Mysteries

Between the Fulham and Old Brompton Road lies a very impressive cemetery full of

wonderful old statuary, stone and marble monuments to the memory of past victorian

Londoners. Amongst the graves is one that holds six members of a Polding family and

I would dearly like to know if they belong to my Polding family or are perhaps refugees

from Lancashire who have somehow found themselves living in West London and are

now destined to remain there - a mystery.

Research into my own family led me to come by a death certificate of a Henry Polding

who died in September 1844, he lived at 35 Bedford Square, Kensington and had the

interesting job -research wise - of the Clerk Sexton of Brompton cemetery with the

additional information that he had died in his little office while at his work, of natural

causes. Henry was 51 years and it seemed that he had no family, there being no mention

of any on the certificate.

Presuming that he would probably be buried in the cemetery that he had been in charge

of I wrote to the appropriate holder of any possible records and in reply received a map

of where I would find the grave plus a list of the other occupants, most of them had been

buried in the years following Henry's interment. This leads one to think they are all

related and it does seem that way but no proof without register entries of baptisms and

marriages.

THE LIST

JOHN POLDING........................................buriedon................25/1/181.......aged 80 years (born c.1760)

HENRY POLDING.....................................buriedon.................6/9/1844......aged 51 years (born c.1794)

MELIORA POLDING..................................buriedon.................7/7/1849......aged 77 years (born c.1770)

THOMAS MOCKETT.................................buriedon.................5/6/1851......aged 73 years (born c.1778)

JOHN POLDING.........................................buriedon.................23/12/1854..aged 50 years (born c.1804)

ELIZ.THEODOSIA POLDING....................buriedon.................13/8/1866....aged 74 years (born c.1792

I then proceeded to collect certificates to

add to Henrys death certificate, and from these

I found out the following details.

JOHN POLDING (1760-1841)

described as a Gentleman, he died at 18 Manchester Terrace, Liverpool Road, Islington,Middx.

The informant of his death was MELIORA MOCKETT of the same address

(She married THOMAS MOCKETT and it appears she is his married daughter and it is her husband who was
to share the grave with her father and herself and others in her family)

MELIORA POLDING (1772-1849) (born in Ireland re: 1841 census)

described as widow of John Polding, a gentleman, and died at 18 Winchester Place, St.James, Clerkenwell.

The informant was Sarah Prilland of 4 New Hall Street, Islington. (who is she ? - no clue)

ELIZABETH THEODOSIA POLDING (1792-1866)

described as a widow (married son of John & Meliora perhaps)

and she was of 25 Queen Square, Holborn as was the informant Maria Bell (who is she ? )

JOHN POLDING (1804-1854)

described as an Upholsterer of 25 Oxford/Orford Street, Cadogan Terrace, Chelsea.

and the informant is Thomas Morgan of the same address. He appears to be the JOHN POOLEY aged 50 a
solicitor who is in the 1841 census and is buried with the others here.

THOMAS MOCKETT (1778 - 1851)

he died at 15 Chadwell Street, St. Johns, Clerkenwell.

(found in 1941 census with daughter LOUISA JACOBS aged 15)