John White - Harrow Weald

[Valda]

Hi Philippa

Unfortunately with a surname like White it is difficult to say whether any of the women do have a connection to the family you are interested in unless you access their wills and even then as with John White's will it still may not be apparent.

Regards

Valda

[dawnsh]

Hi Philippa

Tried to view the registers on microfilm today, the register is a composite one so all the birth, deaths and marriages are mixed up, the handwriting is almost impossible to read and many pages are badly faded.

Too much of a challenge.

Sorry.

Dawn

[philippaF]

Hi Dawn,
Thank you so much for trying. I guess my only hope now is that someone has been through the graveyard and made a note of the headstone's before erosion made them illegible.
Best wishes
Philippa

[carol8353]

I was born in Harrow Weald 

If you man was the Squire of Harrow Weald,I really cannot see him being buried in a church on Harrow on the Hill.

The main church in Harrow Weald is All Saints(my inlaws are buried there)

See www.london.anglican.org/ChurchShow_2402 

Not sure when it first opened but it's very old 

Carol

[Valda]

Hi Philippa

You could contact Harrow local studies library and ask them

http://www.lwmfhs.org.uk/record-offices/33-record-offices-a-local-studies/19-harrow-local-history-collection-.html

Depending on social standing people were buried outside or inside the church. However for someone to be buried inside the church or to have a gravestone/family tomb that might have stood some of the ravages of time, you would expect that person to have accumulated some wealth and therefore to have left a will.

Other than presumably what Thomas White the coal merchant in St Lukes said about his social background what evidence do you have that his father was indeed ' a celebrated hunting squire from Harrow Weald'? A squire would certainly be someone who was 'landed gentry'. Such a prominent individual in the parish would likely leave some record of their existence and Harrow local studies library should be able to track down something that refers to him. If so you are then left to prove a connection between John White landed gentry in Harrow and your Thomas White the coal merchant in St Lukes.


Checking through the PCC wills for John Whites between 1750-1790 (and there are 107 so a common name) the only other John White will which seems to reference to either Harrow or St Lukes is


Will of John White, Tiresmith of Saint Luke Old Street , Middlesex 09 October 1767 PROB 11/933  



St Mary the Virgin, Harrow-on-the-Hill is the ancient parish church of Harrow. All Saints, Harrow Weald dates from the late 1830s, early 1840s.


http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/genuki/MDX/HarrowOnTheHill/index.html#ChurchHistory


I also checked Lambeth Palace Library index as specified on the link above but can't see a will held by them but that might be worth checking further.


http://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/content/searchcollections


St Mary Harrow on the Hill

http://www.harrowhill.org/information.htm



Regards

Valda

[philippaF]

The Parish of Harrow Weald was created in 1845 and building of All Saints' Church was started in 1846 according to their website. John White would have been born around 1700 and a younger son was born c1732 which is why I was looking at Harrow on the Hill, or are there any other churches in the Harrow Weald area from that time?

The reason why there may be no will  is that (according to family papers) the Squire was very fond of hunting and horses and supposedly most of his money went so that the eldest son inherited an impoverished estate. Unfortunately I don't know the names of any of his children other than Thomas, who did leave a will.
Best wishes
Philippa

[Valda]

Philippa

I have given you in my last post the link to the genuki website which lists all the Anglican churches in the ancient parish of Harrow and their foundation dates.

I would definitely contact Harrow local studies library because they should be able to verify information on someone who was prominent in the Harrow parish in the C1th.

When do the family papers date from before or after Thomas' time? Are they evidenced or family folk lore? 

Regards

Valda

[philippaF]

Hi Valda,
It looks as if it is most likely to be Harrow on the Hill, although it could I suppose be the one in Pinner. I emailed Harrow local studies library yesterday, and am keeping my fingers crossed that they can help. The family papers are, I suspect, a mixture of fact and myth, there is a family tree which comes from either a sister or perhaps niece of Thomas White's second wife and letters written around the 1900s from someone born in the 1860s quoting something his father told him. I can't thank you enough for all your help. I really appreciate it.
Best wishes
Philippa

[Valda]

Hi Philippa

Also bearing in mind that it is possible Thomas was a self made man. If so he might have chosen to elevate his past a little to help adjust him, to his and his family's growing status in their own community.

Regards

Valda