Stepney & Whitechapel

Ambrose  December 1654

Gilbert Woodman, a thirty-one year old lighterman of the parish of Saint Olave Southwark, deposed on December 9th 1654 in the High Court of Admiralty. He gave evidence "Touching oiles said to be wanting in the Little Lewes". 

Gilbert Woodman stated that he "was imployed as a lighterman under Ambrose Pomeroy in the carrying ashore of the oiles taken and discharged out of the shipp the Little Lewes a prize lying at Blackwall about three monethes since, and that this deponent received and stowed some lighters full of the said oiles and carried and delivered the same ashore at the Customehouse key". 

March 1655

John Hodgkins, a twenty-seven year old lighterman of the parish of Saint Olave Southwark, deposed on March 2nd 1655 in the High Court of Admiralty. 

He was examined on an allegation given in on February 28th 1655 on behalf of Henry Boulton and John Mills in the cause of "Captaine Hudson against Barnardiston Jolliffe and others and against Henry Boulton and John Mills in fact called to appeare in this pretended cause".

John Hodgkins gave detailed information about Ambrose Pomeroy's activities, saying that Mr Hudson, master of the ship the Smirna ffactor "seeing the same cloase lyter lye at Galley Key asked this deponent whose lyter it was and this deponent told him it was one Mr Ambrose Pomeroyes and the sayd Hudson then asked this deponent whether hee knew where the sayd Pomeroy were and this deponent replyed hee thought hee was then in Chesters Key whereupon the sayd hudson told this deponent that hee had a desyre to speake with the sayd Pomeroy and this deponent at Hudsons request went two severall tymes to desyre the sayd Pomeroy to come to the sayd Hudson who at the second tyme came and being come the sayd Hudson in this deponents presence and hearing hyred of the sayd Pomeroy the sayd cloase lyter and agreed to give him two pence a bayle for fine goods for as much as hee could bring (being the ordinary rate allowed by Merchants) and if hee were delayed and hindered above two dayes (wherof that Monday to be one) in ladeing and delivery out of the goods then to give him seaven shillings a day demorage for all the tyme hee should be hindered therein above the sayd two dayes, which bargaine the sayd Pomeroy accepted and about Noone that Monday departed towards the Smirna ffactor to take in the sayd goods and the sayd Hudson in this deponents presence sayd that his the sayd Hudsons man should goe downe in the lyter with the sayd Pomeroys lyterman and that hee had given his sayd man direction to give order to his the sayd Hudsons mate forthwith to lade the sayd cloase lyter whatsoever else hee left undone that shee might come up to Galley Key the next tyde and this deponent sawe the sayd Hudsons man depart in the sayd cloase lyter, and knoweth shee was forthwith laded for that hee sawe her retourne the next morning being Tuesday laden to Galley Key."

July 1655

Ambrose Pomeroy was the respondent to a libel brought in the High Court of Admiralty in 1655 by Gyles Travers. The cause was "Travers against Pomeroy and against lighter of about 200 tunns whereof the sayd Pomroy is owner and against any other". 

Francis Gittings, a winecooper of Seething Lane in London, deposed on July 24th 1655 in the High Court of Admiralty in support of Travers. Gittings described the unlading of Canary wines by lighter from a ship named the John and Mary of London (Master: XXXX). The wines were put on board a lighter, whose master was Thomas Tailor, and carried to Buttolphs wharf. The lighter was moored obernight at the wharf and laid there in safety between 11 o'clock in the evening till 5 in the morning. 

That's when the problem started. Gittings stated that "after the said lighter came and was moored at Buttolphs wharfe aforesaid having the said wines aboard her

the arlate Pomroy had thereabouts a Lighter of about 80, or 100. tunns which was there moored and lay a head of the said Tailers lighter wherein the said wines were". Gittings alleged that Pomeroy or some of his company carlessly veered his own lighter "with a strong ebb of tide". Gittings and another cooper, who were both on board Tailor's lighter, cried out "telling them they had a great quantity of Spanish wynes aboard, and that if they veerd upon them they

would breake their hawser whereby the said Spanish wynes would in all probability bee lost or very much damnified". 

Pomeroy's behaviour and that of his company was poor. In Gittings' words "the said Pomroy or some of his companie answereing rudely and uncivilly (the particular words this deponent doeth not now remember) they or some of them did carelessly and wilfully veere the said lighter and in the said veering first came fowle of and splitt the shipps boat to which the said Tailors Lighter wherein the said Spanish wynes were, and broke her hawser and set her adrift". 

Gittings claimed that as a result of the lighter breaking its hawser and being set adrift, one of the pipes of wine on it were staven and lost, with a value of £30 on the London market. 

May 1656

"Peter Perkins against the vessell called the Cabbidge Man of which Cornelius Cason is Master and her tackle et cetera and against the said Cason and all others et cetera. Budd.

Friday the ninth day of May 1656 before the [?same] Judge et cetera Appeared the said Budd for the said Cornelius Cason and Company and made himselfe partie for them and alleadged that the said shippe called the Cabbidge man did at the time of the arrest in this behalfe made and still doth belonge unto him and produced for sureties Robert Gate of the parish of Saint Dunstans in the East London grocer and Ambrose Pomeroy of the parish of Saint Olaves in the Burrough of Southwarke marriner whoe submitting themselves et cetera obliged themselves et cetera for the said Cornelius Cas[?on] and Company in the summe of ffive pounds of lawfull money of England to the said Peter Perkins to answer the Action by him commenced against the said vessell and to pay what the said Cason and Company shall bee condemned in with expences of suite in case hee shalbee overthrowne and to bringe forth the said Cason and Company in judgement whensoever theire presence shall bee required And unles et cetera Which caution the Judge receaved and decreed the said vessell to bee released from the arrest". 

