John Langbridge and Harriet Hutchings

This couple lived in Moretonhampstead, a town about 12 miles WSW of Exeter. The Moretonhampstead History Society kindly provide a searchable database of baptisms, marriages and burials transcribed from the Parish Registers, and searching the baptisms reveals five children of John and Harriet Langbridge:

• John Langbridge, 9/2/1824,
• John Langbridge, 7/8/1825,
• Harriet Langbridge, 31/1/1828,
• Mary Ann Langbridge, 27/6/1830 (born 13/7/1829),
• William Langbridge, 21/5/1831.

They also had another daughter

• Louisa Langbridge

whose birth was registered in the September quarter of 1837. The son John born in 1824 died in infancy and was buried on 21/2/1824.

The daughter Harriet is discussed further on another page. On her marriage certificate her full name is given as Harriet Hutchings Langbridge; this provides some evidence that her mother's maiden name was indeed Hutchings. Unfortunately I have not been able to find any parish register record of the marriage of John and Harriet.

The Parish Register entries for the baptisms listed above include the father's occupation: it is given as as "hmn" – "husbandman" I guess – on 9/2/1824, 27/6/1830 and 21/5/1831, as "collier" on 7/8/1825 and as "innkeeper" on 31/1/1828. It is also recorded that Mary Ann was 10 months old at her baptism.

Moretonhampstead murder

Moretonhampstead was the scene of the murder of Jonathan May, which occurred on July 16th 1835. It is notable for the fact that – in a rare example of the British justice system admitting that it made a mistake – one of the two men convicted of the crime was pardoned 43 years later.

Harriet Langbridge gave evidence at the trial. She identified herself as the wife of John Langbridge, keeper of the Golden Lion Inn at Moreton; she stated that on the evening of July 16th, between seven and nine o'clock, she was in her cellar; the accused man Turpin came into the cellar and asked her to give him a cork, which she did; she was sure that the the prisoner Edmund Galley was the man; she noticed that he was pitted with the small pox, and appeared to have lost his teeth.

Edmund Galley, alias Turpin, is the man who was subsequently pardoned, and maintained that he was never in Devon.

A prosecution witness named Charlotte Clarke identified Turpin's co-accused, known as Buckingham Joe, but stated that the Turpin who was Buckingham Joe's companion at Moretonhampstead was not the accused Edmund Galley, but an entirely different man, one with a full set of teeth. And after both accused were convicted, and the Judge was in the process of sentencing them to death, Buckingham Joe interrupted the judge, saying "I hope, my Lord, that you will not hang an innocent man; I declare before God that this man was never with me in my life". And in his final words, spoken from the gallows, Joe said "I am a guilty man" and "the other man is an innocent man".

Trewman's Exeter Flying Post, 4/8/1836

Royal Cornwall Gazette, 19/8/1836

Buckingham Joe was hanged on 12th August 1836, but because of his statements Galley was given a respite until 26th August, while further investigations were made. When these uncovered evidence that indeed Galley was not in Devon in July 1835, he was given a further respite of one month. And in the end his sentence was commuted to transportation for life. However, his conviction should really have been quashed, as the British government eventually conceded – albeit 45 years later – when it resolved to grant Galley £1000 compensation for wrongful conviction.

Australian Town and Country Journal, 18/10/1879

Australian Town and Country Journal, 18/10/1879 Australian Town and Country Journal, 3/9/1881

Evidently GreatGreatGreatGrandma did not really see Galley in Moretonhampstead on 16/7/1835, but whether or not she was genuinely convinced that she had seen him we can only conjecture.

A map of Moretonhampstead produced for the trial shows the location of the Golden Lion (no.16, between Back Lane and Cross Street). The smaller image of the town center section of the map is a little clearer than the image of the full map.

John Langbridge

It is interesting that although the Langbridges were running the inn in 1835, and at his daughter Harriet's baptism in 1828 John's occupation was given as innkeeper, the 1830 and 1831 baptism records for Mary Ann and William, and the later census records (see below), do not give his occupation as innkeeper.

