Page:Protestant Exiles from France Agnew (1st ed. vol 3).djvu/141

 the Peace for the Tower Liberty, one of the Commissioners of Sewers, one of the Deputy-Lieutenants for the Royal Hamlets, and Lieutenant-Colonel of the first regiment therein, and one of the Commissioners of the Land Tax for Middlesex; he married one of the daughters and coheiresses of rich old Mr Marisco.” Mis son William (born 1697, died 1781) was styled “of Hayes, Middlesex,” as heir of his mother; his wife was Elizabeth Shewin of East Grinstead. William’s son and heir, Peter Le Keux (born 1757, died 1836), married Ann Dyer at Shoreditch in 1776, His sons were the distinguished engravers, John and Henry. John Le Keux (born 4th June, 1783, died 2d April, 1846) married Sarah Sophia Lingard, and was the father of John Henry Le Keux of personal and hereditary celebrity in the same field. Henry Le Keux (born 1787, died 1868) was a much admired architectural and historical engraver; for his large plate of Venice (after Prout) he received 700 guineas; for plates in the beautiful Annuals, with which our boyhood was favoured, he received large prices ranging from 100 to 150 guineas. For these facts concerning him I am indebted to The Register for 1869 (Vol. I., p. 132); and on the same authority I note, that “more than thirty years ago he gave up engraving, and retired to Hocking in Essex, being engaged by the firm of Samuel Courtauld and Co., crape-manufacturers, for the chemical and scientific department, and he continued in that employment until the age of 81, his health failing a short time before his death.” He died 11th October, 1868.

We return to the elder son of old John Le Keux of Canterbury, who also was named John; he was baptized at Canterbury on 19th Dec. 1647, and married in the City of London French Church, on 6th June 1672, to Susanna Didier. He had a son Peter, and a daughter Jeanne. The son Captain Peter Le Keux, of Steward Street, Spitalfields, Weaver, was baptized in the City of London French Church, 17th Feb. 1683-4, and married at St Dunstan’s, Stepney, 29th July 1712, to Sarah Bloodworth, of the Artillery Ground, London; he died 20th June 1743, aged 60. His son and heir John Le Keux (born 1721, died 1764) married, in 1746, Hester Williams of East Greenwich, and left an only son, Richard Le Keux (born 12th Oct. 1755) who was buried at Christ Church 11th April 1840, aged 84, leaving no heirs of his body. The head of the branch of the family, descended from William Le Keux and Mary Maresco, took possession of the considerable estate which Richard left, this claimant believing himself to be the true heir, and probably confounding one Peter Le Keux of the old time with another. The late Mr Southerden Burn made practical use of his knowledge of French Refugee families by dispossessing him in the interest of the granddaughter and heiress of Jeanne Le Keux, which Jeanne was the sister of Peter (born in 1683-4) mentioned above. Mr Burn informed Mr Le Keux that he possessed documentary proof of the rights of this heiress; but an erroneous pedigree was relied upon by Le Keux; and an action of ejectment was resorted to. It was proved that Jeanne Le Keux (baptized in the City of London French Church, 24th March 1677) was married at St Dunstan’s, Stepney, to Francois Marriette, Merchant, of St James’s, Westminster. Her son was James Marriette (born 1708, died 1759) who married Alice Jones in 1753. He left one child, Mary Anne Marriett, (Angelicè Merrit) baptized at St Dunstan’s, West, on 31st March 1754, and married at St Anne’s, Westminster, on 31st May 1778 to Isaac Wheildon. Mr Burn put Mrs Wheildon in possession of the Le Keux inheritance in 1846, she having then attained the age of 92.

Some surnames that were respectably prominent during the Long Parliament and the Commonwealth epoch are said to be of Huguenot origin, (1.) The Venerable John Conant, D.D., Archdeacon of Norwich and Prebendary of Worcester (born 1608, died 1693) is said to have been a son of Norman refugees. His great-grandson was Sir Nathaniel Conant, knt., who is represented by a grandson, Edward Conant, Esq., of Lyndon in Rutlandshire. (2.) Thomas De Laune, author of the famous and learned “Plea for the Non-Conformists,” is also reported to be of Norman Huguenot ancestry. The name, Peter de Lawne, occurs in 1618, in the Norwich list of French ministers; Mr Burn appends this note:— “Dr De Lawne having been presented with a benefice in the Church of England, the congregation elected Monsieur D’Assigny in his stead; this gave rise to a contention of long duration which was