Mantell, Daniell & Adams of King's School, Canterbury

The Mantell, Daniell and Adams children at King’s School, Canterbury. More Mantell dates and places found. Biography of Francis Daniell, attorney and soldier, of Canterbury. By Greg Ramstedt, 2 Oct 2010

Of the many recent family history discoveries, I was so excited to hear from Peter Henderson, archivist of the King’s School, Canterbury. I am grateful for his generosity in sending me several family references from the registers of this very ancient school that is situated right next to Canterbury Cathedral. I knew from Francis Daniell’s (1773-1858) diary that he attended this school in the mid-1780s, but I had no idea just how extensively the Mantell and Daniell families used the King’s School to educate their children over several generations. Peter wrote me a few weeks ago with evidence from the school registers that these ancestors of mine attended:

***Lady Day 1721 MANTELL, William (to Lady 1726). Probably b. c1713. s. of Walter Mantell of Horton Priory, Monk’s Horton, and Jane, née Bell. Royal Navy 1730: Lieutenant 1740; Commander 1749; Captain 1749. m. Mary Hubble 1753. d. 13 December 1765; buried 21 December. Will: PCC 20 January 1766. Brother of Walter (below). [Charnock; Syrett & DiNardo]
***Christmas 1721 MANTELL, Walter (to Mich. 1723). Probably b. c1711. s. of Walter Mantell of Horton Priory, Monk’s Horton, and Jane, née Bell. Of Horton Priory. d. 17 September 1758; buried 20 September at Sellinge. Brother of William (above).
***1753 DANIELL, James. Adm. 2 July. b. 8 October 1744; bapt. 11 October at St Mary Magdalene, Canterbury. s. of James Daniell and Jane, dau. of Walter Mantell. KS 21 October 1754 - Mich. 1759. Left Mich. 1759. East India Company: Governor of Masulipatam. Feast Society. m. Lucy, dau. of Peregrine Butler of Dungarvan, Ireland. d. 15 October 1802 at Ramsgate; buried 25 October at St Paul’s, Canterbury. MI. Portrait by Richard Crosse. Will: PCC 12 November 1802. Brother of Francis (1757); father of James (1784) and Edward (1791).
***1757 DANIELL, Francis. Adm. 11 July. b. 24 March 1748/9; bapt. 31 March at St Alphege’s, Canterbury. s. of James Daniell and Jane, dau. of Walter Mantell. KS 4 April 1758 - Xmas 1762. Left Xmas 1762. Attorney. Army. m. Ann, dau. of George Adams 1772. d. 7 June 1793; buried 12 June at St Paul’s, Canterbury. Brother of James (1753); father of Francis (1784) and James Richard (1788).
***1784 DANIELL, Francis. Adm. 12 January. b. 22 December 1773 at Windsor, Berkshire. s. of Francis Daniell (1757), attorney, and Ann, dau. of George Adams. KS 7 December 1784 - Mids. 1788. Left 1788. m. Joanna, dau. of John Wills 1797. d. 25 October 1858 at Corby, Lincolnshire. Brother of James Richard (1788).
***1784 DANIELL, James. Adm. 29 September. b. 19 June 1773 at Cuddalore, East Indies; bapt. 8 January 1789 at St Mary, Marylebone. s. of James Daniell (1753), Governor of Masulipatam, East Indies, and Lucy, dau. of Peregrine Butler. KS 25 February 1785 - Mids. 1787. Left Mids. 1787. m. Eliza Martha Pasley Hodges 1795. East India Company: director 1809-25. d. 28 December 1839 at Broadclyst, Devon. Portrait by Andrew Plimer in Victoria and Albert Museum. Probably Will: PCC 21 January 1840. Brother of Edward (1791).
***1788 MANTELL, Augustus William. Adm. 11 July. b. 6 May 1777 at Holborn, London; bapt. 8 May at the Lying In Hospital, Endell Street, Holborn. s. of Henry Mantell and Mary. KS Xmas 1788 - Lady 1793. Left Lady 1793. Of Horton Priory, Monks Horton, Kent. d. 5 October 1833. Will: ADC 2 November 1833.
***1788 DANIELL, James Richard. Adm. 14 July. b. 1 January 1780 at Lambeth, Surrey. s. of Francis Daniell (1757), attorney, and Ann, dau. of George Adams. KS Lady 1789 - Xmas 1792. Left Xmas 1792. Royal Navy. East India merchant service. d. 3 August 1802 at High Beech Villa, Waltham, Essex. Will: PCC 6 September 1802. Brother of Francis (1784).
***1791 DANIELL, Edward. Adm. 9 January. b. 13 August 1782 at Masulipatam; bapt. 29 January 1789 at Faversham, Kent. s. of James Daniell (1753) Governor of Masulipatam, East Indies, and Lucy, dau. of Peregrine Butler. Commoner. Left ( ). d. 1791/9; ‘drowned on the Bengal River by the Boat being overset by a squall of wind.’ [Faversham parish register] Brother of James (1784).

