Joseph Lucas, the second son of John Lucas and Judith Marsom, led an interesting life, and although he never married, through his substantial will he subsequently influenced many generations to come. He was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, in 1739, and died, a bachelor, in London, in 1807.  It was a fascinating period of history in which to have lived.

Quaker Family from Hitchin

Joseph Lucas, like the rest of his siblings, was born in Hitchin. Although his father was a Quaker, his mother Judith was not, and therefore their marriage was not recorded in the Quaker register. It may be recorded in another church register in Hitchin, but I haven’t checked yet. In any case in the back of the Lucas Book there is a copy of a long affidavit made in 1833 in which William Lucas (1768-1846), his great nephew, outlines the complete family details of John Lucas and his family, explaining that the marriage and births were not recorded in the register because Judith Marsom was not a Quaker.

At that time there was a certain clannishness amongst the Quakers that seems to have continued long after an individual may have ceased to actually be a member.   To this day, several hundred years later, Hitchin is still regarded as the family seat, and attitudes to peace and social responsibility are Quakerly.   Although Joseph Lucas ceased to be a member, he maintained his ties to family as can be seen by his extensive will.

Apprenticeship in London

John Lucas, the father of Joseph Lucas, was a draper in the town of Hitchin. At the age of 14 his son Joseph was apprenticed as a tinplatemaker to John Miers, of London. I’m still working on finding the family connections and how this came to be, but in any case John Miers was one of the more influential members of the guild of tinplatemakers and that was no doubt a help to Joseph in subsequently establishing his business.  Note that the fee paid by his father was over 47 pounds, considerably more than the usual amount paid for an apprentice, and it just adds one more dimension to the choice of John Miers and tinplatemaking.

Tinplatemaking is a bit of an obscure occupation these days, and another time I’ll write a bit of a background to it, but around the time that Joseph Lucas was apprenticed, it began to take importance not only as suppliers of both lamps and lanterns (made of tinplate), but as suppliers of the oil to use in them.  This was the angle that Joseph Lucas followed so successfully.   If the apprenticeship lasted the usual seven years then he would have finished about 1761 at the age of 21.  So far I haven’t been able to find a lot of concrete evidence of the association of tinplate workers and the oil suppliers business, but early directories list individuals as sometimes tinplate workers and sometimes as oilman.

Early Business Years

His first business address seems to have been 78 Long Acre, in Covent Garden. In 1765 he has his first apprentice, William Wrathall.  Many years later in his will in 1807, Joseph Lucas leaves one hundred pounds to “The Widow Wrathall”.

In 1767 he is taking minor offices within the Guild of Tinplateworkers, and is a Freeman of the City.   In 1769 he has John Stanton beginning as an apprentice working under him.   His address is Long Acre.  The fee is 12 pounds 12 shillings.

In 1777 there is an insurance taken out.

London Streetlighting Contract

In 1773, at the age of 24, he was awarded, along with Peter Balchen, a streetlighting contract for three years in the parish of St. Clement Dane’s.  The streetlighting contract continued on for many years, I think, although Peter Balchen did not remain in the partnership.

Who was Peter Balchen?   He appears in the 1768 Poll Book and Electoral Registers as a Tin-plate-worker, address Dean Street, Soho.  He had the lighting contract in 1772 on his own for St. Clement Dane’s so possibly he was older than Joseph Lucas.  After much fiddling around I’ve discovered that he generally spelled his name Balchin, and with that spelling I’ve found he died at the end of 1774 and there is a PCC will available.  He was a tinplate worker, like Joseph Lucas, and there are records of apprentices.  But was he an oilman, or involved in the oil supply business?

The South Seas Fishery

This was period of great expansion in commercial whaling. The history of whaling is vast and complicated, and much has been written about it over the years and I’ve had lots of fun reading about it. The first large fishery was called the Greenland, or Northern fishery. The Lucas Book describes Joseph Lucas as being a shipowner engaged in the Northern fishery, but I’ve never been able to find any evidence of this.  His business interest seems to have been only directed towards the South Seas Fishery.

At this point I’m going to interrupt and explain about about the business of whaling. It consisted of owners and the land-based aspect, and the captains and whalers and the sea-going part of the business. I have a feeling that Joseph Lucas never went to sea, and that his involvement was strictly a shore-based one, as a managing shipowner. Don’t really know for sure, but that’s what I think! On the other hand, his nephew James did go to sea, and is listed in various publications indicating that, and in the Lucas Book and other publications is described as a Captain in the merchant service.

Joseph Lucas’s partner in the shipowning business was Christopher Spencer.  So far I do not know a lot about him but am just finding a few connections through his descendants.

Joseph Lucas never married, and when he died in 1807 he left a magnificent will from the point of view of a genealogist. Twenty seven pages long, naming every relative he had and the relationship to himself. Several other people are mentioned, but there is not much business information in it, presumably because he had officially retired from the partnership in 1803. The main beneficiary of the business is his nephew James Lucas, but he receives building and equipment rather than shares in a ship.

Christopher Spencer – Partner and Shipowner

Joseph Lucas had a partner in the shipowning business, Christopher Spencer.  During the active years  there are references to each partner acting individually, and also jointly as Lucas and Spencer.

I still have to find more information on Christopher Spencer and lately have found there are descendants who will be able to add to the whole story.

By 1803 Joseph Lucas retires and an announcement is published in The Gazette.  [Add image of Gazette announcement]

The Wills.

Joseph Lucas’s will was signed in 1804 with a codicil in 1805. One of the executors was Samuel Hodgson. He died 2 Aug 1807, and the will was proved 13 Aug 1807.

Christopher Spencer’s will was signed 10 Jan 1806. There were no codicils.  Samuel Hodgson was also one of the executors of the will. I don’t know the death date of Christopher Spencer, but as there was no codicil following the death of his partner Joseph Lucas, I would assume that it was before August 1807. The will was proved 16 Oct 1807. Spencer had two daughters and four sons. No mention of any grandchildren or spouses of children.   The partners both died within a few months of each other.

On Part 6, pages 5 and 6, Christopher Spencer disposes of his shares in two ships. He disposes (to his sons) a five sixteenths share of the ship “Elizabeth and Mary”, and one eighth share of the ship “Richard and Mary”.