The Alabaster Chronicle

The Journal of the Alabaster Society

NUMBER SIX, SPRING 1996

Contents

• Editorial, by Laraine Hake
• Alabaster Gathering: plans for 1996, by Laraine Hake
• Branches IIA, IIB, and IIC: Piecing it all Together, by Laraine Hake
  and the Straw Hat Trade:- Gregory, Cubitt & Sons
• Early East Anglian Alabasters, a Speculative Family Tree, by Tony Springall
• News from Around the World:
  The Half Moon Pub, Rayleigh, by Robin Alabaster
  Kate Williams and Arabella, by Colin Alabaster
  Ernest Alabaster 1872-1950, Chinese decoration, by Eric Orbell
  Thomas Guy Alabaster is born on the A12, by John Edward Sydenham Alabaster
  John (1871-1942), Pauper 9, Bethnal Green Workhouse, by Bryan Alabaster
  Ellie Charlotte Alabaster is born, by James Herbert Alabaster
  Grenville David Alabaster of the New Zealand cricket team, by Phil Cooper
  
• A Letter from Charles Alabaster to his wife Mary, written in 1818,
  by Laraine Hake, with thanks to Nan Kenyon
• Mary Ann Rebecca Criddle, nee Alabaster, with her illustrations in the book,
  The Children`s Garden, reported by Laraine Hake

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Editorial

by Laraine Hake - March 1996 

Can this really be Alabaster Chronicle Number Six? Where did the last three years go to? Don't tell me it seems like number sixty; I get enough of those sorts of comments at home! This is another "bumper issue", 24 pages again. I keep thinking that I must not set precedents, so I remind you that I only intend to make each journal 16 pages in length - I'm just not sure when to stop! A substantial amount of this issue is connected to Branch II, although I hope it will be of interest to all. My intention is that Number Seven will have lots about Branch III, so any articles or snippets about them would be very much appreciated, sooner rather than later! Many thanks to Tony Springall who wrote the excellent article in the middle, on pages 11-14.

Once I have got this lot in the post, I will be concentrating my efforts on the forthcoming Alabaster Gathering, see below.

Oh! and on school, Brownies, and home too, of course! I do hope that you will all be happy with the changes I have made to the provisional programme, particularly for the Sunday; I realised what an expedition I was contemplating when I actually tried to plan the route! As it is, I am really delighted with the way Sunday has come together; Martin Woods who is on the editorial board of the Winthrop Papers, will speak to us at Groton, and Roy Tricker of The Churches Conservation Trust, who can really make a church come alive, will guide us around the church at Claydon. Also at Claydon, before we visit the church, The Crown, which has a good ambience, are willing to lay up special tables for us, whether for bar snacks or Sunday lunches.

Please do keep the letters, telephone calls and email coming in! Thank you for all your support.

To Contents

Alabaster Gathering

Saturday and Sunday April 27-28th 1996

Plans for this are now well under way. I am delighted that so many old friends will be there, and new ones too, of course! We have Alabasters joining us from Australia, New Zealand, and USA too! I have made a couple of changes to the provisional timetable which I hope will meet with your approval - (any complaints should come to me personally!)

Saturday

• 10.30 am Arrival and coffee
• 11.15 General meeting of Alabaster Society
• 1.00 pm Buffet Lunch
• 2.00 Brief talk on the Alabaster links with Claydon illustrated with family trees etc.
• 2.30 Guided tour of the Guildhall Garden, or Guided tour Hadleigh Church, or Walk around Hadleigh Town, or Tour of the Guildhall
• 4.15 pm Tea and biscuits
• 7.00 for 7.30 pm Dinner - followed by
• Sue Andrews - "A Brett Valley Patchwork"

Sunday

• 10.30 am Church Service, Hadleigh Church followed by
• 2.30 pm Visits to Groton and Claydon. In both of these places, with strong Alabaster connections, I have arranged knowledgeable speakers - should be excellent!
• Sunday dinner or bar snacks available at The Crown, Claydon - though they would like an idea of numbers.

