Following publication of my research article Further
Travels of Walking Boots (and its predecessor, Boots
Made For Walking) that mentioned the Leicestershire village of Whitwick, I contacted the
Whitwick Historical Group (WHG). Their invaluable help allowed me to push back
even further with this 18th Century saga.
My previous article had made a tentative connection between
my lineage and a prominent Hammond family of both Whitwick and the city of
Leicester. The connection rested on John Hammond (b. c1796 in Whitwick), John3, being the illegitimate son
of William Hammond (a woolstapler) and Sarah Knight. While the article
presented evidence to justify this connection, the strength of that evidence
fell below the level required for a reliable conclusion.
Maureen Partridge (WHG) provided me with copies of
Leicestershire bastardy bonds related to the name Hammond for both the 18th and
19th Centuries. Unfortunately, though, they didn't include any of the names or
parishes of interest, suggesting that if my tentative connection was correct
then paternity may have been disputed by William Hammond.
Memorial inscriptions for members of this prominent Hammond
family exist in the Whitwick St. John the Baptist church, and the following
details are from the notes of John Colledge (WHG) used in preparation for his
original 1964 guide book to the church, and from his updated 1994 edition.
On the south wall of the sanctuary of the south isle is a
burial tablet to Alderman John Hammond (John1)
and his father-in-law George Moore:
Beneath lie the remains of George
Moore, gent,
who departed this life May 6,
1724, aged near 30.
Also of Ann his wife :
she died the 2d of May, 1774,
aged 74.
And also of Sarah their daughter,
and wife of
John Hammond, one of the aldermen
of the
Borough of Leicester, gent.
She died May 26, 1768, in the
49th year of her age.
Likewise of Henry-Moore Hammond,
son
of the above John and Sarah
Hammond.
He died April 27, 1778, aged 35
years.
In 1974, the base of the south isle altar had to be
repaired, and underneath was found four gravestones: Thomas Thorpe (1800), John
Hammond (1787), William Hammond (1812), and a damaged one from 1771. During
this work, the entrance to the Hammond family vault was located, but it had
been filled in as part of work during 1898.
The inscriptions on the two Hammond stones were as follows:
Beneath are deposited
the remains of
John Hammond
who departed this life
7th May 1787
aged 33 years.
Beneath
are deposited the
remains of
William Hammond
who departed this life
8th Nov. 1812
aged 49 years.
These are important because (a) they link the John2 and William whom were shown
to be brothers in my previous article, and (b) they confirm my suggestion that
William died in 1812, aged about 48 (1812-1764).
One of the men who filled in the vault in 1898 had told John
Colledge that one of the four coffins was made of wood rather than lead, and
had consequently perished, but it contained the body of a man with a long red
beard.
Figure 1 – Plan of Whitwick St. John the Baptist church.[1]
I had previously identified the parents of John1 Hammond as a William and
Catherine, and that John1
was baptised at Leicester St. Martin. This was confirmed by information
provided by Maureen:
"William Hammond became a member of the council in
1702, a chamberlain 1706 and an alderman 1712. By his wife Catherine, who died
in 1733, he had several children. Some of his descendants were living later in
Whitwick, co. Leics. Ald. Hammond died 3 and was buried in St. Martin's
churchyard 5 January 1741-2 aged sixty three, M.I. to him and his wife formerly
to be seen there. Administration of his personal estate etc. was granted at
Leics, 6 January 1741-2 to his son John Hammond".[2]
The only plausible identification I could find for Catherine
was Katherine Blount of Little Dalby, 24 miles E. of Whitwick, who married a
William "Hammon" on 16 Feb 1703.[3]
This identification of Catherine works in terms of dates, and sheer number of
children (the extract did say "several"). The following is a list of
the children baptised to William and Catherine "Hamond". Note that the
naming of one son as "Blunt" (an alternative spelling of Blount, with
both being pronounced the same in Britain) fits with her maiden name and so
confirms that these are the children of that pairing.
