It’s a great name. Some time ago I tried to find the birth/baptism records of Alexander Falconbridge “born ca 1760 to a family with Bristol connections”.  According to the Editor of “The Narrative of Two Voyages to the River Sierra Leone During the Years 1791-1792-1793", (see below) he was, like his wife, born in Bristol. If this is the case I would be delighted if anybody could produce a baptismal record! Falconbridge is well known as an abolitionist and author (“An Account of the Slave Trade on the West of Africa” [1788]) and as Thomas Clarkson’s guide in Bristol when he came to the City to gather evidence for the abolition of the trade, but his ancestry to the time of writing remains elusive.

Valerie Price-Currer of New South Wales is a descendant of the Falconbridge family and would dearly like to make the connection between her ancestors and “the famous Alex”. She says “When Falconbridge gave evidence to the British Parliamentary Committee, it appears he had “spent a year studying medicine at the Bristol Royal Infirmary in 1779-1780, but financially unable to set up a medical practice he signed on as a slave ship surgeon and went on four voyages to Africa. Becoming increasingly disillusioned with what he saw and experienced Alexander left the trade in 1787 to work as a pupil with a Bristol Doctor. It was around this time that he met up with members of the growing abolitionist movement, and Thomas Clarkson seems to have held him in high regard. Alexander spent the year 1779-1780 at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, too poor at this time to start a medical practice, he signed on as surgeon on slave ships.  He left in disgust in 1787 and worked as a pupil with a Bristol Doctor. It was at this time that he became interested in the abolitionist movement and met Thomas Clarkson.”

I have been unable to find the primary sources for the above which is repeated over again in a number of books. To Clarkson he was able bodyguiard, describing him as "an athletic and resolute-looking man", (Clarkson 1.318.) Falconbridge’s book giving an account of the slave trade was presented as evidence in the Parliamentary Hearing into Slavery.

Alexander Falconbridge and Anna Maria Horwood were married at Easton in Gordano by banns on 16 April 1788, witnessed by one of Anna Maria’s sisters and George Falconbridge. (Apart from the appearance of Alexander himself, this is the first time I have found a Falconbridge in Bristol.) 

The Horwood family were local, well established in the Parish of All Saints, Bristol.

Charles Horwood, Anna Maria’s father was a silversmith and also a clockmaker. (A long case 8 day clock with his name can be viewed on line.)

The children of Charles & his wife Grace, nee Roberts, were baptised at All Saints Church as follows: Mary Anne, 24.11.1760, Grace, 5.4.1762, (bur 13.2.1773), Anne, 5.5.1763, Charles, 25.1.1765, (bur 1785), Christian Jane, 17.10.1766,and Anna Maria, 13.7.1769

Grace Horwood, the wife of Charles was buried 6.1.1774.

On 13.4.1779: Charles Horwood, junior, silversmith & Martha Cox were married, by licence, witnessed by Charles Horwood, senior, & Edith Bayley. The licence states: “Charles Horwood of All Saints, silversmith & Martha Cox, spinster of St James.” This is a puzzle as Charles cannot be the Charles baptised in 1765 above, as he would still be a lad of 14, so I am led to believe that there was Charles s.o. Charles s.o. Charles and both weddings refer to the same man, Anna Maria’s father!

Charles and Martha went on to have the following children baptised at All Saints: Martha, 7.5.1780, (inf. bur 11.1.1780), Martha, 4.4.1781, Elizabeth & Charles, 9.6.1783, (Charles bur 8.5.1788) Simeon, 9.3.1785, (bur 9.8.1785) Charles Bird, 25.4.1787 (bur 30.4.1787) 

A Charles Horwood senior was buried 4.8.1787 and Martha “from Dowry Square” on 16.3.1791

Alexander was supposedly 28 at the time of his marriage to Anna Maria who was nineteen. Valerie believes that the Horwoods were a well to do family and that they disapproved of the marriage, “possibly because they were involved in the slave trade and disliked the anti-abolitionist movement. It is known that Anna’s brother in law to be was the captain of a slaver”, and the location of the marriage, well out of town, may suggest a clandestine arrangement.

In 1791, Alexander was selected by the Anti-Slavery Society to sail to Sierra Leone with the intention of reorganising the settlement of freed slaves in Granville Town and the married couple, with William Falconbridge, presumably another brother, sailed for the colony on a slaver, “The Duke of Buccleuch” under Captain Maclean.  Alex signed an Inventory dated 1792, Sierra Leone, with other signatories, James Watt and Richard Pepys, Members of the Council.

Anna Maria must have been very brave and feisty and was obviously well educated as can be seen from the book she co-authored about her travels: “The Narrative of Two Voyages to the River Sierra Leone During the Years 1791-1792-1793", which was published in 1794. She writes with the benefit of hindsight “it was surely a premature, hair-brained and ill-digested scheme to think of sending such a number of people all at once to such a rude barbarous and unhealthy country before they were certain of possessing an acre of land.”

