Chapter 16: 

Carew Elers (1755 - 1821)

6 generations between Carew Elers and James Rupuha Elers

The lives of Carew Elers and Susanna Farrow

• Carew was the eldest child and eldest son of the six children born to George Elers and Mary Elers (nee Charron).

• He was baptised on 2 Sep 1755 at St Andrew’s, Holborn, London.

• Carew married Susanna Farrow on 4 March 1788 (ages 33 and 16 respectively) at St Luke’s Church, Chelsea.

• According to page 33 in “Crisp’s Marriage Licence Index 1713-1892, Carew Elers 1788”, the following is a transcription of the marriage licence:

By divine permission, Lord Bishop of London. To our well-beloved in Christ, Carew Elers of the Parish of Saint Giles In The Fields in the county of Middlesex, bachelor, and Susanna Farrow of the Parish of Saint Luke Chelsea in the same county, spinster or minor”.

Whereas you are, as is alleged, determined to enter into the holy state of matrimony, by and with the consent of Elizabeth Farrow, widow, the natural and lawful mother of the said minor and are very desirous of obtaining your marriage to be solemnised in the faith of the church, we are willing, that such your honest desires may more speedily have their due effect; and therefore, that you may be able to procure such marriage to be freely and lawfully solemnised in the “Parish Church of Saint Luke Chelsea aforesaid’ by the Rector, Vicar, or Curate thereof, at any time of the year without publication of banns, provided that by reason of any pre-contract, consanguinity, assinity, or any such lawful cause whatsoever, there be no lawful impediment in this behalf, and that there be not at this time, any action, suit, quarrel or demand, moved or depending, before any Judge Ecclesiastical or Temporal, for or concerning any marriage contracted by or with either of you, and that the said marriage be openly solemnised in the church above-mentioned, between the hours of eight and twelve in the forenoon, and without prejudice to the minister of the place where the said woman is a parishioner; we do hereby, for good causes give and grant our licence or faculty, as well to you the parties contracting, as to the Rector, Vicar, or Curate of the said church, where the said marriage is intended to be solemnised, to solemnise the same in manner and form above specified, according to the rites and ceremonies prescribed in the book of common prayer, in that behalf published by authority of Parliament; provided always that if hereafter any fraud shall appear to have been committed at the time of granting this licence, either by false suggestions or concealment of the truth, then this licence shall be void to all intents and purposes in law, as if the same had not been granted; and in that case we do inhibit all ministers whatsoever, if anything of the premises shall have come to their knowledge, from proceeding to the celebration of the said marriage, without first consulting us or our Vicar General.

Given under the seal (which we use in this behalf) the twentieth eighth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty eight.

• Banns:

It should be noted that the terms of Carew and Susanna’s marriage licence included the wording “without publication of banns”. The banns of marriage, commonly known simply as the “banns”, a word meaning “proclamation” are the public announcements in a Christian parish church on three consecutive Sundays, of an impending marriage between two specified persons. The purpose of banns is to enable anyone to raise impediments to the marriage, so as to prevent invalid marriages. Impediments vary between legal jurisdictions, but would normally include a pre-existing marriage that has been neither dissolved nor annulled, a vow of celibacy, lack of consent , or the couple being related within a prohibited degree of kinship. 

From quite early times people of social standing, or people who wanted to marry in a hurry or in private, who did not wish to attend the parish church on three consecutive Sundays to hear their banns called, married by licence for a fee. A marriage of licence therefore became a symbol of social status.

Couples in a hurry or requiring privacy may have included those where:

• The bride was pregnant, or the groom was on leave from the army or navy.

• The parties differed greatly in age such as an older man marrying a minor, or a widow marrying a much younger man. 

• The parties differed in social standing such as a master marrying a servant.

Given the fact that Susanna gave birth to their first child, Elizabeth, exactly nine months to the day after their marriage, and the fact that their ages varied greatly (33 vs 16) indicates the rationale behind their decision to bypass the banns system and opt for the bond/ allegations.

• Marriage Bonds and Allegations:

These existed only for couples who applied to marry by licence. The marriage allegation was a document in which the couple (or frequently just the groom) alleged that there were no impediments to the marriage. The marriage bond set a financial penalty in case the allegation proved false.

The bond signed by Carew and Susanna’s mother Elizabeth:

Know all men by those present that we Carew Elers of the Parish of Saint Giles in the Fields in the county of Middlesex, gentleman, and Elizabeth Farrow of the Parish of Saint Luke Chelsea in the same county, widow, are hereby become bound unto the Right Reverend Father in God by divine permission Lord Bishop of London in the sum of two hundred pounds of good and lawful money of Great Britain, to be paid to him the said Right Reverend Father in God, or his lawful attorney, Executors, Successors or Assigns; for the good and faithful payment of which sum, we do bind ourselves, and both of us, jointly and severally, for the whole, our heirs, Executors and Administrators, firmly by their present, sealed with our seals, dated the twenty eighth day of February in the year of our Lord 1788.

• Susanna, daughter of William and Elizabeth Farrow, was baptised on 12 December 1772 at Monks Eleigh, Suffolk.

• Susanna died on 23 November 1833 and was buried seven days later in plot 236 at All Saints Churchyard Weston, Bath and North East Somerset Unitary Authority, Somerset, aged 61. She was living at 8 Park Street, Walcot, Bath, at the time of her death. She had outlived her husband.

• Carew died on 15 June 1821 (as reported in ‘The New Times’ on 18 June).

• He was buried on 22 June 1821 at Kings Road Old Burial Ground, Chelsea, aged 66.