Below are a few entries on the Adams family. Francis Daniell (1749-1793) married in 1772 to Ann Adams (1752-1834).
***1765 ADAMS, George, Adm. 8 July. b. 16 October 1753; bapt. 11 November at St Mary the Virgin, Dover, Kent. s. of George Adams, innholder, and Sarah, née Powell. KS 31 October 1766 - Xmas 1767. Left Xmas 1767. Upholsterer, auctioneer and cabinet maker of the Minories, London. m. Sarah Price 1777. d. 8 March 1831 at Greenwich. Brother of John (below) and William (1768).
***ADAMS, John. Adm. 8 July. b. 8 February 1755; bapt. 5 March at St Mary the Virgin, Dover, Kent. s. of George Adams, innholder, and Sarah, née Powell. KS 31 October 1766 - Lady 1767. Left Lady 1767. Brother of George (above) and William (1768).
***1768 ADAMS, William. Adm. 6 October. b. 8 February 1758; bapt. 21 February at St Mary the Virgin, Dover, Kent. s. of George Adams, vintner, and Sarah, née Powell. KS 5 February 1770 - Xmas 1772. Left Xmas 1772. Brother of George and John (both 1765).

Peter Henderson explained some of the material in this way, “I append the extracts from the school register (still a work on progress). The initial date before each name is when they entered the school – or in the pre-1750 cases when they became a King’s Scholar. Before 1750, we only have records of scholars and the dates there are the quarters when the scholarship was paid. Thus William was a King’s Scholar for 5 years, the maximum, and may well have been at the school for longer. After 1750, the entry book often has the date of birth as well as father’s name and occupation.”

It is great that Peter was able to use some of my information at Rootsweb’s WorldConnect Project (http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=gregramstedt&id=I777) to fill in relationship details. (Actually, I was surprised to go to WorldConnect a few minutes ago, type in ‘Walter Mantell’ and come up with hundreds of other submissions. A few years ago my Mantell pedigree was the only one online. It looks like a lot of borrowing, sharing and new research has taken place since then.) Peter has also found much useful biographical information in the Cathedral Archives to add to the basic information in the school registers.

I thank Peter for his great work!

I sent Peter some entries from Francis Daniell’s diary which mention the King’s School.

Title page:
Extracts From the Diaries of Francis Daniell, 1780-1855: Made by himself from the original diaries which were buried with him, in accordance with his wish, at Corby, Lincolnshire. Volume 1: 1780-1829. Copied from the Original Ms. abstract diary, 1913.

1782: I was placed at the King School, Canterbury and the year following was made a King’s scholar in that ancient seminary.

1784: Having just recovered from a severe Tertian Ague I was most cruelly flogged at night by the Head Master (Dr. Tucker) for obeying the orders of a boy named Foster, who fagged me, and afterwards was the first to betray me. I think it was this year my cousin James Daniell arrived from India and was placed with me at the King’s School. My mother joins my father in France who was supposed to be on his death bed in that country.

1785: On my father’s recovery in France he sent for me and I witnessed with him many and severe deprivations. Both on the Continent and England. At Chelsea, Lambeth, Marchalsey Prison, etc., etc.

1788: This year my Uncle Daniell returned from India very rich – Paid off my father’s debts – Built a nice house for him at Canterbury and settled Four Hundred a year on him for life. My excellent Grandmother and friend (Jane Daniell, formerly Jane Mantell) departed this life at Canterbury and was buried in the family vault in St. Pauls Church – at Canterbury. I believe it was this year I was removed from the King’s School to that of Harrow-on-the-Hill with my cousin James Daniell, who was afterwards expelled the school with the late Lord Edward Fitzgerrad for heading a general row. [“FitzGerald” added below by some unknown person.—Greg Ramstedt comment.]

[I think these entries in the extracted diary must have been added in the 1840s when Francis Daniell (1773-1858) was editing his diary. The extracted diary as a whole contains several entries where he refers to friends and acquaintances from his childhood days at King’s School, Harrow-on-the-Hill and Shooter’s Hill School, especially the last of these schools.—Greg Ramstedt comment.]

