Spackman Spakeman Speakman Spekeman Genealogy	23 August 2006
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view SPEAKMAN family tree view SPEAKMAN family summary view SPEAKMAN ancestor chart view spouse's records		Dr G.M.W.Mann. Baytrees Burnhams Rd, Lt.Bookham Surrey, U.K. KT23 3AU geoff.mann@btinternet.com
	8 John SPEAKMAN 1705-1793
	m Anne FRENCH 1737

John was baptised at Finchingfield in 1705, son of Thomas, a farmer, and his wife Hester.

He married Ann FRENCH, the daughter of a farmer when he was 32 at nearby Toppesfield. They baptised one son at Gt Yeldham and another at Gt.Maplestead before moving to Gosfield where they remained for eight years between 1742 and 1750. Five more children were baptised at Gosfield, though the last of them died young.

John was overseer and churchwarden at Gosfield, but in 1750 they moved to Terling or the adjacent parish of Gt.Leighs, where two more children were baptised.

Their sons became prominent people in the parish of Terling, and John and Ann were both buried there in 1793 aged 88 and 82 respectively. Their family erected a memorial on their grave inscribed:

"A father kind a mother dear, two faithful friends lie buried here"

EVENTS

C=Christened

age DATE JS AF

EVENT

1Jul1705 13Sep1737 32 26 16Jul1738 33 27 11Jun1740 35 29 26Jan1742 37 31 19Feb1744 39 33 3Nov1745 40 34 Feb1746 41 35 1746 41 35 5Nov1747 42 36 Nov1748 43 37 Apr1749 44 38 25May1749 44 38 4Oct1749 44 38 12Apr1752 47 41 13Oct1757 52 46 10Dec1793 88 82 17Dec1793 82

John C at Finchingfield so Thos & Hester; Thomas was a farmer John SPEAKMAN & Ann FRENCH m at Toppesfield son John C at Gt Yeldham son Thomas C at Gt.Maplestead son William C at Gosfield son Robert C at Gosfield dau Ann C at Gosfield John overseer at Gosfield John assessed for £2-15 poor rate at Gosfield son Stephen C at Gosfield John overseer at Gosfield John churchwarden at Gosfield for a year son Francis C at Gosfield son Francis buried at Gosfield dau Mary C at Gt.Leighs son Francis C at Gt.Leighs John SPEAKMAN buried at Terling Ann buried at Terling

PRINCIPAL RECORDS

b=born m=married d=died

C=Christened B=Buried

BIRTH

from age at burial in Terling, John was born about 1705; also buried at Terling was a William SPEAKMAN born about 1709 (from age at burial) so he is very probably a brother. John was married at Toppesfield, and there are suitable baptisms for both John and William at at Finchingfield, 5 miles from Toppesfield:

C 1Jul1705 John s Thos & Hester SPAKEMAN farmer

C 3Apr1709 Wm s Thos & Hester SPAKEMAN

MARRIAGE

The earliest baptism to John & Ann (see Descendants below) is in 1740 at Gt.Maplestead. No suitable marriage has been found there but there is a marriage at Toppesfield, 5 miles from Gt.Maplestead, between John & Mary:

m 13Sep1737 John SPEAKMAN & Mary FRENCH at Toppesfield

The will of Thomas FRENCH of Gt.Yeldham (2 miles from Toppesfield) made in 1754 however refers to his daughter Ann SPAKEMAN; given the comparative rarity of the SPE(A)KMAN surname and the absence of any other suitable marriage, it seems almost certain that the Toppesfield register entry is an error, substituting Mary for Ann. Possibly she was known as Mary Ann

DESCENDANTS

the will of William SPEAKMAN of Terling (see below) shows that in 1812 there were four brothers Thomas, William, Robert, Francis; the will of Ann HART shows that she was a married sister (see below); the baptisms of all these together with another brother Stephen, a sister Mary and a possible eldest brother John have been found:

from Gt.Yeldham register:

C 16Jul1738 John s John & Elizabeth SPAKEMAN

this baptism is just 9 months after the marriage of John & Ann at Toppesfield, 2 miles from Gt.Yeldham, and it will be assumed that Elizabeth is a register error for Ann; further support for this is given by a suitable burial of John in 1771 at Terling where the whole family lived:

B 24Feb1771 John SPEAKMAN at Terling

from Gt.Maplestead register:

