Maria (Mary Arnold) Fleetwood

  Noted events in her life were:

• fact. Maria (Mary Arnold) FLEETWOOD. Born on 27 Jun 1801 in No 1 Dukes Court Du ke Street, Saint James, London. Christened on 11 Oct 1801 (As Mary Arnold) in St James, Westminster & 1 Nov 1801, as Maria Fleetwood At Foundling Hospital, Church Of England, Saint Pancras, London. She was 4 months old when she was baptised. Maria (Mary Arnold) died in 109 Crown Street, West Derby, Lancashire, England on 20 Mar 1866; she was 64. Another christening date given as 3 May 1803. Tabernacle, 2nd St Luke Finsbury, London (father present) Source - Will Education: Foundling Hospital London (Literate) Religion Anglican Notes from Su Solomon I don't think that there is any doubt that Robert Breese and Susannah Gertrude Arnold were the natural parents of Maria Fleetwood - all the 'co-incid idences' are far too striking to be anything but. The circumstantial evidence, linking the two children: Maria Fleetwood and Mary Arnold, is exceptionally strong. The baptism of Mary Arnold on 11 OCT 1801 at Saint James, Westminster, with the father listed as Robert Breese. Date of birth given on this baptismal record is: 27 June 1801. There is a very strong possibility that "Mary Wooward" is, in fact, Susanna Gertrude ARNOLD. And that the name at which she presents herself under to the Foundling Hospital is an alias. See the notes from the Foundling Hospital in regard to this (Pam Woodrow is of the strong opinion that t his name is an alias). Also the place at which she was employed by Miss Meade was in the parish of St Marylebone, the very same parish at which Susanna Arnold married Robert Breese on the 11th September 1802 with the marriage being witnessed by MARY DIBBLE. Add to all of this, the supposed 'Mary Woodward' - mother of Maria Fleetwo od the foundling, says in her application to the Foundling Hospital, that her father is 'steward to the Rev Locke at Mickleham Surrey. Which on later research has been shown that Edward Arnold was indeed the Steward to Mr Lock and features, as does Robert Breese, as legatees in the Will of Mr Lock! The second child of Susanna Arnold and Robert Breese (Sophia Breese) is baptised (23 May 1803) in the same church that Mary Arnold (the bastard daughter of Robert and Susanna) is baptised in 2 yrs earlier. Robert Breese's wife Jemima dies in Sept 1800 in Mickleham Surrey and nine months later in June of 1801 "Maria Fleetwood" is born to 'Mary Woodward' and Robert Breese - she is given up to the Foundling Hospital at the age of 4 months on the 31st October which gives her a birth month of June. I am assuming that she was full term as prem babies did not survive well, it at all, in the 19th century - this is the nurse-anthropologist speak ing here! Assuming that this was a full term baby, the time of gestation is, normally, 40 weeks. This means that Jemina may not have actually been quite 'cold in her grave' when this child was conceived! Then you have the baptism of Mary Arnold, whose father is listed on the baptism as Robert Breese (and one assumes that he would have to be present at the service for his name to be added to the baptism form) and mother is listed as Susanna Gertrude Arnold on the 11 th October 1801 a bare three weeks before "Mary Woodward" gives up her child (who is also called the child of Robert Breese) to the Foundling Hospital. This child was possibly only a few months old when she too was baptised, bringing her birth month to about June also and her conception at almost the same time as that of the 'foundling child' - some co-incidence eh? Or, one could say that Robert Breese was incredibly unlucky to have fathered 2 illigitmate daughters within days of each other and within a week or so of his wife Jemimas death! Their next child is called Jemima and she is baptised at Mickleham on 23 March 1805. It would appear that Susanna Arnold and her husband Robert Breese did not return to Mickleham till they were well and truly married with one child, Sophia. I think that they could not have returned home to Surrey with a child: Mar y, who was a bastard and one that would have been obviously conceived with in a few