The Will of James Titheridge of Westminster - 1766

Westminster area of London today

When searching the National Archives website for the Titheridge surname I came across a 255 year old will. It was the will of James Titheridge, a carpenter from St Margaret, Westminster, London who died in 1766. 

The Will of James Titheridge

The will of James Titheridge is transcribed below, some bits were difficult to read and may not make sense. A “?” has been inserted where the words are illegible. 

James Titheridge

In the name of God Amen. 

This is the last will and testament of me James Titheridge of St Margaret Westminster carpenter.

I give to Sarah Gashey of St Albans the sum of ffive pounds.

I give to ? ?Dawson the sum of ffive pounds.

I give to James Burdon ffive pounds in trust to pay the same into the proper hands of Mary Carwood wife of William Carwood for her separate use.

I give all my leasehold and messuages or tenements situated in Strutton Ground and ?? in the parish of St John the Evangelist Westminster and elsewhere in Westminster and all my right ?tithe estate interest and term of years therein and also all the residue and remainder of my estate whatsoever real and personal unto Anne Burdon wife of James Burdon her executors administrators and ? forever and I appoint the said Anne Burdon Executrix of this my will and hereby revoking all other wills. 

I do declare this to be my last will and testament. In writing whereof I have here unto set my hand and seal this thirtieth day of January 1765. 

James Titheridge signed sealed delivered published and declared by the within named James Titheridge as his last will and testament in the presence of George Stubbs and George Stubbs junior.

The will was proved at London on 22 January 1766. Administration was granted to the named Executrix, Anne Burdon wife of James Burdon.

Who was James Titheridge?

James Titheridge was a mystery because in the records I had found there were no known Titheridge family members living in London area at this time.

James’ burial was recorded on 26 January 1766 at St John the Evangelist, Smith Square, London. His surname has been transcribed as Titteridge.  The burial record for James does not give an age so there is no clue to his year of birth.

The will suggests that our carpenter, James, had enough money and possessions to need a will. The lack of the Titheridge surname in the will suggests he had no living sons or wife.

Beneficiaries of the Will

I hoped the clue to James’ identity was would lie in the names of the beneficiaries of the will. I expected the beneficiaries to be James’ daughters. I looked unsuccessfully for Titheridge marriages to Burdon and Carwood, but nothing was found. 

There was no success in finding Sarah Gashey of St Albans, the nearest possibility I found was the death of Sarah Gazely in St Albans in 1769. The unknown person with the surname Dawson remained a complete mystery. 

I found the marriage of Mary to William Carwood which took place on 8 August 1757 in St John the Evangelist in Smith Square, London. Her maiden name is recorded as Gray. The witnesses at the wedding are Hannah Cooke and James Titheridge. James has signed his own name as James Titheridge.

I found the marriage of Anne to James Burdon. They married on 26 February 1759 in St John the Evangelist in Smith Square, London. Anne’s maiden name was shown as Grasly in the banns and Gaseley in the marriage records. The witnesses at the wedding are Ann Nicholson and James Titheridge and again James has signed his own name.

It is possible that these beneficiaries are James’s nieces or cousins. Phonetic spelling and poor writing in the records are an issue, but it is tempting to speculate that Sarah, Mary and Ann all have the same surname, although what it is remains unknown beyond it starting with G !. 

Titheridge or Titteridge

James surname is clearly written as Titheridge in the will and both witness signatures. Reviewing the eighteenth-century records for Westminster shows there are no other records for Titheridges in the area. Individuals with the surname Titteridge were present in Westminster. This raises the question “Are these the same family group just with the surname spelt incorrectly or transcribed incorrectly?” Titteridges appear in Westminster between 1709 and 1790, sometimes the name is recorded as Tutteridge, as well as other spelling variations. By the 1841 census there are no Titteridges residing in Westminster or London. 

James Titheridge and the Titteridges all lived in Westminster, St Margaret.  The area of Westminster had grown up around Westminster Abbey, Parliament and the royal palace.  In the eighteenth century it was part of the county of Middlesex and was a separate place from the City of London. St Margaret was one of nine parishes in Westminster.  In 1700 Westminster contained a population of 130,000 inhabitants. In the 1700s London Rate Books and Land Tax records Titteridges lived in Palace Yard, St Ann’s Lane, Dacre Street, Lindsay Lane, Duke’s Court, Petty France and Gardner’s Lane. Today this is the area around Westminster Abbey and Victoria Station.  

Conclusion

The only baptism I can find for a James Titheridge who might be the right age is a James born to Joshua and Margery in 1696 in Kingsclere, Hampshire. This James disappears from the Hampshire records. The only evidence to support suggestion is on burial of James’ nephew, Joseph, in Basingstoke in 1736 it refers to his parents as “Joseph and Margery of London”. If James’ brother was living in London maybe James was too. There is also a record of Joseph Titheridge of Basingstoke who is in the Fleet Prison, London for debt in 1739. The connection is speculative and not proved. No records have produced a satisfactory answer to the question of “Who is James Titheridge”. Unless more records become available online containing a vital clue, then James’ identity will remain a mystery.

If you have come across any records that might help solve this mystery please get in touch.