Mr. Henderson again was very kind to look up the names Foster and Dr. Tucker in the King’s School registers. Here is what he found:

***1779 FOSTER, Francis. Adm. 12 July. b. 4 March 1771 [1772 in Entry Book]; bapt. 20 March at St Leonard’s, Deal, Kent. s. of William Foster Esq. (deceased) and Mary, née Edwards of Deal. Commoner. Left Mids. 1785.
***1763 TUCKER, John. Adm. 12 January. b. and privately bapt. 25 March 1758 at Canterbury; received into the congregation 14 April at Canterbury Cathedral. s. of Revd John Tucker (1731), Lower Master of the King’s School, and Jane, dau. of William Gurney, Lower Master of the King’s School. KS 19 April 1767 - Lady 1772. Left Mich. 1775. Adm. pens. at Trinity College, Cambridge 29 December 1774, aged 16. Matric. Mich. 1775; Scholar; BA 1779, 8th Senior Optime; MA 1782. Ord. deacon (Coventry & Lichfield) 24 September 1780; priest (Rochester) 30 March 1782. Lower Master, King’s School, Canterbury 1779-82; Headmaster 1782-85. Rector of Gravesend 1782-1811. Feast Society Preacher 1783. Rector of Luddenham 1784-1811. m. (1) Elizabeth, dau. of Henry Nicholls of Barham; (2) Sarah, dau. of Richard Harvey, farmer of Barfreston Court 1782. ‘Kept a seminary for young gentlemen’ at Hever Court, near Gravesend after retiring from Canterbury. Perpetual Curate of Wingham 1800-11. d. 26 February 1811; buried 2 March at Wingham Church. MI. Will: PCC 27 April 1811. Brother of Stephen (1771). [Sidebotham; Venn; Nichols, Ill. Vol. VI].
Also on John Tucker, the Lower Master (i.e. Second Master) and then Headmaster, and an old boy of the school. He was not a successful Headmaster.

I was particularly excited that Peter found that Francis Daniell (1749-1793) was an attorney. The original school register entry of 1784 says the father is ‘Fran: D. Attor:’ which certainly must be an abbreviation for attorney. In the burial register of St. George’s Canterbury for 12 June 1793 it shows, “Francis Daniel, a soldier, from the Barracks, at St. Pauls.” His son, Francis Daniell Jr. (1773-1858), wrote in his diary on 14 May 1811 that his father completed his “articles” at Windsor, so I assumed that had something to do with military training. After all, there was a castle with garrisons at Windsor Castle. The son’s christening on 19 June 1774 at New Windsor, Berkshire, lists the father as a “soldier.” It does not seem likely he was a common soldier, though, given his wider family connections. His travels in France in 1785 also suggest something beyond a foot soldier. Finding out that he was an attorney helps fill in the gaps.

It just occurred to me a few minutes ago that perhaps “articles” may refer to training as a lawyer. I note below that Francis (1749-1793) had an uncle Alexander Sunderland who lived in Windsor, Berkshire, in 1768. That’s got to be it! It may turn out that Alexander had a law firm. This is certainly worth following up to know one way or another. I love how the spirit of discovery works! I just checked the 1811 entry in the diary and see, “Mr. Bash, a solicitor of Wickham, called on me – he served his articles with my father at Windsor.” So, there was some sort of law firm at Windsor that Daniell, Bash and probably Sunderland were connected to. That is great. The pieces of the story are slowly falling in place.

I have seen Francis Daniell’s (1749-1793) signature twice. He signs his marriage allegation in 1772, which incidentally also contains the signature of his father-in-law George Adams Sr. (ca. 1713/1719-1802) of Canterbury. Ann Adams was underage and required her father’s signature. The allegation is recorded with the Vicar General of the Archbishop of Canterbury, GS film 368963. Francis Sr. also signed as a witness to the 1777 marriage of George Adams Jr. (1753-1831) and Sarah Price. Also, I have a copy of a letter dated Ellore [India] 5 June 1769 written in the hand of James Daniell (1744-1802) to Robert Palk in which he writes, “I have a younger brother, Sir, who is just entering on the Stage of life, in the Caracter of a lawyer—And, tho’ his Occupation is no great recommendation to him, I hope he will not permit it to Conquer either his honour or his honesty, and while he possesses these qualities, my purse shall support him against the fr....s of fortun[?]. If you find his merit equal to my description of it, I humbly request you will stretch out your arm to assist him, whenever he may require your services, if they are not attended with too much inconvenience to yourself – I am sure, Sir, you will excuse this my presumption, because you are capable of feeling how anxious I am for the welfare of a brother, for whom I have the most fraternal fondness – And, tho’ I can only return your Goodness with my thanks, I am confident that will not, with you, be a reason to reject my recommendation.” The British Library has the original letter which is Add. 34,686 f. 105.

Now I feel embarrassed that I had this information since 2005 that Francis Sr. was training to be a lawyer. I never tried to read this 1769 letter until tonight because James Daniell’s (1744-1802) handwriting was difficult. There must be some sort of position in the army where a man could be both a soldier and an attorney, and which perhaps caused Francis Sr. to travel to France in 1785. Perhaps it was a diplomatic position.

Robert Palk’s seat was at Haldon House, in Devonshire, and he seems to have left India by 1769. He had been governor of Madras from 1763 to 1767. In 1782 he became a baronet. Thomas Palk, relative of Robert Palk, was the whole reason that Francis Daniell Jr. (1773-1858) was sent to Devonshire in 1792 where he eventually established his subsequent career.

