thomas mallindine + susanna sadler
Thomas was born in Shoreditch on 28 April 1826, the son of William Mallindine and Martha Edghill. He was baptised at St Leonard in Shoreditch on 14 May and his family was living on Hackney Road at the time. When he was fourteen, his mother died and his father was left to provide for Thomas and his three younger brothers aged between 7 and 11 but when the census was taken one year later, Thomas was not living with his father nor has he been found elsewhere. He may have been taken on as an apprentice as he worked as a French Polisher for most of his life rather than following his father in the weaving trade.
Thomas married Susanna Sadler on 29 September 1845 at the church of St Phillip in Bethnal Green. At the time of their marriage, Thomas was living on George Street in Bethnal Green and working as a French Polisher. Susanna lived at 2 James Street — now called Chilton Street — where the Mallindines had lived in 1840. Susanna was born in Bethnal Green in 1829 and although her birth record has not been found, the marriage certificate lists her father as George Sadler, a weaver, and the two witnesses as Joseph and Mary Sadler.
Thomas and Susanna stayed on James Street after their marriage and were still living there when their son Thomas was born on 20 March 1846. Sadly, he died three days later and was buried at St Matthew, Bethnal Green. Their second son, Thomas Henry, was born at 3 James Street on 24 January 1847 and baptised at St Matthias on 28 February followed by daughter Mary Ann who was born 31 July 1849 and baptised at St Leonard, Shoreditch on 19 August.
French Polishing
French polishing was a furniture finishing technique that developed in France but became popular in England during the 19th century. It was a long, labour intensive process that was used primarily on furniture and musical instruments made from expensive types of wood such as mahogany. The process involved applying numerous thin coats of shellac and polishing each layer with a rubbing pad called a ’rubber’ that was made from cotton wool and covered with a soft cotton cloth. This resulted in a high gloss finish that brought out the natural colour of the wood.
Joseph was born at 14 Granby Street on 17 February 1851 and baptised at St Matthias on 14 March. When the census was taken three months later, Thomas and Susanna were still living on Granby Street with their three young children and Thomas’ younger brothers, Francis and George. Thomas and his brothers were all working as French Polishers.
On 25 July 1854, Susanna died in the family home at 53 Brick Lane in Spitalfields. The cause of death is not known but she was only 27 years old and her three surviving children were aged 7, 6 and 3 years. Tragedy struck the family again two years later when eldest son Thomas was accidentally run over by a van in Whitechapel and died on 30 January 1856 at the London Hospital. There must have been an inquest as the informant on the death certificate was a coroner W Baker, of Chester Terrace in Regent’s Park, but no record of the proceedings has yet been found. Thomas was buried at the Victoria Park Cemetery on 10 February 1856 and the family’s residence was listed as 38 Booth Street.
Between 21 February and 7 March 1858, banns were published at St Dunstan in Stepney between Thomas and Eliza Brown, a 25 year old spinster. Their addresses were both listed as 5 Spital Street which ran parallel to Brick Lane. A marriage record has not been found but it is assumed that they married after the banns were published on three successive Sundays.
Just nine months after their marriage, Thomas died at their home on Spital Street aged 32 years. The death certificate lists the cause of death as rheumatism and carditis and the informant was Thomas’ sister-in-law Elizabeth Mary Pearce, wife of his brother William. There is no record of what happened to his daughter Mary Ann or his second wife after his death but in 1861, his youngest son Joseph was living with Stephen Sadler and his wife Mary Ann. Stephen was the son of George Lewis Sadler and his wife Mary Rowe and it is possible that he was Susanna’s brother.