Update: As of 21 August 2025, I’m thrilled to tell you this whole collection is now in the very safe hands of a lady and her family who are descendants📚

Chapter 2

The Bromley’s

Amelia Robarts married Joseph Warner Bromley on Thursday 17 January 1822 at the very famous Saint Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, London.

As you can from the family tree below Joseph was the son of Nathaniel Warner Bromley (1756-1844) and Sarah Wright (1759-1808) Nathaniel and Sarah had 10 children that I have found so far, we’ll come back to the children a little later.

This is Amelia and Joseph’s family group from the tree I have compiled on Ancestry.

Children

1. Nathaniel Warner Bromley named after his paternal grandfather was born on 19 December 1822 in Bloomsbury, Middlesex. He married Henrietta Martha Winter (1828-1914) on 24 April 1861 in Brighton, Sussex. The couple had six children, Clara Mary Henrietta 1861-1942, Amelia Catherine 1864-1950, Emma Henrietta 1866-1939, Nathaniel Barrett Warner 1869-1936, more on him later and Constance Evelyn 1872-1940. Nathaniel Warner died on 26 July 1896 in Suffolk at the age of 73.

2. Amelia Bromley was born on 10 June 1827 in Bloomsbury, Middlesex. She married Rev Samuel Garrard (1829-1917) in 1854 and they had four children, Samuel Bromley, who became a Solicitor, Frederick Ernest, who became a Vicar like his father, Charles Goodricke, a civil servant and Amelia Florence. Only Frederick had children and Amelia Florence didn’t marry. Amelia died on 15 December 1917 in Malvern, Worcestershire, at the age of 90.

3. Mary Ann Bromley was born on 16 June 1829 in Bloomsbury, Middlesex, and married in 1855 to George Henry Garrard (1831-1913) who was the brother of her sister Amelia’s husband Samuel. George was a Magistrate, Alderman and Solicitor. The couple had one son George Ellis and one daughter Mary Henrietta, neither ever married or had children. Mary Ann died in November 1887 in Evesham, Worcestershire.

4. Emma was born on 28 May 1831 and was not quite two years old when she died in April 1833. 5. Clara was 71 when she died in 1906 and her younger sister 6. Martha Jane was 67 when she died in 1904, neither married and they lived together at ‘Rosendale’ Malvern, Worcestershire, England. They both left around £8,000 to Nathaniel Warner Barrett Bromley, their nephew.

7. Joseph Robarts Bromley was born on 17 October 1824 in Bloomsbury, Middlesex, he married Martha Hammond in April 1857 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. They had nine children. He died on 12 November 1901 at the age of 77 years. How lovely to be able to introduce you to Joseph, Martha and also some of their children!

First, we have individual photo CDVs of the couple above. This is their family group below from the tree that I have compiled on Ancestry.

Joseph and Martha were married on 11 June 1857 at St James’s Church, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Now a Cathedral since 1914 and known as St Edmundsbury Cathedral.

Joseph and Martha are the Ancestors of my lady.

Working out from the dates the children were born the youngest child here above is Frances Emily born in the last quarter of 1867. The couple then had another daughter Clara born in the April quarter of 1870, so this could possibly have been taken after Frances’s first birthday during the first half of 1869.

I often come across identical CDVs and usually buy all copies, sometimes one may be a better colour than another or as in the case of these two of Martha, there is different information on each one. One has ‘taken in 1862, Martha Bromley‘ and the other has ‘Martha Bromley nee Hammond‘, invaluable to a family historian and in this case, one has faded a little less.

This second photo of the four girls is just fabulous, isn’t it!

This is another example of two identical CDVs, again there are different things written on the back. the first photo on the left says ‘For Mary Florence Bromley Sunday, September 16th 1883‘ Was this her 18th Birthday? as she was born in the third quarter of 1865. Also, by a different writer, ‘Ellen Bromley Standing. Amelia Bromley‘

Now this CDV below just has initials on the back in pencil written around the time of the photo. M.F.B. Out of all the people I have on the family tree I only have the one person with these initials, it’s Mary Florence Bromley born I believe on 16 September 1865.

I suspect that the family had many more photos taken of their children through the years, I do hope they are safe somewhere still with family.

Choosing the most interesting stories to share with you about different members of the family is always difficult when there are so many, as in this collection as a whole. So here are just a few from the Bromleys, there will be more in the next Chapter. Firstly I’m taking you back to the beginning of this Chapter to Nathaniel Warner Bromley and Sarah Wright‘s children, one of who was Joseph Warner Bromley.

