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Mary Morton Chapman

I

Ian Broinowski

master brummie
Hi Everyone,

I live in Hobart Tasmania and I am researching for a book about Mary Morton Chapman born in Birmingham 17 May 1806. Her parents were William and Anne Floyd, nee Evett. I know she had one sibling Humphrey Evett Chapman who Died 20th July 1843 accident at sea aged 30 on the Ann Paley.

Her father was the licensee of the Castle Inn on High Street for many years from 1812.

Mary married Joseph Allport in 1826 and emigrated to Tasmania in 1831.

I am looking for any information about her family or about the Castle Inn.

Any thought will be greatly appreciated.

Ian
 

Attachments

I clarified the details about Mary's brother Humphrey in the other thread...

Castle Street

Hi Everyone, My name is Ian Broinowski and I am writing from Tasmania. Thankyou all for the information you have provided about the life and times of Mary. I am interested in another Mary. She was Mary Morton Chapman who lived at the Castle Inn from when she was 6 and left for boarding school at...
birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
To continue the nautical theme, Mary's niece - Ann Floyd Evett Chapman, daughter of Mary's brother James - married a Joseph Browne, Captain of the Jane Morice. Reported in Aris's Bham Gazette 5 Jan 1852.
 
Mary's grandparents appear to be Henry Chapman & Ann/Hannah Morton (m. 9 Sep 1771 St Peter & St Paul, Aston) and Humphrey Evett & Ann Floyd (m. 4 Jul 1777 St Martin's, Bham).

I can details of some other siblings of Mary if you want them.
 
Hi MWS,
Thankyou so much!

This is really helpful. I would really like information on her siblings. Families became so detached once they travelled to the other side of the world. I want to understand her better and one way to do this is to learn about her family and how she grew up. I have attached a self portrait for you and make her more alive. It is really delightful.

Are you connected to her in any way?

Look forward to hearing from you

Ian

[Self portrait]
by

Allport, Mary Morton, 1806-1895.

Title
:
[Self portrait]

Author/Creator
:
Allport, Mary Morton, 1806-1895.

Physical description
:
1 painting : watercolour on ivory ; 5 x 5 cm. (oval)

Format
:
picture

image (online)

Notes
:
Attributed to Mary Morton Allport.

Unsigned and undated.

Miniature is set in a gold pendant (or brooch) frame.

Exact measurements 50 x 45 mm. (oval)

Condition on accession: generally good order under glass. Brooch pin is slightly bent.

Citation
:
Digitised item from: Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office

Subjects
:
Portrait miniatures.

Allport, Mary Morton, 1806-1895 -- Portraits

Record ID
:
SD_ILS:85414

Electronic resources
:
https://stors.tas.gov.au/AUTAS001124066176w800


LibraryShelf LocationShelf NumberItem Category 2Item category 3Status
Allport LibraryStore 3SRUndefinedUndefinedStore 3
State Library OnlineImages - AllportSLIDES 34S ; CD IMAGES9UndefinedUndefinedImages - Allport
 

Attachments

  • Mary self portrait.jpg
    Mary self portrait.jpg
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No Ian, I'm not connected to Mary, just find the research/story interesting. These are the siblings I'm confident of...

Ann Frances Chapman b1799 d1859, married Henry Edwards (21 Jun 1823, St Martin's). They had at least 6 children, Henry is listed as a Merchant in Handsworth in 1851. One of their sons John Plimley Edwards was arrested in Stockholm (Jun 1860), having absconded with a large amount of money. He was later charge with forgery.

James Evett Chapman b1804, married Eliza Hart (10 Oct 1828, St Martin's). They had at least 2 children, Ann (above) and James Morton Chapman, who has a couple of entries in Master & Mates Certificates and whose widow is listed as an Officer's Widow in 1871.

Mary Evett Chapman b1805 and d1805.

Mary Morton Chapman b1806 as you know.

Humphrey Evett Chapman b1815 d1842. His wife is mentioned in the report of his death but haven't found a marriage.

William Floyd Chapman b1815 d1884, married Emma Greatwood (12 Apr 1836, St Martin's). They don't appear to have had any children. He moved first to Llandudno and then Gloucester and was listed as a Coach Builder, Gentleman Owner of Land and Houses, and JP County. He is mentioned a number of times in newspapers.

I suspect there was at least one more brother, Thomas, baptised at the same time as James but can find nothing to corroborate and there may be a couple of more sisters.
 