C 11Jun1740 Thomas s John & Ann SPEAKMAN [Ann overwritten on what looks like John]

from Gosfield register:

C 26Jan1742 William s John & Ann SPEKEMAN

C 19Feb1744 Robert s John & Ann SPECKMAN

C 3Nov1745 Ann d John & Ann SPEKEMAN

C 5Nov1747 Stephen s John & Anne SPEAKMAN

C 25May1749 Francis s John & Anne SPEAKMAN; b 4Oct1749 Francis s John & Ann SPEAKMAN

from Gt.Leighs register:

C 12Apr1752 Mary d John & Ann SPEAKMAN

C 13Oct1757 Frances s John & Ann SPEAKMAN

from Gt.Yeldham register:

m 30Oct1770 Thomas FRENCH & Mary SPEAKMAN of Braintree by license

[Thomas FRENCH was a nephew of Ann SPEAKMAN – see FRENCH family tree]

DEATH

from Terling register:

B 10Dec1793 John SPEAKMAN 88

B 17Dec1793 Ann SPEAKMAN

Terling MI (west side):

In memory of John SPEAKMAN who died 4Dec1793 aged 88 years also of Ann his wife who died 11Dec1794 aged 82

A father kind a mother dear two faithful friends lie buried here

OTHER

Gosfield parish records:

Nov1743 Mr Speakman mentioned in overseers book

Feb1745+ John SPEAKMAN signed overseers book

1746 Mr John SPEAKMAN assessed for £2-15-1 poor rate about 5th highest in list

Nov1748 John SPEAKMAN signed overseers book

Easter1749--Easter1750 Jno SPEAKMAN churchwarden

WILLS

William SPEAKMAN 1813 (ERO CR19 f602 reel 131A)

William SPEAKMAN farmer of Terling, s 2Dec1812 p 26Mar1813

wife Elizabeth exec;

natural son William SPEAKMAN alias GRIGSON £200;

brother Robert dec; brother Francis £50; brother Thomas dec

nephew John farmer of Terling son of Robert lands in manors of Terling Hall and Ringers

ni Mary ORELL da of Robert £80;

ne William SPEAKMAN s of Robert £80;

ni Elizabeth SMITH d of Robert £80;

ni Ann SPACKMAN d of Robert £80;

ne Robert SPACKMAN s of Robert £80;

ni Sarah SPACKMAN d of Robert £80;

ne Stephen SPACKMAN s of Robert £80;

ni Esther SPACKMAN d Robert £80

ni Ann Martha SMITH da of Francis £30

£30 each to six children of brother Thomas

witness: Benjamin JOSCELYNE, John JOSCELYNE, Ezekiel WOOD

Ann HART 1812 (ERO 525 BR 30) [1]

s 13Dec1811 p 4May1812 exec: Isaac BROWN of Colne Engaine, John SMITH of Gt Leighs;

to my brother Francis SPEAKMAN of Gt Leighs, farmer;

to Ann the wife of John BEADLE of Witham, farmer, the daughter of my brother Francis[2] SPEAKMAN deceased;

to Ann SPEAKMAN Sarah SPEAKMAN and Esther SPEAKMAN three of the daughters of my brother Robert SPEAKMAN deceased;

to Elizabeth FRENCH the dau of Thomas FRENCH of Witham Brook SFK [Wickhambrook?], farmer[3];

to Mary Ann daughter of Edward FRENCH of Wimbish[4], farmer;

to Mary[5] wife of Thomas ORALL of Maldon, farmer, after decease of my brother Francis SPEAKMAN.

Residue to children of Ann Martha SMITH wife of John SMITH; half my cloaths and linen to said Ann Martha SMITH and all her children.

NOTES to Ann HART’s will:

[1] Ann HART is daughter John & Ann SPEAKMAN, 1m WILLSHIRE, 2m Samuel HART

Ann HART witnessed m of William SPEAKMAN to Elizabeth HART 1768

[2] Ann BEADLE is almost certainly the 2nd da of Thomas not Francis; Francis was not deceased in 1812

[3] Thomas FRENCH of Wickhambrook, married Mary, dau of John & Ann SPEAKMAN

[4] Edward FRENCH of Wimbish married Jane, eldest dau of Thomas SPEAKMAN;

[5] Mary ORRAL is eldest da of Robert SPEAKMAN;

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