Clerk in the Custom House

[Woodpecker]

My g.g.g.grandfather was Isaac Bushby, his occupation on baptisms and certificates has been described as Gent, Clerk in the Custom House, Mercantile Clerk and Custom House Agent. I couldn't find him on a list of Custom House Agents so I'm guessing his widowed wife was embelishing her youngest child's birth certificate (he died 5 months previously).
He was born c.1788/9 died 1838 and lived in Bethnal Green, what I really want to know is where he was born. I have a fragment of information which suggests he was born in Westmorland, the son of an innkeeper. Would the customs records at Kew tell me where he was born?
Thanks,
Annette

[Sue Mackay]

The IGI has an extracted christening for Isaac BUSHBY in Barton, Westmorland on 5 Oct 1788. Does this fit in with his age at death? Parents listed as William BUSHBY and Jane RICHARDSON

[Woodpecker]

Thanks Sue,
The baptism at Barton is the only one I have found that could be him, he died in May 1838, the death cert has his age as 48, if he was born shortly before the the baptism his actual age would be 49 which I think is close enough, the only other clue I have is that his son William has place of birth Westmorland on the 1901 census although all the others have Bromley, Essex (Bromley by Bow????). I'd really like some more concrete evidence.

[Mutley]

Westmoreland, Barton Register of Baptisms and Marriages 1666 - 1812 has the entry,
Isaac s. of William Bushby of Emont Bridge, Innkeeper, and Jane his wife (late Richardson) 05 Oct 1788.

Possible siblings
Thomas 11 Apr 1783
James 25 Sep 1790
Sarah 12 Aug 1781

Do you know what happened to them?

Bromley, Essex is Bromley by Bow. ;)

[Woodpecker]

Hello Mutley,
Sarah married a Theodore Morrison in 1809.
Thomas married Mary Hodgson in 1822 and died a few months later.
James is thought to have married a Jane Craig in 1821 and lived at St Bees in Cumberland, his headstone gives an age of 47 in 1844 which is a bit out but one of the witnesses at his marriage was a John Hodgson who could have been a relative of Thomas' wife Mary Hodgson.
There was also a daughter Susannah who died aged 11 in 1797 and at least 2 half siblings, John b.1766 and Mary b.1768 who were children from William's 1st wife Mary (nee Leyburn). Mary married Henry Parker in in 1785 but I know nothing about John.
I know that William Bushby, innkeeper of the Crown in at Eamont Bridge (nr Penrith) had a grandson called James Bushby who was an adult in 1831 but I have no idea who James' father was, I suspect William had more children that I don't know about.
Thanks
Annette

[Mutley]

Well you seem to have done your homework. I was hoping that there may be a connection somewhere amongst them that would link them to Isaac.

I cannot find any other mention of an Isaac Bushby. Sorry :(

[Kerrywood]

If possible, it would be better to work backwards from what you have, rather than forwards from what might have been, though of course that isn't always possible. :(

his occupation on baptisms and certificates has been described as Gent, Clerk in the Custom House, Mercantile Clerk and Custom House Agent
This description suggests something more like a civil servant than a customs officer, though I suppose he might conceivably have retired to that job from the service.


I couldn't find him on a list of Custom House Agents
Have you tried any of the London directories that list such appointments?


He was born c.1788/9 died 1838 and lived in Bethnal Green, what I really want to know is where he was born
I guess you will already have details of the marriage to Elizabeth GELSON in Woodford (1823). It was by licence, issued by the Faculty Office on 23 April 1823.

If you haven't already seen the entry in the Woodford marriage register, that would be worth looking at for his marital status, parish of residence (if not Woodford) and the names of witnesses. Additionally, the allegation for the licence might contain a further clue.

Woodford registers are at the Essex Record Office. I don't know if Phillimore's marriage transcripts (http://www.parishchest.com/shop/index.php?cmd=viewproduct&cat=&id=P80682&pageOffset=1) will include the names of witnesses.

As for the allegation for the marriage licence, if you can access London archives you can see it on film at the Society of Genealogists. If not, you can order a copy online from Origins.net, or there are LDS films, or you can ask Lambeth Palace Library, which holds the originals.