Another sister...

Louisa Harriet Chapman b1812 (bap 1818) d1863, married twice Charles William Mucklow (1 Aug 1833, St Martin's) then Charles James Hartley (27 Feb 1841, St Philip's). Charles was an accountant. Their children have Floyd, Evett and Morton amongst their names.

Which leads to another possible - George Arthur Chapman (son of William & Ann) baptised on the same day as Louisa but I can't corroborate.
 
Well I can see why you love researching. I certainly have the same passion. Thanks to your efforts I am starting to build a picture of Mary's childhood and life growing up in a busy Inn in central Birmingham. What contrast to living in the isolation of the bush in VDL with a small baby and hostile aborigines and seriously dangerous bushrangers. Interesting too how art was so much part of her life while there appears to be no refection of this in her siblings. Both Mary and Joseph and several generations of Allports built up an amazing collection of art and culture over 150 years. It was left to the Tasmanian library and is called "The Allport Collection" If you want to see more State Library of Tasmania.https://librariestas.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/all/search/results?qu=&qu="mary+Allport"&qu=
Mary's life though was entwined in sadness and grief with the death of five of her eight children.
I also understand that you wish to keep your privacy but I will need to reference the material you have kindly found for me for the book. So could you please send the links etc and then I can provide correct citations.

Thankyou so much for everything

Ian
 
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I think it's advised not to put your email on the forum as in can be 'harvested'

The majority of the info (bar newspaper reports) was obtained from familysearch. They provide 'a copy citation facility' which I'll paste below. Baptisms...

Ann Frances Chapman...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPF6-S9Z : 21 September 2020), Ann Frances Chapman, 1799.

James Evett Chapman...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JMKJ-CJP : 21 September 2020), James Chapman, 1804.

Mary Evett Chapmam...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPF8-21S : 21 September 2020), Mary Eveitt Chapman, 1805.

Humphrey Evett Chapman...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPFJ-HM4 : 18 September 2020), Humphrey Evett Chapman, 1815.

William Floyd Chapman...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N1VY-N45 : 19 September 2020), William Floyd Chapman, 1815.

Louisa Harriet Chapman...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JWD4-7Q8 : 21 March 2020), Louisa Harriet Chapman, 1818.

If they're suitable I'll continue, if not I'll post the links. Familysearch is free to use.
 
A couple of mentions of the Castle Inn.

1800 Notice that the only Coach to Manchester from the Town was from the Castle Inn every evening at half past 8 o’clock, with Guard.

1814 Auction at the House of William Chapman, Castle Inn.
 
A lot of coaches went from the Castle, certainly in later years. From the 1815 Wrightsons directory (1815 being publication date):

Coaches from Castle Inn from 1815 Wrightsons directory.jpg
 
Mary Morton Chapman had an aunt (a spinster) of the same name whose death is mentioned in Aris's Bham Gazette 17 Apr 1837.

It says Mary Morton Chapman of Bull Street which leads to the death of her father, Thomas Chapman, mentioned twice in Dec in the Bham Chronicle. Thomas Chapman, many years an eminent printer of Bull Street.
 
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This could be a mention of Thomas Chapman in relation to the Baskerville Type...

www.universitypressscholarship.com

After the ‘Perfect Book’

This chapter examines the history of publications printed in Baskerville type by English printers other than John Baskerville himself. During Baskerville’s lifetime, his foreman Robert Martin was the only printer to use the type when he assumed temporary management of the press at Easy Hill...
www.universitypressscholarship.com www.universitypressscholarship.com
 
MWS said:
I think it's advised not to put your email on the forum as in can be 'harvested'

The majority of the info (bar newspaper reports) was obtained from familysearch. They provide 'a copy citation facility' which I'll paste below. Baptisms...

Ann Frances Chapman...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPF6-S9Z : 21 September 2020), Ann Frances Chapman, 1799.

James Evett Chapman...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JMKJ-CJP : 21 September 2020), James Chapman, 1804.

Mary Evett Chapmam...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPF8-21S : 21 September 2020), Mary Eveitt Chapman, 1805.

Humphrey Evett Chapman...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NPFJ-HM4 : 18 September 2020), Humphrey Evett Chapman, 1815.

William Floyd Chapman...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N1VY-N45 : 19 September 2020), William Floyd Chapman, 1815.