|
Given name
|
Birth
|
Baptism
|
Archive ref
|
Notes
|
|
Elizabeth
|
25 Nov 1704
|
4 Dec 1704
|
DE1564/1
|
|
|
Henry
|
28 Oct 1705
|
30 Oct 1705
|
DE1564/1, p.137
|
|
|
Mary
|
ditto
|
ditto
|
ditto
|
|
|
William
|
1 Dec 1706
|
11 Dec 1706
|
DE1564/1
|
|
|
Frances
|
31 Oct 1707
|
4 Nov 1707
|
DE1564/1
|
|
|
Blunt
|
2 Jun 1708
|
8 Oct 1708
|
DE1564/1, p.139
|
|
|
Samuel
|
6 Sep 1709
|
18 Sep 1709
|
DE1564/1
|
Buried 10 Oct 1711 aged 3
|
|
Isaac
|
22 Aug 1710
|
30 Aug 1710
|
DE1564/1, p.140
|
|
|
Harry
|
1 Dec 1712
|
5 Dec 1712
|
DE1564/1
|
|
|
John
|
21 Jan 1713
|
16 Feb 1713
|
DE1564/1
|
This child can be matched with John1
|
|
Samuel
|
22 Jan 1714
|
5 Feb 1714
|
DE1564/1, p.143
|
|
Table 1 – Children of William Hammond
and Catherine Blount.[4]
The administration document of William's estate is transcribed as follows:
Know
all men by these present that Wee John Hammond
of
the Burr or Leicester Hosier & Joseph
Denshire
of the same Brazier
are
held and firmly bound unto Dr Richard Grey official
of
the archdeaconry of Leicester
in
the sum of one thousand pounds
of
good and lawful Money of Great Britain to be
paid
unto the said official or to his
certain
attorney his Executors Administrators or Assigns to which
payment
will and truly to be made Wee Oblige our selves and each
of
us by himself for the whole our and
each
of our Heirs Executors and Administrators
firmly
by these presents sealed with our seals dated the sixth
day
of February in the fifteen
year
of the Reign of our sovereign Ld. George the 2d by the Grace
of
God of Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender of
the
Faith and so forth And in the year of our Lord one thousand
seven
hundred and forty one [1741]
The
Condition of this Obligation is such that if the above bounden John
Hammond
and lawfull son and Administrator of all and singular the goods Chattells
and
credits of William Hammond late of Leicester Deceased do
make
or cause to be made a true and perfect Inventory of all and singular the Goods
Chattells and
credits
of the said deceased which have or shall come to the hands profession or
knowledge of him
the
said John or into the hands and profession of any
person
or persons for him and the same so made do exhibit or cause to be exhibited
into the Registry
of
this court at or before the last day of
April
next ensuing and the same goods chattells and credits and all other the goods
chattells
and credits of the said Deceased at the time of his death which at any time
after shall come
to
the hands or profession of the said John or into the hands and
profession
of any other person or persons for him do well and truly administer according
to
law
And further do make or cause to be made a true and just accompt of the said
administra-
tion
at or before the last day of February 1742 and all the rest and
residue
of the said Goods Chattells and Credits which shall be found remaining upon the
said
Administrators
accompt the same being first Examined and allowed of by the Judge or Judges for
the
time being of the said Court shall deliver and pay unto such person or persons
respectively as the
said
Judge or Judges by his or their decree or Sentence pursuant to the true intent
and meaning of a
late
Act or Parliament made in the two and twentieth and three and twentieth years
of the reign
of
our late Sovereign Lord King Charles the second (Intituled An Act for the
better settling
of
Intestate Estates) shall limit and appoint And if it shall hereafter appear
that any last Will
and
Testament was made by the said deceased and the Executor or Executors therein
named
do
exhibit the same into the said Court making request to have it allowed and
approved accord-
ingly
if the said Jn. Hammond above bounden being thereunto required do render
and
deliver the said letters of Administration (approbation of such Testament first
had
and
made) in the said Court then this Obligation to be Void or Else to remain in
full force and Virtue
Sealed
and delivered being first John
Hammond
duly
Stamped in the presence of Jos
Denshire
P.
Stephens
Dep
ty Reg.[5]
Notice that this identifies John1 as a "hosier" in 1741.
