Robert Winder [wi.4.5]

Robert Winder was the fifth child of Edmund Winder & Elizabeth Style born July 4th, 1791 at Burnham Abbey Farm, Burnham & christened at St Peters Burnham on July 29th, 1791.

Robert married Sarah Waghorn on May 21st, 1817 at St Dustans, Stepney.

Sarah died at Church St, Edmonton & was buried on October 10th, 1823, aged 29, at All Saints, Edmonton.

The children of Robert Winder & Sarah Waghorn were:

4.5.1 Anne Winder born at Church St, Edmonton & christened April 4th, 1822 at All Saints, Edmonton; died May 27th, 1859 at 25 Elliott’s Row, Southwark, Surrey

Robert married Letitia Boswell on January 1st, 1824 at St Peter le Poor, London. Witnesses at the wedding were Mary Ann Boswell & Thomas Boswell. Letitia was the daughter of Thomas Boswell & Letitia Clark christened April 18th, 1802 at St Andrews, Enfield, Middx.

Records from Pallot's marriage index

During the 1830s there were 3 coach operators running between Edmonton & Snow Hill (Holborn), Robert was one of these, owning 1 coach.

In 1841 Robert, described as a coachmaster, & family were living at Lower Edmonton. They had 4 children by this time – Letitia (15), Robert (15), Mary Ann (10) & John (8). The listing in the Ancestry.co.uk index has the family name as ‘Winden’.

The Evening Mail of December 25th, 1843 reported an incident which occurred to Robert whilst driving his coach in Edmonton. Having stopped to allow 2 passengers to alight, he demanded the fare of 1s each which they refused to pay. Robert remonstrated with one of the passengers, a very large man, who retaliated by striking him several times & shaking him violently. Robert’s conductor ran to fetch a policeman as the contest was very unequal, Robert being much older & shorter. After a long struggle the constable managed to separate the combatants & Robert drove off, with his assailant threatening ‘to smash’ Mr Winder. The assailant then transferred his rage to the policeman & after a long fight extra police arrived & took the man into custody. The man was sentenced to 7 days hard labour over Christmas time.

Robert was joint executor (with Sarah Ewington) of his older brother Edmund's will in 1841.

The following information comes from Annie Woodward (2005), a descendant of Robert:

“The story passed down through the family is that he was killed by one of his own horses which kicked him when he bent down to look at its hoof. He was carried home on a hurdle (gate). He died on 7th August 1849. His death certificate states death was caused by "accidently ran over, fractured ribs, lacerated lungs"..........this story can now be more accurately traced from press coverage of the accident in The Times dated 11th August 1849 which I discovered on 8th April 2004. (Unfortunately reported as Richard Wonder)!”

The following is an extract from the article in The Times covering Robert's fatal accident on August 7th 1849: "On reaching Stamford Hill the omnibus was stopped, and a lady alighted, who was followed by the conductor, carrying her box. During the absence of the conductor another lady approached the omnibus, and the deceased handed the reins to one of the outside passengers. He descended from the box, and , after letting the passenger in, slammed the door ,and the horses instantly started forward. They were pulled back by the passenger who had the reins, and the sudden check caused the animals to fall back heavily upon the omnibus. The force was so great that the top of the pole instantly broke off, and the horses commenced plunging in a most fearful manner. The deceased immediately went in front of them, and caught the reins of the off-side horse and endeavoured to quiet them, but without success. They still kept kicking and plunging , and dragged the deceased some distance along the ground, when he suddenly relinquished his hold, and fell forward between their legs upon his face. The horses finding themselves free immediately started forwards and both the off wheels of the vehicle passed over this head and back.................." "Mr Hammond, a surgeon attended, and pronounced life to be quite extinct, and said there was no doubt he was killed on the spot. Verdict "Accidental death".

Robert was 58 years old when he died & was buried August 11th, 1849 in All Saints, Edmonton churchyard, Church St., Edmonton.

Robert was to have administered his mother's will, but he failed to do this. In addition Robert died intestate. In 1884 Robert's son John Winder eventually administered both Elizabeth's will & the personal estate of his father, as the following extract from the probate calendar of 1884 shows:

BE IT KNOWN, that Elizabeth Winder late of Burnham in the County of Buckingham widow deceased, who died on the 16th day of September 1840 at Burnham aforesaid made and duly executed her last Will and Testament and did therein name her son Robert Winder sole Executor, who in the month of October 1840 duly proved the said Will in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury for some time intermeddled in the personal estate of the said deceased and died on the 7th day of August 1849 Intestate leaving part hereof unadministered. That Martha Allen (wife of Thomas Allen) Charlotte Winder Spinster, William Winder, Anna Bathsheba Winder Spinster and Maria Stevens (Wife of William Stevens) the children of the said deceased and with the said Robert Winder the Residuary Legatees named in the said Will respectively survived the said Testatrix but are all since dead. AND LET IT FURTHER BE KNOWN, that at the date hereunder written, Letters of Administration with the Will of the personal estate of the said Elizabeth Winder deceased so left unadministered were granted by Her Majesty's High Court of Justice at the Principal Registry of the Probate Division thereof to John Winder of No 17 Fenchurch Street in the City of London Wine Merchant the Administrator of the personal estate of the said Robert Winder, he having been first sworn well and faithfully to administer the same.

14th July 1884 Gross value of personal estate, £100
Resworn August 1884 £1570. 5s. 1d

Robert's estate was also administered by his son John as shown below in the probate extract of 1884.

Letitia was living at Church St, Edmonton at the time of the 1851 census & was described as an omnibus proprieter. Daughters Mary Ann (20) & Caroline (7) were living with her & there were also 2 lodgers, Robert Baxter, a coachman & Henry Major, a conductor.

In the 1860 edition of the Post Office directory for the North London Suburbs Letitia is listed as ‘shopkeeper’, The Green, Lower Edmonton.

The 1861 census records Letitia (Wender!) as a grocer living at Skeltons Cottages, High Rd, Edmonton. Her daughter Caroline (17) was with her & was listed as a schoolmistress.

Letitia was living with her son John & his family at the time of the 1871 census in Hoxton New Town, Shoreditch, London. She was described as ‘widow of an omnibus proprieter’ aged 69. John was a licensed victualer employing 2 men at the pub which was called the Prince Regent.

Letitia died aged 73 at Camden Town. She was buried on March 7th, 1876, at All Saints, Edmonton alongside her husband & daughter Mary Ann Jones who died November 10th, 1868.

The children of Robert Winder & Letitia Boswell were:

wi.4.5.2 Letitia Winder born 1825 at Church St, Edmonton & christened October 28th, 1825 at All Saints, Edmonton, died October 7th, 1899 at 2b St Pauls Rd, Camden Road, Pancras
wi.4.5.3 Robert William Winder born 1827, died January 28th, 1873 at Haverstock Hill, Middx
wi.4.5.4 Mary Ann Winder born 1829 at Edmonton, died November 10th, 1868 at Edmonton
wi.4.5.5 John Winder born 1832 at Church St & christened December 7th, 1832 at All Saints, Edmonton, died November 12th, 1887 at Camden
wi.4.5.6 Thomas Winder born at Church St & christened November 14th, 1838 at All Saints, Edmonton, buried February 3rd, 1840 at All Saints, Edmonton
wi.4.5.7 Caroline Winder born January 31st, 1844 at Edmonton, died February 22nd, 1925 at Islington, London