Alfred Lambe

Beginnings

Alfred Lambe, father of Alfred Boydell Lambe, was born March 3, 1789 to John and Mary Lambe.¹ (The maiden name of Mary Lambe, Alfred's mother, is unknown.) Alfred and his parents and siblings lived at 149 New Bond Street, which was two blocks from the church where he was christened, St. George Hanover Square Photograph of St. George Hanover Square ,² shown in the photograph at left. Based on a complete review of the christening records of that church, and corroborated by his grandmother's will, Alfred was probably the tenth of eleven children.

Career and Family

Despite Alfred's low rank in the order of births in his family, he was selected to help his mother run his father's wine merchant business after his father died in 1808. Perhaps because it was conventional for men to run businesses, and because John Lambe had built considerable goodwill among his customers, Alfred's mother continued the business in the name of John Lambe.³ Over the next twenty years, Alfred probably came to play a greater role in that business, so that when his mother died in 1827,⁴ the business moved into Alfred's name.

On September 29, 1810, Alfred married Ann Philpot in Brighton.⁵ The Lambes' connection to Brighton is mostly unknown, except that they either owned or were closely associated with a house there, part of which was advertised to be let a few years later. The advertisement reads as follows:⁶

BRIGHTON.--To be LET, Furnished or Unfurnished, the UPPER PART of a HOUSE, most desirably situate in the lower end of North-street, the back rooms looking on the Pavilion-gardens and Downs: on the first floor are two sitting-rooms, 2 bed-rooms, and water-closet; the second floor and attics at present make up 5 more beds; there are also two most convenient kitchens, one of which might be converted to a housekeeper's room, if required: it would be let for a long or short term. For particulars apply at 149, New Bond-street; 90, Cheapside; or 137, North-street, Brighton.

Alfred and Ann's first child was Alfred Boydell Lambe. Other children that have been identified include Robert, Jane, Charlotte, Frederick, Sophia and Adelaide.^{7, 8, 9, 10}

Alfred appears to have been moderately successful, since he was evidently able to pass on a viable business to his son Alfred B.,¹¹ although he his name also appears once in the list of bankrupts and dividends.¹² Indeed, Lord Fisher of Kilverstone, Alfred's grandson, is said to have written that Alfred had been deprived of a fortune in Portugal "through the artifices of a rogue".¹³ While I have found no other sources to explain such a statement, it is clear that Alfred was both influential and successful in his business and family relationships.

Alfred was a wine merchant at 149 New Bond Street until about 1838 when he gave up this location to his son Alfred B. He moved to his house at Bethnal Green, now part of London, from where he was both a wine merchant and orchil manufacturer - orchil was a purple dye popular at the time.¹⁴

Appearance before the House of Lords

Trial of Queen Caroline by George Hayter In 1830, Alfred and Ann (Philpot) Lambe appeared before the House of Lords in a divorce case.¹⁵ In that era, divorce had to be granted by an Act of parliament. Consequently, when the marriage of Samuel Boydell and Jane Boydell (Philpot) Boydell was in need of dissolution, such an Act was introduced. It was the responsibility of the House of Lords (pictured at right in 1820 in a painting by George Hayter¹⁶) to investigate. Because Alfred and Ann Lambe were parties to the events leading to the breakdown, they were called as witnesses. Alfred and Ann's reactions to Jane Boydell's affair make for interesting reading. In summary, the testimony tells us the following:

Ann Lambe is the aunt of Jane Boydell (Philpot) Boydell, the wife in the divorce case.
Despite this connection, both Alfred and Ann Lambe testified in support of the husband, Samuel Boydell.
Jane Boydell Philpot was educated in part by Ann Lambe in her home.
Alfred Lambe was a witness to the marriage.
Alfred and Ann Lambe had a house in Bethnal Green (as well as the house in New Bond Street).

Connection to the Boydells

Through his life, Alfred cultivated key relationships with various members of the Boydell family. He became a trusted confidante and advisor to this family. The Boydell family was the family of his wife's mother, discussed in detail below. It was powerful in the Arts community of England, and in the political establishment in London. The trust this family placed in Alfred can be seen by his being appointed executor by both Ann's uncle Josiah Boydell and her aunt Charlotte Boydell, in addition to being a witness to the wedding of Samuel Boydell and Jane Boydell Detail of 149 New Bond Street Philpot.¹⁷

One can also see evidence of the close relationship from the advertisement to let the house in Brighton cited above. Three addressess are given: 149 New Bond Street is the home of the Lambes, pictured at left,¹⁸ 137 North Street is presumably the house to be let, and 90 Cheapside was the former home of the late John Boydell, printseller, alderman,¹⁹ and one-time Lord Mayor of London, and by 1814 was the location of Boydell & Co., merchants and printsellers.²⁰

Later Life

In both the 1851 and 1861 censuses, Alfred can be found in Yorkshire, suggesting that he may have retired there.^{21, 22} Interestingly, some of what we were told about the Lambe family ancestry through the Lamb(e) Family Tree may have come from Alfred, through conversations with his grandson Alfred Boydell Lambe (Jr.).²³

The inherited family record states that Alfred Lambe died in 1861. Given the poor reliability of this record - for example, it stated that he was born in 1781 - the date cannot be trusted. Nevertheless, we have no other evidence of the correct date, except that it must have been no earlier than 1861 based on the census in that year.

