John CHAUNDY (1834–1890)
His first wife Maria CHAUNDY, née Bossom (1835–1882)
St Mary Magdalen section: Row 18, Grave D69

Chaundy grave

 

 

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

 

MARIA
THE BELOVED WIFE OF
JOHN CHAUNDY
DIED MARCH 26TH 1882
AGED 47 YEARS

–––––

HUSBAND AND SEVEN SONS LAMENT HER LOSS

[Four lines of verse]

–––––

 

ASLO OF THE ABOVE NAMED
JOHN CHAUNDY
BORN MAY 6TH 1834
DIED IN JESUS JAN. 23RD 1890

BELOW ARE LAID
THE TENDER FATHER WITH THE EVER … FATHER
WHO … GLORY

–––––

 

ALSO OF EDITH ONLY DAUGHTER OF THE ABOVE
DIED JUNE 25 1870 AGED 3 YEARS

… …
HOW MUCH …
CHRIST … THEE TO … THOU … BEST
TO TAKE THEE HOME WITH HIM TO REST

 

 

John Chaundy was born in Littlemore on 6 May 1834 and baptised on 1 June at St Mary the Virgin Church in Oxford, as Littlemore had no church until 1847, and the part of the township not in the parish of Iffley was then a detached part of St Mary’s parish. He was the son of John Chaundy senior and his wife Eliza Ryman, who were married at St Ebbe's Church on 29 October 1832. At the time of the 1841 census, when John was seven, he was living with his parents John and Eliza Chaundy and his younger siblings George (5), William (2), and Eliza (nine months) at Abbey Place, St Ebbe’s. His father was a baker, and they had a servant girl. By 1851 they were living at Blackfriars Road, St Ebbe’s, and John (16), who was now an apprentice to a carver & gilder, had another sister, Maria (3). They still had a house servant, a girl who was only 11 years old.

Maria Bossom was born in St Thomas’s parish, Oxford in 1835 and baptised at St Thomas’s Church on 19 April. At the time of the 1841 census, when Maria was seven, she was living at Hollybush Row with her parents William and Maria Bossom and her siblings Rebecca (13), Henry (12), William (7), Samuel (3), Caleb (2), and Sarah (ten months). Her father was then a carpenter, but by the time of the 1851 census he described himself as a publican as well, and he appears to have kept the Robin Hood in nearby Hythe Bridge Street. Rebecca then had two more siblings, Sarah and Alfred.

On 11 September 1856 at St John the Baptist Church, Oxford, John Chaundy married Maria Bossom. (This church is one and the same as Merton College Chapel, which then doubled up as a parish church and has a separate entrance facing Merton Street.) They were both then living in St John’s parish, and John was described as a carver & gilder. They had eight children:

  • Frank Walter John Chaundy (born at Speedwell Street in 1857 and baptised at Holy Trinity Church on 12 April)
  • Harry Rosemand Chaundy (born at St Ebbe’s in 1858, reg. second quarter)
  • Arthur Bossom Chaundy (born at Cambridge Street in 1861 and baptised at Holy Trinity Church on 17 March)
  • Percy Edward Chaundy (born at 49 Broad Street in 1863 and baptised at St Mary Magdalen Church on 5 April 1863)
  • Ernest George Cyril Chaundy (born at 49 Broad Street in 1865/6, reg. first quarter of 1866)
  • Edith Maria Chaundy (born at 49 Broad Street in 1867, reg. third quarter;
    died there aged nearly three on 25 June 1870
  • Edred Martin Chaundy (born at 49 Broad Street in 1871, reg. fourth quarter)
  • Owen Christopher Chaundy (born at 49 Broad Street in 1872/3 reg. first quarter of 1873)

At the time of the 1861 census John and Maria Chaundy were living at 21 Cambridge Street, St Ebbe’s, with their first three sons.

Chaundy shop

 

By the time that Percy was born around the beginning of 1863, they had moved to 49 Broad Street in St Mary Magdalen parish. John is described as a photographer in the baptismal register, but he was primarily a carver & gilder.

 

 

Left: 51, 50, 49, and 48 Broad Street (which are all now Blackwell’s).
The Chaundy family lived at 49, on the right of the right-hand pair
of semi-detached shops.
Photograph reproduced by kind permission of Sue Chaundy

Edith Chaundy died on 25 June 1870 when nearly three, and the following notice appeared in the Deaths column of Jackson’s Oxford Journal: “June 25, at 49, Broad-street, aged 2 years and 11 months, Edith Maria, the beloved and only daughter of John and Maria Chaundy.” It is likely that she was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery, as her burial is recorded in the parish register of St Mary Magdalen Church..

At the time of the 1871 census John Chaundy, described as a carver & gilder, was living over the shop at 49 Broad Street with his first wife Maria and first five sons, who were all still at school. In 1873 and 1874 Ernest Chaundy won a prize at the Oxford Central Elementary School, and it is likely that their other sons were also there. Edred won a scholarship to the Oxford High School Boys in 1884.