Forder Street, Mortonhampstead, 1841:
Name	Sex	Age	Occupation	Born in Devon?
John Langbridge	M	45	Collyer	Yes
Harriet Langbridge	F	35		Yes
John Langbridge	M	15		Yes
Mary Langbridge	F	12		Yes
William Langbridge	M	10		Yes
Louisa Langbridge	F	3		Yes

Forder Street, Mortonhampstead, 1851:
Name	Rel	Status	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
John Langbridge	Head	M	64	Charcoal burner	Devon, Moretonhampstead
Harriet Langbridge	Wife	M	51	Charcoal burner wife	Devon, Moretonhampstead
William Langbridge	Son	U	20	Mason (apprentice)	Devon, Moretonhampstead

Note that at the 1841 census the daughter Harriet is missing from the household, but all the other children are there, with ages that are consistent with the baptism records.

The London Gazette of 20/6/1828 mentions John Langbridge of Moretonhampstead, and formerly of Dunsford, Charcoal Burner and Victualler, as one of seventeen insolvent debtors whose petitions were to be heard in Exeter on 11/7/1828. (Here "victualler" means "inn-keeper".) And the London Gazette of 15/2/1833 mentions John Langbridge, formerly of Moreton Hampstead, Devonshire, then of Totnes, Devonshire, and late of Moreton Hampstead aforesaid, Stone-Cutter and Victualler, as one of the insolvent debtors whose petitions were to be heard in Exeter on 11/3/1833.

So John and Harriet may have had two separate periods of inn-keeping in Moretonhampstead, interrupted by time spent in Totnes. In any event, it would seem that the Langbridges were not outstandingly successful businesspeople.

Although the 1851 census record gives John Langbridge's birthplace as Moretonhampstead, the Moretonhampstead Parish Register does not include a record of his baptism. Note also that the insolvent debtor of 1828 was "formerly of Dunsford" and only "late of Moretonhampstead". This raises the possibility that John Langbridge was born in Dunsford (which is about 6 miles from Moretonhampstead, on the road to Exeter). A search for evidence of Langbridges in Dunsford found a document in the National Archives, dated 1804, concerned with a Sarah Langbridge "now in Bridford, she was born in Dunsford, her parents settlement, was never apprenticed, about 27 years ago she went to work for Richard Endicott of Colebrooke ..."; so there definitely were Langbridges living in Dunsford at some stage. However, GENUKI has a list of Dunsford baptisms 1783–1812, and it does not include any Langbridges.

The Ipplepen Adams Family website (compiled by Ian Wright) has a substantial quantity of information about the Langbridges, and its John Langbridge page says that he was born in Bridford – adjacent to Dunsford – on or about 24/8/1786. His parents are named as Edward Langbridge and Elizabeth Mortimore, and several other children of this couple are also listed:

• Richard, bap. 9/1/1780,
• Sarah, bap. 23/6/1782,
• John, bap. 12/9/1784,
• John, bap. 24/8/1786,
• Mary, bap. 14/9/1788,
• Joseph, bap. 19/6/1791,
• Elizabeth, bap. 25/12/1793,
• Edward, bap. 11/1/1803, born in 1796,
• Sophia, bap. 11/1/1803, born in 1800,

all born in Bridford. Note that the approximate birth date of 24/8/1786 for John is consistent with his age as given in 1851.

For all the information known to me, it is perhaps possible that this Bridford John Langbridge and the Moretonhampstead John Langbridge were two different people who were born about the same time. There certainly were Langbridges living in Moretonhampstead, since the name appears several times in the Moretonhampstead Parish Registers in the 17th and 18th centuries. There is also an interesting entry in Silvester Treleaven's diary of events in Moretonhampstead from Saturday 10th November 1804: "Died aged 84 John Langbridge, he lived in the House that he died in upwards of 50 years, and had been blind twelve years." It is conceivable that this John was the grandfather of our John.

The death of John Langbridge was registered in the Newton Abbot district in the first quarter of 1858.

Harriet Hutchings

Harriet Hutchings was baptized in Moretonhampstead on 20/4/1800; her father's name was Samuel. There were several other children of Samuel Hutchings baptized in Moretonhampstead between 1788 and 1817:

• Mary (6/1/1788),
• Ann (13/12/1789),
• Sally (4/11/1792),
• Elizabeth (27/12/1795),
• George (26/10/1817), born 2/1798, father's occupation: farmer, mother's name: Elizabeth,
• William Soby (10/2/1802),
• Anna Maria (9/10/1803),
• John (15/7/1815), age: 13 years 6 months, father's occupation: woolcomber, mother's name: Betty,
• Samuel (9/11/1806),
• Samuel (19/2/1809),
• Samuel (9/10/1810).

