Daniel Ledsam of Willenhall and Birmingham

[bradelkington]

Hi there I just wanted to confirm the link between the ledsams of willenhall Staffordshire and that of Birmingham if anyone can help please.
My fifth great grandfather was John Ledsam baptised I believe 18 june 1792 at st phillip Birmingham to Daniel ledsam and Catherine (unknown maiden name) in 1814 john ledsam married in st peters Wolverhampton in 1841 census he was aged 49 living in pool hayes willenhall as a locksmith, died in 1849 willenhall of cholera aged 58.
Ive looked of freereg at ledsams  born in willenhall there was a ann ledsam baptised 14 sept 1788 and Daniel ledsam 6 dec 1789 both have parents Daniel and Catherine the same as my john in Birmingham in 1792.

Now moving back to the Daniel of willenhall/Birmingham theres a burial for a Daniel in 1800 in willenhall but I belive that's the one born 1789 and in 1851 census theres a Daniel ledsam born 1772 Birmingham aged 79 a I P of Warwickshire   living with a sister named ann aged 86.

What stricks me is that this Daniel ledsam seems to have massive importance in Birmingham when I type his name into findmypast newspapers theres no end of pages of newpaperes he appears in for different reasons, he comes up as a esquire quite a lot.
Theres a will on ancestry he died 18 December 1857 aged 86 he left £30,000 to his son reverend Daniel ledsam (he was born 1812 not to Catherine he must of remarried) so seems he was very wealthy. His son my fifth great grandfather john was dead in 1849 so not in will I guess

Can someone please look into Daniel ledsam for me as to why he was so rich and if he is the one living in willenhall in 1780s, thankyou

[jim1]

I've looked into this family before:
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=223350.0
it was one of the Ledsam's (Thomas I think) that had a street named after him after he improved the quality of brass into what it is today.
They had their fingers in many pies mainly involved with brass manufacturing.
There about 4 Ledsams mentioned in trade directories, Thomas;John;James & Joseph probably all related.

[bradelkington]

Thanks for the response Jim1 that's something worth looking into for me thanks for that.
On the newspapers on findmypast I learnt that Daniel ledsam became a high bailiff of Birmingham sounds intelligent!
How can I prove that my John born 1792 Birmingham son of Daniel and Catherine (same parents as the willenhall Daniel 1789 and ann 1788) is the son of the Daniel ledsam born 1771/2 the high bailiff?

Theres no baptism of a john around 1792 in willenhall just Daniel and ann mentioned above but theres john in 1792 st phillip Birmingham to Daniel and Catherine.

I cannot find a burial for Catherine ledsam but I believe she died before 1805 as Daniel remarries theres a article on findmyast newspapers that states in newspaper dates 30 march 1805 in Northamptonshire Daniel ledsam of Birmingham and miss sodden of Coventry married Saturday last, although on freereg I cannot find this marriage in Northamptonshire?
regards

[jim1]

A good source would be a will for Daniel Ledsam although I can't see one at present,however I have found a will for John Moreton Ledsam Surgeon who is one of those listed in the trade directories.His Trustee is his brother Daniel a merchant of B'ham another listed in the directories.
The other Trustee is another entrant & that's Joseph Frederick Ledsam,nephew also a surgeon.
Probated 1833.
There's also one for Ann Ledsam, spinster. Her sole executor is her nephew Joseph Frederick Ledsam & she leaves a bequest to her brother Daniel.
Probated 1857.
So you now know that John, Daniel & Ann are siblings.
If your John was a locksmith & died in 1849 then he can't be one of the them.

There's no will for Daniel Snr. at Canterbury but if he died in Willenhall which was a Perculiar Court (Royal Free Chapel of Wolverhampton) the will if it exists is at Lichfield records office.

[Jool]

Hi, this may be of interest

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01aay/

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01aaz/

[Jool]

http://www.hunimex.com/warwick/bmd/death_announcements_1874-1907.html

8/8/1862   LEDSAM 6i Summer Hill in 80th yr Sarah Elizabeth relict of Daniel Esq

[jim1]

The B'ham Ledsams descend from Thomas & Charlotte nee Ward including Daniel b.1772. He must be the Daniel who married Catherine ?
The middle name of Moreton is common with this family.
The John Moreton Ledsam brother of Daniel & Ann was born 1762 & died 1832 & isn't the one born 1792 as I thought.
The Ann who died 1857 was born 1815.
The census for Ann is a bit strange as she's 21 in 1841 & 86 in 1851.
It's the same Ann as she has a servant Mary Weston in both & she's mentioned in her will.
Her death in 1857 gives a birth year of 1815.
OK. in 1841 she says she is "upwards of" 21. A bit of a joke I think.
Her burial although transcribed as 42 is actually 92.
So the 3 siblings are a generation before your John.
Edit:
Just re-reading your original post. The Rev. Daniel Ledsam was a Trustee not the sole beneficiary.
You will need this will to see if he left anything to John's widow or children.

[Robbie10]

Hi,

I just bought a large Victorian Villa in Hastings, East Sussex and I am doing some research on it.

So far I have found that it was built in c1860 as far as i can tell by Reverend Daniel Ledsam himself and occupied by him until he passed away in 1904.  His Mother also lived here until 1925. 

The house hasn't been updated since 70's (?) it's a complete time warp with lots of original features.  Dainel Ledsam is buried in Ore Cemetery.  This link my be helpful to you:

http://wyndhammarsh.co.uk/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I14729&tree=CledwynMarsh

There are lots of streets surrounding this house named Ledsam Place, Ledsam Road etc..  the Ledsam's must of sold off land from the house to build more houses.

This is the house, Ashbrooke Lodge: https://www.onthemarket.com/details/4248078/

I was the only buyer willing to keep the house as it stands, every other buyer wanted to knock it down and build on the land. So rest assured it's safe for many more years!

Anyway, I saw your post as I was doing some research and thought you may be interested in the information I had.

Robbie

[grinzo59]

First of all thank you for not demolishing the house.  My name is Janene Grinham and I am from Australia.  My mother's maiden name is Ledsam (she is still alive and is 91 years old).  So my great great grandfather George Moreton Ledsam BIRTH 14 SEP 1856 • 233 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Warwick, England and he came to Australia around 1883, I think because didn't really get on with his stepmother.  The Ledsam's in England owned lots and lots of property as you have indicated in Birmingham and yes they sold a lot off over the years.  In fact they sold a whole lot of land and it became a small estate Weoley Castle Housing Estate.  James Goddington Ledsam was the final owner of Weoley Castle, he lived more or less as a recluse in a big house surrounded by an eight foot brick wall and approached by a long tree-lined avenue (Princethorpe Road) near the gates of Lodge Hill Cemetery.  There is a school now on the site of the old house.  You can visit the ruins of Weoley Castle, I came to England in 2010 to visit the ruins.  Due to ill health I probably wont get to visit again unfortunately.  Daniel Ledsam apparently brought the castle (fortified manor hourse) in 1809.