St. Andrew’s Holborn • November 30th, 1796, a Wednesday, later that morning
Be cheered, for today is a happy one for Mr. & Mrs. Greensword. It is the Wedding Day of their eldest Son!
We come to witness Mr. Edward Nathaniel Greensword, R.N., marry Miss Hopkins. I believe her to be the elder Daughter of Mr. Francis Hopkins and his wife, Mrs. Sarah, late of Holborn. Sarah Ann Hopkins was christened at the Font of this very Church on the 13th of October 1774, having been born in a House in Brook-St. The Hopkins and Greensword families were indisputably Neighbours and both Parishioners of this Church.
A Church named for the Apostle Andrew has stood on this Site since 951 A.D., the original wooden Structure being remade in Stone in the 15th Century. Even though it escaped the Great Fire, the Church was completely rebuilt in 1687, with the exception of the Tower. The Edifice before us is the Work of the most illustrious Architect of his Age, Mr. Christopher Wren.
Figure 15. St. Andrew’s Church, Holborn Hill-Rd. Drawn by Mr. R. Johnson and Etched by Mr. S. Jenkins for the Architectural Series of London Churches by Mr. J. Booth, 10th October 1814. 9 in. x 10 in. The British Museum
Let us pass through the Gates and cross the Yard to the Church. We shall take a Pew at a discrete Distance from the Wedding Party where I believe our Anonymity will be assured.
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As you can see, Persons of diverse Station are beginning to arrive, in spite of this being a Wednesday and a Day of Work. Many are likely to be present or former Residents of Brook-St.
Could that well-dressed Gentleman, yes, he that just passed our Pew, be Mr. Lucas, the Attorney? Or perhaps he is Mr. Taylor, the Publisher, who used to live at no. 10, Brook-St.. Will Mr. Cheltnam, the Liquor Merchant, attend? He was declared Bankrupt last April and I fear may yet be in the Debtor’s Prison.
I am almost certain the Lady wearing the ostentatious Hat is the Widow of Mr. Mathews, Surgeon, late of Brook-St. He was celebrated for his Medicines for Piles, Fistula-in-Ano, & miscellaneous related Maladies. I know from Advertisements I have seen in the Papers that Mrs. Mathews has taken new Premises in Manchester-Square. It occurs to me that she may be here to promote her Business to her old Neighbours.
I would hazard a guess the Japanner whose House caught Fire and burned down five other Houses in Brook-St. in September 1786 dares not shew his Face, if, in fact, he still has one.
Other members of the Congregation may be Parents of pupils who attended Mr. Greensword’s Academy at Hatton-Wall and, latterly, the United Society’s Charity School. Perhaps some Parishioners from St. Mary Rotherhithe are here, too. Some will have come to honour the Family, others to satisfy their Curiosity.
Those of the very poorest Sort may be here due to the Charity extended to them by your Forebears. Others again may have come into the Church simply to shelter from the Weather or to beg for Alms.
I say, could that be Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Greensword arriving? Like us, they have travelled from Rotherhithe, whether this Morning or earlier, I do not know.
A number of animated boys and young men, most wearing the Uniform of a junior Rank of the Royal Navy, are standing about. The Bride-Groom and his 12-year-old brother, Charles, are no doubt among them. I cannot vouchsafe for the presence of George, however. He would be 20-year-old by now. He may be among the young Gents here to cheer on the Groom; he may be at Sea, but History has had nothing further to say about George since Chapter 5. He may well be in a grave like too many of his siblings.
How very clever of you! I can tell you have been pondering the Problem, my esteemed Companion. It is logical that those late Greensword children baptised at St. Andrew’s should rest in its Burial-Ground—; including George, should he be dead. In fact, they do not.
They were buried at Spa Fields, an unconsecrated, publick Burial Ground, favoured by Non-Conformists and Dissenters. Incidentally, so is Bunhill Fields, where Joseph’s father, Mr. John Greensword, sleeps in his Grave.
Figure 16. Spa Fields Chapel 1781, engraving. In Mr. Walter Thornbury, “Coldbath Fields and Spa Fields”, in Old and New London, etc., Volume II, London, 1878, pp. 298-306.
Spa Fields also happens to be where the Congregation of the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion has its Chapel, although, strictly speaking, the Burial Ground of that name is not affiliated with the Sect.[1] Were your Ancestors Non-Conformists? You do not know? I shall inform you immediately should Historia divulge her Secrets on that Subject.
My Friend! That must be our Bride. Could the other young woman—to whom she whispers some Confidence—be her sister, Charlotte? It is impossible to detect a Resemblance between them, since their Faces are in the Shade of their Hats, but I am sure you will agree, the Millinery is very pretty. As to the several older Persons now seating themselves in the front Pew, I cannot say for certain whether or not they include Mr. & Mrs. Hopkins.
Do not be disappointed! I have high hopes we will see the 5th Duke of Bedford, Mr. Francis Russell, today. It would surely be a mark of Respect to his industrious School-Master, and a social Coup for his Family, were the Duke to condescend to attend today’s Wedding!