However, there are at least two different families here, since there were two men named Samuel Hutchings married in Moretonhampstead in 1788. One of them married Mary Soby on 1/5/1788, the other married Betty Matthews on 10/6/1788. Obviously William Soby Hutchings was the son of Samuel and Mary, while George and John were sons of Samuel and Betty. For Ann, Sally, Elizabeth, Harriet, Anna Maria and the three Samuels it is not clear which couple were the parents. Of course it is Harriet who is of most interest to me, since she was my mother's mother's mother's mother's mother.

The March 1st 1849 issue of Trewman's Exeter Flying Post or Plymouth and Cornish Advertiser carried a report of criminal proceedings against Harriet Langbridge, 49, wife of a labouring man residing at Moretonhampstead, who was charged with fraudulently obtaining a promissory note for £50 (which was subsequently cashed). Presumably the prisoner was my greatgreatgreatgrandmother Harriet Langbridge: she was certainly at that time the 49 year old wife of a labouring man residing at Moretonhampstead. The principal witness for the prosecution was too ill to attend the court to give her evidence in person, and the defence counsel attempted to have her deposition ruled inadmissible on the grounds that it did not correctly state the offence with which the prisoner was charged. The Chairman decided to admit the deposition provisionally and refer the point to a higher court, and the jury returned a verdict of guilty. The higher court subsequently affirmed the conviction.

The puzzling thing about this is that the Chairman told the prisoner that the sentence would be seven years transportation, if the conviction were upheld, yet the 1851 census record above indicates that Harriet was at liberty in England two years later. I cannot explain this. Did they just forget to arrest her again after the conviction was affirmed? Or perhaps she had enough of the £50 left to successfully bribe someone!

To display the text of the newspaper report of the court proceedings, click here.

Harriet Langbridge, 49, was charged with having stolen from Wm Squire Rowe, of Thornbury Farm, in the parish of Hittesleigh, an interest note of the Devon and Cornwall Banking Company, for £50; the said note being the property of Charlotte Rowe, his daughter. The prisoner in this instance is a woman of plausible manners and good address; and is set forth in the calendar as being able to read and write well. The case too is peculiar; and in the absence of Mr Bird, she was defended by Mr Jerwood. Mr Cox was for the prosecution, and stated the case to the Court and jury. The prisoner is the wife of a labouring man, residing in Moretonhampstead; and Mr W. S. Rowe, the prosecutor, is a farmer, residing in the parish of Hittesleigh, a few miles distant. With this family the prisoner was intimate, and Mrs Rowe being bedridden, frequently visited them. One of these friendly visits took place soon after last Midsummer, when Langbridge told Mrs Rowe she had brought her good news, as a Miss Davis, a lady whose home was on the other side of London, but who was then lodging at Mrs Shears' in Moreton, had told her there was £20 a year for Mrs Rowe. This was by means of an annuity from a benevolent society, to which she (Miss D.) belonged. It was necessary, however, that some money should be deposited by the person who was thus to be benefitted, and, for this purpose, Mrs Rowe furnished the prisoner with £5. And, afterwards, through similar artful pretence, with £5 more. It was likewise artfully represented to the infirm old lady by the prisoner, how advantageous it would be to her daughter Charlotte Rowe, as if £50 were thus invested in her name, she (the daughter) would receive £100 on her mother's death. Thus wrought upon, Mrs Rowe gave into the prisoner's possession an interest note of her daughter's for £50, with authority to receive the amount, which was soon after done at the Cornwall and Devon Bank. Mr Samuel Hunt, of Chagford, surgeon, the medical attendant of Mrs Rowe, stated that she is bedridden, and could not be brought to Exeter to give her evidence without endangering her life. Mr M. W. Harvey, of Moretonhampstead, solicitor, and clerk to the magistrates of the Crockernwell division, was present when the deposition of Mrs Rowe was taken in her bedroom, and sworn before the Rev. Wm Ponsford, a magistrate, in the presence of the prisoner. The examination was now put in and read, when Mr Jerwood objected that no offence was set out: it was an examination under circumstances in which the prisoner was charged with obtaining money, and a valuable security for money, which in itself was not an offence. The prisoner should have been charged with feloniously obtaining the money, and security for money. Mr Cox felt the difficulty, but thought that it might be got over, if it could be proved by other evidence that when this deposition was taken, the prisoner was charged with stealing. And asked Mr Harvey if this were the case? Mr Harvey said the prisoner was charged with obtaining under false and fraudulent pretence—not with stealing. The Chairman on this proceeded to consult Mr Bere on the point, who was presiding in the other court, and on his return said he would admit the deposition, subject to the opinion of the court above, on the point raised. But Mr Cox feeling it to be very questionable whether the deposition could be sustained, intimated that he would abandon the charge of stealing and proceed with that of obtaining by false pretences. And a verdict of not guilty was returned by the jury accordingly. The prisoner was again indicted under these circumstances; but the deposition being read, Mr Jerwood made a similar objection, and the point was referred for the consideration of the Judges. A stamped receipt for the £50, purporting to be signed by several ladies, the managers of a society in Exeter, and promising to give the daughter £100 for the £50 deposited, three months after her mother's decease, was read. But Mr J. H. Hutchings, of the Devon and Cornwall Bank, stated there was no such society in Exeter. Mr Massy, also a clerk in the same establishment, proved the payment of the note, but could not identify the prisoner. Mrs Shears, of Moreton, stated that no Miss Davis had ever lodged with her. And the jury found the prisoner guilty. There was two other indictments against the prisoner—the one charging her with stealing the two £5 notes, and the other with obtaining them under fraudulent pretences; but, as she was already convicted, no evidence was offered on these. The Chairman told the prisoner that under the verdict given against her by the jury, it was his duty to sentence her to transportation for seven years, but in consequence of the point reserved, he should respite that sentence until the assizes.

