Thomas Babbage: Shipwright and Gentleman, Sir!

Among the joys I am discovering in genealogy is making the acquaintance of cousins of whom I had been unaware. Recently a Peterken cousin contacted me, and this has renewed the impetus to publish some Peterken research. The following documents the family of two Peterken in-laws: Amelia and Louisa Babbage.

My 2x great grandfather, Octavius Peterken, and his brother, William, both had wives with the maiden name Babbage. My grandmother had told me (fairly recently - about 2003) that the two brothers had married two sisters, which would make their children double cousins. I am unclear whether this constitutes family lore, or arises from a recent observation concerning their maiden names. But let's begin with the respective marriage records from parish records.

     3 November 1867 at Bethnal Green, St Philip's
     Octavius Peterken      Age:19 Bachelor Printer         70 Sussex Street
                                                                     father: Henry James Peterken Printer
     Amelia Ann Babbage Age:19 Spinster                     13 Northumberland Street
                                                                     father: Thomas William Babbage Shipwright

     22 May 1870 at Stepney, St Dunstan and All Saints
     William Peterken        Age: 24 Bachelor Compositor 64 Jubilee Street
                                                                       father: Henry James Peterken Printer
     Louisa Babbage         Age: 19 Spinster                      64 Jubilee Street
                                                                       father: Thomas Babbage         Gentleman

Occupations are great when they corroborate a story, or if they are able to completely refute one, but Gentleman is such a loose term that Thomas Babbage could well be a Shipwright and a Gentleman, depending on how he wanted to present himself. My only doubt arises because in nearly all other records I could find, he is listed as Boat Builder or Shipwright; this is the only record describing his rank or occupation as Gentleman.

Shipbuilding must have changed dramatically during Thomas's lifetime. The two main shipping innovations were the screw-driven steamer replacing sailing vessels, and a shift from wooden hulls to iron. This did not happen overnight; even by the twentieth century there markets in which sail was still competitive. But even by the time of the iconic Cutty Sark, sailing clippers were on their way out for time-sensitive cargoes. "Boat builder" might also suggest the smaller inland vessels that kept the Thames working, rather than ocean-going vessels. However, I do not know what kind of boats or ships Thomas built during his lifetime, or how technology changed his work.

The 1841 England Census finds him at Featherstone Buildings, Limehouse, Middlesex with his parents William (45, Shipwright) and Sarah (45), and children (presumably) Thomas (15, Apprentice Shipwright), Edmund (15) and Charlotte (9). The two 15 years are probably each rounded to the nearest 5 with Thomas older than Edmund. None of them is born in Middlesex. His parents are my 4x great grandparents.

In fact, they were from Pembroke in Wales according to the 1851 England Census in which Thomas (29, Boat Builder) is now married to Martha (25) and with children Thomas (4) and Amelia(1). Their marriage record is:
     26 December 1842 at St Mary, Stratford Bow
     Thomas Babbage    Full        Bachelor  Boat Builder Bow
                                                                    father: William Babbage Shipwright
     Martha Jarvis           Full        Spinster                      Bow
                                                                    father: William Jarvis      Hairdresser

By 1861, Thomas (39) and Martha (25) have, in addition to Thomas (15) and Amelia (12), Louisa (10), William (8), Edward (4) and James (1). The Edward is probably Edmund.

By 1871 the children are joined by Walter (born about 1863) and George (born about 1866), although Thomas had died in 1866, and Amelia and Louisa had both married Peterken boys (in 1867 and 1870 respectively).

These are all the children I could find from census returns and it is still possible that any child born and died between censuses would have left no record. On searching for baptismal records, I found Mary Ann Elizabeth Babbage, born 10 February 1844, and baptized at Limehouse St Ann on 22 February 1846. She shows up in the 1851 England Census in the household of Benjamin and Sarah Jermin, as niece, Sarah being Martha's sister.

Thomas William was baptized at Limehouse St Ann 3 May 1846 (born 11 April 1846). In this and the Mary Ann Elizabeth record, Thomas's occupation is given as Boat Builder. I find no baptismal records for Amelia, Louisa or William, but Edmund, James Digby, Walter Frederick and George Charles Babbage were all baptized on 3 July 1868 at Poplar, All Saints. Again, Thomas's occupation is Boat Builder.

From parish marriage records for his children:
     Thomas William Babbage in 1875 Thomas Babbage Boat Builder
     Edmund Babbage in 1877 Thomas Babbage Boat Builder
     James Digby Babbage in 1888 Thomas Babbage Boat Builder
     Walter Babbage in 1886 Thomas Babbage Boat Builder
but note:
     George Charles Babbage in 1892 has Thomas Babbage Wheelwright - probably a misremembering of Shipwright. Thomas Babbage was not there to correct the clerk, having died the year before.


After Martha Babbage died in 1874 (BMD Death Index Dec1874 Poplar 1c 568 Age:49), Thomas remarried:
     16th September 1877 at Bromley, St Leonard's.
      Thomas Babbage    Full        Widower  Boat Builder Bromley
                                                                         father: William Babbage Shipwright
      Maria Oakley Suddrick Full  Widow                         Bromley
                                                                         father: Garrett Jacobs     Labourer

The 1881 England Census has Thomas (61, Boat Builder) and Maria (57) with their youngest children: James (21, Boat Builder), Walter (19, Sawyer) and George (15, Printer's Boy - for Henry James Peterken perhaps?). By 1891 Thomas (71, Boat Builder) and Maria (67) are at the same address with their grown son George (25, Printer). This is the last census for Thomas Babbage since his BMD Death Index is Dec1891 Poplar 1c 465 Age:70.

For the census data transcript errors abound. We have Babye, Bottage and Ballay, which appear to be modern misreadings. Alternative readings had already been added before I came to the records, making my work much easier. Some earlier 1840's records have Babage, and possibly the spelling did not settle down to Babbage until about 1850. Thomas's place of birth is given as Wales in 1851 (specifically Pembroke), 1861, and 1891, but Limehouse, Middlesex 1871 and Shearness, Kent 1881!

In spite of the rank/occupation of "Gentleman" on the marriage record for Louisa Babbage and William Peterken, I am inclined to accept that Louisa is Amelia Ann's sister. Their ages at marriage match the census records closely enough to be plausible. Nor can I find another Louisa, daughter of Thomas of the right age. In 1862, Henry James Peterken, as father of the bride, lists his occupation as High Bailiff, when in all other documents, he is a Printer, so possibly these anomalies are not uncommon.

So there is the family of Thomas Babbage, Shipwright and Gentleman.