The Duke was 6-years-old when he succeeded his late Grandfather, the original Benefactor of the United Society’s School. That was in 1771 and he is now a grown man of 27. Truth be told, he is rather taken up with Horse-Racing at this time. Should he fail to appear, I believe we shall still see traces of his Influence on the Hair-Style of at least several young Men here today!
What? Forgive me, you are a Visitor here and have not had time to become Up-to-Date with all the Current Affairs published in the London Newspapers or, indeed, the latest Society News & Gossip. Since the Curate has not yet appeared, allow me to explain. I am positive it will amuse you.
Recently, the Prime Minister, Mr. Pitt, took into his Mind the Idea to levy a Tax on Hair-Powder. He legislated that a License be held in order to purchase and use this Cosmetic! As you will surely know, Hair-Powder has long been de rigueur among the Royal, Noble and Professional Ranks. It is used to dust a Gentleman’s Periwig, and to dress a Lady’s hair, generally her own these days, but also such Hairpieces as she might use to achieve the desired Volume.
Usually consisting of Fragranced and sometimes Pigmented Starch, this Hair Dressing remains beyond the means of lesser Sorts. Do not imagine that Application is as simple as dusting one’s Hair with cooking Flour from the Kitchen dredging-box!
No, no, the Procedure is much more Sophisticated, involving the prior application of Pomatum and preferably the use of a purpose-built Closet. How else does one avoid dusting all the Furniture as well as one’s Wig or Hair?
The result of Mr. Pitt’s Tax has been a great Hue and Cry in Parliament. The Duke of Bedford has been a notable Protester against this Affront to the Dignity and Purse of the Aristocracy. Periwigs and Perukes were already a little passé, and perhaps this is why Mr. Francis Russell was not to be held to Ransom.
He instigated a new Fashion in dressing men’s Hair!
Figure 17. The Most Notable Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford, by Mr. Robert Laurie, after John Eckstein, 1802. Coloured etching, 5 3/8 in. x 4 7/8 in., NPG D8425, National Portrait Gallery, London
The Duke now wears his Locks cropped and un-Powdered, in a Style that goes by the name of the “Bedford Level” or “Bedford Crop”, a mostly attractive Innovation. I should mention that no Fashion comes without a new Expense. Hair-Wax is now necessary to achieve a completely “Natural Look”.
But wait, the Rev. Price has finally begun the Service. He reads from The Book of Common Prayer. Shall we listen?
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Reader, I have not been unaware of your Attempts to attract my Attention, but I could not interrupt my Discourse without Discourtesy to my Companion. If I correctly anticipate what Issues might Trouble you, they are precisely those to which my Client remains mercifully Oblivious.
Padding? Padding, you say? On the contrary, my Anecdote about Mr. Russell’s hair makes an important Contribution to the Client’s Appreciation of a critical Moment in the Milieu his Relations occupied. I would be most surprised if the father and grandfather of the Groom did not wear a wig regularly. My Purpose was not to resile from pressing genealogical Matters!
There are Reasons both Considered and Sound as to why I have said nothing of the Family of Mrs. Margaretta (or Margaret) Greensword, the School-Master’s Mother, including the Fact that I am unable to ascertain her Maiden Name.[2] As to the Identity of the Parents of Joseph Greensword’s wife, formerly Miss Sarah Grace, the Mother of the Groom, I can be definite. They are Mr. & Mrs. Grace.
However, I am prevented from saying more about them since the Information I have accumulated to Date does not satisfy as Fact according to the scrupulous Quality Standards of the Royal Society of Genealogists.
As to the family of the Bride, Miss Hopkins, I have satisfied sufficient Criteria of the Society’s “Scale of Probability Test” to present selected Aspects of my Research in respect to their Identity.
Let me begin by reiterating a Matter of historical Fact, which is that Mr. Francis Hopkins and his wife, Mrs. Sarah, lived in Brook-St., Holborn. Like Mr. Greensword, Mr. Hopkins paid rent to Lord Brook—from 1780 to 1794, to be precise. From the Arrangement of Entries in the Records of Land Tax, moreover, I was able to deduce the Proximity of Mr. Hopkins’ Residence to that of Mr. Greensword.
The Returns in question shew the Hopkins had a Tenancy adjacent to White Hart-Yd., and that the Greensword Premises were situated some 6 Tenancies further along Brook-St. According to the encyclopædic Mr. Lockie, “White Hart-Yard is located in Brook-St., Holborn, at no. 20, opposite Brook’s Market”.[3] Given the Greensword family lived at no. 25, the topographical Facts shew the Families were undoubtedly acquainted..
As to the Offspring of Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins, at least three Children are known to have been baptised in the Church of St. Andrew, Holborn: Sarah, Francis and Charlotte.
Reader, you are quick! The Couple’s first-born was christened Sarah, not Sarah Ann, the latter being the name recorded in the Register of Marriages. Allow me to explain why I am not unduly perturbed by the Absence of her middle Name.