(Click this box to close it)

In 1861 Harriet Langbridge, aged 61, Charcoal Burner's Widow, was the sole member of her household, the address of which was Cross Street Moretonhampstead. The death of a 71 year old Harriet Langbridge was registered in the second quarter of 1870, in the Pancras district (London). I expect that this is the right person: she could well have moved to London to be closer to her children.

Hutchings relatives of Harriet

Samuel and Mary Hutchings, possible parents of Harriet, were both still alive at the time of the 1841 census, living on Cross Street Moretonhampstead. They both died the following year, Samuel on 13/3/1842, age given as 80, Mary on 25/3/1842, her age given as 76.

It is quite possible that Samuel had been living on Cross Street in 1803; if so, then he featured in an incident recorded in Silvester Treleaven's diary in that year:

I am told that William Sobey Hutchings, possible brother of Harriet, moved to London. He married Sarah Horler on 23/1/1827 at St Martin in the Fields, Westminster, and FamilySearch.org also has baptism details for several children: William (baptized 13/5/1827 at St Martin in the Fields), Mary Jane (baptized 19/4/1829 at St Martin in the Fields), Samuel (baptized 5/6/1831 at St Martin in the Fields), Harriet (baptized 24/11/1833 at St Martin in the Fields), Harriet (baptized 5/7/1835 at St Martin in the Fields), Harriet (born 31/8/1839, baptized 15/3/1840 at St Pancras Old Church), Theresa Sarah (born 13/8/1843, baptized 6/3/1843 at St Pancras Old Church). The 1841 and 1851 census records for William Sobey Hutchings' household are as follows.

St Pancras, Middlesex, 1841:
Name	Sex	Age	Occupation	Born in Middlesex?
William Hutchings	M	35	Brewer	Yes
Sally Hutchings	F	30	Dress Mkr	Yes
William Hutchings	M	14		Yes
Mary Hutchings	F	12		Yes
Samuel Hutchings	M	10		Yes
Elizabeth Hutchings	F	5		Yes
Harriet Hutchings	F	2		Yes
Charles Alele	M	20	Brewers servt	Yes
Elizabeth Stevens	F	20	F. S.	Yes
William Tucker	M	40	Farrier	No
Mary Tucker	F	50		No
Sarah Tucker	F	9		Yes

13 Dorset Place, Marylebone, Camden, 1851:
Name	Rel	Status	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
William Hutchings	Head	M	47	Brewer's Storehouse Clerk	Moretonhampstead Devonshire
Sarah Hutchings	Wife	M	47		Mells Somersetshire
Samuel Hutchings	Son	U	19	House Smith	St Anns Westminster
Elizabeth Hutchings	Daur	U	14		St Pancras Middx
Teresa Hutchings	Daur		8		St Pancras Middx

Harriet Langbridge, the daughter of John and Harriet who was missing from her parents' household in the 1841 census, shows up in the household of Samuel and Agnes Hutchins in St Clement Danes Parish, Westminster. We can surely deduce that this Samuel was Harriet Hutchings' brother, and Harriet Langbridge's uncle.

