Colnet

Submitted by edpope on

30.8.1806 Four Boadens dine; adv. E Joyce, C Colnet, Essex & Sheffields / 13.9.1806 boat to Richmond with E Colnet (& Godwin's family & close friends) / 14.1.1807 Sarah Taylor & 3 Colnets dine / 2.3.1807 theatre with M(ary) J(ane Godwin), E C & 4 / 29.6.1807 dine at M(argaret) Jones's, (with Godwin's family) & Miss Colnet (chairing Sir F(rancis). B(urdet)t) / 8.8.1807 M J, E C, F(anny Imlay) & C(harles Clairmont) dine / 30.8.1807 adv. C Colnet at dinner / 3.9.1807 boat with M J, E C, C, J(ane Clairmont) & W(illiam Godwin) / 8.9.1807 Greenwich with M J, E C & 5 children / 14.1.1808 theatre for M J, E C & C(harles) C(lairmont) / 24.2.1808 theatre for M J, E C, F, M(ary Godwin), C & J / 27.4.1808 C Colnet dines / 23.7.1808 Opera with M J, F & E C / 29.8.1808 E & C Colnet dine & sleep / 30.8.1808 Westminster Abbey by water (with Godwin's family) E & C Colnet & C Hooley: G(race) M(ary) C(ooper), E & C Colnet dine & sleep / 23.10.1808 E Colnet dines / 13.11.1808 again / 20.11.1808 Somerset House with M J, E C & 5 / 21.12.1808 Astley's with M J, E C, C H(ooley) & 5 / 5.1.1809 theatre with M J & E C / 29.1.1809 E Colnet dines & sleeps / 18.6.1809 E Colnet calls / 4.7.1809 3 Colnets dine / 2.1.1811 E Colnet calls / 2.7.1816 L(ouisa) Kenney & 2 Colnets dine / 14.7.1816 C & A Colnet dine / 18.7.1816 Colnets sleep / 19.7.1816 A Colnet dines / 26.7.1816 again / 1.1.1817 K Colnet dines / 5.3.1817 C & M Colnet dine / 18.4.1817 Mt & Caroline Colnet dine / 3.5.1817 Miss Collins dines: theatre (with Godwin's wife & son, Collins) & C Colnet / 18.12.1817 My & Car Colnets dine / 3.3.1818 M & I Colnet dine / 16.3.1818 Colnets call / 10.5.1818 Guilmaud, I Colnet & H(enry) H(olcrof)t dine / 14.5.1818 K Colnet dines / 12.8.1818 Margt Colnet dines & sleeps / 13.8.1818 L(ouisa) Kenney & Margt Colnet dine / 30.12.1818 K Colnet dines / 5.1.1819 again / 4.1.1821 3 Colnets at tea / 10.1.1821 C Colnet dines / 25.2.1821 again / 14.9.1821 again / 29.11.1822 C Colnet calls / 26.12.1822 C Colnet dines / 27.12.1822 H(arwoo)d H(olcrof)t dines; adv. F(anny) H(olcrof)t, 2 M(arshall)s & C Colnet / 1.1.1823 C Colnet at tea / 8.1.1823 C Colnet dines / 28.11.1823 again

Isaac John Price Colnett born 1753 son of Isaac Colnett ironmonger & tyre-smith of Whitechapel, went to Magdalen Hall Oxford, BA 1778, married 31.8.1780 at Stepney Margaret Harvy. He was perpetual curate of Waltham Abbey and lecturer of Whitechapel, subscribed to Lavater 1789, chaplain in Bombay 1792, buried at Waltham Abbey 7.3.1801. His father died soon after him, making his will (PCC 23.5.1801) after his son's death, and left some money in nine parts to his daughter in law Margaret and each of her eight children. Three of her children I found infant burials for before their father's death, I found eight other baptisms, two of which I found no trace of after their baptism, Julia bapt 11.12.1782, and Emily born 17.3.1786, bapt 20.6.1786. The other six were Anna Maria, Mary Anna, Caroline & Katherine, all four bapt together 21.5.1795, Edwin born 3.3.1789 bapt 7.4.1789, and Margaret Chinnery bapt 4.7.1800. The Gents Mag 1801 p284 told of their hardship and mentioned eight children and a ninth expected. This last must have been Isaac Thomas Kesteven born 1801 bapt 9.10.1808 St Pancras. All the others were baptised at Waltham Abbey. An ad in the Morn Chron 27.2.1802 listed orphans of clergymen placed in schools by a charity, one was Caroline Colnett age 9yrs 2mos, to a school at Lisson Green. The Gents Mag 1802 p979 announced the death of the eldest son, who was subject to fits, at his mother's house in Paddington, and added that a subscription for them had raised nearly £1000 and that two of the daughters had been found apprenticeships.

The youngest, Isaac was buried at Waltham Abbey age 19 on 28.11.1820. Margaret Chinnery married on 16.2.1824 at Marylebone Charles Andrew Girardot. None of the four girls baptised together in 1795 married, all had death notices in the newspapers, Anna Maria (called the eldest) in 1833, Mary Anna (called eldest surviving) in 1862, Katherine in 1863 and Caroline in 1871. I've not found them much in the censuses, only Mary Anna in 1851 as instructress and Catherine in 1861 as retired teacher. An Edwin Colnett is in the death registers for Oct 1842 at Pancras, but Edwin was the oldest son I found a baptism for, so may have been the one who died in 1802. I couldn't find a burial record for their mother Margaret but my guess is she died before 1806 when her children began visiting Godwin. If she'd appeared in Godwin's diary it would probably have been as Mrs Colnet not Margt Colnet. If C Colnet was Caroline she was only 13 the first time she turned up at dinner - but perhaps her older sister Emily age 20 was already acting as a helper to Godwin's wife and didn't get mentioned except when the family went out together, mostly as E C. Why there were no more Colnets after 1823 I've no idea.

In Capel Lofft's letter of 2.3.1807 (MS Abinger c.10 f.29v) to Godwin, he spoke favourably of Miss Colnet. Lofft's visit was on 25.2.1807 till the next day which indicates Miss C was present in the household when not mentioned in the diary. This was presumably Emily Colnett.