Jane Hornby

Jane Hornby Barkley (1796-1884) married Charles Perkins (1784-1851)

Jane married Charles at Sunbury in 1816. He was the fifth and youngest son of John Perkins (1730-1812) and Amelia Moseley (1747-1830).

John Perkins was a highly successful brewer. He was employed as Chief Clerk at the Anchor Brewery in Southwark. In 1781 the brewery owner, Henry Thrale, died without a son to succeed him. John Perkins knew the business and had access to capital having married Amelia Bevan, nee Moseley, the wealthy widow of Timothy Paul Bevan, whose mother, Elizabeth Barclay, was a member of the Barclays banking family. Henry Thrale’s widow, Hester, advised by her close friend, Samuel Johnson (Dr. Johnson) agreed to sell the brewery to David Barclay and John Perkins. By 1810 the Barclay Perkins brewery was producing 200,000 barrels a year, making it - at that time - the biggest brewery in the world. Some of John Perkin’s sons joined the business and Barclay Perkins continued brewing in Southwark until 1955 when it merged with Courage. Part of the brewery site is now occupied by the Globe Theatre.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchor_Brewery

John's wife, Amelia was well-connected with London literary figures. Her obituary in the Sunday Times said "Mrs Perkins of Camberwell who died recently is supposed to have been the last survivor of that brilliant literary circle, of which Mr and Mrs Thrale, Dr Johnson, Joshua Reynolds, Dr Goldsmith, Mr Burke and other distinguished individuals were the ornaments".

Charles Perkins had one sister who died young and four older brothers whose lives are of interest. The eldest, John Perkins, seems to have been a headstrong character. While still in his teens he eloped with the family governess. He practised as a doctor in Brussels but then volunteered to fight under the command of Simón Bolívar in the Venezuelan War of Independence. This did not end well; penniless and disillusioned, he contacted a fever and died. The next son, Henry Perkins, joined the profitable brewing business; this enabled him to amass a collection of extremely valuable rare books and purchase a very fine house. The book collection was sold in 1873 after the death of his son and at that time it was the most expensive private library ever sold. The house still stands today, just. Hanworth Park House is in urgent need of restoration. The owner is working with the community to find a way of saving a fine property steeped in history. There is further information below.

https://www.hanworthparkhouse.london/

Like his older brother, Henry, Frederick Perkins joined the brewing business, acquired a country house, Chipstead Place in Kent, and collected valuable books. Charles' fourth brother was Alfred Thrale Perkins.

Charles Perkins was a London wine merchant who also had business interests in coal mining and iron production. In 1841 the Perkins family were living in the village of Southend, Lewisham. Charles died in Florence in 1851. His grave can be viewed here. After his death Jane and her daughters moved to Torquay, spending the rest of their lives there.

Jane and Charles had seven sons and seven daughters. Two of their daughters died in infancy. One married a cousin but the other four never married; they lived together with their mother during her lifetime and then kept each company for the rest of their long lives. Their sons were more mobile. Two sons left to live in Australia, two served in the army in India, one went to work in Germany and two moved to North East England.

Jane and Charles had a total of 14 children.

1. Frances Jane Perkins (1817–1906) - further information here

2. Louisa Perkins (1819-1819) - died in infancy

3. Charles Frederick Perkins (1820–1882) - further information here

4. Edward Moseley Perkins(1821–1871) - further information here

5. Louisa Perkins (1823–1824) - died in infancy

6. Amelia Sophia Perkins (1825–1906) - further information here

7. Arthur Perkins (born 1827) - further information here

8. Henrietta Selina Perkins (1828–1912) - further information here

9. Henry George Perkins (1830–1857) - further information here

10. Octavia Perkins (1831–1914) - further information here

11. Reginald Perkins (1832-1871) - further information here

12. Aeneas Perkins (1834–1901) - further information here

13. Edith Perkins (1835–1919) - further information here

14. Herbert Perkins (born 1840) - further information here

You can find more information about the Perkins family on a website maintained by a descendant of Jane Hornby Barkley and Charles Perkins.

https://sites.google.com/site/fenwickoflambton/perkins-family