LINCOLN RESEARCH CONFIRMS:

Robert Herd (bpt 17.11.1801) who married Alice Calvert was the first son of Robert Herd and Elizabeth – from Parish Records. This Robert had a brother named William who married Charlotte and they had a son called William who was born in 1819.

Alice Calvert was the daughter of Richard Calvert and Mary- and had five siblings Benjamin Bpt.1797; Mary Bpt 1803; Thomas bpt 1807; Richard bpt 1814 and Eliza bpt 1816.

Robert and Alice had three sons, William, Thomas and David, and although I still cannot find their birth records in the Parish Records they are named in their fathers Will – when he almost dismissively stated that ‘ his two sons William and David would get £5 a piece’ (relative to £285 in todays money) and the remainder of his Estate would pass to his son Thomas, including the Farm and a requirement to pay to Alice (his wife) an annuity of £52 a year (relative to £2,967) to be paid in 4 equal parts.

It appears that Thomas never married.

William unknown

David married Caroline Brummitt. It would appear that only Thomas had farming interests and David was working in the drapery trade and was ‘politically motivated’ becoming the General Secretary and Manager of the Lincoln Conservative Working Men’s Club.

David and Caroline had seven children, which we already know about, although it might be worth mentioning at this stage that Caroline’s sister Betsy Watson (nee Brummitt) and Joseph Pinder, the husband of her eldest sister Ann would play significant roles in the unfolding drama relating to the demise of the Estate.

David died on the 25^th April 1895 from pylorus and anaemia. Their daughter Alice Calvert Howden was present at his death. On the 19^th March 1896, less than a year later Caroline died from cerebral apoplexy and paralysis.  Caroline did not make a will and died INTESTATE. This significant omission left the estate to her eldest legal heir Robert William Herd.

  

This is my missing Great Grandfather: It appears that he was a Grocer and Provisions Dealer, working from a shop at 8, Market Place, Doncaster. At the time of his mother’s death – and perhaps linked – Robert was in considerable debt to a Hugh Hawley Greatbatch, Corn Merchant and George William Townend – Chartered Accountant and many other parties.

His only available resources with which he could settle his debts were those left to his mother Caroline in David’s Will. Documents claiming the Estate showed that a pay back was agreed at 12/6d in the Pound (62.5%, an extremely high figure for someone who was insolvent). The voluntary agreement allowed him to continue his trade in the Doncaster shop, but should he default other steps would be taken. (I guess the pressure on him was enormous and eventually gave in and disappeared, leaving my GGrandma and children destitute and in the workhouse). These documents are dated 1896, after his mother’s death…..(I also suspect that this state of affairs was known to his mother, given the April 1896 date of the debtor document).

It also meant that RWH had access to the entire estate and therefore nothing available to siblings.

The Indentures and other legal documents show that Greatbatch and Townend and the other creditors could only access the estate if it was demonstrated beyond doubt that Robert William Herd was legally proven to be the son of David and Caroline Herd and the grandson of John Brummitt, for John was the source of many of the assets being disposed of, specifically property and land.

The Trustee handling all this for John Brummitt’s estate was Joseph Pinder – his son in law, married to Ann, Caroline’s older sister.

There is also a declaration of identity and antecedents from Betsy Watson, one of Caroline’s younger sisters. 

It is safe to assume that by 1901 Robert William Herd had defaulted.

Other assets, mainly property, of David and Caroline were passed to Robert Finlay, Master of the Poor Law Union, Lincoln. There were also connections with Doughteys Oil Mill and other prominent businessmen.

BRUMMITTS:

According to the Parish Records it appears that Bartholomew Brummitt (1751-1812) had ten children. The first two, Dowager (1774) and Bartholomew (1776) were with Henrietta Grest, who died in 1779. Bartholomew then married Elizabeth Turner in 1780 and had the following children:

Mary – Bpt.1781 d.1797

John Bpt. 24.11.1784

George

Henry

Elizabeth 1787

Charlotte bpt 25.5.1789

Sofia  bpt 16.7.1791

Samuel

The children underlined are mentioned, by name in their fathers Will – I can only speculate that the others died before he wrote it.

Dowager Brummitt :: Buried April 18^th 1781

Also:

John Brummitt bequeathed to his sister Charlotte and husband Edward Haynes of Whittersley, Cambridge a £10 annuity.

THE MISSING GREAT GRANDFATHER - ROBERT WILLIAM HERD b. 21.1.2.1864

Having spent many days at the Lincoln Family History /Archive Centre verifying births, deaths and marriagesof the Herd/Brummitt connection I came across a number of  documents held in the archives which begin to open up the possible background to the 'missing' Great Grandfather Robert William HERD. There would appear to be coincidences which remain just that until proof is found.

In summary - Robert William Herd runs a Grocer Provisions Store at 8, Market Place, Doncaster. He seems to be in financial difficulty and has no means of paying off his debts. His father died in 1895 leaving all his estate to his wife. In 1896 his mother died intestate. RWH is the surviving heir, and in 1896, through a series of legal manouvres he is allowed to keep his business if he voluntarily agrees to pay of his debt at £12/6d in the Pound and sign over substantial land and property interests to his two major creditors. There would be alternative proposals should he default. In 1898 he disappears from our records.
In the 1901 Census there is a record of a Grocery Manager, b 1864, from Lincoln, living with a family in Leeds. This family is called SURFLEET. When RWH was a boy, his father had family friends of the same name.