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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => London and Middlesex => Topic started by: peakoverload on Thursday 16 January 25 17:10 GMT (UK)
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Having just broken through a wall with this branch of my tree thanks to the amazing help of these forums, I'm hoping someone might be able to help with this wall.
Thanks to the help received in my recent post, I now have the correct information for my 3xGG John Leach. Unfortunately I had the wrong baptism for him and therefore the wrong father and this meant I had to chop out 3 further generations.
I now know that John Leach was a harness maker born c1815 probably in Middlesex (the 1851 census says this and the 1841 census just says of this county and he's missing from the 1861 census). He is married twice. His first marriage was in 1834 to a Louisa Spencer in Shoreditch. The marriage banns I have found don't mention the fathers name or occupation. The second marriage was to Elizabeth Nuttall in 1866 in Islington and the marriage banns say that his father was William Leach who was also a Harness Maker. So far this is the only information I have on this father. John dies in 1867 and is buried in an unmarked grave in Highgate Cemetery. He appears to have lived his whole life around the St.Pancras/Islington area but maybe the fact his first marriage was in Shoreditch means he lived there before?
William Leach is, so far a mystery. There is a William Warren Leach also buried in Highgate Cemetery not too far from John, also in an unmarked grave who appears to be of the right age. He was buried 1865 at the age of 76 and so would have been born c1789. However, whilst this William appears to have lived in the same areas, he was a tailor and not a harness maker and had a son named William Henry Leach.
I cannot find a baptism for John Leach with the fathers name of William Leach around 1815 anywhere that seems likely. Nor can I find any other documents for John that mention his father or mothers name. I cannot find John on the 1861 census and I've search for William on the 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1871 Census pretty much all over London looking for one that gives his occupation as Harness Maker or Saddler etc but have drawn blanks.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Holden's Annual Directory 1811 records that a William Leach was living at 130 Shoreditch but this chap was a cheesemonger. Hmm.
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Born 1815 and married 1834, means he was underage. Was there a parents permission on the marriage?
I would look at births a little earlier than 1815.
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Yes I've found various William Leach's that vaguely match for either expected age or location but have occupations like Butcher, Omnibus Driver etc but nothing for a Harness Maker or similar.
The 1834 marriage banns doesn't even mention the fathers name. It's only the marriage in 1866 that does.
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There is always the chance that he was illegitimate and just invented a father with the same occupation as his ::)
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Possibly connected?
Marriage at St. Leonard Shoreditch, 20 May 1839
William Leach, Of full age, Bachelor, Harness Maker, residence Charles Street, father Wm Leach, Harness Maker
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Eliza Kay, Of full age, Spinster, Servant, residence Cromer Street, father Thos Kay, Carver
After Banns
William signed, Eliza marked.
Witnesses George Leach, Caroline Kay
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There is a birth reg in St. Pancras
LEACH, ELIZA
Mother's Maiden Surname: KAY
GRO Reference: 1840 S Quarter in SAINT PANCRAS Volume 01 Page 245
I can't see a baptism, nor can I find them in the 1841 census.
A death in Pancras, hope it isn't Eliza's husband
LEACH, WILLIAM
Age at Death (in years): 30
GRO Reference: 1841 S Quarter in SAINT PANCRAS Volume 01 Page 200
Burial at Spa Fields, 31 August 1841
William Leech
St Pancras
Age 29
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Eliza's residence on the marriage is Cromer Street, which seems to be in St. Pancras.
And in Cromer Street in 1841
Thos Kay, 50, Carver (plus something else, sometimes it's & gilder, but the image is too poor for me)
Charlotte Kay, 50
and younger Kays, including Caroline, 15.
Could that be Eliza's family?
Thomas is transcribed as 30 on FS
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQJ1-9T9
Weirdly, down the same street is a John Leach, 30, Sadler, and family
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQJ1-S4Z
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Baptism of Louisa Ann, 30 July 1840, St Pancras
Parents John & Louisa Leach
John a Harness Maker
Abode Charles St
There must have been a lot of Charles Streets in London in 1841, but it is a coincidence as William Leach gave Charles Street as his residence in 1839.
Were both their addresses on that marriage St Pancras ones? How would that work? :-\
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Morning Herald, 8 July 1834
Three desperate ruffians charged with breaking into the premises of William Leach, saddler and harness maker, in Tottenham Court New Road, with the aim of burgling the place :o
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From the Old Bailey Online...
Item dated 16 April 1806 concerning George Greerson who had been indicated for stealing a shirt and half-handkerchief from William Leach, a sadler of Carnaby Market.
