Family:Robert Cary and Amy Gregg (1)

The question of Robert Cary's second wife

As can also be seen on the page for Robert Cary and Elizabeth Hele, Fairfax Harrison, in Volume II of The Devon Carys, published in 1920 (p. 700),^S2 states the following:

... He married, first, Elizabeth Hele,[3] but had children only by his second wife Amy Braithwaite,[4] ...

He then went on to say:

... The identification of her family name as Braithwaite is conjectural, resting upon the existence of a china plate (now in possession of Mr. Hugh Cary-Askew of London as an heirloom of the family since the time of Robert Cary, Sr.), showing an impalement of the arms of Cary and Braithwaite, ….

However, I have been unable to find any record or reference to a marriage between any CARY and any BRAITHWAITE. Whereas there is one record of a marriage licence in the right time frame between a CARY and a GREGG.^S1

And if the BRAITHWAITE hypothesis is mostly based on the supposed “impalement of the arms of Cary and Braithwaite” on an armorial plate, there exists the distinct possibility that the arms of GREGG may have been confused with those of BRAITHWAITE. See the following descriptions of their respective coats of arms:

BRAITHWAIT, [Catterick, Yorks.] gu. on a chev. ar. three cross crosslets fitchée sa. ... BRATHWAYTE, [Westm. 1591] gu. on a chev. ar. three cross crosslets fitchée sa. ...

GREGG, [Gropenhall, Ches.] or, three trefoils, slipped, betw. two cheveronels sa. ... GREGG, [Ilkeston, Derb.] The same arms and crest. ....^S3

The significant factor would be the similarity between 'three cross crosslets' and 'three trefoils' - the former on a 'chev' (chevron) and the latter between 'two cheveronels.' But to get a more graphic impression of how the Gregg arms might have been confused with those of Braithwaite, one can compare images of each, accessible on: 1. BRAITHWAITE Coat of Arms; 2. GREGG Coat of Arms. Cross crosslets and trefoils are quite different from each other - but perhaps, as the latter (presumably) may have appeared quite small and even distorted on the central impalement of the armorial plate, I do think there is enough reason to imagine the one being confused with the other. Unfortunately, I do not know the present whereabouts of the said plate. Mr. Hugh Cary Askew is no longer with us - he died in 1949. And though I suspect this armorial plate did in fact pass from my great uncle Hugh - who never married - to my father - who is alas also no longer with us - I do not myself have any current knowledge of this plate.

And as for the other reason for this Braithwaite conjecture, as Fairfax Harrison further stated:

… and the fact that Robert Cary and his wife are buried with William Yerbury, who declares himself in his will (P.C.C. Henchman, 205) to be a cousin of Braithwaite. ….^S2

—while this is certainly true, it does not necessarily indicate any family relationship between Robert Cary and himself; nor between Cary and Braithwaite.

I William Yerbury of the Parish of Hampstead in the County of Middlesex do make my Will as followeth (hereby revoking all former will or wills by me heretofor made) my mind and Will is that all my just Debts which shall be owing by me at my decease be punctually and honestly paid together with the money Legacies by me hereafter given I desire to be Interred in the vault of my Family in Hampstead Church yard and I leave the Management of my Funeral to the discretion of my very good Friend Robert Cary of London Mercht. my Executor hereafter named … I also give and devise unto the said Robert Cary and to his Heirs Executors and Administrators for Ever all my Real Estate as also all my Chattels real wheresoever the same are situate lying and being together with all my personal Estate of what nature or kind soever the same consists upon this Special Trust and confidence in him the said Robert Cary reposed (to wit) that the said Robert Cary his heirs Executors and Administrators or Some or one of them do and Shall out of the Rents Issues and Profits of the aforesaid Copyhold Messuages Lands Tenements and Hereditaments Real Estate and Chattels Real as also out of the Interest and produce of my said personal Estate or some part thereof by me given and devised to the said Robert Cary as aforesaid in the first place well and truly pay or arrange to be paid to my Neice Margaret Ouchterlony Wife of Alexander Ouchterlony of London Merchant for her life and annuity or Yearly sum of Two hundred pounds as also to my Cousin Mary Brathwaite Wife of Benjamin Brathwaite Citizen and Upholder of London for her own Life and annuity or Yearly Sum of Forty pounds …^S4

In his will, William Yerbury refers to Robert Cary as his “very good Friend” and nowhere suggests any familial relationship to him. Furthermore, it is Mary Brathwaite (or Braithwaite) who is his cousin – not her husband, Benjamin. In fact he is at great pains, in the will, to ensure that the bequests he makes to his cousin Mary may not be appropriated by her husband.