New Boswell Court, St Clement Danes, Westminster, 1841:
Name	Sex	Age	Occupation	Born in Middlesex?
Saml Hutchins	M	30	Carpenter	No
Agnes Hutchins	F	36	Female Servant	No
Harriet Langbridge	F	13		No
Saml Hockridge	M	25	Carpenter	No

Note that Harriet Langbridge's age in the census record is consistent with the baptism date of 13/1/1828, and that Samuel Hutchins is the right age to be a Samuel Hutchings brother of Harriet Hutchings born in 1806, 1809 or 1810. Note also that the census record indicates that Samuel Hutchins and Harriet Langbridge were not born in Westminster, which is at least consistent with the claim that they were born in Moretonhampstead and are the people we think they are. Note also that Samuel was living in reasonably close proximity to William Sobey Hutchings, which perhaps adds weight to the conjecture that Samuel and William were brothers. It may also be significant that the names Samuel and Harriet feature amongst the names of William's children.

Samuel and Agnes were still living in Westminster at the 1851 census.

6 North Row Park Lane, St Geo Hanover Square, Westminster, 1851:
Name	Rel	Status	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
Samuel Hutchings	Head	M	39	Carpenter	Devon: Moretonhampstead
Agnes Hutchings	Wife	U	40		Do. Buckland

Searching at www.familysearch.org we find that Samuel Hutchings and Agnes Hockerige were married in St James Westminster on 23/4/1833. Presumably the Samuel Hockridge in their household in 1841 was Agnes' brother.

An Agnes Hutchings died in Marylebone in the last quarter of 1858, and a Samuel Hutchings married a Maria Osman in the second quarter of 1859, in the St Giles registration district. The 1861 census record gives Maria's age as 33, born in Berkshire, and Samuel's age as 52, born in Devonshire, occupation carpenter. It is not certain that this is the same Samuel that was previously married to Agnes, but my guess is that it is the same man.

Children of John and Harriet Langbridge

— William —

William Langbridge (born 1831) was originally a mason by trade. He enlisted in the Royal Engineers at Devonport on 15/8/1854, aged 22 years and 5 months. He left the army on 11/1/1876, after 21 years and 150 days of service, having attained the rank of Sergeant Major. Here is transcription of the first page of the report of the board convened on 13/12/1875 for the purpose of verifying his service record.

HER MAJESTY'S Corps OF Royal Engineers Whereof H.R.H. The Duke of Cambridge is Colonel. Cork Harbour, 13th December 1875. PROCEEDINGS OF A REGIMENTAL BOARD, held this day, in conformity with the articles of war, for the purpose of verifying and recording the Services, Conduct, Character, and cause of Discharge of No. 1804 Sergeant Major William Langbridge of the Corps above-mentioned. President Captain C. W. Whinfield Members Lieut A. C. Alexander      Lieut J. H. Fox THE BOARD having examined and compared the Regimental Records, the Soldier's Book, and such other Documents as appeared to them to be necessary, report that after making every deduction required by Her Majesty's Regulations, the Service up to this day, which he is entitled to reckon, amounts to 21 years, 121 days, as shown by the detailed Statement on the 2nd page ; during which period he served abroad 7 213 365  years, viz. at Bermuda 205 365 years, in Mauritius 3 93 365 years; " Halifax N.S. 3 280 365 years and further, that his DISCHARGE is proposed in consequence of his having claimed it on completion of his second period of limited engagement. With regard to the CHARACTER and CONDUCT of No. 1804 Sergeant Major Wm Langbridge, the Board have to report that upon reference to the Defaulter's Book, and by the Parole testimony that has been given, it appears that [Insert opposite—the man's Character, the number of Good Conduct Badges in his possession, and all Badges of Merit, or gallant conduct in the Field, conferred upon him; and if in possession of a School Certificate, record it and state the Class] his conduct has been Very Good and he was, when promoted, in the possession of one (1) good conduct badge and would had he not been promoted have been now in possession of five (5) good conduct badges. He is in possession of the Good Conduct Medal and gratuity of £15. [Insert the number of times his name appears in the Regtl. Defaulters' Book, and that he has been tried by Court Martial. The charge, finding, and sentence, on each occasion, is to be recorded on a separate sheet, which is to accompany the Discharge Documents. If never tried or entered in the Defaulter's Book, state so.] His name does not appear in the Regt. Defaulters Book and he has never been tried by Court Martial. [If this man received Wounds, &c., in action, or other Injuries in or by the Service, although not invalided on account thereof, state here the nature of the wound or injuries, and when and where he received the same, and if any Court of Enquiry was held, (as is required) state or annex the result.] Nil