The Sierra Leone scheme was a failure, as was the marriage. The couple separated. Alexander fell out with his brother William who was also employed by the Sierra Leone Company. William moved to Bance Island where he became ill with a fever and died. Alexander, who had taken to drink, was dismissed by Mr Thornton of the Company, and very depressed died on 19 December 1792. Both he and William are believed to be buried in Sierra Leone but the site of their graves is unknown.

Within a few weeks, on 7 January 1793, Anna Maria married Isaac Dubois, in a private ceremony, requesting that the officiating clergyman keep the matter secret (for obvious reasons!) The marriage was probably Isaac’s second, for a man of this name married Jemima Blake at St Martin’s in the Fields, London on 17.11.1784. He also worked for the Company and kept a diary for Thomas Clarkson. Though some sources say he was a plantation owner from North Carolina, or a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, I wonder if either is correct and feel that his connections are more likely with London, and particularly St Martin’s in the Fields where an Isaac Dubois of the Strand, St Martin’s in the Fields, chaser and print seller, insolvent debtor, was imprisoned in The Fleet, 22.10.1748. (London Gazette). Perhaps he was Isaac’s father or grandfather?  The  newly weds celebrated aboard Anna's brother in law's slaver and later returned home to England via Jamaica.

Anna includes in her book details of meetings she had on her return with Thornton who had sacked Alexander. She mentions Alexander’s will which has never been located and alludes to a possible child. This is the only reference she makes to her dead husband apart from his bad temper and drinking habits.  She gave birth to a son Francis Blake Dubois on 27 December 1801 and died shortly afterwards probably from the complications of giving birth. She was just thirty three years old. Her son was christened at St Martin in the Fields in November 1802.

Sadly it seems that Anna Maria wavered when it came to the abolitionist movement and after Alexander's death she seems to have had doubts about the possibility of abolition coming about, she in fact questioned whether it was a good thing.

So what are the Bristol connections? As shown above George Falconbridge was a witness to the marriage of Alexander and Anna Maria.  On the 16 February 1791 he married at St Philip & St Jacob’s, Mary Hedges of Castle Precincts. The marriage was by licence, presumably because the bride was just eighteen and needed the consent of her father, Thomas Hedges, a hatter, of St P & J. George was  a bachelor and by trade a chymist, (sic). All parties signed.

The next Falconbridge on the scene is Samuel, a chemist, of the City of Bristol, who made his will on 10 February 1795. He leaves:

“to my son George Falconbridge, a house now occupied by Earl Pearce, potter, in Avon Street, St Phillips with £200 stock in 5% annuities, household furniture, books, my best black coat and all necessaries in my dwelling.”

“to my brother, William Falconbridge, if living at my decease, interest of £200 in stock &c and at his death one half to be paid to Samuel Falconbridge, his son and half to Mary Falconbridge, his daughter.”

“to my grandson Samuel Falconbridge, £50 in stock.”

“to my wife’s mother Susanna Boyd the interest on £100 in stock for life provided her son George Boyd give her £10 a year for her life, otherwise the legacy is void. And at her death to my grandson Samuel Falconbridge jointly with his brother and sisters, £30 to him and £70 between his brother & sisters.

”to John Griffiths, my wearing apparel except my black coat.

“to John Read £10 and any surplus money I may die professed (sic) of after my funeral expenses and debts discharged and deficiency to be made up by my son George Falconbridge. And the same John Read to direct my funeral and that he will have a flat grave stone put over my grave inscribed with my age and that of my dear wife; and John Read to be executor.”

Signed Samuel Falconbridge in the presence of Isaac Hill, Richard Pincott, William Seward.

The will was proved on the 20th May 1795.

Unfortunately, mysterious as usual, nobody by the name Falconbridge appears in the Bristol baptism & burial indexes 1754-1812 produced by Bristol & Avon FHS, nor does the gravestone appear in Ron Lewin’s index of MIs. It occurs to me that William named above “if living” may be the William who accompanied Alex and Anna Maria to Africa. If Alex is also Samuel’s brother then he is not mentioned in the will as it must have been known that he was already dead.  I have been unable to find a marriage between Samuel Falconbridge and ----- Boyd. 

So we are left with…………George.

George Falconbridge was married to Mary Hedges as noted above. They appear not to have had children and lived out their lives in St Philip & St Jacob. In the Bristol Mercury of 30.11.1830 George Boyd Falconbridge of St P & J appears named in a petition of ratepayers railing against “ruinous taxation”.