If you have booked to come, there should be a reminder of any balance outstanding included with this journal. These should be paid by the 31st March please. Any late bookings to me (LH) by that date, please, with full payment.

Cost: Gathering, Lunch & Dinner [Saturday] - £24 Gathering & Lunch only [Saturday] - £12 .

To Contents

Branches IIA, IIB, and IIC - Piecing it all together

by Laraine Hake

When tracing any family line, one should always work from the present day, back in time. Thus it was that I traced my own Alabasters back through Bethnal Green and Shoreditch to the marriage of my 4 x gt grandparents, Robert Alabaster and Elizabeth Simpson in St Botolph`s, Bishopsgate, London in 1781.

In 1805 Robert is listed as a Straw Hat Manufacturer in Holden's Triennial Directory at 41 Wilson Street, Finsbury Square. He was given variously as Straw Hat Manufacturer (1811), Willow Hat Manufacturer, 3 Queen Street, (1819) and Leghorn Hat Manufacturer (1821). Robert died in 1821, aged 65, and his wife then appears as Fancy Hat Maker, 3 Queen Street, Finsbury Square (1827) and Straw Hat Manufacturer (1831-1835).

Various of the sons and daughters of Robert and Elizabeth continued the trade.

Meanwhile, Michael William Alabaster had, independently of me, traced his line back to his 4 x gt grandfather, William Alabaster, who died in 1836 at Suttons Hospital, Charterhouse, London.

William had entered Charterhouse in 1833, his age being given as between 70 and 72, and his occupation as "plater" merchant and fancy article manufacturer. At his death, William was described as "of Chapple Street, Holywell Mount, Middx. William had a son, also William, who died at 7 Chapel Street, Curtain Road, Shoreditch in 1847. "William Alabaster"(either father or son) first appear in London Directories in 1819, when Robson's Directory lists William Alabaster as Straw hat manufacturer of 7 Chapel Street. The name continues to appear in various directories as Willow Square and Hat manufacturer from thereon until 1840.

Yet another family of straw hat making Alabasters had been traced back to Charles Alabaster who died in 1820 at the, comparatively, young age of 44. In contrast to the Robert and William, Charles did not merely manufacture straw hats, he sold them at a shop in London's Piccadilly. This was first listed in a street directory of 1817 and the shop continued to be listed until 1844, despite Charles's early death and that of his wife, Mary, in 1838. However, before his move to Piccadilly, Charles, too, was working in Shoreditch. The first record of him is as a Fancy Hat maker at 26 Chapel Street in 1799, and as a Chip Hat manufacturer at 7 Chapel Street in 1811.

Part of Shoreditch, 1854

At this stage in our research, we had no "proof" that the three families were linked, other than sharing similar addresses, similar trades and the same surname(!) Nor did we have any indication of where in the country the families had originated, particularly as each of Robert, William, and Charles died before the advent of the 1851 census, which first gives parish of origin. However, from the IGI, it was clear that the main centre for Alabasters in the 16th to 18th centuries was Suffolk.

It was Adrian Alabaster, another vigilant researcher, descended like myself from Robert and Elizabeth, who pointed me in the direction of the Baylham and Bramford Parish Registers which gave evidence of the family of Robert and Ann Alabaster and their various children, including a Robert born 1757, William born 1761 and Charles born 1775. These dates of birth corresponded very well with the various ages and dates of death, but it could not be said to represent conclusive "proof", but we eventually accepted them as such, as labelled this Branch II, dividing it into IIA (Robert), IIB (William), and IIC (Charles).

Various snippets have emerged over the years which have provided more assurance that we have got it right. For me one of the earliest pieces of conclusive evidence that Charles (IIC) was the son of Robert and Ann was his use of the name "Chaloner" as the second forename for his own son, James Chaloner (1806-1840), because another son of Robert and Ann was a Chaloner Alabaster. He would have been nine years older than Charles, and had died in 1798, in Bramford, at the age of 32, when Charles was 23 years old. In fact, I later discovered that the mother, Ann (nee Mison), also had a brother, Chaloner, baptised 1740 in Hesset, Suffolk.

