The Oldham Family

Genealogy continued from the Wood family
of Woodbridge and Melton

The Oldham page is now divided into four parts, this page being the main area of new research for Joseph Oldham, first known member of the Oldham family, though the main information on his children is now transferred to the second Oldham page. The name of the family in the Middle Ages is locative, that is, based on the place-name of Oldham in Lancashire, now a large town adjoining Manchester. The most well-known person of that name was Hugh Oldham, Bishop of Exeter who was born in Lancashire somehwere in the region now referred to as 'Greater Manchester'. His great respect for education led him to endow and erect Manchester Grammar School in 1515. He is commemorated today with the Oldham coat of arms which was adopted by the City of Manchester and by the Grammar School, with slight variations. Both of these can be seen online on the title pages of their websites and are worth viewing because a book plate with a rather individual variation was given (in a Bible) to a younger member of a younger branch of the family.in Australia. The details and the context of the find are explained in Part 3, William's Family, detailing the 8th child of Joseph and Mary Oldham.

By the 19th century the bulk of available early records places the majority of people of the name in Cheshire - though that could be partly because Cheshire's BMD records are available online - and from there they fanned out in decreasing numbers southwards, presumably avoiding going eastwards over the hills into Yorkshire! There were few in Suffolk and all Joseph's surviving children moved away from that county.

Joseph's own origins are still unfortunately obscure, his place of birth being unknown but his age at his death in 1818 was recorded on the NBI as 68 which means he was born in 1749 or 1750. Among all the possibilities there is very little real information to go on, though there does appear to be a connection with London by the early 19th century and there are several possible leads with other Oldhams - the main topic of this page - who could be brothers or at least relatives of his, and who are now listed with all the information on them found so far, . The table below, added for easy reference, shows basic information about Joseph and the other two relevant Oldham families. Those in green were born or married in Melton, Suffolk. All those of John and Beliza's family not baptised in Melton were baptised at St Edmund's, Lombard St, London, (in the City, very near to St Paul's). More details are given later..

London Streets mentioned on this page and with reference to the Wood family earlier - all in the City of London.
~Lombard St takes its name from Lombardy in Italy the land being originally granted by King Edward I to goldsmiths from that region. It was also the main centre for banking and is probably where Nathaniel Oldham, William's son, worked before being sent to the bank in Sydney.
~The church of St Edmund the King and Martyr stands on the north side close to Gracechurch Street.
~St Michael's, Crooked Lane was completely destroyed in the Fire of London and rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren. Charles and John Wesley attended this new church several times around 1737-8. Eventually in the 1830s the church was removed for easier access to London Bridge.
~St Giles, Cripplegate is in the north of the City of London, an area now known as the Barbican, heavily blitzed in WW2 and rebuilt as the Arts Centre of London.
~St Botolph's is on Aldersgate St which runs northwards from St Paul's Cathedral to Clerkenwell. (The suffix 'gate' signifies a way leading from a gate in the ancient city wall.) John Wesley was converted in a meeting house here in 1738.
 

Summary of Oldham families 1750-1800 with birth years - names in green - born or married in Melton, Suffolk
William Oldham m.1869 Ann	Joseph Oldham m. Mary Wood	John Oldham m. 1772 Beliza Lambert
1770 Thomas Westley Oldham m. Lucretia Oldham Thomas Oldham, of Frith House, Leicester, was High Sheriff of Leicester in 1826 1773 William Oldham both baptised at St Martin's, Leicester.	1779 # 1.Richard Wood Oldham 1782 # 3.Beliza Oldham 1786 # 6.Joseph Oldham 1788 # 7.Harriet Oldham 1790 # 8.William Oldham 1791 # 9.John Oldham 1793 #10.Searles Oldham 1795 #11.Thomas Wesley Oldham 1798 #13. Edwin Oldham	1772 James Lambert Oldham 1773 John Oldham 1775 Beliza Oldham 1776 William Chapman Oldham 1777 Ann Oldham 1778 Thomas Oldham 1779 Lucretia Oldham m. Thomas Westley Oldham 15 Jun 1815 at St Michael's, Crooked Lane, London. Lucretia died at Frith House, Leicester in 1834

The first names in these families does suggest that they are family names. and another common feature is the use of a surname from a previous generation repeated as a middle name. This remained a feature of many of Joseph's descendants for at least another century. Apart from 'Wood' which is obvious, Searles must be named for his grandmother, Jane Searles, though the Melton record in the IGI [C062701] suggests a name of 'Ron' as his first name but it appears nowhere else. "Lambert' is obvious and "Wesley' or "Westley" (the same name?) is an odd coincidence.

