Thomas Mead
Male, b. circa 1688, d. 26 September 1743
Thomas Mead, son of George Mead and Hannah Hearne, was born circa 1688, probably in Hertfordshire.1,2
He was named as a beneficiary in the will of his father George Mead written on 17 October 1700. George bequeathed, "... unto Thomas Meade my Sonn the sume of Threescore and Tenn pounds to be paid unto him when he shall come to the age of One and Twenty Years ... ". Any monies used to place out Thomas would be deducted from this sum.3
Thomas married Mary Adams on 6 June 1713 at Moreton, Essex.4,5,6 It appeared that they were both from Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire but they subsequently lived in Great Burstead, Essex, where the parish register records the burial of two of their sons named John and a daughter, Mary.7
In 1725 Thomas was one of the original trustees of the Congregation of Protestant Dissenters in and about Great Burstead, and was described at that time as a husbandman.8
There had been a strong tradition of non-conformity in Great Burstead and nearby Billericay. During the darkest days of persecution the congregation had been forced to worship at night in Mill Hill Wood but the Toleration Act of 1689 provided that non-conformists should not be prosecuted for their views and they were no longer compelled to attend the parish church. They began to meet for worship in a barn in Back Lane, Billericay, and in 1725 the barn and the orchard in which it stood, were leased to the seventeen trustees for a term of 99 years. The barn was pulled down and replaced by a single storey brick and tile Meeting House.9
Thomas Mead wrote his will on 22 January 1742. His eldest son Thomas was to receive £300 and the furniture in the room over the pantry together with that in his men servant's chamber. Daughter Ann, the wife of Thomas Humberstone of Buttsbury, was to receive £50. His unmarried daughter Mary was to receive £250. Sons John and George were each to receive £300 when they reached the age of twenty one but any monies used to further their prospects in life were to be taken from their legacies. Various items of plate were to be distributed among his children while the rest of his estate, after payment of all debts and expenses, would go to his wife Mary.10
He died on 26 September 1743 at the age of 551 and was buried on 1 October 1743 in the churchyard of St Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead, Essex.11,12 His estate was probated on 18 November 1743 and 21 June 1744.13
He was named as a beneficiary in the will of his father George Mead written on 17 October 1700. George bequeathed, "... unto Thomas Meade my Sonn the sume of Threescore and Tenn pounds to be paid unto him when he shall come to the age of One and Twenty Years ... ". Any monies used to place out Thomas would be deducted from this sum.3
Thomas married Mary Adams on 6 June 1713 at Moreton, Essex.4,5,6 It appeared that they were both from Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire but they subsequently lived in Great Burstead, Essex, where the parish register records the burial of two of their sons named John and a daughter, Mary.7
In 1725 Thomas was one of the original trustees of the Congregation of Protestant Dissenters in and about Great Burstead, and was described at that time as a husbandman.8
There had been a strong tradition of non-conformity in Great Burstead and nearby Billericay. During the darkest days of persecution the congregation had been forced to worship at night in Mill Hill Wood but the Toleration Act of 1689 provided that non-conformists should not be prosecuted for their views and they were no longer compelled to attend the parish church. They began to meet for worship in a barn in Back Lane, Billericay, and in 1725 the barn and the orchard in which it stood, were leased to the seventeen trustees for a term of 99 years. The barn was pulled down and replaced by a single storey brick and tile Meeting House.9
Thomas Mead wrote his will on 22 January 1742. His eldest son Thomas was to receive £300 and the furniture in the room over the pantry together with that in his men servant's chamber. Daughter Ann, the wife of Thomas Humberstone of Buttsbury, was to receive £50. His unmarried daughter Mary was to receive £250. Sons John and George were each to receive £300 when they reached the age of twenty one but any monies used to further their prospects in life were to be taken from their legacies. Various items of plate were to be distributed among his children while the rest of his estate, after payment of all debts and expenses, would go to his wife Mary.10
He died on 26 September 1743 at the age of 551 and was buried on 1 October 1743 in the churchyard of St Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead, Essex.11,12 His estate was probated on 18 November 1743 and 21 June 1744.13
Children of Thomas Mead and Mary Adams
- Mary Mead b. after 1713, d. 1722
- Ann Mead b. after 1713, d. after 22 January 1742
- Thomas Mead+ b. circa 1716, d. 14 June 1794
- John Mead b. before 2 January 1719, d. before 2 January 1719
- John Mead b. after 2 January 1719, d. before 8 May 1721
- John Mead b. after 22 January 1721, d. after 22 January 1742
- George Mead b. after 22 January 1721, d. after 22 January 1742
- Mary Mead b. after 31 October 1722, d. after 22 January 1742
Citations
- [S80] Monumental inscription on the grave headstone of M: Thomas Mead, 1743 (St Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead, Essex), photographed and transcribed by A.R. Mead 25 June 1977. [PER0002].
