The Forebears of Mary Wanless

Mary Wanless (at 1.4 below) was the 2nd wife of Anne's and my GGF, Anthony Jacques Cheeper-Clarke. We're in the line of his 4th wife.

The sources are Anne's research, Geoff Clarke's research, and the very substantial Wanless Web-Site. Some interpolations are included, some by other people, some by me.

The line prior to John is as yet unknown, but Benjamin of Alford Lincs. is possible. See below.

John Wanless (c. 1749-1828)
m. Mary GOOD? or GOULD? (1765-1842), in c. 1789
4 Children, of whom Mary's father, Joshua Paul, was the eldest, and the only surviving son.
In London Trade Directories between 1788 and 1804 at 10, Cripplegate, as Haberdasher and Hosier; but he does not appear in Haberdasher's records. ?Also draper, mercer.
A John Wanless completed his trade, becoming 'free' on 15 Jan 1793. If it was this John, he was already 43.
On the bottom of the 'City Admission Papers', and circled, is written 'Haberdasher'.
Also written, sideways, is "Son of Benjamin, of Alford, Lincolnshire, surgeon".
(There is a Benjamin Wanless, chr. 13 Sep 1716, Alford Lincs,
and he had a son John Wanless, chr. 23 May 1750, Alford Lincs).
John (with Mary) was at one stage resident at St. George Hanover Square, London.
John d. Oct 1828, aged 79.
John's Executor was Charles Gould, silk weaver of Coventry, perhaps a relation of Mary's?
In the 1841 Census, Mary is head of household – presumably Mary Wanless aged 76
(but possibly her 4th child Mary Wanless aged 42?), and first child Joshua is present (aged 50).
Mary d. 3 Apr 1842 at 132 Princes Rd Lambeth, aged 77, informant Martha Wanless

