Possible ancestors of Rev. John Beddome

The line of my Beddome ancestors is well documented back to Rev. John Beddome (1675-1757). But what came earlier?

London theory

The Baptist Annual Register for 1794, 1795, 1796-1797, including Sketches of the State of Religion among Different Denominations of Good Men at Home and Abroad (vol 2)" by John Rippon, D.D. (see extracts) is the earliest account that we have of Rev. John Beddome, and later accounts seem based on it. The writer obviously knew his son, Rev. Benjamin Beddome. The account says that "the Rev. John Beddome, was born in London" and in "1757, he died at the advanced age of eighty-three". That would put the birth year 1674/5, and his birth-place in London.

Stratford theory

However, there is an alternative theory that John Beddome was born in Straford-on-Avon, of a Stratford family. All the following events took place in Stratford, and are on a family tree by Carol Nuttall. I am listing the generations backwards, starting from John Beddome (who is possibly Rev. John Beddome). My (putative) ancestors are in bold.

John Beddome (1675-????) may be Rev. John Beddome, who definitely is my ancestor.

Their parents were Benjamin Beddome and Mary Tibbits.

Previous generation: Benjamin Beddome (1655-1682) was a shoe-maker. His will was proved in 2 Oct 1683, and he left an estate of £23/18/4 to his wife, Mary.

Their parents were Benjamin Beddome and Susanna.

Previous generation: Benjamin Beddome (1620-1680) was a joiner at 3, Sheep Street, Stratford-on-Avon.

Their parents were John Beddome and Emm.

Previous generation: John Beddome (????-1647) was a well known citizen of Stratford, a schoolmaster, an attorney, Town Clerk, church warden and Clerk of the Peace. He is well documented in the archives and library of the Public Records Office at Stratford.

From "Shakespeare and the Bawdy Court of Stratford" by E.R.C. Brinkworth (1972): John Bedom, 'schoolmaster, to teach boys to write' was called for the Visitation of 24 May 1622; [sounds like an early Osted inpection!] the cleark notes his absence through illness. On 11 May 1624 he appeared, and moreover, the margin tell us, paid.

From "Ancient Manuscripts and Records in the possession of the Corporation of Stratford-on-Avon" by James Halliwell (1836): Thomas Lucas chosen Town-Clerke of Common Clerk - John Beddom chosen Deputy Town Clerke, 8 Oct 1624.

He married Emm who died 1646. He died in 1647.

Documents mentioning John Beddome - click for larger verson

Signature of John Beddome. Document describes him as attorney.

Written by John Beddome while Town Clerk. It is a draft for a document (now in the British Museum) which is a list of claim by the Corporation and the inhabitants of Stratford for loss and damage by the Parliamentary forces from the beginning of the Civil War to January 1646.

Previous generation?: The trail peters out in Stratford. However, there are Beddams in Wixford, a village, near Alcester, half way between Straford and Worcester. John Beddam was baptised there 1587, and there may be some sisters. It is not unreasonable that this John Beddome of Wixford was the same as John Beddome of Straford, above. He seems to have been a bright lad, and so migrated to Stratford for advancement.

It is tempting to work out if John Beddome could have met William Shakespeare. Shakespeare died in 1616, in Stratford. (Wixford) John Beddome would have been aged 29. But when did he move to Stratford? If you look at his children here, you will see that there are baptism records starting at 1620, and one infant death in 1618, who may have died before being baptised. So he was in Stratford in 1618, but no evidence beforehand. Perhaps he missed Shakespeare!

John Beddam's father was William Beddam, who died in 1603.

3 Sheep Street

This property was in the property of the Beddome family during the 17th C. Here are the (possibly) relevant documents about it.

These photos of 3 Sheep Street were taken by my parents, before digital cameras! Click on a picture for larger version. The house has been refronted and had the roof raised in the 19C.

Black door on right leads down side passage to rear courtyard.

Side passage from rear courtyard

Interior of building

Beamed interior, ground floor Original cellar below ?16C

Story about Rev. John Beddome's ancestors

"The Baptist Annual Register for 1794, 1795, 1796-1797, including Sketches of the State of Religion among Different Denominations of Good Men at Home and Abroad (vol 2) by John Rippon, D.D." (see extracts) gives the following story: This honoured man [Rev. John Beddome], sixty or seventy years ago, in the circle of his friends, used to speak of two ancestors, it is thought of the name of Barnet, in the civil wars. The father was a colonel in King Charles' army, the son on the opposite side. One day, the father, either on hoseback or on foot, met his son at the head of his company, and transported with anger, caned him; upon which some of the soldiers were going to fire, but the son commanded them to forebear, informing them it was his father, who had a right to treat him so, if he pleased.. The English Civil War was 1642-1645. Unfortunately, there are no Barnets among the names above!

Compare theories

London: The evidence for this comes originally from The Baptist Annual Register for 1794, 1795, 1796-1797 which says, simply, that Rev. John Beddome was born in London. This book was written around 1795, shortly after Rev. Benjamin Beddome died. The author seems to know Rev. Benjamin Beddome well, and I suppose may have got some of the family history from him or those who knew him. Rev. John Beddome was Benjamin's father, after all. But can we say for certain that Benjamin knew where his father was born? It seems well known that Rev. John Beddome was ordained in Horseley Down, Southwark (in London), and went to the Henley-in-Arden area in 1697 when he was about 23 years old. His wife was the daughter of a London silversmith. People may have just assumed that London was his birthplace.

