February 2022
The Birth and Death of Little Mortimer Tucker
The marriage of Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas to Mortimer Tucker [23 May 1811 St. George, Hanover Square] provides a clue as to the identity of her nephew (bearing in mind of course that the relationship could have been a niece); Mortimer must have had a brother or sister with a child or children one of whom was the nephew. [see: Nephew's Letter of March 1857]
The Point of This Research
We know that Margaret Martha gave JMW Turner's 'Rochester Castle and the Adjacent Ground' to her Nephew (it is clear from the Nephew's Letter that it was a lifetime gift). However, it is possible that she may have given her entirecollection to her Nephew (or niece) not just 'Rochester Castle and the Adjacent Ground'. She may have had 'Courtauld B1975.4.1764 'Old Gate Of Canterbury' the small version of the 1793 exhibit. She may have had works by her father. The fact that 'Rochester Castle and the Adjacent Ground' was in the possession of Margaret Martha and not one of Rev. James Douglas' sons is a strong indication that Turner gave the picture to her, not to her Father. We therefore attempt to find the identity of the 'Nephew'.
The Discovery of a Death of Mortimer Tucker
A search of Mortimer Tucker deaths was made in an attempt to identify family members. A death of a Mortimer Tucker was found in FreeBMD and initially thought to be Margaret Martha's husband.
Mortimer
Tucker death from FreeBMD
This death is recorded as June 1853 in Warminster. However, it was
soon discovered that this was not Margaret Martha's husband but a child
aged just one year. Records in the various search engines (FreeBMD,
FreeReg, UKBMD etc.) for 'Mortimer' Tucker are few; it is possible that
this 'Little Mortimer' was named after a family member. (eg: his father's
uncle).
Mortimer
Tucker death from UKBMD
Warminster records provide the maiden name of Little Mortimer's
mother; 'Townsend'. The document also shows that he died in infancy; just
one year old.
Little Mortimer Tucker and his Siblings
Mortimer
Tucker and his Siblings from UKBMD
Warminster records show four Tucker children with mother's surname
'Townsend'
These registrations were all recorded at Warminster, Wiltshire.
In an online edition of Box People and Places dated October 2015 there is an article 'Henry Townsend (1809 - 1889)' by Jane Townsend, New Zealand. The following extract appears to be this family. Note that this village of Box is in Wiltshire (not to be confused with Box in Gloucestershire).
Parents of Little Mortimer Tucker
From the above it is shown that his and therefore his father's surname was Tucker and that his mother's maiden name was Townsend.
Tucker/Townsend
marriages from UKBMD
Warminster marriage records show just one male Tucker, William,
married Matilda Townsend in 1848. This wedding was attended by a registrar
and therefore not in an Anglican church. It appears that they had an
Anglican ceremony in Bath in 1853. This remains unexplained. In the 'Box
People and Places' article mentioned above there is a reference to an
Amelia Townsend suggesting that she is Matilda's sister. However, this
marriage record has an Amelia Tucker (possibly a sister to William Tucker)
marrying Joseph Townsend. There could be two Amelias of course. However,
if William Tucker had a sister, Amelia or other siblings they too are
potential identities of the writer of the
Nephew's Letter. The letter
itself merely specifies that an uncle of the writer married Margaret
Martha Whiteman Douglas.
William Tucker or his Sister, Amelia or their Siblings as Potential Authors of the Nephew's Letter
The conclusion that William Tucker was the father of Little Mortimer seems sound. That he (William) was a nephew of Mortimer Tucker (husband of Margaret Martha Whiteman Douglas) is not proven but is somewhat likely given the choice of the name 'Mortimer'. Tucker and Townsend were both widely occuring surnames and Amelia (and Joseph) may be no relation at all.
The Peculiarity of the Second Wedding
The marriage of William to Matilda in 1848 would have been legal for most purposes. It appears that they followed it with a church wedding in1853 at Bath, St Mary the Virgin Bathwick Bath, register index: C14/2/187. Another small anomaly is that in the 1848 wedding Matilda is 'Matilda H' (in the register 'Matilda Hope Townsend) whereas it is just 'Matilda' in the 1853 Bath register. The children's birth dates are consistent with the 1848 marriage.
Ancestry.co.uk
ancestry.co.uk, which is often wrong in these matters, shows William Tucker (1816 to 1879) marriage to Matilda Hope Townsend (3 Jan 1822 - 22 Jun 1857) with just two of the children Augustus (b 1851) and Emily (1853 - 1930). Matilda's parents are given as: James Townsend (1786-1863) and Mary Hope (1791-1861). It shows Matilda's death in Warminster - inconsistent with emigration.
Matilda Hope Townsed - Source of Documents on Ancestry.co.uk
England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers,
1567-1970
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
1841 England Census
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index 1837-1915
and many thousands of others!
Wiltshire Council
Documents can be ordered online, or by post or phone orders - Wiltshire Council 0300 003 4571
The Family Relationships
We have identified the parents of Little Mortimer; father William Tucker, mother Matilda Hope Tucker (Hope probably being her mother's maiden name but this was from ancestry.co.uk and has not been otherwise verified). We have a possible sister of William Tucker; born Amelia Tucker married Joseph Townsend.
This provides two possible identities for the author of the 'Nephew's Letter'
.........................................Mortimer Tucker's Father + Mortimer Tucker's Mother
MM Whiteman Douglas + Mortimer Tucker.....................Mortimer Tucker's Sibling + Spouse
............................................................................William Tucker + Matilda Townsend..........Amelia Tucker _ Joseph Townsend
.......................................................................Mary, Augustus, Little Mortimer & Emily
Ancestry.co.uk dates for William Tucker, 1816 - 1879. Marriage 1848 (definite) age 32, Matilda born 1822, age 26.
Amelia Tucker definitely existed but we have no definite evidence that she was William's sister.
The Nephew's Letter is dated 1857, if this was William he was aged 41. Is the language in the Nephew's letter consistent with a 41 year old Victorian gentleman writing to a 54 year old medical doctor? Quite likely, yes. Bear in mind the Box People and Places extract and therefore that the 'Nephew's Letter' may have been written in Australia.
If the Nephew sold the picture to Hering around 1840: nephew would be around 24; at this time William was unmarried (he married 8 years later).
If Margaret Martha gave the picture to her nephew in the 1820's William being only 4 in 1820 is a less likely candidate for the Nephew. In 1820 Margaret Martha was at least 40, probably 45-50; but she could have given it in say, 1835 when she was perhaps 60 when William was around 20. The latter is possible and well within the timeline put forward in Rochester Castle and the Adjacent Ground.
