My wife's ancestors - Dicey - Contents

Thomas Dicey, of Basingstoke

Will of Thomas Dicey, 17 Oct 1703.

Thomas Dicey,
born 1651.
He was a tailor, of Basingstoke, Hampshire.
[Simmons, 2000] says that Thomas Dicey was apparently involved in selling patent medicines.
From the 1670s he seems to have been involved in selling one of the earliest British patent medicines, "Daffy's Elixir" (or "Daffey's Elixir", said to be invented by Thomas Daffy in 1647).
Daffy's Elixir was advertised as a cure-all. In reality it was a laxative made mostly from alcohol.

Thomas' will is dated 17 Oct 1703. He is Thomas Dicey, tailor, of Basingstoke, in County of Southampton. His wife Margaret is alive.
Note this is definitely him: It shows his daughter as wife of John Cluer. Also when William becomes an apprentice in 1711, his father is Thomas Dicey, tailor, of Basingstoke, deceased. Also it fits the date of burial in [Burkes LG].
Thomas died 22 Oct 1705, aged 54 [grave].
He was bur 31 Oct 1705 at Holy Ghost church, Basingstoke.
His grave calls him Thomas Dicey senior, which makes sense if Thomas was his eldest son.
Will proved 22 Jan 1706 at Prerogative Court of Canterbury.
Thomas had issue:

1. Elizabeth Dicey,
   born est c.1684 (married in 1701 and yet young enough to later marry a man born in 1696).
   Listed as of Basingstoke at mar.
   She mar 1stly, 10 June 1701, London, to John Cluer [born est c.1675] and had issue.
   John ran a printing business in Bow Church Yard, London.
   He died Oct 1728.
   Elizabeth kept the business running.

   Elizabeth mar 2ndly, 31 May 1729, to Thomas Cobb [born 1696].
   Thomas had worked as John Cluer's foreman.
   He is described at marriage as "engraver", single, age "upwards of 33 years". She is "widow". She is age est c.45.
   Both of them listed at mar as of parish of St Mary-le-Bow, London.
   See marriage bond. From here in London Marriage Bonds and Allegations.
   They married at church of St Anne and St Agnes, City of London. See entry from here. See copy from here.

   They continued running the business in Bow Church Yard.
   In Nov 1736 Elizabeth's brother William took over the business from her and Thomas.
   The date is according to [Stoker, 2014] which cites the Daily Journal, 22 Nov 1736.
   British Museum thinks this was after she had just died.

   
   

2. Margaret Dicey.
   She mar pre-1703 to Nathaniel Ward.
   Named as married in father's will 1703.

3. Thomas Dicey.
   Named in father's will 1703. Then unmarried.

4. Mary Dicey.
   Named in father's will 1703. Then unmarried.

5. Ann Dicey.
   Named in father's will 1703. Then unmarried.

   
   

6. William Dicey,
   born 25 Dec 1690,
   printer and newspaper owner.

Marriage of Elizabeth Dicey and Thomas Cobb, 31 May 1729.

Trade card from the period in between John Cluer and William Dicey when the Bow Church Yard business was called "Cobb's Printing Office".
This must be 1729-1736.
From British Museum.

William Dicey becomes an apprentice in London on 17 April 1711.
Shows his father as Thomas Dicey, tailor, of Basingstoke, deceased.
See full size.

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Thomas Dicey grave, Holy Ghost church, Basingstoke

Thomas Dicey was buried in 1705 at Holy Ghost church, Basingstoke.
The church is now gone but the cemetery, Holy Ghost Cemetery, remains.
Thomas Dicey's grave is still visible.
See Basingstoke Area Monumental Inscriptions. This lists the gravestone but there are 478 graves and it does not show where exactly it is.

The medieval Holy Ghost chapel and cemetery on the N side of Basingstoke, near the railway station.
From 1863 map.
The medieval church fell into ruin.
A Catholic church was built here in 1877.
See modern map.
The old cemetery is the SW half of the current cemetery. The Dicey grave is probably in or near the church ruin to the S of the site.

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References

• Will of Thomas Dicey. PROB 11/486/244 in [NA.UK].
  • See transcript by Bob Janes.

• Thomas Cobb page at British Museum. See "Related objects".