The list of freemen for the city of Leicester contained some
important entries:
|
Page
|
Date
|
Content
|
|
230
|
1721 Oct 21
|
William Hammond, mayor
|
|
231
|
1721 Dec 7
|
William Hammond eld. s. of William Hammond esq., mayor of
Leics.
|
|
270
|
1737 April 21
|
John Hammond 2nd s. of Mr. Wm. of Leics. furrier
|
|
491
|
1757 Sept. 16
|
Henry Moor Hammond, s. of
John of Leics. p. to Henry Gutteridge of same, brazier from 25 March last
|
|
324
|
1763-4 Sept. 29
|
Henry Moor Hammond, eld.
so. of Mr. John of Whitwick Co. Leics. furrier
|
|
523
|
1767
|
John Hammond s. of John of
Whitwick Co. Leics. gent p. to John Coleman of same, tallow chandler and
ropemaker from June 24 last £25
|
Table 2 – Freemen of the city 1196–1770.[6]
|
Page
|
Date
|
Content
|
|
29a
|
Jan 24 1789
|
William Hammond, 3s of the
late Mr. Ald. John Hammond late of Whitwick, decd.
|
[a] This entry appeared in
both the index of 'Parents and Masters' and the index of 'Freemen and
Apprentices' within the volume.
These documents contain many instances of the abbreviation
"p. of ..." and "p. to ...". In this context, the 'p' is
short for "prentice", which is an archaic form of apprentice.
From this, we can see that William, his son John1, and his son Henry Moore,
were all furriers. This is not in conflict with the previous identification of
John1 as a hosier since a
furrier is simply someone who sells, makes,
dresses, or repairs fur garments. Also, we can see that John2 was a tallow chandler
(maker of candles from animal fat) and rope maker.
The 1789 entry in Table 3 is
important because it identifies the William who undertook the 7-year indenture
of apprentice John Bonnett in Loughborough in 1796. Looking at the "Britain,
Country Apprentices 1710-1808" database on Findmypast showed only the 1796 data already reported in the
previous article, and no other William Hammond as either master or apprentice
in Leicestershire.
Nearby Charnwood Forest was host to many mature deciduous
trees, but by the end of the 18th Century most had been felled to supply wood
and charcoal for the Industrial Revolution, leaving empty areas of pasture and
moorland.[8]
The land played host, though, to commercial rabbit warrens, and the rabbits
would frequently escape their confines to compete with domestic stock for the
limited grazing. In 1740, freeholders and commoners of Whitwick petitioned the
Earl of Huntingdon to reduce his warren at Tin Meadow. In 1744, a further
petition reminded the Earl that no action had been taken, and this resulted in
a dispute between the petitioners and the warrener, a Mr. Hammond [almost
certainly William, the father of John1].[9]
According to John, the Whitwick tallow chandlery factory was
built just outside the village in about 1740, and had passed from John Coltman
to John2 Hammond (son of
John1, furrier) in 1767
upon the death of the former. The factory was on the outskirts because of the
terrible smell associated with the process of making candles from animal fat.[10]
It had occurred to both John and I that the rabbits may have supported both
local industries: furriers and tallow chandlers, with the waste carcasses being
processed after skinning. I did wonder whether rabbits would have enough fat on
them, but then I came across the following useful information which confirmed
that it was possible:
Fat from goats, sheep, llamas,
alpacas, deer, moose, elk, caribou and other ungulates is hard and when
rendered is called tallow. Fat from pigs, bear, and rabbit is soft fat,
and when rendered is called lard. Fat from poultry such as duck, geese,
and chickens is called “schmaltz” and is soft, almost liquid, at room
temperature. The fat is rendered the same way regardless of the animal that it
comes from. Softer fats render faster.[11]
These rabbit warrens are still visible as a series of
rectangular mounds in an area known as (unsurprising) Warren Hills, just slightly
to the east of the junction between Abbey Road and Warren Hills Road.
Figure 2 – Warren Hills, Whitwick.
Mound no. 8 on this map corresponds to the location 52°43'50.3"N
1°19'17.3"W on a modern aerial view of the area. The general area is
raised with the peak at about 240m elevation, and it is scheduled to be a
heritage monument (list
entry number: 1018001). It is currently a small nature reserve with public
footpaths.
