James and Sarah Puddifant

James and Sarah (née Tregoe) were a married couple by 1786 when their daughter Ann was baptised at the Salem Chapel (now Christ Church URC), Quoiting Square, Great Marlow. They didn't have far to walk to get to that church living as they did just around the corner in West Street (modern 42). See below.

Sarah was born 1755, the daughter of barber surgeon and peruke maker Timothy Tregoe and Mary his wife. Her family was of Amersham origin.

James was a pawnbroker. On the 1798 posse commitatus (list of those men of fighting age in each town and village) he is stated as lame so his likelihood of being called up to do any fighting was slim.

He was obviously a religious man being a long term subscriber to the biblically inspired poetry of William Lane (on Google Books but really if you haven't read it you are not missing a lot!) as well as being a member of the Marlow branch of the British and Foreign Bible Society. In 1812 he donated £1 2 shilling to them for instance.

James died in 1816- Sarah would live on for another 24 years. Death notices give her age then as 85 so she was born circa 1755.

In his will James calls himself a gentleman. The majority of his personal possessions went to his "dear wife" Sarah and daughter Ann Millard but his sisters Mary, Susannah and Hannah also got a legacy of £10 each, his brothers John and Thomas £2 2 shillings each with bequests also to niece Mary Gray and nephews William Godfrey and James L...b..

There was another daughter Keziah (biblical name, once common) baptised at the Salem Chapel to James and Sarah. Perhaps she did not survive her childhood as neither she or any likely descendants are mentioned in her father's will.

Wife Sarah and a Timothy Tregoe were the will's executors. This was Sarah's brother Timothy Tregoe the watchmaker. By the time the will was proved it was a bit out of date as Timothy had died a few months previously. Sarah was the executor of Timothy's will too and inheritor of all her brother's Marlow property as although he had married Timothy apparently had no surviving issue. What that property consisted of isn't itemised in the will but contained at least one house rented out for profit. Sarah was asked by Timothy to pay out of her rental income 15 shillings a year to a faithful servant he had had.

Sarah continued to live in West Street. From the obituary given to her in the Reading Mercury when she died we know that she spent much time doing good during her life in Marlow. The paper said she had been for over half a century as a member of her church an "exemplar" "an excellent woman" and "attentive friend to the poor". The Aylesbury News agreed that she was well known for her benevolence  and generosity and that she had been every ready to spend time at the bedsides of the sick. "A lady more revered for her kindness" could not be found. 

In 1825 she was amongst those present when the minister of her church, George Edwards, criticised a young Sunday School teacher for allowing children to skip Sunday School, with him implying that this was down to her immoral character. The allegation was seen as extraordinary by many in his congregation including Sarah as was the use of the pulpit to make such a complaint. The falling out of minister and flock over this caught the attention of local and national newspapers. George sued the Times for slander over the nature of their coverage of his troubles. In that slander case Sarah Puddifant was one of those who gave evidence in a London Court about what she had heard the minister say and the aftermath. You can read more about this case in a post specifically about it here

Sarah's will was written in 1838 and proved in 1840 when she was approx 83. She appointed as executors and trustees of her personal property John Gibbons, a fellow West Street resident, and Jabez Millard of Grays Inn London.

The main legatee named was her granddaughter Sophia Harris, wife of John Harris who "by her husband's civil conduct lives with me". Not sure what was going on in that situation! Was Sarah being sarcastic??  As well as the interest from Sarah's investments Sophia got half the household furniture in their home and all residual property Sarah possessed. Grandson Alfred Millard got the rest of the furniture, a share of the principle of the money Sarah had invested and her leasehold property in the village of Penn near High Wycombe (her paternal grandmother Mary had come from Penn).

The rest of the principle of the money she had invested went to her granddaughter Ann Burton.

Witnesses to the will were High Street chemist Robert Footitt, Hezekiah Groom a linen draper of Woolwich and one Daniel Groom.

Extra notes= James and Sarah were both witnesses to the will of Mary Crompton written 1786. Sarah was also witness to the will of Catherine Allnutt written 1819.

Timothy Tregoe was one of the executors of the will of Thomas Ollis landlord of the Three Tuns next door to the Puddifants.

More pub content can be found by looking at the Pub Related option on the menu. All mentions of someone on this blog can be found on the Person Index. To read about others who ran businesses in West Street see the "Specific Shops, Streets...Etc" option on the menu.

Researched and written by Charlotte Day.

**DO YOU, LIKE THE PUDDIFANTS, HAVE A FAMILY CONNECTION TO CHRIST CHURCH? IF SO, YOU MAY LIKE TO COMMEMORATE YOUR ANCESTOR BY SUPPORTING CHRIST CHURCH WALK OF LIGHT FUNDRAISING EFFORTS - SEE  Here FOR MORE INFORMATION**

Sources:

Will transcriptions by me of the wills of James Puddifant, Sarah Puddifant, Catherine Allnutt and Mary Crompton. All wills obtained from the National Archives.

The Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society, 1812. Digitized by Google.

Property records held by my family.

The English Reports [law] volume 130. W Green. 1912.

Reading Mercury. January 25th 1840. Copy held in the British Library and accessed via the BNA.

Baptisms of Ann and Keziah Puddifant Microfilm of Independent Chapel Great Marlow baptismal registers, library of the LDS church.

Posse Comitatus from Jane Pullinger who went to the LDS Family History Library.

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