I will write elsewhere how I found the christening dates at Elmsted, Kent, of the three remaining Mantell children, offspring of Walter Mantell (1687-1741) and Jane Bell (died 1775), so it is nice to have the exact information for all eight of the siblings.

1. Jane Mantell chr. 17 July 1709 at Sellinge, Kent, England; married 6 March 1743/1744 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, London to James Daniell (1707-1758); died 13 Jan. 1788 at St. George’s, Canterbury, Kent; buried 19 Jan. 1788 St. Paul’s, Canterbury. Their marriage entry and marriage allegation led me to Elmsted, Kent, which seems to fit in with other wider family relationships. These people all figure in the 1801 Chancery Court lawsuit Daniell v. Daniell, along with several of their relatives.

2. Walter Mantell chr. 7 May 1711 in Elmsted, Kent; died 17 Sept. 1758 in Sellinge, Kent. Several years ago I chose to assign 1758 as his death date, and 1741 has his father’s death date. I hope I have that right.

3. William Mantell chr. 23 April 1713 at Elmsted, Kent; married 18 July 1753 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminister, London to Mary Hubble; died 13 Dec. 1765; buried 21 Dec. 1765 at Sellinge, Kent. He was a captain in the Royal Navy. His marriage allegation has also been found. Mary remarried Thomas Colby, Commissioner for Victualling His Majesty’s Navy, on 25 April 1768 at Chatham, Kent, England. The Daniell v. Daniell suit in Chancery Court in 1801 involves all of these people. For the lawsuit, see Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the High Court of Chancery from the Year 1789 to 1817, published 1827 by Francis Vesey, pages 296 to 299. The National Archives reference number for this Chancery case is C 13/586/31.

4. Margaret Mantell chr. 9 Sept. 1716 Elmsted, Kent; married Alexander Sunderland (of Windsor, Berks. and of Eaton/Easton, Bucks.) Alexander was of Eaton, Buckinghamshire when he wrote his will on 10 May 1759. In 1768 they are described of Windsor, Berkshire. His PCC will is proved 26 March 1770 by his wife Margaret. They are mentioned in the 1801 Daniell v. Daniell lawsuit.

5. Anne Mantell chr. 11 April 1722 at Sellinge, Kent; buried 13 June 1722 at same.

6. Henry Mantell chr. 10 Oct. 1723 at Sellinge, Kent; died about 1788/1789 at Greenwich, Kent. I estimated his death based on Land Tax Assessments (LTAs) of Horton Priory. He was supposedly a purser in the Royal Navy and inherited Horton Priory after his brother William’s death in 1765. I wondered for years whether Greenwich might mean he lived at the Greenwich Hospital there. He is the father of Augustus William Mantell (1773-1833) of Horton Priory. The christening of Augustus William gives the mother’s name as Mary, who I believe lived until about 1802/1803 (based on LTAs). There is a Frederick Henry Mantell, Lt. Nottingham Militia, buried in 1808 in Sellinge, so perhaps Henry had more than one child. Earlier today I think I found Henry’s marriage and burial information. A Henry Mantell, widower, married on 21 July 1776 at St. Mary’s Lambeth, Surrey, to Mary Winter. Prior to this, there is a Henry Mantell of Hyth, Kent, married on 29 May 1767 at St. Mary’s Newington, Surrey, to Alice Hill, widow. The signatures of Henry seem to be very close from 1767 to 1776. I also found the burial on 3 April 1788 at St. Mary’s Lambeth of a Henry Mantell of “Hospital.” Henry is mentioned in Edward Hasted’s The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, published 1790, on page 319. See also Northamptonshire Notes & Queries, edited by John Taylor, published in 1890, on page 138 and 139. Henry is also mentioned in the 1801 lawsuit as a “mariner.” I think there was some serendipity at work in supposing that he probably lived at the Greenwich Hospital. I know that records of patients exist for that naval hospital, so there is another avenue to pursue to see if I may have guessed correctly.

7. Anna Mantell chr. 20 July 1726 at Sellinge; buried 12 Sept. 1728 at Sellinge, Kent.

8. Ann Mantell chr. 6 Oct. 1728 at Sellinge; buried 13 Oct. 1728 at same.

By Greg Ramstedt, 2 Oct. 2010

Notes on the Life and Career of Captain William Mantell (born 1713/1714; died 1765)—by Greg Ramstedt, July 2010.

Introduction

While captain of the Centurion (50 guns), Captain William Mantell helped transport Gen. Edward Braddock’s troops to Virginia for what became the ill-fated expedition against the French and Indians near Fort Duquesne. The rout and humiliation of Braddock’s troops ultimately launched George Washington’s career and triggered the French and Indian War. Later, Mantell’s ship fired on Quebec City, providing cover for Gen. James Wolfe’s landing troops in what led to the fateful battle on the Plains of Abraham which ultimate resulted in the fall of French Canada to the English. I include notes on the Centurion itself, which was famous in its own right, having been compared to Drake’s Golden Hind in circumnavigating the globe, a heroic voyage led by George Anson about ten years before Mantell took command of the man-of-war.

