Incumbent of St. Mary the Bolton’s, Brompton, prior to the Borrows moving to the area.
This is research in progress: it may contain errors, and is not complete.
From his census records, Thomas Pearson was born at Sparsholt, Berkshire in 1809. His father, Thomas, was vicar there 1803–41, his mother was Sarah. There’s a transcribed baptism of a Thomas Pearson, 28 Feb. 1809, at Sparsholt, father Thomas and mother Sarah, but the original hasn’t yet been found.
Thomas (the son) matriculated at Queen’s College, Oxford, 22 June 1826, when he was 17 years old. He gained his B.A. 1830, and following further study, his M.A. in 1833. He was a fellow of the college 1833–44. [1] Thomas’ father died in 1841, [2] and it’s assumed that Thomas married, although no record has been yet found.
Thomas has not yet been found in the 1841 census.
In 1842 Thomas’ daughter Frances Margaret Pearson was born at Stockcross, near Newbury, Berkshire. [3] There doesn’t appear to be a baptismal record for Frances, nor the other daughters.
In 1844 Thomas’ daughter Mary Ann Pearson was born at Stockcross, Berkshire.
In 1846 Thomas’ daughter Jane F. Pearson was born at Stockcross, Berkshire.
It’s not yet been discovered when Thomas became curate of Fulham.
The Morning Post, November 8, 1850, contains a long list of London clergy, objecting to Pope Pius IX’s re-establishment of a Catholic hierarchy in England. Amongst the names are: H. J. Swale, Vicar of West Brompton; W. J. Irons, incumbent of Brompton; Charles Kingsley, Rector of Chelsea (father of the famous son), and Thomas Pearson, curate of Fulham. Thomas would have known and worked with these people.
At some point before the 1851 census Thomas’ wife had died.
In the 1851 census Thomas is living at 1 Silchester Road, Fulham, 42, a widower, and curate of Fulham. His unmarried sister, Elizabeth, is living with him, there’s a 17 year old niece (Mary Anne Hyde Harrison[?]), his daughters Frances 9, Margaret 7, Jane 5: all the daughters are scholars at home, so he’s possibly teaching them. He has a cook and a housemaid.
Rev. Swale resigned the incumbency of St. Mary’s, West Brompton in 1852 and in February it was announced that the Bishop of London had licensed Thomas Pearson, M.A. as incumbent of St. Mary’s. [4] This may have been on Swale’s recommendation: they were neighbouring Church of England clergyman, and Swale had funded much of the building of St. Mary’s.
As well as being incumbent, Thomas was also Chaplain of the West Brompton Cancer Hospital and in that capacity his name appeared almost weekly in the newspapers (for donations). The Rev. Nathanial Liberty who was later to be Thomas’ curate was also a Chaplain at the Cancer hospital, and the two were no doubt good friends.
In 1852 Thomas was living at 12 Hereford Square, Brompton, (cf. the Cancer Hospital notices), but appears to have moved out in 1855. [5]
The first baptismal entry at St. Mary’s, Brompton, signed by Thomas is 11 April 1852 and he signs himself curate. From 28 April he signs himself incumbent, so there was possibly a service between marking the start of his incumbency.
In 1 October 1854 an appeal to build a spire for St. Mary’s was launched, and in 1855 Rev. Nathaniel Liberty joined Pearson as his curate. Pearson donated £100 to the spire, and eventually £1,034 was raised, with the spire being added in 1856.
Thomas as the incumbent would naturally have had a lot of official duties in the parish, for example in The Standard, 14 January 1860, he’s chairing a meeting to promote a Volunteer Rifle Movement in Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Brompton.
A notice appeared in The Royal Cornwall Gazette, 6 July 1860:
Perpetual Curacies
Brompton West, St. Mary, Middlesex: dio. London: val. £300: pat. Incumbent of Brompton: Rev. T. Pearson prom.
This sounds like Thomas wanted to move on, and was inviting someone to take on St. Mary’s.
In 1860 Rev. Pearson exchanged pulpits with Rev. Mayow Wyndell Mayow, Vicar of Market Lavington, Wiltshire. Mayow had written a few theological works, and possibly wanted to be nearer to society; for Thomas it possibly meant an easier parish and more rural life.
Once at Market Lavington, one thing brought him back to St. Marys. From The Standard, 26 September 1860, under Marriages:
PEARSON–SAREL.—On the 27th inst., at St. Mary’s, West Brompton, the Rev. Thomas Pearson, M.A., vicar of West Lavington, Wilts, to Jane, second daughter of the late Richard Sarel, Esq., of Berkeley-square, solicitor.
Presumably Mayow married them.
The 1861 census sees Thomas, 52 and his wife Jane, 31, living on the High Street, Market Lavington. Thomas is now Vicar of Market Lavington. Thomas’ three daughters are still with them (Frances 19, Mary 17 and Jane 15): all unmarried and no longer scholars but “clergyman’s daughters.” They have two servants.
Something odd happened in 1866: The Standard, 7 March 1866:
We are requested to contradict the statement which appeared in our impression of Friday last, that the Rev. Thomas Pearson, M.A., vicar of East Lavington, Wiltshire, has been appointed to an honorary canonry in Salisbury Cathedral. No such appointment, we are informed, has been made.
Quite what’s behind this isn’t clear.
In the 1871 census Thomas (62, vicar) and Jane (41), are still living on the High Street, Market Lavington. Frances and Mary are still at home, Mary presumably having married. They have two general servants.
Lastly, Jackson’s Oxford Journal announced the death of Thomas in the issue March 8, 1873, under Clergymen deceased:
Feb. 28, at Market Lavington, aged 64, the Rev. Thos. Pearson, for 12 years Vicar of that Parish.
As usual, most of the information comes from the census forms and other official documents. These are available via Ancestry, FindMyPast, etc. Where non-obvious sources are used they are noted.
[1] Oxford Men and their Colleges, published 1892, lists him, but adds “query if living”, so they rather lost track of him.
[2] The Lancaster Gazetter, 27 Feb. 1841, gives a short obit. on Thomas’s father: On Wednesday last died, after a short illness, in the 81st year of his age, the Rev. Thomas Pearson, B.D., vicar of Sparsholt, Berks, and formerly Fellow of Queen’s College. Mr. Pearson was born at Kirkby-Stephen, in Westmorland; matriculated at Queen’s College, Dec. 18th, 1780, proceeded B.A. June 17th, 1784, M.A. Jan. 14th, 1788, B.D. May 18th, 1797; and was presented to Sparsholt, by the Provost and Fellows of Queen’s College, in 1803.
[3] Baptism not yet found, but the birth was registered at Newbury, October-December 1841.
[4] Source is The Hampshire Advertiser, 14 February 1852.
[5] See our page on who lived where in Hereford Square