Family > Dingley > London > Descendants of Alan DINGLEY
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Descendants of Alan DINGLEY
| 1. Introduction 2. John and Alan DINGLEY 3. Robert DINGLEY (c.1678-1741) 4. Robert DINGLEY (1710-1781) 5. Charles DINGLEY (1711-1769) |
1. Introduction
I do not know that much about Alan DINGLEY, but his position in the Dingley family looks uncertain. He is most notably documented by Edward Hasted (Historian of Kent) as both his own ancestor and the ancestor of Robert DINGLEY (1710-1781) of Lamorbey. However, Hasted's account of this pedigree contains inconsistencies which are difficult to reconcile with other information.
Hasted produced a manuscript chart entitled "The Kindred and Consanguinity of Edward Hasted of Sutton in Kent with Robert Dingley Esq. of Lamierby in Bexley". This manuscript is reproduced in "A Scholar and a Gentleman" by Shirley Black, 2001.
In this chart Alan DINGLEY and his wife Prudence WILLIAMS are shown as the grandparents of Robert DINGLEY (1710-1781). Edward Hasted (1732-1812) is shown as both the gtgtgrandson of Alan DINGLEY and the gtgrandson of Alan's brother John DINGLEY who married Ann BOKINTON. This double relationship came about through the marriage of John DINGLEY's daughter Elizabeth (and sole heir) to Alan DINGLEY's grandson George TYLER. See below for details.
However, in "Anecdotes of the Hasted family" by Edward Hasted and published in Archaeologica Cantiana, there are the following differences:
In his History of Kent, under Bexley, Hasted also describes Robert DINGLEY who died in 1781 as descended from Sir John DINGLEY, of Wolverton, in the Isle of Wight.
In the Anecdotes, Hasted laments the loss of his Dingley Pedigree which was destroyed by a fire in 1799. He says that he had copied it from "that in Mr DINGLEY's possession" - Mr DINGLEY was Robert DINGLEY (1710-1781). So it is perhaps not totally surprising that some inconsistencies crept into his notes, particularly as Hasted must have had to reproduce some notes from memory. One example of Hasted's doubts over his memory is the name of his own grandfather whom he first calls Joseph TYLER and then "I am not certain, but believe rather his name was George". [Anecdotes] (George is correct.)
These inconsistencies may not appear to be too significant if the general thrust of Hasted's Pedigree looks reasonable. However, in trying to check out Robert DINGLEY's descent from Sir John DINGLEY of the Isle of Wight, other doubts have surfaced.
The descendants of Sir John DINGLEY are shown on link. His 3rd (surviving) son, Charles, actually had 4 sons, none of them called Alan. Whilst it is possible that Charles had a further (undocumented) son Alan, it is not feasible for him to be the Alan DINGLEY who married Prudence WILLIAMS in 1655 since this marriage was 4 years before his alleged parents' marriage - Charles DINGLEY married Elizabeth HAMMOND in 1659. I have also looked at the offspring of the other sons of Sir John, particularly his eldest son called John, but I cannot find any evidence for an Alan DINGLEY.
This discrepancy looks difficult to resolve and cannot reasonably be blamed on a lapse of Hasted's memory. Hasted says that Robert DINGLEY of Lamorbey's pedigree contained "a Letter from the Steward of Sir John DINGLEY in Wolverton, a man very antient, who asserted that he had often heard Sir John acknowledge frequently the descent and relationship of these DINGLEYs of London with him". [Anecdotes] This suggests that Robert DINGLEY believed there to be a relationship with the IoW DINGLEYs. However the Steward's letter does not, in my opinion, mean that Sir John acknowledged Robert DINGLEY's family as his descendants - a cousin relationship looks more likely.