So far no positive relationship has been established between these three families (apart from the one marriage) but there is evidence of 'connections'. The next table summarises coincidences and 'connections' with ages if given, and other relevant information

1841 Census - Frith House Leicester	1766, 1794 & 1808	1808 & 1813
55 Lucretia Oldham, widow of Thomas 64 William C. Oldham (Lucretia's brother) 48 Searles W. Oldham	'Miss Beliza Lambert' was godmother to John Wood, youngest son - and heir - of Richard Wood and Jane (formerly Searles) in 1766	Early London Directories: Beliza Oldham, Lucretia's sister, had a button and silk warehouse at 25 Lombard St
Searles 2nd wife, Hannah whom he married in Leicester in 1830, was in Liverpool with their 4 children. Hannah Brookes was born in Jamaica but there were several families of that name in Leicester.	Beliza (Lambert) Oldham appointed her brother James Lambert and son William Chapman Oldham as executors of her Will 1808	Beliza's Will was not witnessed. John Oldham of Fleet St, London, woollen draper, and William Oldham of Lombard St, 'Gold Lace Man' swore that they knew her - and her handwriting - well, so probate was allowed on 24 Apr 1813
Searles was a Lt in the Royal Navy and retired to Hope St, Liverpool. There he invested about £1200 in a sail-making business with a Margaret Ann Gladstone. His brother Richard was a sailmaker and in his Will of 1842 Searles describes him as 'my brother Richard, Bookkeeper in Liverpool.' In 1841 Richard was living not far away from him at Walton On The Hill, Everton.	Thomas Westley Oldham b. 3 Nov 1770 chr. 2 Dec 1770 St Martin's, Leicester m. 15 Jun 1815 St Michael, Crooked Lane, London, Lucretia Oldham, dau. of John & Beliza (nee Lambert) d .30 Mar 1834 Frith House, Leicester	Charles Aldrich, friend & executor for Beliza was linen draper to His Majesty, 47 New Bond St, London Joseph Oldham was both grocer and linen draper in Melton. His son John was a linen draper all his life, almost certainly going to Wallingford via London, and married his 2nd wife in London. William Oldham, son of Joseph, is listed as a retired Hat maker in 1861. Gold lace was needed for uniforms - and hats - he could be the 'Gold Lace Man'. His eldest sons, Nathaniel and Joseph were baptised in Lombard St!

Perhaps the Margaret Gladstone above was the one born in Scotland about 1796 and living in Juvenal St, Liverpool in 1841. Her son John, 21, was a sailmaker! Two others were in their twenties and one was only 6 so this one, similar in age to Searles, seems the best candidate.

The following are full known details of the people mentioned above, as far as possible in chronological order. The family lists of the Lambert family and the two Oldhams, William and John, not 'on the main line' are coloured to prevent confusion, but not where there is some doubt about the identity of another John or William! The links are to possible identification with those of Joseph's family, but it is important to note that this is still very speculative.

The Lambert Family

The Rev Thomas Lambert, Rector of Melton, and his wife Anne appear frequently in the annals of the Wood family, both often being godparents to children of Richard Wood and Jane. Thomas was baptised on 6 Nov 1703 in Kendal, Westmorland and married Mrs Anne Carter, widow, on 27 Jul 1736 at St Andrew's Old Church, Melton. It is not known when Thomas sen'r became Rector, the earliest mention of a family baptism being 1757, but he was certainly in office for many years and was associated with the Wood family when they were still living in Woodbridge with their first two children. Thomas and Anne had six children, all baptised in Melton, Thomas chr. 11 Jun 1737, Beliza chr. 17 Oct 1738, Thomas, chr. 26 Jan 1739, James chr. 7 Mar 1741, Anne chr. 7 Apr 1744, Jonas chr. 25 May 1747 and Letitia chr. 1749. James received his M.A. at Trinity College Cambridge, was ordained as a minister in the Church of England and remained in Cambridge, still being 'of Trinity College' in 1800. At the time of probate of his Will, dated 16 May 1823, he was described as 'Clerk, Fellow of Trinity College...'