On 5 February 1877 their eldest son Frank Chaundy was matriculated at the University of Oxford from New College at the age of 19. Later that year he resigned his job as organist of St Aldate’s when he was appointed Organist and Choirmaster of the parish church at Great Marlow.

By 1881 John Chaundy (46) described himself as a printseller and lay clerk. Five of his seven sons were still at home at 49 Broad Street with him and his first wife: Harry (22), who was a carver & gilder; Arthur (20), who was a tailor & cutter; and Ernest (15), Edred (9), and Owen (8) who were still at school. The missing sons were Frank (24), who was a teacher of music lodging in Great Marlow, and Percy (19), a professional musician lodging in Rochester.

Chaundy’s wife Maria died within a year of that census, in 1882:

† Mrs Maria Chaundy née Bossom died at 49 Broad Street at the age of 47 on 26 March 1882 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 30 March 1882 (burial recorded in the parish register of St Mary Magdalen Church).

The following death notice appeared in Jackson’s Oxford Journal: “March 26, Maria, the dearly-beloved wife of John Chaundy, of 49, Broad-street, Oxford, aged 47, leaving seven sons to lament their loss.”

On 27 March 1883 at St Mary Magdalen Church, John Chaundy (48) married his second wife, Miss Sarah Pates (27) of Headington . They had one son:

  • Theodore William Chaundy (born at 49 Broad Street on 19 January 1889 and baptised at St Michael's Church on 3 March).

John Chaundy died in 1890 when his baby son was just a year old:

† John Chaundy died at 49 Broad Street at the age of 56 on 23 January 1890 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 27 January (burial recorded in the parish register of his parish, St Mary Magdalen, even though his funeral took place at St Michael’s).

The following obituary appeared in Jackson’s Oxford Journal on 25 January 1890:

DEATH OF MR. JOHN CHAUNDY.

We regret to have to record the death of a prominent citizen, in the person of Mr. John Chaundy, of 49, Broad-street, where he had for many years conducted a business as a dealer in engravings and pictures. Mr. Chaundy had been in failing health for the past two years, and gradually sank to sleep on Thursday morning last, surrounded by his friends. He was for 17 years a lay clerk at Christ Church Cathedral during the time of the late organist, Dr. Corfe, retiring on a pension soon after the accession of Mr. Lloyd. He will however be chiefly remembered by Oxonians for the very valuable and self-denying labour which he undertook in connection with the choir of the Church of England Temperance Society. For upwards of ten years Mr. Chaundy conducted a voluntary choir, which he himself had organised to assist the cause of temperance in Oxford and the surrounding towns and villages. He gave many successful entertainments with the help of this choir at Abingdon, Wootton, Littlemore, and many other places.

The popular concerts at the Town Hall were maintained, too, for several winters by the same means, as a support to the work which has been so successfully carried on by means of the various University Musical Societies.

Notwithstanding all this work, however, Mr. Chaundy found time to act as conductor to various Church and to other choirs in the district. At St. Frideswide’s, St. Ebbe’s, and at Littlemore, his services were very much appreciated and very valuable. Some two years ago, circumstances compelled him to resign much of his work, not the least compulsory of which was an inward complaint, which was gradually reducing his vital energy.

We have no further space to mention the various testimonials which Mr. Chaundy had received, but it is due to his memory to say his services were too valuable to be adequately recompensed in this way, as his work outside the calls of his large business, was undertaken for the love of God, and the advancement of the cause of temperance which was so dear to his heart.

Jackson’s Oxford Journal, 1 February 1890

THE LATE MR. JOHN CHAUNDY.—The funeral of Mr. J. Chaundy, of Broad-street, of whom we published an obituary notice last week, took place on Monday afternoon in St. Sepulchre’s cemetery, the first part of the Burial Service taking place in St. Michael’s Church, where he had been a worshipper. The body was received at the door by the Rev. Andrew Clark and the cathedral choir, of which the deceased had been a member. The opening sentences were intoned as the procession moved to the chancel, where the hymn, “Lead, kindly Light,” was sung under the conductorship of Mr. Lloyd. The choir sang the Psalm, and after the lesson, gave the hymn “The Saints of God.” The Nunc Dimittis was chanted as a processional to the porch, where the choir divided to right and left, and the coffin, which was covered with beautiful wreaths, was borne between the lines. It was conveyed in an open hearse, followed by three mourning coaches, to the cemetery. At the gates it was met by a choir, the adult portion of which were friends or pupils of the deceased, both Churchmen and Nonconformists, the boys coming from St. Michael’s Church. They sang the hymn “The King of love my Shepherd is,” on the way to the grave. The service here was conducted by the Rev. H. A. Pickard, the choir intoning the responses. At the conclusion, the hymn commencing “There is a Blessed Home,” was sung. The mourners included the widow, the deceased’s seven sons, and a brother and sister, and a large number of persons attended who had been associated with him in choirs and various musical societies with which he was connected, and by whom he was much esteemed.

John Chaundy’s personal estate came to £431 19s.

At the time of the 1891 census Mrs Sarah Chaundy was living at 49 Broad Street and described herself as a printseller, heraldic painter, & gilder. Living with her were her stepsons Edred (17), described as a student of arts and a bachelor of music, and Owen (18), a carver & gilder, and her own son Theodore (2).


