secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Thomas Honywood, knt. of Marks Hall, Essex, and sister and heir of John Le Mott Honywood, esq....By this lady he had several children, but only three to survive, viz.
Robert, who succeeded as fifth baronet [i.e. Mrs. Whitfield's uncle].
Elizabeth, m. first, to Lyonel Walden, esq. of Huntingdon, and secondly to ___ Smith, esq. of Westminster;  by her first husband she had, 
Lionel Walden, who d. unmarried.
Elizabeth Walden,  co-heir to her brother, m. first, to Charles Pitfield, esq., and secondly, to Talbot Touchet, esq.  By the former she had,
Charles Pitfield, who m. Miss Ashley, daughter of Solomon Ashley, esq., M.P....
Elizabeth Pitfield, m. to Edward Bigland, esq. of Long Whatton, in Leicestershire.

Hester Walden, co-heir to her brother, m.  Humphrey Orme, esq. of Peterborough, captain in the royal navy, and had a son, 
Walden Orme 

Mary Honywood, m. Doctor Roger Kenyon, and died s.p."  


The following excerpt, which goes over much of the same information, is from a contemporary book, The English Baronetage, Vol. 1, by Arthur Collins, printed in London in 1741.  It has a fabulous title page which I can't resist showing:

You'll notice the name Whitfield doesn't appear anywhere in either family record.   How annoying.
I think it's time to consider the other possibility, that Mrs. Whitfield is actually a relative of one of Sir Robert Cotton's wives and is only connected to Sir Robert by marriage.  His first wife was Elizabeth Wigston, and his second was "Mrs. Morton" (really? no first name? no parentage?  are they trying to make it challenging?).  Now to track down these two ladies' siblings and their children....

Will of James Whitfield of St. James, London

James Whitfield is the father of Eleanor (Whitfield) Bland, who was the wife of Stephen Bland, and he is also the grandfather of Ann (Bland) Elliot, wife of Robert Elliot.   Trained as a barber and surgeon, he became a peruke-maker in London.  In case you don't know what a peruke is, it's one of the curly, powdered wigs that men wore in the 1700s.  It's similar to a periwig, but not as huge and extravagant.  

Here is James' London Freedom of the City Admission paper, which marks his apprenticeship to John Bon, Barber-Surgeon of London:

James is the son of another James Whitfield "late of Hodington in the county of Oxon" (or Oxford). I can't make out what James the elder's
profession is. 

Here is an obituary for James, from the London Chronicle, October 7, 1760.

Here is one for his wife, from the Whitehall Evening Post or London Intelligencer, December 31, 1748.

And another from the same newspaper, January 5, 1748.

This one gives more detail about Mrs. Whitfield's family, but I haven't yet been able to confirm any of the information using other sources.  The above obituaries were very kindly sent to me by a fellow researcher who is working on the same line.

And here is James Whitfield's will.

The important parts:

• The will was written in Twickenham on April 12, 1757, but James describes himself as "of the Parish of St. James in the Liberty of Westminster Gentleman"
• he asks to be interred in a wooden coffin and to "erect a stone with an Inscription to the Memory of my deceased wife and my self  the whole of my funeral expenses not to exceed twenty five pounds"  
• he leaves an annuity of 50 pounds a year payable during the natural life of Daniel Smith Esquire and Thomas Budgon Esquire;  these two are to divide the annuity and pay 30 pounds yearly to James' daughter Eleanor Whitfield (our ancestor) and 20 pounds a year "to be equally divided between my three grandsons Cotton Latimer son of John Latimer and Velters Berkley and Henry Berkley sons of Lionel Spencer Berkley and his wife Margaret..."
• in case of the death of his three grandsons, the twenty pound a year annuity "to devolve to my daughter Margaret Berkley for her natural life and in case of her death and my daughter Elenor (sic) should survive her in that case the whole Annuity of fifty pounds should devolve to my aforesaid daughter Eloanor (sic) to dispose of at her discretion..."
• he leaves to Eleanor his "Gold watch with the Gold chain and two Gold seals affixed thereto as also (sic)  my two stools and fire screen which were the work of her deceased Sister Ann Latimer which are not to be valued or appraised or sold among the rest of my effects..." 
• he also leaves Eleanor a bequest of 150 pounds "being part of a sum of money which will arise from the sale of my plate Linnon and household goods of my house at Twickenham..."
• the rest of his estate he divides equally between his two daughters Margaret Latimer and Eleanor Whitfield 
• he leaves "the property of the Remainder of my Lease of my house in St. James' Street" to Eleanor 
• he directs his daughters Margaret and Eleanor to give the executor of the will 150 pounds yearly "for the use and benefit of my Grandson Cotton Latimer towards his maintenance" until he reaches the age of 21 years  

Eleanor seems to profit more from this will than her sister, perhaps because she is not yet married and presumably would have no other means of support.  He also gives more support to his grandson Cotton |Latimer than his two Berkley grandsons.  (Cotton Latimer must have been named after the Cotton family, members of the English gentry, to whom Mrs. Whitfield was related.)  All in all, given that James has a country home (Twickenham is now part of London but in the 1760s was a rural town) as well as a rental in the heart of fashionable \London, a good amount of money and a gold watch he appears to have been a prosperous gentleman.