Francis Englehart
| Born: | Died: 3 Feb 1773 | Married: Ann Dawney | Mother: | Father: | Descendant: George Engleheart |
Francis was the first member of the Engleheart family to settle in England. He was born in 1713 in Germany and was believed to have been orphaned in a bridge collapse. He came to England in the years around 1722.
He was a modeller in plaster, and many of the ceilings in Hampton Court palace were created by him.
He made enough money from this, which at the time was an esteemed artistic role, to be able to buy land in Kew and the districts of London.
Name
In the parish records of St Anne, Kew he is recorded as Francis Ingleheart for the birth for two of his children (1738,1740), then the birth of Thomas in 1745 has this initial letter overwritten as an E, so Englehart, and his later children (1746 onwards) have Englehart. After his death the family angicised the name to Engleheart.
Marriage
Francis Inglehart (bachelor) married Ann Dawney (spinster), the daughter of the late vicar of the parish.
They obtained a marriage license (avoiding banns) dated the 2nd April 1733 at St Anne, Kew Green, Surrey.
The guardian of Francis was given as John Tillman of the parish of Kew in the county of Surrey (Gardiner).
The guardian of Ann was given as Ann Dawney of the same parish and county (widow).
A bond of Two hundred pounds was promised to be paid to the Bishop of Winchester in the situation where the information given for the license was false.
Children
Francis had the following children with Anne:
- John Dillman Engleheart, c.8th June 1735, St Ann, Kew
- Francis Inglehart, c.20 Dec 1738, St Anne, Kew. Buried 12 Jan 1739 (o.c.1738) (St Anne)
- Francis Inglehart, c.31 Aug 1740, St Anne, Kew. Buried 5 Oct 1740 (St Anne)
- Francis Inglehart, Infant Buried 28 Oct 1742 (St Anne, Kew)
- Thomas Englehart, c.15 Apr 1745, St Anne, Kew.
- William Englehart, c.22 July 1746, St Anne, Kew. Buried Sep 8th 1747 (St Anne, Kew)
- George Englehart, c.26 Oct 1750, St Anne, Kew (son of George and Ann Englehart)
Interestingly George Engleheart's father is written as George Englehart, whether this is an error by the vicar, or whether Francis was now being called George, is unclear.
Death
Francis died on the 3rd of February 1773, and was buried in St Anne churchyard, Kew, London on the 11th February 1773. He was 60 years old.
The original inscription (before being replaced) on the family vault in the churchyard of Kew read:
In memory of Francis Engleheart of this Hamlet, who died February the 3rd, 1773, aged 60 years
Will of Francis Engelheart otherwise Engleheart:
In the name of God Amen.
I, Francis Engleheart of Kew Green in the county of Surrey, plasterer, do publish and declare this to be my last will and testament in manner following: that is to say I will and Prior that all my just debts, funeral and probate of this my last will and testament be paid by my ?? hereinafter named as soon as ?? may be after my decease and subject thereto I give, devise, and bequeath all my freehold, copyhold and leasehold messuages Lands Tenements and Borodiffs? whatsoever and all my ready money money invested in the stocks or public funds Towels? plate china pirhews? Linnen furniture wearing apparel book debts and other debts and all my personal estate and effects whatsoever ( Excepting moulds and scaffolding) unto my Dear Wife Ann Engleheart during her natural life it being my will and Desire that she shall have the sole use and enjoyment of all my Estates and property whatsoever (except moulds and scaffolding as aforesaid) during her natural life without being subject to the cowhowl? or Intermodling? of my children or any Trustee or other person whomsoever and from and after the decease of my said wife then it is my will and mind and foo? hereby give devise and bequeath my said estate in manner hereinafter mentioned that is to say I give Devise and bequeath unto my son Paul Engleheart his
Other Records
Coincidentally the records of St Anne, Kew (which is not very populous) has a Sarah Carrington (from James and Sarah Carringon) born in 1747. There is also a Carter (but that name is not so unusual).
