Jane Atkinson of Kirkleatham, wife of Captain Thomas Galilee (1744-97)

This page was revised, rewritten & reposted on 4 March 2022

The two letters quoted below were among the small collection of letters referred to in the post of 4 March 2022 about Jane's brother, the Revd William Atkinson.  I have made some alterations to spelling and punctuation for readability's sake.

Jane was born in 1751, the daughter of Thomas Atkinson of Scaling Dam (a hamlet on the Whitby to Guisborough road) and his wife Elizabeth Featherstone.  She grew up at Kirkleatham where her father was Master of the Blue Coat Boys at Sir William Turner's Hospital.  Her younger brother Thomas Atkinson was a surgeon who wrote a journal of a whaling voyage to the Davis Straits in 1774

Jane married Thomas Galilee on 4 June 1775.

The Newcastle Courant of Saturday 17 June 1775 records: 

Last week at St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe, London, Capt Thomas Galilee of Whitby, to Miss Atkinson of Kirkleatham 

St Mary's Rotherhithe by Rob Kam

Jane and Thomas spent many years in Rotherhithe, where their daughters were born and baptised, living in a house that Thomas owned in Princes Street.  They were living there in 1788 when he wrote to his wife from Narva in Estonia on 21 May.  At the time, the main trade with the Baltic was in timber and Thomas was taking on a load of sawn boards ("deals").  

Narva, May 21st 1788

My Dear Jane, 

I have now the pleasure to acquaint you that I am all Loaded except one pram of deals which I hope to get on board to night.  We have had a very troublesome time of it in the Bay and very cold weather that several of my people is laid up.  I hope in God this will find you in good health and all my dear children as bless God I am at present and I hope soon to have a happy meeting.  I have no news to tell you as this is the first time I have been in town since I arrived – it seems to be a poor place and every thing is very dear so that I have not bought you anything.  Please to acquaint Mr. Richardson of my being loaded and not to forget the Insurance 

I hope soon to have the pleasure to see you, pray give my love to my children &c, I am your ever affectionate and

Loving Husband

Thomas Galilee

It seems he had two passengers with him – perhaps they were there for the experience – but they hadn't enjoyed the trip much.  He ends his letter

My Two young Gentlemen is very well but I fancy this Voyage will make them sick of the sea.

It seems very likely that, when the Ship News in the Kentish Gazette on 20 June 1788 reported that the "Amphion, Gallilee, from Narva" had passed Gravesend on 16 June, it was Captain Thomas Galilee returning home. 

The following year, the French Revolution began and in 1792 Britain and France were at war.  The days of peaceful sailing to the coasts of Europe were over and life must have become considerably more complicated for master mariners.  By the summer of 1795, Thomas and Jane had moved across the river to Number 168 Wapping High Street where Jane was now trading as a China and Slop-Seller, with help in the business from the older girls.  Because of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Britain's Navy and merchant marine were of great size and enormous importance, so there must have been plenty of possibilities in selling slops – that is, clothing for sailors.  In 1797 Jane was left a widow with 6 daughters aged between 10 and 19 – I can't find out whether Thomas died on land or at sea. 

A letter written by Jane to her daughter Elizabeth on 18 March 1808 gives us a glimpse of her character and her situation.  Elizabeth was 28 years old and at home in Wapping.  She would soon be married to William Williamson, a master mariner.

Jane wrote from Stapleford near Cambridge where she had been looking after her brother William

My dear Girl 

I recd: your affection letter by the Fly [a light type of coach], accompanied by Margaret's, with both of which I was very well pleased.  I have since then had little to communicate and writing time is attended with great difficulty, as your Uncle now gets up as early as I do, he is very much amended since I wrote last, he eats very well and all his complaints diminish gradually, except his deafness, and that continues very much the same, he has walked in his Close almost every day but now that must be all over for a time as it is snowing very fast

She expected to be back in Wapping before long as she wasn't really needed in Stapleford any more. 

Give my kind love to Mr: W[illiamson]: I am much obliged to him for his kind attention to me, and I shall always make it my study to make every thing as agreeable to you both as I possibly can, it is my constant wish that you should remain with me until Michaelmas at least, and in all that time we shall be able to make a more prudent arrangement, than we possibly could in this short time

I'm not sure if that means that she wants Elizabeth to delay getting married or that she would like the newly-weds to live with her till September.  At any event, Elizabeth married Mr Williamson twelve days later in Wapping.  One of the witnesses was her married sister Mary Richmond and another was either her mother Jane, or her sister Jane.

Jane was now planning her own future.  Elizabeth's younger sister Harriet was at Stapleford as her uncle William's housekeeper and Jane Galilee intended to move there herself.  Her plans had taken a little careful management of her brother

I never mentioned the cottage to your uncle before yesterday, he said he never meant to let it until I could think of taking it, though it is a matter I often wished.  I was very doubtful whether to take it or not when it came within my reach, I explained to him all my motives for taking it, without reserve and how I wished to live there, and I could find, that his wishes and views were widely different to mine.  This was what I always expected, however I am quite decided to stick to my original plan, and he seemed very much pleased upon the whole, and I believe Harriet is the same.

Harriet's situation was clearly an important consideration for Jane 

I hope it should be a great relief to her, she is very much confined, and the rest of the people she does see can neither afford her much advantage or amusement, but we can talk all this over when we must, and I should [not] have mentioned [it] now, if I had not got this immense sheet of paper.

