 |
| A rather splendid hunter-case pocket watch |
Ancestry had indexed two New South Wales death certificates, one in Sydney (registration number 272) and one for Camperdown, Newtown (volume number V 18619369 122B). Some other reading suggested to me that the second 'death certificate' could be a church burial record copied into the NSW civil registration records. This was supported by information in the Hunts of Faversham family tree giving details of a burial in Camperdown Cemetery. The same source had details of the death two days earlier in Sydney infirmary.
On the Trove web-site (an excellent resource) I also found a death notice from The Empire (Sydney) on Saturday 23rd of March 1861.
 |
| SWINDELL - On the 21st instant, James Swindell, watchmaker, late of Barrack-street |
,
In 1858 James had obviously been going through a bad patch and sentenced to 7 days for vagrancy in Darlinghurst gaol in Sydney. This provides us with a description - age 37: 5'6½": Brown hair: Hazel eyes - and the information that he arrived on the ship Moscow in 1852. The age agrees with the age on the death certicate so I think it must be the same James although the death certificate apparently suggests an arrival date of 1854.
The next clue was another death notice, in this case
"McFarlane. - In loving memory of James Swindell McFarlane, who departed this life on the 8th of October 1885, at his residence, No. 3 Auckland-terrace, Petersham, aged 24 years. Inserted by his loving mother, brothers, and sisters."
"McFarlane. - In loving memory of James Swindell McFarlane, who departed this life on the 8th of October 1885, at his residence, No. 3 Auckland-terrace, Petersham, aged 24 years. Inserted by his loving mother, brothers, and sisters."
Combined with a birth registration for a James Swindell in 1861, father James, mother Jane, and a marriage of a Jane Swindell to Alexander McFarlane, this led me to the fact that James had married* a Jane and they had had two children, Julia in 1859 and James in 1861. The baptism of Julia's children gave me Jane's maiden name - White'. I have not discovered the marriage of James Swindell and Jane White. James's two young children adopted the family name of their step-father.
*Postscript. It appears that James Swindell and Jane White never married. According to a descendant Julia's birth certificate states that her parents were not married.
*Postscript. It appears that James Swindell and Jane White never married. According to a descendant Julia's birth certificate states that her parents were not married.
James Swindell McFarlane had married in 1883 and had one posthumous child Undine in 1886 who unfortunately died the next year (Undine is the name of a water sprite).
Resumé
So I now had James Swindell, a watchmaker, born London about 1821 who had emigrated in 1852 aboard the Moscow, lived with Jane White, had two children Julia and James and had died in 1861. I also knew from the death certificate index that his father's name was James. Could I find him in England?
I could find no record of James Swindell being transported as a convict (other than in 1820 and 1838) and as far as I am aware the last convict ship to NSW was in 1849. I can find no record of a ship the Moscow. There was a Jos. (or Jas. Swindell who arrived in Melbourne in 1854 aboard the Mobile but he is described as a Gentleman from England, aged 30. Passenger lists give no other clues.
The Secret Springer
The 1841 English census is more hopeful. There we have James Swindell, aged '20', boarding in Clerkenwell, born in Middlesex. He gives his occupation as 'Secret Springer'
I had come across this census entry before and knew that a 'secret springer' was someone who made 'secret springs' for pocket watches. Thus this James was a watchmaker. The watchmaking trade in Clerkenwell was very specialised with most individuals making one small part of the final watch. However never having owned a pocket watch I did not know what a 'secret spring' was.
It turns out that a watch like the one at the head of this blog would have a metal cover to protect the glass face. To open the cover the user would press down on the crown winding knob and this would release a little spring-loaded catch and the cover could then swing open. The catch for the cover can be seen in the detail below.
The spring is mounted in the rim of the pocket watch. The picture below is one for, I am sure, a much more utilitarian pocket watch.
It seemed very possible that the 'secret springer' James Swindell in the 1841 census is the James Swindell who died in 1861 in Sydney. However in 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881 it is also possible to trace a James Swindells, son of Thomas Swindells, born on the 6th of July 1819 in Clerkenwell who was also a watchmaker and who married first Susannah Spurgeon and then Edith Phillips Baille and who died in 1882 in Islington.
Born in 1823 though not baptised till 1827 this other James Swindell is not positively identified in the 1841 census and not found in the 1851 census (or later). His eldest brother Thomas was a watchmaker, as was the other brother Joseph.
Being born in 1823 the ages quoted in the Australian records both differ by a couple of years from this James's true age. This must leave a significant reservation over any identification of the James who died in 1861 with the James born in 1823 but at the present I believe it to be a strong possibility - and I know of no other James, son of James born at this period in London.
The family tree would thus be
Edward Swindall, born about 1710, who married Isabella and had children
Edward, Jane, James, Catherine and Catherine - all baptised at St Andrew by the Wardrobe, London
The younger Edward Swindell was baptised on the 30th of November 1733, married Esther Huntley in 1757 and had children
Jasper, Edward, Thomas, Mary, James, William and Elizabeth - all baptised at St Luke's, Old Street Finsbury
Thomas Swindel was born in 1762 and was probably the Thomas who married Elizabeth MacDonald in 1783 and had children
Thomas, Joseph, John, Joseph, James and Charles - all baptised at St Luke's.
The younger Thomas is the first member of the family definitely known to be a watchmaker.He married Sophie and had at least 12 children including James the secret springer born in 1819.
Thomas's younger brother James served his watchmaking apprenticeship in Coventry, where he married Sarah Clewley. They had five known children including Joseph who is known to have emigrated to New Zealand and the James whom I believe died in Australia in 1861.
Fuller details can be found by following the hyperlinks in the paragraph above.
 |
| Secret spring pocket watch catch |
 |
| Pocket watch secret spring |
Not James Swindell, the secret springer, but another watchmaker with the same name!
It is therefore necessary to look for another James Swindell, born about the same time for the migrant to Australia. If you will forgive the expression, another James Swindell does 'spring' to mind! From a watchmaking family, this time the son of James Swindell and Sarah Clewley and in fact cousin to the James described in the previous paragraph.Born in 1823 though not baptised till 1827 this other James Swindell is not positively identified in the 1841 census and not found in the 1851 census (or later). His eldest brother Thomas was a watchmaker, as was the other brother Joseph.
Being born in 1823 the ages quoted in the Australian records both differ by a couple of years from this James's true age. This must leave a significant reservation over any identification of the James who died in 1861 with the James born in 1823 but at the present I believe it to be a strong possibility - and I know of no other James, son of James born at this period in London.
The family tree would thus be
Edward Swindall, born about 1710, who married Isabella and had children
Edward, Jane, James, Catherine and Catherine - all baptised at St Andrew by the Wardrobe, London
The younger Edward Swindell was baptised on the 30th of November 1733, married Esther Huntley in 1757 and had children
Jasper, Edward, Thomas, Mary, James, William and Elizabeth - all baptised at St Luke's, Old Street Finsbury
Thomas Swindel was born in 1762 and was probably the Thomas who married Elizabeth MacDonald in 1783 and had children
Thomas, Joseph, John, Joseph, James and Charles - all baptised at St Luke's.
The younger Thomas is the first member of the family definitely known to be a watchmaker.He married Sophie and had at least 12 children including James the secret springer born in 1819.
Thomas's younger brother James served his watchmaking apprenticeship in Coventry, where he married Sarah Clewley. They had five known children including Joseph who is known to have emigrated to New Zealand and the James whom I believe died in Australia in 1861.
Fuller details can be found by following the hyperlinks in the paragraph above.
No comments:
Post a Comment