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Thomas MALLAM (1817–1895)
His wife Mrs Martha MALLAM, née Joy (1819–1893)
Their daughter Miss Ethel Margaret MALLAM (1862–1911)
St Giles [Ss Philip & James] section: Row 8, Grave B43

Thomas Mallam (junior) was born in Oxford on 9 June 1817 and baptised at All Saints’ Church on 12 June. He was the eldest of the thirteen children of Thomas Mallam senior (1786–1850) and his wife Lydia Butler, who were married at St Aldate’s Church on 21 July 1816.

Thomas junior’s grandfather Richard Mallam founded an auctioneering business in St Aldate’s, and his father started up a separate branch at 126 High Street (right) in All Saints’ parish. It was here in 1838 that Thomas junior founded a firm of solicitors whose name survives today in HMG (Herbert Mallam Gowers). Thomas junior grew up over this shop and in about 1840 probably moved with his parents to The Shrubbery, nicknamed “Quidville“: this is now 72 Woodstock Road, since 1966 the Principal's Lodgings of St Hugh’s College (below).

Martha Joy was born in Oxford on 6 September 1819 and baptised at St Giles's Church on 15 October. She was the elder daughter of the tailor William Joy of St Mary Magdalen parish and Sarah Colbourne, who were married at Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire on 3 February 1816. Martha's five siblings were also baptised at St Giles, and in the register the family was described as then living near that church: William Joy (1816), John Stanley Joy (1821), Alfred Joy (1823), Charles Ashfield Joy (1825), and Jane Colbourne Joy (1826). By 1839 they had moved their shop to the west side of Parks Road in St Mary Magdalen parish. William Tuckwell in his Reminiscences of Oxford had this to say about Martha’s father:

The principal tailor was Joy, in a large shop opposite Wadham. He was known as Parson Joy, having been met in the Long Vacation travelling on the Continent with his brother, as Captain and the Rev. — Joy. He bequeathed his book debts to one of his daughters; they amounted to £4,000, and she used to say that every penny was recovered.

On 6 September 1843 at St Mary Magdalen Church, Oxford, Thomas Mallam married Martha Joy (on her 24th birthday): he was then living in Turl Street, and she was still with her parents at Parks Road. They had thirteen children (curiously exactly the same number that Thomas’s parents and grandparents had both had):

• Jessie Martha Mallam (born at Turl Street, Oxford on 3 June 1844 and baptised at All Saints’ Church on 5 July)
• Rosa Lydia Mallam (born at Turl Street, Oxford in 1845 and baptised at All Saints’ Church on 20 November)
• Emily Jane Mallam (born at Turl Street, Oxford in 1847 and baptised at All Saints’ Church on 24 September)
• Annie Sarah Mallam (born at Turl Street, Oxford in 1848 and baptised at All Saints’ Church on 15 December)
• Adelaide Joy Mallam (born at the Shrubbery, Woodstock Road, Oxford in 1850 and baptised at All Saints’ Church on 14 May)
• Charlotte Catherine Mallam (born at The Shrubbery, Woodstock Road, Oxford in 1851 and baptised at All Saints’ Church on 21 April)
• Thomas William Mallam (born at The Shrubbery, Woodstock Road, Oxford in 1852/3 and baptised at All Saints’ Church on 4 February)
• Henry Butler Mallam (known as Harry, born at The Shrubbery, Woodstock Road, Oxford on 4 June 1855 and baptised at All Saints’ Church on 5 September)
• Edmund Colborne Mallam (born at Chale, Isle of Wight in 1857/8)
• Charles George Cave Mallam (born at The Shrubbery, Woodstock Road, Oxford on 4 August 1859 and baptised at All Saints’ Church on 14 September)
• Maude Septima Mallam (born at The Shrubbery, Woodstock Road, Oxford in 1860 and baptised at All Saints Church on 5 April): her middle name indicates that she was the seventh daughter
• Ethel Margaret Mallam (born at The Shrubbery, Woodstock Road, Oxford on 9 October 1862 and baptised at Ss Philip & James’s Church on 2 November, with entry in the parish register of St Giles’s Church).
• Cyril Arthur Mallam (born at The Shrubbery, Woodstock Road, Oxford in 1865 and baptised at Ss Philip & James’s Church on 16 April)

Thomas & Martha Mallam began their married life in Turl Street, but following the death of Thomas’s father on 28 March 1850 they moved into his mansion, The Shrubbery in the Woodstock Road, where Thomas had grown up. At the time of the 1851 census Thomas (33) and Martha (31) were home here with their first five children, who were all girls: Jessie (6), Rosa (5), Emily (3), Annie (2), and Adelaide (1). They had three house servants.

Mrs Mallam was evidently at the Isle of Wight in 1857/8 when she gave birth to her son Edmund there. The family is hard to find in the 1861 census.

