See also
| Husband: | Thomas HAWKES (1716-1790) | |
| Wife: | Elizabeth LADD (1722-1770) | |
| Children: | Mary HAWKES (1754- ) | |
| Elizabeth HAWKES ( - ) | ||
| Thomas HAWKES (1755- ) | ||
| Marriage | 21 Sep 1745 | Canterbury Cathedral |
| Name: | Thomas HAWKES | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | Thomas HAWKES ( -1771) | |
| Mother: | Mary (?) ( - ) | |
| Birth | 5 Sep 1716 | Folkestone |
| Death | 1790 (age 73-74) | |
| Name: | Elizabeth LADD | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | - | |
| Mother: | - | |
| Birth | 13 May 1722 | Folkestone |
| Death | 30 Dec 1770 (age 48) | Folkestone |
| Name: | Mary HAWKES | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Spouse: | Thomas GITTENS (1755- ) | |
| Birth | 28 Jul 1754 | Folkestone |
| Birth | 28 Jul 1754 | |
| Name: | Elizabeth HAWKES | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Spouse: | Baker SPEARPOINT (1751- ) | |
| Name: | Thomas HAWKES | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Birth | 17 Oct 1755 | Folkestone |
| Birth | 17 Oct 1755 | |
1. The identification of Thomas Hawkes is still a bit tentative. Acknowledgements are due to Maureen Cate for undertaking all the work of trying to pin him down.
2. The most important information is a brief summary of a will which has been obtained from Jan McMaster. This is as follows :
Copy of the will dated 2 December 1790 of Thomas Hawkes proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury by Joseph Sladen and Robert Harvey.
(1) To Elizabeth Spearpoint daughter, copyhold messuage near The Stade occupied by the widow Godden and once a storehouse.
(2) To Mary Gittens daughter, messuage near the Apollo Room in Folkestone in the occupation of the widow Freeman.
(3) To Elizabeth Hawkes wife, messuage near The Stade lately purchased from the assignees of John Marsh a bankrupt and since rebuilt.
(4) To Thomas Wood natural son, copyhold messuage, painters shop and sailmaker's warehouse situate in Folkestone opposite the Royal George public house and in the occupation of Michael Boxer and Thomas Punnett.
3. It is useful to read this will in conjunction with that of Elizabeth Wood (d.1813), his second wife. She identifies the christian names, Baker and Thomas, of the husbands of the two daughters. She also refers to Elizabeth Spearpoint and Mary Gittens as her daughters-in-law, which I presume means step-daughters. Taken in conjunction with the record of the death of an Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Hawkes in 1770, this indicates that Thomas married twice.
4. The identification of Mary Gittens (nee Hawkes) is also important if a bit speculative. Certainly the Mary Hawkes born 1754, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth is the only plausible candidate in Folkestone, but that is hardly proof. But if this is accepted, then it confirms that Thomas's first wife was also named Elizabeth.
5. The identification of Thomas Hawkes as the one born in Folkestone in 1716 is also very speculative. The only fragment of supporting evidence is that the father of this Thomas appears to have been a sailmaker (see his will), and part of Thomas' property was a sailmakers' warehouse. You can't get anything much weaker than that ! (But see also the notes on his second wife Elizabeth Wood. At his marriage he was described as a sailmaker.)
6. It actually looks possible that Thomas Hawkes married three times. In addition to the marriages to Elizabeth Ladd and Elizabeth Wood, there is also a marriage licence dated 8/6/1772 for "Thos. Hawkes of Folkestone widower and Eliz. Minter of the same, widow". The date obviously fits very well with the death of his first wife.
1. The first wife of Thomas Hawkes has been a bit of a problem. We conclude that he married twice (even though both were named Elizabeth), mainly because the will of Elizabeth Wood (=2nd wife) refers to her daughters-in-law (which appears to mean step-daughters). Further we have a record of the death of an Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Hawkes in 1770. The evidence that her name is Elizabeth derives mainly from the birth of Mary Hawkes in 1754 (parents = Thomas + Elizabeth) who I am identifying as the future Mary Gittens.
2. The identification of Elizabeth Ladd as Thomas Hawkes's first wife is due to the efforts of Maureen Cate in extracting the following information :
There is a marriage of a Thomas Hawkes to an Elizabeth Ladd in Canterbury Cathedral in 1745. The marriage record itself says that Elizabeth Ladd is 'of Folkestone'. It is a marriage by licence, which imples that there are Licence Allegations. The important bits of these are that Thomas is aged 29, a sailmaker of Woolage (sic) and that she is aged 26. The age and profession fit well with the Thomas Hawkes that we are looking for, even if Woolwich (?) is unexpected. The allegations list 3 churches in which the marriage may take place, all in Canterbury, one of them being the cathedral itself.
3. There is a very suitable record of the birth of an Elizabeth Ladd in Folkestone in 1722, the daughter of Ric and Jane Ladd. Unfortunately, her parents are less obvious. There is a marriage of a Richard Ladd and Jane Baker 17/8/1720 at St Mary the Virgin, Dover. This is very plausible, but really needs a bit more evidence.