… which said Annuitys or Yearly Sums of said Neice Margaret Ouchterlony and my said Cousin Mary Brathwaite are to be paid them respectively by Quarterly payments for and during their Several and respective lives as before said The first payment whereof to Commence and begin at the End of the first three months which shall happen next after my decease and the said Sums of Two hundred pounds and Forty Pounds given to my said Neice Margaret Ouchterlony and Cousin Mary Brathwaite respectively (exclusive of their said present ^Husbands or any other Husband or^ Husbands they or either of them may hereafter marry) (¿)Intermedlings(?) or having any thing to do therewith and the Said Annuities or Yearly Sums of Two hundred pounds and Forty pounds by me given as aforesaid for the several and respective lives of my Neice Margaret Ouchterlony and my Cousin Mary Brathwaite respectively are in no wise to be liable to or charged or chargeable with all or any of the Debts or other Engagements of the said Alexander Ouchterlony and Benjamin Brathwaite their respective Husbands or either of them or with the Debts or Engagements of any other Husband or Husbands as is before directed or under their or any of their controul or power ….^S4

As for Mary’s maiden name, the only record I have been able to find of a marriage between a Mary and a Benjamin Braithwaite is one that took place in 1716 in the county of Gloucestershire – diocese of Bristol, between Ben Braithwait and Mary Higgins.^S5 And this possibility is made stronger by the will of Richard Yerbury,^S6 William’s father, in which he makes a bequest to his niece Elizabeth Higgins. Unfortunately he does not mention the name of her husband; and I have been unable to find a likely marriage to fit – or a possible daughter, Mary.

Richard Yerbury also mentions his daughter, Rebecca Hart, and his grandchildren - her children, by her husband, John Hart – Rebecca, William and Margaret. Margaret Hart is she who married Alexander Ouchterlony, and who is also mentioned in the will of William Yerbury^S4 – “my Neice (sic) Margaret Ouchterlony.” Both William Hart and his sister Rebecca as well as their father, John Hart, are interred in the same tomb as William Yerbury – all of whom were later joined there by both Robert Cary and later still by his wife (or relict), Amy Cary.

… ‘In a Vault under this Tomb lieth Interred the body of Mr. William Hart, Late Citizen and Mercer of London, who departed this life the ---- of January, 1717, aged --.---- Also the body of Mr. John Hart, Father of the above said William Hart, Citizen and Mercer of London, who died the 3d of July, 1707, in the 61 year of His age. And the Body of Mrs. Rebecca Hart, Daughter of the above said John Hart, who died the ---- of March, 17--. And the body of William Yerbury, Esq., who died September the ----, 1739, aged 68. Also Robert Carey, Esq., merchant of London, who died October 23, 1751, aged 76. Mrs. Amy Cary, Relict of Robert Cary, Esq., Died October 23, 1769, aged 69.’^S7

Regardless of the inability to make a definitive identification of William Yerbury’s cousin, Mrs Mary Braithwaite, there is nothing in the ‘fact’ that Robert Cary is interred together with William Yerbury, to support the theory that his second wife was a Braithwaite. And the identification of the ‘impaled arms’ of Braithwaite with Cary could well have been mistaken for those of Gregg. And as I have said earlier, I unfortunately do not have – or know the whereabouts – of the armorial plate in question to make a firmer judgement on the matter. But all the records I have found that do indicate that Robert Cary’s second wife was called Amy Gregg are so persuasive that I am quite convinced by them. Please see the page for Amy Gregg and also that of her mother, Amy Evelyn, for more information and argument on this question. But to summarize the main points (events) that have lead me to this conclusion:

1. On 12 Nov, 1719 Robert Cary marries his first wife, Elizabeth Hele, with whom he has no children.^S2

2. On 13 Jun, 1729 a marriage licence is obtained by a CARY to marry a GREGG.^S1

3. In about 1730 Robert Cary’s first child and only son, also named Robert, is born.^S8

4. On 5 Apr, 1699 Thomas Gregg marries his second wife, Amy Evelyn, with whom he has two children: a son, Robert Gregg and a daughter, Amy Gregg.^{S9, S10}

5. On 23 Oct, 1769 Amy Cary, widow of Robert Cary, dies “aged 69”.^S7

6. On 24 Jul, 1751 Robert Cary signs his name to his last will and testament, in which he has written: « … I give to my Wifes Mother Mrs. Shaban Twenty Pounds for Mourning … of my Dear Wife Amey Cary …. »^S11

7. On 10 Feb, 1718 (or perhaps 1719) Vincent CHABANNES marries Amy GREGG.^{S12, S13, S14}

8. On 14 May, 1720 Vincent Chabanes signs his name to a codicil to his last will and testament, in which he has written: « … Whereas I have bequeathed by my last Will and Testament one hundred and fifty pounds per annum unto Amy my wife during her life after my decease … in my last Will and Testament May the 14th 1720 Vincent Chabanes …. »^S15

——Robin Cary Askew (4 September, 2009)

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 findmypast.com > Record Transcription: Vicar General Marriage Licences.

