James Turrell (1801 - 1876)

Born Aug 1801 in St Giles, Middlesex, London, England

Husband of Sarah (Woodbridge) Turrell — married 27 Jun 1824 in St George, Bloomsbury, Camden, England

Husband of Eliza (Wood) Turrell — married 1873 (to 1876) in Pancras, London, England

Descendants

Died 1876 at about age 74 in Pancras, London, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Sheila McCarthy [send private message]

Biography

John and Sarah Turrell were the parents of James Turrell baptized at St George, Bloomsbury, in 1823 at age 22 (he was born c1801), presumably because he was about to get married to Sarah Woodbridge, an event which took place at St George in June 1824.

John and Sarah lived at Woburn Court, St George Bloomsbury, and John was a carpenter.

They may have been the parents of Mary Ann, christened at St Martin In the Fields in 1789, Francis, christened at St Luke Old Street, Finsbury in 1790 and Daniel, christened November 1795, at St Ann Blackfriars. The last child may be the John Daniel who died and was buried at St Ann Blackfriars that same year.

There were a lot of Turrells living in London at that time, some of them apparently quite wealthy as they owned property in Picadilly and other places.

The name Turrell was common in the south east of England with spelling variations including Tyrrell, Terrell, Tarrall and Tirrel. It was probably Norman in origin. Bloomsbury was part of the parish of St Giles in the Fields. St George’s was built in the 1700s because St Giles was unable to cope with the increasing population of the area which was surrounded by one of London’s most notorious slums, known as the Rookery.

Whether John and Sarah Turrell lived in these slums or the more affluent areas of Bloomsbury I don’t know and nor do I know where they came from before that.

James Turrell and Sarah Woodbridge were married at St George, Bloomsbury, on 27 June 1824. Both were “of this parish” and signed their names. The witnesses were John Harrison and Jane Colborn.

In the 1861 Census James’ age was given as 59 (ie born 1802) and Sarah’s as 63 (born 1798). He was from St Giles, Middlesex, and she from Waltham Abbey, Essex. His occupation was organ builder.

After their marriage James and Sarah lived at St Pancras and had a son, also James, in 1827.

St Pancras is in north London not far from St Giles. The area was largely built around that time, having been fields or more scattered housing before that. It is the terminal of several railway lines into London from other parts of England so it was naturally the first stop for many agricultural labourers looking for jobs in the factories growing up around the capital.

At the time of the 1841 Census James and Sarah were living at Warren Street, St Pancras with James, then aged 14. There is no record of other children.

In the 1846 Post Office Commercial Directory for London there is a James Turrell, carpenter, at 21 Warren Street, Fitzroy Square. Presumably he later became an organ builder, possibly because he had relatives in that trade. Carpentry was probably a skill used in building organs.

There was a John Turrell, who was an organ builder and lived at Greenhithe in Kent, where the younger James was living when he died.

A single manual organ, built by James Turrell of the “Model Organ Works”, in Greenhithe, Kent, around 1900, is in the chancel of the Old Church, All Saints Orpington.

I have not found James and Sarah in the 1851 Census but as an organ builder James may have been traveling around as part of his work.

Interestingly there was a William Woodbridge, widower aged 61 and therefore born 1790, at Waltham Abbey, living in 82 Drummond Street, St Pancras, in 1851 with his son John. Both were plumbers. It seems likely these were Sarah’s relatives.

A James Turrell Jnr worked from 1842 to 1845 for the organ building firm of Gray and Davidson. This is possibly the younger James but it may also have been a relative. The John Turrell of Greenhithe also worked for Gray and Davidson, from 1844 to 1866. His name has been found scrawled on the centre pipe of the organ the firm built at Sherborne Abbey.

For the 1861 Census James and Sarah were living in Somers Town in north London with their son, James, and his wife Maria.

James was still living with James and Maria in 1871, but Sarah had died the previous year, aged 73. The family was then living at 62 Falkland Road, Kentish Town, which is still the same part of London. James was 69.

