With a few recent new discoveries around London I thought it would be fun to visit some of these sites. I love researching my Mansel ancestors as they are so easy to find in historical records.

A trip to Wimbledon

Our first stop was Southside on Wimbledon Common. A few weeks ago I mentioned that this had been the home of Richard Mansel Phillips and his wife Caroline Bond Hopkins. Unfortunately their home was demolished and rebuilt on at a later date, but it was still good to see the site and the views over Wimbledon Common, it was certainly a lovely part of London.

The next stop was the church of St Mary in Wimbledon which was nearby. The churchyard is the burial place of William Mansell Philips of Coedgair (my third great-granduncle), his father-in-law Benjamin Bond Hopkins, and his benefactor John Hopkins, aka Vulture Hopkins.

The chest tomb of Richard Mansell Philips of Coedgair and his wife Caroline  (only daughter of Benjamin Bond Hopkins) was easy to find. The monument was in good condition although the coat of arms and dedication were very worn and difficult to read.

The church was beautiful too and we were happy to find it was open so we could look around.

A few weeks ago I made my first trip to the London Archives in Clerkenwell. I used to visit the Family Records Centre but that closed a long time ago (back in 2008!).

I pre-booked the research material I wanted to access and signed up for a free History card. I also paid for a photography permit so I could photograph some of the material I wanted to look at.

Included in my list were bookplates, Fire Insurance records, and the proceedings brought by Lady Mansel against her husband Sir William Mansel in 1828.

I think this may have been my first visit to an archives for family research! You were only able to take one item at a time so I tried to prioritise what I really wanted to see. However I started with the draft bond  of City of London to pay an annuity to Benjamin Hopkins, before tackling the legal proceedings brought by Lady Mansel, and the huge registers of Fire Insurance records.

I transcribed the draft bond but have to admit it wasn’t a very exciting document. So I was more excited to receive the bundle of legal proceedings. I’d love to know if anyone has looked at them since they were first tied together?!

The bundle included a cover slip, decree, citation, depositions of 12 witnesses and the cause. The records were in an amazing state so I was able to read everything and obtain a lot of information about the cause of the separation, namely that Sir William had left his wife, committed adultery by living with a couple of other women who were passed off as Lady Mansel, and had three illegitimate children. The documents provided so much detail I had never come across before, including the names and dates of the three illegitimate children.

There was so much information to read that I ended up photographing some of the papers to read at a later date.  This left me some time to look through the Fire Insurance records. Fortunately some of my Mansel ancestors had insured their London properties, which was fascinating to get a glimpse of.

I will need to make a further trip to the London Archives to see the 9 remaining Fire Insurance record entries on my list. some of these volumes are popular and had already been booked out when I requested them.