• At the time of his death he was living at Gower Street, Bedford Square, London.

PROGENY OF CAREW and SUSANNA ELERS

1. Elizabeth Elers 

• Elizabeth was born on 4 December 1788 as per the memorial dedicated to her in St. Mary’s Church, Horsham, West Sussex.

• She was baptised on 1 January 1789 at St. Giles in the Fields.

• The marriage of Elizabeth to George John Gibson (born 1781) took place at St. George, Bloomsbury, Camden, on 14 Apr 1812.

• Elizabeth died on 8 Nov 1844.

• George was buried on 12 July 1860 (aged 79). At the time of his death he lived at Sandgate Lodge, Sullington.

• George and Elizabeth had one child, George, who was baptised on 5 May 1813.

Transcription of the above memorial:

Elizabeth, wife of George John Gibson, of Sandgate, in this parish, esq and daughter of Carew Elers, of Gower Street, London, esq born the 4th of Dec, 1788, departed this life the 8th of Nov 1844 . Her remains are deposited in a vault in the churchyard.

This marble, in remembrance of her conjugal affection, her endearing disposition, her honest and good heart, is inscribed by him who long had known her worth, and deeply mourns her loss.

Oh sacred sorrow by whom souls are tried. Sent, not to punish mortals, but to guide. If thou art mine, and who shall proudly dare to tell his Maker he has had his share. Still let me feel for what thy pangs are sent and be my guide, and not my punishment.

2. Charlotte Elers 

• According to page 233 of the “Pedigree Register - Inscriptions at St Luke’s old burial ground, Chelsea”, Charlotte was born in 1790 and died on 27 March of that year, aged 10 weeks. She was buried four days later.

3. Carew Thomas Elers 

• See his bio in “The lives of Rev Carew Thomas Elers B.D. and Sarah Palmer” – Chapter 17.

4. Caroline Elers 

• Caroline was born in 1792 and was baptised on 14 August of that year.

• She died on 13 January 1849 (as reported in the Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette on Thursday 25 January 1849) and was buried at Bickenhill on 20 January 1849.

• Caroline’s last will and testament was issued on 26 January 1849 (probate 11/2086/185) as available in The National Archives, but the copy held there is too vague and small to be able to transcribe.

• The Archive records that Caroline died as a spinster.

5. William Elers 

• William was born on 22 January 1797 at St. Giles, Middlesex.

• Although the exact date of his birth is not noted, it is quoted in his obituary (below).

• He married Susanna Shrubb on 19 March 1828 at Ightham, Kent. Susanna was the daughter of John Peyto Shrubb and Charlotte (Elers) Shrubb. John and Charlotte were the uncle and aunt of William, so he actually married his first cousin.

• He was a JP at the time of the !851 Census. Also according to that document, he and Susanna had three of their children living at home, Emily, Isabella, and Augusta.

• In 1863 he was Lord of the Manor (Mount Ephraim House).

• William died on 16 June 1888 at Tunbridge, aged 91, as per his obituary that appeared in the Kent and Sussex Courier on Friday 22 June 1888 as follows:

“THE DEATH OF W. ELERS, ESQ”

There has just passed away from our midst one of the oldest inhabitants of our town. Mr William Elers came to Tunbridge Wells in the year 1845 , when he purchased Mount Ephraim House, which we may remark, was formerly the abode of royalty, when Charles II visited this neighbourhood. His life has not been an inactive one (though of late years in consequence of his great years he has not appeared much in public), for having been appointed a Justice of the Peace as far back as 1838, he took a great interest in his magisterial duties, which he only relinquished when deafness came upon him. He formerly took a very prominent part in the affairs of the town, and together with Major Stanope Taylor he was instrumental in establishing several benefit clubs. Having lived to the great age of nearly 92 years, he departed respected as a just and upright man by all who knew him. In many other respects Mr. Elers will be remembered; as a deputy lieutenant of the country, as the sometime Chairman of the Conservative party in the triumphant days of the “striplings” Holmesdale and Filmer, as a Mason, and in other public and social capacities, Mr. Elers long took a prominent part.

The funeral took place yesterday (Thursday) at St. Paul’s churchyard, Rusthall, when the third son, the Rev E.H. Elers, vicar of Baldre officiated. An open funeral car was used, and the coffin which was of polished oak and massive brass furniture with a wealth of floral tributes, bore the following inscription:

William Elers

Born, 22nd January, 1797,

Died, 16th June, 1888. 

• Two sons of William and Susanna (William Shrubb Elers and Frederick Wadham Elers) were the Executors of William’s will. His personal estate was GBP33475 – that equates to GBP 5.4 million in 2024 terms.

• William’s wife Susanna Shrubb was a daughter of John Peyto Shrubb and his wife Charlotte (Elers) Shrubb.

• She was baptised on 27 January 1796 at St. Mary’s, Guildfod.

• She married William Elers on 19 March 1828 (figure 16) 

• She died on 8 June 1876 at home in Ephraim House, aged 80 and was buried with her husband at St Paul’s Rusthall churchyard, later joined in the tomb by their son Frederick Wadham Elers.

• Her personal effects were valued as less than GBP200.00

• William and Susanna had six children – William Shrubb Elers, Emily Elers, Frederick Wadham Elers, Reverend Edward Henry Elers, Isabella Susanna Elers, and Augusta Mary Elers (source: ancestors.familysearch.org/en/MXVI-95T/susanna-shrubb-1795). See chapter 16A for bios on these children.

St. Paul’s churchyard, Rusthall – burial site of William Elers, Susanna Elers, and Frederick Wadham Elers.