weeks of the death of Robert Breese's wife Jemima in 1800. Bu t, it may have been feasible (in terms of saving family face) for Susan na to have gone to London to work for Miss Meade for a year or so, me et up with Robert Breese and marry him and produce one child born in wedlock, then go home without anyone being the wiser that a daughter had been born out of wedlock and placed in the Foundling Hospital. Nor could the Amold family actually throw her out if she was married. From an email sent to Martine Saunders 1/1/04 More 'musings' on the Breese/ Arnold saga. You will note (says I gloating just little) that there is absolutley NO mention of a daughter: Mary in either of the Wills. I have absolutely no doubt that Robert and Sussana are the natural parents of my Maria Fleetwood, the foundling. Add to this: the baptism of Mary Arnold on 11 th act 1801, with Mother: Susanna Amold and Father: Robert Breese. IGI parish numbers (St. lames Duke's Place) C022481 1747-1860 Also note that the place of this childs baptism is in the DIRECT area that the 'foundling' Maria Fleetwood was born in: No 1 Dukes Court, Duke Str eet, Saint lames, London (according to the notes from the Foundling Hospital) I have also found a marriage of a Harriet DIBBLE to William POLLARD on 7 JUL 1844 at Mickleham, Surrey on the IGI, an indictation to me, that there were DIBBLES in Mickleham at around the time of Susanna Arnold, well perhaps. Note that: Mrs Dibble who had known the "Mary Woodard" 'for over 6 years' is mentioned in the petition to the Foundling Hospital, as having brought forward the petitioner "Mary Woodard" to the Foundling Hospital; and presenting herself as being a 'lodger' at 1 Dukes Court (where "Mary Woodard" gave birth to her daughter). It may be that this Mrs Dibble accompanied Susanna ARNOLD to London in order to either be the midwife, or the companion of this unmarried mother-to-be. Perhaps the ARNOLD family did know of the predicament of their daughter and all of this was well arranged. It certainly does not give the impression of a 'poor servant' falling on bad times. I joined the 'Surrey list' (genealogical/family history forum) and made some enquires and was given this information from a subscriber: "In 'The petty sessions minutes of Effingham & Copthorne hundreds 1784 1793 ', there is an Edward Arnold listed at the meeting on the 11 April 1788 as being appointed an overseer of the poor." There is a very strong evidence that "Mary Wooward" is, in fact, Susanna Gertrude ARNOLD. And that the name at which she presents herself under to t he Foundling Hospital is an alias. See the notes from the Foundling Hospital in regard to this. Also the place at which she was employed by Miss Meade was in the parish of St Mary le Bone, the very same parish at which Susanna Arnold married Robert Breese on the 11th September 180 2 Conjectures: Part of an email sent to Martine Saunders 13/1104 Now how about this for conjecture: they (Mary Dibble & Susannah Amold aka Mary Woodard) were all lying through their teeth in their applications to the Foundling Hospital, when they said that Robert Breese worked as a gardener for the Rev Lock and that 'Mary Woodard's' father was Steward to Rev Lock of Mickleham. It was William Lock esquire that they all worked for at Norbury Park. And perhaps it was this same William Lock who arranged for Susannah's hidden confinement in London, he was quite a humanitarian by all accounts. Lets face it, Dukes Court St James was NOT a poor part of London, even in those days. Who paid for all of this? And Robert Breese was valued, as he continues to work for the son ofWilliam Lock (William) long after William Lock senior is deceased. Lock dies in 1809-10 and on the 1814 baptism of Roberts daughter, Elizabeth in 1814, Robert is still gardener to Wm Lock of Norbury! I had another look at the application from 'Mary Woodard' to the Foundling Hospital 1801 and compared her signature, as 'Mary Woodard' to the signature of Susannah Gertrude Amold on her marriage lines to Robert Breese in 1802: there is a marked similarity between the two handwritings. T he lower case 'd' is identical in both cases and is persistent