A later Lambert adds an interesting footnote whether he was a member of the same family or not - an S.Lambert of Regent St, Middlesex described as a 'Gold Lace Man' who was granted a patent on 2 Jun 1832 for his 'improvement in throstle spindles for spinning and twisting silk, cotton, wool, flax and other fibrous substances.'

The Oldham 'Three'

I William Oldham and Anne. This couple had two children in Leicester and William is referred to in a Leicester record as 'the Leicester architect and builder'.
i. Thomas Westley Oldham b. 3 Nov 1770 chr. 2 Dec 1770 St Martin's, Leicester, d. 30 Mar 1834 Frith House, Leicester
ii. William Oldham b. 8 Mar 1773, chr. 15 Mar 1773 St Martin's, Leicester

Thomas Westley Oldham m. 15 Jun 1815 St Michael, Crooked Lane, London, Lucretia Oldham, dau. of John & Beliza (nee Lambert). He was an Alderman of Leicester before becoming High Sheriff, and built Frith House in 1816 on the site of Sherman's Lodge which it's said his father acquired in about 1812-13. The estate was 240 acres. Thomas died on 30 Mar 1834 at Frith House. In his Will he left everything to his wife. Subsequently, in 1854 Lucretia left everything to her brother, William Chapman Oldham, the only one of the family of John Oldham and Beliza Lambert surviving. William Chapman Oldham died in the Jun Q 1860 aged 83, never having married, and the house was sold in 1861. They were all 'independent' but neither Thomas's nor Lucretia's Will gives any clue about other Oldham connections.

II Joseph Oldham and Mary Wood had 15 children - their children are listed below but the main details are on the new Oldham pages, Part 2, and Part 3 with more on another Joseph, a grandson, on the new 'Oldham-Dorning' page,

III John Oldham and Beliza Lambert had 8 children, all with names 'repeated' in Joseph's family - details below

Two more people in London listed in the 1808 Directory were linen-drapers - their names are of interest!
	Charles Chapman, linen-draper, 7 Marylebone St, Golden Sq. p.56 (see William Chapman Oldham son of John & Beliza) Thomas Oldham, linen merchant, 3 Barge Yard, Bucklersbury, p.212 (Bucklersbury is close to Lombard St)
not identified:	'William Lambert, an old man, bur. 13 Jan 1747' in Melton Mrs Charlotte Lambert, godmother to Mary Wood in Melton in 1759
IGI for Melton - unknown family	John and Mary Lambert had two children in Melton: John chr. 15 Dec 1746 and Letitia chr. 13 Dec 1749 Mary, wife of John Lambert was buried in Melton 31 Dec 1749 Letty, dau. of John Lambert & Elizabeth Graham, chr 15 Aug 1788 Melton

Family of Joseph Oldham & Mary Wood

I. Joseph Oldham m. Mary Wood on Wed. 27 Jun 1759 at St Andrew's Old Church, Melton. Joseph was born about 1750 and almost certainly not in Suffolk. Mary Wood was the daughter of Richard Wood and Jane (see the Wood Family pt 2 for details) . They had 15 children. This list is repeated on the next Oldham page but the links here go straight to the relevant notes.