More evidence for the Beddomes originating from London is that the capital seems to have had a great attraction for the family. Rev. Benjamin Beddome visited London a few years before he died to visit his children and friends, and he was someone who spent practically all his adult life in the Bourton-on-the-water area. Certainly Samuel Beddome, despite marrying the daughter of a cleric from Cirencester, actually became a London cloth-merchant, the business partner of his sister's husband. Rev. Benjamin Beddome's will mentions property in Clapham. Of course, Rev. John Beddome's wife was from Lodon, and she was an heiress. And London is always an attractor for many who want to make money, or indeed other reasons. Benjamin Beddome spent a few years there himself for a Baptist education before moving to Bourton-on-the-water for the rest of his life. Perhaps these family connections and educational experiences are enough to explain the large number of Beddomes in London!

Stratford: The Baptist Annual Register, while saying that "the Rev. John Beddome, was born in London", also says in "1757, he died at the advanced age of eighty-three". That would put the birth year 1674/5. If this information was given by Rev. Benjamin Beddome, he may not have known where his father was born, but he would know when he died, and how old he was. This date, therefore, seems reliable. No John Beddome can be found born in London around then, but this is, of course, merely negetive evidence. However, there is a John Beddome baptised in Stratford in 1675. This is a recognisible name (and not too common) and year.

There is one further linking of Rev. John Beddome to the Stratford John Beddome, indeed the only link using the title Rev. This is the final entry in 3 Sheep Street, Stratford, given above. It describes a sale of a house in Sheep Street by "Mary Smith, widow of Benjamin Beddome, and Rev. John Beddome, his son." 3 Sheep Street had been connected with the Beddome family for several generations. The names fit the family exactly (if we assume that Widow Beddome had remarried a Mr. Smith). Annoyingly, no date is given for the sale - the description is embedded in a much later contract of 1788, with another year of 1764, when Rev. John Beddome was long dead. But still, this seems to be a clincher - the Rev. John Beddome is mentioned by name and title as being a member of the Stratford Beddomes.

One point needs to be made. The Stratford Beddomes are very fond of the name Benjamin, and of course Rev. John Beddome's son is Rev. Benjamin Beddome. However, the father of Rev. John Beddome's wife (and so Rev. Benjamin Beddome's mother) is Benjamin Brandon, so I don't think we can make too much of that!

Does the Stratford idea work? Could a lad from Stratford make his way, alone, to London, get educated as a Baptist minister, and make a successful career, while making all kinds of contacts in London, including, possibly, his future wife? His mother presumably stayed in Stratford (since the family home there was sold after John Beddome became Rev. John Beddome). There are no known contacts that the young lad could have relied on - his father was a Stratford shoemaker! However, when you lay out the dates, it begins to make more sense.

The main point is that John Beddome's father died young, and left an estate of £23/18/4, which doesn't seem much. John Beddome seems to be the only son, and what's more, all his father's siblings died when young. His mother seems to have remarried at some point, to become Mrs. Smith, but the new step-father may have been reluctant to take on the education of the young boy (or perhaps this marriage happened later). Perhaps John Beddome went to London, quite simply, because there were no opportunities for him in Stratford. As for the connexions - if the young John Beddome was a non-conformist, he would presumably be part of the non-conformist community in London, and if he was a good student and a good speaker, then he would be highly valued.

I have added bits of Rev. Benjamin Beddome's career in the timeline above to high-light the similarities. If this theory is right, then both John and Benjamin went to London to be baptised and become ordained as ministers. Benjamin was only there for a short time - about a year. But he had been educated at the Baptist school in Bristol first, and we have no records of any education of John Beddome in Stratford.

Another date that I have included above is the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688. This was the overthrow of James II and the start of the reign of William and Mary. One of the causes of this revolution was the 1687 "Declaration of Indulgence or Declaration for Liberty of Conscience" which granted broad religious freedom in England by suspending penal laws enforcing conformity to the Church of England and allowing persons to worship in their homes or chapels as they saw fit, and it ended the requirement of affirming religious oaths before gaining employment in government office. This benefitted Nonconformists as well as Catholics, so it would have seemed that the Glorious Revolution was a backwards step for them. However, people seemed to think that it was Catholics that were the problem, and the Revolution led to limited tolerance of Nonconformist Protestants, although it would be some time before they had full political rights. This happened when John Beddome was 13. Nine years later, he is a Baptist minister at Henley-in-Arden, having spent some time in London.

There is one interesting fact. When Rev. John Beddome started his ministry, it was at Alcester. This is near Wixford, which is where his great grandfather may have come from! Too much of a stretch perhaps, but Wixford is quite close to Stratford, so perhaps there were relatives around who kept in touch. Alcester church had a history of Nonconformism dating from 1640, with the minister John Willis being fined regularly (see Henley Meeting House).

I started out by being suspicious of this Stratford link, but reviewing the evidence, I think I've convinced myself that there is something in it!

© Jo Edkins 2015 - Return to Beddome index