Clearly, Branches IIB (William) and IIC (Charles) must have been connected, with Charles plying his trade at 7 Chapel Street until at least 1811, and William's family (IIB) working from the same address from at least 1819 until 1847. Proof of connection between Branches IIA and IIB has come about from different entries in the 1851 census.

The first is the record of a school, Crouch End Academy, Hornsey, Middx. The pupils there included:

Robert William Alabaster      
Richard Alabaster                  
Alfred William Alabaster      
Frederick Alabaster              

aged 10
aged 9
aged 10 
aged 9

Robert William (1840-1903), and Richard (1842-1896) were brothers; the sons of the Robert William Alabaster, grandson of William and Eleanor (IIB). Alfred William (1840-1937) and Frederick (1841-1854) were also brothers, sons of the second marriage of James Alabaster, son of Robert and Elizabeth Simpson (IIA), their father, James, having died two years earlier in 1849. The fact that they were away at school together does establish the connection between the families and show how close they were. Accepting then that Robert (IIA) and William (IIB) were brothers, the boys were actually second cousins, once removed. Frederick, son of James and Mary Ann (nee Roper) died in October 1854, aged 13. The following year, 1855, the youngest son of Robert William and his wife Ellen (nee Earish) was born. They named him Frederick. Was this in memory of the cousin who had died?

Another entry in the 1851 census further established, without any doubt, the links between the descendants of Robert (IIA) and William (IIB). This was at 7 Church Road, Brixton, the home Robert William Alabaster (IIB) and his wife Ellen (nee Earish), mentioned earlier.

This, of course, is the rest of the family of the brothers Robert William and Richard (note the girls were educated "at home").

When I found this entry, it took me a few minutes to recognise the name "Margaret Jackman". In fact, this is Margaret who was to marry Edward Alabaster, Robert William's second cousin, son of the first marriage of James Alabaster (IIA) and Mary Ann (nee Weston), further proof! 

 
Click to enlarge 

Postscript note: please do not assume that this family tree (prepared in 1996) is completely accurate. As time and research go on we do find errors which will be corrected in due course. For the latest information, or if you can offer any new information, please contact the Hon. Sec.

I wrote to the Luton Museum Service, who have the most comprehensive records on the straw hat industry, to see what information they had on this industry in London.
They replied, "The straw hat industry seems to have established in London in the 18th century, and was probably based on the fine and fashionable hats being imported from the Continent, particularly Italy. The hat and millinery factories, other than the felt hat making area south of the river in Lambeth, was based on the northern part of the city, including the Clerkenwell / Finsbury / Shoreditch area, as well as that area which is now home to the Barbican development.' Destroyed during the war, a number of factories and workshops in this area removed to Luton to continue their business here................
"Straw plaiting for the hat trade was introduced into Essex and Suffolk in the late 18th century, largely as a philanthropic enterprise, but it was somewhat later than the Alabaster brothers removal to London; there may be however a connection... "

So Robert William Alabaster (IIB) was a merchant in 1851. This too appears to be involved in the straw hat trade. A street directory of 1860 gives "Robert William Alabaster, plait merchant, see Gregory Cubitt & Alabaster".
I recognised the name Gregory, Cubitt as one among a list of exhibitors at the 1851 Exhibition, sent to me by Luton Museum Service. I queried this with them:
"I have checked the 19th century trade directories in the museum collection for the name Alabaster, but was unable to find any mention of it. Gregory and Cubitt, who had a factory in Butre Street, Luton, are described just by the two names and a mention of their premises in London. "

Click to enlarge

An 1861 directory gives "Robt Wm & Edw. Alabaster, straw hat ma., 51 Old Change, London EC".

As Robert William's son, Edward, would still have been only 15 years of age at this time, I would assume that this Edward was his second cousin who was by this time married to Margaret Jackman.

