Descendants of Robert  Burgar (1754-1820)

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John Burgar (1780-1836) - assumed son of Robert Burgar (1754-1820)

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John Burgar was born in 1780.⁹³

John Burgar and Mary Blake were married on 25 Dec 1816 in St Pancras Old Church, St Pancras, London.¹⁰¹  A summary of the entry in the Marriage Register for St Pancras is:

John Burgar, bachelor of this Parish and Mary Blake, of this Parish were married by Banns on the 25th December 1816 at St Pancras Old Church, Middx. John signed the register and Mary only made her mark. The witnesses were Rebecca Blake and Thomas Blake

The witnesses were probably her brother and sister or sister-in-law.

In 1815 he was a Shoemaker. (Unsure as to the reference for this fact).

When his two daughters were baptised he was recorded as being a Mechanic and later in Trade. We are not sure exactly what is meant by the word Mechanic.

From 1817 right through to his death in 1836 John appears in the Poll Tax Books in St Marylebone. An example is:

1817 34 East Street, Occupier George Hewitt for tenants, John Burgar over, £34

1818 34 East Street, Occupier John Burgar, £36


In the 1827 edition of Piggots Metropolitan Directory (London and Middlesex) there is an entry:

John Burgar, Coffee Rooms, 34 East Street, Manchester Square”

He later appears in the 1836 edition of Piggots Commercial directory as:

John Burgar, Marylebone Coffee House, P.H., 34 East Street, Blandford Street, Portman Square.

Both these addresses are the same place, but East Street is off Blanford Street which runs into Portman Square. It therefore seems that John is running a Coffee House and Public house.

In 1833 John Burgar appears before a Select Committee of the House of Commons.²⁸⁸   .

See details of this Committee

How John Burgar was chosen to provide evidence of the beer drinking public will never be solved. 

Three years later, John unfortunately committed suicide in 1836. This was reported in the newspapers of the day.

See Newspaper reports of the Coroners Inquest into John's suicide.
 

He was buried on 11 Apr 1836 in St Lukes, Chelsea, London.⁹³ In the Burial Register at St Lukes Chelsea is the following:

John Burgar of East Street Marylebone, age 56 was buried on 1st April 1836. Cause of death was suicide. There was no Undertaker. £7.8.3d

In one of the Day Books (X26/22b) on the 11th April 1836 is

John Burgar Position is No 16, row 21, South Quarter, 13 feet deep, £4.3.6d {in a column with the heading "Single brick grave" are the letters NP- but the meaning of this is unclear}.

Presumably the first charge is for the burial and the second is for digging the grave. This sounds very expensive for a funeral in those days, but was probably because he committed suicide.

He was buried  near his brother Benjamin Burgar who died a little earlier.

In the Administration of his estate the following summary was given:

John Burgar on the fourth day , Administration of the goods, chattels and credits of John Burgar late of East Street Manchester Square in the County of Middlesex Victualler deceased was granted to Mary Burgar widow the relict of the said deceased, having been first sworn duly to administer. £800

This means that Mary Burgar has sworn to administer the estate of her dead husband, that is, to deal with all his requests etc. Effectively it means that she inherits the £800.

This is the end of another line in the Burgar surname.


Mary Blake was born 1785 according to her age at death. ^{16, 38} 

After John's death Mary continued to run the Coffee House. She appears in the 1838 Robsons Directory

Mary Burgar 34 East St Manchester Square, Proprietor of the 'Maryb' Coffee House.

This entry also appears in the London Coffee Houses Journal.

After this she seems to move with her daughter and son-in-law to Camberwell where she appears in the 1841 Census  ⁹.

See 1841 Census

Mary died of Dropsy in 1848 at Islington London.¹⁶ Civil Registration of Death reference is Mar 1848 V 3, p 243. - Islington London.¹⁶ A summary of her Death Certificate states:

On the 8th March 1848 at 28 Pultney Terrace Mary Burger, female, 63 years, wife of John Burgar Licensed Victualler, died of Dropsy 3 months. Present at the death, John Drew of 28 Pultney Terrace Islington.

Dropsy is an illness in which the legs swell up to a very large size. This suggests that Mary Blake Burgar, her daughter and son-in-law, John Drew, were now living in Islington.
 

Mary was buried at in the non-conformist cemetery at Bunhill Fields.  The Burial Register for New Bunhill Fields Burial Ground states

Mary Burgar, aged 63 years, of 28 Poultney Terrace, Islington, was buried on 11th March 1848 in Lower Ground.

John Burgar and Mary Blake had the following children:

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