Nathaniel Marten

Nathaniel Marten was born in London on 19 May 1735, the second son of Robert Amberson Marten and his wife Alice Harford. His father had been a Bristol Merchant but seems to have had a variety of business interests, latterly based in London.

Nathaniel was a deeply religious man but both independent in thought and non-conformist. His father and mother had probably been Quakers, for some time, although his father renounced quakerism before his death in 1758. Nathaniel himself married Martha Clarkson on 29 Sep 1759 and all their children were baptized at New Broad Street Independent Church. There exists an autobiography that he wrote in about 1815 that tells us much about his struggles with the deaths of his children and his belief in the role of ‘Providence’

Nathaniel had a distinguished brother called Humphrey Marten, who rose to be Chief Factor of the Hudson Bay Company in Canada. At one point he had Humphrey’s half-Cree son John America Marten as an apprentice in London.

Nathaniel was a distinguished member, and later Freeman of the Cook’s livery company. Although he apparently had commercial interests in Chocolate and as a Pastry Cook, his business interests were far broader – this was the time in Georgian London of the Coffee House, the first joint stock companies, shipping insurance and the backing of shipping adventures to new and unexplored corners of the world. Although Nathaniel did not appear to have his father’s entrepreneurial spirit, he must have maintained a close network of like minded ‘city’ friends.

Nathaniel’s eldest two sons, Nathaniel and Robert Humphrey, were sent to school in Buckingham in 1769. Within a week of arriving at the school Nathaniel (jnr) had died – not only provoking much soul searching in his father, but was also a character forming event for the six year old Robert.

By the time Nathaniel Marten himself died in 1816, Robert Humphrey had further established the business interests describing himself as a Ship broker and Insurer, but still attached to the Cooks company.

Family of Nathaniel MARTEN and Martha CLARKSON

Husband:Nathaniel MARTEN (1735-1816)
Wife:Martha CLARKSON (1736-1790)
Children:Nathaniel MARTEN (1762-1769)
Robert Humphrey MARTEN (1763-1839)
Ann MARTEN (1764-1769)
Martha MARTEN (1765-1798)
Samuel MARTEN (1767-1767)
Ann MARTEN (bap.1769)
Mary MARTEN (bap.1773)
Elizabeth MARTEN (1775-1799)
Charles MARTEN (1777-aft1815)
Joshua MARTEN (bap.1780, d.1781)
Marriage29 Sep 1759St Mary Whitechapel
Witnesses: Specer Burgess and William Clarkson

Husband: Nathaniel MARTEN

Name:Nathaniel MARTEN
Sex:Male
Father:Robert Amberson MARTEN (1699-1758)
Mother:Alice HARFORD (1708-1780)
Birth19 May 1735London
Occupationbtw 1770 and 1790 (age 34-55)Freeman of the Cooks Company
Death17 Oct 1816 (age 81)Assembly Row, Mile End
Burial24 Oct 1816Bunhill Fields MI

Wife: Martha CLARKSON

Name:Martha CLARKSON
Sex:Female
Father:Nathaniel CLARKSON ( -1757)
Mother:Martha CARRIER (1703-aft1757)
Birth1736
Baptism19 Jul 1737 (age 0-1)New Broad Street Independent
Death28 Mar 1790 (age 53-54)

Child 1: Nathaniel MARTEN

Name:Nathaniel MARTEN
Sex:Male
Birth4 Jan 1762
Baptism24 Jan 1762 (age 0)New Broad Street Independent
DeathJun 1769 (age 7)Buckingham

Child 2: Robert Humphrey MARTEN

Name:Robert Humphrey MARTEN
Sex:Male
Spouse 1:Mary REEVES (1766-1790)
Spouse 2:Elizabeth GILES (bap.1759, d.1811)
Spouse 3:Emma Maria MARTIN (bap.1768, d.1827)
Birth21 Mar 1763Great Prescott Street, Goodman Fields, Whitechapel
Baptism10 Apr 1763 (age 0)New Broad Street Independent
Occupation24 Jan 1788 (age 24)Freeman of the Cooks Company
Residence1791 (age 27-28)St Matthews Bethnal Green on Gravesend marriage register
Religion1800 (age 36-37)Congregationalist Lay Leader
Residencebtw 1806 and 1839 (age 42-76)Broadway (or the Great House) Plaistow1
Religion1807 (age 43-44)Co Founder of North Street Congretional Church, West Ham
Occupation1807 (age 43-44)-; Deputy Chairman Commercial Dock Co, Rotherhithe
Occupation1809 (age 45-46)-; Master of the Cooks Company
Occupation1814 (age 50-51)Aid Committee chairman for Magdeburg2
Elected30 May 1814 (age 51)-; Freedom of the city of Magdeburg (Ehrenburger)
Occupation1818 (age 54-55)-; Treasurer of Port of London Seamens Welfare Charity
Occupation1824 (age 60-61)-; Described as a ‘Ship Broker’3
MissionAug 1824 (age 61)Visit to Magdeburg
Occupation1825 (age 61-62)Director of East London Water Works4
Occupation1827 (age 63-64)-; Director of Thames Tunnel Company5
Occupation27 Jun 1827 (age 64)-; Isambard Kingdom Brunel awarded medal for bravery in rescuing group inl RH Marten6
Occupationbtw 1827 and 1828 (age 63-65)-; Committee for Repeal of Test and Corporation Act
Will24 Dec 1838 (age 75)Later Proved by sons Charles and George Marten (PCC 772 Vaughan)
Death11 Dec 1839 (age 76)Plaistow, Essex (Broadway House)
Burial19 Dec 1839Bunhill Fields MI

Child 3: Ann MARTEN

Name:Ann MARTEN
Sex:Female
Birth6 Apr 1764
DeathAug 1769 (age 5)

Child 4: Martha MARTEN

Name:Martha MARTEN
Sex:Female
Birth4 Nov 1765
Baptism8 Dec 1765 (age 0)New Broad Street Independent
Death1798 (age 32-33)

Child 5: Samuel MARTEN

Name:Samuel MARTEN
Sex:Male
Birth17 Feb 1767
Baptism8 Mar 1767 (age 0)New Broad Street Independent
Death1767 (age 0)

Child 6: Ann MARTEN

Name:Ann MARTEN
Sex:Female
Spouse 1:William SMITH ( – )
Spouse 2:Mr WILLIAMS ( – )
Birth
Baptism24 Sep 1769New Broad Street Independent

Child 7: Mary MARTEN

Name:Mary MARTEN
Sex:Female
Spouse:Cornelius BERRY ( – )
Baptism24 Oct 1773New Broad Street Independent

Child 8: Elizabeth MARTEN

Name:Elizabeth MARTEN
Sex:Female
Birth1775
Baptism9 Apr 1775 (age 0)New Broad Street Independent
Death1799 (age 23-24)

Child 9: Charles MARTEN

Name:Charles MARTEN
Sex:Male
Spouse:Mary ARNOLD (1785-aft1839)
Birth17 Feb 1777
Baptism9 Mar 1777 (age 0)New Broad Street Independent
Deathaft 1815 (age 37-38)

Child 10: Joshua MARTEN

Name:Joshua MARTEN
Sex:Male
Birth
Baptism13 Feb 1780New Broad Street Independent
Death1781