It is all to easy to speculate what the relationship with the IoW DINGLEYs might actually have been, but this is of no real benefit without positive evidence. In the records the only Alan DINGLEY that I can find is in a family from Ewell in Surrey. The Will of Thomas DINGLEY, tailor of Ewell, made in 1649/50 and proved in 1665 refers to five sons including an Alan DINGLEY and a John DINGLEY. [Surrey CC] Alan is probably the same one who was granted permission to keep an Alehouse in Sutton, Surrey. [Quarter Sessions] Some credence to this possibility may also be deduced from Hasted's statement that his Tyler family "came from and had relations, as I have heard, at Sutton and Ewell in Surrey". [Anecdotes] However, I have not found a connection between the DINGLEYs from Ewell and the IoW. See Surrey Dingleys for further information on the Ewell DINGLEYs.
Hasted records that he dined frequently with Robert DINGLEY, that his parents "kept up an Intimacy with the DINGLEYs as relations" and that "Mr [Robert] DINGLEY was my mother's 1st cousin, viz. Brother & Sister's children". [Anecdotes] This is quite specific information, given by Hasted about the family relationship between his mother and his friend, and as such is highly credible.
Using Hasted's information, and other sources, the following two lines can be seen:
John DINGLEY, Goldsmith of
Fenchurch St., London m. Ann BOKINTON
- Elizabeth DINGLEY dau & sole heir m. 1698 George TYLER (Watchmaker
& Goldsmith)
-- George TYLER d. unmarried 1738
-- Ann TYLER (1702-1791) m. Edward HASTED (1702-1740) of Sutton
--- Anne HASTED (1728-62)
--- Edward HASTED (1732-1812) Historian of Kent
Alan DINGLEY m. 1655 Prudence
WILLIAMS
- John DINGLEY fl. 1741
- Thomas DINGLEY m. dau of BROWN
- Mary DINGLEY m. R. TYLER of Sutton having son George TYLER (who
married above Elizabeth
DINGLEY)
- Robert DINGLEY (1678-1741) youngest son, Jeweller m. Susan
ELKIN (1680-1741)
-- Robert DINGLEY (1710-1781) of Lamorbey
(Note that "Sutton" in Hasted's chart is not defined as whether in Surrey or Kent. I am assuming that the default means Kent, i.e. Sutton-at-Hone.)
From this it can be seen that Hasted's mother (Ann TYLER) was a contemporary of Robert DINGLEY of Lamorbey and they were first cousins, once removed, via "Brother & Sister's children" as described above.
This leaves the question of what
was the relationship between John DINGLEY, Goldsmith, and Alan
DINGLEY. Either
a. John DINGLEY was the eldest son
of Alan DINGLEY (Anecdotes of Hasted family), or
b. John DINGLEY was the brother of
Alan DINGLEY (Hasted Pedigree)
In my opinion, a. is less likely since:
So I'm inclined to follow the Hasted pedigree chart. Indeed, in my opinion the pedigree chart itself is probably quite correct and it is the contradictory information from "Anecdotes" which is suspect. It is perhaps significant that the pedigree chart does not name the parents of Alan and John DINGLEY, merely referring to Dingley.
3. Robert DINGLEY (c.1678-1741)
There is a picture of the memorial for Robert DINGLEY at St. Helens, Bishopsgate - see link. This shows that he died 30 Mar 1741 aged 63. It also shows Arms of a mullet between two roundels, azure which, apart from the colour, is the same as the Arms of the DINGLEYs from IoW, Hants. and Worcs. He is described as "of this parish Jeweller".
He married Susan ELKIN (1680-1747), the daughter of Henry ELKIN (goldsmith) and Rebecca WOOD. They had 19 children of whom 6 survived them:
- Rebecca
DINGLEY bap 23 Apr 1701 m.1717 Francis TROTT
- Susannah DINGLEY m.1728 Nathaniel
TOWNSEND
- Robert DINGLEY bap 12 Sep 1710 d. 8 Aug
1781 - see below
- Charles DINGLEY bap 1 Nov 1711 d. 1769
- Catherine DINGLEY bap 20 Oct 1714
- Frances DINGLEY
In his PCC Will dated 1740, Robert
DINGLEY mentions his:
- wife
- daughter Henrietta
- son Robert, who, amongst other
things, was given 2 farms in Sussex
- son Charles, who, amongst other things,
was given an Estate in Hamstead, Essex
- daughter Rebecca TROTT
- grandaughter Rebecca TROTT
- brother John DINGLEY
Robert and his brother Charles were freemen of the Russia Company and traded as partners with an agency in St. Petersburg, where, with other merchants they financed two sugar refineries. Robert was also a director of the Bank of England and a philanthropist most notably pioneering the Magdalen Hospital for Penitent Prostitutes in Prescot Street and later in Southwark. Dingley Lane (map) in SW16 is named after him. He owned a home at Little St Helen's Bishopgate, London and a country home in Charlton, then Lamorbey (map), both in Kent. [DNB]
His first wife was Elizabeth THOMPSON, daughter of Henry THOMPSON of Kirby Hall, Yorks, and they had three children.