As you can see by these details above, the births and deaths of the children, it wasn’t just poor families who lost their children as babies in Victorian times and before. Four of the above died as babies, Edward was just 7 months old, Elizabeth was 3 months old and Twin Boys Abraham and Samuel were born on 10 May 1797 and died within 2 days of each other at 7 months, I have searched on every record I could find about the family to see what the babies died of and I finally found mention of the Twins saying they both died of Smallpox. This was around the same time that Dr Edward Jenner was developing a vaccine for it and conducting his experiments, the vaccine was really successful and mostly eradicated the disease, vaccinations stopped in the early 1970s. Then when I looked closely at the burial record for Abraham that it was actually the burial record of both the boys, if you look closely you can see the comma after Abraham and Samuel’s names, they were buried together on 2 December 1798 at St Andrew’s, Holborn, London.

The couple’s youngest child Henry was born on 3 December 1798 in London, what a traumatic time for the family the day after the Twins were buried, thankfully Henry live to the age of 79. He was 22 when he married Joanna VASSA on 29 August 1821 at St James, Clerkenwell, she was 26. Henry was already a Vicar in Appledore, Devon. Joanna was the only surviving daughter of Olaudah Equiano 1745-31 March 1797 also known as Gustavus Vassa, born in the village of Essaka, southern Nigeria, according to his memoirs, and was a child slave. He was sold to a Royal Naval Officer and eventually bought his freedom in 1766. He arrived in London as a free man and was a founding member of the ‘Sons of Africa’ which were a group campaigning against Slavery, for Racial equality and Black people’s rights, the members were educated Africans living in London, many former enslaved men like Olaudah.

After I found mention of his Baptism I searched for it and found this record on Ancestry for St Margaret’s Church, Westminster dated 9 February 1759. He was just 12 years old here and living in London, so would this question some of the information about his early years?

It seems it was Michael Henry Pascal (Royal Navy) that had bought him in Virginia, the next state to North and South Carolina (whose will I found was dated 8 May 1786). There are different stories of his life but it looks like he was again sold to Robert King, a Quaker, who he worked for and then bought his freedom from. He came to Britain after many adventures, making London his home and where in the 1780s he was involved in the Abolitionist Movement. In 1791-2 he toured Britain with his Autobiography.

I imagine that’s how he met his wife in Cambridgeshire when he was touring. Gustavus was 47 when he married Susannah Cullen (1762-1796) in April 1792, she was 30.

“His 1789 autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, helped secure passage of the British Slave Trade Act 1807, which abolished the slave trade and sold so well that nine editions were published during his life“.

The couple had 2 daughters, both baptised at Soham, Anna Maria Vassa b 16 October 1793 was just 3 years old (suggested as a result of a measles epidemic) when she died on 21 July 1797 and Joanna Vassa was b 11 Apr 1795-10 Mar 1857. Susanna died when Joanna was just 10 months old. Then her father Gustavus died in March 1797 and her sister died in the July of 1797. So at 2 years old, she was alone, was she brought up by her maternal grandmother?

“Gustavus’s Last days and will, He drew up his will on 28 May 1796. He was living at the Plaisterers’ Hall, then on Addle Street, in Aldermanbury in the City of London. He moved to John Street (now Whitfield Street), close to Whitefield’s Tabernacle, Tottenham Court Road. At his death on 31 March 1797, he was living in Paddington Street, Westminster”

Gustavus Vassa below and with his daughter Joanna Vassa.

“When Joanna reached the age of 21 in April 1816, she received her inheritance as well as various personal items from her father. She received £950 from her father’s estate, John Audley was the co-executor of Vassa’s will. It appears that he was involved in Joanna’s upbringing, as he is later named as one of the witnesses at Joanna’s marriage in 1821 to Reverend Henry Bromley, a Congregationalist minister from Islington, London“. Joanna and Henry lived in Appledore, Devon for about 5 years then moved to Clavering, Essex for many years and then after 1845 to Hackney, London where she died. She is buried in Abney Park Cemetery, London and Rev Henry Bromley married Jane Jeffery in April 1858 a year after Joanna’s death. Joanna Vassa, her husband Henry Bromley (1798-1878) and his second wife Jane Jeffery (1803-1871) were all buried in the same grave in Abney Cemetery. On her gravestone, it reads “In memory of Joanna beloved wife of Henry Bromley, daughter of Gustavus Vassa, the African.” The monument was restored in 2016/17, thanks to Charles and Emily for posting these photos on Historic England website.