In 1873, James married a second wife, a widow, Eliza Bradley (nee Wood). Given his age it seems likely Eliza was a younger woman who possibly looked after him until he died.

This was probably in 1876 as a James Turrell died in St Pancras in that year.

The registry of probate includes a James Turrell who died on February 6 1876. He was living at 70 Charlton Street, Euston Road, and his effects of under eight hundred pounds were granted to his widow, Eliza Turrell.

Source: Mike Murphy (March 5, 2017)

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James Turrell, born St Giles, London 1801, was my great great great grandfather, I was born Michael Turrell although I now use my stepfather's surname, Murphy. My father was Bert Turrell, his father was Alf Turrell and his father was James, the son of James. I think James' parents were John and Sarah Turrell who lived at Woburn Court in Bloomsbury, London, in 1823 when James was baptised at St George's Church. The baptism record shows he was born in 1801 and I assume he got baptised because he was going to marry Sarah Woodbridge at St George's the following year. St George's church was combined with St Giles church, which is nearby, and that would explain why James later said he was from St Giles. John was a carpenter and he and Sarah may have had another son, John in 1791. However, there were lots of John and Sarah Turrells around that time and researching them is not easy. I hope this gives you something to add to your family tree and if you have any other information about the Turrells and how you and I are related I would love to hear it.

Source: Mike Murphy (26 Aug 2021)

Records

England and Wales Marriage Registration:

• Name James Turrell
• Name Eliza Bradley
• Event Type Marriage
• Registration Quarter Jul-Aug-Sep
• Registration Year 1873
• Registration District Pancras
• County London
• Event Place Pancras, London, England
• Volume 1B
• Page 331
• Line Number 173

England and Wales Death Registration:

• Name James Turrell
• Event Type Death
• Registration Quarter Jan-Feb-Mar
• Registration Year 1876
• Registration District Pancras
• County London
• Event Place Pancras, London, England
• Age (available after 1866) 74
• Birth Year (Estimated) 1802
• Volume 1B
• Page 73
• Line Number 151

Census

England Census 1861 (living in 11, Clarendon Square, Pancras, London, England):

• James Turell Head Married Male 33y 1828 St Pancras, Middlesex, England ORGAN BUILDER
• Maria Turell Wife Married Female 36y 1825
• Alfred Turell Son Male 14y 1847 St Pancras, Middlesex, England ORGAN BUILDER
• Maria Turell Daughter Female 10y 1851 St Pancras, Middlesex, England SCHOLAR
• James Turell Son Male 8y 1853 Scholar St Pancras, Middlesex, England
• Annie Turell Daughter Female 1y 1860 St Pancras, Middlesex, England
• Arnold Smiles Boarder Unmarried Male 19y 1842 Waltham, Essex, England LITHOGRAPHIC WRITER
• James Turell Father Married Male 59y 1802 St Giles, Middlesex, England ORGAN BUILDER
• Sarah Turell Mother Married Female 63y 1798 Waltham Abbey, Essex, England

England Census 1871 (living in Falkland Road, St Pancras, Pancras, London, England):

• James Turrell Head Male 44y 1827 Middlesex, England ORGAN BUILDER
• Maria Turrell Wife Female 47y 1824 Gloucestershire, England
• Maria Turrell Daughter Female 20y 1851 Middlesex, England
• James Turrell Son Male 18y 1853 Middlesex, England ORGAN BUILDER
• Annie Turrell Daughter Female 11y 1860 Middlesex, England SCHOLAR
• William Turrell Son Male 9y 1862 Middlesex, England SCHOLAR
• James Turrell Father Male 69y 1802 Middlesex, England ORGAN BUILDER

Sources

• England Census 1861 from findmypast.co.uk

• England Census 1871 from findmypast.co.uk

• "England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VB66-FC7 : 24 July 2015), James Turrell in entry for James Turrell, 1871.

• "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2DG4-WGZ : 13 December 2014), James Turrell, 1873; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing 1873, quarter 3, vol. 1B, p. 331, Pancras, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.

• "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2JG3-MXZ : 31 December 2014), James Turrell, 1876; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Pancras, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.