On the face of it, Edward Ginn seems to have started with very little, his father was not especially prosperous and although his wife's family were in business in a small way, it is unclear where his rise in fortunes came from. Yet, by his death he had built a seemingly very prosperous Building and Carpentry business.
Edward was 26 when he married Esther Bangs at Standon in 1809. Esther's mother was Alice Fordham, the sister of Catherine Fordham, Edward's Mum - in short Edward and Esther were first cousins. This was to have major consequences for one of the children.
After the marriage Edward came to live in Standon. Esther had two spinster sisters who ran a draper's shop there - they lived together, worked together and now they lie together, in the same marked grave in Standon churchyard.
Edward was a jack of all trades, he pretty much tried his hand at anything that would make money - buying and selling land, building and carpentry, victualing and farming. Whilst I knew he became quite prosperous in later life , in 2009, I was shocked to find that he improved his fortunes very sharply as early as during the Napoleonic Wars the “Morning Chronicle” (national newspaper) of Jan 16th 1813 having the following advert:
“HERTFORDSHIRE to be let by tender for 21 years, a desirable FARM two miles from Hertford and Ware… it consists of a Messuage, Barns, Stables, Outbuildings and one hundred and fifty acres of land in a sporting part of the country….may be viwed by application to Mr Ginn, Puckeridge”. The agents were in Bloomsbury
Edward was quite well educated. A number of documents relating to him, and in some cases signed by him, survive (HRO). He made a good deal of his money working on what we would call local authority contracts. The interested reader will find numerous references to these in the Quarter Sessions papers at the Herts Record Office. He was involved in contracts on roads, bridges and various refurbishment schemes. He purchased the Bridewell (prison/lock-up) at Buntingford so that he could re-develop it.
In addition to all this, it is clear that Edward was a buyer and seller of property, as well as a Landlord (see Land Tax records). Obviously, he had the vote.
Edward had property both at Braughing and Standon, but he mostly lived in Puckeridge. I have not bothered, but it would be possible to work out where from the Tithe Map.
By 1851, Edward had retired. He passed the business to his son Thomas. In that year Edward and Esther were living with their unmarried children Alice and Edward.
Edward died in 1853, he certainly left a will; though I have not checked it out. He was 70. Esther died in 1860, she was 73. They are not mentioned in the Standon book on M.I.s
Edward and Esther had six children:
Edward and Esther had six children:
Thomas - he married Mary Acres at Standon in 1836 In 2009, I discovered the following entry in “Jackson’s Oxford Journal” (a Saturday provincial newpaper but widely read) of August 27th 1836:
“Married at Standon Hertfordshire, Thomas, son and heir of Edward Ginn Esq of Puckeridge to Mary, eldest daughter of Randall Acres Esq of Mentley in the said County”
The entry is important as Mary appears to have no baptismal entry on the IGI. Randall Acres was a substantial farmer who appears to have held “Mentleys” also known as Mentley Farm (still there) in Puckeridge. Sadly, it seems clear that Thomas & Mary did not have any children. He seems to have often had a role (churchwarden etc) at Standon church
Thomas took over his father's business. He also had a substantial farm of some 200/250 acres (which utilised 8 workers) and I have wondered if this was an extended version of the farm his father let out in 1813. He obviously did quite well, and they had servants.
Thomas died in 1875. Mary pre-deceased him in 1871. Thomas did not remarry. Thomas and Mary are buried in Standon churchyard, and there are M.I.s. Thomas also left a will in which (among other things) he set us a Standon Charity which survives With Thomas died the last Ginn descendant of Edward Ginn of Great Hormead (1610-1692)
Esther she married John Smith, a Miller from Braughing. In the 1851 census she was already widowed and had four children. This plus a 382 acre farm and 14 employees. In the 1871 Census she was with her sister Alice, and described as a widow (a Farmer's wife).
Eliza - married Francis Cates. Cates was a Saddler from Bishop's Stortford but came from a prosperous Puckeridge family who were innkeepers and farmers. In 1871 she was staying with her sisters Alice and Esther, and her husband was described as an Innkeeper. It is known through a Cates descended correspondent that Francis and Eliza moved to Great Dunmow in Essex and took over “The Saracen’s Head” public house, combining this with running Broadgroves Farm of 68 acres. Their son Frederick apparently eventually took over Edward Ginn’s builder’s business at Standon.
Catherine -married Isaac Livermore. He was a Farmer from ____ Hatch, the writing is unclear. His father was named as a “Gentleman"
Alice - never married. It was her lot to look after her handicapped brother Edward. She was in Puckeridge in 1871 (living off an annuity) and clearly retired to the fashionable resort of Hastings/St Leonard's. She was there in the 1881 census. She died there in 1891, three years after Edward.
Edward - Paid the price for his parents being first cousins. Was severely mentally handicapped. Went to Hastings/St Leonard's. He was in Hastings on the 1881 census. He died there in 1888