John Chaundy’s sons
  • Frank Walter John Chaundy (born 1857) married his Headington-born wife Rosa in the Bromley district in the second quarter of 1888. At the time of the 1891 census he was a teacher of music, living at 8 Waverley Estate, Farnham with his wife and his children Harold John F. Chaundy (born 1889) and Dora Edith M. Chaundy (born 1890), and a servant girl. By 1891 he was working as an organist and living at Oldner, Chipping Norton, and there were three more children: Elsie May Chaundy (born 1894), Alan Edred D, Chaundy (born 1894) and Phyllis Marie G. Chaundy (born 1897). His half-brother Theodore (22), a mathematical lecturer, was paying them a visit. They were still there in 1911, with another two children: Margaret (born 1900) and John (born 1902). Frank died in Oxford at the age of 85 near the end of 1942.
  • Harry Rosemand Chaundy (born 1858) married Annie Winfield in Oxford in the second quarter of 1881. At the time of the 1891 census he was working as a carver & gilder and living at 13 Cambridge Street, Oxford with his wife and their five children: Harry William F. Chaundy (born 1881/2), Ernest James C. Chaundy (born 1884/5), Albert George Chaundy (born 1886), Edith Kate Chaundy (born 1888), and Walter Leonard Chaundy (born 1890). In 1901 they were living at 16 Norreys Avenue, St Aldate’s and had two more children: Arthur Reginald Chaundy (born 1891) and Douglas Edward Chaundy (born 1896).
  • Arthur Bossom Chaundy (born 1861) became a tailor. He was living at home at 49 Broad Street when on 2 September 1882 he married Rebecca Emily Guise the daughter of Henry Guise, a builder of 1 Orchard Street, at St Ebbe’s Church. At the time of the 1891 census they were living at 13 Littlegate Street. By the time of the 1901 census they were living at 11 Wood Street, St Ebbe’s with their daughter Elsie May Chaundy (born 1894). They were still there in 1911 and Elsie (17) was now a schoolteacher. Arthur died at 29 Warneford Road at the age of 67 and was buried in Cowley St John Churchyard on 20 February 1928.
  • Percy Edward Chaundy (born 1863) was a widower of 38 at the time of the 1901 census. He was then a piano tuner, boarding in Sawyers Alley, Gillingham. He still had the same occupation in 1911, when he was boarding at the Army & Navy Café in Chatham, Kent. He died at the age of 50 near the beginning of 1913 in the Medway registration district.
  • Ernest George Cyril Chaundy (born 1865/6) became a photographer. He was boarding at 137 Walton Street at the time of the 1891 census, but was living at 5 Castle Terrace when on 25 December 1892 he married Ellen Maria (or Matilda) Sansom, the daughter of Charles Sansom, a grocer of 16 Church Street, at St Ebbe’s Church. At the time of the 1901 census they were living at 20 Abbey Road with their children Ivy May Chaundy (born 1893), Hilda Winifred Chaundy (born 1894), and Ernest George Chaundy (born 1897). They were still there in 1911, with one more child: Edna Mildred Chaundy (born 1903). On 16 December 1925 a photograph of Ernest Chaundy appeared in Jackson’s Oxford Journal when he had completed 25 years as secretary to the West Oxford Allotments Association. He died at the age of 62 in 1928 in the Headington registration district.
  • Edred Martin Chaundy (born 1871) obtained a B.A. and a B.Mus., and was the organist for St Aloysius Choir in Oxford, but left them in 1892 to take up another appointment at Streatham. At the time of the 1901 census he was living at Bisley Road, Stroud with his wife Mary Jane. In 1920 he was appointed Organist at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh.
  • Owen Christopher Chaundy (born 1872/3) became a printseller. He was aged 28 and living with his stepmother Mrs Sarah Chaundy, also described as a printseller, and his half-brother Theodore (12) at 49 Broad Street in 1901. The situation was much the same ten years later in 1911. Owen died at the age of 64 in 1937 in the Ploughley registration district.
  • Theodore William Chaundy (born 1889 to John Chaundy’s second wife) attended the Oxford High School for Boys and was elected to a mathematical scholarship at Balliol College, and gained a first-class degree in 1907. He became a lecturer in mathematics at the University Oxford and a Fellow (“Student”) of Christ Church in 1912. He wrote books on mathematics, including one on differential calculus. He married Hilda Weston Dott at West Blatchington, Sussex on 30 June 1920. His mother was then living at 53 Hamilton Road, Oxford. He died at the age of 77 at Westmoreland South in the second quarter of 1966.

Chaundy's shop in 1936

 

John Chaundy’s shop and home

Right: Nos 50, 49, and 48 Broad Street in about 1936, the latter pair shored up after the demolition of the thirteen houses to the east that had to make way for the New Bodleian Library.

Sadly the foundations of these two houses proved to be badly damaged and they too had to be demolished. Blackwell’s rebuilt them to match their two shops at 50 and 51 Broad Street to the left.

Photograph reproduced by kind permission of Sue Chaundy


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