My 5xgreat grandfather Thomas Topper was baptised at St Martin in the Fields, London, on 31 December 1769 (born on 3 December), son of Thomas Walker Topper and his wife Ann.
A search for his parents’ marriage before 1769 at The
Genealogist finds a record for 9 June 1767 at St George, Hanover Square
(transcript only). Thomas Walker Topper married Ann Peat. The
only other information given in this record is that they were both single.
Ancestry has an image taken from a Bishop’s Transcript from St George Hanover Square which shows that they could both write their names, and that their witnesses were Sarah Peat (Ann’s mother or sister?) and what looks like Charles Mather.
Their first child appears to have been George, born 21 March 1768 and baptised at St Martin in the Fields, Westminster, on 18 April 1768. My 4xgreat grandfather Thomas Topper was their second son, born in 1769, followed by William (1771); Elizabeth (1775); Sarah (1776); Edward (1778); Samuel (1779); Robert (1781); Georgina Charlotte (1783); another George (1785); Samuel Frederick (1786); Caroline (1789) and Richard (1790). That makes at least 13 children over a 22 year period. There is quite a big gap between 1771 and 1775, so there may be one or more baptisms missing.
His distinctive middle name means that searches for Thomas
Walker Topper across the family history sites reveal exciting and intriguing records of his
occupation and a copy of his will from 1806.
It seems that Thomas Walker Topper was appointed to
the Royal Household in 1765 as The Queen’s Footman, as this typed summary of
his career and pension entitlement in the Royal Household Index (FindMyPast)
shows:
At the time of Thomas’ appointment, the King of England was George III (later the ‘mad king’), who had acceded to the throne in 1760. Two years later he purchased Buckingham Palace as a family home for his wife, Princess Charlotte of Mecklengburg-Streliz, and their growing family. Thomas Walker Topper would therefore have been footman to Queen Charlotte. (Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz - Wikipedia). Thomas Walker Topper and his wife Ann Peat named two of their sons George (the first having presumably died) and a daughter Georgina Charlotte, perhaps in honour of Thomas' employer.
On 26 December 1766, he was appointed as ‘Groom to H.M. in
Ordinary vice William Cater (or Cator) (deceased)’ and FindMyPast has a
copy of the Warrant Book detailing the commencement of his warrant on that
date, and his occupation of the late William Cater’s room. The record comes
from Warrant Books relating to Mews Staff (ref: MEWS/WB/4).
A year later, he was to marry Ann Peat. The next
record shows him listed as one of ‘twelve grooms & six for the Master of
the Horse’ in the Royal Household Index (Mews staff Royal
Mews Warrant Books 1760-1867 Image | findmypast.co.uk):
His salary was a very healthy £60.00 per annum – (worth about £60k in today’s money) - which is just as well given that by then he and his wife had eight children.
According to Royal Mews (rct.uk) George III had a riding school built at Buckingham Palace shortly after he had purchased it, but “kept the royal stables and coach houses near Charing Cross”.
If this is where Thomas Walker Topper and his family were based, this would explain their childrens’ baptisms at nearby St Martin in the Fields church.
From various documents on
the household of Queen Charlotte and his Majesty’s stables in the 1760s-1780s
at The Database of Court
Officers: 1660-1837 (luc.edu) it seems that some Footmen were associated
with the Mews and Royal Stables, allocated to the Master of the Horse (the
third most powerful officer of the royal household). In 1765 this was the third
Duke of Ancaster (who signed the warrant for the appointment as Groom of Thomas
Walker Topper).
“In 1761 the position of
first groom, ‘which had been extinct for many years’ was revived for William
Cates at £10 per annum. George III began with eighteen grooms at £60 per
annum.” Thomas Walker Topper was appointed following the death of
William Cater/Cator – perhaps this was actually William Cates?
Interestingly there are two
other men called Topper amongst the staff of the stables listed in these
documents. More information is given about them, and references to their
appointments in the Royal Household Index, in the alphabetical listing (T)
(PDF) of officers:
Topper, George Stud
Helper 17 Feb. 1790 (MOH WB 1, p. 138). Stud Groom 20 Feb. 1793 (Ibid., p.
143). Last occ. Est. of 17 August 1807 (MOH LB C, p176). Vac. by Est. of 5 Apr.
1812 (MOH EB 4, p. 10).
Topper, Penniston
Groom of the Hobby Stable 1 July 1769 (LS 13/203, f. 62v). Footman 13 Jan. 1770
(Ibid., f. 65). D. 18 Feb. 1804 (GM LXXIV (1) [1804], p. 191; LS 13/204, f.
70v).
Topper, Thomas Walker
Groom of the [?Hobby] Stables 26 Dec. 1766 (MOH WB 1, p. 114; LS 13/203, f.
54). Rem. (“put upon pension”) by 2 June 1801 (MOH WB 1, p. 156)
Perhaps the first two were relatives of Thomas Walker Topper?
As the earlier summary record shows, he was ‘put on pension’ in 1801 after over 30 years with the royal household. The next we hear of him is a record from three years later. On 12 July 1804 he is included in a ‘list of prisoners in Newgate Prison on the Master’s side’ at FMP (from TNA), listed simply as ‘Debtor’. Perhaps his pension did not allow him to live as he had become accustomed during his time in the Royal Household. There is another record here that shows he was discharged from prison after four months, on 7 November 1804.
It seems that Thomas Walker Topper died in 1806; his
will was proved on 13 March that year at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury,
and a copy is available at Ancestry and TNA.
The will is short:
I Thomas Walker Topper
In the parish of St Margaret Westminster give and
bequeathe to my daughters Charlotte and Caroline Topper everything I die
possessed of at this time ffurniture and what money is owing to me witness my hand
this third day of January 1806. In the presence of Hannah Thompson Thomas
Topper.
On the
thirteenth day of March in the year of our lord one thousand eight hundred and
six, administration with the will annexed of all and singular goods and
chattels and credits of Thomas Walker Topper formerly of his majesty’s grooms and late of the Broad Sanctuary of Westminster in the county of Middlesex
deceased was granted to Charlott Topper spinster daughter of the said deceased
and one of the universal? Legatees found in the said will she having first
sworn duly to administer the executor being named in the said will.
It is
possible that the witness Thomas Topper is his son – and my 5xgreat
grandfather. Thomas Walker Topper ‘late of his Majesty’s grooms’ left
everything (which may not have amounted to much, given his previous debtor
status) to his two unmarried daughters [Georgina] Charlotte and Caroline. He
may have written it shortly before his death, given how short it is.
I have not found a burial record for him, but his death was
probably in January 1806, his will proved two months later. None of the records
found give an indication of his year of birth, but if he was at least 21 on marriage
in 1767, he was probably born around 1740-46. Given his consistent use of his
middle name, it may be that this was his mother’s maiden name, or he may have
been illegitimate and given his father’s surname as a middle name.
A search for a marriage across the family history sites
between a Mr Topper and a Miss/Mrs Walker in the years before 1740 finds just
one entry:
·
Edward Topper & Elizabeth Walker were marryd
June ye 23rd 1730 at Somerby by Grantham, Lincolnshire (FindMyPast,
Ancestry, FamilySearch, FreeREG)
This warrants further research (as do the other Topper men
listed in the Royal Stables around the same time that Thomas Walker Topper
was there).
For the sources mentioned in bold, see blogpost: MyRoots: Lesly's family history: Sources and resources: A quick view
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