Ann (Philpot) Lambe

Ann (Philpot) Lambe, mother of Alfred Boydell Lambe, was born September 24, 1790 to James and Maria (Boydell) Philpot.²⁴ Little is known about Ann's early life other than what is described above, except that she was born in Bethnal Green, now part of London. After marrying Alfred, she played a role in educating her niece Jane Boydell Philpot.²⁵

The Philpots

Her father, James Philpot, is only ever described as a "gentleman" in documents, so his profession, if any, is not known.²⁶

Their family life appears to have been the stuff of soap operas. In the 1791 will of Ann's grandfather, Josiah Boydell of Bethnal Green, he left a considerable inheritance to his children, but only allowed Ann's mother Maria five shillings and explained as follows:²⁷

And for as much as my Daughter Maria (now Mrs. Philpot) hath already received from me a considerable sum of Money for and as a Marriage Portion and I have been at much Expense and trouble in the Maintenance of herself and children since the conduct of her Husband had made it necessary and firmly believing that any parental care or gift of Money in any manner will in no ways contribute to her Happiness here I give and bequeath to her my said Daughter Maria (now Mrs. Philpot) the sum of five shillings only.

In 1794, however, he added a codicil to deal with the marriage of his daughter Frances, register a change in exectuors, and also reinstate the inheritance of Maria to twenty pounds, "despite her coverture", which means her married state. Married women were usually left less than their unmarried sisters, on the assumption that a woman's husband would take care of her financially.

What conduct did James Philpot follow that caused this reaction? We know that James Stevens Philpot was an older brother of Ann Philpot (and the father of Jane Boydell Philpot), and that he was born only six months after his parents' marriage.²⁸ Whether the fact that Maria Boydell was already pregnant when she married James Philpot was the reason for being almost overlooked in her father's will, we may never know. But suffice it to say that Alfred and Ann's good standing with the Boydell family was clearly a recovery from a significant disadvantage for their branch of the family.

James Philpot's mother was named Mary.²⁹ My impression of Mary Philpot is of a woman who really enjoyed a good night's sleep. Her will focused almost exclusively on her five (!) beds, to the total exclusion of any spiritual considerations. Her short will reads as follows:

It is my particular wish and desire that the 5 Beds which I now possess shall after my Death be equally shared between my 5 Grandchildren whose names are James Philpot, Wm Philpot, Ann Philpot now the wife of Mr Lamb, Mariah Philpot now the wife of Mr. Poulton, & Charlotte Philpot by each of them taking a Bed apiece. The rest of the property belonging to me I also order after my death to be equally divided between my above mentioned Grand Children or between as many of them as shall be living at the time of my decease. Signed by me Mary Philpot. [punctuation marks added]

With respect to this will, Alfred made an appearance in front of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, which was responsible for proving the will, to attest to its validity. As with the Boydells, Alfred showed the willingness to make official undertakings to help the Philpots.

The Boydells

John Boydell 1791 European Magazine It can be shown that Josiah Boydell of Bethnal Green, and therefore the family of Ann, is from the same family as Alderman John Boydell, Lord Mayor of London in 1790, pictured at left.³⁰ Alderman Boydell, with a different Josiah Boydell, rescued the English Arts scene by starting the Shakespeare Gallery.³¹ In particular, the announcement of the marriage of Samuel Boydell and Jane Boydell Philpot (whose divorce was discussed above) in the October 1823 European Magazine and London Review stated that both bride and groom were related to Alderman Boydell.³² Therefore, Ann, who was an aunt of Jane Boydell Philpot on the Philpot side, is also related to Alderman Boydell. Although the exact relationship between Josiah Boydell of Bethnal Green and Alderman Boydell is not known, I would not be surprised if they were brothers. This would make Ann the great niece of Alderman Boydell. In fact, some researchers do show a Josiah Boydell as brother to Alderman Boydell.³³

While it is beyond the scope of this website to explore the ancestry of the Boydells before Josiah Boydell of Bethnal Green, at least two other websites pick up this task. Mick Boydell's website traces the Boydells back to early Norman England, and the Martin Realm website (which has been temporarily offline for a prolonged period, the Boydell page having been located at www.martinrealm.org/genealogy/boydell.htm) traced them, through marriage to the Dutton family, to Normandy before the Norman conquest of England, and to Scandanavia before the Viking conquest of Normandy.

