Is MOUCHET a French surname ?

[Pilgarlic]

Hello
 I have ansestors with the surname MOUCHET. I have not come across this surname before. Would anyone know if it is an English surname.  If not, could it be French ?

[stanmapstone]

It comes from the French Mouche, a nickname from the housefly, denoting a small light person, an insignificant one, or an irritating one. Mouchet is a French diminutive.
FRom "The Oxford Names Companion"
Stan

[bearkat]

One of the earliest entries for MOUCHET and variants on the IGI is for Jacob MOUCHETE baptised about 16th July 1643 at Threadneedle Street French Huguenot Church, London.

[Pilgarlic]

Thanks to both of you for that. I have French blood in me ! 

The earliest i have gone back is Samuel Mouchet. He is named on his daughter Sarah Mouchet's marriage cert in 1848 St Mary, Newington and deceased.

IGI has a Samuel Mouchet baptised 1801 Westminster, London son of Abraham Mouchet. Problem is that a friend of mine gave me an extract from 'The Ancestor' Vol 5 1903 stating that the children of Abraham all died unmarried and without issue.

[stanmapstone]

One of the earliest entries for MOUCHET and variants on the IGI is for Jacob MOUCHETE baptised about 16th July 1643 at Threadneedle Street French Huguenot Church, London.

If the Mouchet family were French Huguenots then you could contact the Huguenot Society
http://www.huguenotsociety.org.uk/family/


Stan

[Pilgarlic]

Thanks for the link stanmapstone.  I will definately contact The Huguenot Society.   

[Valda]

St Mary Lambeth parish registers have no coverage on the IGI and the family seem to be connected with Lambeth.

1851 census HO107 1573 folio 67
18 Regency Place Lambeth
William Joseph Head Married Porter to wine merchant Surrey Lambeth
Sarah Joseph Wife Married Bonnet maker Surrey Newington
Sarah Mouchet Mother Widow 59 Bonnet maker London Cripplegate
Caroline Mouchet Daughter 23 Unmarried Bonnet maker Lambeth Surrey

Civil registration for Mouchet in Lambeth up to 1851

Deaths Jun 1838   
Mouchet  Mary Ann    Lambeth  4 216   
Marriages Jun 1846 
Mouchet  Henry     Lambeth  4 256   
Births Mar 1848 
MOUCHET  Sophia Sarah     Lambeth  4 250   
Births Sep 1850   
Mouchet  Caroline Frances     Lambeth  4 264
and
Deaths Sep 1849   
Mouchett  Thomas    Lambeth  4 324


1851 census HO107 1573 folio 71
8 Regency Square Lambeth
Henry Mouchet 29  Head Married House painter Surrey Lambeth
Sophia Mouchet 27 Wife Married Boot binder Surrey Lambeth
Sophia Mouchet 3  Daughter Surrey Lambeth
Caroline Mouchet 8 Months Daughter Surrey Lambeth

Prerogative Court of Canterbury will

Will of Henry Ann Mouchet of Lambeth , Surrey 03 October 1788 PROB 11/1171

The only baptism in the St Mary Newington baptisms on the IGI

CAROLINE MOUCHET
Birth:  14 MAR 1797   
Christening:  24 APR 1818   Saint Mary, Newington, Surrey
Father:  HENRY MOUCHET 
Mother:  MARY 

The earliest Mouchet Prerogative Court of Canterbury will

Will of Samuel Mouchet of Collombier Burgess of Neufchatel , Switzerland 02 December 1766 PROB 11/924

Regards

Valda

[Pilgarlic]

Thanks Valda. Your a star. So much information there. Excellent !


The 1851 census family of William Joseph is my family.. The thing that stands out for me is the fact that he is a 'Porter to Wine Merchant'.  My earlier post above gives my reason why i am unsure that his father in law Samuel Mouchet was the son of Abraham Mouchet. The thing is that Abraham Mouchet was a Wine Merchant in St Martins Lane, Westminster.   


