The Wilcox family of which I am a direct descendant would be nothing without the Walker family. My Grandmother, Adelaide Wilcox was the daughter of an interesting London family who made their money out of provisions, importing and wholesale.
The Walkers originated from Bermondsey in the parish of St. Mary’s, Rotherhithe, the almost peninsula shape bend in the River Thames that is very close to Tower Bridge upstream and only a short distance from Greenwich downstream. Rotherhithe is rich in maritime history. It is where the Mayflower made its maiden voyage and was, until the 1960’s, a major dockland and wharf area. There were in the past many rope manufacturers where long lanes were used as rope walks for turning and making the ropes that ships needed in large supplies. This is still recognised with place names in this area.
Bermondsey and Rotherhithe, late 19th Century. St.Mary’s Church is circled. (With permission from National Library of Scotland).
Rotherhithe shoreline was used for breaking up old ships and boats and is a favoured haunt of mud larkers, enthusiasts who scavenge the shore at low tide for historical artefacts. They find old copper nails from the shipbreakers activities on a regular basis. It is also the home of Rotherhithe Tunnel, connecting the South of the Thames with Limehouse on the North side. Designed for commercial usage at the beginning of the 20th Century, when it was used by three thousand vehicles a day, mostly horse drawn, by the end of the century speed and size restrictions had to be introduced because of the vast volumes of traffic.
The Tunnel was built at a time when commerce on the River Thames was still at a peak. The Pool of London, that area from this area up to London Bridge, was lined with wharfs and warehouses all along the shoreline. Many of these buildings have been preserved and redeveloped into the area now known as London Bridge City on the south side of the river.
My research starts from the life of my Great Great Great Grandfather, Samuel Walker who was born in Rotherhithe. In his son’s birth information, the Walkers were living in Boyd’s Rope Grounds in Bermondsey, and Samuel was a baker. There were other Walkers in this parish and I have not been able to reach back further than this generation. I’m uncertain when and where Samuel was born but I am certain that I am a descendant of Samuel Henry.
From the Parish Register of St.Mary’s
My Great Great Grandfather, Samuel Henry Walker was born almost two hundred years ago in March 1825 and baptised in St. Mary’s Church. This was and still is, the parish church of Rotherhithe. It is still functioning today. It has an interesting modern day story about whose jurisdiction it comes under. St. Mary’s is in the diocese of Southwark and shares a similar high church tradition. However, because of its Anglo Catholic tradition it is opposed to the ordination of women and therefore comes under the care of the Bishop of Fulham whose responsibility is to look after the 80 churches in London where there is opposition to women as priests. I doubt if any of the Walker ancestry would turn in their graves about this but for me this makes it a challenge to contemplate worshipping there, if I ever do return to my previous faith.
There is a very interesting walk following the Thames for most parts from the Church back to London Bridge. It brings you to the redeveloped Butlers Wharf which you might recognise from the film Elephant Man. It featured the lane beside Butlers as part of the old Victorian scenery. When I lived in London during the early 1980’s I used to walk along here and can remember being able push my face against the brickwork and smell the spices that still permeated the building.
When he was 21, Samuel Henry married Emma Humphrey.
He married Emma Humphrey on 31 January 1847 in Holy Trinity Church, Grays Inn Road, Holborn. (This church was demolished in the 1930’s and the site was used to build the existing block of art deco flats). In the marriage register Samuel Henry was described as a Cheese Monger. His father was Samuel and described as a Baker. Emma’s father James is described as a Tailor. Samuel Henry and Emma were living at 10, Derby Street, Kings Cross at the time of their wedding. This street does not exist anymore.
Having been brought up in Bermondsey, Samuel Henry was now a Cheese Monger living in Kings Cross. Shortly after their marriage, Samuel and Emma left for the suburbs and moved to Croydon in Surrey to start their family. They had six children and from Cheesemonger, Samuel became Provision Merchant and eventually began trading from a Wharf on London Bridge in the Upper Pool of London.
In future posts I shall describe their family in detail with mysteries that I have yet to solve.