Figure 3 – Warren Hills nature reserve, 2007. Photo credit © Mat
Fascione (cc-by-sa/2.0)
Incidental finds in the records include the following 1730
Leicestershire reference: "Hammond Samuel, son of William, Leicester,
Leicestershire, furrier, to George Langthorne, 30 Apr 1730 [dead], Curriers'
Company".[12] Leather
was softened or beaten by people called curriers, or gurriers. Note that tallow
can also be used for leather conditioners, and to make soaps.
Also, the following reference to William Hammond as a
furrier in a 1708 document relating to the mortgage of land in Frolesworth, 20
miles S. of Whitwick.
Title MORTGAGE OF LAND IN FROLESWORTH
Description Mortgage in sum of £265
i. Wm. Hammond of Leicester,
furrier and Benj. Gutheridge of Leicester, hosier
ii. John Ayre of Leicester
grazier
One messuage in Frowlesworth with
1½ acres of land in occ. of Anne Wikes, wid. and a close of land divided into
parcels called Two Green Ways, The Pessell Slades and Pessell Leys containing
22 acres adjoining the road to Hinckley formerly in the occ. of Wm. Wikes of
Leicester, yeo.
Consideration: £250 and 5s.
Recited: Mortgage 3 March 36
Chas.II [1684], Lease and Release, 31 January 5 Anne [1707]
Date 1708
Extent 1 item
Physical Description parchment
Access Status Open [13]
In conclusion, we've established a further ancestral
generation of the Hammond family, and confirmed that the William Hammond
teaching the trade of woolstapler to John Bonnett in Loughborough during 1796
was the brother of Alderman John Hammond (John2 in my previous article) of Whitwick, and hence the
father cited in the marriage of John3
Hammond. None of the other source information encountered was in conflict with
the material of my previous article.
What we have yet to confirm is that John3 was born to Sarah Knight.
My special thanks to
Maureen Partridge and John Colledge of WHG for their help and effort in finding
more source material and in providing me with much local information.
[2]
"Roll of the Mayors and Lord Mayors of Leicester
1209 -1935", Leicestershire Record Office, p.299; extract
provided by Maureen Partridge.
[3]
Little Dalby Parish (Leicestershire), Marriage
Register; “Leicestershire
marriages”, database with images, Findmypast
(www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 15
Apr 2019), entry for William Hammon and Katherine
Bloant [Blount], 16 Feb 1703; citing archive ref. DE2702/1; Record Office
for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland.
[4]
Leicester St Martin Parish (Leicestershire),
Baptism Register; “Leicestershire baptisms”, database
with images, Findmypast
(www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 15
Apr 2019), entry details as
per tabluation; Record Office for Leicestershire,
Leicester & Rutland.
[5]
"Leicestershire Wills And Probate Records, 1500-1939”,
database with images, Findmypast
(www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 15
Apr 2019), entry for William Hammond, 1741, gentl of
Leicester; citing archive ref. 1741 (A-S); Record Office for Leicestershire,
Leicester & Rutland.
[6]
Freemen of the city of Leicester
1196–1770, vol.1, Henry Hartopp ed.(pub. for the
Corporation of the city of Leicester by E. Backus, 1927-33); abstracted from the borough records.
[10]
John Colledge,
"The City of Three Waters: The Tallow Chandling Business ... 1, 2",
unpublished notes; hand-written copy provided by Maureen Partridge, 21 Feb
2019.
[11]
"Easy Guide to
render fat into tallow", Joybilee
Farm (https://joybileefarm.com/easy-guide-to-render-fat-into-tallow/ :
accessed 16 Apr 2019).
[12]
"London
Apprenticeship Abstracts, 1442-1850", database, Findmypast (www.findmypast.co.uk :
accessed 16 Apr 2019), entry for William Hammond, 1730.
[13]
"MORTGAGE OF
LAND IN FROLESWORTH", item description from online archive catalogue,
Record Office of Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland (http://record-office-catalogue.leics.gov.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=DE3987
: accessed 16 Apr 2019).
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