in its characteristics throughout the petition; as is the upper case's'. What is of interest is the signature itself: Mary Woodard is constrained and slightly smaller in size then the flowing letters/words in the body of the petition. It would be nice to show this to a graphologist. Foundling Home: FOUNDLING HOSPITAL London Metropolitan Archives 29 September 1998 Apprenticeship Registers A/FH/AI2/003/002 X41/5A Folio 168 Name of The Child: Maria Fleetwood No: 18673 When received: 31 October 1801 With whom apprenticed and for what term of years: The Revd Wm Alleyne Barker Master Place of Abode and Business: The Upper Mall, Hammersmith in the Parish of Fulham to be instructed in Household Business Date of The Indenture: 26 July 1816 Assigned by new Indrs to Richd Lambe of No 96 Grace Church St in the Parish of St Peter Cornhill Printsellers 9 July 1817 re appd 30 June 1819 to Saml Oldknow of MelIor near Stockport Cheshire Cotton Manufacturer to be instructed in Household Business General Registers A/FH/A09/002/005 X41/4 Year: 1801 Days of Reception: Oct 31st No. of the Child: 18673 Name and Surname and how disposed of: Maria Fleetwood sent to the country 2 Decr. Confirmed 2 May 1816 Age: 4 Mo When Apprenticed Died or Discharged: App 26 July 1816 Billet Books A/FH/A09/001/198 No: 18673 Female four months old Petitioner: Mary Woodard Oct 31st 1801 Petitions Admitted A/FH/ A08/00 1/002/0 1 % 1 To The Committee of the Foundling Hospital Gentlemen the Bearer of this Petition having had the Misfortune to have a Child Bastardly Born the father of which having deserted both me and the Child, which renders it totally out of my Power to support it, being only a Servan t, humbly begs you will take it under your Care and Support which will be gratefully Acknowledged by Gentlemen Your Humble Servant Mary Woodard The Petition of Mary Woodard for the Admission of her Child Admitted FH Referred for Enquiry of Mrs Dibble - she is in Miss Meads Service. Mary Woodward is in the service of Miss Mead but not by that Name. Mrs Dibble has known the Petitioner about six years. She always bore a good Character before her present misfortune which is still a secret to her Friends. Mrs Dibble has seen the Father of the Child sometime ago, but has heard that he has absconded since. He was Gardener to the Rev'd Mr Locke. Robert Breeze lived at Rev Mr Lockes [Mickleham] Surry. Mary Woodward Mother lived there at same time - he promised her Marriage not seen him for two months her father is Steward to Mr Locke she laid in No 1 Dukes Court Duke Street Saint James. She now lives with with Miss Mead No. 12 Portman Street Portman Square who does not know her Situation - only - Dibble who lodges at No 1 Dukes Court knows her situation. Baptism Registers A/FH/ A 14/004/00 1 Baptised 1 Nov 1801 with 4 other children Nursery Books A/FH/AI0/003/007 Number: 18673 Childs Name: Maria Fleetwood Nurses Name and Parish: Mary Groombridge, Deepditch Name of Inspection: Chertsey Inspectors Name: Mr Living When Sent to Nurse: Nov 2 1801 Inspections Books A/FH/AI0/003/003 Nov2180118673 Maria Fleetwood Returned 170ct 1805 NB: Name spelt Woodard twice and Woodward twice. Italics = my guess at word

• fact. Maria Fleetwood was christened Mary Arnold then christened Maria Fleetwood 3 months later. She was left at a foundling home but research shows that her father was Robert Breese whose wife had died only about a year before the birth of Maria and so it was probably not proper for him to have another relationship so soon after her death. However Robert went on to marry Susannah Arnold and had a number of other children with her. We have no idea where the Fleetwood name came into it.
(This came as part of an e-mail from Jenny Stubbs)

Maria married Abraham Luya, son of Abraham Luya and Charlotte Carew, on 30 Jan 1827 in Parish Church of St. Marys, Stockport, Cheshire England. (Abraham Luya was born on 5 Dec 1801 in Stepney, London, Middlesex England, christened on 31 Jan 1802 in Spitalfields, London, Middlesex England, died on 4 Feb 1863 in Belford, Singleton, NSW Australia and was buried on 11 Feb 1863 in Patricks Plains, near Singleton, NSW Australia.)