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Marriage 21st March 1841 St Anne Soho
James Henry Leach, full age bachelor, engineer, King St. Father – William Leach Saddler
Mary Ann Titmus, minor, spinster
Witnesses – Abraham Titmus (father of bride) and Mary Leach
Census records (Chatham Kent) for James Henry Leach show him born abt 1820 St Lukes Middlesex
1841 census for King St. St Anne Soho (address match for marriage)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQVF-9FX
Mary Leach 60 (widow?) with sons William 30 (compositor) and Henry 25 (labourer)
Map of St Anne Soho
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Anne_Within_the_Liberty_of_Westminster#/media/File:Plan_of_the_parish_of_St_Anne_Soho.png
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2 baptisms on the same day
(Note the big gap between birth and baptism, so perhaps parents weren’t very interested in religion and didn't worry too much about baptism. )
Baptism for James Henry Leech 17 Feb 1828
St George Hanover Square
Born 17 Aug 1819
Parents William (a saddler) and Mary
Abode Leicester Street
Baptism for John William Leech 17 Feb 1828
St George Hanover Square
Born 25 July 1823
Parents William (a saddler) and Mary
Abode Leicester Street
Note that Leicester St is on the above map of St Anne, Soho, a couple of streets away from King St.
The old Carnaby Market (mentioned in clip above) was in the same general area.
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Other baptisms at St George Hanover Square (too early for father’s occupation to be recorded)
William George Leech
Baptised 26 Aug 1810, born 10 June 1810
Parents William and Mary Leech
Samuel Henry Leech
Baptised 1 March 1812, born 9 Feb 1812
Parents William and Mary Leech
(This Samuel Henry is traceable in the census, living with his mother Mary who was born abt 1780 in Wincanton, Somerset)
1851 census
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGBJ-RN1
Missing yet are births of children for William and Mary Leach between 1813 and 1818.
1861 census shows a son named Thomas born abt 1817. Maybe not baptised?
This is Thomas's marriage
24 Sept 1848 St Anne Soho
Thomas Leech, fullage bachelor, blind maker, King Street. Father – William Leech saddler
Martha Crew, full age spinster, King Street. Father – Joseph Crew farmer
Witnesses – Timothy Fynn? And Mary Ann Genesis?
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Possible?
Marriage for William Leech and Mary Hansford
30 Apr. 1809 St George, Hanover Square
He signed name
There is a birth for a Mary Hansford at the correct time in Wincanton, Somerset
See FreeReg
https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/58182415e93790eca38a93c0/mary-hansford-baptism-somerset-wincanton-1781-02-18?locale=en
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Mary Leech (born Wincanton) age 92, is still going strong in 1871 census St Martin in the Fields
Has a grandson Thomas Leach 22, living with her.
She appears in the St Marylebone, workhouse in Jan 1872
DEATH
LEACH, MARY Age 91
GRO Reference: 1872 M Quarter in MARYLEBONE Volume 01A Page 375
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Lots of things fit / make sense here, but not completely sure if this is your William Leach – or a red herring.
William Henwood LEACH
Baptised 24 Sep 1787 (born 3 Sept)
St Sepulchre, City of London
Parents – John and Mary Leach of Snow Hill
3rd March 1824 Leathersellers Hall. London
William Henwood Leach, son of John Leach citizen and leather seller of London deceased, was this day admitted into the freedom of the Leathersellers Company by patrimony.
Leathersellers Company just for info.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worshipful_Company_of_Leathersellers
William Henwood LEECH age 51 (of Letherdressers Asylum / hospital)
Burial 6 May 1838
St Helen, Bishopgate
GRO entry
LEACH, WILLIAM HENWOOD Age 51
GRO Reference: 1838 J Quarter in OF THE CITY OF LONDON UNION Volume 02 Page 134
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I think then that we have two men (at least!) called William Leach who were saddlers/harness makers.
William George, born 1810, was at home with mother Mary in 1841
James Henry, born 1819 was apprenticed by the Somersetshire Society in 1834, and John William, born 1823, was apprenticed by them in 1837.
And I think Thomas was apprenticed in 1831.
Are they related to John in St Pancras, and William, who married in Shoreditch?
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It's a William Leach in the Morning Herald again!
Which one? I am getting confused now.
This is from the edition of 21 December 1820
Foreman to a saddle and harness maker in Bishopsgate Street
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This could be the marriage of George, the witness in 1839
21 February 1842, at St. Pancras, some difficult writing here
George Leach, Bachelor, Harness Maker, father Will Leach, Harness Maker
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Matilda Collings, Spinster, father J Collings, Builder (I think!)
Both of full age, residence Platt St (?)
Witnessed by Wm (probably!) Leach, Sophia Collings
Birth of a son George in 1849
LEACH, GEORGE
Mother's Maiden Surname: COLLINGS
GRO Reference: 1849 S Quarter in SAINT PANCRAS Volume 01 Page 289
Baptism of George, 14 October 1849, St Pancras
He was born 2 September.
Parents George & Matilda Leach
Abode Judd St
Father a Harness Maker
They are in Judd Street in 1851, over two pages.
George Leach is 34, born Middlesex Bloomsbury. Occupation Army accoutrement maker
For some reason transcribed as Leash in places
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SGTN-QWV
George and Matilda are easy to find in the following census years, i.e. 1861 when George is 44, born St. Pancras
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2M2-YXYY
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Does this lead to a double baptism, 9 March 1817, in St. Pancras?
The writing is very faint
George
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John Bishop
Sons of William + Elizabeth Leach
Abode Somers Town
Father a Sadler
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Also a baptism of Mary Ann, 24 January 1819
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:8G9H-1BT2
Parents William + Elizabeth Ann Leach
Abode Chapel Path
Father a Harness Maker
Born 4 January 1819
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Going back a bit
LEACH, ELIZA
Mother's Maiden Surname: KAY
GRO Reference: 1840 S Quarter in SAINT PANCRAS Volume 01 Page 245
Possible marriage?
