“Mabberlys had properties in The Borough, East Street, and Downing Street” (Pat Heather, Farnham Town Books)
“Mabberlys were frequently encountered in Farnham in the 17th and 18th centuries” (Nigel Temple, Farnham Buildings)
“John Mabberly bought hop-fields in Dogfludd” (from his Will)
In my last post, I discussed Francis Mabberly, inn keeper of The Bush Inn (now The Bush Hotel) and fishmonger. Now it is time to meet his son, John Mabberly, who was the eldest son and so inherited the family business of providing Farnham with food, drink, and lodging.
John married Mary Greentree from Bagshot near Windlesham, daughter of an Inn-holder ~ note the inn-holder connection ~ networking was alive and well in the 17th century! Six of their children survived to adulthood. Unfortunately, John did not live to see this happen as he died when the youngest was a five month babe in arms.
John prospered in Farnham: the income derived from his inn or inns and other businesses allowed John to do what all people in his time aspired to do – become a land owner and he purchased two parcels of land from a Thomas Hole. A little research shows that Thomas Hole was a hop-grower in what was then called ‘Dogfludd’, just south of Farnham itself. Hop-growing would generate a good income for John’s family.
Did John leave a Will? Yes – but he left it to the last minute as he wrote it on 25 February 1688, and described himself as ‘infirm and very sicke’; he died the following month and was buried in Farnham churchyard.
John left the newly-purchased land to his wife Mary for life, and then to son John. Daughter Jane received an annuity out of the profits from the land. £100 each to his other 5 children when they reach age 21. If Mary remarries then her husband to give security to pay the above legacies. Overseers to be John Lavender, Gentleman, and William Greentree of Bagshot, with wife Mary named executrix.
What do we learn from this Will? John had made a good living in Farnham as he had every hope that his property would generate £500 over the next 20 years. He was of sufficient standing in Farnham that he was able to call upon John Lavender, Gentleman (a wealthy landowner) to be one of the overseers. He provided an annuity for his daughter Jane, as had his mother-in-law, Mary Greentree; clearly, the family could see that Jane would unlikely marry, due to some disability perhaps, and needed to be provided with an income for life.
Widow Mary Mabberly had a lot on her plate! Mary had to manage John’s resources to raise six children, ranging in age from 5 months to 17 and run the Farnham businesses. She did what many widows did – she remarried! Her new husband was wealthy Farnham land owner with the title of ‘Gentleman’, Arthur Wancklen, a widower. So Mary Greentree, once Mary Mabberly, became Mary Wancklen.
Daughters Mary and Anne were found ‘good’ marriages – Mary to clockmaker Henry Lintott (whose clocks still exist today), and Anne to Stephen Smither of the prominent Farnham farming family. John and William did London apprenticeships and gained status as masters of their trade; both returned to Farnham and took over the family business. Edward was apprenticed in London with the Bakers’ Company and he set up shop in Bread Street, London. Mary provided for her daughter Jane in her Will by leaving her a house in Farnham, furniture, and a lump sum of money.
Mary Wancklen died in 1707 and left a Will which seemed to favour her daughter, Mary Lintott, who received the lease of a Castle Street property; Mary Lintott was already widowed and her deceased husband’s will made no mention of property ~ so perhaps not such a good marriage after all! Her Smither grandchildren received money. Mary’s remaining two Farnham properties to be divided equally among her children Mary, Ann, John, William, and Edward. We have already seem how she provided for Jane.
This was a standard opening paragraph for Wills for hundreds of years ~ the Will writer wanted to avoid a challenge due to the person being of ‘unsound mind’. Mary Wancklen would have been about 60 years old.
Mary Greentree from Bagshot, through advantageous marriages, had risen to the higher ranks of Farnham society, being the owner of four properties.