   The index to the Vicar General Marriage Licences comprises transcripts of marriage licences applied for in the Diocese of Canterbury.
   « Last name CARY / Gender Male / Licence year 1729 / Licence date 13 Jun 1729 / Groom's last name CARY / Bride's last name GREGG / Place Dioceses of the Province of Canterbury / Record set Vicar General Marriage Licences / Category Birth, Marriage & Death (Parish Registers) / Subcategory Parish Marriages / Collections from Great Britain, UK None »
   Society of Genealogists
   Accessed on: findmypast.com/

2.   Harrison, Fairfax: The Devon Carys, The De Vinne Press, New York, 1920, Vol II, p. 700 & footnotes 3 & 4.

   « … He married, first, Elizabeth Hele,[3] but had children only by his second wife Amy Braithwaite,[4].... »
   « … [3]: See the marriage license, November 12, 1719, in Foster, London Marriages. [4] : Her death is noted in London Magazine, 1769, p. 592. (See her will, proved October 27, 1769, P.C.C. Bogg, 337.) The identification of her family name as Braithwaite is conjectural, resting upon the existence of a china plate (now in possession of Mr. Hugh Cary-Askew of London as an heirloom of the family since the time of Robert Cary, Sr.), showing an impalement of the arms of Cary and Braithwaite,and the fact that Robert Cary and his wife are buried with William Yerbury, who declares himself in his will (P.C.C. Henchman, 205) to be a cousin of Braithwaite. …. » Taken from photocopy of page from original publication - courtesy of Thomas Hamm. Also can be accessed on: Google Books - snippet view

3.   Robson, Thomas: The British Herald, or Cabinet of Armorial Bearings of the Nobility & Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland, Vol 1, 1830
   (pp. 318, 320, 624 of pdf).

   « ... BRAITHWAIT, [Catterick, Yorks.] gu. on a chev. ar. three cross crosslets fitchée sa.—Crest, a greyhound couchant ar. collared and lined gu. ... BRATHWAYTE, [Westm. 1591] gu. on a chev. ar. three cross crosslets fitchée sa.—Crest, a greyhound couchant ar. collared and lined gu. the collar studded and ringed or. ... GREGG, [Gropenhall, Ches.] or, three trefoils, slipped, betw. two cheveronels sa.—Crest, out of a ducal coronet or, an eagle’s head and neck, per pale, ar. and sa. holding in the beak a trefoil, slipped, of the second. ... GREGG, [Ilkeston, Derb.] The same arms and crest. .... »

4.   Will of William Yerbury of Hampstead, Middlesex
   11 September 1739 .

   Description Will of William Yerbury of Hampstead, Middlesex Date 11 September 1739 Catalogue reference PROB 11/698 Dept Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury Series Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers [transcribed by Robin Cary Askew]
   Downloaded from the National Archives > Documents Online

5.   Boyd's Marriage Index 1538-1840.

   « Year: 1716 / Last Name 1: BRAITHWAIT / First Name 1: BEN / Last Name 2: HIGGINS / First Name 2: MARY / Place: BRISTOL DIOCESE / County: GLOUCESTERSHIRE » Accessed on: British Origins

6.   Will of Richard Yerbury, Salter of London
   05 September 1702 .

   Description Will of Richard Yerbury, Salter of London Date 05 September 1702 Catalogue reference PROB 11/466 Dept Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury Series Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers Piece Name of Register: Herne Quire Numbers: 132 - 168
   Downloaded from the National Archives > Documents Online

