Margaret & Lucas

Mar^t dines 27.8.1797 / 16.1.1798 Lucas to school / 14.4.1799 M(arshall) sups Lucas sleeps / 20.6.1799 Lucas fron school / 1.7.1799 Sadler's Wells with Louisa Jones, Lucas & Fanny / 10.12.1799 Marguerite Journee married Jo Robette / 7.1.1800 dine at Fell's with M(arshal), F(anny), M(ary), L, L(ouisa Jones) & miss Axtel / 2.1.1801 L at theatre / 6.1.1801 L at Marshall's / 6.7.1801 L at Astley's / 12.1.1802 L at theatre / 1.4.1802 congé of Cooper & Marguerite / 3.7.1802 letter from James Marshall to Godwin Abinger c7 f129 / 1.5.1803 Lucas dines / 3.1.1820 Marguerite Robette calls

Though possibly the Mar^t above referred to Margaret Jones whom Godwin had already met in Bath it seems more probable her first visit to Godwin in London was on 6.10.1797 when she was named in full. Notes & Observations to the Studley Memorials by Henry Reveley 1788-1875 (see Shelley & His Circle x 1136) identify a deaf-mute Lucas of about Reveley's age as son of Margaret, Godwin's housekeeper before he moved to the Polygon (6.4.1797 shortly after his marriage to Mary Wollstonecraft). Marguerite was the name of the nursemaid Wollstonecraft found in Paris in 1794 and Godwin seems to have referred to her as Margaret in two of his letters to Wollstonecraft (13.7.1796 and 19.8.1796). But by his letter of 13.11.1796 Abinger c40 f94 he was referring to her as Marguerite. At St Pancras 30.12.1799 Jean Joseph Robette bach otp married Marguerite Journee sp otp by banns, wits W Monet, Ann Cosdale. (Janet Todd in Collected Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft has her indexed as Fournée). John Arrowsmith bach of Paris married 21.3.1822 at St Geo Han Sq Fanny Robette a minor with consent of her father Joseph, who was a witness along with Harriet Ducross, F Gealer, Laura Lecrirang, Pietro Larray, John Lavanchy & John Gale. In the 1841 census J Robette age 70 male servant was in the household of Vincent Duncan age 59 of Cavendish Square, Marguerite Robette of Charlotte St Portland Pl was buried at St Pancras 14.12.1847 age 78. In the 1851 census J Robette widower age 80 born China was living in Portland Place and Joseph Robette of Charlotte St Portland Place was buried at St Pancras 26.3.1861 age 95.  In the 1851 census a Lucas Davies age 64 born Lewisham grocer of Thorn St Reading and his daughter Mary were both marked as deaf and dumb. If that was Lucas and the age correct he would have been about 11 in 1798 on going to school and a year or two older than Henry Reveley. The letter of 3.7.1802 from James Marshall to Godwin (Abinger c7 f129) gave the impression that Lucas was more Marshall's responsibility than Godwin's (Marshall was perhaps his father?). The L of 7.1.1800 may have been Lucas. 

The congé (leavetaking) of Cooper & Marguerite on 1.4.1802 could have meant many things. Thomas Abthorpe Cooper (American National Biog 1775-1849) was in America from 1796 until Jan 1803. Marguerite was a character in Godwin's book St Leon. Cooper was supposedly the name of Godwin's maid (Winifred F Courtney, Young Charles Lamb p299 and note 1- referring to Charles Lamb's letter to Godwin of 4.12.1800). If this entry referred to her it seems to have been the only time she was mentioned in Godwin's diary. In Charlotte Gordon's Romantic Outlaws (2015) p29 it says that Godwin's second wife (whom he married on 21.12.1801) fired the "beloved nurse, Marguerite, as well as Godwin's maids and the cook". I'm not sure of the source of this but that is perhaps what the congé referred to. Her book also says on p368 that Henry Reveley was "around the same age" as Fanny Imlay, in fact it would have been a seven year old boy playing with a girl of two, though that is quite probable.

29.1.1808 Lucas adv. at Philips / 29.7.1808 again / 22.7.1811 write to Lucas & Meyler / 5.1.1817 dine at Stewart's; adv. Lucas & Meyler, & concert

These could all be the deaf mute Lucas but it seems unlikely he would arrive by chance at Richard Phillips'. The combination of Lucas & Meyler on two occasions is striking but probably coincidence as Godwin was writing to Meyler before and after 1811, and GD website has a good identity with Dr Anthony Meyler. Holdens 1811 has 43 Lucas in trades and 21 in court.  W Lucas surgeon, Hatton Court, Threadneedle-st / Wm Lucas surgeon Great James-st, Bedford-row / John Lucas, bookseller, 27 Gt Quebec-st, New-rd (Holdens 1811). William Meyler bookseller printer & medicine vendor, Bath will PCC 1821.