Robert's second wife was Esther SPENCER.
A painting of Robert DINGLEY by William HOARE is shown at link.
Edward HASTED was acquainted with Robert DINGLEY: "After my introduction to him our families often dined together, and in token of his regard he came to Sutton [Kent] and stood Godfather to my 2nd son Francis Dingley". [Anecdotes]
Robert DINGLEY was buried at Charlton parish church with his two wives. [Hist. of Kent]
5. Charles DINGLEY (1711-1769)
As mentioned above, Charles and his elder brother Robert traded as partners. They imported various commodities from Russia including minerals, timber, cloth, etc. [Charles Dingley]
Charles added considerably to his Hampstead inheritance. In 1762, Charles's house, called in turn Wildwoods, North End, and Pitt House was set in 2½ acres, mostly on the southern side of the village, and included a coach house, stabling, garden, grotto, wilderness, and four other houses. Politically ambitious, Charles DINGLEY invited William PITT the elder to North End in 1763. He built a new wing and a gymnasium for PITT's children by 1766, when PITT first moved in. [VCH Middx]
Charles DINGLEY played a leading role in the building of new roads in and around N.E. London, including the roads now called Marylebone, Euston and Pentonville Roads. Dingley Road and Dingley Place (map) leading off the City Road, EC1, were named after him. He also played a leading role in canal building and making rivers navigable, including a stretch of the river Stort between Bishop's Stortford and the river Lee. He also owned considerable riverside property and wharfs, particularly in Limehouse, which was used for his import and timber businesses. [Charles Dingley]
Charles DINGLEY built a wind-powered sawmill in Limehouse and was awarded a gold medal in December 1767 by the Society of Arts for his public spirit in erecting it. However, in May 1767 "A large body of sawyers assembled, and pulled down the saw-mill lately erected by Mr DINGLEY, at Limehouse, on pretence that it deprived many workmen of employment." He later received compensation of £2,000. [Annual Register] A cartoon of the Mill with Charles DINGLEY sawing through the Magna Charter and Bill of Rights can be seen at link.
In March 1769, "Several merchants and others met at the King's arms tavern in Cornhill, in order to sign an address to his majesty, which lay ready for that purpose ; on which a warm debate ensued upon the propriety of that measure; and in the end, from words they came to blows. Charles DINGLEY, esq., a zealous advocate for the address, struck Mr REYNOLDS, attorney to Mr. WILKES, and as warm an advocate against it; and Mr REYNOLDS, in return, knocked Mr. DINGLEY down; the fray beginning to spead, the address was withdrawn, and the chief promoters of it followed it..." [Annual Register] A drawing of this event, "The Battle of Cornhill", can be seen at link.
A few days later, "...at Brentford, the second re-election of a knight of the shire for Middlesex, when Charles DINGLEY, esq.; made an offer to oppose the popular candidate, but, being very roughly handled by the populace, he was advised to retire; upon which, Mr Wilkes was chosen, a third time, without opposition." [Annual Register] Charles DINGLEY died later that year, in November. [St Helen's PR]
Charles married Elizabeth ? and they had at least three children (Elizabeth, Susannah, Richard). Elizabeth and Richard probably died relatively young; Susannah married John Smith MEGGOTT who also became Charles's trading partner.