Landed Gentleman

By the time Williams grandfather, Richard senior, died in 1776 a solid business had been built up to be left between his two sons Richard junior at only 16 years and his younger brother William. Richard carried on his share of the business in Newark while William started up a business in London with his wife Sarah Frandall and this was where they eventually had a family of seven. Five daughters are shown as being baptised in St.James in Westminster, there were also the two sons, William junior their first child, was either born in Newark or after arriving in London, in 1788, and Richard arrived in 1896 the second to last child. Richard was to come into the business around 1829 to work with his father and he continued to do so after his father died about 1836.

But what of William junior, the eldest son, business wise there is nothing known and at the moment we must presume that he was working in the Oxford Street business with his Father until or just after his brother Richard joined the business. This leaves open questions of whether he perhaps sold out his share to his brother - or, maybe he become a sleeping partner - If not where was his livelihood coming from ? He comes to our attention first when at the late age of 42 years we find him getting married in 1831. On the 7th April in Melton Mowbray parish church William married Sophia De Capel Brook the sister of a Knight. There is no mention of Williams profession then or when he wrote his Will and one wonders how a man from a family 'in trade' captured the heart of Sophia, sister of Sir William de Capel Brooke of Market Harborough. However, he undoubtedly had money as how else would Sophia have been allowed to marry him. Records show, however, that the couple had help at least later in their marriage from Sophia's family. They lived in style certainly, and that can be seen in the census returns showing the grand addresses at which they lived, and from his Will .

By 1841 William and Sophia have been married ten years and we find them living at Barwell House, in Barwell, Leicestershire and without children of their own, they have four live-in servants, one being a 15 year old Joseph Cave, who was to remain with them for the rest of his life.

In the 1851 census two of Williams sisters are to be found living in Margate, Kent together, both unmarried, Ann being 61 years and Sarah 59 declaring themselves to have been born at Westminster and that they are both Boarding House Keepers. This seems to point to the fact that the whole family had stayed in the south of England other than William.

Whilst in 1851 the census of Leicester shows that William and Sophia are still living at Barwell House. This was an important building then and now as is shown by a recent advertisement (in December 2002) when the house was put on the market for about Ł450,000