Chapter 1 - Beginnings

John Wastell C 1677

There have been Wastells in England since the Normal Conquest of 1066. John Wastell (c. 1460–c. 1518) was an English gothic architect and master mason responsible for the fan vaulted ceiling and other features of King's College Chapel, Cambridge, the crossing tower (Bell Harry Tower) of Canterbury Cathedral, and sections of both Manchester and Peterborough cathedrals. He also worked on Bury St Edmunds Abbey.

We know that a Samuel Wastell of Spital Yard paid a Hearth tax in 1666.  This address appears later in our story.

The first historically documented evidence for our part of the Wastell family tree begins in the late 17th Century when John Wastell married his wife Ann. John was a Silk Weaver who enjoyed the privilege of Freedom of the City of London.

The Freedom of the City of London originate from the medieval trade guilds which were established to regulate particular crafts. Guilds supervised the training of apprentices, controlled standards of craftsmanship, and protected craftsmen from unfair competition. Those working in the same craft lived and work near each other, grouping together to regulate competition within their trade and maintain high standards.

Some guilds can trace their origins back to the 12th century. The Wastells were members of the Guild with the earliest charter still in existence, it being granted to the Weavers' Company in 1155.

Livery companies admitted new freemen by one of three methods: patrimony (through father or mother), redemption (by paying a fine), or servitude, that is by serving an apprenticeship. The Wastells were admitted by patrimony.

John’s status was such that he paid a property tax. This was paid by the more prosperous sections of society, from the wealthiest duke to the owners of business premises such as tradesmen, shopkeepers and innkeepers. The tax was based upon the size of the property. In 1721 John paid £2 5s.on his Residence at White Hart Court. Roughly about £600.

John Wastell b.1702 

John was born in January 1702, being baptised at St. Botolphs, Aldgate on 31st January 1702. William of Orange was still on the English Throne.

Much like Shakespeare, the Wastells hadn’t decided on a consistent spelling of their name.

St Botolph’s had survived the Great Fire of London and was described at the beginning of the 18th century as, "an old church, built of Brick, Rubble and Stone, rendered over, and ... of the Gothick order". The building, as it stood at that time, was 78-foot long (24 m) and 53-foot wide (16 m). There was a tower, about 100-foot tall (30 m), with six bells. 

On 27 Dec 1729 John Wastell married Ann Mayhew in St. Botolph, Bishopgate.

Ann was born July 1711 in Stepney. Her Parents were Petrus (Peter) Mayhew and Charity Conyers. Petrus and Charity had been married at St. Dunston’s Church, Stepney, 23 March 1700, but were living in the small hamlet of Bethnal Green.

Bethnal Green was a centre of silk weaving. Weavers Field Park (created after the bombing of WW2) is situated in the centre of Bethnal Green. Throughout his life Petrus is described as a weaver. When he died in 1746, he was buried at the newly built church of St. Matthew’s, Bethnal Green on 9th Sept.  He is still described as a weaver.

John Wastell had the following children

John was baptised on 20 Aug 1732 in St. Dunston & all Saints Stepney. 

Ann was baptised on 28 Mar 1736. in St. Dunston & all Saints Stepney

Peter was baptised on 13 Jul 1737 in St. Dunston & all Saints Stepney

William was baptised on 10 Oct 1740 in St. Dunston & all Saints Stepney

Henry was baptised on 9 Jan 1742 in St. Dunston & All Saints, Stepney

Charity was baptised on 24 May 1747 in the newly opened St. Matthew’s, Bethnal Green

Deborah was baptised on 6 Feb 1749 but died shortly afterwards

Deborah was baptised on 09 Oct 1750 at St. Matthew’s, Bethnal Green.

It didn’t take long for St. Matthews to gain a reputation. Soon after the church’s consecration, Vestry records show that several hundreds of the local people were holding their Sunday pastimes of bull-baiting and dog-fighting in the field adjacent to the churchyard. There was particular outrage on the day the terrified bull ran into church during the morning service. The church graveyard also became a target for “Resurrectionists”. Local Medical schools at Guy’s and the New London Hospitals were not overly-fussy where the bodies for their research and teaching came from. In 1754 church had to build a “Watch House” and employ a night watchman to protect the newly buried from the grave robbers.

All the baptismal records indicate that John lived in Mile End New Town. It bordered with Bethnal Green to the north, Whitechapel to the east and south, and Spitalfields to the west. Old Montague Street formed much of the southern boundary and the western boundary falling short of Spital Street. Mile End Old Town was located some distance to the east, separated from Mile End New Town by the parish of Whitechapel.

Through the period John is described as a “weaver”.  When his son, William, received the freedom of the city of London, John was a silk “Frame worker”