Their eldest daughter was married in 1864:

• On 29 December 1864 at Ss Philip & James’s Church, Oxford, Jessie Martha Mallam married George Henry Mullins, a schoolmaster and clergyman whose parents are also buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery.

At the time of the 1871 census Thomas and Martha Mallam were home at The Shrubbery with Rosa (25), Annie (22), Adelaide (21), Charlotte (18), Charles (11), Maude (10), and Ethel (8). Jessie and her husband George Mullins were living at High Street, Uppingham with their son George (2) and a newborn baby boy. Staying with them were Jessie’s sister Emily (23) and brother Cyril (6), as well as Henry (15) and Edmund (13), who were pupils at her husband’s school. Bringing the total up to thirteen was Thomas (18), who spent census night at a school boarding house in Cheltenham, and on 19 January 1872 he was matriculated at the University of Oxford from Exeter College. His brother Charles George Cave Mallam was matriculated at the University as a non-collegiate student on 12 October 1878.

Four more of their children were married before the next census:

• On 16 November 1871 at Ss Philip & James’s Church, Oxford, Emily Jane Mallam married the Revd John Edward Stocks;
• On 18 April 1872 at Ss Philip & James's Church, Oxford, Adelaide Joy Mallam married the Revd James Black Gray, who was the Vicar of that church and the son of James Gray;
• On 8 January 1880 at St Mary’s Church, Paddington, Henry Butler Mallam, who was living at 38 Kildare Parish, Paddington, married Mary Lucy King Herbert (known as Minnie) of Westbourne Park;
• On 15 June 1880 at Ss Philip & James Church, Oxford, Annie Sarah Mallam married the solicitor Frederic Gregson.

At the time of the 1881 census Thomas and Martha were at The Shrubbery with Rosa (35), Edmund (23), who was now a solicitor, Charles (21), who was still an undergraduate at Oxford, Maude (20), and Ethel (18). Their grandson William C. Stocks was paying them a visit.

Their son Thomas was married in 1885:

• On 8 April 1885 at Ss Philip & James's Church, Oxford, Thomas William Mallam, a solicitor of Wellington Place who was his father’s partner at 126 High Street, married Edith Elizabeth Bunting of Church Walk.

In 1891 the only children at home with their parents were Edmund (33), Maude (30), and Ethel (28).

Their son Charles was married in 1892:

• On 8 August 1892 in the Foleshill district of Warwickshire, Charles George Cave Mallam married Edith Rotherham.

Mrs Mallam died in 1893:

† Mrs Martha Mallam née Joy died at The Shrubbery at the age of 73 on 23 July 1893 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 26 July (burial recorded in the parish registers of both Ss Philip & James’s and St Giles’s Churches).

Jackson’s Oxford Journal, 29 July 1893 reported:

DEATH OF MRS THOMAS MALLAM
On Sunday afternoon last, July 23, after a long illness borne with truly Christian fortitude, the above-named lady quietly entered on her eternal rest. She was the older daughter of the late Mr. William Joy, of St. Stephen’s House, opposite Wadham College, and had lived at The Shrubbery, Woodstock Road, within one fortnight of half a century [not strictly correct], having been married to Mr. Mallam in 1843. The funeral took place on Wednesday last. The first part of the service was conducted at SS. Philip and James’ Church, at nine o’clock, when the Holy Communion was administered to her family and many friends. At two o’clock the remains were removed on the church bier to St. Sepulchre’s cemetery, followed by her sons, daughters, and other relatives, and met at the grave by her sorrowing husband, who has long passed the three score years and ten. The coffin was covered with beautiful wreaths and crosses, and bore the following inscription:—

“Martha Mallam,
born Sep 6, 1819; died July 23, 1893.
R.I.P.”

The service was conducted by the Vicar, the Rev. E. D. Dermer, and the Rev. F. J. Brown. The deceased was of a very retiring disposition, but as a wife, mother, and parishioner she has left a bright example of all the duties of a Christian home cheerfully fulfilled, and she has gone to the grave full of years, beloved by all who had the pleasure of her friendship and society. The whole of the funeral arrangements were entrusted to Mr. Charles Badcock.

Thomas Mallam outlived his wife by less than two years, dying early in 1895:

† Thomas Mallam died at The Shrubbery at the age of 77 on 21 March 1895 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 29 March (burial recorded in the parish registers of both Ss Philip & James’s and St Giles’s Churches).

Jackson’s Oxford Journal, 30 March 1895:

DEATH OF MR. THOMAS MALLAM.