1. Richard Wood Oldham chr. 24 Nov 1779 m. (1) Elizabeth Johnston 27 Nov 1810 in Melton,
   (2) Maria Watson 28 Nov 1822 in Barham, SFK
2. Nathanael Oldham chr. 10 Apr 1781 d. 7 Oct 1781 (IGI C062701)
3. Beliza Oldham chr. 24 Mar 1782 d. Jun Q 1850 in Ipswich (unm.)
4. Mary Ann Oldham chr. 13 Mar 1783
5. John Oldham chr. 29 Nov 1784 d..22 Jun 1785 (IGI C062701)
6. Joseph Oldham chr. 16 Jan 1786, m. Dorcas, d. 27 Apr 1858 in Cape Town SA ('1820 Settler')
7. Harriot Oldham chr 11 Feb 1788 m William MacFarlane (various spellings) on 4 Mar 1816 in Melton
8. William Oldham chr 28 Feb 1790 m. Louisa Carkeet
9. John Oldham chr 11 Apr 1791 m. (1) Martha Thomas (2) Mary Voyce
10. Searles Wood Oldham chr. 9 Jul 1793 m. Hannah Brooks 30 Sep 1830 in St Margaret's, Leicester
11. Thomas Wesley Oldham b. 27 May 1795 chr 27 May 1795 ('1820 Settler')
12. Lucretia Oldham chr 16 Oct 1797 d. 17 Nov 1803 (IGI C062701)
13. Edwin Oldham b. abt 1799 d. 10 Mar 1859 in Cape Town SA ('1820 Settler')
14. Alfred Oldham b. abt Dec1800 d. 8 Jun 1803 in Melton (aged 2 yrs, 6 mths)[new]
15. Charles Oldham chr 24 Mar 1803 d. 20 Dec 1803 (IGI C062701)

Joseph died in Wickham Market 26 Jan 1818 and was buried in Melton. Mary died in 1828. Both are recorded on the National Burial Index (NBI) Details of their children are now on a new Oldham page (2), along with details of Joseph's bankruptcy in 1808-9, but those relevant here are also mentioned in the notes to John and Beliza's children below and shown in green for convenience.

II On 1 Feb 1772 in Melton Beliza Lambert 'of this Parish' married by License 'John Oldham 'of the Parish of St Edmund the King, London' She was baptised on 17 Oct 1738 daughter of the Rev.Thomas Lambert and Anne (formerly Carter, formerly ??)

1. John Oldham bur. Melton 23 Jun 1771, 'an infant'
2. James Lambert Oldham chr. 27 Nov 1772 St Edmund, Lombard St, London
3. John Oldham b.1 Nov 1773 , chr. 10 Nov 1773 St Edmund, Lombard St, London
4. Beliza Oldham b. 15 Feb 1775, chr. 19 Apr 1775 St Edmund, Lombard St, London, d.1828 Rickinghall Inferior
5. William Chapman Oldham b. & chr 7 Jul 1776 at Melton
6. Ann Oldham b. 23 Aug 1777, chr. 27 Aug 1777 St Edmund, Lombard St, London
7. Thomas Oldham b. 7 Oct 1778 chr 13 Oct 1778 at Melton
8. Lucretia Oldham b. 30 Nov 1779 chr. 1 Dec 1779 St Edmund, Lombard St, London

Notes on John and Beliza's children:

1. John was found on the mf in Ipswich Record Office with the following: "John, son of John Oldham of Lombard St, London and Beliza, an infant".

A directory of 1844 lists John Oldham & Son, tailors and linen drapers, on Lombard St. Very near there, at 3 Bucklersbury in 1808 was Thomas Oldham, linen merchant and the same address is listed as that of 'Oldham, Ravenhill & Co. in 1819. The P.O. Directory of 1819 also lists a William Oldham with a hardware and button warehouse in East Cheap which runs off Gracechurch St at the southern end where the Monument is now. Lombard St is off Gracechurch St on the other side, not far away. It was in Gracechurch St that Mary Catherine Fagalde claimed to have married Searles Wood, Mary Wood's brother. Moreover Searles' address according to his Will in 1809 was Lombard St.

4. *In the Will of [Miss] Beliza, daughter of John and Beliza (née Lambert) born in 1775 which she signed on 28 Feb 1826 (in the presence of 'F.Amys and H.Elizabeth Amys') she identified herself as 'Beliza Oldham of the Parish of Rickinghall Inferior in the County of Suffolk, Spinster,' and left all her property to her brother, William Chapman Oldham whom she named as Executor of the will. She appears to have been buried in Norfolk though which parish is not known at present. (Rickinghall is not far from Diss) The will was proved in London on 18th Nov 1828.

