Hello OFG
The Phipps do not appear to have been a Huguenot family so do not appear in the proceedings, though I have had a look into them and it does appear they married into Huguenot families.
The origin of the London family appears to be one Robert Phipps. He was married at the Anchors Crown Public House, Fleet Prison Liberty, Westminster, by the Reverend John Gaynam on 8 October 1730. Gaynam operated at the Fleet from 1709-1740 and self styled himself as 'the Doctor', and interestingly is described in John Southerden Burn's history of the Fleet registers as 'famed for the number of his marriages and unrivaled for notoriety of character! His nickname was 'The Bishop of Hell". Robert's bride was Ann-Maria Green, and on the record he is described as 'living in st Botolph, Aldgate, a Framework Knitter.'
I cannot find a baptism for him in that parish and suspect he was born outside London. There is an Edward Phipps, Framework Knitter, on a list of Leicester tradesmen who complained of their conditions in 1701, so he may have been from this area. Before 1721 most silk yarn was 'thrown' at home by hand, but the invention of a water-powered throwing mill by Thomas Lombe in Derby, led to the beginning of 'factory production' of silk, and the Spitalfields Manufacturers needed skilled framework knitters to operate their new machines.
Robert and Ann Marie had several children together. Two of their sons Robert and Peter went into the silk business, Robert as a throwster, Peter as a weaver.
Peter is the ancestor of your line, he was baptised 5 Dec 1736 at St Mary's, Whitechapel. He was married to Elizabeth Ferry 7 August 1764 at St Leonard's, Shoreditch. She may well have been from a Huguenot family, there were several different families by this name in London's Huguenot silk weaving community.
Peter and Elizabeth had several children baptised in East London between 1765-81. His son Robert Phipps, born 11 December 1776, baptised Christmas day 1776 at St Matthew's, Bethnal Green, was apprenticed aged 15 on 3 January 1792 as a silk weaver, to Matthew Read citizen and weaver. His elder brother Thomas had also been apprenticed to the same gentleman 7 years earlier. Their father Peter was described as a weaver on their records, of St John Street, Bethnal Green in 1785, and Mile End New Town in 1792. Peter died in 1827, leaving a will, and his adress at that time was Wilmot Street, Bethnal Green.
Robert Phipps certainly did marry into a Huguenot family. His bride was Elizabeth Rebelou, daughter of Guilluame/William Rebelou, and they were married 26 February 1805 at St Dunstan's, Stepney.
Robert John Phipps was their son, born 7 august 1807, baptised 13 september 1807 at St Matthew's, Bethnal Green.
He married Hannah Thompson 15 Aug 1832 St Stephen Coleman Street. On the 1841 census they are living, with their seven year old daughter Hannah, at the same address given for his family 56 years earlier on his uncles apprenticeship records, St John Street, Bethnal Green. His occupation is given as a silk weaver. From 1861 he is south of the river in Kent working as a brewer, later a master brewer and died there at Southborough, Kent 11 October 1885, again leaving a will.
This move was not unusual, the English silk industry had been in a long slow century long decline since the lifting of trade restrictions with France in the 1760's. It hit a particularly rocky patch in the 1820's, which it never full recovered from, and when further free trade legislation was passed in 1860 it faced virtually total collapse, at least in London. Around 90% plus left the industry at that time. The elderly ended up in the workhouses but the younger tried to find alternative work. Many of them did become publicans and brewers, my own Bellenger silk weaving ancestors did the same in this decade, I imagine because this was one business that was always thriving in Victorian London...beer shop on every corner etc. Before the rise of the Charrington mission and the abstinence movement around the turn of the century!
Hope that helps a bit, if you want me to have a look at the Rebelou family too let me know.
Regards
Richard
