Kempsters

[assa69]

I have managed to trace my Kempster family line from Peckham, Camberwell, Newington, St Bride-Fleet Street, St Dunstan in the West, to St Sepulchre  and have got got struck with Thomas Kempster (born around 1786 - based upon 1841 census).
 
Thomas married Jemima Charlotte Depree in 1812 at St Sepulchre (from Pallot's marriage index).  They had 11 number of children and lived either side of the river, ie, eastern extremes of the City of London or Newington in Southwark.  Thomas appears on the 1841 census a builder living at   Fenchurch Buildings, Fenchurch Street, St Katherine Coleman in London, Middlesex.  But was listed as not being born in Middlesex.
 
Does anyone have any information that you could share on these Kempster's living in London and help me get a bit further back.
 
Many thanks in advance
 
Aaron

[nanny jan]

Hi Aaron,

Have you found Thomas on 1851 census?  If he had died by then have you looked for a will? Wills sometimes hold clues as to birthplace .

Nanny Jan

[assa69]

Thanks for the reply

On census 1841, Thomas is living with 3 of his offspring, but his wife Jemima is nowhere to be found in 1841.  However, she reappears on the 1851 in West Ham with living two of their daugthers and a niece.  Jemima is listed as a widower.  I have found the death record for Thomas in last quarter of 1850 also in West Ham.

Aaron

[Valda]

Thomas Kempster married by licence. Have you obtained a copy of the licence to see whether it gives any further information - at least his parish of residency at the time of his marriage?
The licence will give further information about his bride since she was a minor when she married. Pallot's index gives her father's name as Charles Thomas Dupree.

There are two Prerogative Cout of Canterbury wills for men of that name.

Will of Charles Thomas Depree of Langley Marish , Buckinghamshire 30 November 1837 PROB 11/1886

Will of Charles Thomas Depree, late Gunner in the E Company of the Fourth Battalion of Artillery No 2862 in the Honorable the East India Company's Service 12 April 1851 PROB 11/2130

There is also this further will that looks to be connected to these two men.

Will of Esther Upton Depree, Spinster of Langley Marish , Buckinghamshire 05 October 1841 PROB 11/1952

The only other PCC will for the surname Depree is

Will of James Depree, Paviour of Strand , Middlesex 17 August 1831 PROB 11/1789

This Depree by his occupation also seems as if he may be connected to a Charles Thomas Depree (who may or may not be connected to the Buckinghamshire Deprees).

Records of Sun Fire Office (Insurance) at the Guildhall Library
FILE - Policy register - ref.  MS 11936/501  - date: 1824-1825
item:  [no title] - ref.  MS 11936/501/1037835  - date: 9 November 1825
Insured: Charles Thomas Depree 5 Foundling Terrace Grays Inn Road paviour

FILE  [no title] - ref.  MS 11936/469 [n.d.]
item:  [no title] - ref.  MS 11936/469/922313  - date: 25 September 1816
Insured: Charles Thomas Depree Junr, 59 Old Bailey, pavier

FILE  [no title] - ref.  MS 11936/462 [n.d.]
item:  [no title] - ref.  MS 11936/462/881814  - date: 3 May 1813
Insured: Charles Thomas Depree, junr, 59 Old Bailey

Corporation of London Record Office
City Lands Estates, London
Bridge House Estates, London
Estates Management
Contracts - ref. CLA/008/EM/01
FILE - Descriptions of works on City lands (including markets, prisons, stairs and bargehouse, Guildhall and other buildings) and Bridge House estates [including London Bridge], with signed agreements, volume 3 - ref.  CLA/008/EM/01/003  - date: 20 Jun 1805 - 24 Mar 1838
ff 57-59b Leadenhall: Contract for building + finishing a range of shops (4 Drawings referred to). Old shops to be taken down at City's expense + not to be property of contractor. Bricklayers' work: foundations, drains etc. GF to be 6" above pavement; Basement 7' high, paved including its areas; GF 11½' high. Carpenters' work: list of sizes of all timbers. Shop to be partitioned from counting house, latter to have window in W. side with sliding shutters. Shutters to shop ports; step ladder from basement to GF. Windows in basement + privy in each. Masons' work: pave basement with stones from GF of old shops. Regulate + repave passage on E. side of now shops with channel down its centre. Cope parapets, chimneys of compting houses etc. Plumbers. Smiths + ironmongers. Slaters to use best Duchess states. Painters. £1160. Between Mayor + Commonalty etc. and Thomas Kempster (sig), 32 Bouverie St. 8 October 1818.
ff83-83b. Smithfield: Contract for paving with granite area extending on the W. side of the Market from the gateway to Mr. Pritchard's premises to the N. corner of Mr. Sharpe's house, & on the S. side from the gateway to St. Bartholemew's Hospital in Giltspur St. to the E. corner of Duke St., & on the E. side of the Market from the gateway to Bartholemew Close to the S. corner of Long Lane and the E. side of the Pounds which is now pewed with pebble paving. All to be granite except the Rounds, with a moorstone curb, the present one being used where possible + repaired. Take up pebble paving from the tye rails + the channel dividing the same from the public carriage-way except for the gateways already paved + the footways. To make proper water channels + connect old with new paving in proper manner. Market days to be interrupted as little as possible. To keep same in repair for 12 months after completion of contract [...] included in paving cost. Then to keep same in repair for ordinary wear + for St. Bart's Fair.for 7 yrs at £10 p.a. £398 (inc. repair for 12 months). Between Mayor + Commonalty etc. and Charles Thomas Depree the elder + the younger, of Old Bailey, paviors. (sigs), 16 April 1822

