Godfrey, Mrs

Submitted by edpope on

see Newman Street 1 to 9 in London addresses dataset

Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies 1793 Mrs G-frey 6 Newman St (age about 30, plump, price 1 guinea though half will do). This doesn't sound like the successful courtesan described below, though she was said to have started in a brothel in nearby Berners St, she seems to have already been "kept" in Charlotte St by 1790. This was the only example I found of an address featuring in Harris's List and Boyle's Court Guide in the same year and though this could be ascribed to Mr Vileneuve's profession of dancing master, it's also possible that the address was an error for 6,Upper Newman St, which was Mrs H-rvey's address in the 1793 Harris's List, and there was also a Miss Godf-y at 22 Upper Newman St. Godfrey was a fairly common surname anyway (see work notes below) and may have had some cachet among prostitutes as the married name of Arabella Churchill DNB 1649-1730 mistress of King James II / The Fashionable Cypriad 1798 p87 1799 p 2 Mrs Godfrey now called Mrs Scott, Mr M-g solicitor (Augustus Caesar Manning attorney Law List 1790-1800 will PCC 1845?) took her from a brothel in Berners St, Charles T-y-r Esq took house for her in Charlotte St, Portland Pl (when in Charlotte St she was wounded by Renwick Williams see below) Mr K-n-thy, West Indian, lived with her 2 yrs then Harry S-tt (army officer. Harry Scott, bapt 7.8.1775 Southampton - see Mrs Scott in Godwin Diary dataset - Capt South Hants militia 24.2.1795 in 1800 Militia List not in 1804 List, brother of Lady Oxford will PCC 1832 British Consul at Bordeaux) for 2 yrs for whom she changed her name, Lord M-ls-m just widowed, next after C-s-tie was nephew of late Mr Thomas W-dc-ck (solicitor) and of late Eldborough W (lawyer of some eminence) he was killed in curricle accident on way to his villa at Harrow, left her £200 p.a. which his friends managed to reduce to a small sum. T T-ps-n esq MP (Thomas Thompson see Thomson/Thompson in Godwin Diary dataset) lived with her a year, was obliged to leave her, his father the jew Levi then visited her. Capt T F-m-tle ("his regiment" but none of this name in army or militia lists at that time so probably Thomas Francis Fremantle RN DNB 1765-1819 whose rank was then Captain though he was serving at sea much of the time) her lover but never her keeper. she was "insipid in conversation" supported mother & sister. met Lord R-d-ffe at Brighton who took house for her at 71 Weymouth St. Young K-gs-n her lover helped her get £800 a year from Lord R, she paid 300 gns for a box at the opera

Mrs Godfrey 54 Charlotte St Land Tax 1791-4 / Will PCC 1800 of Thomas Boothby Parkyns Lord Rancliffe dated 21.6.1798 left £1000 to Sarah Gibb spinster late of Weymouth St but now of Charles St, Berkeley Sq and confirmed £200 annuity to her / Sarah Scott 19 Charles St Berkeley Sq ratebooks 1799, Mrs Scott same address Boyle's 1800 / John Lysaght 3rd Baron Lisle of Mountnorth, Cork, Ireland bach (1781-1834) = St James Piccy 14.9.1809 Sarah Gibb sp of St Geo Han Sq wits Josh L Ashley, Maria Gibb / in the 1851 census at Millbrook, Southampton (where she died Sarah Fanny Lisle 20.9.1857) her age was written as 65 not known, birthplace St James London, but according to Burke's Peerage (perhaps from the burial record or death cert saying 95) she was born 1762 dau of William Gibb of Inverness, which would make her 47 when she married the 28 year old Baron, so not surprising they had no children, but Sarah d of William & Catherine Gibb born 13.1.1770 bapt 28.1.1770 St James Piccy may have been her /  William Gibb otp cabinetmaker = St James Piccy 14.12.1766 Catherine Rowlinson of Chertsey, Surry by lic / Lady Lisle was robbed of her jewels by the butler in 1843, she left personalty under £16000 in her will PCC 1857 which mentioned her sister Maria Percy widow, niece Mary Catherine Nunn, and nephew Harry William Scott Gibb (1796-1880) / in the 1851 census at Whiteparish, Wilts, Maria Percy age 62 annuitant born London was living with her married daughter Mary C Nunn age 40 / Maria d of William & Catherine Gibb bapt 22.7.1781 St James Piccy / Morning Chronicle 22.8.1821 Harry Scott Gibb of Royal Artillery = Walcot St Swithins 20.8..1821 Ramsay Eliza dau of late Col Cowper / I think it very probable that Harry Scott Gibb was her son by Harry Scott

Sarah wife of John Godfrey (London Lives NAHOCR700050013) vidtim of Renwick Williams (DNB fl 1790) "the monster"  Woodfall's 21.6.1790 "very beautiful woman" "she had been at her upholder's shop"  / John Godfrey SunFire 1776 carpenter 129 Shoreditch (opposite the Church) SunFire 1779 Castle St Shoreditch / John Godfrey 1784 carpenter Broadway Westminster voted Fox / plenty of other John Godfreys but carpenter the nearest to upholder I found. William Gibb cabinetmaker of Poland St also took an apprentice in 1767 as upholder, basically the same trade as cabinetmaker/undertaker

Work notes
Morning Herald 11.4.1793 ad Mrs Godfrey boatbuilder, Stangate nr Westminster Bridge / Morning Post 6.12.1793 crim con case Kings Bench Cromp v Broster - Mrs Godfrey swore to defendant's confession, judge imputed unreliability to woman who would hear such a confession / Oracle 6.6.1794 ad Mrs Godfrey grocer nr the New White Horse Cellar Piccadilly (Morning Post 26.7.1794 nr Gloucester Coffee House, Piccadilly, Times 26.5.1797 74 Piccadilly. Times 23.11.1798 Penny Post Office, Piccadilly)
/ Elizabeth Godfrey 34 Wells St / Old Bailey 25.10.1786 Jane Godfrey 56 John St /
St James Chronicle 19.9.1799 G(errard) W(illiam) Groote apothecary of Dean St married (at Soho to Priscilla) widow of George Godfrey Esq late of Ringmer Park Sussex (purser RN died 11.5.1794) / Morning Post 4.4.1803 death of Mrs Godfrey of Holland St, Kensington / Bury & Norwich Post 13.4.1803 death in London of widow of Ambrose Godfrey (? PCC 1797 chymist of Covt Gdn) and mother of Capt Sir E Berry RN (DNB 1768-1831 but nothing said of his parents) AG wid = St James Paddington 31.7.1795 Elizabeth Berry of Clapham wid / Morning Post 6.1.1804 death of wife of Peter Godfrey Esq ( PCC 1837) at Woodford, youngest dau of late Sir Joshua Rowley baronet (DNB 1734-1790) PG = Stoke nr Nayland Suffolk Arabella Rowley sp / Mrs Godfrey's rout Portman Square Morning Post 3.6.1805 (Boyles 1800 W Godfrey Esq 15 Portman Sq & Brockley Hill, Essex ? PCC 1826)