  1. Joshua Paul Wanless (1790-1877)
    b. 26 Nov 1790, St Giles, Cripplegate
    Clerk, Publisher (on 2nd marriage cert. in 1855, and 1861 census)
    m1. Martha MOORHOUSE (1810-1853)
    Martha was chr. 13 Oct 1810, Preston St John Lancs.
    m. 11/16 Mar 1837, in Gawsworth, Cheshire (near Macclesfield, 15 mi. S of Manchester).
    Joshua is described as "of this Parish" and Martha as of the Parish of Astbury.
    Astbury is 9 miles S of Gawsworth, the other side of Congleton.
    Children 1-4.
    At the time of birth of their children, Martha was 31-37 and Joshua 51-57.
    On his first child's birth certificate, Joshua is described as 'Gentleman'.
    Joshua appears to have been in the Midlands 1790-c.1840, thereafter in London.
    Anne has found Joshua on each Census 1841-71.
    In the 1841 Census, at Princes Road, Lambeth, John is shown as Secretary, aged 45 (but really 50), Martha as 30, John as 1, and mother Mary is present, aged 75.
    In 1842, Martha (as informant on her mother-in-law's death) and again in 1846 (when Mary was born) was as 132 Princes Rd Lambeth.
    (There is no street of that name on the map today. Maybe it's now Black Prince Rd?).
    In the 1851 Census, the family was at 164 King St, Southwark.
    (The WanlessWeb site confusingly says they were at 31 King Street, St Saviour).
    (There is no such street in Southwark now, so there's probably been an error, a streetname-change or a border-change).
    Joshua is shown as 52 (actually 60), Clerk, Accountant's Union.
    George is shown as 8, Joshua Charles as 6 and Mary as 4. There is a servant.
    Martha d. 11 Dec 1853, St. Saviour, Surrey (Geoff Clarke's document says Lambeth).
    m2. Phoebe (Charlton) Cannon, widow, of South Bruton Mews, 3 Apr 1855
    Anne notes that, on the 1841 census, Joshua's second wife is on the same census page.
    In 1856, Kelly's Court Directory records Joshua at 93 Up Stamford Street. He would have been c. 65. It was presumably his business address.
    In the 1871 Census, he is with his son George, aged 81, at G.W.R. Station, Handsworth, where George, then 29, was Station master.
    Thanks to Wikipedia, I can see that the Great Western Railway included Handsworth and Smethwick station, between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, 1854-1972.
    Joshua presumably moved with George to Kings Norton SW of Birmingham.
    Joshua d. 30 July 1877, Kings Norton Worcs., at the age of 86.
    The executors were Joshua Charles Wanless (child 3), aged c. 22, a merchant's clerk, and Anthony Jacques Cheeper, of St Paul's Chambers, 15A Paternoster Row in the City of London, Commercial Traveller
    The will was proven on 22 September 1877. The estate was only "Effects under £450".
    1. John Moorhouse Wanless (1840-?<1851)
      chr. 15 Jul 1840, St Luke, Old St, Finsbury
      In the 1841 census, aged 1, with his parents and grandmother, at Princes Road, Lambeth
      (His father politely lowered his age from 50 to 45)
      In the 1851 census, in a (boarding house?) at the (unknown) address of 1, Lansdown Place North, Islington, Finsbury Middlesex. Aged 11, he may have been in a boarding school.
      d. Dec qtr, 1860 (Vol. 1D, p. 179), aged 20, Lambeth
    2. George Hammond Wanless (1842/43-1912)
      b. ?Jun qtr 1842, Lambeth
      In ?the Post Office Directory or ?the 1861 Census, he is the station master at Handsworth (Birmingham) – already, aged only 18 going on 19??
      m1. Alice Mary WOOD (1841-?1864), West Bromwich, 1863
      Alice was b. Jun qtr 1841 Walsall 17 255
      George was 21 and Alice 22?
      Child 1
      His wife Alice d. ?Dec 1864, ?in childbirth, Birmingham 6d 179
      ?His daughter Alice d. 9 months later in Sep 1865, but down in Lambeth
      m2. Mary Boakes (184?-?<1871!<1881), Aston, 10 May 1866 (Jun qtr 6s 363)
      George was 24 and Mary presumably a similar age.
      ?Mary d. <1871 or <1881 (she seems to be absent from the 1871 Census, and the 1881 Census shows George as a widower, presumably by that time twice over?).
      In the 1871 Census entry, he is shown as 29, and the station master at Handsworth (Birmingham), claiming to be married, but without Mary Boakes and with no child present. His 81-year-old father and a servant are also in the household.
      On the 1881 Census, aged 38, in Kings Norton SW of Birmingham (nice country), with his brother Joshua and Joshua's wife Mary Ann. Shown as a widower and clerk.
      m3. Mary Jane Webb (1852-1891)
      m. King's Norton, Worcs., Mar qtr 1886, 6c 278 (or 460?)
      George was 43 and Mary Jane 34.
      No Issue found.
      On the 1891 Census they are at Kings Norton.
      Mary Jane d. Jun qtr 1891, aged 39, when George was still only 49.
      (Despite 3 marriages, he appears to have had only 9 years of married life).
      George d. Sep Qtr 1912 Birmingham 6d 168, aged 70
      1. Alice Mary Wanless (1864-?1865)
        b. All Saints Birmingham, Dec qtr 1864
        ?d. Sep 1865 Lambeth 1d 252
        Anne couldn't find her in the 1871 Census
    3. Joshua Charles Wanless (1844/45-1904)
      b. 1844/45, Lambeth
      Anne has Joshua Charles in all census from 1851 to 1901
      m1. Mary Ann HOLT, Sep Qtr 1867 West Bromwich 6b 754
      No issue
      On the 1881 Census, in Kings Norton SW of Birmingham, with his wife Mary Ann.
      His elder brother George was also in the household.
      Mary Ann d. Jun Qtr 1895 Kings Norton, aged 51
      m2. Hannah (Annie) BERRY Mar Qtr 1897 Solihull 6d 677
      Hannah was 21 at the time of her marriage, Joshua Charles c. 52.
      No issue found.
      Joshua Charles d. 14 Sep 1904 Birmingham, so aged 60
      Hannah d. Mar Qtr 1908 Kings Norton 6c 285, aged 32.
    4. Mary Wanless (1846-1882)
       b. 25 August 1846 at 132 Princes Road, Lambeth (inner-west London)
      Details of Mary's life and descendants are here
  2. Ann Wanless (1792->1828)
  3. John Wanless (1797-1797)
  4. Mary Wanless (1799->1828)

We're missing a lot of information; and we'd love to know more!

This a page within Roger Clarke's Family Web-Site

Contact: Roger Clarke and/or Anne Kratzmann

Created: 25 December 2009 (well, the wife was at church, and I was doing the honey-baste on the ham); Last Amended: 27 January 2010, then 14 December 2011 (surmise re Benjamin)