Introduction
By the start of 1725 Elinor is a single parent, widowed at the age of just 30. Of how she got by there is no record. There is no evidence that she was supported by the parish church of St Helen’s. Perhaps she was supported by her family. Her brothers’ children certainly feature in her will.
Out of the Wilderness
Elinor did not have to struggle on as a single mother for too long as in 1728 she re-married. Her second husband was Thomas Shipway. He was a bricklayer who sometimes describes his occupation as a mason or just builder. The wedding took place on October 12th at St Clement’s church. The reason why they did not wed at St Helens is not clear. It may suggest that Elinor (and/or Thomas) were not residing in the parish of St Helen’s during 1728. However, St Clement’s church at this time was on the same side of the river as St Helen’s is (now it is on the West bank of the river in St Johns). The two churches would have been no more than a few hundred yards apart. It could simply be a case of expediency. Note that the parish records spell Elinor’s surname as “Lee” in this case. However, we can be sure that this is “our” Elinor. The Shipway name features heavily in surviving title deeds related to Tudor House. Also, both Nicholas Ley and Thomas Shipway are referred to in Elinor’s own will.
Building Bricks
As with her first husband we struggle to find compelling evidence of Thomas Shipway’s early years. There are just three entries within Gloucestershire of the correct era – dating between 1672 and 1696 – none in Worcestershire.
Building with brick at this time was becoming fashionable and, more importantly, affordable. There were at least two very large notable developments that would have been in progress within the city during Thomas Shipway’s working life:
- Berkeley’s Hospital on The Cross (circa 1710)
- The Guildhall on High Street (circa 1721)
Not forgetting that surveys of Tudor House itself have found that much of the brick infill of the Tudor half-timber frame panels dates from this period. A bricklayer could have been a steady profession to marry into. A handy skill to have around the house as well!
Young William
The marriage is very rapidly blessed with the birth of a son, William, in August 1729. The child’s baptism took place at St Helen’s on the 19th. This time the parish register has the mother’s name spelt Eleanor, and the surname Shipwey. Whoever wrote the entry did manage to get the spelling of Thomas right though!
The Shipways and Tudor House
It is with the marriage of Elinor and Thomas Shipway that our story becomes permanently entwined with 40 Friar Street. During May 1730 Thomas takes on the property from the then owner, Eve Stock of Newland. A rather round-about legal process referred to as “lease/release” is enacted to make the deal. For a fuller description of the “lease/release” process we recommend the University of Nottingham website here.
Thomas paid £60 – around £7,500 today (probably around 3 year’s wages for Thomas). We are extremely fortunate to have the deeds and other legal documents surrounding this purchase and its ultimate sale when Thomas and Elinor are both dead.
Legal Complications
That was not the end of the matter however. A year later all parties were back at their lawyers bashing out a “common recovery”. This was necessary because the property was subject to an “entail”. This meant that legally Eve Stock could not sell to Thomas as she inherited it from her father. In his will was the stipulation that it was to be passed on to Eve’s own heirs. Such a condition was, theoretically at least, legally binding. The lawyers, as you might expect, had a way around such barriers to sale. This involved impressive looking deeds (called exemplifications), written in Latin, and equally impressive fees no doubt.
However, by July 1731 the sale was finally complete and Thomas Shipway became the legal owner of number 40 Friar Street. Once again the University of Nottingham website explains this “common recovery” process fully – see here.
Everybody Needs Good Neighbours
The surviving deeds give a glimpse of Friar street in the 1730s. In those times houses did not have house numbers and rarely did they have names. Instead they were described via the street they are on, which side of the road (North, South, East or West), the names of any former occupants/owners and the names of current neighbours. So we learn that our property, on the west side of Friar Street, was between that of widows Elizabeth Ashby and Anne Lewis and the garden abutting “Dicts Court” (ie Newdix Court, a development behind the High street). It further states:
Breadth in the front 18 feet, front to bottom of garden 126 feet
Eighteen feet from where #40 joins #38 on the present day street line takes you right to the southern edge of the alleyway, where the current doorway into #42 is. Go 126 feet back and you end up in the middle of a concrete car-park☹.
Read Part Three: Joy and PainRead Part Five: Stormy Times