Hughes, Edward

AMENDMENTS TO OXFORD DNB

Sir Edward Hughes (c 1720-1794)

12th paragraph 6th sentence "His wife, Ruth Ball, eldest daughter of Sir Charles Gould Morgan, and widow of Captain Ball, naval officer, later married Samuel Humfrey of Pennydarren Place Glamorgan." This is a confusion of persons.

The eldest daughter of Sir Charles Gould Morgan was called Jane Gould (her father later added the name Morgan) when on 18.12.1782 at St Margaret's Westminster she married by licence, as a spinster, Henry Ball Esq bachelor of St Marylebone. The World newspaper of 9.8.1792 announced that Captain Henry Ball RN died (on the 6th) at his house in Hampstead. His widow Jane Ball married on 8.5.1793 at St Margaret Westminster by licence Samuel Homfray bachelor of Merthyr Tidwel.

The will (Canterbury 31.1.1801) of Lady Ruth Hughes mentioned her granddaughters Catherine, Elizabeth, Ruth, and Sidney, and her grandson Edward Edmund Hughes, as well as "Mary daughter of my late son Captain Henry Ball"

Joseph Farington's Diary vol VI p 2327 (21.5.1804) "Lady Hughes had kept a little store shop in the West Indies where she formed a Connexion with a Captn. Ball by whom she had two sons. Ball returned to England and she formed a Second Connexion with Sir Edward Hughes & came to England bringing Her children with Her. Sir Edwd. made a great fortune afterwards in the East Indies, which when He died He left at Her disposal. One of Her Sons married a daughter of Sir Charles Gould. He died witht. Issue. Her other son married at Salisbury & had 5 children - viz: a Son & 4 daugtrs. Sir Edwd. left each of the daugtrs. £10,000. - This son also died abt. 4 years ago, before His Mother Lady Hughes"

David Ball Esq bachelor married at St Marylebone on 26.11.1784 by licence Sarah Boyter. The General Evening Post of 18.8.1798 announced the death at Luxborough (on the 17th)of David Ball Esq in his 38th year, only son of Lady Hughes.

Edward Hughes widower of Hertingfordbury married at St Margaret Westminster on 7.11.1765 by licence Ruth Wheeler widow of this parish, witness Chr. Bennett. The mention of Hertingfordbury (see below) makes this clearly Captain Hughes and means that Lady Hughes was probably not married to Captain Ball,the father of her two sons, unless he had died and she had married Wheeler secondly and he had died also.

Edward Hughes was almost certainly the son of Edward Hughes of Hertingfordbury, Judge Advocate of the Army and MP for Saltash, who died in debt in 1734, and his second wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Chichely (DNB c1640-1691) and his wife Isabella, daughter of Sir John Lawson (DNB 1615-1665) and widow of Daniel Norton (died 1666) son of Richard Norton (DNB 1615-1691). Admiral Hughes was thus the great-grandson of a very notable sailor, Sir John Lawson. For Edward Hughes the MP see History of Parliament, which only mentions his first wife Elizabeth, dau of Richard Harrison of Balls Park, Herts, whom he married in 1713 but who died on 15.11.1714 (according to a source I haven't checked). The best evidence for this connection is at Hertfordshire Archives, which I haven't been to see, but enough detail is visible on the National Archives' Discovery Catalogue. DE/P/T1062 is the marriage licence of Edward Hughes widower and Elizabeth Chichely dated 13.7.1715. D/EHx/F78 gives some details of Edward Hughes' debts, and DE/P/T1043-51 are Title Deeds. Hertingfordbury. Hughes family settlements, leases, etc., relating to Epcombs, including will of Edward Hughes (died 1733/4), and marriage settlement of Captain Edward Hughes, RN, and Anne Peters, widow. (These are dated 1739-1767 so may throw further light on Captain Hughes' second marriage in 1765). The will (Canterbury 14.2.1734) of Edward Hughes of Hertingfordbury mentioned his first wife Elizabeth, his wife Elizabeth, his oldest son Edward, his son John and his daughter Elizabeth. There is also DE/P/F61 which are letters from John Hughes (DNB 1678-1720) which make clear he was a kinsman of Edward Hughes. (I haven't reconciled this with the genealogy given in John Hughes' DNB article but perhaps they were cousins, both grandchildren of William Hughes (1619-1688) dissenting preacher mentioned in John Hughes' DNB article).

Captain Edward Hughes' first wife was born Ann Jacob, daughter of Hildebrand Jacob (DNB 1692/3-1739), and her first husband was Charles Peters (DNB 1695-1746). In the Public Advertiser of 7.1.1755 "Yesterday Morning died in Child-bed Mrs Hughes, Wife of Captain Hughes, at his House in Ealing. She was the Widow of the late Dr. Peters, and Sister to Sir Hildebrand Jacob, Bart." The London Evening Post of 22.4.1755 advertised the sale of the house of Edward Hughes Esq at Great Ealing designed by Inigo Jones. According to his DNB article Hughes returned to active service in 1756 after five years on half pay.

The Fashionable Cypriad (1799) volume 2 page 31 described a "Mrs Ball" formerly mistress of Captain B-ll, natural son of Sir -- H-gh-s. They had two children, now under the care of Lady H. Though this slightly contradicts Farington's diary by saying Captain Ball was Hughes' son, I think the Farington account more likely. However the Mary mentioned in Lady Hughes' will (see above)was likely one of the two children referred to in the Fashionable Cypriad.