While William Mantell’s role in these events with Braddock and at Quebec was in support of large operations, he was there and he played his own small part in the beginnings of what became a worldwide war that built the British Empire at the expense of the French and Spanish.

Mantell Family Background

William Mantell was the son of Walter Mantell, Gent. of Horton Priory, Monks Horton, Kent and his wife Jane Bell, who had married in Sellinge, Kent on 19 October 1708. In St. Paul’s church, Canterbury, is a commemorative wall plaque to Walter and Jane Mantell, and to their daughter Jane, the wife of James Daniell. It includes the combined arms of Mantell and Daniell.

Capt. Mantell succeeded his older brother Walter (who died without children in 1758) to the ancient Cluniac priory, now gentleman’s large house. Horton Priory ceased to be used in its former role for those holy orders at the dissolution of Roman Catholic church lands by King Henry VIII. The Mantells purchased the Priory from Richard Tate in 1547, who had recently obtained it from the Crown. I am working on a broader Mantell history of these earlier times, from the Conquest, to the War of the Roses, to Henry VIII’s wars in France, to the uprising against Queen Mary and subsequent execution of a couple Mantells, and to a Civil War political track by another Mantell.

Captain William’s sister Jane Mantell (chr. 17 July 1709 in Sellinge) married 6 March 1743/1744 in St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, to James Daniell, Gent. of Canterbury. James Daniells lived in the Longport area of Canterbury, which is the vicinity of St. Paul’s church. Their two sons, James Daniell (chr. 11 Oct. 1744 at St. Mary Magdalen, Canterbury) and Francis Daniell (chr. 31 March 1749 at St. Alphege, Canterbury) are looked after in Captain Mantell’s will, since Jane had been left a widow with young children. James Daniell (1744-1802) was only thirteen when his father died. He first entered the service of the East India Company in 1760 and rose to the position of Chief of Masulipatam in India. His uncle, Captain Mantell, who was a large E.I.C. stockholder, may have been a source of patronage for James Jr.. When James returned to England in 1784 after serving for years as company factor along the Coromandel coast of southeastern India, he was very rich and moved in the highest levels of English society, but that is another story.

Capt. Mantell’s sister Margaret Mantell (born about 1718) was married to Alexander Sunderland (died 1770) of Eaton, Buckinhamshire and of Windsor, Berkshire. They had no children.

The captain’s brother, Henry Mantell (chr. 10 Oct. 1723 in Sellinge), a purser in the Royal Navy, was married to a woman named Mary, and inherited Horton Priory from his brother Capt. William Mantell. Henry is described “of Greenwich” and may have been at the Greenwich Hospital, a home for navy pensioners. Henry’s heir is Augustus William Mantell (born 5 May 1777; died 1 May 1833) who later lives at Horton Priory. Henry may have another son, Frederick Henry Mantell, Lieutenant of the Nottingham Militia, who is buried at Sellinge on 10 April 1808.

It appears that careers in the navy were chosen for the younger sons of this generation of Mantells, but as fate so often intervenes, the eldest son died without children and Horton Priory went first to Captain William and then to his brother Henry. It is odd, but in the 1700s the Mantells seem to have preferred living away from the hold priory. William and Henry’s parents may have preferred St. Paul’s parish in Canterbury; William himself is described “of Rochester,” Kent; and Henry finishes up his days at Greenwich. By the early 1800s, Augustus William Mantell again appears to be living at Horton Priory, but the distant relative who bought the place, the Rev. Edward Reginald Mantell, may never have lived there.

Brigadier A. C. Gore invited me to visit the Priory, which was his home, in 1983. He very kindly gave me a tour of the large mansion. While the house is now very large and imposing, the Mantells would have only known the Priory side of it (which was still a very large house by any standard). The modern additions were only added between 1912 and 1914 and made to look like the twelfth century priory. Brig. Gore showed me the framed deed in the entry chamber from about 1547 when Richard Tate acquired the former church lands from the crown. He also told me that Henry VIII had the ancient church there destroyed and that the priory was where the monks had lived.

In April 2010 Horton Priory was put up for sale at £5.5 million. It is now 56 acres. See http://www.struttandparker.com/property-for-sale/ashford-kent/property_CAN080057.html for details and for a beautiful brochure. Also, see an article entitled “Sale of the Centuries” on the sale: http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/buying_and_selling/article7099669.ece.

William Mantell’s Naval Career

The 1730s

William Mantell may have first joined the Royal Navy about 6 June 1730.

