RAPLEY, Charles (Grimwade p.388)

[buckler]

This gentleman appears to have had an interesting career as a Jeweller, much married man and runner of an illegal gaming house !
His registration at Goldsmiths Hall of a sole mark as a silver buckle maker in 1777 appears to have been incidental to his trade as a working and retail jeweller. No buckles which are likely to have his mark have been seen by the writer ; his mark has often been confused with that of Charles Rawlings.


1 November 1750
IGI reports the birth of a Charles Rapley, son of Jeremiah and Mary Rapley who was baptised at Saint Mary-St Marylebone Road, Saint Marylebone, London, England [sic] on 15 November 1750. The court case of 13 April 1774 below gives the name of Jeremiah as a witness and states he was the father of Charles, so this is probably the correct christening record . MCB records the baptism as at St Martin in the Fields ,

Duties were paid by John Barnet Citizen & Dyer of London for the Apprentice Indentures of a Charles Rapley. No freedom record traced so Company unknown.

1773
As a bachelor of St Danes parish, Middlesex he married Mary Hall in 1773 at St Andrew, Holborn

13 April 1774
Proceedings of the Old Bailey trial ref t17740413-34
"Charles Rapley . I am a jeweller in St. Martin's-court, St. Martin's-lane . On Tuesday the 12th of April, between five and six o'clock in the evening, the prisoner came into my shop and asked for some plain wedding rings"

7th December 1774
Proceedings of the Old Bailey trial ref t17741207-11
"stealing an amethyst, pearl, and garnet ring set in gold value 24 s. the property of Charles Rapley , privately in the shop of the said Charles "" a shirt buckle and a pair of shoe buckles"
"Charles Rapley . I am a workman and able to speak to the work of the ring, I have examined it, and am confident it is my ring"
"Elizabeth Daw . I am servant to Mr. Rapley"

Also gives the name of Mary for Charles' wife and his address as a jeweller in St Martins Court . Stock mentioned is buckles and rings

15 October 1777
Proceedings of the Old Bailey trial ref t17771015-22
Charles Rapley- I live in St. Martin's-court, Leicester-fields; I bought a gold clasp of the lad

8 November 1777
Entered a mark as bucklemaker at St Martins Court Leicester Fields

26 Nov 1778
Daily Advertiser . Notice was given that Charles Rapley of No 7 , St Martins Court, St Martins Lane had ,among several others , been give a licence to sell tickets in the 1778 Lottery.

1779
As a widower of St Pancras parish a Charles Rapley married Elizabeth Siddal at St Marylebone in 1779. A witness was Thomas Rapley, presumably his brother (born in 1756 and died 1818). Charles and Elizabeth had a son Jeremiah Charles christened at St Marylebone in 1780 and a daughter Elizabeth Sophia Jemima christened at St Ann, Soho in 1783 but born in 1782.

1783/4
Presumed to have married a third lady, as he is recorded as having had several children with a Mary subsequent to the marriage with Elizabeth, although no marriage record has been found. Their children were Mary 1784, Harriot 1787, Charles Jeremiah 1791, James William 1793, Robert 1794, Catherine Louise 1796 all christened at St Martin in the Fields and finally William 1798 christened at St Anne & St Agnes. At at least one of these had died by 1797 when a court case informs that he had a wife and five children

1784
Westminster Pollbooks shows a Charles Rapley as a hotel keeper in Orange Street.
Ratebook for the same years shows a Thomas Rapley also in Orange Street.
Orange Street in the Leicester Fields (later Square) area, close to St Martins Court

1788
Westminster Pollbooks shows a Charles Rapley as a jeweller in Orange Street.

24th February 1790
Proceedings of the Old Bailey trial t17900224-85
Case where a Charles Rapley and a William Daw were accused of the forgery of a bankers draft. Found not guilty . Probably the right man as the address was Orange Street, Leicester Fields. The same case reported 30 January 1790 by Public Advertiser gives the information that William Dawe [sic] was the brother in law of Charles Rapley and came to his (Rapley’s) house in Orange Street . On 3 March 1790' Diary or Woodfalls Register gives the information that Daw was a master carpenter and worked at the Temple . The Times of 30 January 1790 gives the name as William Dane. The genealogy of the Rapley family does not show Daw as an in-law , but an Elizabeth Daw is named as Rapley's servant in the 1774 court case.

16 March 1791
IGI reports gives a christening record of Charles Jeremiah Rapley, son of Charles and Mary Rapley at St Martins in the Fields, Westminster . St Martins is in the Leicester fields area, very close to both St Martins Road and Orange Street and the names tie nicely.

29 June 1797
General Evening Post . Report of Case at Kings Bench for 29th June.
"Charles Rapley was brought into Court to receive judgement for keeping a gaming hose in Orange Street. He wept much and was ordered to appear in Court the third day of the next term."

30 June 1797
The Times gives similar account of the case at Kings Bench where Charles Rapley was "convicted of keeping a common Gaming house at No 6 Orange Street, Leicester Fields .... .. . .. ..He had been a Jeweller , but that having lost the sight of his right eye many years ago, he was obliged to give up that business , and had a wife and five children entirely dependant upon him for their support "

1807
Indentures were signed in 1807 for James William son of Charles Rapley, jeweller of Aldersgate, to be the apprentice of John Williams, jeweller of Angel Court

July 1810
The burial of Charles Rapley aged 60 years was recorded at St Botolph, Aldersgate.This ties nicely with his birth date in 1750

July 1810
Indentures were signed in July 1810 for William son of Charles Rapley deceased late jeweller of Horn Alley to be the apprentice of William Dyer goldsmith and jeweller of Aldersgate.
James and William Rapley entered a maker’s mark at Goldsmiths Hall in partnership as goldworkers 43 Northampton Square.

3 November 1842
IGI reports the christening of a Charles Rapley , son of Charles and Mary Ann Rapley at Houndslow. The son died two weeks late and was buried 20 November 1842.
The couple had a further son, also a Charles Rapley baptised 3 May 1846 , the wife according to IGI being MARIANNE
Presumed to be another generation or a red herring .


Considerable information on this post provided by MCB and Ann Porter, a direct descendent of Charles Rapley., to whom thanks .

[silverly]

7 January 1772 Charles Rapley of the parish of Saint Pancras in the County of Middlesex batchelor and jeweller bound in marriage to Mary Hall of the parish of Saint Andrews Holborn in the same County spinster.