Quick Look at the Mabberly Children
John Mabberly II returned to Farnham just around the time his mother, Mary Wancklen, died. He married a ‘Mary’ and four of their children reached adulthood. This John left few records other than in the Farnham Register but we do have him witnessing a number of Wills. He died in 1751 and was buried with the honorific ‘Mr’ so the Mabberly family were still a cut above most Farnham people. He was referred to as a’Victualler’ in his brother-in-law’s Will.
William Mabberly advanced his status in life by marrying Rebecca Smither – the widow of a Farnham merchant, and daughter of Abraham Lee, another Farnham merchant. In his Will, William styled himself as ‘Gentleman’ rather than give an occupation. He was survived by just one daughter, Mary Mabberly, who married Edward Reeves, Apothecary of Basingstoke, in 1741. They married in Aldershot and here is the whole page from the Aldershot Register as it makes interesting reading and is so different from the Farnham Register!
Seven years later, Edward Reeves brought his wife Mary back to be buried in Farnham Churchyard in 1749 – just one year after her father, William. And then, Mr Edward Reeves was buried in Farnham in 1750! Additionally, we have to remember that John Mabberly (listed above) died in 1751. So what was happening? Smallpox! The worst small pox epidemic to date swept the country at this time. For example: September 1748 ~ 4 burials in Farnham; September 1751 ~ 15 burials.
For more information on Edward Reeves, please see this post: https://lacunaeofhistory.ca/edward-reeves-apothecary-of-basingstoke/
Edward Mabberly left many London records! Tax records show that he ran his bakery in Bread Street for many years; in 1732, he purchased the lease of ‘The Three Falcons’ in Newington, Surrey. Unfortunately, he must have overreached himself as by 1735, he was declared a bankrupt; he regrouped and a few years later he was renting a very small property on London Bridge (which was lined with buildings). Despite being married three times, Edward Mabberly left no children.
Mary Mabberly, as we have seen, married Henry Lintott, a clockmaker and was widowed by 1705. The Lintotts had no children.
Anne Mabberly married Stephen Smither when she was seventeen and had at least 13 children! Of course, many died as infants, but enough survived to carry on the Smither line. Anne and Stephen had three babies called Stephen and, fortunately, the third one lived to become ‘Mr Stephen Smither of Farnham‘.
Jane Mabberly actually outlived her sisters and died, age 57, in 1734 when ‘Jane Mabberly, Spinster’ was recorded in Farnham burials.
So which Mabberly provided Farnham with people of that name, for the second half of the 18th century? That was Edward Mabberly, second son of John Mabberly II. For a while, they had been a John Mabberly III and we have one record showing he was involved in the family business, but he was unmarried and predeceased his father. John Mabberly II also had two daughters – Rebecca and Ann Mabberly who grew up to marry.
Edward Mabberly, born in 1715, had been sent off to do an apprenticeship as a carpenter, and for the rest of his life, he was known as ‘Edward Mabberly, Carpenter of Farnham‘. Edward married Mary Watts of Farnham and the couple had a number of children with just two daughters – Mary and Ann Mabberly – living to adulthood. Mary married Francis Lamb who had been posted to Farnham as an Exciseman and the couple had three daughters.
Last Mabberly of Farnham
As the last Mabberly remaining, Ann Mabberly inherited the Mabberly property in Farnham still remaining, which was not a lot as all the hop fields had been sold to the Smither family. In 1783, Ann Mabberly paid £3 annual land tax on a house she occupied in East Street; as a point of reference, her future brother-in-law Francis Lamb paid £5, and the Bishop of Winchester in Farnham Castle, £60! When Ann died in 1805, her estate was valued at £100 and she left everything to a Jane Earl, wife of William Earl, Cabinetmaker of Farnham.
Ann Mabberly was the last Mabberly and she was the great, great granddaughter of the first Farnham Mabberly – Francis Mabberly of The Bush Inn.
Select Sources: The National Archives; Find My Past (by subscription); Exploring Surrey’s Past; Farnham Buildings by N. Temple; Women in Farnham and Its Surrounding Villages by P. Heather; Correspondence with Pat Heather; Google image.