I found the following certificate at the Public Record Office in Kew (now The National Archives) during my visit there in 1983. It is from the Lieutenant’s Appointments, ADM 107. This is my transcription:

In pursuance &c dated the 17th Feb last, we have examined Mr. William Mantell Aged more than 23 yrs, And find he hath gone to sea more than six years in the Ships & qualities undermention’d

............................................................................Ys Ms Ws Ds
Gosport...........................Vol. P’ order..............1...7.....3....6
Gosport...................................able.....................1...5....3.....5
Lyon.......................................midsm..................0...2....3.....4
Captain..................................Midsn...................0....1....2....1
Sunderland......................Midsn Ord’ry...........0....8....3....6
Do...........................................Midsn...................0....4....0....5
Orford....................................Midsn...................2....4....3....4
..............................................................................6...10...1....3...[total]

He produced Journals kept by him in the Gosport, Lyon, Captain, Sunderland, Orford, & Certificates from Capt. Drake, Capt. Mayne, Capt. Dent, Capt. Man & Capt. Martin of his diligence & he can splice, knott Reef a sail &c, & is qualified to do the duty of an able seaman & midshipman.

Dated 16th Apr. 1737
Rb. G. P. Sr Charles Hardy

The man who signed this document eventually became Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Hardy, being knighted in 1742. Hardy would enter parliament and be one of the Lords of the Admiralty before dying in 1744. All the ships mentioned have a history of their own as they plied the seven seas to the far corners of the world. The captain’s logs would probably tell us what latitudes and climes, and engagements, Mantell experienced in his young life.

From the < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midshipman> website we learn that a son from the gentry often entered the Royal Navy as a “volunteer-per-order” with the intent of grooming them as future officers. I assume that the “Vol. P’ order” mentioned above refers to this. Since these young men arrived with a “letter of service” from the crown, they were often called the “king’s letter boys” and were to be treated as gentlemen apart from common seamen. By the 1730s these boys also served as servants to the captain. The last of these “letters of service” was issued in 1732, so perhaps a further record of Mantell’s early career may someday be found, and perhaps it will tell us who may have had the crown’s ear in obtaining this opportunity for a young boy.

The 1740s

From the National Maritime Museum:

ADM 354/120/233 it reads, “How William Mantell, Lieutenant of the Lyme, stands on the books of the Canterbury and Hugh Bonfoy and Arthur Scott, Leonard Marshall and William Mantell, on the books of the Somerset.

ADM 354/125/235 we learn that “William Mantell has complained he has not been paid for his service as a Lieutenant on the Canterbury from January 1739 to May 1740. He is entitled to pay as a Midshipman but has not applied for his pay.”—18 May 1744

The following comes from Biographia Navalis by John Charnock. (Published 1794 by R. Faulder in London.)

12 May 1740-----Appointed to rank of Lieutenant Royal Navy

1 March 1749----Made a commander

8 June 1749-----Appointed to be Captain of the Syren

The 1750s

Sources:
Biographia Navalis by John Charnock.
William Mantell’s captain’s log, ADM 51/176, parts I-IV
The Royal Navy: A History From the Earliest Times to the Present, by William Laird Clowes, Vol. III, A.M.S. Press, New York, 1966.

2 Oct. 1754--Appointed to HMS Centurion (with 54 guns) while at dock at Chatham, under Commodore Keppel. The Hon. Augustus Keppel commanded the squadron convoying Braddock’s troops to Virginia in 1754. The two ships were the Centurion and the Norwich (both having 50 guns).

Feb. 1755--According to the Captain’s Log, W. Mantell records that the ship was at anchor
to July 1755 in Hampton Roads, Virginia, from Feb. 23, 1755 to July 25, 1755.

1759--The British goal was to remove the French from British North America. Sir Charles Saunders was in charge of the naval assault on Quebec and Gen. Wolfe was in charge of the land aspects for the attack.

31 July 1759--The Centurion (under Capt. Mantell) provided cover fire when the British tried to land troops below the French positions at Quebec. They had to withdraw after an unsuccessful attempt. Forty-nine vessels were assigned to the attack on Quebec. After the unsuccessful attempt to land troops mentioned above, the navy tried to destroy the French ships above the town.

29 July 1759--Mantell and his ship are between Ft. Orleans and Ft. Lewis.

The History of An Expediton Against Fort Du Quesne in 1755 by Winthroop Sargent (pub. 1856):
“Not even the Victory, where Nelson died, was a more famous and favorite ship among British sailors than the old Centurion. In 1740, it was as her captain that Anson led his little squadron on their venturous voyage to ‘put a girdle round about the earth.’ In 1749, we find Keppel in command. In 1755, when he hoisted his broad pennant as commodore of the Virginia fleet, William Mantell, Esq., was his captain. Towards the end of July, the Centurion, along with the Nightingale and the Syren, Captain Proby, sailed from Hampton Roads northwardly; and on the 4th of September, she was with Boscawen’s fleet. Though rated as of 400 men and 60 guns, she mounted now but 54. In 1759, she covered Wolfe’s landing at Quebec.”