5.William Chapman Oldham was the principal legatee of his mother's will. (Chapman was probably he maiden name of his mother or grandmother) This is important as it makes quite clear that he is not to be confused with William Oldham, 14 years his junior, son of Joseph Oldham and Mary Wood his possible (first?) cousin, also in 1813, living in the same parish and possibly employed in the Lombard St workshop. (More details below)

A search for Searles Wood Oldham, son of Joseph, found him in June 1841 with William and Lucretia, not at home with his wife and children. The three of them, William 64, Lucretia 55 and Searles, 48, were at Frith House in Leicester, a large hall since demolished and the estate swallowed up by a large hospital and private housing estates, only the Frith name now being preserved. It would hardly be surprising to find Searles staying with cousins, not just there because they had the same surname! William is named as 'William C.Oldham' and both he and Lucretia are the right ages, 64 and 55. Also the census does at least state that none of them were born in Leicester. William and Lucretia must however have lived there for some time. (More astonishing information under 'Lucretia' below) Searles had in fact married Hannah, his second wife, nee Brooks, in Leicester on 30 Sep 1830, yet another 'odd' coincidence. Hannah was born in Jamaica but her family, judging by the number of Brooks who appear in the records, probably came from there, which might explain how he met her initially. The 1841 census has 'land' against her name suggesting an income derive from estates, perhaps in Leicester?

7. Thomas is identified in Melton as the son of John and Beliza in the IGI, Batch no.C062701, along with the eldest John who did not live very long.. Thomas had also presumably died by 1800.

8. Lucretia is named in her mother's will. When and where she died is not known but she is not mentioned in her sister Beliza's Will, possibly because she married. In fact by 1841 she was a widow, her husband being Thomas Westley Oldham who was born on 3 Nov 1770 in Leicester and baptised at St Martin's in the town on the following 2 Dec. He died at Frith House on 30 March 1834. The Gentleman's Magazine records his death in the following words, '"Mar 30th Aged 63 Thomas Westley Oldham, Esq. of Leicester Frith House, a gentleman highly respected for his upright and consistent conduct. He served the office of High Sheriff in the year 1826." Oddly enough Joseph also had a son Thomas but 'Wesley', not 'Westley', though of course both names may well have been pronounced as if the same, so a parish clerk's spelling in the baptismal record is not of great weight! Was the second Thomas [Wesley], born 1795 in Melton, Thomas [Westley]'s cousin? Even if not a first cousin it seems very likely that he was related.

It is not known when John Oldham senior died but it was certainly before 1800, 'Mrs' Beliza then being a widow. A Beliza Oldham had a Button and Silk Warehouse at 25 Lombard St. This must be Beliza (née Lambert), John's wife who made her first Will in 1800, followed by two Codicils which she signed but somehow managed to miss having witnessed. The first part of the Will duly signed and witnessed is dated 12 Jun 1800, the executors being [Mrs] Beliza's brother, the Rev. James Lambert of Trinity College Cambridge, John Morris Esq. of Feltham Hill Mdx and Charles Aldrich, linen draper,of New Bond St, Mdx. The executors were to receive all her property - freehold messuage or tenement or premises etc, ( the shop and house in Lombard St), in trust for her son William Chapman Oldham (who was then 24), to sell if he did not want to buy it. Apart from this property her two daughters were to receive £100 each, a Legacy left to her sometime previously and William was to receive 100 Guineas, all within six months of her decease. The Legacy for her daughters, Beliza and Lucretia, had been left to her by Bessy, late Countess of Rochford. but presumably never touched. It looks as though no other of her children had survived at this time! The usual safety precautions - how the money was to be disposed of if any of them died before their mother or the property was damaged by 'Fire or Roberry or Casualty' - are included at great length. The Trustees were to receive a legacy of £5 each as a token of her thanks.

Another Morris, Joseph, son of the Rector, also Joseph Morris, and later Rector himself at Feltham, married Searles' daughter Lucretia in that parish. With thanks to Elizabeth, a researcher into the clergy of the Morris family.         (It seems likely that some of the Oldhams could have lived there for a time but is very difficult if not impossible to prove before 1841 and a census. But it was quite common for well-to-do families to have houses both in the country and in (or near) London.

