| The Will of Lydia Sweetman (nee Ball) |
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I appoint my son Thomas Sweetman of 77 Cambridge Road Kilburn in the County of Middlesex Glazier to be the Executor of this my will I give and bequeath unto my two grandsons Charles Walter Elliott and Thomas Joseph Elliott both of 308 Hackney Road in the County of Middlesex the two sets of maps drawn by their late Mother (in maple frames) two Bibles consisting of three volumes each and also the school books used by their late Mother to be divided between them I give and bequeath unto my said grandsons Charles Walter Elliott and Thomas Joseph Elliott the sum of one hundred pounds each to be paid to them on their attaining the age of twenty one years and in case either of my said grandsons should die before attaining the age of twenty one years then and in such case the survivor of them shall also take the share to which his deceased brother would have been entitled had he attained the age of twenty one years I give and bequeath all the rest and residue of my property unto my son Thomas Sweetman of 77 Cambridge Road Kilburn aforesaid In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand to this my will this thirteenth day of February one thousand eight hundred and eighty eight - [signed] Lydia Sweetman - Signed by the above named Lydia Sweetman as her last will in the presence of us both being present at the same time who in her presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses - [signed] Henry Jno: Harvey 34 Nightingale Road Harlesden Solicitor's Clerk - [signed] Ellen Fodgen 77 Cambridge Road N.W. Sevent |
On the 3rd. May 1889
Probate of this will was granted to Thomas Sweetman the sole Executor.
BE IT KNOWN, that at the date hereunder written, the last Will and Testament of Lydia Sweetman late of No. 77 Cambridge Road Kilburn in the County of Middlesex Widow deceased, who died on the 19th. day of February 1889 at No. 77 Cambridge Road aforesaid was proved and registered in the Principal Registry of the Probate Division of her Majesty's High Court of Justice, and that administration of the personal estate of the said deceased was granted by the aforesaid Court to Thomas Sweetman of No. 77 Cambridge Road aforesaid Glazier and Decorator the Son the sole Executor named in the said will he having been first sworn well and faithfully to administer the same.
Dated the 3rd.day
of May 1889.
Gross value of Personal
Estate £693-18-0
Lydia Sweetman was born Lydia Ball and she only married once. In order for her grandsons to have the surname Elliott they must be sons of her daughter. This all fits in with the family story that Thomas Sweetman had a sister who married a Mr. Elliott who had a toy shop in Hackney (and a brother who died young who might have been Fred). The only siblings of Thomas I have found so far (from census records in 1851 and 1871, BUT I'm still missing 1861) are Lydia Sweetman born 9th. August 1850 (ten months after her parents' marriage) at 19 Princess Street and William born 13th. August 1852 at the same address.
So if Lydia (junior) is the Elliott grandsons' mother she was dead by 13th. February 1888. I've already looked for a Lydia Elliott age 30, possibly in the Hackney area in the 1881 census but found no match, so she might have died before 1881. Now Lydia (junior) was still at home with her parents on 2nd. April 1871 and would have been 21 on 9th. August that year. And between then and perhaps 1881 she has married, had two children and died. So after searching for those, working forwards and rearranging into chronological order:
Census 2nd. April 1871
RG ?? Folio 51 page 31: Civil Parish
of Willesden, County of Middlesex Kilburn, Trinity Parish. Entry 165 at
10 S. Cambridge Road
William Sweetman Head Mar 51 M Builder
ace? Kent Landshurst
Lydia do Wife Mar 52 F London
Westerminster
Lydia do Daur Unm 20 F Scholar
do St Marylebone
William do Son Unm 18
M Builder ace? do St Marylebone
Marriage of Lydia Sweetman to Charles Walter Elliott 05 Apr 1871 at Enon Chapel, New Church Street, Marylebone [the same place that her parents got married in 1849]. Charles Walter Elliott age 24, bachelor, Stationer of 308 Hackney Road, Hackney; father: Joseph Elliott, Rent Collector and Lydia Sweetman age 20, spinster of 10 Cambridge Road, Kilburn; father: William Sweetman, Builder. Baptists by Certificate by J. Burns D.D.; witnesses: William Sweetman and Eusebius Philip Loscombe (Thomas Stoner Tindall, registrar).
Birth of Charles William Elliott 26 Dec 1872: Hackney Road, Bethnal Green, Middlesex 1873 No. 207 Twenty sixth December 1872 at 308 Hackney Road, Charles William, Boy, Charles Walter Elliott, Lydia Elliott formerly Sweetman, Stationer, C. William Elliott, Father, 308 Hackney Road, Bethnal Green (Sixth February 1873). N.B. in her Will Lydia wrote Charles Walter Elliott - but this was his father's middle name.
Birth of Thomas Joseph Elliott 20 Apr 1874: Hackney Road, Bethnal Green, Middlesex. 1874 Entry 415. Twentieth April 1874 308 Hackney Road, Thomas Joseph, Boy, Charles Walter Elliott, Lydia Elliott formerly Sweetman, Stationer; Charles Walter Elliott, Father, 308 Hackney Road, Bethnal Green (First June 1874).
Death of Lydia Elliott MQ 1878: age 27 Hendon 3a 85 (Lydia Sweetman was born 09 Aug 1850, so would have been 27). Why Hendon if they were living at 308 Hackney Road - could Lydia have gone back to her parents? Might be worth getting the certificate?
Death of William Sweetman DQ 1878: age 26 Hendon 3a 91
Marriage of Charles Walter Elliott to Alice ? There is the marriage of a Charles Walter Elliott in DQ 1879 in Pancras 1b 276 - but no matching Alice...
