james edward thomas mallandain + jane bloomfield
James Edward Thomas was the eldest son of James Mallandain and Margaret Layton. He was born on 18 April 1785 and baptised on 8 May at Christ Church in Spitalfields. Little is known about James but details in the Marshall Report note that the family believed he died unmarried:
‘The eldest son James Edward Thomas Mallandain of whom very little is known, was born 18th April 1785, and entered the India Civil Service, and died in London from the after effects of sunstroke taken in India. As far as is known he remained unmarried.’
There is no record of James having served in the India Civil Service but the parish registers of St Giles in the Fields record a marriage between James and Jane Bloomfield on 25 March 1816:
James Edward Thomas Mallandain of this parish a bachelor and Jane Bloomfield of the same parish a spinster were married in this Church by banns this twenty fifth day of March in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixteen by me Charles McCarthy, Curate. This marriage was solemnized by James Edward Thomas Mallandain and Jane Bloomfield. In the presence of JS Harris and Wm Ashfield.
Four years before their marriage, James and Jane had a son, James William, who was born on 10 February 1812 and baptised at St Mary, Newington on 3 June 1814. On the baptismal entry, James was listed as a Gentleman and the family’s address was given as George Street. Newington is a parish in south London and is currently part of the Borough of Southwark — and a fair distance from James’ home parish of Spitalfields.
No explanation has been found as to why James and Jane waited four years following the birth of their son before marrying or why James was living so far from his family. If James was working for the East India Company, he may have returned to India and married Jane when he came back to England years later.
In 1819, thirty-three year old James died of consumption — the term commonly used to describe tuberculosis — and was buried at St Dunstan on 19 July. The disease was spread through the air by coughing, sneezing or spitting and symptoms included a bloody cough, fever, a general pallor and a relentless wasting. Tuberculosis was not identified as a single disease until the 1820s and the bacteria that causes the disease was not identified until 1882. It was the most common disease among the urban poor in England in the early 19th century with one in four deaths in the country caused by tuberculosis. The disease gained the name consumption because it was seen to literally consume people from within.
It is interesting to note that James was buried in the same church yard as his father so it does not appear that he was estranged from his family. There is no further record of Jane Bloomfield and nothing related to her son until his marriage to Alicia Higgins at St Mary Newington in 1835:
James William Mallandain of this parish a bachelor and Alicia Higgins of the same parish a spinster were married in this Church by banns this fourteenth day of December in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty five. This marriage was solemnized by James William Mallandain and Alicia Higgins. In the presence of William Pennick and Rose Ellen Pennick.
After their marriage, James and Alicia left Newington and settled in Spitalfields. Alicia was born in nearby Bishopsgate and may have had family living in the area. The couple has not been located in the 1841 Census and there are no other records that reflect exactly where they lived or what James did for a living. It does not appear that James William and Alicia had any children.
James William was only 34 years old when he died but no cause of death was listed in the burial record. He was buried in the church yard at St Botolph Bishopsgate on 16 August 1846. His wife Alicia appears in the 1851 Census listed as a Widow and living at 23 Gun Street in Spitalfields with her widowed sister, Mary Hayward, and her four children. Alicia was employed as a Dress Maker and her place of birth was given as London City.
Alicia next appears in the 1861 Census living alone at 14 Crispin Street in Spitalfields. At the time, she was 48 years old and working as a Dressmaker. There is no record of Alicia in the 1871 Census but there is a potential match in 1881 — Alicia Mallaindain, an annuitant, was living at 8 Brushfield Street in Bishopsgate but her place of birth is listed as Dublin, Ireland.
Alicia was living at 17 Artillery Street in the Old Artillery Ground area of Spitalfields when she died on 8 August 1886 as a result of chronic hepatitis and a recent bought of bronchitis. Alicia’s neighbour, Catherine Welch was present at her death and acted as the informant on the death registration where she stated Alicia’s name as Letitia, her age as 79 years, and her occupation as Needlewoman.