Hester Pater (née Grange)

Grandmother of Walter Pater, the writer and critic, and of Clara Ann Pater, the early champion of women's higher education, both with entries in the ODNB. As the niece of Joel Savell, Hester Pater was one of the beneficiaries of Savell's will, and shared in the proceeds of the sale of Savell's estate (with the enslaved people on it) for £11,600 c. 1792. She was a presence in the early lives of both her distinguished grandchildren. She was buried aged 84 at St Andrew, Enfield 29/02/1848 when she was given as of Windmill Hill.

1. The account of the case of Stapleton v Palmer of 1794 gives an inaccurate account of the family and of Hester Grange in particular. The account of the case says the defendant Palmer had married Hester George [sic] one of the daughters of Elizabeth Grange, sister of Joel Savell In fact, Hester Grange had married in 1792 Thompson Pater (and 'Palmer' is likely to have been one of the executors and trustees of Joel Savell). The will of George Grange of Farnborough Kent proved 18/05/1809 identifies Hester as his daughter married to Thompson Pater and Sarah as another deceased daughter, the latter detail serving to confirm this as the family of Elizabeth Grange described in the case of Stapleton v. Palmer. In a codicil to his will, George Grange narrated the bankruptcy of his son-in-law Thompson Pater and he redirected a legacy to Hester Pater alone. Richard Glode was mentioned in the court case of Stapleton v Palmer (where he was given as Richard Glade) as acting for the Granges in the sale of the Jamaica property of Joel Savell: the will of Sir Richard Glode proved 12/12/1804 includes an annuity of £50 p.a. to his friend George Grange. Walter Pater's father, Richard Glode Pater, was clearly the namesake of Sir Richard Glode, patron of the Grange family.

2. George Grange had married Elizabeth Savell in London at St Giles Without, Cripplegate 10/11/1757.

Brake, Laurel. "Pater, Walter Horatio (1839–1894), author and aesthete." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 23 Sep. 2004; Accessed 22 Apr. 2020. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-21525; Brake, Laurel. "Pater, Clara Ann (bap. 1841, d. 1910), tutor and promoter of the higher education of women." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 23 Sep. 2004; Accessed 22 Apr. 2020. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-48505; Ancestry.com, London, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-2003 for Hester Pater Enfield St Andrew, Enfield 1844-1855 [database online].

1. PROB 11/1497/155; PROB 11/418/162.

2. Ancestry.com, George Grange in the London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932 [database online]