Edward Clarke senior

Edward Clarke senior (1770-1826) inherited from his grandfather (Edward Clarke of Trelawny) the Hyde estate in Jamaica which became the subject of a legal dispute between Edward Clarke senior's widow Sarah Clarke, Philip John Miles and Thomas Kington (all q.v.).

1. Edward had inherited Hyde estate in Jamaica from his grandfather in 1776 and [reportedly] Swainswick estate in Somerset from his great-uncle in 1777. At the same time, Edward's father George Hyde Clarke inherited the Swainswick estate in Jamaica while Edward's older brother George Clarke (q.v.) inherited the Hyde Hall estate in Cheshire from their great-uncle. Their father George Hyde Clarke (1742-1824) had abandoned their mother and run off with the daughter of a local squire. The will of their grandfather left £300 to their 'dear, unhappy and much injured' mother Katherine Clarke née Hussey 'to enable her to come to England to see her children'. Edward married (1) Anne Margaret, daughter of Major-General Sir William Augustine Prevost of Greenhill Grove, East Barnet, Hertfordshire (she died in 1821) and (2) Sarah Russ. Edward was MP for Wootton Bassett 1796-1802 and died at the Saracen’s Head, Newport Pagnell, 13/12/1826.

2. Unsourced online family trees name three children born to Edward and Sarah: Edward (1822-1845), George Hamnet (1824-1850) and Tanner Owen (1826-1878). The younger two boys were baptised in Swainswick 22/06/1828 and Tanner Owen gives his birthplace in the 1851 census as Whitley, Yorkshire, but no birth records of the children have been found so far. The Edward Clarke given in the claims for Hyde estate was presumably the eldest son.

3. The will of Edward Clarke of Swainswick proved 04/02/1829 is generic, leaving his property to his wife Sarah, and appointing as executors and also as consignees Philip John Miles and Thomas Kington.

T71/874 Trelawny claim nos. 35 (Hyde estate) and 36 (Hyde estate).

The George Hyde Clarke family papers, 1705-1937, including accounts of the Hyde and Swanswick estates, are held at Cornell University: http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/ead/htmldocs/RMM02800.html [accessed 07/11/2012].

1. For a short biography of Edward Clarke including the quotes from his grandfather's will see http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/clarke-edward-1770-1826 [accessed 07/11/2012]. This entry has a somewhat confused account of the legacies under the wills of Edward Clarke of Trelawny and George Clarke of Hyde. For an account of the lineage of the Clarke family see John Burke, Genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, enjoying territorial possessions or high official rank: but uninvested with heritable honours (London, Henry Colburn, 1835) Vol. 2 pp. 189-191 and Vere Langford Oliver, Caribbeana being miscellaneous papers relating to the history, genealogy, topography, and antiquities of the British West Indies (6 vols., London, Mitchell, Hughes and Clarke, 1910-1919), Vol. 1 p. 375.

2. www.familysearch.org batch no. I08247-9. 1851 census online (record of Tanner Owen Clarke age 25, West India Merchant, at 14 Fulham Place, Paddington, Middlesex.

3. PROB 11/1751/126.