BRYER of Suffolk Family Chart no. 21

	John BRYER		(1) Elizabeth ROWBOTHAM		(2) Sophia Jane STOCKER
	b. 9 Aug 1806 at Hadleigh SFK bap. 23 Aug 1806 at Hadleigh SFK [IGI]		b. 1 Aug 1804 at Aldergate, City of London		b. 23 Jul 1813 bap. 18 Aug 1813 at St Matthew Bethnal Green MDX
			m. 6 Oct 1831 at St Luke Old Church Finsbury MDX		m. 19 Aug 1852 at Clerkenwell MDX
	d. 25 Mar 1895 at Stoke Newington, MDX, aged 88 years bur. 28 Mar 1895 at Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, aged 88 probate 11 Jul 1895		d. 26 Apr 1846 at 20 Northampton Sq Clerkenwell MDX, age 40 [cert.]		bur. 7 Mar 1895 at Abney Park Cemetery Stoke Newington, aged 76
	Watchmaker Chronometer Manufacturer (1855) Master Watchmaker (1861) Retired Gold Refiner/Watchmaker (1891)

Their Children

(1) William	(1) Benjamin	(1) Elizabeth Susannah	(2) Sophia Jane	(2) Thomas John	(2) Ann	(2) Sophia Catherine	(2) Susannah	(2) Lucy Marion	(2) Emily Fanny	(2) John
b. 29 Jun 1838 at 20 Northampton Sq St James Clerkenwell MDX	b. 1840 at Clerkenwell MDX	b. 1841 at Clerkenwell MDX bap. 3 Nov 1841 at Clerkenwell MDX	b. 1842 at Rose Cottage Hornsey Road Islington RD MDX	b. 30 Oct 1843 at at 2 Prospect Place Balls Pond Road Islington MDX	b. 1 Aug 1845 at 2 Prospect Place Balls Pond Road Islington MDX	b. 1847 Islington RD MDX	b. 1849 at Islington MDX	b. circa 1851 at Islington MDX	b. circa 1853 at Islington MDX	b. 3 Jun 1855 at Rose Cottage Hornsey Road Islington MDX
m. Ann Maria DOWNS 2 May 1863 at Hadleigh SFK [IGI]		m. Joseph Henderson TAVENDALE 1 Jul 1869 at St John Cripplegate City of London div. filed 10 Feb 1870		m. Elizabeth Butler CHADWICK 20 Feb 1868 at St Mary Hornsey MDX		m. Thomas William WILLIS 2 Mar 1867 at Islington MDX		m. Henry GRIMSDELL 12 Feb 1876 Islington RD MDX	m. William James WHITWELL 10 Sep 1889 at St John Vartry Road Stamford Hill Haringey MDX	m. Annie Gertrude CONNELL 1884 Brentford RD MDX
d. 1914 at Kingsbridge DEV, age 75 probate 17 Mar 1914	d. 1840 Clerkenwell MDX, age 0	d. 22 Jan 1915 at Bromley KEN, age 73	bur. 19 Aug 1843 at Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, age 1	d. 17 Apr 1916, age 72 bur. Highgate Cemetery probate 22 Jun 1916	d. 1861 Islington RD MDX, age 16	d. 1917 Wandsworth RD SRY, age 69 bur. 23 Feb 1917 at Putney Vale Cemetery Wandsworth SRY	d. 17 Feb 1919 at Winton HAM, age 69	d. 28 Apr 1943 at Hendon MDX, age 92 bur. 1 May 1943 at Islington and St Pancras Cemetery probate 29 April 1944	d. 8 Jun 1901 Tavistock RD DEV, age 48 bur. 13 Jun 1901 at Lewtrenchard DEV probate 13 Aug 1901

Who They Were

John seems to have been a man of substance like his father William. In 1848 he was a Watchmaker, listed in Kelley's Directory at 20 Northampton Square Clerkenwell; in 1851 the business was at the same address. By 1881, he was the owner of a Chronometer and Watchmaking business, listed in the Post Office Directory at 53-4 Barbican, EC. This business seems to have passed to his son William by the time it is listed in the 1902 directory, when it had become William Bryer & Sons, Gold and Silver Refiners.See the Barbican Living website for pictures of the frieze that once adorned the premises.

Business was obviously good, as John and Sophia can be found living in Suffolk House, Woodberry Down, Stoke Newington, (a very exclusive address) by the time of the 1871. They continued to live there until their deaths within a few days of oneanother in 1895. In 1881, several of their children had still been at home, including son John aged 25, and a watchmaker like his father. However, by 1891, they had only servants and a nurse living with them. William had moved south of the river, to Bromley in Kent.

Of the children of the marriage, Susannah seems not to have married - she can be found living alone in Stoke Newington in 1901.

This was a particularly difficult family to untangle, and it took me many years to discover the name of John's first wife, Elizabeth. Initially, I had though he had only married once, to Sophia Stocker, but their marriage took place after most of the children had been born, which confused me. Eventually, I concluded that Elizabeth Rowbotham must have been ill for some time (her death certificate gave the principle cause of death as heart disease), and that John had been having a liaison for many years with Sophia Stocker which resulted in several children. Sophia Jane was their first child born in 1842 in Rose Cottage Hornsey, nearly four years before the death of John's legal wife. Thomas John and Ann were also born to John and Sophia (who gave all the children the surname BRYER and their mother's name as STOCKER) before Elizabeth's death, and another three children were born after Elizabeth's death but before John finally married Sophia. John and Elizabeth had been living at 20 Northampton Sq Clerkenwell since at least 1841, and Elizabeth died there in 1846, so the Rose Cottage Hornsey address also threw me.

Where They Lived

1841 - 20 Northampton Sq Islington; John and Elizabeth (confusingly called Johanna) with baby William and servants.
1843 - 1845 - 2 Prospect Place Balls Pond Road Islington; at the time of Thomas' and Ann's births.
1851 - Rose Cottage Hornsey Islington; John and Sophia, with Thomas, Ann, Sophia, Susannah, and baby Lucy, plus several servants and a nurse. 20 Northampton Sq Islington; William and Elizabeth Susannah were living with their maternal aunt Mary Ann ROWBOTHAM and Thomas W BAKER their cousin. I'm bemused as to why John had abandoned his first family, who were 13 and 9 years old, and was living with his second family elsewhere 5 years after the death of Elizabeth. Had he kept their existence from William and daughter Elizabeth? Was he waiting until he had married Sophia before bringing the two families together, to avoid awkward questions? Whatever the reason, he still seems to have been at Rose Cottage in 1855, because John, their last child, was born there, and in 1861.
1861 - Rose Cottage Hornsey Islington; John and Sophia, with Thomas, Ann, Sophia, Susannah, Lucy, Emily and John. Also a nephew John WOOD 53 The Barbican City of London; John is also named Head of this family and described as a widower. At the same address were William and Elizabeth, the faithful aunt Mary Ann ROWBOTHAM, and Thomas W BAKER nephew and jobbing watchmaker.
1871 - Suffolk House, Woodberry Down, Stoke Newington; John and Sophia, with Susannah, Lucy, Emily and John, plus servants.
1881 - Suffolk House, Woodberry Down, Stoke Newington; John and Sophia, with Susannah, John, and Emily, plus visitor Annie Gertrude CONNELL who was to marry John in 1884.
1891 - Suffolk House, Woodberry Down, Stoke Newington; John and Sophia, alone with just servants and a nurse.

Family Group Identifiers

Family: B-SFKHAD01
Family Group: b-sfk021