The Payne Family

Ann Serena (Payne) Plumbe

Birth: 19 May 1801, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England

Father: Philip Payne

Mother: Ann

Married: Samuel Plumbe on 23 June 1834 in St. Dunstan, Stepney, London, England.

Marriage to the sister of a deceased wife was prohibited by the Marriage Act in 1835, although marriages that had already taken place (such as that of Samuel and Ann Serena) were explicitly authorised. The prohibition was lifted in 1907.

Children:
Plumbe Arrowroot Advertisement
Advertisement for Plumbe's Arrow-root in 1860.
The South Sea Arrowroot Co., was operated at this time by Ann Serena (Payne) Plumbe.
from The Eclectic Review p442 (1860)
Occupation: Arrowroot merchant.
Ann Serena took over her husbands business, the South Sea Arrowroot Co., after his death in 1840. the company was eventually passed on to her son, Henry Martyn Plumbe. the advertisement shown says that "each packet bears the signature of A. S. Plumbe, 3 Alie Place, Alie street, London"

Post Office Directory (Small Edition), 1852 p930
Plumbe Ann S. (Mrs.), arrow root merchant, 3 Alie place

Notes: Ann Serena Plumbe became interested in the plight of the mentally handicapped, because of the difficulties faced by her son, Andrew Reed Plumbe. She was a driving force behind creating the first institution in Britain for the treatment of the mentally handicapped and what eventually became the Royal Earlswood Hospital.

From the publication Now There is Hope by Freda Knight:
   The Royal Earlswood story begins with a certain Mrs Plumbe who became increasingly concerned about the plight of these people and sought advice from medical men of her acquaintance, including Dr John Connolly of the Hanwell Asylum, who became famous for the abolition of mechanical restraint there. She also consulted the Rev Dr Andrew Reed, a well- known philanthropist of the day who had already founded several orphanages in the London area. He had himself been thinking along the same lines for some time, so Mrs Plumbe’s approach could be said to have acted as a catalyst. They both felt that if only some education and training could be offered, the condition of these neglected people could be improved.
   In the spring of 1847 Andrew Reed set off on a fact-finding mission, travelling to France, Germany and Switzerland where institutions had already been founded. He came back with much information, and was determined to tackle the problem in this country.
   After careful preparation and advance publicity, a meeting was called at the Kings Head Tavern, Poultry in July 1847, where it was resolved to found an institution for the remedial care and education of the feeble minded. At a second public meeting at the London Tavern in October of the same year, with the Lord Mayor in the Chair, it was resolved to proceed with the project "The Asylum for Idiots" and that ‘it should be forthwith begun’. Various famous men such as Lord Palmerston, Baron Rothschild and Lord Ashley became officers of the charity.
  By 1848, Park House Highgate had been acquired and 54 boys and 12 girls were admitted for training. It was the first institution of its kind in Britain.

Death: 19 January 1883, in Pancras district, Middlesex, England

Buried: Highgate cemetery, London, England

Census:
1881: 13 Fitzroy Square, St. Pancras, London

Sources:

Anne Payne

Father: Samuel Payne

Mother: Mary (Plumbe) Payne

Sources:
Caroline Plumbe
This illustration in Rolls Plumbe does not explicitly state that it is of the Plumbe family (Caroline as the mother) but it seems likely to be from the context, and if not is at least indicative of the era.

Caroline (Payne) Plumbe

Birth: 14 July 1794, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England

Baptised: 10 August 1794, in Hale Leys Independent Chapel, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England

Father: Philip Payne

Mother: Ann

Married: Samuel Plumbe on 20 May 1818 in Saint Botolph Without Aldersgate, London, England

Children: Death: 1833

Notes: In Rolls Plumbe, a brother Philip and sister Annie are often mentioned, but there is never mention of Martha or, by name, Harold. On p9, the death of a brother "younger than he (Rolls)" is described, and on p 47, Samuel Rolls is quotes as saying of his mother "She has already two little children in heaven; but they cannot speak of God's mercy as I can when I get there, they died so very young. Should she not rejoice then, that she has trained her first-born for heaven, and that I am going there to praise and glorify my Saviour?". My best conclusion is that Harold and Martha, noted by David Morris, are the two siblings who died young (we know that Samuel Rolls was the first born), and that Annie is an additional sister to them.

Sources:

Elizabeth Payne

Father: Samuel Payne

Mother: Mary (Plumbe) Payne

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Elizabeth Payne

Father: Samuel Payne

Mother: Mary (Plumbe) Payne

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Frances Payne

Father: Samuel Payne

Mother: Mary (Plumbe) Payne

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John Payne

Father: Samuel Payne

Mother: Mary (Plumbe) Payne

Sources:

Mary Payne

Father: Samuel Payne

Mother: Mary (Plumbe) Payne

Sources:

Philip Payne

Married: Ann

Children: Sources:

Samuel Payne

Birth: 11 June 1800, in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England

Married: Mary Plumbe on 8 October 1831, in St. Mary's, Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The marriage was witnessed by John Simmons Plumbe, Mary's elder brother.

Children: Death: 1889, in Plymouth, Devon, England, aged 89

Notes: I have no evidence that Samuel is related to the sisters Ann Serena Payne and Caroline Payne, but since he married the sister of the man that both of these Payne sisters married, it is likely that there is some connection.

The IGI (Batch 7110411) has an entry for Samuel Payne born on this date, listed with a father named Benjamin Harding, and a mother named Margaret Simpson. No further details are offered on these parents, nor is there any explanation of why their son would be named Samuel Payne.

Census:
1881: 1 Premier Place, Exeter, Devon

Sources:

Sarah C. Payne

Birth: 1841, in Devonport, Devon, England

Father: Samuel Payne

Mother: Mary (Plumbe) Payne

Census:
1881: 1 Premier Place, Exeter, Devon

Sources:
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