Histories

ABRAHAM WEEKS was born at Westham, near Eastbourne, Sussex. By 1816 he had moved to Charlton, Kent on the outskirts of London to work in market gardening. On 8 June that year he leased from the Maryon Wilson family a "close of arable land at Charlton called Ramhooks" 14 acres 2 roods and 17 perches in area, previously occupied by William Beverstock. The land was described as bounded on the north by a road on the other side of which was Charlton Park (it is now known as Charlton Park Lane), on the east by Smithfield Lane, and on the south by Smithfield Wood. The rent was £42-10-6d per annum, and the lease for 21 years, though in the event Abraham and his family occupied the land for nearly 80 years (see 10). Unable to sign his name he appended his mark to the legal document. On the NE corner of the land he built the single storey cottage in which he, and later his son William, lived.

    MARY ANN KEYS was born in Kent. She may have been the illeg-itimate daughter of William Doctor and Sarah Keys, b 14 Mar 1799 and baptised 12 Apr 1799 as Marianne at St Mary Magdalene in Woolwich. (Sarah may have had another illegitimate child, Thomas, father unrecorded, b 25 Apr, bpt 23 May 1803 at East Greenwich.)

    No record of Abraham and Mary Ann's wedding has been found. All the children were baptised at St Luke's, Charlton, within about 2 months of their births. Mary Ann was described as a dressmaker in 1841.
    Throughout this period Abraham described himself as a market gardener, or sometimes as a gardener. By 1851 Abraham is recorded as having 23 acres of land with 12 labourers to help him, but no record has been found of how or where he rented the additional land.

    Mary Ann was buried (17 Dec 1843) at St Luke's, Charlton, in a part of the churchyard in front of the church, with a grave-stone which read: "Sacred to the memory of Mrs Mary Ann Weeks, wife of Mr Abraham Weeks of this parish. Died Dec 10 1843 aged 44 years". The inscription was noted down in 1908.

    JOHN WILLIAM was not mentioned in the 1841 census as living at home. He may have died young or already have left home.

    CHARLES was a carpenter in 1841, and had left home by 1851.

    MARY ANN MARGARET was a dressmaker in 1841, and had left home by 1851.

    MARTHA LETITIA was also a dressmaker, and was still living with her widowed father in 1851.

    MATILDA was buried at St Luke's "aged 3 weeks 2 days".

    JULIA BRITANNIA probably died before her sister, also called Julia, was born.

    JULIA ELIZABETH, subsequently just Julia, was living at home "aged 7" in 1841 and "aged 15" in 1851. The underestimation of her age and lack of occupation suggests that she may have been retarded in some way.

    CAROLINE CHARLOTTE was a scholar in 1851. She became a seamstress and was living with her brother William Abraham and his family in 1871, presumably still unmarried. In 1891 she was living in 2 rooms in "The Cottage", Park Lane, Charlton, quite near her brother, and was then described as "living on her own means".