Sometimes you have to admit you’ve got it wrong! When I first started researching my family I identified
my Henry Grubb born around 1764 in Kent as the son of Thomas Grubb and Hannah Willmott.
Although he was born in Southwark, as he was aged 75 and living in Lewisham at the time of the 1841
census, I thought he had maybe forgotten his Surrey origins. Thomas Grubb was a biscuit baker
(presumably hard tack not custard creams) who lived in Battle Bridge in St Olave’s parish. He married
Hannah Wilmott in 1745 and they had two sons. Hannah must have died for he married another
Hannah (Beaumont) in 1749, and they had a further ten or more children over the next twelve years, all
baptised at St Olave. Puzzling over this rapid birth rate I discovered that the family went to the
neighbouring parish of St Mary Magdalen in Bermondsey for their burials, and almost all their children
died within a few months of their birth. This included their son Henry who was baptised on the 10th of
May 1761 in St Olave and buried eleven days later at St Mary Magdalen. So apologies to all those
people on Ancestry who copied my details without double-checking them.
I now had to find a new Henry to be my 5th great grandfather, and it turned out there was one a lot
nearer to his Lewisham home - and I hope I’m right this time. This Henry Grubb was born on the 14th of
February 1764 and baptised at St Alphege in Greenwich (so right year and right county) on the 4th
March. His father William, a fellmonger, had married Ann Reynolds at St Mary’s in Lewisham at the
beginning of 1763, and William and Ann returned to Lewisham for the baptisms (and sadly some
burials) of their subsequent children. By 1771 William Grubb was established in Lewisham as a
breeches maker when he took on John Maynard as an apprentice. Perhaps as a fellmonger he had been
dealing in buckskin hides imported from America - though other skins were also used, with no shortage
of local sheep - and had moved on to using them to supply the local gents with nether garments. Here
are two interesting articles on buckskin breeches:
http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2010/10/perfect-pair-of-gentlemans-buckskin.html
http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2013/04/more-about-buckskin-breeches.html
On most of the baptisms of their children in Lewisham, Ann, born in Lewisham in 1739, is described as
the daughter of Henry Renolls or Renolds. While the transcripts seem to have “corrected” his name to
Reynolds, he was also a fellmonger and a native of Lewisham, born there in 1707, the son of Henry
Renolls, a husbandman.
William and Ann Grubb had at least nine children in total, with four not surviving their first year. Of the
apparent survivors, Peter, born in 1777, attested to serve in the Royal Marines 113th Company at
Portsmouth in 1800; William John Grubb, born in 1771, died in Lewisham in 1813; and of their two
sisters, Mary Ann born in 1766 and Ann born in 1776 (who may have married Henry Wheatley in 1811)
nothing more is so far recorded.
It seems from the records of St Thomas’s Hospital (available to search on London Lives) that William
Grubb was already occupying the Black Bull in Lewisham by 1787. He is named as a patient's financial
guarantor on three occasions: was this on his own account, perhaps as employer, or was it on behalf of
the parish - at least one of the entries has the letters PP attached which indicates that the patient was
sponsored by their parish. To confuse matters, there is also listed a Henry Grubb of Lewisham,
shoemaker, named as guarantor in 1800; this could be his son, but this is the only time he is mentioned
with this occupation.
William died in 1798 at the age of 67 and was buried in St Mary’s, Lewisham on the 13th of December.
Ann died in 1800, aged 61, and was buried, with him hopefully, on the 30th October.
That left their eldest son Henry as head of family; he had already appeared in the Kent newspapers as
Henry Grubb, gent., Lewisham in the list of game certificate holders in the late 1780s and 1790s: was
game on the menu in the Black Bull? He was married by 1790 when his son Henry was born in
Lewisham; his wife is named as Fanny, and this must be the widowed Fanny Croucher whom he had
married in St Mary Newington on the 23rd June 1789. She is somewhat mysterious and so far it has
proved impossible to find her maiden name as no record of a Croucher marrying a Fanny or a Frances
has so far surfaced.
After Henry, Henry senior and Fanny had four more children: Mary Ann, born in 1791, who married
John Divall; Fidelia born in 1794 who died in 1801; Frances born in 1797, and Mark-Anthony who was
born and died in 1802. Fanny died that same year on the 7th August.
