In 2018 I wrote about my ancestors “the Melbourne Dexters.” My gt x 3 grandparents were William Bull Dexter b 1785 in Shepshed and died 1850 in Melbourne and Jane Vigor Smedley born 1792 in Melbourne. William and Jane married in Melbourne Church on 4th March 1811. In 1837, William obtained a patent for applying the Jacquard principle to the manufacture of warp lace, the first application of the principle in Nottingham for the figuring of lace. William and Jane’s son my gt gt grandfather Walter Dexter was a Nottingham Lace Designer and Lace Manufacturer. Walter’s son, my gt grandfather Walter John Dexter was also a Nottingham Lace designer. Samples of Walter John’s designs are in safe keeping in Newstead Abbey Archives. Walter John’s daughter, granny Eva Charlotte Dexter married Will Watkins, a lithographic artist. Their son, my Uncle Dudley Dexter Watkins was an extremely talented comic artist for D C Thomson In Dundee. I do not understand my lack of artistic talent!!
I have renewed interest in my Smedley/Dexter relatives as new facts have come to light through research and a DNA test. I share DNA with Rev Gregory Dexter born in Old in Northamptonshire in 1610. Gregory, a London Printer, printed “A Key to the Language of America” for Roger Williams who founded Providence, which later became Rhode Island. Gregory himself became a Baptist Minister and Quarry owner in Providence. There is a town of Dexter to this day.
My gt x 7 grandfather Nathaniel Smedley, who was born 1644 in Melbourne and died 1718 in Melbourne, married Priscilla Brooksby in 1664 in Melbourne. Taken from Smedley Family History written by a distant cousin in the USA:
“Nathaniel was 61 and alone when Priscilla, born 1643 in Melbourne, died, his three children having grown and married. Four months later he married my gt x 7 grandmother Katherine Blackstock. Ten years earlier in 1695, Katherine had been listed among the population of Melbourne Hall, as a servant to Thomas Yoke Esq owner of the hall and later Vice Chamberlain to Queen Anne.”
Grateful thanks to Philip Heath of the Melbourne Historical Research Group for enlightening me about Nathaniel Smedley!! Nathaniel was certainly a man of means and at one time it is believed he lived at 65 Church, known as the Pump House. I rather enjoyed the story of the poor parish copper who fell down the well outside the house and drowned; subsequently, the well was filled in and a hand pump fitted, hence the name of the house. One too many maybe? I’m sure there are lots of local stories about the unfortunate incident.
I have visited Melbourne several times during my research, with no clue that Nathaniel had lived in such an eye-catching house in a prominent position overlooking the entrance to Melbourne Church and the Hall.
I quote from Philip’s study:
“The house was probably built on the site of a previous one by Nathaniel Smedley of Calke and mercer by trade. He has earned himself a place in history as one of the traders who produced their own illegal small-denomination coinage in the period 1648-1672, when the government failed to produce any coinage of its own. The use of ‘trading tokens’ usually copper or brass, ceased when the government began to produce its own low face-value coinage, but they have become very collectable. One of Smedley’s trade tokens was illustrated by Llewellynn Jewitt in the Reliquary (1685) and the British Museum has another (apparently damaged and from a slightly different die-cast) in its collection.”
Philip goes on to say that “the exact date of the house is not known, perhaps it was built around the time of Nathaniel and Katherine’s marriage in 1705 or built by a subsequent owner or occupant after Nathaniel’s death in 1718. The house appears to have been in the hands of the Smedleys before Nathaniel Smedley went to live there around 1660. The Melbourne Copyhold Survey of 1623, describes a property occupied by John Smedley, which sounds like the very same spot.”
In response to the above, Nathaniel’s father was John Smedley born 1625 possibly in Bonsall and died in Ticknall; his father also John Smedley was born c1610 possibly in Chellaston. According to Ancestry UK, Nathaniel had a brother John but I can’t confirm this. So, who knows?
Nathaniel and Katherine had one son Michael, born Melbourne 1706, who married Mary Holt in December 1730 In Melbourne. Their son, yet another John Smedley, my gt x 5 grandfather born Melbourne in 1741, married Sarah Bucknall in 1768. John was a Baptist Minster in Melbourne and at one time conducted a baptismal service in the river Derwent.
Taken from “The Baptists of Derbyshire 1650-1914 by Stephen Greasley.” With thanks to Stephen for the following:
“John later became Minister in Retford. Apparently he was one of five men who the church was keen to invite to the pastorate. To decide which of the five should be invited, the Retford Church fell back on the method used in Acts chapter 1 and asked the five to draw lots! In this way John Smedley was invited to Retford.”
The old Retford Church has been demolished and today a newer build, The Well, Retford Baptist Church and Community Centre, stands in its place. Sadly, the graves of John Smedley and Sarah Bucknall are quite likely under the car park adjoining the Church. I believe there is a copy of a painting of John Smedley in the church; the original is in the Nottingham Archives. I viewed the original painting recently.
To conclude, my granny Eva Watkins nee Dexter was convinced that our family are related to Sir Edward Elgar composer and musician, even though Dad would roll his eyes in amusement at such a suggestion! Through DNA I can confirm Granny you are correct. I share 12th gt grandfather William Elgar with Sir Edward. My grandfather Will Watkins’ mother was Amelia Clara Elgar. Dudley Watkins also shares DNA with Elgar; what a cracking combination, Desperate Dan versus The Enigma Variations. My Dexter/Smedley family continue to educate, amaze and amuse me!!
Leave a Reply