Louisa Harriet Chapman...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JWD4-7Q8 : 21 March 2020), Louisa Harriet Chapman, 1818.

If they're suitable I'll continue, if not I'll post the links. Familysearch is free to use.
Click to expand...
Sound advice, Thankyou I am not familiar with forums but will be more careful.
The citations are exactly what I wanted.
I was wondering why they decided to go to VDL and then I found this. I appears Joseph's parents decided to go and her brother and wife as well. I assume he would have been William.

Allport, Mary Morton (1806–1895)​

by Alison Alexander

English-born Mary Allport, who settled in Van Diemen’s Land with her husband and their young son in 1831, has a claim to be Australia’s first professional female artist. As well as taking commissions from fellow European settlers, she developed a reputation as a skilled miniaturist and was an early member of the Royal Society of Tasmania.
Allport was born Mary Morton Chapman in Birmingham, England, in 1806. Her father is reputed to have run a local hotel, the Castle Inn, successfully enough to send Mary to a boarding school run by a Mr and Mrs Allport in a nearby village. Mary loved school, excelling in music and especially art, and stayed on after her studies were completed, possibly as a pupil-teacher. She married the Allports’ son, Joseph, in 1826. It was to be a happy marriage.
Joseph, six years older than Mary, was a lawyer, and the newlyweds lived just outside Birmingham. Their first child died, but the second, a son named Morton born in 1830, flourished. His parents had already decided to emigrate to Van Diemen’s Land with a group that included Mary’s brother and his wife. When they arrived in Hobart Town in December 1831, the Allports were of a high enough social status to join the colony’s elite, attending a grand dinner at Government House to celebrate Queen Adelaide’s birthday.

Biography - Mary Morton Allport - People Australia

peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au
 
Ian Broinowski said:
Sound advice, Thankyou I am not familiar with forums but will be more careful.
The citations are exactly what I wanted.
I was wondering why they decided to go to VDL and then I found this. I appears Joseph's parents decided to go and her brother and wife as well. I assume he would have been William.
Click to expand...

If couldn't have been William Floyd, as he didn't marry until 1836. He did in Gloucester 1884.

It may have been James Evett, who married in 1828. Both (all ?) his children were baptised in Birmingham, 1830 & 1840 but the younger was born in 1831 so they may have gone and come back.
 
And a quick look confirms that it was James Evett and Eliza. Fortunately there is a baptism record for James Morton Chapman 30 Nov 1834, Tasmania - parents James Evett and Eliza. James is listed as an Auctioneer living in Bothwell.

Two citations...

"Australia, Tasmania, Civil Registration, 1803-1933", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:QL9T-J7G2 : 14 May 2021), Entry for James Morton Chapman, 1834.

"Australia Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:93Q7-TQ9 : 28 January 2020), Entry for James Morton Chapman, 1834.

So they went and some or all came back and James Morton was baptised again...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:9CQ5-B1J : 20 March 2020), Entry for James Morten Chapman, 1840.

It appears that he was a pupil at the Blue Coat Charity School in 1841.
 
Also I think I can confirm that Mary Morton did have a brother Thomas as mention previously.

It looks likes he married a Marian Prentice in Stratford in 1833. It mentions his abode as St Phillip's, Bham.

On the 1841 census Thomas & Marian are living in Bradford St Bordesley. He is listed as a Coach Proprietor and with them is an Ann Chapman aged 10. No relationships are listed in 1841 but Thomas & Marian don't appear to have had any children so I suspect that Ann is their niece back from Australia (if she did go), daughter of James and Eliza.
 
MWS said:
And a quick look confirms that it was James Evett and Eliza. Fortunately there is a baptism record for James Morton Chapman 30 Nov 1834, Tasmania - parents James Evett and Eliza. James is listed as an Auctioneer living in Bothwell.

Two citations...

"Australia, Tasmania, Civil Registration, 1803-1933", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:QL9T-J7G2 : 14 May 2021), Entry for James Morton Chapman, 1834.

"Australia Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:93Q7-TQ9 : 28 January 2020), Entry for James Morton Chapman, 1834.

So they went and some or all came back and James Morton was baptised again...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:9CQ5-B1J : 20 March 2020), Entry for James Morten Chapman, 1840.

It appears that he was a pupil at the Blue Coat Charity School in 1841.
Click to expand...
Well that certainly solves a mystery. The shipping record in the newspaper only says Mr and Mrs Chapman and child but no surnames.
Many thanks
Ian
 
This is the citation for Thomas Chapman, now corroborated to be Mary's brother...