Bringing the story up to date, Arthur, the son of Edward, himself entered into a trade which could be said to be allied to that of his forebears in that it was concerned with fashionable adornments! He founded Alabaster & Wilson, now "Alabaster & Wilson Ltd., Diamond Mounters and Goldsmiths".

From a letter written to me by Peter D. A. Alabaster:

Alabaster & Wilson were founded by my grandfather, Arthur Alabaster and his friend Thomas Wilson in 1887. A move was made to the present premises around 1890 odd. Thomas Wilson retired at the turn of the century - he was a very enthusiastic traveller for the firm, taking his golf clubs with him, and if any customer had any complaint to make to him he apparently always had a ready answer - "Oh, it`s those damned fools at Legge Lane!!" - the fault was never his! Arthur Alabaster's two eldest sons joined him, my father. Arthur Stalley Alabaster, and Clifford Alabaster, who sadly was killed as a subaltern in France in 1915.

In the mid 1930s my elder brother, Deryck Alabaster, joined the firm after my Grandfather's death, and I myself followed at the start of the War, in 1939, Deryck having joined his T.A. Ack-Ack Battery.

In 1942 I myself went into the RAF and for the rest of the war years my father carried on with only the oldest members of our workshop staff still remaining.

After the end of the war, most of us who had been in the Services returned to the fold, and through the difficult immediate post-war years it was essential to manufacture high quality jewellery, as had always been the case in the past, and this remains of first importance.

And so now, with myself semi-retired, it is my own family who enthusiastically runs the firm - Paul, Wendy and Stephen.

Numbers employed, as indeed throughout all the jewellery trade, are far fewer than in the past, which is something we all regret, needless to say.

Today, amongst many other things, Alabaster & Wilson produce solid silver or gold Crossbow Brooches (see inside front cover).

To Contents

The Early East Anglian Alabasters - A Speculative Family Tree

by Tony Springall (IIA)

It seems generally accepted that all Alabasters, except those deriving from Staffordshire are descendants of Thomas Alabaster of Hadleigh. Perhaps slightly less well known is that Thomas was the son of a William of East Dereham, with brothers John, of Wiggenhall St. Mary Magdalen, and Roger, of Groton.

We are extremely fortunate that we can trace our Alabaster ancestors back to the early 16th century but can we journey into medieval times?

In some ways family research is like archaeology; we pick up pieces here and there - a bone, a depression in the ground, a fragment of pottery - and we try to link them together to form a picture of the past. Archaeologists have an obligation to paint the best picture they can, however inadequate, but family historians must aim, under certain basic assumptions, for total accuracy. Guesswork, at least as far as biological relationships, is not allowed, nor should it be! However speculation, provided it is fully labelled as such, must be permitted, as it is the only way in which hypotheses can be formulated and tested. This note has the intent of arousing speculation.

To this end, I provide a page of 'artefacts' uncovered to date and then a speculative family tree (below). I will not discuss the family tree, hoping that it and the artefacts speak for themselves. I hope members of the Society will be tempted to examine the bits and pieces more fully, violently disagree with me on some points (how about a lively debate in the AC?) so that our interpretation is improved. If further information or improved interpretation surfaces, this article will have served its purpose fully.  

As they say on Mastermind, my chosen period of study is 1315 to 1562. Three threads connect up many Alabaster events: the Earls of Oxford (particularly under the Arblaster spelling), Worstead, and the clothing trade. However, until the 1477 Will of Thomas Alabaster and the 1492 Will of James Arblaster, there is insufficient information to attempt to locate individuals in a family tree. I only consider the Hadleigh Alabasters where this aids the investigation of their forebears. Finally, I pay only limited attention to James Arblaster and his descendants, although I include this branch in the supplied speculative family tree. I intend to do fuller justice to this branch, for which far more information is available than is given here, in a subsequent note.  