The Pickfatts

Maria (Boydell) Philpot was the daughter of Jane (Pickfatt) Boydell,^{34, 35} who was herself the daughter of Charles Pickfatt, a London gunmaker.³⁶ Charles Pickfatt was the third generation of London gunmaker in his family, including his father and grandfather, who were both named Humprhey Pickfatt.³⁷ All three gunmakers supplied guns to the Hudson's Bay Company, an interesting fact given Alfred Boydell Lambe's ultimate decision to immigrate to Canada.

Footnotes

¹See my transcript of Lamb christenings at St. George Hanover Square.

²St. George's Hanover Square, photograph by Andrew G. Clarkson, March 1, 2006.

³See, for example, Kent's Direcory, London: 1814, entry for "Lambe John, wine merchant &c. 149, New Bond-street".

⁴Will of Mary Lambe of New Bond Street as reported in the records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, catalogue reference Prob 11/1733.

⁵Marriage records of St. Nicholas Brighton, as reported in the International Genealogical Index, call number 1067106, accessed November 16, 2005.

⁶"BRIGHTON. - To be LET" in The Times, London: August 29, 1818, p. 1 col. 4.

⁷"Marriages", The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British and Foreign India, China, and Australiasia, vol. XVIII New Series, September to December 1835, London: Wm. H. Allen and Co., 1835, p. 261.

⁸1841 UK Census Record for Alfred Lambe and family, Borough of Tower Hamlet, Parish of Bethnal Green, p. 15.

⁹Gulick, Charles Adams, Jr., and Katherine Elliott (ed.s), Texas State Library: Papers of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, volume III, Austin, Texas: Von Boeckmann-Jones Co., Letter No. 2012, p. 515.

¹⁰Morris, Jan, Fisher's Face, London: Viking, 1995, p. 22.

¹¹1841 UK Census Record for Alfred Boydell Lambe and family, City of Westminster, Parish of St. George Hanover Square, p. 4.

¹²For example, "Dividends" inThe Times, London: November 22, 1837, p. 4 col. 3.

¹³Fisher's Face, p. 18.

¹⁴1841 UK Census Record for Alfred Lambe.

¹⁵"Boydell's Divorce Bill" in Journal of the House of Lords, vol. 62, London: June 9, 1830, pp.687-690.

¹⁶Hayter, George, Trial of Queen Caroline from Wikimedia Commons, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trial_of_Queen_Caroline_by_Sir_George_Hayter.jpg, accessed September 5, 2011.

¹⁷"Boydell's Divorce Bill", p. 689.

¹⁸149 New Bond Street, Second Floor, photograph by Andrew G. Clarkson, March 12, 2006.

¹⁹Kent's Directory London: 1795, p. 27.

²⁰Kent's Directory London: 1814, p. 43.

²¹1851 UK Census Record for Alfred Lambe, Town and Borough of Wakefield, Ecclesiastical District of All Saints, Yorkshire, p. 50.

²²1861 UK Census Record for Alfred Lambe and family, Parish of Shipley, Yorkshire, p. 37.

²³Letter from Alfred Boydell Lambe (jr.) to Aldyth Lambe, September 24, 1925, p. 2, courtesy of Hugh van Nostrand.

²⁴Baptism records of St. Matthew Bethnal Green, May 11, 1791.

²⁵"Boydell's Divorce Bill", p. 689.

²⁶See, for example, christening records of St. Matthew Bethnal Green, May 11, 1791.

²⁷Will of Josiah Boydell of Bethnal Green as reported in the records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, catalogue reference Prob 11/1689.

²⁸Baptism records of St. John Hackney, as reported in the International Genealogical Index, source film number 569924, accessed September 18, 2011.

²⁹Will of Mary Philpot as reported in the records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, catalogue reference Prob 11/1261.

³⁰John Boydell 1791 NYPL cropped, European Magazine, from Wikimedia Commons, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Boydell_NYPL_1791_cropped.jpg, accessed August 11, 2012.

³¹Burwick, Frederick, The Boydell Shakespeare Gallery on Deutsche Shakespeare-Gesellschaft website, shakespeare-gesellschaft.de/en/publications, accessed January 26, 2008.

³²The European Magazine, and London Review: Illustrative of the Literature, History, Biography, Politics, Arts, Manners, and Amusements of the Age, London: Sherwood, Jones, & Co., July to December, 1823, vol. 84, p. 378.

³³See, for example, Howard-Gibbon, Charles A., Family Tree Page on Josiah Boydell I, http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mokgamen&id=I2700, accessed Oct. 3, 2006.

³⁴Baptism records of St. Katherine Coleman, as reported in the International Genealogical Index, source call number 560023, accessed September 18, 2011.

³⁵Brigg, William (transcriber), The parish registers of St. Edmund the King and Martyr, Lombard Street, London 1670-1812, Leeds: Privately printed for transcriber, 1892, p. 64.

³⁶Baptism records of St. Andrew Holborn, as reported in the International Genealogical Index, source call number 0374353, downloaded November 30, 2005.

³⁷Blackmore, Howard L., A Dictionary of London Gunmakers 1350-1850, Oxford: Phaidon Christie's, 1986, pp. 158-159.