1881 census
RG11 / 412 F10 p16 and F11 p17 at 308 Hackney Road, St. Matthews, Hackney
E64
C W Elliott Head
Mar 49 Fancy stationer, Blackheath
Alice Elliott Wife
Mar 43 Newcastle
Charles do Son Un
13 Scholar Bethnal Green
Thomas do Son Un
10 do Do
If his age at marriage (24 on 05 Apr 1871) is correct then Charles Walter
Elliott would be about 34 not 49! However the exact address, occupation
and place of birth all match so it cannot be a coincidence. Could
he have been older than 24 when he married Lydia, but thought that 24 sounded
about right - and then had told his second wife - who was much older that
he was older still.
So Charles Walter Elliott must have married an Alice Something between
about JQ 1878 and MQ 1881, it could be Alice's second marriage (and any
children by her first marriage might have moved away?).
Now Charles William Elliott was born 26 Dec 1872, so he would be 8 years
old - so how come he is reported as being 13?
And Thomas Joseph Elliott was born 20 Apr 1874 so he would be 6 years old
- nearly 7, not 10 - what is going on?
Could it be either that for some reason Charles Walter Elliott had told
Alice that his sons were older than they really were - perhaps in trying
to claim that he was older than he really was? There's another
possible reason: see Lydia's Will where she leaves £100 for each
of the sons when they are 21 - and everything else went to their uncle.
Well £100 was a reasonable fortune so perhaps there was a temptation
(on their father's part at least) to get them to 21 as soon as possible?
All rather mysterious - but seems to right itself later...
There is little to
match a William Sweetman, age 28, born Marylebone, possibly a builder in
the 1881 census, so he might well have died by then and may be the one
above (presumably died without children because Lydia made no provision
in her Will for either William or any grandchildren by him).
13 Feb 1888: Lydia Sweetman (nee Ball) signs her Will
19 Feb 1989: Death of Lydia Sweetman (nee Ball)
03 May 1889 Probate for Lydia Sweetman (nee Ball) is granted to Thomas Sweetman
1891 census RG12
Film 258 F8 p9: E57 at 308 Hackney Road, Bethnal Green
Charles Elliott Head M 44 Stationer bn.
Kent, Blackheath
Alice do. Wife M 42 bn. South Shields
Charles do. Son S 18 warehouse assistant
bn. London Bethnal Green
Thomas do. Son S 16 house decorator dn.
do. do.
How tiresome: if Charles
Walter Elliott's age at marriage (24 on 05 Apr 1871)
is correct then he would be about 44, but if his age in the 1881 census
was correct he should be 59!
Alice's reported age was 43 in 1881, and now 10 years later she's 42!
Charles William Elliott was born 26 Dec 1872, so he would be 18 years old.
And Thomas Joseph Elliott was born 20 Apr 1874 so he would be 16 years
old.
So given that the boys' ages match their birth certificates and the father's
age matches that he gave at his first marriage perhaps these are correct
and the 1881 report was an abberation?
Death of Alice Elliott MQ 1891 to SQ 1892, possibly about 43 years old?
Marriage of Charles Walter Elliott to Susan Jane Wicks SQ 1892 Bethnal Green 1c 552
26 Dec 1893 Charles William Elliott inherits
Birth of Ethel Elliott about 1894 Bethnal Green. Could be Ethel Susanna E Elliott SQ 1894 Mile End 1c 437 (Is NOT Ethel Grace Elliott MQ 1895 Hackney 1b 486)
20 Apr 1895 Thomas Joseph Elliott inherits
Birth of Frederick Elliott about 1896 Bethnal Green. Could be Frederick Charles Elliott JQ 1897 Hackney 1b 567 or Frederick Elliott JQ 1896 Stepney 1c 434
Marriage of Thomas Joseph Elliott to Mary Ann Fox 10 Apr 1898: 1898 at St. Mary's Church, Wellesley Road, Croydon, Surrey No. 60. Tenth April 1898; Thomas Joseph Elliott, 23 years, Bachelor, Paperhanger (Journeyman) of 308 Hackney Road, Hackney [father: Charles Walter Elliott, Stationer] and Mary Ann Fox, 22 years, Spinster of 62 Queens Road, Croydon [father: James Fox, General Labourer]. In St. Mary's Church (Roman Catholic) in the presence of C. W. Elliott and E. Fox [C.W. Elliott may well be the groom's brother Charles Walter Elliott]
Birth of Mary Lydia Elliott 01 Nov 1898: North Hackney, Hackney 1898 No. 302; First November 1898 52 Southwold Road, Upper Clapton; Mary Lydia; Thomas Joseph Elliott; Mary Ann Elliott formerly Fox; Paper Hanger; X the mark of Mary Ann Elliott, Mother, 52 Southwold Road, Upper Clapton; Eighth December 1898 By 1901 Mary Lydia Elliott is the only additional blood relative of Lydia Sweetman (nee Ball) who might have been in line to inherit the Bibles.
1901 census RG13 / 282 F43 p12 at
308 Hackney Road, Bethnal Green
Charles W. Elliott head married 54 stationer
bn. London Blackheath
Susan J. Elliott wife married 49 bn. London
Bethnal Green
Charles W. Elliott son single 27 stationer's
assistant bn. London Bethnal Green
Ethel Elliott daur single 6 bn. London
Bethnal Green
Frederick Elliott son single 4 bn. London
Bethnal Green
1901 census RG13 / 287 F113 p2 at
14 Clifton Buildings, Bethnal Green
Thomas Elliott Head M 25 House decorator
London Bethnal Green
Mary Elliott Wife M 25 bn Ireland
Mary Elliott Daughter 2 bn Bethnal Green
The search for the baptism of Lydia Ball
Stephen E. Tarling family history home page