The Wastell Family History

William Wastell 1740 - 1823 William was born 10th Oct 1740 in Mile End New Town and was baptised on 29th October at St Dunstan, Church. On 7th March 1764, William married his first wife, Mary Caton, at St, Matthew’s Bethnal Green. Mary, born 19 January 1745, was the daughter of Morris and Catherine Caton of Tides Alley, Limehouse. Tides Alley was one of the many alleyways that led down to the Thames in Limehouse. Morris was employed as a “gardener”. At that time there were many orchards and market gardens in Limehouse. Morris’ father lived at Ratcliffe, Limehouse. 6 months after their marriage, William and Mary’s first child was born, Mary b. 24 Sept 1764 Judith b. 14 May 1766 Ann b. 11 Feb 1768 Catherine b. 10 Mar 1770 Samuel b. 6 Dec 1770 William b. 23 Oct 1771 Peter b. 1773 John b. 14 Aug 1774 Jane b. 09 Aug 1779 Charlotte b 1781 Samuel b.1783 George b. 5 Sep 1784 Thomas 3 Feb 1787 Charles b 12 June 1790. After having 14 children, Mary d...

William Wastell was born 23 Oct 1771 in Briant Street, Shoreditch. He was baptised on 8th November in St. Leonards, Shoreditch. The church is dedicated to St Leonard, the patron saint of prisoners and those who are mentally ill, there has been a church here for many centuries. It was this church which became the actors’ church. The first English theatre was close by in New Inn Yard where several of Shakespeare’s plays had their initial performance. Many of the Elizabethan theatrical fraternity are buried in the medieval church under the crypt.  The church features in the nursery rhyme Oranges & Lemons. “When I grow rich, say the bells at Shoreditch.” On the 19 Nov 1798 in Spitalfields Christ Church, William Married Lydia Ayres. Some French Huguenots used Christchurch for baptisms, marriages and burials but not for everyday worship, preferring their own chapels. At the birth of their first child, James in 1805, William was living in New Inn Yard...

Chapter 4 – Silk Weavers Riot Spitalfields had been a centre of the silk-weaving industry since the early seventeenth century. Towards the end of the century, at the time when the Huguenots arrived from France, large numbers of Huguenot silk-weavers settled in the district thanks in large part to the decision of William and Mary to invite Huguenots being hard-pressed by the French crown to relocate their talents across the channel. This now-domestic industry quickly began supplanting formerly dominant French imports. But as the 18th century unfolded, even the most industrious Spitalfields weavers came under increasing competitive pressure especially from Chinese and Indian imports. Weavers attacked in the open street wearers of cotton stuffs - the "Calico Madams" - even tearing the clothes off their backs. In petitions to Parliament the calicoes were denounced "as a worthless, scandalous, unprofitable sort of goods embraced by a luxuriant humour amon...

1)            THOMAS BELLOTT b.1640 THOMAS BELLOTT was born in 1640 in St. Martin, Puy-de-Drome, Auvergne, France. 150km west of Lyon. He married JUDITH LE SAUVAGE . She was born in St. Martin Le Bolbec, ( Nr La Havre) Normandy, France.     Thomas Bellott and Judith Le Sauvage had the following children: 1)      THOMAS BELLOTT was born in 1670 in Seine, Maritime, Normandy, France. He married MARIE GUELLE. She was born in 1670 in Mazange, 41131, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, France.     2)      SUZANNE BELLOTT was born in 1661 in Seine Maritine, Normandy, France. She married Jacque Quesnel in 1691. Around the same time it appears that her brother Thomas married Marie Guelle. Records of the Threadneedle St Church, most important of London’s numerous Huguenot Churches (there were 9 of these in 1700), show that Thomas and Marie acted as godpare...