A little maternal advice was now in order:

It is gratifying to me to find that my dear Elizabeth is perfectly satisfied with the protection I have been able to afford her, and I will be equally candid in telling her, that I am thoroughly satisfied with the return she has made, I am proud to recollect some instances which placed her in a very amiable light, however I will not affect to misunderstand what you allude to, as I think it almost your only fault, to be rather hasty in your temper.  It is therefore my duty to advise you to correct it.  Your good sense will however point this out to you, as it sometimes happens that a few acrimonious words will disturb the harmony of my years.    

My dear Girl, if I thought you would be seriously hurt at what I have written I would blot it out, and I should not have so, if I did not think you alluded to it yourself, as it is a matter that never gave me any lasting pain, knowing as I did how good you were in essentials.

She then goes on to give the news.  They hadn't had so many visitors in the last two or three days.  A Mr Pagett had gone to London, a Mr B. to Norfolk.  The doctor hadn't come for a week and the judge was in Cambridge.  Elizabeth's sister Harriet 

has had several Fits this last week, I am much concerned for her

but that must have been something that Elizabeth knew all about, so Jane moved swiftly on to bonnets

I do not suppose I can do any thing for you or your Sister?  Harriet called at Mrs Rawlings with Mrs Martindale, but there was not a single Bonnet to be seen.  Mrs [illeg] says the straw is very cheap now, I had a mind to bring some home and get a Bonnet made in London.

I've made some guesses at some of last lines of the letter, which ends warm and affectionately:

I shall now conclude this unconnected Epistle, by desiring my dear Girl [should have] no scruple in expressing any wish that I can be ---ciable [?] in, as she may be assured that I will, now and ever, be proud and happy to do everything promote her comfort, and happiness

and Jane ends with her prayer for Elizabeth's married life

that both parties may mutually concur in deserving, and enjoying, that happiness, which the good and virtuous can only know, shall be ever the prayer of your Affectionate Mother  

Jane Galilee

My kindest Love to your Sisters

Jane spent her last years in the cottage in Stapleford where she died on 19 December 1817 aged 66.  She was buried at Whaddon, a few miles from Stapleford, because it was there that the graves of her parents and brother Isaac were to be found.   

Thomas Galilee and Jane Atkinson had 6 daughters who survived infancy:

• Mary Galilee (1778-1857)
• she was baptised at St Mary's, Rotherhithe on 26 August 1778
• she married Sunderland-born George Richmond (1790-1862), master mariner and shipowner on 29 January 1807 at Wapping parish church.  
• by the time of the 1851 Census, she and husband and their daughter Jane were living in the Trinity Almshouse at Greenwich 
• Mary died in 1857 and George in 1862
• Mary and George had two children:
• Jane Richmond (1812-1904) remained unmarried.  The censuses find her living with one or more of her unmarried nieces in various parts of London
• George Richmond (1817-85) was a journalist and editor of the Sussex Express and Surrey Standard.

George lived in Lewes, Sussex for many years until his death.  He and his wife Maria had 5 daughters and 3 sons. The report of his funeral in the Hastings and St Leonards Observer of 23 May 1885 said he was "the oldest Tory journalist in Sussex, and was the Editor of the Sussex Express before some of those writers who now call themselves middle-aged were born.  He was known as a very consistent man, and one who always upheld the policy of Conservatism"

• Elizabeth Galilee (1780-1867) 
• she was baptised on 22 March 1780 at Rotherhithe
• she married William Williamson (1790-1832), master mariner, on 30 March 1808 in Rotherhithe
• they had 3 children
• William Williamson (c1810-99)
• Emma Williamson (1817-1901)
• Harriet Williamson (1820-1903)

The story of the Williamsons is told in The Revd William Atkinson of Kirkleatham & Cambridge (1755-1830)

• Harriet Galilee (1782-1862) 
• she was baptised 31 July 1782
• she lived in Stapleford near Cambridge as her uncle William's housekeeper and afterwards with her unmarried sisters in Stapleford
• she died on 22 May 1862 aged 80 and was buried at Whaddon with her mother, uncles and grandparents

• Jane Galilee (1784-1856) 
• she was baptised 4 April 1784
• she was the second wife of George Langborne (1773-1832), master mariner, ship owner and ship builder of Whitby.  They married on 3 October 1811 at Wapping and lived in Whitby
• she and George had 7 daughters and 1 son:
• Jane Langborne (1812-58), b 15 Aug 1812, d 1 Feb 1858                          
• Nathaniel Langborne (1814-43)                  
• Ann Langborne (1817-49), wife of John Buchannan (1810-91), solicitor.  
• Mary Eleanor Langborne (1819-84)                                   
• Harriet Langborne (1821-89)                     
• Margaret Langborne (1825-1910)            
• Eliza Langborne (1826-66)                    
• Georgiana Langborne (1829-1903) 

For more on the Langborne family and Jane Galilee and the lives of her children see The family of Nathaniel Langborne (1739-1807), son of Michael & Eleanor Langborne 

• Margaret Galilee (c1785-1880)
• she was born c1785 (but I can't find her baptism)
• she never married.  She lived with her sisters Harriet & Henrietta in Stapleford and outlived them both, dying at the age of 94 on 17 August 1880.  I think, from her grant of Probate, that her niece Jane Richmond lived with her in her last days.  She is buried at Stapleford.

• Henrietta Galilee 1787-1872)
• she was baptised 1 August 1787
• she lived at Stapleford with her sisters until her death aged 84 on 17 February 1872 1872.  She is buried at Stapleford

St Andrew's Stapleford, Cambs. CC BY-SA 2.0 by John Salmon