The second page of the document gives the dates of his various promotions: from Sapper to 2nd Corporal on 12/3/1856, to Corporal on 1/4/1857, Good Conduct pay at 1d. 15/8/1859, to Sergeant on 1/4/1861, Eligible for Good Conduct pay at 2d. 15/8/1862, Re-engaged at Rochester on 20/8/1864, Eligible for Good Conduct pay at 3d. 15/8/1867, promoted to Cr Sergeant on 22/7/1868, appointed 3rd class Military Foreman of Works on 15/2/1870, Eligible for Good Conduct pay at 4d. 15/8/1870, promoted to Quarter Master Sergeant and 2nd cl M. F. Wks on 22/11/1871, promoted to Sergeant Major and 1st cl M. F. Wks on 10/10/1873, Eligible for Good Conduct pay at 5d. 15/8/1875.

The following details are entered on the last page of the document.

No.1804 William Langbridge referred to in the preceding pages, by trade a Mason was born in the Parish of Moretonhampstead near the town of Exeter in the County of Devon and attested for the Corps of Roy. Engineers at Devonport in the County of Devon on the 15th August 1854 at the Age of 22  5 12    years. His final description, &c., at date of transmission of documents for confirmation at Fort Camden Cork Harbour this 13 11 day of December January 18756 Age 43  9 12 years Height 5 Feet10Inches Complexion Fair Eyes Hazel Hair Light Brown Trade Mason Marks or Scars upon the face or other parts of the body None Intended Place of Residence Appleby Lincolnshire

If he did reside in Appleby Lincolnshire after leaving the army then he did not stay there long, because at the 1881 census William and family are found in Doncaster Yorkshire.

11 Young Street, Doncaster, Yorkshire (West Riding), 1881:
Name	Rel	Status	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
William Langbridge	Head	M	50	Chelsea Pensioner Formerly Surveyor	Moretonhampstead Devon
Anne Langbridge	Wife	M	41		Nova Scotia Halifax
Harriet Langbridge	Dau	U	21		Nova Scotia Halifax
Mary L. Langbridge	Dau	U	16	Pupil Teacher	Chatham, Kent, England
Helen A. Langbridge	Dau	U	9	Scholar	Ireland
John Langbridge	Son	U	7	Scholar	Ireland
Charles H. Langbridge	Son	U	5	Scholar	Ireland
Annie Langbridge	Dau	U	4	Scholar	Doncaster, Yorkshire, England
Eva I. Langbridge	Dau	U	2		Doncaster, Yorkshire, England

Although this record – if correctly transcribed – has William's wife's name as Anne, all other records I have seen have her name as Annie.

There were two further members of the family: sons named William and James Walter. William's 1881 address was the premises of the British & Foreign School Society, Borough Road, St George The Martyr, Southwark, Surrey. He was 20 years old, unmarried, born in Halifax Nova Scotia, occupation "Student In Training For Elementary School Master". Walter's 1881 address was 78 St James Street Doncaster, he was an 18 year old unmarried grocer's shopman, born in Aldershot, Hampshire. I have not seen proof that James Walter was the son of William and Annie – I am relying on the Ipplepen Adams Family website – but it makes perfect sense: Aldershot being an army town, it is very plausible that Sgt William Langbridge was sent there when he returned from Nova Scotia.

Britain was at war with France between 1854 and 1863, Canada being a significant area of conflict. It seems likely that Sgt Langbridge's service abroad ended at the end of the war. Of course Ireland did not count as "abroad", but it is probable that Sgt Langbridge was sent to Ireland some time between 1865 and 1869, since his daughter Mary was born in Kent in 1865, and (as we shall see) he had a son named John born in Ireland in 1869.

Unfortunately I have not been able to locate a record of the marriage of William and Annie; however, baptism records exist for at least five of their children, and from the Irish records we learn that Annie's maiden name was Wright. John Langbridge, son of William Langbridge and Annie Wright, was born on 13/11/1869 and baptized in St Michaels, Limerick City; Helen Howard Langbridge, daughter of William Langbridge and Annie Wright, was born on 24/7/1871 and baptized in St Michaels, Limerick City; John Langridge, son of William Langridge and Annie Wright, was born 1/6/1873 and baptized in St Michaels, Limerick City; Annie Langbridge, daughter of William and Annie, was baptized in Christ Church, Doncaster, on 4/2/1877; Eva Isabel Langbridge, daughter of William and Annie, was baptized in Christ Church, Doncaster, on 19 Jan 1879.

