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Brentford Families - Wood

Lorraine Dicksee wrote in August 2020 about her Wood family, found in New Brentford in the 1770s. She wondered if her family might be related to the Wood family headed by Samuel Wood, who married Mary Ann Marriner in 1832 at St Mary's Ealing. Samuel and family lived near The Cage in Old Brentford and he was a hairdresser, born near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1801: read more about Samuel Wood. No link has been found between the two Wood families - it is a common name.

Lorraine's research follows and includes a descendancy chart for her earliest Wood ancestor and a list of sources. She adds 'I would be delighted to hear from anyone with an interest in my Wood family': please write and I will forward to Lorraine.

There are some notes on other families named Wood who lived in New Brentford at the end.

The WOOD family of New Brentford

I know that John Wood, my maternal 5 x great grandfather, must have been born before 1757 as at the time of his marriage in 1777 he was at least 21 years old. But I have no idea where he was born. So far, I have not been able to find a baptism for him in New Brentford or anywhere else.

On 12 April 1777 John obtained a marriage licence which showed that he was by that date living in New Brentford and working as a Linen Draper. He married Elizabeth Gaylor on 19 April 1777 at St Mary Hanwell.

The Times 8 June 1789 contained an article stating that John Wood, draper, "late of New Brentford" was a bankrupt, required to surrender at the Guildhall on 13 & 20 June and 18 July. The Times on both 20 June and 17 July 1789 referred to meetings of creditors to take place at the Guildhall on the day of publication and amongst the names of people required to attend on both occasions was John Wood, draper of New Brentford.

John was buried on 5 December 1800 at New Brentford.

I have found four baptisms at New Brentford to John & Elizabeth Wood including my 4 x great grandfather, also John Wood, who was baptised on 14 March 1785 at St Lawrence New Brentford. He was their third child.

Marriage Banns were called at St Lawrence on 14, 21 & 28 March 1802 between John Wood Jnr and Henrietta Faddy and they married there on 29 March 1802.

Henrietta was a daughter of Peter, Count Faddy de Taaffe aka Peter Faddy. Born in Hungary and exiled to England around 1742, Peter was close to - & went into battle with - William Augustus the Duke of Cumberland, 3rd son of George II. I am curious as to how Henrietta met John Wood and would like to speculate that as the area generally was popular with the Royal family maybe the Faddys visited royals and, whilst there, called in to New Brentford High Street to shop.

One of the witnesses to the marriage of Henrietta and John was a William Wood. I don't yet know who he was or where he fits within the Wood family.

The other witness to the marriage was Francis Dyer. As he also witnessed an unrelated marriage in the same page of the church register, I assume he was a local "professional" marriage witness, serving those who had brought insufficient witnesses of their own.

John Wood Jnr was also a draper. This occupation appears on all the baptisms of his children in New Brentford between 1803 and 1813. His children were: Mary (1803), Elizabeth (1806), John (1808), Charles (1810) & Joseph (1813). I know that Joseph died age 15 and was buried at St Lawrence New Brentford in 1827 and I know what happened to Elizabeth as she was my 3 x great grandmother (she married George Simons Humphreys and didn't stay in New Brentford) but I have no information apart from baptisms for the other three children.

In a list of New Brentford residents drawn up in 1810 there is a John Wood listed as residing in the High Street but it is not 100% clear whether it is this same man as the numbers are not quite right but, of course, they may have had other members of their extended family residing with them (for example William Wood, their marriage witness I mentioned earlier, perhaps?)(Editor: the household consisted of four males and four females and most probably lived at around 88 High Street.)

John died in January 1818 and was buried at New Brentford on January 18th; he was 41 years old. Henrietta took over her husband's business and was selling clothes from the shop. She appeared in court a few months after her husband's death at the Old Bailey as a witness in the case of alleged theft from her clothes shop in New Brentford. The accused was William Wrance, a 55-year-old labourer of Stanwell Middlesex.

It was alleged Wrance had stolen one pair of breeches, value 12/6d, on 18 May 1818 using a distraction technique. Witnesses for the prosecution were: William Blaby who worked in the shop (he can be found as an apprentice to Master Tailor George Hearn of New Brentford in the 'Country Registers' of duties paid for apprentices' indentures dated 1803) , William Durham a passer-by, Thomas Freeson who lived opposite the shop & William Lucas who probably worked in the shop, as he was behind the counter when the incident occurred. Constable William Hughes was the arresting officer. Wrance was found guilty and, astonishingly, sentenced to death. He was, however, recommended for mercy and the sentence was subsequently commuted to 7 years transportation. This was again appealed, and he was finally granted a free pardon and released in September 1819.

Exactly the same crime happened again on 29 March 1826, this time theft of a pair of breeches by William Cliburn aged 20. Times must have changed: this guy was also found guilty but, for some reason, he was given a sentence of just 2 months imprisonment.

In 1826 Henrietta appeared in Pigot's Directory of Middlesex towns and village within 12 miles of London. Her entry indicated she still lived and operated her clothes dealing shop from the High Street in New Brentford.

In the 1841 census Henrietta was residing at Half Acre, Old Brentford, by which time she was aged 70 and an 'Independent', thus implying she had made sufficient money from her business to support herself in old age. She was lodging with George Bass and his family.

George Bass was born around 1795 in Dinton, Buckinghamshire but his son Robert was born in New Brentford in 1823. Their next child Eliza was baptised in Old Brentford (officiating minister Henry White), where George was working locally as a gardener. I haven't found the family in the 1851 census, but in 1861 George Bass and his wife Mary were still living at Half Acre, their children having long ago left Brentford never to return.

When Henrietta died of old age in November 1844, Mary Bass registered her death. Henrietta was buried at St Lawrence New Brentford.

Top

Family tree for the family of John Wood

Entries for New Brentford were at the church of St Lawrence, High Street - postcard view, early 1900s.

John Wood, married Elizabeth Gaylor 19 Apr 1777 St May Hanwell;
(Elizabeth was bap 22 Apr 1753 St Mary Ealing)
John was buried 5 Dec 1800, New Brentford; their four children were baptised at New Brentford:

• Elizabeth Wood, baptised 11 Mar 1778
• Robert Wood, bap. 11 Nov 1781
• John Wood, baptised 14 Mar 1785 New Brentford; married Henrietta Faddy 29 Mar 1802 New Brentford;
  (Henrietta was bap. 3 May 1772 St Sidwell, Exeter, Devon; she was bur 10 Nov 1844 New Brentford age 72);
  John was bur 18 Jan 1818, New Brentford, age 41; children:
  • Mary Wood, bap. 5 Jun 1803, New Brentford
  • Elizabeth Wood, bap 23 Feb 1806, New Brentford; mar. George Simons Humphreys 29 Apr 1828, St George Hanover Square, Westminster, London
    (George Simons Humphreys was bap. 30 Jan 1805, St Sephulcre, Holborn, City of London)
  • John Wood bap 1 May 1808 New Brentford;
  • Charles Wood bap 15 Jul 1810, New Brentford
  • Joseph Wood bap 31 Jan 1813 New Brentford; bur. 29 Jul 1827 at New Brentford, age 15
• Sarah Wood, bap. 15 Mar 1786

Sources