They appear in 1841 census at Lamb Street, aged 70 and 65 respectively. (I had some difficulty in finding them - “Find My Past” indexes them as “Fatcombridge”!) George died in 1845 and in the 1851 census Mary is is living at 92 Lamb Street St P  J, widow, 79, funded proprietor & house, born Bristol, with Esther Baker, 21, servant, born Gloucestershire.   In 1861, Mary is living at 40 Wade Street, still with the faithful Esther Baker, now “28”. It was probably Esther who put her mistress’s obituary in the newspaper in 1865:  November 12, at Lamb Street, after a long illness, Mary Ann, widow of Mr G. Falconbridge, aged 94, (Bs Merc 18.11.1865)

A few weeks ago I was out with my daughter Celia and she pulled into a garage on Park Row for petrol. I noticed this plaque, on the wall: 

Though I once went through an “arty-farty” period and was vaguely aware of the actor William Macready that was about as far as it went. I was prompted, who knows through what agency, to take a photograph of the plaque. Having parked, we then strolled across the road to the Bristol University Theatre Collection (well worth a visit, especially if you have theatrical ancestors: http: //www.bris.ac.uk/theatrecollection/) where I have every hope one day of discovering more about Lottie Moreton. (see previous blog about this unfortunate soubrette.)  

And that might have been that, except that I downloaded the photo and began idly to seek references to the “Macready Chutes”.

First up, 1841, and Sarah Macready, 50, “lessee of a theatre” was living in a lodging house in Queen Square, Bristol kept by Marianne Vickerman, aged 45.  Sarah, nee Desmond, an actress, was the second wife of William Macready, Manager of the Theatre Royal who had died on 11 April 1829, leaving her with “two orphans”.  (The famous actor William Macready was a son of the first marriage.)

The census of 1851 shows Sarah aged 58, “lessee of theatres” living at Walcot, Bath in the Assembly Rooms with her son in law James H. Chute, aged 41, who was proprietor of the establishment, born Stoke, Hampshire, his wife, (Sarah’s daughter), Mazzarina E., aged 26, born Swansea and their two sons William aged 5 and Henry, 2. A daughter aged 10 days was unnamed.

James Henry Chute and Mazzarina Emily Macready had been married at Westminster in the winter of 1844. Here then were the “Macready Chutes” of the plaque.

Sarah Macready’s obituary with details of her life and career appeared in the Bristol Mercury of 12 March 1853, her age given as 64.

I have so far been unable to locate the family in the 1861 census, but it is clear from advertisements that James Henry Chute was manager of the Theatre Royal at this time. On 2 June 1861 the “Royal Dramatic College” thanked him for donating a portrait of “W. Macready, sen., esq.”

James Henry took over the Princes Theatre in 1866. http: //www.its-behind-you.com/princesbristol.html 

In 1871, James Henry, now 60, “dramatic manager” and Mazzarina, 46, and five of their children between the ages of 20 and 6 years were residing at 2 Park Row, next to a school for the “deaf and dumb”. Henry, aged 2 in 1851, was now twenty two and an assistant house surgeon at the Bristol Infirmary.

Now here’s the surprise. Evidence of the voice from the ether that had prompted me to take the photo? Living with the Chutes was Julia Pillinger, aged 50, spinster, a music teacher. Visitors to this blog will know that I have studied, as far as possible, all the Pillingers in the World and though I can claim no specific relationship to Julia, she is as dear to me as all the rest. She will be found in my History of the Pillinger Family, Part 3, as a twig on the branch that came originally from Box, Wiltshire. Following the death of George Pillinger in Bath, his wife Julia decided to try her luck as a singer in Bristol. Her daughter, Julia junior was sent away to study music in London, one of the very few Pillingers who could boast any sort of education prior to the present era. On her return, mother and daughter set up a “School of Music” in Queen Square, at the same time giving concerts which are reported at length in the local newspapers of the day. I had been aware that Julia junior had lived with the Chutes, but had only noted them in passing, having no idea that they were so hugely important in the dramatic circles of Bristol. Thus from a lowly lodger, scratching a living as a music teacher, as I had imagined, Julia has jumped up the ladder of success in my estimation. And don’t forget Queen Square -  this must have been where Julia Pillinger, senior, apothecary’s widow and aspiring theatrical (by 1841, she was remarried to Richard Harris) struck up an acquaintance with Sarah Macready, the widow of an actor manager. And here’s another thing - Richard, was a “carver and gilder” surely this must mean that he made scenery for the Theatre Royal?  It seems the connection Pillinger-Harris-Macready-Chute continued for at least thirty years.     

You never know what you’ll find next. Family history is wonderful.

Julia Maria Pillinger died in the winter of 1876. Mr & Mrs Chute did not long survive her. Mazzarina died aged 54 in March 1878 of Bright’s disease and James Henry aged 67 of liver failure the following July. They were survived by six sons and three daughters, two of whom, George and James took over the management of the Princes Theatre.   

George Macready Chute and his wife Abigail Philomena were living at Cotham Gardens, Westbury on Trym in 1891. In 1901 they were in Sidmouth with their son Desmond, aged five. In 1911 they were in Folkestone whilst Desmond, now 15 was boarding at Downside School. Despite apparently no longer living in Bristol, George M.’s occupation throughout is “Theatrical Proprietor/Manager.” According to the plaque the family was associated with the Princes Theatre until 1931.