- George Engleheart, buried 14 Dec 1777, St Anne, Infant
- Anne Engleheart, buried 14 Dec 1777, St Anne, Infant
- buried Paul Engleheart 11 Sept 1774, St Anne
- John Engleheart 13 Nov 1775, St Anne
- c. George Dilman Englehart son of John Dilman Engleheart and Jane, born June 5, baptized July 25, 1777
- Lucy Dillman Englehart d of John Dillman & Jane b.13Apr1779, c 1 may 1779 (St Anne)
- John Cox Dillman Engleheart son of Joh n& Jane Dillman Engleheart, b. 2 Jan 1784, c. 29 Jan 1784 (St Anne)
- Mary Dillman Engleheart so of John Dillman Engleheart and Jane, b. 29 Jan 1782, c. 22 feb
- c. Mary daught of Thomas and An Dawney
- c sophia elizabeth auguste albert d. or frederick and dorothea sophia 1775
- John Dillman married Mary Biggs at St Anne, Kew, 10 March 1729
- Mary Dillman buried St Anne, 3 mar 1756
- Rv Thomas Morell married Mary Doweney in 1737 at St Anne Kew.
- Solomon Brown married Sarah Stallard on 26th Feb 1744
Thomas Randall and Sarah Hawkins 4 Au 1761
Burials 1716 15 jun, St Anne, Englehart Iserloo?
Burial 8 Jan 1718 , St Anne, Francis Brown 6 july 1718 Luke Lambeth
Buried 22 Oct 1742 Elizabeth Stallard. St Anne. Infant. Buried John dillman 20 mar 1760 Anne Dawney buried st anne, 9 april 1760 28 sep 1767 martha brown burial st ann, --- brown wife of solomon 1768, 28 july
Church opened the 12th August 1770 (previously a chapel). p 33
From the book
The family is said to have come from Franconia (an area in Bavaria, Germany) and Francis, born in 1713, is believed to have sprung from and ancient Wendish famaily, members of which wee to be found scattered throughout Franconia. In Upper Austria, between Ischl and Passau there is a village called Englehart, and the name is still not an uncommon on in that same district.
It is not known why Francis Englehart came to this country. He is said to have arrived when quite a youth, brought by a compassionate stranger, a fugative from political reasons, and his earliest recollections, which were of a very indistict character, were connected with a great commotion, a crowd of persons rushing over a bridge, the breaking down of the bridge and the loss in the waters of some of his nearest relations, and then a mysterious hiatus which he was never able to fill up.
A brother who is said to have come from the family home at the same time as Francis, was reported to have returned home again to Germany, and to have died leaving a considerable fortune to his widow, which she was anxious, it is said, to leave back again to the Engleheart family if they could but be found. This story was told many years later to Colonel Engleheart, the son of George the miniature-painter, when he was stopping at a house near to Cape Town enjoying the hospitality of a settler who knew the old lady referred to. He urged Colonel Engleheart to go at once to Worms, make friends with the rich widow, and secure the reversion of the estate ; but the Colonel's health at the time, and his unexpected decease soon after, prevented the adoption of this plan.
Another branch of this family seems to have settled in Russia, where Christine Engleheart married a Prince Potemkin, and had one daughter, who married her cousin Paul, and had in her turn a son Paul, who died quite recently at the age of eighty-two unmarried, and thus closed that line of the family.
Francis Englehart seems to have believed that he was from eight to ten years old when he reached England. At the age of twenty-one he was married. He had settled down in the royal domain of Kew, and it was the daughter of the Vicar of the parish, Anne Dawney, whom he married at that early age. He was by profession a modeller in plaster, and many of the ceilings at Hampton Court Palace owe their beauty to his handiwork.
References
Much of the information (and words) about Francis Englehart comes from the book "George Engleheart, 1750-1829, miniature painter to George III" by George C. Williamson and Henry L. D. Engleheart.