Thomas Harvey, 1803-1885)

Thomas's age

Event

1763

-40

Robert Harvey, Thomas's father, is born on 4th September at Brightlingsea, Essex.

1776

-27

Susannah Ellingford, Thomas's mother, is born on 19 November at Great Wigborough, Essex.

1796

-7

Mary Elizabeth Martin, to become Thomas's first wife, is born on 10 July.

1798

-5

Robert Harvey marries his second wife, Susannah Ellingford, on 19 September at Wivenhoe.

1803

0

Thomas Harvey, fourth child of Robert Harvey and Susannah Ellingford, is born on 26th July at Wivenhoe, Essex.

1807

4

Susannah Harvey dies on 13th March at Wivenhoe.

1810

7

Robert Harvey marries his third wife, Ann Richardson, on 21 September at Wivenhoe.

c.1817

14

Thomas begins to train as a joiner and carpenter with Mr. Todd.

1824

21

Sophia Griggs, to become Thomas's second wife, is born in July at Brightlingsea.

1827

24

Thomas marries Mary Elizabeth Martin, 31-year-old widow of Thomas Gowland on 12th December. She is already four or five months pregnant.

1828

25

Thomas and Mary's, Thomas Harvey, is born on 29th April at Wivenhoe.

1829

26

Thomas and Mary's third son, Joseph Martin I, is born on 6th September at Wivenhoe.

1831

28

Joseph Martin Harvey I dies on 11th January.

Thomas and Mary's fourth son, Edward, is born on 13th February at Wivenhoe.

1832

29

Thomas becomes licensee of "The Black Boy" at Wivenhoe.

Thomas takes over Philip John Sainty's Wivenhoe shipyard.

1833

30

Thomas and Mary's fifth son, John Harvey, is born on 11th January at Wivenhoe.

1834

31

Thomas and Mary's sixth son, Joseph Martin II, is born on 22nd October.

1836

33

Thomas and Mary's first daughter and last child, Caroline, is born on 15th November at Wivenhoe.

Thomas builds 86 ton schooner Lady Rebow.

1838

35

Thomas builds 212 ton brig Essex.

1839

36

Thomas builds 59 ton schooner Gurdon Rebow.

1840

37

Caroline Harvey dies on 8th September and is buried on 13th September.

Robert Harvey, Thomas's father, dies on 17th December.

Thomas builds Invoice for Chinese silk trade, 350 ton Lady de Crespigny, Prospero, launched on 27th December.

1841

Thomas builds Jane, 220 tons

1845

42

Thomas ceases to be licensee of "The Black Boy".

Thomas builds Hero, a 120 ton schooner. His son Edward sails on her maiden voyage to Malaga, Dart, for the fruit trade, Prima Donna, a 25 ton cutter

1849

46

Thomas reopens the former Read & Page Halifax shipyard in Ipswich and builds yacht Volante.

Thomas learns of the Swedenborgian, or New, Church.

1850

47

Thomas builds Avalon, a 39 ton cutter.

1851

48

Volante competes for a £100 cup presented by the Royal Yacht Squadron. The cup is won by America and becomes known as The America Cup.

1852

49

Thomas builds Kitten, a 10 ton racing cutter with his son John.

1853

50

Thomas rebuilds Sainty's 1806 cutter Providence

1855

52

Thomas contracts to build four 170 ton mortar vessels for the Crimean War. Two were built at Wivenhoe and two at Ipswich.

1856

53

Thomas takes his 23-year-old son John into partnership and the firm becomes 'Thomas Harvey and Sons'.

Thomas Harvey and Sons, of Ipswich, become subscribers to the Lloyds Register of Shipping. They continue until at least 1862 when this copy was specially marked for the firm.

c.1859

56

Thomas buys Wivenhoe House and twenty acres of parkland.

1860

57

The Harvey shipyard is at the height of its fame. Thomas builds 120 ton yacht Ione.

Thomas buys and demolishes Wivenhoe House and divides the site and park into building plots in order to aid the northward expansion of the village.

1862

59

Mary Elizabeth Harvey dies on 1st February, aged 66, at Rectory Road, Wivenhoe, and is buried on 5th February.

Thomas builds Scandal, a 12 ton schooner, for Edward Fitzgerald.

1863

60

Thomas marries Sophia Griggs on 29th November at the New Church in Brightlingsea.

1864

61

Thomas closes the Halifax yard at Ipswich.

Thomas builds Thought.

1865

62

Thomas retires from the shipyard and moves to Brightlingsea. He begins to buy land and starts to build houses on it.

Thomas and Sophia's only child, Fred, is born on 29th January at Brightlingsea. Sophia is 41.

1878

75

Thomas sells Harvey's Hall, the public hall he has built in Brightlingsea, to William Pannell. Pannell starts a grocery business in the premises.

1881

78

Census year: Thomas is living at Rose Cottage, Park Road, Brightlingsea. His occupation is given as "formerly Shipbuilder". Also living in the house are his wife Sophia, son Fred (junior clerk) and grandson Charles Woodroffe Harvey (scholar).

1884

81

A major earthquake hits the Essex coast on 22nd April. Wivenhoe is badly damaged.

1885

82

Thomas dies on 1st November at Brightlingsea and is buried there.

1887

Thomas Harvey II, dies at High Street Wivenhoe on 13 June 1887 and is buried in the Old Cemetery on 16 June 1887.

1900

Edward Harvey dies.

1901

John Harvey dies on 5th May at Guy's Hospital, London.

1939

Thomas's last child, Fred, dies on 1st February, at Charlton, London. That is 112 years after the death of Thomas's first child.