For more information about the descendants of William and Annie Langbridge, see the Ipplepen Adams Family website.

— Harriet and Mary Ann —

In 1851 William Langbridge's sisters Harriet and Mary Langbridge were in St Luke Parish, Chelsea. This is what the census record of the household in question says:

5 Walton Street, St Luke, Chelsea, 1851:
Name	Rel	Status	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
Hannah Wyat	Head	W	61	Householder	Devon, Colyton
William Wyat	Son	U	26	Baker journeyman	Dorset, Dalwood
John Wyat	Visitor	U	21	Painter journeyman	Middlesex, Chelsea
Harriet Langbridge	Sister	U	22	Dressmaker	Devon Exeter
Mary Langbridge	Sister	U	21	Dressmaker	Devonshire(?), Moretonhampstead
Ann Ferries	App	U	18	Apprentice	City

It is obvious that Harriet and Mary could not really have been sisters of Hannah; so it looks as though the enumerator has mistranscribed the data supplied by the householder. My guess is that the original said this:

5 Walton Street:
Name	Rel	Status	Age	Occupation	Birthplace
Hannah Wyat	Head	W	61	Householder	Devon, Colyton
William Wyat	Son	U	26	Baker journeyman	Dorset, Dalwood
John Wyat	Son	U	21	Painter journeyman	Middlesex, Chelsea
Harriet Langbridge	Visitor	U	22	Dressmaker	Devon Exeter
Mary Langbridge	Sister	U	21	Dressmaker	Devonshire, Moretonhampstead
Ann Ferries	App	U	18	Apprentice	City

This would at least be understandable, with Mary giving her relationship to the previous person on the list rather than the Head.

Since Harriet and Mary appear to have deliberately given different birth locations I see no reason to disbelieve them. It is quite possible that Harriet was born in Exeter and subsequently baptized in Moretonhampstead.

Harriet was married in the parish church of St Luke Parish on 9/3/1852, to Alfred Smith. The marriage certificate is shown on my Alfred and Harriet Smith page, on which Harriet's story is continued. I am grateful to Graham Clarkson for sending me copies of the marriage certificate and the census information appearing above, as well as pointing me in the direction of other useful information relating to these people.

The witnesses at Harriet's marriage were John Langbridge and Mary Ann Langbridge; no doubt these were Harriet's brother and sister.

Mary Ann Langbridge married Richard Roberts in the St Saviour District (London) in the second quarter of 1871. According to the 1881 census record of their household, Richard was born in about 1823 and was a carpenter and builder (though retired by 1881). Apparently Richard and Mary did not have any children, which is not surprising given that Mary was already in her forties by the time of her marriage.

— John —

John Langbridge, son of John and Harriet, married Mary Mann in the second quarter of 1850, in the Marylebone district. At the 1851 census John and Mary were living at 62 Acton Street St Pancras; John was a policeman, and the census form gives his age as 26 and his birthplace as Moretonhampstead. The form gives Mary's birthplace as New Holkham, Norfolk, and her age as 30; however, she significantly understated her age, since she was the daughter of William and Harriet Mann baptized on 2/6/1816 in Holkham.

At the 1861 census John and Mary Langbridge were living at 5 New Boswell Court, St Clement Danes. (Recall that New Boswell Court was also the address of Samuel and Agnes Hutchings in 1841.) John's 1861 occupation appears to be "waiter", his age is given as 38, his birthplace is not given. Mary's age is given as 40 and her birthplace as Norfolk. It would seem that John and Mary Langbridge had no children, since the only other person in their 1861 household was an 8 year old visitor named Mary Ann Leathersich. Mary Langbridge's sister Ann Mann had married a John Leathersich in 1851; so presumably Mary Ann Leathersich was Mary Langbridge's niece.

Volume III of "London Old and New" by Edward Walford (Cassell & Company, London, Paris, New York & Melbourne, 1878, available on the Internet Archive) lists Old and New Boswell Courts amongst the courts, alleys and streets that were "quietly removed and effaced to furnish a site for the Palace of Justice". The book also has a reproduction of a sketch of Boswell Court – unfortunately for me, not New Boswell Court – shortly before its demolition. Construction of the Royal Courts of Justice commenced in 1873.