"Here lyeth the body of / M:THOMAS MEAD late of/ this Parish who departed / this life / Sep:the:26:1743 / Aged 55 Years". - [S79] Will of George Mead, yeoman of Sawbridgeworth, dated 17 October 1700, proved 25 February 1708/1709 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. (The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, England. Reference: PROB11/508). [DOC0010/WIL0009].
The family home was Sawbridgeworth at the time his father George's will was written in 1700. - [S79] Will of George Mead of Sawbridgeworth, Herts., yeoman, 1709.
- [S85] F.A. Crisp, compiler, published transcript of the Parish Registers of Moreton, Essex, 1558-1759, privately published by Frederick Arthur Crisp (1890), (Society of Genealogists, 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London. Reference: ES/R 45). Marriages p.62. [ESSPAR].
"... Thomas Mead of Sabridgworth in the county of Hertford and Mary Adams of the same place singlewoman were married by licence June 6th 1713 ...". - [S124] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch TM Website ( : accessed 22 January 2009). Entry for Thomas Mead 1713. Source information: batch no. 7008613, sheet 54, source call no: 0538267. "Thomas Mead, birth about 1688 of Sabridgworth, Hertford, England, spouse Mary Adams, birth about 1692 of Sabridgworth, Hertford, England, marriage 06 Jun 1713, Moreton, Essex, England". [FSIGI]
- [S87] P. Boyd, compiler, Boyd's Marriage Index for Essex 1559-1752, (Society of Genealogists, 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London. Reference: BOYD1128). [ESSBMI].
"1713 Tho Mead & Mary Adams Moreton". - [S88] Parish Register of St Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead, Essex, 1677-1728, content: Baptisms 1677-1728, Marriages 1678-1680 1685-1728 and Burials 1678-1682 1687-1728, (Essex County Record Office, Wharf Road, Chelmsford, Essex, England. Reference: D/P 139/1/2). Burials. [ESSPAR].
" ... 2nd January 1719 John son of Thomas and Mary Mead ... 8th May 1721 John son of Thomas and Mary Mead ... 31st Oct 1722 Mary daughter of Thomas and Mary Mead ...". - [S36] history of the Billericay Congregational Church (unknown repository reference : accessed Chapter 4, Progress and Consolidation, p.19). William Taylor. Calling The Generations: A History of the Independant Protestant Dissenters of Billericay (1672-1972), The Billericay Congregational Church, Billericay, (5 Oct 1972). A copy is held at The City of London Guildhall Library, Aldermanbury, London, England EC2P 2EJ. [LIB0001].
"... in 1725 under the original Indenture the first Trustees [of the Congregation of Protestant Dissenters in and about Great Burstead] were ... , Matthew Thomas Mead, husbandman, ...".
Although the Congregation of Protestant Dissenters knew Thomas as "Matthew Thomas" and his gravestone later recorded the epithet "M: Thomas Mead", having consulted his will and the parish register where the name "Matthew" is not used, there is little doubt that "Matthew Thomas" and "Thomas" are one and the same man. - [S36] William Taylor. Calling The Generations.
- [S89] Will of Thomas Mead, yeoman of Great Burstead, Essex, dated 22 January 1742, proved 21 June 1744 in the Commissary Court of The Bishop of London. (Essex County Record Office, Wharf Road, Chelmsford, Essex, England. Reference: D/ABR 23/100). [DOC0004/WIL0010].
- [S86] Parish Register of St Mary Magdalene, Great Burstead, Essex, 1730-1768, content: Baptisms 1730-1768, Marriages 1730-1761 and Burials 1730-1762, (Essex County Record Office, Wharf Road, Chelmsford, Essex, England. Reference: D/P 139/1/3). Burial, 1 Oct 1743. [ESSPAR].
" ... Thomas Mead ... ". - [S124] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991," index, FamilySearch TM Website (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JDHK-ZMZ : accessed 3 March 2013), Thomas Mead).
- [S89] Will of Thomas Mead of Great Burstead, Essex, yeoman, 1744.