The Centurion was very famous after George Anson’s voyage around the world from 1740 to 1744. It was 1,005 tons, 144 feet long, and 40 feet 10 inches wide. It was intended for 400 officers and men. The lower deck had twenty four 24 lb. guns, the upper deck twenty-six 9 lb. guns, and the quarter deck had ten six pounders. Two old pictures survive of the Centurion taking the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Cavadonga on about 20 June 1743 survives. These are a lithograph (circa 1750) and later a chromolithograph (1901) by Charles Dixon. Having captured 1,313,843 pieces of eight (Spanish coins) and 35,682 ounces of silver, it was a very rich prize indeed. Anson became a vice-admiral. Later, in May 1747 the Centurion was engaged against the French in the Battle of Finisterre. A contemporary wooden model of the Centurion was built in 1747 by Benjamin Slade and can be seen at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. In Captain Mantell’s captain’s log I saw several references to the Nightingale at Hampton Roads, Virginia. See Britannia’s Bulwarks, published about 1902, for the series of antique lithographic prints.

At Quebec, the Centurion was still under Mantell’s command, and was part of 49 ships supporting the troop transports, all under the command of Vice-Admiral Charles Saunders. According to a website < http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/hms_centurion1.htm> “. . . they anchored a few miles below Quebec on June 26th with nearly 10,000 troops. On June 28th the French sent down seven fireships and two firerafts, but these were grappled and towed clear by the activity of the seamen. On September 13th under cover of the guns of the Centurion, the troops landed and attacked Quebec. The seamen assisted with guns. On this day both General Wolfe and the Marquis of Montcalm, the English and French Commanders-in-Chief of the troops were mortally wounded. After some fighting the French retired. Additional ships were brought up to bombard, and on the 17th the enemy offered to surrender. On the 18th Vice-Admiral Saunders was one of the signatories to the surrender.”

The Centurion was eventually broken up at Chatham in 1769. On the website we also learn that the figurehead was a big lion extending sixteen feet in height. This was given to the Duke of Richmond in 1769 and King William IV later had it installed to embellish a large staircase at Windsor Castle. Later the king had it removed to the Anson Ward at Greenwich Hospital. In 1871 its final resting place became a playground at the naval school, but the weather brought it down to pieces. I’m sure the Spanish and French long before would have loved to send it to the bottom of the ocean!

The 1750s

William Mantell marries Mary Hubble on 18 July 1753 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, London.

Evidence of service in the Royal Navy in North America comes from ADM 8/30, ADM 7/572 p. 181 & p. 258, and ADM 176. These are places visited by the Centurion between 1754 and 1759.

January to August 1755---------------------Virginia
11 Feb. 1755---------------------------------off of Cape Henry
23 Feb. 1755--------------------------------Moor’d in Hampton Road, Virginia
26 July 1755 --------------------------------Set sail from Hampton Road, Virginia
12 Aug. 1755--------------------------------Moor’’d in Halifax Harbour Georges Island
12 August 1755 to 31 Dec. 1755--------------Nova Scotia
Sept. to November 1755---------------------North America
12 August 1755 to 1 February 1756----------near Cape Breton
1 Jan. 1756 to 1 Nov 1756--------------------Nova Scotia
1 Jan. 1757 to 14 Oct. 1757-------------------near Cape Breton
9 July 1757 to 14 Oct. 1757------------------Nova Scotia
1 Jan. 1758 to 8 May 1759-------------------near Cape Breton
17 to 28 May 1758---------------------------Nova Scotia
3 June to 3 Sept. 1758-----------------------Louisbourg
8 Sept. to 5 Oct 1758------------------------Nova Scotia
8 to 19 Oct. 1758----------------------------Louisbourg
22 Oct. 1758 to 31 Dec. 1758----------------Nova Scotia
1 Jan. to 3 May 1759------------------------Nova Scotia
28 May to 10 Oct. 1759---------------------Quebec

In the summer of 1757 Capt. Mantell and the Centurion were under Mr. Holburne’s command in an unsuccessful expedition against Louisbourg. In 1758 Mantell was under Mr. Boscawen’s command in a more successful assault on Louisbourg. See Biographia Navalis.

According to the Lists of East India Company stockholders, William Mantell bought £800 from 1752 or 1753 to February or June 1754. Then again on 7 March 1763 while living in Rochester, Kent, he bought another £500.

The 1760s

From John Charnock’s Biographia Navalis we learn a little more of Mantell’s later career:

1760-------------Mantell is captain of the Deal Castle (24 guns) at home station.
1761-------------Mantell commanded the Montague (60 guns).
1762-------------William Mantell retires.
13 Dec. 1765-----Mantell dies, age about 51 or 52.
21 Dec. 1765-----His tombstone reads, “He was a dutiful son, and benevolent to his relatives.”

During my trip to the archives in Maidstone, Kent, in 1983, I took a look at an old manuscript book (ref. P41/3/1 – created 1765) which included extensive notes on Brabourne and Monks Horton parishes. About 1765 there is a note on Capt. Mantell being descended from Walter Mantell who acquired Horton Priory in the 16th century. Mantell signs the note.