Kerrywood

[Woodpecker]

There is mention of an Isaac Bushby and John Gathercole linendrapers who insured 43 Bishopsgate St Without 02/02/1814 Isaac Bushby then withdrew from the partnership I think later that year. I don't know if this is the same one or whether there were 2 Isaacs.
I have both the marriage entry and the licence but neither give any clues, the witnesses were both Elizabeth Gelson's relatives.
Annette

[Kerrywood]

I have both the marriage entry and the licence but neither give any clues, the witnesses were both Elizabeth Gelson's relatives.

Sorry, but you hadn't mentioned the marriage, so it was worth a try ;)

Was Isaac of the parish when he married?

Have you tried the Civil Service Evidence of Age records on Findmypast?

Did Isaac leave a will?

Kerrywood

[Woodpecker]

Thanks Kerrywood,
Isaac was otp when he married. Elizabeth Gelson had 2 sisters who ran a dressmaking business in Woodford so they could have both lived with them for a while.
I wasn't aware of the Civil service evidence of age so I'll give that a try.
Sadly I haven't found a will, also I don't know what happened to his wife after 1841, their youngest daughter appears to be in Hackney Orphanage in 1851 but I can't find any records for that either.
Annette

[Kerrywood]

I don't know what happened to his wife after 1841, their youngest daughter appears to be in Hackney Orphanage in 1851

There's a possible death for Elizabeth BUSHBY in 1844 in St Luke's, if you haven't already tried that? Near enough to Bethnal Green.

With the daughter in the London Orphan Asylum in 1851, the family may be mentioned in poor law records. The rough settlement examinations for Bethnal Green might be worth a look, as these can contain details of family background.

You might have to try other unions too, depending on where their settlement was. Bethnal Green records are at the LMA. Hackney poor law records are partly at the LMA and partly at Hackney Archives (they have an online catalogue).

Kerrywood

[Woodpecker]

Thanks Kerrywood,
I don't have the 1844 death cert but if I were to buy another it would be that one, I've already bought 2 who weren't her so I went off buying them.
I've read that the orphanage took children from respectable backgrounds who had either lost both parents or a father leaving the mother unable to provide for them.
I will look into the poor law records.
Isaac wasn't on the evidence of age for civil servants list.

[Shannie]

Hiya, were did you find the list of clerks, I ask because I am struggling to find any trace of my 3rd grt grandfather, on his sons wedding certif he was a custom house clerk.

Sharon

[Woodpecker]

It wasn't a list of clerks (I wish there was a list of clerks!) it was a list of custom house agents which I think is something different and I read that they were usually freemen of the city of London, there was a list of 3 hundred or so at Kew.

[Ohren_search]

My g.g.g.grandfather was Isaac Bushby, his occupation on baptisms and certificates has been described as Gent, Clerk in the Custom House, Mercantile Clerk and Custom House Agent. I couldn't find him on a list of Custom House Agents so I'm guessing his widowed wife was embelishing her youngest child's birth certificate (he died 5 months previously).
He was born c.1788/9 died 1838 and lived in Bethnal Green, what I really want to know is where he was born. I have a fragment of information which suggests he was born in Westmorland, the son of an innkeeper. Would the customs records at Kew tell me where he was born?
Thanks,
Annette
My gggg grandfather was a clerk in HM Surveyor of Sloops, Customs House, until about 1822. This particular office was a sort of affiliated office for a while until it was fully merged into the Customs - it might be that your ancestor was in a similar type of office. These records proved tricky to hunt out at The National Archives in Kew but I got there in the end, so worth persevering with.

[Woodpecker]

Thank you for giving me the encouragement to try Kew, I went there a couple of years ago to ask about the customs houe but the person I asked for help must have been having a bad day, they didn't seem to be able to tell me what information the records would hold. I was confused about where I should look and the only records I found seemed to be about ports other than London. I went to Lambeth Palace to get the marriage licence and that was a real disappointment because it had nothing extra on it at all. It's the place of birth that I really need so that I can say for sure that he came from Westmoreland. Any extra info would be nice though.

[Peter Goodey]

Anyone researching Customs Officers for later periods than those mentioned above should note that there are easy-to-check lists of clerks (and most established grades) in Ham's Yearbooks in TNA library.

The Civil Service Evidence of Age index is worth checking for birth details. Only "difficult" cases were retained but these are the very ones that give us trouble.