Acknowledgements: The vast majority of the information used in this paper was collected by other members of the Society. In particular, I am most grateful to Laraine, John Stammers Alabaster, and Michael William Alabaster.

Tony Springall IIA

Click here to enlarge

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A Speculative 15th century East Anglian Alabaster Family Tree

Click here to enlarge

To Contents

News from Around the World

Robin Alabaster writes to say that The Half Moon pub in Rayleigh is still the regular drinking haunt of two present day Alabasters. "My sons are regulars. I doubt very much that the building has changed for the last 200 years."
This comment was referring to John Stammers Alabaster's article in Chronicle I: "John Alabaster, youngest son of William, a yeoman of Baylham (who inherited the princely sum of two guineas from his father-in-law!) was listed as owner of an ale-house in Rayleigh over the period 1800-1827, leased at £10 per year in 1818. This was called the 'Half Moon', and still exists.

Colin Alabaster refers to the 1881 census: Kate Williams and Arabella were aunts of my father. We know that Kate and Arabella eventually lived together, we think in Tottenham and possibly with great-uncle Willie, who had what would now be called an Antique Furniture shop. 

Eric Orbell found his first ever Alabaster reference:
Foreign Office records 1906-1919 - Alabaster E. Ref. 310/35237/06
Application for permission to accept and wear a Chinese Decoration.
This was in the card index and the / represents a column on the card.
This is Ernest Alabaster (1872-1950), the son of Henry Alabaster (Henry of Siam) and Palaccia Emma (nee Fahey). According to the Alumni Cantabrigienses, he entered the Chinese customs service at Winchow, Kwangsi province, in 1901, and was Inspectorate General at Customs, Shanghai, in 1904. He was decorated by the Chinese Government in 1904. If any memher ever gets the chance to visit the PRO at Kew, I would he very interested to know whether more could be learned from following up this reference. LH.

John Edward Sydenham Alabaster reports: "We have a new grandchild: Thomas Guy Alabaster, born 20th September 1995, at the roundabout on the A12, travelling to the hospital!"

Bryan Alabaster was fascinated to see issue No 5 of the Alabaster Chronicle which contained a mention not only of his sister Brenda but also a record of his great grandfather "John - Pauper 9" in the Bethnal Green Workhouse. John was born 11.11.1871, married 7.10.1899 and died 28.10.1942, buried at Tottenham Cemetery. There was no particular reason that Brenda's death was recorded in War Graves. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

James Herbert Alabaster telephoned to say that a new Alabaster has been born: his son, Matthew James, has a daughter, Ellie Charlotte, born 2nd February 1996 at 10.00 a.m.

Phil Cooper sent a message from Jakarta: "My eyes might be acting up, but I swear when I was watching the cricket between England and New Zealand, the name Alabaster came up. After the match, in which we were well beaten, the rest of the NZ party came on the pitch to celebrate. They were an wearing team outfits with their names on the back. One looked like Alabaster. Could I be wrong?"
You are not wrong! Gren Alabaster (actually Grenville David Alabaster) is connected with the New Zealand team, in fact, I think he is the manager. He and his brother, Jack Alabaster (John Chaloner Alabaster), both played test cricket for New Zealand, Jack in the 1950s I think.
Phil Cooper is a fellow family historian I have corresponded with. He is tracing his Cooper family back through Benhall, Suffolk. I have been able to help a little.

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A Letter from Charles Alabaster (IIC) 1818 

This is the transcript of a letter written by Charles Alabaster (IIC) to his wife Mary in 1818. I think it is a fascinating example how little human nature has changed!