Upon careful re-examination of the Baptismal Register of St. Andrew, I realised that almost every single Child baptised in October 1774 had just one Christian Name. I submit that this is contrary to good Sense, making it quite conceivable that the Sarah Hopkins baptised that Month was, in fact, Sarah Ann.
While we are discussing the short-comings of the Church Archives, let me say that the Baptismal Records of St. Andrew do not state the maiden Name of any Mother, making the Task of identifying a Female Ancestor all that much harder. The calling of the Father is also overlooked. Let us therefore return to what else History might tell about the Hopkins family.
Recently, I discovered that a Francis Hopkins, of Brook-St., was buried on the 12th of November 1778 at St. Andrew’s Holborn. The age of the Deceased is not recorded, but I have no doubt that it was the Bride’s brother, who was christened in March 1777.
My Confidence rests on the fact that Sarah Ann’s father was a necessary Participant in the Conception of her sister, Charlotte, who was baptised in April 1780. Unfortunately, I have recently acquired Proof that she, too, is absent from the Wedding of Mr. Edward Greensword and her sister, Sarah Ann., for Charlotte Hopkins was buried in November 1780 at the age of 7-months.
Reader, I trust you will forgive me if my Commentary during the Marriage Service teasingly implied the Possibility of the presence of the Bride’s siblings and Parents. It would be both a grave Error and a severe Embarrassment to your Narrator if my Client inferred that any Hopkins person other than the Bride attended the Wedding!
This I say because, a decade after the first Francis Hopkins died, another Person of that very Name, also of Brook-St., was buried in St. Andrew’s Churchyard, viz. on the 10th day of December 1788. I have no Record of the Baptism of a second child of that Name born to Mr. & Mrs. Francis Hopkins, suggesting the deceased Person may have been the Bride’s Father.
Yet Mr. Hopkins continued to pay Rent on his Premises in Brook-St. until at least 1794. A 3-week-old child named Francis Hopkins of St. Andrew’s Holborn was buried at Spa Fields on the 29th September 1789. And a Mr. Hopkins, of Brook-St., Holborn, married Mrs. T. Collins of York, in 1791. Great genealogical Mysteries abound, but it is not appropriate I reveal them to my Client.
Hark! Is that a Psalm being sung? I am not certain whether it is an Intended part of the Ceremony, or the spontaneous ululation of a Member of the Congregation. Excuse me, please. There is a Question I have been dying to ask my fellow Wedding Guest. I must grasp the Opportunity while I may.
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My dear Guest, my View of the Ceremony is almost completely Obstructed as a result of my regrettable Decision to disguise our Presence by sitting behind a Pillar. What can you see of Groom? What of Miss Hopkins then? You have not seen either since they arrived? Oh, but you have a Question?
It is not the Custom for a Bride to wear White, you see. A white Muslin Dress is quite the height of Fashion, but Few would waste a perfectly good Gown on a single Occasion. I rather think Mrs. Sarah Ann Greensword is wise to dress more soberly than some Brides might, given she will not be in London this Season. Our newlyweds will travel to Portsmouth following their Wedding Breakfast. After all, there is War abroad and Mr. Edward must return to his Ship.
We shall visit them there in the not too distant Future.
[1] The Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion was an Evangelical off-shoot of the Church of England. The Countess never sought to break with the English Church, but her Congregation eventually acquired a reputation as a Sect.
[2] The School-Master’s mother, Margaretta, was Mr. John Greensword’s second wife. She was preceded by Miss Phoebe Humberstone. A baby girl of that name was born in Metheringham, Lincolnshire, in 1720. She married Mr. Greensword on the 8th of December 1745 at St. George Chapel Mayfair, Hyde Park Corner, Westminster, and she bore him two Sons, Richard Peck Greensword and John Greensword. An Anomaly in the Records suggests that these Babies were baptised in the Church of St. Martin in the Fields less than two months apart! I have a Theory as to the Reason for this, but shall not burden this Text with it. Any Reader seeking an Explanation, should do so through a postal Inquiry. Details of Mrs. Phoebe’s Death and Burial have yet to be discovered. Incidentally, Miss Phoebe Humberstone had a younger sister, born in 1723, named Elizabeth Humbarstone [sic.] who married a Mr. Thomas Greensword in that County in 1744. I regret to tell you that I have yet to discover how Thomas and John Greensword were connected.
[3] Mr. John Lockie, Lockie’s Topography of London: A Concise Local Description of and Accurate Direction to every Square, Street, Lane, Court, Dock, Wharf, Inn, Public-Office, &c. in the Metropolis and its Environs, including the New Buildings to the Present Time, upon a Plan Never Hitherto Attempted, &c., printed by Mr. S. Couchman, Throgmorton-Street, London, 1810. Sold by Messrs. G. & W. Nicol, Pall-Mall; W. Miller, Albemarle-Street; J. Hatchard, Piccadilly; J. White and Co., Fleet-Street; J. Mawman, Poultry; J. M. Richardson, Cornhill; and Darton & Harvey, Gracechurch-Street.
A FAMILY TOPOGRAPHY 