Henry Grubb the elder, my great (x5) grandfather (1764-1845) and his son Henry (1790-1863) both lived
out their lives in Lewisham, and until Henry senior’s death it is difficult to tell which is which in the
various references.
In 1814 and 1815 several adverts for auctions of land in Lewisham and Sydenham appeared in both the
Times and the Morning Post. Henry Grubb of Lewisham appears to be acting as a local agent from whom
details may be obtained; he was apparently well enough known to need no other address.
In 1829 and 1835 Henry Grubb is listed as a Greengrocer in the records of the Sun Fire Office. His
property “near the vicarage” in High Road, Lewisham - along with his neighbours’ properties - was
leased from “The Churchwardens and Trustees for the time being of St Dunstans in the East”. A
tax return for Lewisham for 1798 shows William Grubb, Henry’s father, at Bridge House, and
Henry Grubb occupying a St Dunstan’s property in the Village. The records of Saint Dunstan's
College in Catford contain details of these leases and the correspondence relating to them.
Meanwhile Pigot's Kent directories for 1832-34 have a Henry Grubb as licensee at the Castle,
Lewisham. But is this Henry Grubb senior or junior or another Henry Grubb altogether? Though
John Divall, Henry senior’s son-in-law was listed as a Victualler at the Castle in 1815 at the
baptism of his son John, and just as an innkeeper or victualler in other records till 1820.
Murray families: Henry Grubb of Lewisham - I
Plaque from 300 Lewisham High
Street that reads “Property of St
Dunstan’s in the East 1840”. Henry
Grubb’s shop next to the Black Bull
appears to be the present no. 314.
.
BENNETT'S GIFT
Mirabelle
Bennett,
of
the
parish
of
St.
Dunstan
in
the
East,
by
her
will,
bearing
date
24th
March,
1627,
gave
the
residue
of
her
goods
and
chattels
to
charitable
uses,
to
be
disposed
of
at
the
discretion
of
her
executor.
By
an
order
of
the
vestry
of
this
parish,
dated
30th
November,
1632,
it
was
directed
that
220l.,
given
by
Mrs.
Bennett,
deceased,
should
be
laid
out
in
the
purchase
of
lands
at
Lewisham,
in
Kent,
for
which
was
demanded
270l.
;
and
it
was
agreed
that
50l.
offered
by
Mr.
Ellis
Southerton,
in
consideration
of
his
having
50s.
per
annum
secured
to
him
out
of
the
parish
lands
for
ever, should be accepted, and added to Mrs. Bennett's gift for the purposes aforesaid.
The
lands
thus
purchased
consist
of,
1st,
Two
pieces
of
land,
in
the
parish
of
Lewisham,
on
the
west
side
of
the
road
leading
from
Lewisham
to
Bromley,
with
nine
messuages
erected
thereon,
which
were
let
by
lease,
bearing
date
29th
July,
1796,
to
John
Corbett
the
elder,
carpenter,
and
John
Corbett
the
younger,
for
60
years,
from
Lady-day,
1795,
at
the
rent
of
28l.,
with
a
covenant
to
complete
the
said
buildings
and
to
keep
them
in
repair.
2dly,
Several
pieces
of
land,
containing,
in
the
whole,
15A.
2R.
30P.,
let
by
lease
to
John
Corbett,
for
21
years,
from
Michaelmas,
1799,
at
the
rent
of
40l.
At
the
time
of
our
inquiry,
a
negotiation
was
pending
between
the
trustees
of
the
parish
lands
and
the
tenant,
as
to
re-letting
the
lastmentioned
premises,
at
the
expiration
of
the
present
lease,
at
Michaelmas,
1820.
The
lands
at
Lewisham
are
subject
to
two
quit-rents
of
2s.
10d.
and
1s.
2d.;
but
no
payment
is
made
in
respect
of
the
50s.
per
annum,
agreed
to
be
secured to Mr. Southerton.
The Endowed Charities of the City of London: Reprinted at Large from Seventeen Reports of
the Commissioners for Inquiring Concerning Charities : 1829
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