James Phillips (1797-1845) and Mary Ann Hurran (c.1798-1878)

Our Great Great Great Grandparents

James Phillips was born on 16 October 1797 in London, the only known child of William Phillips and Catherine Morris. He was baptised at St. Pancras Old Church on 21 October 1797 - See baptism record (PDF - 588k).

It is known that James Phillips’ wife was named Mary Ann and that she was born around 1798 in Clerkenwell, Middlesex.1

Unfortunately it has not been possible to find a marriage record for James Phillips to a woman named Mary Ann that fits all of the known facts about them. The best match is a marriage of James Phillips to an Ann Hurran at St. John of Hackney on 31 January 1819 - see Phillips / Hurran marriage registration (PDF - 584k). The timing and location of this marriage fit perfectly with the birth of James and Mary Ann’s first child, but it is problematic for these reasons:

The identity of Mary Ann may never be fully verified, but it seems more likely than not that she was the Ann Hurran who married James Phillips in 1819.

James and Mary Ann had eight known children, the first two born at Stoke Newington in the London borough of Hackney, and the remainder born at Upper Holloway in the London borough of Islington:

  1. Joel (b.1820) – baptised at St. John Hackney on 16 July 1820. Census records show that he was a carpenter. He was still living at the time of the 1881 census with his brother James and sister Mary Ann. He was not recorded in the 1891 census and presumably died in the 1880s.
  2. James (b.1821) – baptised at St. John Hackney on 21 October 1821. Census records show that he was a baker. He was still living with his sister Mary Ann at the time of the 1891 census. He was not recorded in the 1901 census and presumably died in the 1890s.
  3. Mary Ann (1823-1903?) – baptised at St. Mary Islington on 19 October 1823. The 1851 census shows her occupation as dressmaker. She married William Charles Young at St. Mary Islington on 2 June 1855. Young probably died before 1861, since Mary Ann was shown at that year’s census as living with her mother and brothers Joel, James and Charles. She was still living at the time of the 1901 census, but was not recorded in the 1911 census and presumably died in the 1900s. Probably she was the Mary Ann Young who was buried at Norwood Cemetery in Lambeth on 11 June 1903.
  4. William (1826-1899) – baptised at St. Mary Islington on 23 July 1826. Census records show that he was a labourer. He married Eliza Cox in about 1854 and they had six children: William (b.1855), George (b.1857), Charles (b.1858), Joel (b.1861), Joseph (b.1861) and Henry (b.1871). William was alive at the time of the 1891 census, and is believed to have died in 1899.
  5. George (our ancestor - 1828-1891)
  6. Catherine (b.1830) – baptised at St. John Islington on 25 March 1838 at the same time as her brothers George and Charles Edmond. She married Henry Wells at All Hallows Tottenham on 31 December 1858 and they had at least three children together: Katherine (b.1859), Mary (b.1866) and Emily (b.1868). She was alive at the time of the 1881 census, but was not recorded in 1891 and presumably died in the 1880s.
  7. Watkin (b.1835) – baptised at St. John Islington on 19 April 1835. He does not appear in the 1851 census and presumably died in the 1840s.
  8. Charles Edmond (b.1838) – baptised at St. John Islington on 25 March 1838 at the same time as his brother George and sister Catherine. In the 1861 census his occupation was shown as carpenter. He was recorded living with his mother and brothers Joel and James at the 1861 census, but does not appear in the 1871 census. Presumably he died in the 1860s.

Pigot's Middlesex and the Towns and Villages within 12 miles of London (1826) shows James Phillips as a carpenter in the section on Holloway. In the 1841 census James is still shown as a carpenter. In the 1851 census, the widowed Mary Ann is shown as being a baker, although in 1861 she was shown as “independent”.

James died aged 47 in July 1845 and was buried at Highgate Cemetery of St. James on 28 July - see James Phillips' death registration (PDF - 548k). He left the following will:

This is the last Will and Testament of me James Philips of Upper Holloway in the Parish of St. Mary Islington in the County of Middle[se]x. Firstly I desire that all my just debts funeral and testamentary expensed to be paid and satisfied by my Executrix hereinafter named as soon as conveniently may be after my decease and [?] [?] give devise and bequeath unto my wife Mary Ann Philips all and every my household furniture linen wearing apparel books plate pictures [?] and also all and every sum and sums of money which may be in my house or about my person or which be due to me at the time of my decease and also all securities leases and every other my estate and effects whatsoever and wheresoever both real and personal whether in possession reversion remainder or expectancy unto my wife Mary Ann Philips to and for her own use and benefit absolutely and I nominate  constitute & appoint the aforesaid Mary Ann Philips whole and sole Executrix of this my will and hereby revoking all former and other wills by me at any time heretofore made I declare this to be my last will and Testament in witness whereof  I the said James Philips have to this my last will and Testament set my hand the sixteenth day of July on the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty five. – [signed] James Phillips – Signed by the Testator in the presence of us present at the same time who have hereunto subscribed our names as witness in the presence of the said Testator and of each other. – John Colson – William John Watson.

Proved at London on the 28th January 1846 before the worshipful James Parker Deane Doctor of Laws and surrogate by the oath of Mary Ann Phillips (in the will written Philips) widow the [?] the sole executrix to whom [?] was granted having been first sworn duly to administer.

James' will (JPEG - 2.2mb)

 

Mary Ann died aged around 80 some time between April and June 1878 - registration of her death (PDF - 956k).

 

1 Sources for her name include baptism records for her children, census records for 1841, 1851, 1861 and 1871 and James’ will of 1845. Her place and year of birth is recorded in census details for 1851, 1861 and 1871, and her year of birth is also confirmed in her death record from 1878.

 

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Last updated: 6 May 2014

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