pierre malandain + susanne mole
Pierre was born in France about 1688, the eldest son of Jean Mallandain and Marthe Baudoin. He married Susanne Mole at the Wheeler Street French Huguenot Church on 6 July 1709 and the marriage entry confirms that both he and his wife were natives of Normandy:
1709 6 Juil – Pierre Mallandain, f. de Jean Mallandain et de Marthe Baudoin, de la province de Normandie – Susanne Mole ff de Jacques Mole et de Marie Auger de la meme province.
Records from the time period are rather limited and the only additional references to Pierre and Susanne beyond their marriage relate to their children’s baptism records.
Their first daughter, Marte, was born on 9 May 1710 and baptised five days later at the Wheeler Street French Huguenot church in Spitalfields. She died in infancy sometime before 1714. Susanne was born on 16 April 1711 and baptised on 22 April at Wheeler Street. Marie Marthe was born on 17 August 1712 and baptised at Wheeler Street on 24 August but she died one year later and was buried at St Dunstan on 8 September 1713.
Only one week after Marie Marthe’s death, their first son, Pierre, was born on 14 September 1713. He was baptised on 23 September 1713 at Threadneedle Street French Huguenot followed one year later by daughter Marthe who was baptised on 27 October 1714 at Threadneedle Street. Although her birth date is not listed in the baptismal record, she was likely born the week before as the Huguenot custom was to hold the baptismal ceremony one week after birth. They lost their third child when Pierre died aged only two years and he too was buried at St Dunstan on 31 March 1716.
Susanne Mole died in 1717 and was buried at St Dunstan, Stepney on 31 January. No details on the cause of death have been found but she may have died as a result of childbirth following the birth of their sixth and final child, David. He was not baptised at Threadneedle Street until 10 March and a David Malandain acted as one of the godparents although his identity remains a mystery.
Following Susanne’s death, Pierre was left to care for two and possibly three children under the age of five — the records show that Susanne and David survived infancy and although no further records have been found to confirm it, Marthe may also have survived. Four years after his wife’s death, Pierre married a second time to Marianne Hardy and they went on to have four children. It is not known if David, Susanne and Marthe remained with their father or if they were placed in the care of their grandparents or other relatives such as his brother Jean and his wife Marie.
David was educated at the French School and admitted on 22 September 1725, aged 8 years, but the records do not contain a discharge date so it is not known how long he remained at the school. He was admitted into the French Church on Threadneedle Street on the testimony of Jean Augier on 27 June 1739 when he was 22 years old. By tradition, most children were admitted into the church when they were sixteen years old so it is unusual that David was admitted so late. David joined the Royal Navy and was serving on the Prince of Royolla when he died in March 1746. He was a bachelor and died intestate but his sister Susanne was granted administration of his estate as the only next of kin.
Susanne married John Le Doux on 22 February 1730 at St Dunstan, Stepney and they had seven children.