The death of a 43 year old John Langbridge was registered in the Newington district in the second quarter of 1869. At the 1871 census Mary Langbridge, a 54 year old widow who was born in Hulkham, Norfolk, was living in Lambeth with her sister Elizabeth Mann, a 50 year old Beer Seller, and their nieces Mary A. Leathersich (Bar Maid, aged 18) and Harriet E. Leathersich (aged 15). In 1881 Mary Langbridge (widow, aged 63) was living at 35 John Street Holborn, in the household of a 47 year old solicitor named John Henry Belfrage. Mary's occupation was Housekeeper. The household also included Mr Belfrage's wife Rebecca (aged 49) and sister-in-law Mary A. Miles (single, aged 51), as well as Elizabeth Mann (single, aged 60, assists housekeeper), Harriette Leathersich (single, aged 24, Artificial Flower Mounter) and Walter Lee (single, 19, Footman).

— Louisa —

In 1851 Louisa Langbridge (born 1837), the youngest daughter of John and Harriet, was a servant in the household of a Bootmaker named H. Wheeler, at 46 Little Britain, St Botolph, London. Although I have not been able to find her in later censuses, it seems to me that she must have been the Louisa Langbridge who married Alfred John Curtis in 1871. If so then this was quite a coup for a working class girl, since Alfred John Curtis was a member of the gentry.

The marriage certificate shows that Alfred and Louisa were married on 4/4/1871 in Saint Paul Covent Garden. Alfred's residence at the time was in St Paul, Louisa's was in St Pancras. Recall that a Harriet Langbridge, probably Louisa's mother, had died in St Pancras in 1870. Unfortunately the marriage certificate does not give Louisa's exact age, but her father is named as John Langbridge, which is right for "my" Louisa. The certificate says that John Langbridge was a farmer, which is not totally accurate for my Louisa's father, but I guess that if you are marrying a gentleman then you do not say that your father was an agricultural labourer or a charcoal burner. Louisa would have been aged 33, making her significantly older than the average first-time bride, but certainly not too old for Alfred, since he was 52.

Alfred John Curtis was baptized on 15/10/1818 in Wanstead, Essex; his parents were Timothy Abraham Curtis and Harriet Margaret Green, who were married in Wanstead on 25/4/1809. Timothy Abraham Curtis' father was Sir William Curtis, Bart., a Tory M.P. and sometime Lord Mayor of London, who deserves to be remembered as the first to call reading, writing and 'rithmetic "the three Rs". There is a biography of Sir William at www.historyofparliamentonline.org.

Timothy Abraham Curtis was Governor of the Bank of England in the years 1837–1839. He later went bankrupt.

The following information concerning Alfred's naval career appears in an online biography of Alfred John Curtis:

• he entered the navy on 25/11/1831,
• he was commissioned as a lieutenant on 18/11/1842,
• he was promoted to commander on 7/5/1852,
• he was promoted to captain on 17/10/1857,
• as a lieutenant he served in the ship Mutine,
• he was Commander in the Brisk from 20/10/1854 to 13/6/1857.

See also the Capt. Alfred John Curtis page at ghgraham.org.

Note that Alfred was just 13 when he entered the navy. It appears that he did not serve in any ship after his promotion to captain.

Hampshire Advertiser and Salisbury Guardian, 14/1/1843

On 21/12/1848 the Mutine was at Chioggia, off Venice. Commander Palmer had gone on shore with dispatches, so that A. J. Curtis (as First Lieutenant) was in command, when a severe gale arose. Despite Curtis' best efforts, the ship was wrecked and five lives were lost. The consequent Court Martial exonerated both Commander Palmer and Lieut. Curtis, and indeed highly praised Lieut. Curtis and the ship's master, Mr Maunder, for their skill and judgment in dealing with the trying circumstances in which they were placed, and avoiding greater loss of life.

The Standard, 2/1/1849 Hampshire Advertiser and Salisbury Guardian, 6/1/1849

John Bull, 5/3/1849

Alfred and Louisa had only two years to enjoy their marriage, since Alfred died on 10/3/1873.

Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle, 22/3/1873

Unfortunately, I have found no further trace of Louisa, and there remains a possibility – unlikely, in my view – that I have the wrong person.