Josiah Chitty
(1685-1750) of London

Josiah CHITTY (1685-1750), second son of Josiah I, and listed with his parents at St Andrew Undershaft in 1695, was admitted a Freeman of the Grocers' Company in 1709, being lately the apprentice of Philip DAVIS. In 1710, Nov, he was appointed Wine-Taster to Queen Anne at a salary of £120 per annum (CC).

In 1731 he was named in the Will of John MERLOTT; in 1740 was elected to the Court of Assistants and made Warden of the Grocers Company; and from 1744 to 1749 was a Governor of Guy's Hospital. His mother Sarah (HUSE) had been a second cousin of its founder, Thomas GUY.

M-C quoted letters in which Josiah mentioned a silver cup, the property of his father, 'with the arms of our family thereon'; Josiah was asked to lend his chaise 'with the arms of our family thereon' for the wedding of his brother Jacob's daughter (a difficulty about the date of this wedding and loan will be discussed later); and Josiah was about to enter a new habitation (?Lemon Street on St Mary's Hill, 1749).

Josiah married (by licence dated 1725 Nov 25) Margaret THORNTON, widow, born 1688 Oct, died 1770 Jul 24 aged 81. M-C suggested that her maiden name may have been BOWMAN as she wrote a letter to Josiah from the BOWMANs at Wilmington, and Isaac BOWMAN was indebted to Josiah for £100 in 1749. In his Will, Josiah calls him 'cousin' and names also his sisters Sarah PARR and Elizabeth FELL. (M-C refers elsewhere to a cousin of Josiah named 'JELL'). In 1749 Josiah joined with Thomas
in rescuing their brother Joseph from the Fleet Prison, paying his debts and taking over his property. Josiah's share of the latter was taken over by Thomas on his death a year later.

In 1740, May 30, Josiah bought Wangey Manor at Chadwell Heath in Barking and Dagenham; in 1749 he also held a mortgage on Joseph's estate of Iwood Park, Newdigate; and messuages in Lumber Street by Nicholas Lane; near Paul's Wharf; in Gough Square; and over twenty freehold houses near Fleet Street.

He died 1750 Jun 9 (London Magazine 285 also Gentleman's Magazine which mistakenly calls him 'Joseph') - 'of Goodman's Fields, Whitechapel, brother of the Alderman'. He desired to be buried near his parents in St Laurence Pountney churchyard. His Will was dated 1749 Oct 19 at Goodman's Fields and proved 1750. He left his nephew Josiah his father's silver tankard with the family arms, and his nephew Joseph received the Chadwell lands, which were managed until the heir's return from the Levant by (Sir) Thomas (CC).

Josiah's widow Margaret, in her Will dated at Chobham, 1759, and proved 1770, remembered, with many of her own and her husband's kin various nonconformist congregations and charities.

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Page created 29 Sept 2001 by Mike Chitty, based on the late Erik Chitty's 1975 text