Is 'The Ancestor Vol 5 1903' correct ?   What is the Ancestor Vol 5 anyway ?

Paul

P.S  A lot of Mouchet's are from Westminster on the IGI.

[Valda]

You can order Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills direct from The National Archives. An electronic copy costs £3.50

Will of Abraham Mouchet, Wine Merchant of Saint Anne Westminster , Middlesex
03 December 1793
PROB 11/1239

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/

The children of Abraham and Lucy Mouchet from the IGI's index of St Anne's Soho baptismal registers.

ANNE MOUCHET   
Birth:  25 JAN 1757   
Christening:  20 FEB 1757   Saint Anne Soho, Westminster, London
Father:  ABRAHAM MOUCHET 
Mother:  LUCY 

ABRAHAM JOHN MOUCHET
Birth:  05 JAN 1760     
Christening:  20 JAN 1760   Saint Anne Soho, Westminster, London
Father:  ABRAHAM MOUCHET 
Mother:  LUCY 

SUSANNA MOUCHET
Birth:  30 OCT 1761   
Christening:  15 NOV 1761   Saint Anne Soho, Westminster, London
Father:  ABRAHAM MOUCHET   
Mother:  LUCY 

JOHN ADELBERT MOUCHETT
Birth:  19 APR 1768   
Christening:  13 MAY 1768   Saint Anne Soho, Westminster, London
Father:  ABRAHAM MOUCHETT 
Mother:  LUCY 

SARAH MOUCHET
Birth:  26 APR 1770   
Christening:  29 MAY 1770   Saint Anne Soho, Westminster, London
Father:  ABRAHAM MOUCHET
Mother:  LUCY 

DANIEL MOUCHET
Birth:  24 APR 1771   
Christening:  03 JUN 1771   Saint Anne Soho, Westminster, London
Father:  ABRAHAM MOUCHET 
Mother:  LUCY 

If Samuel was the son of this Abraham then he would have been considerably older than his wife Sarah who from the 1851 census was born circa 1792.

A porter to a wine merchant is a very different class from what you would expect of a wine merchant's family. By 1861 William Joseph was a mason's labourer (1871 unemployed painter) so it looks as if William took what labouring jobs he was able to get and if so a porter to a wine merchant at the time of the 1851 census is not really significant compared with Abraham Mouchet's trade at the time of his death which was some some 58 years earlier in circa 1793.

Certainly Abraham John Mouchet married and had at least one child.

ABRAHAM MOUCHET
Birth:  16 FEB 1792   
Christening:  30 MAR 1792   Saint Anne Soho, Westminster, London
Father:  ABRAHAM JOHN MOUCHET   
Mother:  MARY 

John Adelbert probably had at least two as Sophia was with her younger unmarried sister Susanna A on the 1851. Both were unmarried and annuitants. Susanna left a PCC will showing she and her sister had some inherited wealth to support them.

SOPHIA ADELBERT MOUCHETT 
Christening:  11 JUL 1798   Saint Andrew, Holborn, London 
Father:  JOHN ADELBERT MOUCHETT 
Mother:  SOPHIA 

Will of Susanna Adelbert Mouchet, Spinster of Saint Mary Islington , Middlesex 08 October 1855 PROB 11/2221

Daniel Mouchet also appears to have married and had children.

SOPHIA MOUCHET
Birth:  20 MAY 1797   
Christening:  14 JAN 1798   Old Church, Saint Pancras, London
Father:  DANIEL MOUCHET   
Mother:  SARAH 

DANIEL MOUCHET 
Birth:  16 NOV 1798   
Christening:  13 JAN 1799   Old Church, Saint Pancras, London
Father:  DANIEL MOUCHET 
Mother:  SARAH 

JOHN ADELBERT LAWRENCE MOUCHET
Birth:  13 JUL 1799     
Christening:  13 OCT 1799   Old Church, Saint Pancras, London
Father:  JOHN ADELBERT MOUCHET 
Mother:  SOPHIA 


Regards

Valda