anne mallandain + gabriel de goullaine
Anne was born in Fecamp, Normandy in 1659 and baptised in the French Protestant temple at Hougerville on 11 September, the first daughter born to Pierre Mallandain and his wife Anne Despommares. Her father died between 1670 and 1685 and before the turn of the century, Anne’s family fled the increasing persecution in France and settled in the Huguenot community in Spitalfields.
On 8 February 1708, Anne married Gabriel de Goullaine at the French Protestant church of St Jean in Spitalfields with her brother Pierre acting as one of the witnesses. The marriage entry notes that Gabriel was a native of Pousoges, which likely refers to Pouzauges, in Poitou and a reference to the de Goulaine family in the Histoire des protestants et des Eglises Réformées du Poitou also places the family in this area:
A Breton family with several branches that have spread in Lower Poitou. In 1698, an old lady named de Goulaine was living in the parish of Old Pouzauges, her two sons and youngest daughter were denounced to the steward for not doing their duty and the latter at the solicitation of the bishop Luçon, was locked in the Propagation of this city.
When Gabriel left France, he initially settled on the island of Jersey where he married Anne Cohoos, who was also a native of Poitou, at St Brelade on 12 February 1703. Gabriel and Anne made their way to the Huguenot community in London and settled in Bethnal Green where Gabriel worked as a Weaver. Anne died shortly after and was buried in the church yard at St Dunstan in Stepney on 11 January 1706.
Nine months after his second marriage, Anne, at the age of 48, gave birth to their only son, Samuel. He was baptised at St Jean on 17 November with Louis Mirraurand and Susanne Laurand acting as godparents. When Samuel was fifteen, he was apprenticed as a Silk Weaver to his uncle Pierre Mallandain.
The family maintained their association with St Jean, Spitalfields and on 30 April 1732, Samuel was elected as an elder of the church along with Jacob Goutiere and Jean Pierre Vincent.
Gabriel died and was buried at St Dunstan, Stepney on 17 March 1741. The burial record notes that he was living on Club Row at the time and working as a Weaver as well as the cause of death, consumption. He died intestate and Anne applied for and was granted administration of his estate on 25 June but there is no record as to the value of his estate.
In 1745, Anne applied for administration of her son’s estate after he died intestate. No record of his death or burial has yet been found but the administration record notes that in 1731, Samuel purchased £200 pounds worth of Bank of England stock which was a substantial amount of money at that time. When he died, Samuel was still working as a Weaver and living in Brown’s Lane, Spitalfields. Letters of administration were granted to Anne on 27 March 1745 and she appointed Jean Des Claux as the executor of her son’s estate which empowered him to dispose of the Bank of England stock. Jean was active in the Huguenot community and also worked as a Weaver but more importantly, he was a part of the family having married Susanna Motteux, the widow of Anne’s nephew Jaques Mallandain, in 1741.
Anne died in the summer of 1748 and was buried in the church yard at Christ Church Spitalfields on 2 July. In her will, dated 28 November 1745, Anne appointed Jean Des Claux as her executor and left him £20 pounds for his ‘care and trouble’. She also left the sum of £20 to James Mallandain, son of Susanna Motteux, to be paid when he turned 21 years. Anne Clavier received one half of her household goods with the other half going to Susanna Leroq who likewise received £5. Additional legacies included £20 to the church of St Jean, £5 to Mary Sairet (daughter of Jean Des Claux), £5 to Martha Wildbore, £5 to Margaret Sortemboc, and Charles Courtiou received a silver spoon, a silver seal, a small tea table and six silver teaspoons. The residue of her estate was left to her brother Pierre. Her will which was originally written in French was translated into English on 30 June 1748 and proved on 2 July.