Daniel WOODWARD

1774 - 1823  (49 years)

• Name	Daniel WOODWARD
  Birth	1774	St Peter Thanet, Kent   [1]
  Gender	Male
  _UID	384D1591A98340C494AC56C683FBEE1C3FA2
  Death	1823	London   [1]
  Burial	1823	St Peter Thanet, Kent   [1]
  Notes	According to Frank Sandwell, Daniel and Sarah had nine children including Martha who married Richard Gifford Minter. September 2017: by email from Sally Sherborne (nee Woodward): "Hi, I have just found your site whilst doing a google search and was very interested in your information regarding Sarah Mean, the wife of Daniel Woodward. Sarah was also my 4 x great grandmother, Daniel Woodward being my 4 x great grandfather. I am descended from their son William Woodward born 1817 in St Lawrence. I was unaware that Sarah had been married to Stephen Sandwell before marrying Daniel and had wrongly assumed that Sandwell was her maiden name. I was very grateful to see the information you had shared as it filled in a little more of her life. If you have any other information regarding hers or any other Woodward family information and have the time, and don't mind sharing, I would be very grateful." September 2017: Following on from Sally Sherborne's email, Frank Sandwell writes (in an email addressed to Sally): "Sarah Mean was a foundling or orphan from St. John's parish poorhouse in Margate, Kent, who was probably born around 1777. (I have my suspicions about who her father may have been, but I'll deal with that in a future email if you're interested.) Her rather cruel surname "Mean" was given to her in the poorhouse to describe her lowly status, as was typically done at the time in these heartless institutions. 18th-century definitions of "mean" include "low in social status or rank; of humble origin or antecedents," and also "base." Since Stephen Sandwell (1772-1801) was also in the poorhouse at that time with his family (his mother and three young sisters), it can be assumed Sarah Mean must have met him in there. Stephen's mother had been forced into the poorhouse in 1771, when the family had been left destitute following the drowning of his father off Margate in September of that year at the age of 24. Sarah's future husband, Stephen Sandwell, was born in the Margate poorhouse. As you know from John Minter's website, Stephen Sandwell was a quarterdeck gunner on H.M.S. Bellona who was killed at the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. Following a one-year mourning period, Sarah then married "market gardener" Daniel Woodward (1774-1823). Interestingly, it does appear she had an illegitimate child with Daniel prior to their marriage. Jethro Daniel Sandwell (1801-1836) was born in Margate on 3 April 1801, the day after his alleged father's death off Copenhagen under Nelson. However, since Stephen had been in the Royal Navy at the time of Jethro's conception, it's highly likely Daniel Woodward was his biological father. The second given name "Daniel" is rather telling also. Jethro Daniel Sandwell committed suicide in 1836 and, for reasons beyond the scope of this email, I believe I am descended from him, not his half-brother, another Stephen Sandwell (1796-1875), who was supposed to be my great-great-great grandfather. Anyway, it appears that after her second marriage, Sarah Sandwell (nee Mean) couldn't wait to leave Margate and move to Birchington and then St. Lawrence, Kent, and have nine more children in addition to her previous three. (Dark memories of the poorhouse must have been atrocious, which may have been why she left Margate.) Curiously, it is recorded that she died in London, Kent, but was buried in St Peter's, Broadstairs, Kent, which is a story which must be lost to time. Who paid to have the body of a "cowkeeper" brought back from the city, which couldn't have been cheap in 1842? (Not that it would be cheap now!) Possibly, her wealthy brother-in-law, Margate builder John Woodward (1769-1856) who had a few bob I'm sure. (I do have more information which I have to dig up from my papers in storage, so I won't add anything more about Sarah at this point.) I'm not sure how much you know about your line of the Woodwards, but long ago they seem to have been a maritime family from Kent like the Sandwells also. Many of them married into other seafaring families in the Thanet area -- Sole, Ovenden, Epps, Sandwell, Adams, etc. Here's Daniel's line of descent as far as I can trace it for only three generations: (If you have any more information, please let me know. Any passed down anecdotes about family history often connect with things other people know, which is one of the blessings of the Internet.) 1) Daniel Woodward (1774-1823) married widow Sarah Sandwell (1777?-1842) on 20 April 1802 at St. John's, Margate., Kent. 2) Richard Woodward (1741-?) married Jane Norton (1737-?) on 11 October 1764 at St. John's, Margate, Kent. 3) John Woodward (1719-?) married Mary Deal (?-?) on 7 August 1738 at Westminster, Middlesex, Fleet Prison, London. (This is strong evidence that John was in the Royal Navy at the time.)
  Person ID	I202	Ash(2), Kent
  Last Modified	15 Sep 2017

  
  

  Father	Richard WOODWARD,   b. 1741   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Jane NORTON,   b. 1737   d. Yes, date unknown
  Marriage	11 Oct 1764	St John's, Margate, Kent   [1]
  Family ID	F121	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Sarah MEAN,   b. Abt 1777   d. 1842, London (Age ~ 65 years)
  Marriage	20 Apr 1802	St Peter Thanet, Kent   [1]
  Children	1. Martha WOODWARD,   b. Bef 16 Oct 1814, St Lawrence, Kent d. Bef 11 Mar 1892, Thanet RD (Age ~ 77 years)
  Family ID	F37	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	6 Jul 2012

  
  

• Sources

  [S45] Frank Sandwell, June 2012, September 2017.