"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:9CQ7-5D4 : 21 September 2020), Entry for Thomas Chapman, 1804.

He died in 1843.

That's all the births for Mary's siblings except the possible George Arthur who was baptised the same date as Louisa. Details from the actual scan (which I can't see) might prove it one way or the other. You'll have to let me know what other citations you want.
 
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Actually there might be a couple more. There's a burial in Bham for an Arthur Evett Chapman in 1811, parents William and Ann, and an Eleanor Cooper Chapman in 1813, parents William and Ann F.

Which would make 10 - Ann Frances, Thomas, James Evett, Mary Evett, Mary Morton, Arthur Evett, Eleanor Cooper, Louisa Elizabeth, William Floyd & Humphrey Evett - and at least one more possible - George Arthur.

3 died young, 3 married but had no children and 4 married and had children.
 
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MWS said:
Actually there might be a couple more. There's a burial in Bham for an Arthur Evett Chapman in 1811, parents William and Ann, and an Eleanor Cooper Chapman in 1813, parents William and Ann F.

Which would make 10 - Ann Frances, Thomas, James Evett, Mary Evett, Mary Morton, Arthur Evett, Eleanor Cooper, Louisa Elizabeth, William Floyd & Humphrey Evett - and at least one more possible - George Arthur.

3 died young, 3 married but had no children and 4 married and had children.
Click to expand...
Amazing! Again that adds so much to her story. I can't thankyou enough.
 
Ian Broinowski said:
Amazing! Again that adds so much to her story. I can't thankyou enough.
Click to expand...
Ok so I know you like a challenge!

I think we may have two families here. Perhaps William Chapman, Mary's father also had a brother named Chapman with several children. Take a look at Mary's siblings and you will note both Thomas and James born in the same year as well as Humphrey and William which while technically possible would be quite something to achieve and twice at that.
That would explain why there was confusion about babies being born at the same time.

Any thoughts

Ian
 

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I think it's probably just a case of not baptising children immediately and doing two at a time. One of my 3 x g grandfathers was baptised with 4 of his siblings.

There's a bit of a gap between the baptisms of Ann Frances and Thomas & James, and the 1841 census gives Thomas' age as 40, though that's not precise.

All baptisms list the parents as William & Ann so it would be a bit of a coincidence to have another William & Ann Chapman baptising their children on the same day.

Thomas & James would seem to be confirmed as brothers (twin or otherwise) by the presence of James' daughter with Thomas in 1841. Humphrey is definitely the son of the correct William because of the newspaper reports. And William Floyd is mentioned as the uncle of James' daughter in her marriage to Joseph Browne. Also on the 1841 census William is living next door to his mother.

I did wonder what happened to James and Eliza though, that in 1841 one child is with a brother and the other is in a charity school (even though the family as a whole appear to be quite well off).
 
Of Course I was thinking of births rather than baptisms which make a lot more sense.

I think though we can take out Ann Francis because as you say there is a gap and mother is listed as Ann Hoyde.
I agree it is quite a mystery about James and Eliza - something for me to work on!
1657879347323.png
 
Sorry, disagreeing again. I think she is their daughter. I think that's just a transcription error, Ancestry has mother listed as Ann Floyd.

One of Ann Frances daughters - Sarah - is a visitor of her aunt (Louisa) in 1861. Would have been nice if it would have said niece but it shows some connection.

Not sure if you're interested in the next generation but it was one of Ann Frances sons - John Plimley Edwards - who absconded and was arrested in Stockholm. His company went bankrupt with debts of between 50 & 100 thousand pounds. It looks like he was found guilty, sent to prison, then a mental home and then possibly pardoned.
 
That is a convincing argument! I will certainly leave her in. Always interested in what happens to next generation but I really need to focus on Mary. Thanks to you I can now build a picture of her family life before she went to school with the Allports and eventually VDL
 
Ian Broinowski said:
Of Course I was thinking of births rather than baptisms which make a lot more sense.

I think though we can take out Ann Francis because as you say there is a gap and mother is listed as Ann Hoyde.
I agree it is quite a mystery about James and Eliza - something for me to work on!
View attachment 171637
Click to expand...
The original definitely has FLOYDE
1657882421875.png
Also Mary Morton Chapman seems to be a witness at Ann's marriage.
 
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