Charles Aldrich of 47 New Bond St is listed in a 1794 Directory and again on the Post Office London Directory of 1808 p.7 as 'linen draper to His Majesty.' The witnesses who signed were Richard Wood of Melton, John Wood of Woodbridge and Mary Ann Wood, John's wife (née Baker)

The first codicil to Mrs Beliza's Will was written and signed by her on 10 May 1801. William Chapman Oldham was given first preference on the purchase of the house and property in Lombard St but his mother was giving the Executors the power to receive a mortgage from him so that if either of her daughters married they would receive their inheritance within six months, or if they didn't marry they would receive regular payments of interest at 5% p.a. every half year.

On 30 Sep 1808 Mrs Beliza 'revoked' the former Will (though again it was unsigned) replacing the executor Charles Aldrich with her son William Chapman Oldham. (Presumably Charles Aldrich had died) Subsequently when she died in 1813 these codicils had to be proved by affidavit. The paragraph containing this affidavit begins 'Appeared personally' followed by the names 'John Oldham of Fleet Street London Woollen Draper' and 'William Oldham of Lombard Street London Gold Lace Man' who 'made Oath that they knew and were well acquainted with Beliza Oldham formerly of Lombard Street in the Parish of St Edmund the King and Martyr and Saint Nicholas Acorn London but late of Shacklewell in the County of Middlesex widow deceased and with the manner and character of the Handwriting and Subscription having seen her write and also sign and subscribe her Name...' and so on. (Lombard St is within walking distance of Fleet St. From his shop in Fleet St. John would keep going east, up Ludgate Hill to St Paul's Cathedral, and not turning off left - north - until Cannon St and one of the narrow alleys that linked to Lombard St. Lombard St at the eastern end runs into Gracechurch St) These two, William and John, can probably be identified with two sons of Joseph Oldham and Mary Wood, William born in 1790 so now 23 and John, just 14 months younger at 22.

Other Williams and Johns being related would hardly have just said they were 'acquainted' with her, but of course there could also be two other quite unconnected Oldhams involved. More information is still needed to make these positive identifications

Lombard St is still well-known for its bankers but it was also known for its goldsmiths - important of course to its gold-lace manufacturers!

William, son of Joseph, remained in London where he married and where his four sons were born, the eldest, Nathaniel being baptised in this same church of St Edmund four years later. His brother John settled in Wallingford, Berks as a tailor and woollen draper, and his allegiance by then was to the Baptists, becoming a regular preacher in Dorchester (on Thames) but he must have returned to London many times - either on business, perhaps to buy cloth, or in connection with the Baptists. His second marriage, to Mary Voyce in 1830 was at All Souls, Marylebone. The date of his first marriage is not known but his first son was born in 1817. (See more details of John on the new 2nd Oldham page)

Oldham Part 1 Connections

Oldham Part 2 Joseph & Mary

Oldham Part 3 William

Oldham Part 4 Dornings

Oldham Part 5 John & Martha

Bessy, Countess of Rochford

'Bessy' was the illegitimate daughter of the poet Richard Savage who succeeded his brother in 1712 to the title of Earl Rivers. Her mother was Mrs Colydon. Bessy herself married Frederick Nassau de Zuylestein, the Earl of Rochford. In 1742 Richard's title passed through the legitimate line to George James, Earl and then Marquis of Cholmondeley (pronounced 'Chumley'). Richard Savage as Earl lived for a time at Ealing Grove and left the house to his daughter Bessy; her son Richard Savage Nassau sold it in 1746. Frederick and Bessy had interests in several other properties and many of the relevant documents are listed with summaries on the A2A website. As 'Countess Rochford' Bessy was probably a 'member' of London society - the 'ton' as it was known. There is a portrait of her in the National Portrait Gallery which can be viewed online in black and white..

As can be clearly seen in most pictures of 18th and early 19th century dress, buttons were used on men's garments in profusion for decoration as much as for fastening, on pockets, on deep cuffs, on surtouts (overcoats), waistcoats and frocks (frock-coats). The buttons themselves were far from plain and are today collectors' items. Oddly enough covered buttons were forbidden by law, perhaps as a blanket way of banning the practice of using gold leaf. Beliza Oldham would be more likely to provide buttons for the Earl's clothes and silk and satin of several kinds, from paduasoy (corded silk) to sarcenent (fine, soft silk), plain or brocaded, for the Countess's elaborate dresses, petticoats and coats as ladies' garments had few buttons. She could also have hired the seamstresses to make up the garments. It was perhaps for this service that she received the legacy.