Chapter 13: 

Thomas Carew (1644 - 1692)

9 generations between Thomas Carew and James Rupuha Elers

The lives of Thomas Carew and Mary Heatly

• Thomas Carew of Camerton, Somersetshire was the third child and second son of Thomas Carew and Margery (Wyndham) Carew.

• He was born in 1644 and died in 1692.

• He married Mary Heatly on 12 September 1666 at All Hallows Staining, London.

The tower of All Hallows Staining Church London with an etching produced in 1922. Writing in his book “London” George Cunningham describes All Hallows as “one of the earliest London churches to be built of stone – possibly the very first – and if so it must have dated from very early times. The church is first mentioned in 1335, and the tower dates from about a century later. Although the church escaped the Great Fire of London in 1666, it fell down in 1671, rebuilt 1673, but removed except for the tower in 1870.”The information plaque in front of the church attributes the collapse of the main body of the church to the weakening of the foundations due to the large number of burials in the churchyard.

The document below shows Thomas Heatly giving his consent for his daughter Mary to marry Thomas Carew (at 19 years of age she was considered a minor).  Note this consent document is dated 6 September 1667, but the marriage certificate above is dated 12 September 1666. One can only assume a typographical error.

• Thomas Heatly married Catherine in 1643 at the Church of Holy Trinity, Minories, London. Converted from the chapel of a nunnery, Holy Trinity was in use as a church from the 16th century until the end of the 19th. It survived as a parish hall until it was destroyed by bombing during WW11 (source: Wikipedia).

The marriage record above lists Thomas Heatly as having married Katherine Farnee. Below is a copy of the original data recorded by the Minister at Holy Trinity Church. In the translation process when digitising the record, Catherine’s maiden surname (James) has been incorrectly translated as “Farnee”. However, when the other marriage entries on the same page are examined, it is obvious that the Minister’s handwriting has been mis-interpreted. One can see the word “James” in his script, particularly the way he wrote the letters   j,  e and s.

Appendix  1:

The date Catherine Heatly died is unknown, although a Catherine Heatly was buried on 20 May 1686 at St Anne, Soho, London (as per the Westminster Church of England Parish Registers reference: STA/PR/6/1). However, her husband’s name is not recorded so there is no proof this was the wife of Thomas Heatly. But sometime after her death Thomas married Jane (maiden name unknown) Heatly. Her Christian name only is mentioned in Thomas’ will (see notes from that doc below). Jane died on 2 July 1694, only twelve days after her husband and she was also buried at All Hallows, Staining.

The Will of Thomas Heatly

The following are some excerpts from Thomas Heatly’s will which are validation for the points made about him earlier in this chapter. 

The will can be sourced at “prob-11-420-367” dated 7 June 1694 i.e. thirteen days before his burial.

• “I give unto my dear and loving wife Jane Heatly…”  (proof of his marriage to Jane).

• “I give unto my four grandchildren being the children of my daughter Mary Carew deceased that is to say Thomas, George, Mary, and Dorothy forty pounds ….”   (proof of our understanding of the children of Thomas and Mary).

• “I give unto the worshipful company of Ironmongers twenty pounds to buy a sterling silver cup with my name to be engraved…”  (appendix 1 above states that Thomas was an ironmonger)

• “I appoint George Carew and his wife Alice Carew my only daughter to be sole executor and executrix of this my last will and testament and unto them I give all my real and personal estate--- to dispose and sell the same as they shall see opportunity and equally divide the same unto his nine children now living that is to say Thomas, John, George, Richard, Heatly Carew, Catherine, Penelope, Alice, and Margery”

• The will confirms his date of birth – “I give unto the poor of St Catherin Church where I was born in the year 1619 ten pounds to be distributed by the minister…..”

• “I give unto the Governors of Christ Hospital whereof I am a member one hundred pounds to be paid within twelve months after my decease to be paid out by the ……… towards a library and for not any other use whatsoever.” – Christ Hospital is the school Carew Thomas Elers attended prior to his emigrating to New Zealand in 1880.

• “Although it hath pleased God some years past hath happened (especially the Turkey ships) great losses, I do give unto my said wife over and above the said one hundred and twenty pounds…..”

Appendix 1 above makes reference to Thomas Heatly being a “Turkey merchant”. The Heatly will above also makes reference to his Turkey ships having suffered great losses. The Levant Company, also known as the Turkey Company, was first chartered by Elizabeth 1 in 1581. The Company enjoyed a monopoly on all trade between England and the Ottoman Empire until 1754.

PROGENY OF THOMAS and MARY CAREW

1. Thomas Carew 

• Born in 1668 and died on 4 September 1719

• He was buried at St Peters Churchyard on 19 September 1719 (Source: Somerset Heritage Service;Taunton,Somerset,England,SomersetParishRecords,1538-1914:ReferenceNumber:D\P\Cam/2/1/2)

• Married Elizabeth Sanford on 20 January 1701 at Nynehead, Somerset (see next page).

• Elizabeth (born 1675, died 24 Sept 1728) (Source - page 27 of the “Abstracts of Somersetshire Wills” was the third child and second daughter of John Sanford (1638-1711) and Elizabeth (Knightley) Sanford (1653-1711) of Nynehead.

• John and Elizabeth Sanford had 16 children.

Memorial to Thomas and Elizabeth (Sanford) Carew at the Church of St Peter, Camerton. Source: Private collection

Transcript of the memorial to Thomas and Elizabeth:

Near this place, in the vault underneath, rests the body of Thomas Carew, esq; who was son of Thomas Carew, merchant in London, and grandson of Thomas Carew, esq. of Studley in the county of Devon, and great grandson of Sir John Carew, knt. Of Carew Castle in the county of Pembroke in the principality of Wales. He departed this life the 4th day of Sept. in the year 1719. He married Eliza the eldest daughter of John Sanford, esq; of Nynehead in this county, and by whom he had living at his death four sons, Thomas, John, George, Henry and six daughters, Eliza, Mary, Penelope, Ann, Lucy, and Amy, all young and unmarried. He was the best of husbands, and the best of fathers, a sincere friend, a good kind master, a neighbour, and charitable to the poor. Here also lyeth the body of Sarah the daughter of Thomas Carew, and Elizabeth his wife, who departed this life the 4th of April in the year 1714. In memory of her very loving, and entirely beloved husband, this monument was erected by his sorrowful relict A.D. 1721.

Wall monument in the Carew Chapel at the church of the Holy Ghost, Crowcombe. Source: private collection

2. George Carew 

• Born 1670 - ?

3. Mary Carew

• Born 1673 - ?

4. Dorothy Carew

• Born 1684 and died 1727.

• Dorothy married Peter Elers and so begins the long genealogical line down to Carew Thomas Elers who emigrated to New Zealand in 1880.

• See the bio for Dorothy in “The Lives of Peter Elers and Dorothy (Carew) Elers”.