Descendants of Robert Burgar (1754-1820)
Benjamin Burgar (1783-1835) - assumed son of
Robert Burgar (1754-1820)
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See Tree showing descendants of Benjamin Burgar.
Benjamin Burgar was born in 1783.4
He died on 19 Jul 1835 at Royal Hospital Row Chelsea.93 He was buried on 24 Jul 1835 in St Lukes, Chelsea,
London.93 The following
is a summary of the entry in the Burial Register:
Benjamin Burgar, aged 52, of Royal Hospital Row Chelsea was buried on
the 24th June 1835 at St Lukes, Chelsea. There was no obvious cause of death.
The Burial Book (X26/22b) states that
Benjamin Burgar, interred position No 16, Row 20 of the South Quarter,
12foot deep. £0.8.9d. Head and Foot stones £2.7.2d. Undertaker Du
Bois.
He was a Shoemaker, and later in life a draper and tailor.107
Benjamin married Elizabeth Lockington in 1803 (See the marriage Register entry
below).
Benjamin and Elizabeth had a daughter, Elizabeth Dorothy in 1804. There is an
Henry Bourjer born in 1807 who may be related. Sometime after this Benjamin's
wife, Elizabeth, must have died but we know nothing of the circumstances.
In 1822 Benjamin Burgar appears in the Poor Rate Book for St Lukes Chelsea paying
a high Rent of £25 per year.
1822, June, Royal Hospital Row, Benjamin Burgar, £25
While living here he appears in a court case, the result of someone stealing a pair of boots from his shop.
See details of court
case
He continues to be present up to the time of his death in 1835. There is one
further entry after this when his Will (see below) was being sorted out.
June 1835, Royal Hospital Row, Benjamin Burgar's Executors £30.
Benjamin appears many times in the Trade Directories. In the 1823/4 edition of
Pigots Commercial Directory is
Benjamin Burgar, Royal Hospital Row, Chelsea, Boot-maker.
The same entry appears in Pigots Middlesex Directory for 1823/4.
In Robsons Directory for 1835 and Pigots Commercial Directory for 1836 there
is
Benjamin Burgar, Tailor and Draper, 1 Royal Hospital Row, Chelsea.
Like many in his family, he started life as shoemaker but then ran
a Tailors and Drapers shop.
Benjamin died aged 55 in 1835. He was buried in the churchyard at St Lukes Chelsea,
London. The position of the grave suggests that it is adjacent to that of his
brother, John Burgar, who committed suicide.
All the head stones at St Lukes have now been relocated so that the old cemetery
is now an open green space and playground.
However, Benjamin's head-stone is present in the playground facing North, in
line with the front of the church, near Sydney street.. The inscription is:
Sacred to the memory of Mr Benjamin Burgar of this Parish who died July
19th 1835 aged 52 years.
Also of David Deer of this Parish son-in-law of the above who died December 19th
1853 aged 42 years. Also of Dorothy Deer wife of the above who died July 31st
1895 aged 93 years, buried at Hanwell.
See photo of
tombstone
Benjamin left a long hand-written will ( 3 pages of A3 size paper, effectively
6 pages of A4 paper).
A summary, minus the legal jargon, is given below.
Will of Benjamin Burgar of Royal Hospital Row Chelsea Middx Draper who
died 19th July 1835.
I Benjamin Burgar, draper, ….. do bequeath all my chattels, house at Royal
Hospital Row, , stock of trade etc. to my executors Mary Ann Stewart who now
lives with me, and my brother John Burgar of East Street Manchester Square,
Coffee House Keeper to hold them in trust.
They are directed to sell or auction, within 3 months of my decease, all of the
above and to invest £1000 in Three Pounds Ten Shillings per annum Consolidated
Bank Stock. Any money from the proceeds of the sale in excess of £1000 is to be
left to Mary Ann Stewart for her sole use.
The interest from this Bank Stock is for the use of Mary Ann Stewart during her
lifetime. After her decease the Stock is to be divided as follows:
£400 to my daughter Elizabeth Dorothy Deer, wife of David Deer of Chelsea,
Greengrocer
£100 to Benjamin Burgar Deer, the son of my daughter
£200 to my niece Mary Burgar the daughter of my said brother John Burgar
£100 to my niece Elizabeth Chinn now residing with the said John Burgar
£200 to Daniel John Stewart the son of the said Mary Ann Stewart
Thus Benjamin seems to have left his money to Mary Ann Stewart who was living
with him but not married to him. He also leaves money to her son, Daniel John
Stewart, as well as to his 2 nieces. Later it will be seen that his daughter
was quite poor in the 1850s, so it appears strange that he should have tied up
his money in this way. It would seem that Ann Stewart was more than a housekeeper,
and her son is treated more like his son.
On looking through the Poor Rate Books, Charles Steward was present at Royal
Hospital row in 1810. A typical entry is:
1814 Charles Steward, No 1 Hospital Row, £9 rent.
( There seemed to also be another 23 persons living at No 1 hospital Row ).
Charles Steward remains present paying rates until December 1823, but not after
that date.
In the 1823 edition of Pigots Middlesex Directory is
Mary Stewart, Royal Hospital Row, General Groceries.
She does not appear to be paying Rates however. Obviously she was a neighbour
of Benjamin's. and probably much the same age. They must have had a very close
friendship.
Mary Ann's son, Daniel John Steward, had a child of his own in 1836.
Eliza Ann Steward born 1st May 1836, daughter of Daniel John Steward, Tailor/Draper,
and Eliza of Royal Hospital Row Chelsea was baptised on 22nd May 1836 at St
Lukes Chelsea.
Although the name is Steward and the one in the Will is Stewart, this is the
same person. Obviously, Daniel and Benjamin must have been in the tailor/draper
business together. He would be too old to be Benjamin's son since Benjamin had
not moved into the area when Daniel was born.
The importance of Benjamin's Will is that it proves that John Burgar was his
brother and that Elizabeth Burgar, who married Samuel Page Chinn was his sister
( since he left money to his niece Elizabeth Chinn)
Benjamin Burgar and Elizabeth
Lockington were married in 1803 in St Martin in the Fields, London.94 The following is a summary of the entry in the Marriage
Register:
Benjamin Burgar, and Elizabeth Lockington , both of this Parish, were married
on the 29th June 1803 at St Martin in the Fields. The witnesses were H. Cook
and Jn. Taylor
Both Benjamin and Elizabeth signed very neatly. Jn. Taylor
must have been an official since he was a witness at many weddings.
Elizabeth Lockington was born about 1780.7 It is not clear when
she died.
Benjamin Burgar and Elizabeth Lockington had the following children:
| i. | Dorothy Elizabeth Burgar. |
|
ii. |
Henry
Bourjer was born in 1807 in St Leonards, Shoreditch, London.20
He was baptized on 8 May 1807 in St Leonards, Shoreditch, London.20
His parents were Benjamin and Elizabeth Bourjer.
It is possible that this is really a Burgar, but this has not been proved. |
| iii | Mary Burgar - is this a
daughter of this couple? The Burial Register of the Gibraltar Road
burial ground 163
in Bethnal Green has the entry: Mary Burgar, aged 3 months, was buried on the 30th June 1812. She was from St Mathews Parish, Bethnal Green. |