3. John Corvan

Above: Advertisement from the 'Catholic Advertiser' of 1838. The name of the business changed to "John Corvan" after the death of his father Patrick.
John Corvan was one of four sons who were born to coal merchant Patrick Corvan and his wife Ann. He was born in County Longford, Ireland, in c. 1808-09, and must have been one of the more favoured sons – he was made executor of his father’s will, and received a healthy bequest, as opposed to his brothers Phillip and Patrick who were left one shilling each!
Up until 1844 he was still living at the family residence at 15 Buckridge Street where both his parents had died in 1834 (his father) and 1839 (his mother Ann).

John took over his father’s coal business, as his occupation on his 1844 marriage certificate was ‘coal merchant’. He married a widow, Mary Roche, whose maiden name was Ginivan, the daughter of deceased fishmonger William Ginivan. Mary had been living at 178 Oxford Street.
The London Times newspaper recorded the event as follows:

“ On the 8th last, at the Catholic Chapel, Somer-town, by the Rev. Dr. Piquot, of Spanish Place, John Corvan,Esq, of Ehrenburg-terrace, Camden –town, to Mary, widow of the late Lawrence Roach, Esq, of Oxford Street.
- Wednesday, July 10, 1844.”


John’s address was given as 11 Ehrenberg Terrace, Mornington road. His sister, Rosa Corvan, was a witness at the wedding, and she too was living at this address.
Other witnesses were Christina Hennessy, of 31 Hyde Street, Bloomsbury, and Charles Innis, of Euston Square.
John and Mary were married at St. Aloysius Chapel, St. Pancras, by Julius Picquot, on Monday, July 8, 1844.

The following article was published in the London Times newspaper in 1846 as part of a news item describing a tremendous thunderstorm which swept through London:


“THE THUNDERSTORM ON SATURDAY.
CAMDEN TOWN- During the violence of the storm, the electric fluid struck the house of Mr. Corvan, No. 17 Mornington road, Camden Town. This took place at about 4 o’clock, the shock causing the utmost alarm to the neighbourhood. The fluid entered the chimney, which it shattered to pieces, and these passed down the chimney and into the kitchen, in which was the female servant, who at the time was cleaning some plate. She became senseless, and was immediately attended to by Mrs. Corvan, who had her removed, as it was not possible, in the consequence of the strong smell of sulphur, to remain there.
In the meanwhile, members of the inhabitants hastened to the house, as it was reported that it had caught fire, and there was a strong smell of wood burning. Upon examination of the roof, the timber under the slating was found extensively charred; but as it was raining in torrents at the time, the progress of the fire was soon extinguished. A quantity of lead was also melted. The houses on each side were also slightly damaged.
- Monday, August 3, 1846.”
In the 1851 census on Ancestry.com, John and Mary are found indexed as ‘Carran’ rather than ‘Corvan’. They were living at Lisson Grove South.
John Corvan/ head/ married/ 42 years/ coal merchant/ b Ireland
Mary Corvan/ wife/ 42/ coal merchant’s wife/ b Middlesex
Margaret Dunley/ servant/ 26/ house servant/ b Ireland.

A London Directory from 1860 reveals the following entry:'" Marylebone Road- North Side-even numbers. 258: Coles, Lewis. Corvan, John. Lisson Grove South".

John and his wife Mary remained childless, as did Mary in her first marriage to victualler Laurence Roche.
Because the parties in both marriages were Catholic, and thus not covered in the IGI, I had to rely on the wills of Mary’s husband, Laurence, and her mother, Eleanor Ginivan, to provide some clues as to any children that Mary may have born in either of her marriages.


The will of Laurence Roche was written in 1823, and was very simplistic…he simply left everything to ‘my beloved wife Mary Roche’. One of the witnesses was Charles Innis, of 10 Tottenham Court, who also witnessed Mary Roche’s second marriage in 1844.It was signed on July 30, 1823, which surprised me as Laurence didn’t die until 1840. The will stated that he was from the ??? Arms, Oxford Street, St. Marylebone, suggesting that he was a hotel owner.
Sure enough, the following year in the 1841 census, we find his wife Mary Roche living in Oxford Street, with her occupation listed as ‘victualler’. Living with her was an assistant, Christina Newy(sp??) and two servants, Charles Murrell and Ellen Ward.


The will of Mary’s mother, Eleanor Ginivan, of St. Mary Abbots, Kensington, widow, made fascinating reading, as well as being full of genealogical information. I won’t include the will in its entirety, as it consists of four closely-written pages, but the basic details it reveals were as follows:

Her burial requests…to be buried in the vault under the Catholic Chapel of St. Mary’s Moorfields, as near as possible to the resting place of her late ‘dear husband and my son William’. She also requests that her funeral procession be accompanied by ‘the usual and necessary number of attendants’, and expressively desires and requests ‘that the following persons attend the funeral as mourners. Namely my daughter, MARY CORVAN, and her husband JOHN CORVAN, my two granddaughters ELLEN ELIZABETH GINIVAN and MARY ANN GINIVAN and my daughter-in-law, ELIZABETH GINIVAN, the
Reverend WILLIAM BUGDEN and my two other executors hereinafter named.’

She then appoints several men as trustees (I think, if I correctly deciphered the awful handwriting and legal-speak!), including the said
Rev William Bugden of Kensington, John Somebody from London, gentleman, and Ambrose Robert Williamson of Crawford Street, St. Mary, Middlesex.


Her grandchildren are named as ELIZABETH ELLEN GINIVAN & MARY ANN GINIVAN, who must be the daughters of her deceased son William Ginivan, and the children of her son James Ginivan- WILLIAM JAMES, ELLEN ELIZABETH, EMMA, EDWARD, FRANCIS AND JOHN.
Other smaller bequests are made, including those to her nephew, her God daughter, Rev. Bugden, Margaret Someone ‘for her kindness and attention to me’ and her daughter in law Elizabeth Ginivan, widow of her son William.