This Thomas Kempster appears to have been a carpenter

Records of Sun Fire Office
FILE  [no title] - ref.  MS 11936/462 [n.d.]
item:  [no title] - ref.  MS 11936/462/887898  - date: 25 November 1813
Insured: Thomas Kempster, Silver Street Bouverie Street, carpenter
item:  [no title] - ref.  MS 11936/462/887899  - date: 25 November 1813
Insured: Thomas Kempster, Silver Street Bouverie Street, carpenter

Regards

Valda

[Valda]

1841 census HO107 61/2 folio 7
Langley Broom? Langley Marish Buckinghamshire
Esther Depree 50 Ind(ependent) not born Buckinghamshire
Georgianna Berncel 25 Ind(ependent) born Buckinghamshire
Ann Kempster 5 not born Buckinghamshire
plus 3 servants

Burial
16th September 1837 St Mary the Virgin Langley Marish Buckinghamshire
Charles Thomas Depree aged 67

Regards

Valda

[Valda]

The Times 7th January 1861
On the 4inst at Maryland Point, Stratford, Essex, deeply lamented, Jemima Charlotte, relict of the late Thomas Kempster, and daughter of the later C T Depree Esq of Langley Broom Bucks.

Regards

Valda

[assa69]

Hi Valda

Thanks for all that information, I knew that Charles Thomas Depree was in the paviours business from apprentice records held on the Origins website, as was his father.

I will need to make a trip to Guildhall in February to check the marriage record.  Thomas being a carpenter also makes sense as later generations were also carpenters.

The Buckinghamshire connection missed me by for the "retirement" of Charles and Esther Depree.

I will certainly also look into those wills and I believe all appear to apply, as James was Charles Thomas Depree's younger brother

Thanks again

Aaron

[Valda]

The PCC wills can be ordered and received immediately from The National Archives electronically. To check whether Thomas Kempster left a will I would check with Essex Record Office (PCC Administrations have not been indexed electronically). Jemima died once the state (and not the church) had begun to probate all wills so if she left a will hers will be held by Her Majesty's Court Service - Probate service.
Both Thomas' will and Jemima's if they left one are less likely to give clues to Thomas' origins but you never know - obviously the earlier the will the more likely it will be to give some information which might help.

Another connection through records of the surnames Depree and Kempster to Bouverie Street
Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office
EARL OF RADNOR
Catalogue Ref. 490
Title deeds of individual places
London: Whitefriars property - Fleet Street, Bouverie Street, etc.

FILE  [no title] - ref.  490/574  - date: 1812-1928
Parties: Jacob second earl of Radnor, Christie, Jacob fourth earl of Radnor, Symmons, William fifth earl of Radnor, Kempster, Depree, Gray, Wells, Thomson, Mackay, Jacob sixth earl of Radnor, [...] Oppenheimer, Apperly; Pictorial Newspaper Company (1910) Ltd., George first baron Riddall.

FILE  [no title] - ref.  490/584  - date: 1816-1925
Parties: Jacob fourth earl of Radnor, Rogers, William fifth earl of Radnor, Reid's Brewery Co., Jacob sixth earl of Radnor, Watson, Room, Vale, Skelton, Jacob second earl of Radnor, Moyes, Smith, Ingle, Gale, Baker, Warde, Oldfield, Gadsby, Payne, Kempster, Cooke, Bradford, Arrowsmith, Willett, Blanford, Depree, Pullan, Beetham, Woodward, William third earl of Radnor, Churchill, Hedge, Garlick, Pechey.


The London Magazine 1821
Bankrupts
Kempster T Bouverie St, Fleet St carpenter [Templer 12 John St Minories T

(according to The Times a Thomas Kempster builder went bankrupt in 1844 - properties in Blackman Street, Borough, in Kent Street Southwark, in Cole Street, Dover Road and Vine Street, Minories)

The Depree connection to Buckinghamshire seems to predate by some years 'a moving out of London for merely retirement purposes'.
 
22nd October 1817
The Times
On Saturday 11th inst Mr G Griffiths, jeweller of Cursitor street to Catherine Jane, daughter of C T Depree, Esq of Foundling- terrace and Mecklenburg-hall High Wycombe Bucks

The National Archives has indexed quite a few Chancery documents which might concern your Deprees (difficult to tell without looking at the actual documents) plus also records such as

ED 49/357 Langley Marish: The Church House and Depree's Educational Foundation 1905-1906

WO 97/1209/262 CHARLES THOMAS DEPREE Born HOLBORN, London and Middlesex Served in Madras Artillery Discharged aged [Not Known] 1847-1850

Doesn't answer your initial question about Thomas Kempster's origins but are probably of interest in their own right. It might be worth contacting Buckinghamshire Record Office to see whether they hold anything further on the Deprees including any wills proved locally.

Regards

Valda