In his will, which is dated 2 October 1761, William Mantell refers to his wife Mary. He had 2000 pounds of stock in the East India Company. Half of it was given to his sister Jane Daniell, widow. He mentions her sons James and Francis. Francis is given 200 pounds for his apprenticeship. This nephew Francis Daniell (1749-1793) completed his articles at Windsor and served as some kind of soldier there in the 1770s, and at Canterbury up until his death at the barracks there in 1793. His brother Henry Mantell is mentioned as having no children in 1765. Some money is given to his widowed mother, Jane Mantell. A sister Margaret is mentioned.

Concerning his estate, William Mantell is made a trustee in the will of Honeywood Frances Dodd (relationship unknown), spinster, which was proved at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury on 3 January 1754. On 31 January 1766 William’s sister Jane Daniell acknowledges receipt of money from William’s wife Mary Mantell.

William’s wife Mary later remarries Thomas Colby on 25 April 1768 at Chatham, Kent . After the death of Mary (nee Hubble) Colby in November 1799, the Daniells enter into a Chancery suit in 1801 over the portion of William Mantell estate stemming from stock held in trust for the Daniells under the marriage settlement with Miss Hubble. Mary’s will is written 9 August 1794 and proved 9 December 1799. Mary seems to have liked navy men, as Thomas Colby was one of the commissioners of the Victualling Board in charge of providing provisions to the hundreds of ships of the Royal Navy. When Mr. Colby died in 1780, he certainly would have been active in stocking those ships with meat and other foodstuff so they could wage war at sea and bring His Majesty’s troops to bear against those rebellious Americans.

Under this Chancery suit known as Daniell v. Daniell of 1801, the plaintiffs James Daniell (1744-1802) and Robert Hubble, executor of Mary Colby, prevailed in their claim for the East India Company stock against the defendants. The defendants were the representatives of Thomas Colby, who had been the last surviving trustee of Capt. Mantell’s estate, and against Anne, the widow of Francis Daniell (1749-1793).

At some point I need to try to acquire copies from The National Archives at Kew of the Chancery documents (ref. C 13/586/31) related to this suit.

My line of descent comes from this Francis Daniell and his wife Anne Adams. Their son, Francis Daniell (1773-1858) may have hoped that he could make some kind of a claim on Horton Priory after the death of his father’s first cousin, Augustus William Mantell, on 1 May 1833. Francis Daniell writes in his journal on 9 May 1833 that news arrived of Augustus Mantell’s death at Horton Priory. On 11 June 1833 Francis journeys by steamboat to Hern Bay, then walked to Canterbury. He visits the King’s School (next to Canterbury Cathedral), then some old friends from his boyhood, who are still living in Canterbury. He also writes: “Finding my little stock of cash was getting very short, instead of proceeding to Horton Priory, as I intended, I returned to London again by water.” Francis Daniell’s fortunes had sunk considerably by this time of his life as these entries certainly show.

Mantell; Horton Priory

18 Feb. 2010 by Greg Ramstedt
This is my first family history blog, so I will keep it simple to try to get the hang of it.

I have wondered for years how Horton Priory in Monks Horton parish, Kent, England, went from Augustus William Mantell (1777-1833) to Edward Reginald Mantell (Dean of Stamford; died 1884 in St Albans, Herts.). They were about 5th cousins, and E. R. Mantell is not mentioned in A. W. Mantell's will. I'm wondering if E. R. Mantell purchased it for nostalgic sake, since the Priory had been in the Mantell family since the reign of Edward VI (1540s I think). Anyway, I understand there was a legal battle and that the records are recorded in the Forest division, but I'll have to get the reference from the 19th century notes that Jim Reid sent me years ago. I did find in the Canterbury Cathedral Archives (using the online Kent Archives Service catalogue) that in 1833 the Rev. Edward Reginald Mantell, vicar of Louth, Lincs. wrote Thomas Starr, auditor, "requesting help with his attempts to prove his title to Horton Priory, at Sellindge." See CCA-DCc-AL/1139. This sounds like a document worth ordering at some point. This looks like a very good lead in tracking down an old mystery. I visited Horton Priory and Brig. Gore in the early 1980s and took some good pictures, but there were extensive additions to the Priory after the Mantell family lived there. My direct ancestor, Francis Daniell (1773-1858) of Devonshire thought that somehow his side of the family would inherit Horton Priory in 1833, and he even travel to Sellindge, Kent, to see if he could make a claim to it. He was unsuccessful. Augustus William Mantell had children outside of marriage, and their Woodlands descendants in Australia have been very interested in their origins from Mantells. I think that both the Daniell and Woodlands descendants would like to learn more. The Mantells go back to Sir Walter Mauntell (died 1487) and the War of the Roses.