Eleanor also included her son-in-law, John Corvan….
“ Unto my son-in-law, the said JOHN CORVAN, the sum of fifty pounds in consideration of his kindness to me’. She also seemed to pay John back for expenses that he had met on behalf of her son James.

Eleanor made several specific bequests to her only daughter, Mary Corvan….’four tablespoons, 12 teaspoons, 1 _______ jug, 1 pair of sugar tongs, 2 salt spoons, 1 corkscrew, 1 _____ spoon, my gold watch and gold watch chain, 3 gold _____, a gold _____ ring, 2 gold ___ rings, the portrait of my late husband set in gold and all other plate and jewellery whatsoever’. Mary is also given for her separate use all the furniture, goods, linen, wearing apparel and household effects I may be possessed of at the time of my death’.

She signed her will and last testament on June 3, 1851. There were two codicils attached- the first made on August 24, 1851, and dealing with the death of Rev. Bugden and subsequent bequest to Rev. Phillips in his stead, and the second added on September 19, 1851.
This latter codicil left ten pounds to ‘Eleanor Ginivan, the widow of my late son James Ginivan’, and appointed Thomas Read, surgeon, of Kensington, as an executor of her will.

There was another big blurb attached after the two codicils and the statement that the will was proven in London on October 28, 1851. This ‘blurb’ stated that on the 19th of September, Eleanor was in a weak and feeble state, and after scribing her name to the said codicil and having written the letter ‘E’, she observed that she would endeavour to write it
better. The witnesses to the will and codicils, Mary and John Donohue, stated that the testatrix had no Christian name besides ELEANOR and that her proper name is ELEANOR GINIVAN. Mary and
John signed this last attachment to the will on October 18, 1851.


Absolutely fascinating stuff, even though Eleanor is of no actual relevance to the Corvan family tree. It proved that her daughter Mary Ginivan Roche Corvan bore no children, either to her first husband Laurence Roche or to her second, John Corvan.

The 1861 census shows John and Mary Corvan living at 253 Marylebone Rd, Marylebone:

John Corvan/ head/ 50/ coal merchant/ b Longford, Ireland.
Mary Corvan/ wife/ 49/b Cork, Ireland
Mary Ann West/ servant/ unmarr/ 18/ house servant/ b Not known.


John and his wife passed away only months after the census was taken, with the Times newspaper publishing news of John’s death in 1861:

“DEATHS: On the 7th inst, at 253 Marylebone Rd, Mr. John Corvan, aged 53, very sincerely regretted. R.I.P.
Wednesday, December 11, 1861.” – London Times.

Mary Corvan’s death was registered in the September ¼ of 1861, at Marylebone.
There are two entries for John Corvan and Mary Corvan in the Index to Death Duty Registers, although the entry for John has been crossed out with a black line running through the given details:

1862 Wills.
John Corvan/ Marylebone Rd/ executor Edward Corish/ P.R. 801
This was crossed out, and directly underneath was written:
Mary Corvan/ 258 Marylebone Rd/ executor Edward Corish/ P.R 817.

The London Times newspaper carried several advertisements for the disposal of land owned by Mary Corvan after her death. An example of them follows:

“ Leasehold Property, St. Marylebone, Pancras, Pimlico, Kennington, producing a rental of 600 pounds per annum.
Messrs Elgood and Son are instructed by the executors of Mrs. Corvan, deceased, to SELL at the Mart, on Friday March__, the Following PROPERTY held for various terms at ground rents:
No 5 Lyon-terrace, Maida-hill
67 Clarendon Street and 12 Upper Grenville St, Clarendon Square
12 Hertford St, Fitzroy Square
10,11 and 12 Palace Street, near Buckingham Palace, Pimlico
3 & 4 Grosvenor Place, Camberwell New-road, near Kennington-park ( with early possession; a valuable and profitable estate, forming John’s Yard, Lisson Grove, producing a large rental & C, of which printed particulars are preparing, and further announcements will be made, 18 Wimpole Street, February 1862.
- Monday, March 17, 1862.”

This advertisement was also published on March 24,26 and 28, and on April 4 and 7, 1862.
Further details about individual properties appeared as follows:

“ Small lease holds, by Clarendon Square, Somers Town. Messrs Elgood and Son will sell at the Mart, on Thursday April 17, in one lot, by order of the executors of Mrs Corvan, deceased, TWO small houses with yards in the rear adjoining, being No. 67 Clarendon Street and 12 Upper Grenville St, held for about 23 years at ground rents and let at 55 pounds per annum.
- Monday, March 24, 1862.”

“ Business premises, 12 Hertford St, Fitzroy Square. Messrs Elgood and Son will SELL at the order of the executors of Mrs Corvan, deceased, a convenient HOUSE, shop and premises, situate one door from Grafton Street, held of Lord Southampton for 25 years, at a ground rent of 5 pounds and let at 45 pounds per annum.
- Friday, March 28,1862.”

“ Messrs Elgood and Son beg to inform the public that the whole of the property of the late Mrs. Corvan, deceased, put up for sale at the Mart on Wednesday, 17th last, was SOLD, excepting the John’s Yard premises in Lisson Grove, an eligible property for profitable investment, which they are authorized to sell at a moderate price, to complete the sale.
- Wednesday, April 30, 1862.”

“ Messrs Elgood and Son beg to inform the public that the whole of the property of the late Mrs. Corvan, deceased, put up for sale at the Mart on Wednesday 17th was SOLD, excepting for the Johns Yard premises in Lisson Grove which have since been sold by private contract.
-Friday, May 16, 1862.”