We briefly announced last week, with great regret, the death of Mr. Thomas Mallam, senior partner in the well-known firm of solicitors, Messrs. T. Mallam and Son, High-street, which took place at his residence, The Shrubbery, Woodstock-road, on Thursday se’nnight. The deceased gentleman was well known in Oxford and the neighbourhood: his unvarying courtesy gained him a wide circle of friends, and greatly added to the esteem of those who knew him as an able lawyer. Mr. Mallam, who had reached the advanced age of 77 years, was the son of Mr. Thomas Mallam, who for many years carried on the business of an auctioneer, and who was Mayor of Oxford on two occasions. The deceased gentleman was admitted a solicitor in 1838, and since that time has been in practice in this City, formerly by himself, also in partnership with his brother (the late Mr. G. Mallam), and latterly in partnership with his son, Mr. Thomas William Mallam. Mr. Mallam was for some years a member of the Oxford Town Council, representing the Central Ward. For about a quarter of a century he has been Clerk to the City Magistrates, for nearly half that time in conjunction with his son. He was a Proctor in the Chancellor’s Court of the University, and Clerk to the Wolvercote School Board. He was also a member of the Oxford Charity Trustees, and honorary Secretary of the Oxford Medical Dispensary. In his office as churchwarden of SS. Philip and James he was much respected, and he was one of the leading spirits in the movement for the erection of the Church and Vicarage. Mr. Mallam threw himself heartily into the Volunteer movement, and was for a very long time a captain of one of the City companies. Deceased took a prominent part in Parliamentary elections in years gone by, extending over a period of upwards of 20 years, viz., from about 1852 to 1874. He acted as election agent for Lord Cardwell, Sir Wm. Harcourt, and Mr. W. C. Cartwright in various contests. Mr. Mallam had been in failing health for some time past, and gradually sank, although up till almost the end of last year he was brought down to his office in High-street in a bath chair to order to attend to professional engagements. Much sympathy is felt for his family in their bereavement.

The funeral took place on Wednesday at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery, Walton-street. The coffin was taken into the Church of SS. Philip and James at nine o’clock that morning, and a communion service was held at which the members of the family were present. At noon the first part of the burial service was commenced in the Church, the clergy present being the Vicar (Rev. E. C. Dermer) and the Curates (Revs. T. J. Brown, B. J. Kidd, and R. Hartley. There were a considerable number of intimate friends of the deceased present to pay a last tribute of respect, among them being the Mayor (Mr. G. W. Cooper), the Warden of Keble, the Rev. C. F. H. Johnstone (Vicar of Headington Quarry), the Rev. F. W. Langton (Vicar of Wolvercote), Ald. Saunders, Mr. Justice Brain, Mr. J. R. Mallam, Mr. Geo. Mallam, Mr. A. F. Milton Druce, Mr. H. Druce, Mr. Gresson, Mr. Castle (Wolvercote), Mr. T. Howard, Mr. Addison, Mr. Ferris, Mr. Nicholson, Mr. Davis, Mr. Hugh Eldrid, Mr. E. Fuller, Mr. Councillor Meeking, Mr. S. Acott, Mr. H. Coles, &c. The Rev. E. C. Dermer read the service, with the exception of the Lesson, which was ready by the Rev. T. J. Brown, and the coffin was then conveyed on the bier to the Cemetery, the mourners, who consisted only of the members of the family, with those already mentioned, beside Inspectors Dixon and Cole, four sergeants, and a number of constables of the City Police walking thither. The Rev. E. C. Dermer concluded the service at the grave side. The coffin was of polished oak, a cross of darker wood extending the entire length, and a plate at the foot bore the following inscription:—

THOMAS MALLAM,
Died 21st March, 1895,
Aged 77 years.

The grave was lined with evergreens and flowers, and a large number of beautiful wreaths and other floral emblems were brought by the family and sent by friends, among the last mentioned being Ald. and Mrs. Hughes, Wood Lawn, “A token of remembrance and regret,” Miss Hughes, Kensington Infirmary, Mr. Addison, the Misses Green, &c.

His effects came to £7,987 12s. 5d., and his executors were his son Harry Butler Mallam and his son-in-law Frederic Gregson, who were both solicitors, and his son-in-law the Revd George Henry Mullins.

---

Miss Ethel Margaret Mallam

Ethel Margaret Mallam (born at The Shrubbery on 9 October 1862) was the twelfth child and youngest daughter of Thomas and Martha Mallam above. She never married, and lived with her parents at The Shrubbery until their deaths in 1893 and 1895.

 

At the time of the 1901 census Ethel (38) was teaching at Oxford High School for Girls (which was then at 21 Banbury Road) and boarding at 33 Chalfont Road in the home of the Misses Agnes and Amelia Nicholls, who were both teachers at a private school.

In 1911 census Ethel (48) was still a mistress at the high school and was now lodging at 24 Woodstock Road.

Within days of that census she was admitted to the Acland Home and died there:

† Miss Ethel Margaret Mallam died at the Acland Home at the age of 49 on 18 April 1911 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 20 April (burial recorded in the parish register of St Giles’s Church).

Her effects came to £1,389 15s. 10d., and her executor was Miss Agnes Amelia Nicholls, her former landlady.