I was curious about Joanna’s death after reading different accounts about her, as it seems that she was living apart from her husband Henry before in 1851, living in Suffolk, and at the time of her death, so I thought I would order my first £2.50 Digital Image of her Death Certificate from the GRO, what a fantastic service and thanks to Peter of Lost Cousins in his latest Newsletter, he walks you through with images as to how to complete a purchase. Joanna died at 21 Benyon Terrace, Hackney, present at her death was Sarah Durrant, maybe she was a female servant?

The cause of Death for Joanna was Uterine Disease, Subacute (between acute and chronic) Peritonitis for 3? months. Goodness me, she must have been in such pain.

Letitia Bromley. The eldest of the 10 Children remained unmarried until she was 47 then she married a widower, aged 69, the Rev Charles Dewhirst on 25 May 1831, Letitia died less than a year later on 9 July 1832. Charles had previously been married to Sophia Last and they had had several children, she died in 1824 at the age of 35. Charles was born around 1776 so he was about 32 when he married Sophia and she was 19. Charles died in 1845.

The second born Nathaniel Barrett Bromley b22 Jun 1785 became an Articled Clerk at the age of 16 to John Bell, Solicitor. His father was in business with him ‘Bromley & Bell, Attorneys and Solicitors’ within Grays Inn, London. He was articled for 5 years. Then on 11 November 1806, when he was almost to the end of his time he married in India to Sarah Anne Morgan, daughter of Major Thomas Morgan, so far I’ve only found one son of the couple and another possible, I don’t know what happened to Sarah Anne but Nathaniel died in Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland on 15 November 1829 at the age of 44.

The next born was William Bromley b10 August 1787, he also became an articled clerk on 31 Oct 1804, Grays Inn, London. Later on 22 December 1812 at St George, Bloomsbury, London he married Catherine Taylor, so far I’ve found 6 children of the couple. William was a bit of a dodgy character as I will explain. He went into partnership with his brother Joseph Warner Bromley, who I’ve told you about already, until 20 September 1834 when the partnership ended, so did the brothers fall out over William’s business dealings? They must have done surely. His brother Joseph then went into partnership with Walter William Aldridge.

Fraud and Bankruptcy.

The reason that William’s partnership ended and his future dealings would I imagine have been quite shocking at the time and was reported widely in the newspapers. William Bromley was declared Bankrupt but not just that, he had been using other people’s money for his own use, as far back as 1824 and this is some 20 years later that he’s been caught out! William Bromley was described not just as a Solicitor but as a Scrivener: a person who invested money at interest for clients and lent funds to those who wanted to raise money on security.

This is a transcript of the best article I have found assessing his crimes: Pictorial Times – Saturday 20 July 1844
BROMLEY, THE BANKRUPT.
COLERIDGE, in describing the effect upon the mind of legal education, says that “it sharpens the edge, but narrows the blade.” We have lately had some disagreeable evidence of this sharpening tendency of legal studies, sufficiently remarkable to merit the attention of all men whom inclination or necessity induce or compel to commit themselves to the mercy of that wide ocean—the law. Mr WILLIAM BROMLEY, a solicitor, residing in Gray’s Inn, succeeded in obtaining for himself the confidence of a large connection by his presumed integrity and professional skill. The advantages which he derived from the possession of this confidence were somewhat greater than until lately, the world supposed. They were advantages creditable indeed to Mr BROMLEY’S acuteness, but of a kind hardly consistent with the lowest standard of professional morality. Misfortune, however, all men are subject to; and the most astute of attorneys cannot always escape its visits. Misfortune came to Mr BROMLEY’S door, and Mr BROMLEY, as a natural result, went into the “Gazette.” The consequence has been, that we know more about Mr BROMLEY than Mr BROMLEY ever intended anyone should do. It appears that amongst Mr BROMLEY’S Clients some years back was a Mr WILKINSON, a gentleman of large fortune, and it would appear not less credulity. Mr BROMLEY borrowed from this gentleman £9000 and assured him that the sum was secured by a charge on his property. Mr WILKINSON would, it might be expected, have craved a sight of the instrument by which the charge was created; but Mr WILKINSON, it seems, thought he was dealing with an honest lawyer, and craved nothing of the sort. Mr WILKINSON died and bequeaths at once his wealth and his confidence in Mr BROMLEY to his executors, by whom, accordingly Mr BROMLEY was employed to manage the estate. He appears to have received £20,000 on this account, all of which, according to his own statements made to his clients, he laid out in mortgages and other investments of a stable character. As the interest was regularly paid, MrWilkinson’s executors did not doubt the truth of the statement; but the fact was, it was a gross falsehood —no mortgages were effected, no investments made; this Mr BROMLEY received the money and applied it to his own use, Paying interest thereon to conceal the fraud. Nor was this a singular instance: at his examination before the commissioners of the Court of Bankruptcy, twenty-three other cases of a like complexion were mentioned, involving a loss to clients of Mr Bromley of £92,000. One unfortunate victim had been defrauded as long back as the year 1824 of £3000, which she never discovered, till the time of the bankruptcy, was other than properly secured and invested.
The result was, that that poor creature has received parish relief, and will have to go into the workhouse. Another individual, whose mother having £8000, and being Possessed, as she supposed, of a comfortable competency, let it remain in the hands of the bankrupt; it has all gone, and she has been compelled to dispose of some of her furniture to pay her rent. Another case was that of a lady who had Placed £25,000 in the hands of the bankrupt for investment, all of which he had himself used, not without, however, first inducing her to believe that it was laid out on proper securities; but it has since been found out that from beginning to end not one ever existed. It appears that the debts of this bankrupt amount to £141,5221, (the purchasing power of about 23 Million in today’s money!) of which there are creditors absolutely -without the slightest security to the amount of £86,7911, and the assets are not expected to yield Is. in the pound. It is impossible to add to the effect of these simple facts the extent of ruin caused by the gross and stupid, for it was such, dishonesty of this unhappy man may easily be guessed. We send the wretched pilferer to the treadmill or to the hulks is the punishment of crime to be administered in an inverse ratio to its enormity? In this following report, William Bromley was given more time to sort his affairs out, and all of the court cases were well attended by the general public, all enjoying the proceedings.

