james mallandain + margaret layton
James was the eldest son of James Mallandain and Mary Hawes. He was born at the family home on Ducking Pond Lane and baptised at St Mary Whitechapel on 15 July 1760. When he was fourteen, he apprenticed as a tinplate worker with William Jarman, a member of the Tinplate Workers’ Company. The process of tinning involved applying a thin layer of tin over top of iron to prevent rusting and it was often used to make cheap pots, pans and other household containers.
James married Margaret Layton on 9 June 1783 at St Dunstan in Stepney. Margaret was baptised at St Andrew in Enfield, North London on 7 April 1762, the daughter of William and Margaret Layton. The wedding was a double ceremony with James' brother John marrying at the same time.
After their wedding, James and Margaret moved to Paternoster Row and James continued to work as a Tinplate Worker. Paternoster Row, now known as Brushfield Street, ran parallel to the Spitalfields Market and ended at Christ Church on what is today Commercial Road.
James and Margaret had six children between 1785 and 1798 but only four survived infancy. Their first son, James Edward Thomas, was born on Paternoster Row on 18 April 1785 and baptised at Christ Church Spitalfields on 8 May with his grandparents, James and Mary, acting as godparents. Second son, William Layton, was born two years later and baptised at St Botolph, Bishopsgate on 17 January 1787. The church of St Botolph’s was named after the 7th century East Anglian saint, known as the patron saint of wayfarers, and the parish lay to the west of Spitalfields near the intersection of Bishopsgate Street and Houndsditch. There is no information in the records to explain why James and Margaret chose to have William baptised at St Botolph’s rather than the parish churches closer to home, Christ Church or St Dunstan. They may have moved to the parish but there is no address listed in the baptismal record to confirm this. As there are no further records related to William, it is assumed he died in infancy.
By 1788, James, Margaret and their two young sons were living on Great Garden Street, now called Greatorex Street, just off the Whitechapel Road and it was here that their first daughter, Hannah Sarah, was born on 4 September 1788; she was baptised at St Mary Whitechapel on 21 September. Peter was baptised at St Mary Whitechapel in 1791 and the baptismal record notes that at the time, the family was living in Black Lion Yard off Whitechapel Road. Peter died in infancy, sometime before 1798 when their second son named Peter was born. Mary was born on 19 August 1793 and baptised at St Dunstan, Stepney on 25 August.
By 1791, the family had moved again — around the corner to 29 Dunk Street in Mile End New Town. Interestingly, James moved his family very close to the street on which he was born, Ducking Pond Lane and as a tin plate worker, he may have been working in one of the many foundries located along Whitechapel Road. Their last child, Peter, was born on 11 October 1798 at 29 Dunk Street and baptised at St Dunstan with William and Mary Layton acting as godparents.
Their youngest daughter Mary was educated at the French Protestant School on Bloomsbury Street. Originally known as the Blue Coat School, it was founded in 1747 to educate the children of Huguenot descent in London but by 1800, the school only accepted girls who were housed, fed, clothed and educated for free. The girls could not enter the school until they were seven years old and had to leave when they were fourteen while the education provided was described as a ‘simple elementary one corresponding to their station in life.’ Mary likely entered the school in 1800 when she was seven years old but the admission record does not include how long she stayed at the school.
After leaving school, Mary married Joseph Jenkins at St Dunstan, Stepney when she was only 17 years old. They were married by banns and there is no note on the marriage record to indicate that she had her parents’ permission to marry before she was of age. Since St Dunstan's was their local parish church, James and Margaret likely knew about the marriage but it is not known if they approved of it. Two years after marrying, they had their first child, John, who was baptised at the Holywell Mount Independent church in Shoreditch on 29 March 1812.
Two years after the birth of his first grandchild, James died, aged only 53 years, and was buried in the church yard at St Dunstan, Stepney on 18 July 1814.
Margaret Layton died five years later and was buried at the Goodman’s Field Presbyterian burial ground on Somerset Street on 21 January 1819. The burial record lists her last address as Church Row in Aldgate which lay to the east of the church of St Botolph without Aldgate, just off the Aldgate High Street.