HUMBERT, Frederick (Grimwade p.294)

[MCB]

He entered a mark in 1808 at Goldsmith’s Hall in partnership with Frederick Comtesse as gold workers at 34 King Street, Soho.
He married Henrietta Huguemin at St George, Bloomsbury in 1809; they were both from that parish.
Two of their children were christened at St Anne, Soho in 1810 and 1812. His wife is recorded as Harriett.
At some unrecorded date Comtesse and Humbert notified Goldsmith’s Hall they had moved to 21 Hyde Street, Bloomsbury.
He entered his own mark in 1814 from 21 Hyde Street as a case maker and was recorded there on the christening at St George’s in 1815 of another of his children.
Another mark was entered in 1826 from Hyde Street as a case maker in partnership with Philibert Mathey.
He was assessed to Land Tax on property in Oxford Street until 1831, the last reference traced in the UK for him or his family.

[dognose]

See also: http://www.925-1000.com/a_OB_Mathey1826.html

[MCB]

The testimony of Andrew Thompson in the case heard on 26th October 1826 and referred to in the previous post states that Humbert had, by then, been dead for 2 months. It would appear that the F Humbert listed until 1831 in Land Tax assessment books in respect of properties in Oxford Street refers to another.
Assessments were made in the name Humbert on property in Hyde Street until 1827. It is not unusual for a name to continue to appear on Land Tax assessment books for a year or so after death. No burial record has been found for a Frederick Humbert in London in 1826 which perhaps reinforces Andrew Thompson's suggestion that the case maker of that name had indeed left England before June and died overseas.
As to Philibert Mathey the trial reveals that he had lost little time to begin his dubious activities after Humbert's departure and had continued to use the registered partnership mark after Humbert had left. Old Bailey records show he was born around 1804 and other records show that he was the son of the watch case maker Charles Philip Matthey (sic). No record of an apprenticeship has come to light. His 7 years transportation for the offence may not have been served in full as page 345 of Grimwade's book shows a watch case maker Philibert Matthey entered a mark at Goldsmiths' Hall in 1831.

Mike