New...............

 

C 12/1621/22 (TNA-Kew) court proceedings taken out by Thomas Richford, ropemaker of Stepney, Middlesex (father of William) against Joseph Brown.

 

C 108/193 - accounts of Joseph Brown in support of administering William Richford's estate in favour of Anna Maria Richford (daughter) and the mother of Anna Maria - Marcella Barra(e)n

The above documents confirm that William Richford was the son of Thomas Richford, a ropemake from Stepney. A Thomas Richford, ropemaker from Stepney has also been identified as the father of my 5xGt Grandfather Charles Richford ( information was taken from St. Dunstans Stepney parish register). If this is the same Thomas I should be able to confirm this by locating the birth of William Richford, although this may not be so straight forward as I didn't find (or missed) him amongst the St. Dunstan's baptism entries (perhaps he was born somewhere else?). 

 

It appears from the court papers that William Richford had done very well for himself in Calcutta as indicated by leaving nearly £4000 (equivalent to about half a million pounds in today's value!) in his will for the up keep of his daughter and to support the mother, named as Marcella Barra(e)n  (I assume he hadn't married her).

 

Joseph Brown, a good friend of William and one of the executors of his will carried out William's last wishes, but there seems to have been problems with Marcella Barra(en)..... she demanded more of the estate money and in turn Brown purchased a house in the name of Anna Maria  which was subsequently rented out to provide addition income for Marcella. The court papers/accounts give details of these transactions and the schooling and later return of Anna Maria to England under the supervision of a governess.

 

Things seem to have come to a head when Joseph Brown returned to England to discover that the Richford family in the name of Thomas Richford were taking him to court for misappropriation of Williams money claiming   rights over the money.

 

More to follow.......

 

New...............

 

April 2005 - C 108/193  - the brother of William Richford (above) is named as Henry in the documents of Joseph Brown. Is this the same Henry - if it is, then it adds another link into my branch with the Deptford connection?