AJP 3x GGF Richard Pomeroy living in St Dunstans Parish from about 1809

Richard born 1781 in Werrington Devon married in Rotherhithe to Issot Webber born in West Teignmouth. Rotherhithe is next to Southwark in 1807

They had only one living child Augustus Stephen Jeffery Pomery born 1818 married in 1838 in St Dunstans Stepney to Sarah Georgiana Moore born 1813 Colchester Essex in the presence of her father George Moore a Corn merchant her mother having 'remarried' in 1816  and Richard Pomery, Commissioning Clerk EIDC   

 Augustus changed the spelling of his surname from the Cornish Pomery to Pomeroy. He was initially employed, like his father as a check clerk with EIDC . They lived in Green Street Stepney with her parents .

children of Augustus Pomeroy and his wife Sarah  were

Georgiana Augusta Pomeroy christening: 8 September 1839 SAINT DUNSTAN, STEPNEY,
married Dr George Shearer 1868 went to China 1869 (AJP's the Shearer Line) died 1922

Augustus Frederick Brett Pomeroy Born Stepney 1841 married Elizabeth Jackson and had 2 sons
Edgar & Campbell who migrated to CA in 1888  He died of TB  in 1871  and his window & their sons migrated to CA in 1888

James Richard Webber Pomeroy Born Stepney 1845 died 1889 of typhoid at his brother London house in Islington
(Pat Smith’s & Tony Pom in Ausi’s)

In 1846 Augustus resigned East India Docks Company in Stepney and took employment with Royal Albert Docks  Liverpool  where they had more children - 

Harrison Hornblow Pomeroy Born Liverpool 1847 Died in Infancy

Rev. Harrison Albert Pomeroy Born 1850 Died 1927 Clerk of Holy Orders Married Mary Jane Irvine Daughter Mary Elsie born 1890

Rev. Walter William Pomeroy Born 1854 Married Maria Wire from Colchester No Children

Edmund Molyneaux Pomeroy born Liverpool 1851 Died in infancy

John Pomeroy Born 1855 Died in infancy

This little group interested me because around the time that East India Dock opened in 1806 this family seem to have moved from south of the river in Southwark to the other side Stepney

However my 4 great grandfather Richard didnt have a brother or even a cousin James so its a different family 

Elizabeth Ann Pomroy birth: 10 October 1820 christening: 31 December 1820 SAINT OLAVE,SOUTHWARK,,father: James Pomroy mother: Elizabeth

Project (Batch) Number: C05576-2 , System Origin: England-ODM , GS Film number: 595420, 595421, 596913

did they move to get work at the East India Dock which employed huge numbers of men from 1809 onward

Elizabeth Ann Poneroy birth: 18 December 1817 christening: 6 March 1818 SAINT DUNSTAN, STEPNEY, LONDON father: James Poneroy mother: Elizabeth

additional research found Pomerology Issue 24 July 2004

Certifiates held by PFA archives

Family 33.6 James Pomeroy a bachelor living at Chancery Lane London married Susan Mudge from Lewisham St James

his father also James was described as a gentleman - Marriage St Dunstans in the West - 11 Jan 1850 the report says

'This family hails from Brixham but he speculates that the description of gentleman might hark back to the speculation that the family was connected to the armorial line.'

Same issue

James Pomroy, bachelor of full age living Bethnal Green London (Middlesex) married Margaret Dore also of Bethnal Green on 21st August 1870 occupation labourour like his father william. Bethnal Green was one of the poorest areas of London-

Also

James Pomeroy occupation carman living at 13 Fleet Street London, his father John was watch finisher. James married Charlotte Gentleman a minor and spinster in the parish church of Bethnal Green (Middlesex) 29th August 1853

James Pomery from South Hackney married Elizabeth Janer Neal spinster mof South Hackney 25th December 1861 father also James a tailor.

His father James and John Henry Pomeroy wre children of James Pomeroy and Jane Gooale who married St Leonards Shorditch 1797

John Henry Pomeroy born 11 November 1844 son of Robert Pomeroy a watch finisher and Suzzanna Hands lived at 26 Hoare Street Bethnal Green. 

This family were the children of William Pomeroy and Elizabeth his wife their first child, William, baptised St Lukes Old Street Finsbury London in 1767.

James Pomroy a widower of full age 21+ married Rebecca Ann Mason a widow 17th Jult 1843 at the Registry Office in Bethnal Green Middlesex

James  became a watch and clock maker like his father William living at 3 Selby Street West ( London in the Spital Fields - Bethnal Green area)

A second certificate shows James Pomroy widower residing at Granby Street married Sarah Palmer a widow on 7th November 1847 at St John in the parish of Waterloo in Surrey and almost certainly the same man according to Chris. Pomery

Rainbow Tavern, 15 Fleet Street, St Dunstan in West, City of London, was established in 1656 or 1657 as the Rainbow Coffee House, then only the second coffee house in London,