19 May 1861, St Pancras
Thomas Randall, full (age), Bachelor, Carman, residence Cromer Street
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Eliza Leach, full, Spinster, Brighton Street, father William Leach, Dead
One of the witnesses was a John Leach.
Birth of daughter
RANDALL, EMMA SARAH
Mother's Maiden Surname: LEACH
GRO Reference: 1867 S Quarter in SHOREDITCH Volume 01C Page 70
Baptism for her 21 July 1867
Parents Thomas + Eliza Randle
22 Old Nichol St
Father a Green Grocer
Sadly Emma Sarah seems to have died the following year, age 1
In 1871, Thomas and Eliza Randell at 536 Mile End Road
Thomas is 35, Greengrocer, born Chelsea
Eliza is 30, born Grays Inn Road
Is this her? Where was she in 1851 and 1861?
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Unfortunately, permanently missing from the 1841 census are the areas of St Luke and West Finsbury.
I suspect this is why we cannot find either William Leach junior or senior in that census.
I think we have identified the 2 different Leach families involved in saddlery, and so the Soho family can be eliminated.
We have 4 children born to William Leach and Elizabeth:- William abt 1811, John Bishop abt 1814, George 1817 and Mary Ann 1819. Mary Ann's baptism was in Islington, while John and George were in St Pancras.
I couldn’t find a baptism for William junior, but this may indicate he was not born in the London area, and that the family might have arrived in the metropolis when he was a small child.
I think would be inclined to get death certificates for William junior to see the address and informant.
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Hi Neale
The Prospectus of the Somersetshire Society was published in 1840 (is on google books)
It lists those currently apprenticed by the society. James Henry was apprenticed in 1833 (not 1834!), and the different wording on James' entry compared to John's makes me wonder if was written in 1833, not 1840. Perhaps there were earlier editions.
If so, father William was dead by 1833, possibly even by 1831.
Perhaps then the William Henwood Leach death in 1838 in Bishopsgate that you found could be a possibility for the other family?
Then again, George Leach's marriage in 1842 was witnesssd by a William :-\ (I think!), which would mean that the William Leach death in Pancras in 1841 age 29 was not his brother? But I can't find the Elizas :(
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WOW! I've been away for a couple of days and have just read all of these amazing replies and finds. I cannot thank you all enough!
It's going to take a while to go through everything you've found to see if and where it fits but I definitely think the Charles street address isn't a coincidence. I already had the baptism of Louisa Ann in 1840 as well as baptisms of other children of John and Louisa and this fits in with their movements. They did seem to move every few years but sometimes only moving a few streets away. I have found other Leach's in and around the same areas and some of the other names mentioned here ones I've found and previously added to my tree but then removed because I then found I had them linked to the wrong person. It's looking more and more like they should be in the tree but connected to a different William or John. There is also definitely more than one William Leach working as harness maker in the St. Pancras (ish) area and I suspect that neither person has a complete set of records which is why its so easy to get them mixed up and might also explain why they seem to move around so much.
Phew, gonna need to go through this with a fine tooth comb! Thanks again everyone.
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I agree that William Henwood Leech has nothing to do with the Soho Leach family, but I also think he probably is not part of the St Pancras family we are looking for. He possibly is just a distraction, but I posted it when I came across the information, in case it was useful at a later date.
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Comparison of William Leach signatures
1/ Signature of William Leash, witness at George Leach’s marriage 21 July 1842 to Matilda Collings.
2/ Signature of the groom William Leach at his marriage 20 May 1839 to Eliza Kay.
Are they the same man? Just comparing the formation of letters in the surname, I suspect they are.
I have had no luck finding William and Eliza in the census.
When did William die?
William’s widow, Eliza Leach, 39 (Maiden name Kay) remarried on 6 Oct 1861 Bethnal Green to Richard Wood. (Her age on her second marriage is totally fictitious, as she was baptised in 1811.)
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I keep coming back to this census, which I find interesting.
1841 census William Leach (55) and Elizabeth Leach (45) at 14 Finsbury St, St Luke
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQVS-V43
William is recorded as having income from “independent” means. He has a wife named Elizabeth, and both are the right age for children born abt 1810-1820, and in an area very close to St Pancras.
I wonder if this is our William Leach senior, but by 1841 had stopped working, & had passed the business to his sons.
What makes it interesting is the very next abode, which is full of single young men (apart from the head of house) there is a leather cutter, a bridle cutter, 2 saddlers and 2 curriers. Did they work for William Leach or have an association with him, or is it a coincidence?
Then is this the death of the same man?
Burial for a William Leach (age 57) on 24 May 1842, at Bunhill Fields Burial Grounds
Address Chiswell St Finsbury (Around the corner from Finsbury Street)
GRO death entry
LEACH, WILLIAM Age 59
GRO Reference: 1842 J Quarter in SAINT LUKE MIDDLESEX Volume 02 Page 183