1819 – 1825 Todd family acquire Twickenham Park
Following the sale of the southern part of the estate by Francis Gosling, the land was purchased by Joseph Todd esq a wealthy businessman from London. He had opened a haberdashery shop in Fore Street Cripplegate in 1793. He retired 1822 a millionaire. He married twice, his first wife Lucy Plowes died in 1798, and he married his second wife Letitia Dann in 1802. |n total he had seven children. Two by Lucy, and five by Letitia.
The family initially lived above the shop in Fore Street but later moved to Paradise Row Lambeth. His wife Letitia died in 1819 and the family moved to 6 Lancaster Place, Strand. The family also acquired the Moulsey Park Estate near Hampton Court in 1821, and then the Twickenham Park Estate around the same time.
The family children were John Edward Todd (1792 – 1863) who married Jane Downes in 1825. They had six children. Mary Ann Todd (1795 – 1887) married James Morrison 1814 and had eleven children. He became Joseph Todd’s Business partner and retired one of the richest men in the country.Two of the children by Joseph and Letitia died in infancy. Eliza (1806 – 07) and Emma (1811 – 11).
Of the other three, Thomas Todd (1803 – 1868) married Margaret Hadden in 1829 andhad seven children. Joseph Todd (1809 – 1878)
married three times and had six children. Lastly Lucy Todd (1813-1890) married the Rev John Downes (brother of Jane) they had ten children.
Thomas and Joseph Todd were to play an important part in the development of Twickenham Park which is detailed below.
The 1825 land tax assessment above is the earliest record we have found which shows the mansion that the Todds built on the land purchased from Francis Gosling, although this may refer to Gosling’s old house in St Margarets.
The illustration below shows Todd’s new mansion viewed from the Thames as featured in Leigh’s Panorama of the Thames dated 1829.
Thomas Todd & family at Twickenham Park
The above extract from ACB Urwin’s 1965 book on Twickenham Park briefly describes the Todd’s redevelopement of the Park.
Although Urwin does not mention him, the Todd’s employed the London Architect Leonard Wild Lloyd to design and oversee construction of various properties on the estate.
Twickenham Park Mansion
L W Lloyd next designed the new mansion in Twickenham Park for the Todd Family. It was Completed 1828/29.
Joseph Todd’s son Thomas married Margaret Hadden in Aberdeen in August 1829. They settled back at Twickenham Park and their first child Letitia Hope Todd was born in1830. Unfortunately she died aged just 3 days and was buried at St Mary’s church East Molesey Surrey close to the Todd family home at Moulsey Park where his father and also his brother Joseph Todd lived.Thomas Todd’s occupation is shown as a Barrister of the Inner Temple.
Thomas and Margaret’s next child Margaret was baptised 25th Sept 1831.
Their third child Gavin Thomas Todd was baptised 14th April 1833.
1834 Todd family Twickenham Park
The electoral register below from 1834 records Thomas Todd at Twickenham Park, with his father also shown at 6 Lancaster Place, Strand, London.
Thomas and Margarets son James Joseph Todd was baptised 8th June 1834.The family were soon to move and vacate Twickenham Park putting the estate up for sale. They moved initially to Liverpool, then to Cheltenham, and lastly settled in his wife’s hometown Aberdeen where Thomas went into business with his brother in law. He died in 1868.
1834 Todd family at Moulsey Park
Moulsey Park was advertised to be let in May 1834. This would suggest that the Todd’s were using the property less frequently.
The map below shows the layout of the park in 1868.
1835 The death of Joseph Todd (senior)
1841 Marriage of Joseph Todd
Joseph Todd’s son Joseph marrired Maria Caroline Glossop, Daughter of the Rev Henry Glossop vicar of Isleworth 22nd July. Joseph was now 32. He was educatedat Eton and Queens College Oxford and became a Barrister in law in London.
Joseph and Maria’s first child Letitia was baptised at East Molesey June 14th 1842.
The family were living at Moulsey Park.Their next child named Arthur was baptised 17th August 1843 but died 5 months later.
1847 Death of Maria Caroline Todd
Joseph’s wife died aged just 29 years old in 1847. Her child Maria Josephine was baptised 6th July 1847 17 days after her mother was buried.
1849 Sale by auction of Moulsey Park
After the death of his wife Maria Joseph Todd sold Moulsey Park and moved with his children to Bath. There he married in 1848 Frances Ann Bythesea. They had two children,Joseph Henry Todd born 1849 but died 1850 and Augustus Bythesea Todd born 1852. His 2nd wife Frances died in Bath 13th December 1854. Joseph then married his 3rd wife Catharine with whom they had two further children who were both born in Dover Kent. William Joseph Todd (1858 – 1917) and Antonia Todd (1862 – 1943). The 1871 census records Joseph Todd now aged 61 as a visitor at 34 marina Hastings. He is listed with his 3rd wife Kate aged 48, and his daughters Letitia aged 28, Antonia aged eight and his neice Bertha Downes, daughter of his sister Lucy. By 1874 Joseph Todd had moved back to Twickenham. He lived for a short while at a house named Riverside in Cambridge park within two minutes walk from his old home at Twickenham Park. Thomas Todd died after a long illness aged 68 in Tunbridge Wells 12 february 1878.