19/9/1818 from Charles Alabaster at London to Mrs (Mary) Alabaster at Mrs Catts, Hill House, Witresham, nr Ipswich, Suffolk:

My dear Mary,
  The receipt of your kind letter today gave me great pleasure, as well on account of its kindness, as it gave me assurance of the improvement of your health.
  You give a most pleasing description of the country, and the manner in which you enjoy yourself with our dear friends. I am most happy to hear it. I begin to think that, ere long, you will enjoy a firm prospect, equal to a scene in Covent Garden. Oh! What heartfelt pleasure it would give me to enjoy it with you, and with them, but I think it will be wholly impossible for me to spare any time for enjoyment this year.
  I am much better in my spirits. I think it was the smell ofthe paint that affected me. I had, besides, been in a very great bustle, and had fatigued myself very much.
  Your mother was very vexed you did not take a more formal leave of her. I believe she was angry she had slept herself, and was not up in time to accompany you to the coach, but like most people, not willing to blame herself.
  She was angry with you, or would perhaps have condemned the coach for starting so soon, or, in fact, have thrown the fault anywhere, rather than bear the burden herself. But as the merest trifles sometimes fret away happily, I would advise you to send her a letter, giving her a description of how happily you are situated, and the glorious weather that has beamed upon the country since you have been there, etc., etc., This will dispel the gloom, but I would not have you so much as mention that you know she was angry.
  Mr Rice, the butcher, has sent a little bill for meat. As you told me you had settled everything before you went into the country, I did not think it right to pay him until I heard from you.
  I feel extremely obliged to my kind friends for wishing me among them, as well as their kindness in wishing to detain you. It seems they have invested you with the attributes of a tutelary genius.
  The weather must needs be fine while you remain among them. May it be so, and may the blessings of Divine Providence, like the beams of the refulgent sun, shine upon you and them, both here and hereafter, is the fervent wish
              Yours affectionately,
                                 Charles Alabaster

With thanks to Nan Kenyon, from whose collection this letter comes.

To Contents

The Illustrations of  Mary Ann Rebecca Alabaster

Found in "Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists up to 1920" H.L. Mallalieu,
pub. Antique Collectors' Club Ltd, Woodbridge, Suffolk

"CRIDDLE, Mary Ann, Mrs Harry, nee Alabaster, A.O.W.S.
1805 (Holywell, Flint) - 1880 (Addlestone, near Chertsey)
The daughter of an amateur caricaturist, she was educated at Colchester. She was at first discouraged from drawing by her mother, but in 1824 she was allowed to take lessons from Rayer, which she did until 1826. Until 1846 she worked in oil, but being of poor health, she found watercolour more appealing thereafter. At this time she took some lessons from S. Setchel, and she entered a cartoon for the Houses of Parliament competition in 1847, a literary subject, as were most of her works. In 1852 she nearly lost her sight from attempting miniature painting, and in 1861 she moved from London to Addlestone. From 1849 until just before her death she was an A.O.W.S.
Although her subjects were often taken from Spenser, Milton, Thomson, Dickens, Tennyson and George Eliot or from the New Testament, she did virtually no work as an illustrator.

Illustrated: The Misses Catlow: The Children's Garden, 1865"

Some pages from this volume are reproduced below.

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Mary Ann Rebecca Alabaster was the daughter of Charles and Mary (nee Dearmer) (IIC). She was not born in Holywell, Flint, which I have seen stated in more than one publication, but in Chapel Street, Holywell, Shoreditch, London, as is irrefutably proven by the copy of her baptism certificate, reproduced below! Thus are errors in the recording of history made and perpetuated!
Mary Ann Rebecca was the great grandmother of Nan Kenyon, one of our Canadian members (pp. 10 & 11 Chronicle Two), and was the "kindly" aunt who brought up Charles, gt grandfather of Marg Francis, New Zealand, and his brothers (p. 3 Chronicle Three). Incredibly for those of us whose Alabaster forebears stayed in England and seem to have left little evidence of themselves, between them Marg and Nan have copies of various of the works of Mary Ann Rebecca, including some of the illustrations from the above mentioned book! My theory is that those who emigrated set more store by their memories of the "old country". I am very grateful for it!

Click here to enlarge 

Babes in the Wood
by Mary Ann Criddle (nee Alabaster) 

Prayer
Mary Ann Criddle
1856 

Mary Ann & Percy Criddle

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