A HISTORY OF SURREY 



worth. His widow was buried at Mitcham 

 8 December 1809, as Mrs. Maria Kent (in 

 her eighty-sixth year), and there is a small 

 Ublet to her memory at the west end of the 

 church, from which it appears she ' died Novr. 

 30, 1809.' 



John Radborne mentions in his will dated 

 27 August 1 74 1,* in which he is described as 

 of Mitcham, ' callicoe printer,' his lands and 

 messuages at Beardwick and Bedminster m 

 the several counties of Gloucester and Somer- 

 set. According to the Probate Act Book he 

 was late of Mitcham but died at Melksham, 

 CO. Wilts. 



That there was a certain amount of inter- 

 course between the Surrey bleachers and 

 calico printers, and those of West Ham in 

 Essex, another important seat of the two 

 industries, is exemplified by several instances. 

 Thus the Selby family who were whitsters at 

 Mitcham in the eighteenth century appear to 

 have come from West Ham, for Thomas 

 Selby of Mitcham, whitster, who died 16 

 February 1745-6, was buried in West Ham 

 church. He has a ledger at the west end of 

 the nave on which are also inscriptions to 

 others of the family. His eldest son William 

 was buried at Mitcham 9 July 1738, and in 

 the baptismal and burial entries of two of his 

 children he is called * Mr. William Selby.' 

 Thomas Selby's second son Thomas was also 

 of Mitcham, whitster. He died 27 January 

 1 750-1, aged thirty-three years, as appears 

 from the inscription on the family ledger at 

 West Ham where he also was buried. He 

 was baptized 2 1 April 1 7 1 7 at Mitcham. In 

 his will dated 6 November 1750,' he is de- 

 scribed as of Mitcham, whitster. He directs 

 that * no more than the sum of one hundred 

 pounds be laid out in my Funeral and that I 

 may be buried at West Ham in the county of 

 Essex.' He mentions amongst others, his 

 uncle, Philip Selby of Carshalton, Surrey, 

 whitster. He married at St. James's, Clerken- 

 well, being then described as of Mitcham, 

 Sarah Robins of St. Andrew's, Holborn, 

 spinster, on 26 February 1746-7. She 

 married secondly George Chandler, merchant. 

 By the articles before marriage dated 4 and 5 

 June 1755, her property in Mitcham consisting 

 of Hall Place, some makings, etc., and ' all 

 that Chancel on the north side of the parish 

 church of Mitcham ... to the said capital 

 messuage [Hall Place] also belonging' was 

 settled for her separate use. She survived her 

 second husband, and by her will dated 

 2 March 1789, gave several pecuniary legacies 



1 Prob. P.C.C. 6 Nov. 1741 (S/>umay, 318). 

 » Ibid. II Feb. 1750-1 {Busliy, 62). 



372 



and left all her freehold and copyhold estates 

 in Great Britain and all her plantations in 

 Jamaica and the residue of her personal estate 

 to George Gascoigne, who was to take upon 

 himself the surname of Chandler only. 



James Burrows is an example of a Surrey 

 calico printer who was connected with West 

 Ham, for in his will dated 28 November 

 1788,' wherein he described himself as of the 

 parish of Saint Peter, Mitcham, calico 

 printer, after giving directions that his body 

 be interred in a decent but plain manner, he 

 had added in words which he afterwards 

 thought good to erase ' and that near my late 

 wife at West Ham in the county of Essex.' 

 A later instance is that of James Gould. In 

 the Gentleman's Magazine is the notice ' died 

 on 24 November, 1806, at Mitcham, Surrey, 

 Mrs. Gould, wife of Mr. James Gould, 

 calico printer,' and in the register of that 

 parish, under date 30 November of that year, 

 is the entry, ' Mrs. Gould carried to West 

 Ham, Essex.' 



Two other families who were engaged at 

 Mitcham during the eighteenth century in 

 the bleaching industry were those of Hodsdon 

 and Parish. ' Thomas Hodgeden,' who was 

 buried at Mitcham on 29 December 1752, is 

 called in his will,* ' Thomas Hodsdon of 

 Mitcham, thread whitster.' In the Probate 

 Act Book he is called Hodson. He mentions 

 in his will his son William, to whom he leaves 

 a freehold in Mitcham. William Hodsdon, 

 who was buried at Mitcham on 30 June 

 1780, is also described in his will dated 22 

 June 1780 * as of Mitcham, thread whitster. 

 He mentions the freehold land left him by his 

 father. His wife Margaret is mentioned in 

 the will dated lo December 1759, of 

 Edmund Brown," who appears as yet another 

 Mitcham thread whitster. He was buried at 

 Mitcham, 17 February 1760. 



Of the Parishes who were for many years 

 whitsters of Mitcham ' Mr. William Parish ' 

 was buried on 8 March 1772, and he has an in- 

 scription on the tomb of the Smith family in 

 Mitcham churchyard, from which it appears 

 that he was aged seventy-eight. In his will dated 

 1 8 November 1754,^ he is described as of Mit- 

 cham, cloth whitster. His second wife was 

 Ann, daughter of William Smith of Mitcham, 

 yeoman. She was buried at Mitcham, on 

 25 January 1779, aged, according to her 



3 Ibid. 3 Dec. 1791 {Bevor, 555). 

 • Dat. 6 July 1744, Prob. Archd. Ct. of Surr. 

 23 Dec. 1752. 



6 Prob. P.C.C. 30 June 1780 {Coirtm, 322). 

 « Ibid. 14 Feb. 1760 {Lynch, 48). 

 ' Ibid. 5 March 1772 {Tavemer, 104). 



