Ann Unknown

[Lindsay]

Link to husband William Mills: http://www.genealogistsforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=11516&highlight=william+mills
Link to daughter Elizabeth: http://www.genealogistsforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=10570&highlight=elizabeth+mills

Name - "official" name and what they were known as
Ann
Date and place of birth
About 1760 (from burial)
Names of parents
Date and place of baptism - if applicable
Details of each of his or her marriages - if any
Married to William Mills - no details known, but only child Elizabeth born 3 Dec 1793 and baptised St George in the East, Middlesex
Occupation(s) - if any
Addresses where they lived (including county if in UK) - and please list which censuses you have or haven't found him/her on (if s/he lived in census times!).
Ratcliff Highway, Middlesex 1790s-1810s
Date, place and cause of death
Before 5 Dec 1814, Ratcliff Highway, Middlesex
Date and place of burial.
5 Dec 1814 St George in the East, Middlesex
Details of will / administration of their estate - if applicable
Memorial inscription - if any

[Shona]

Ancestry has a marriage of a William Mills to Ann Mackfarlane, 23 October 1780, St Katherine by the Tower.

Like Ratcliffe, St Katherine's was one of the 'Tower Hamlets'. Most of it was destroyed to build St Katherine's Dock.

[Shona]

Have you heard about the Ratcliff Highway murders - they took place in 1811?

[kiterunner]

Lindsay, there are quite a few other children baptised at St George in the East around that time with parents William Mills and Ann - have you been able to establish whether they are Elizabeth's brothers and sisters (who presumably died young) or belong to a different couple?

[Lindsay]

None of the baptisms I've followed up look like Elizabeth's siblings (none with father William watchmaker/silversmith).

Shona - yes, I think the Ratcliff Highway murders were mentioned on a TV program a while ago. William and Ann would have been living on Ratcliff Highway at that time.

The marriage is a possible, although William would have been quite old for a first marriage. It would help to pin it down if I could find some other children!

In spite of Ratcliff Highway always being described as seedy and run down, William and Ann seem to have been comfortably off - he insured his premises for several hundred pounds (including up to £100 for clothes). I suppose some parts were worse than others.

[Shona]

Could there have been a first marriage? Ancestry has one between William Mills and Ann Stafford on 9 June 1767 at Shoreditch St Leonard.

[Shona]

Found the following regarding 141 Ratcliff Highway:

Mills, Robert, London (Ratcliff Highway), apprentice 1761, Company of Clockmakers 1772, Livery Company of Clockmakers 1782-1793.

In 1792 Robert Mills insured 141 Ratcliff Highway - other properties or occupiers: St Anne's Street (salmon, shopkeeper).

However, in 1802, 141 Ratcliff Highway was occupied by William Lifford, rope maker.

William Mills was a watchmaker at 141 Ratcliff Highway from 1809 to 1818. Perhaps following his father, Robert's death?

141 Ratcliff Highway was insured by Samuel Wright, watchmaker (William's employee) in 1818.

And I've found a later reference in Kent's 1823 Guide for 141 Ratcliff Highway - and this may answer your question about Elizabeth:

Eliz, Wright, clock and watch-maker, 141 Ratcliff Highway.

Could Elizabeth have had a second marriage to Samuel Wright - her father's employee?

[Shona]

On E Bay, someone was selling a Robert Mills watch for £285. The description says:

'Robert Mills watchmaker, Labour-in-vain St, Shadwell, later at Ratcliffe Highway, London, free of the Clockmakers' Company in 1772.'

[Lindsay]

Ooh, Shona, where did you find the apprentice and Company of Clockmakers info? I've seen the 1793 insurance but not the rest.

I think I need to sit down and think this through...William was 78 when he died in 1817 (so born about 1739) so it's possible but unlikely his father was Robert. Could be a brother?

Thank you, that's given me something else to look at!

Edited to add: just seen your comment about the watch on ebay - wow, I'm going to have to do some more digging!

[Shona]

Sorry - the watch wasn't on ebay, it was a specialist antique watch seller.

The references came from a 12-year-old posting on RootsWeb. It reads as follows:

Your reference to Andrew Mills is from watchmakers and clockmaker's of the world volume 2. Volume 1 by G.H. Ballie provides a number of other references. As you know from the volume 2 the references to company of clockmakers or apprentice are indexes to other sources of information which may give more information such as addresses. Details are:

MILLS

Robert. London (Ratcliffe highway). Apprentice 1761, company of
clockmaker's 1772, livery company of clockmakers 1782 to 1793

Robert. London. Apprentice 1809, company of clockmakers 1838

There are no entries for an Andrew Mills.


Old Clocks and their Makers by F.J. Britten, ISBN 0854097031. Gives the
following information:

Robert, 141 Ratcliffe highway, 1790 to 1794
William, same address, 1809 to 1818

Again there are no entries for an Andrew Mills.

Looking at this again, it seems there are two men named Robert Mills who were watchmakers.

[Shona]

Here's the relevant page in that book for Robert Mills at Radcliff Highway. Ancestry have the book, so I did a quick search.

[Shona]

I've managed to check the Watchmakers book for more info and it lists the following:

Wright, S, 141 Ratcliiff Highway, 1820

Wright, Elizabeth, 141 Ratcliff Highway, 1825

[Lindsay]

There's a burial for Robert Mills of Ratcliff Highway in St George in the East in Oct 1792, age 47 so he was born about 1745. He could well be William's brother, which is another clue for me to follow up.

Thanks for looking Shona, I thought I'd exhausted everything online but it just shows how a fresh pair of eyes can help.

[Shona]

I'd heard about the Radcliff Highway murders, which sparked my interest. So searched 141 Radcliff Highway to give me the leads. Enjoyed the foray into East End life. Any old pocket watches in the attic, btw?

[Lindsay]

Sadly not!