The court cases went on for not just months but years! From the beginning of 1844 to the end of 1849. Because as these newspaper reports show, this is just one of many, a client who lost money from William Bromley early in his dodgy dealings took William’s brother Joseph Warner Bromley to court for recovery of his money as they were at the time partners even though he claimed to not know about his brother’s dealings. This particular Court of Chancery report below is dated November 1846 from the London Morning Post.

On Wednesday 7 July 1847, Joseph’s appeal against the charges was dismissed by the judge “Now, the same objection had been taken more than 120 years ago, in the case of ” Colt v. Wollastcn,” and it was then overruled, the Court holding that it was no objection that the parties had their remedy at law. His Lordship, therefore, repeated his opinion that the defendant was clearly liable, and dismissed the appeal with costs“

Did this advertisement below, one of many I found, about a William Bromley and his son William Bromley (b1816) solicitor/estate agent, refer to this William before he became Bankrupt and went through all the court hearings? It seems very likely to me as I found so many in the newspaper archives.

There was a newspaper report from the Bankruptcy court dated 20 May 1848 just stating ‘Arrorneys, Messrs Bromley & Co, Grays Inn’ declaring themselves Bankrupt, was this William and his son William?

Then I found this below, remember I told you previously that Joseph Warner Bromley had gone into partnership with Walter William Aldridge. I would imagine because of the fact that the Bromley name had been so badly tarnished by William’s dealings that it had also had a knock-on effect on Joseph’s business and not just because Joseph had had to pay some of William’s creditors:

I’ve even found in the County Courts Chronicle on Monday 2 March 1891, over 40 years later, where they quoted the court case of Blair and Bromley where Joseph was made liable for his brother’s debts because at the time he was his business partner.

What happened to William? Well it looks like he travelled over to New Zealand sometime before December 1849, I have been unable to find out any more information except that I did find a marriage in 1847 in New Zealand of a William Bromley to a Jane Symons, was this him? This is only a maybe, as I have no idea if it is this William Bromley and the record would cost £12 for me to see via their government website, so I shall give that a miss.

This information is on Find A Grave with the photos. It says that “William Bromley owned Section 91 at Pauatahanui, Porirua in the 1840s, with two buildings on the land.
Late of Grey’s Inn of Upper Clapton, London.
Buried Dec 1849 aged 62 years“.

According to the New Zealand Cemetery records on Ancestry, he died on 18 December 1849.

So William Bromley went to Wellington New Zealand and died there. Did his wife and children in England ever get to know what happened to him or did he just disappear?

Below first is the grave of William Bromley at plot no17. P. Sydney Street Cemetery. It was photographed in the late 1960s by the City Sexton, P J E Shotter, prior to its being dismantled to make way for the Wellington motorway. Then we have photos taken of his headstone in 2018 at Bolton Street Cemetery.

Catherine his wife in England died in 1859.

William’s story, unfortunately, is not unique to the Bromley family, there’s another Bromley who also got into serious money troubles coming up in Chapter 3, there will also be some house history, adoption and artists and a descendant of the Bromleys who was a famous author and more information about who I think this lady could be, even though there is nothing written on the back.

Till next time then……..