7.   Harrison, Fairfax: The Devon Carys, Vol II, op.cit.,
   p. 701, footnote #2.

   « The M.I. noted in Lysons, Environs of London, 535, was rediscovered and redeciphered in 1906 by Captain W. M. Cary. His Notes record: “Sunday, April 29, 1906, wheeled out to Hampstead parish church at 11-12 A.M. and staid until 5 p.m. endeavouring to clean and decipher the very faint time worn inscription on a handsome altar tomb monument, at the left of the western portal, in the church yard. … After much rubbing and washing in the hail showers that from time to time moistened the overlaying mould, I managed to bring to light almost every word and figure of the wholly engraven roof slab, as follows: ‘In a Vault under this Tomb lieth Interred the body of Mr. William Hart, Late Citizen and Mercer of London, who died the 3d of July, 1707, in the 61 year of His age. And the Body of Mrs. Rebecca Hart, Daughter of the above said John Hart, who died the ---- of March, 17--. And the body of William Yerbury, Esq., who died September the ----, 1739, aged 68. Also Robert Carey, Esq., merchant of London, who died October 23, 1751, aged 76. Mrs. Amy Cary, Relict of Robert Cary, Esq., Died October 23, 1769, aged 69.’ ” …. » Taken from photocopy of page from original publication - courtesy of Thomas Hamm. Also can be accessed on: Google Books - snippet view

8.   International Genealogical Index / British Isles.

   « ROBERT CARY - Gender: Male Christening: 21 JAN 1730 St Augustine Watling Street, London, London, England / Father: Robert Cary, Mother: Amy // Source Information: Parish registers for St. Augustine Watling Street Church, London, 1559-1940 » Accessed on FamilySearch/IGI

9.   Thomas Gregg and Amy Evelyn - marriage, in Notes and Queries, Vol. 150, 1926 by Oxford Journals (Oxford University Press), IngentaConnect (Online service)
   p. 269.

   « ... By the will of Thomas Gregg, the elder of Clement's Inn, Gent (dated Oct. 5, 1711), it is shown that this Thos. Greggs married as his second wife, Amy, third daughter of George Evelyn, Esqre., of Nutfield, Surrey; Marriage settlement — Apr. 1, 1699; and had by her Robert Gregg and Amy Gregg, both alive in 1711. .... » Accessed on: Google Books - snippet view

10.   International Genealogical Index / British Isles.

    « THOMAS GREGGE / Gender: Male Marriage: 05 APR 1699 Saint Mary Somerset, London, London, England / Spouse: AMY EVELIN > Source Information: Batch No.: M001491 / Dates: 1558 - 1837 / Source Call No.: 942 B4HA V.59 Printout Call No.: 6903654 > Parish register printouts of London, St. Mary Somerset, England » Accessed on: FamilySearch/IGI

11.   Will of Robert Cary, Merchant of Saint John the Evangelist, London, proved 18 Nov 1751.

    Description: Will of Robert Cary, Merchant of Saint John the Evangelist London / Date: 18 November 1751 / Catalogue reference: PROB 11/791 / Dept: Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury / Series: Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers / Piece: Name of Register: Busby Quire Numbers: 301 – 359
    Downloaded from the National Archives > Documents Online
    « In the Name of God Amen I Robert Cary of London Merchant ... I give to my Wifes Mother Mrs. Shaban Twenty Pounds for Mourning ... of my Dear Wife Amey Cary .... » [transcribed by Robin Cary Askew] > Full transcript

12.   International Genealogical Index / British Isles.

    « AMY GREGG / Gender: Female Marriage: 10 FEB 1718 Saint Paul Covent Garden, Westminster, London, England / Spouse: VINCENT CHABANNES > Source: Computer printout of Westminster, St. Paul Covent Garden, London, England » Accessed on FamilySearch/IGI – supported by: ^S13 (next)

13.   Boyd's Marriage Index 1538-1840.

    « Year: 1718 / Last Name 1: CHABANNES / First Name 1: VINCENT / Last Name 2: GREGG / First Name 2: AMY / Place: WESTMINSTER ST PAUL COVENT GARDEN / County: MIDDLESEX » Accessed on: British Origins – which is a little confounded by: ^S14 (next)

14.   Marriage Licence Allegations - Faculty Office 1701-1850.

    « Licence Date: 20 Jan 1719 / Last Name 1: CHABANES / First Name 2: Vincent / Last Name 2: GREGG / First Name 2: Amy » Accessed on: British Origins

15.   Will of Vincent Chabane of Hammersmith, Middlesex
    proved 5 Jul 1721 written 12 Jan 1719 with a codicil 14 May 1720)proved 5 Jul 1721 written 12 Jan 1719 with a codicil 14 May 1720).

    Description Will of Vincent Chabane of Hammersmith, Middlesex Date 05 July 1721 Catalogue reference PROB 11/580 Dept Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury Series Prerogative Court of Canterbury and related Probate Jurisdictions: Will Registers Piece Name of Register: Buckingham Quire Numbers: 92 - 141
    Downloaded from the National Archives > Documents Online
    « … Whereas I have bequeathed by my last Will and Testament one hundred and fifty pounds per annum unto Amy my wife during her life after my decease … in my last Will and Testament May the 14th 1720 Vincent Chabanes …. »