Introduction
After the death of husband Thomas Shipway, Elinor lived another eight years beyond that final personal tragedy. She herself passed away in July 1760, having reach the age of 65. She had outlived two husbands, two sons and a number of siblings – most probably all of them.
Re-united
Elinor was laid to rest in St Helen’s in the same grave as her two well beloved Nicholas’s – son and husband. It is somewhat interesting and intriguing that she chose St Helen’s over St Andrew’s where husband number two, Thomas Shipway, lay.
A family member or friend had the presence of mind to finalise the inscription of the memorial stone in St Helen’s church with the addition of the following words:
Likewise here lieth the Body
of Eleanor Shipway, formerly
Widow of the first above named
Nicholas Ley, and lately Relick
of Thomas Shipway, late of this
parish, Bricklayer. She died
July the 20th 1760 aged 65 years
No entry can be found in the St Helen’s parish register for Elinor Shipway. Appropriate entries do exist for her first husband and first son, so this might have been an oversight of the parish clerk of the time. However, the parish accounts do hold an item showing that her executors paid 6s 8d for her grave and interment. Here executor was presumably one John Bird of Reading, who is the most likely candidate for commissioning the memorial stone inscription too (see below).
Distributing Her Wealth
Barring evidence to the contrary, Elinor lived at #40 until her death. The reason we say this is that in her will, written in 1759, she describes two properties that she owns: “the one of them in my own possession, and the other now in the possession John Sanders cabbinetmaker”. Whilst the term possession does not guarantee a person dwelt there the manner in which this is written strongly implies that she did.
How her property and estate were handed out to her remaining relatives in 1760 gives us vital clues as to her life. It certainly covers the final years of it. It may even hint at her character.
Elinor has a number of effects to pass on and does so exclusively to her own direct relatives, the Birds, and one friend. There is no mention of any Shipway or Ley personages.
By far the most moving part of her will is the section where she describes how and where she “desires” to be buried:
…And I desire that my body may be decently buried (at the discretion of my executor herein after named) in the parish church of St Helen aforesaid, in, or as near to, the grave of my first Husband Nicholas Lea, as may be, …
We have already seen that here wishes were carried out as she had requested.
Beneficiaries
The following people are named as beneficiaries:
- John Bird (nephew, plumber of Reading) – he is also sole executor
- Martha Bird (John’s sister and hence Elinor’s niece)
- Francis (daughter of Elinor’s brother Richard, hence another niece)
- Eleanor (another daughter of Elinor’s brother Richard, hence another niece)
- Mary (another daughter of Elinor’s brother Richard, hence another niece)
- Elinor Tyrer (described as a “cousin”, which is a generic term used in those days for kin)
- Thomas Bird and Mary Bird (son and Daughter of the late George Bird, gingerbread maker)
- Edith Price of London, widow (no relationship given, assumed to be a friend)
The bulk of her estate is left to her nephew, John Bird, in the form of the two Friar Street properties. To her niece, Martha, she leaves £40 stating that John must pay this to Martha in lieu of property. It seems she was trying to split her estate between the two as fairly as she could. She had calculated the combined value of the two houses as being around £80. There was a large disparity between the market price of the two houses. Thus, she has tried to be magnanimous in what she left to John and Martha. In addition to the disposal of her properties, she makes a total of £44 bequests to her other relatives. A friend, Edith Price, is also included.
She also made further bequests. These will be covered in the next, and final, part of her tale.
Read Part Seven: All AloneRead Part Nine: Finis