Sir Thomas ABNEY

     
     Sir Thomas ABNEY was born in January 1640 in Willesley, Derbyshire, England, son of James ABNEY and Jane Mainwaring.¹
     Sir Thomas' mother died during his infancy, and he was sent to school at Loughborough, in Leicestershire, in order that he might be under the observation and control of Lady Bromley, the widow of Sir Edward Bromley, knight; one of the barons of the exchequer in the reigns of James I and Charles I.¹
     Thomas first married Sarah Caryl in August 1668. She was the youngest daughter of Rev. Joseph Caryl. This union lasted a very happy and comfortable period of thirty years.¹
     Sir Thomas ABNEY was elected Lord Mayor of London in 1700. He was one of the founders of the Bank of England and was knighted by King William III.²
     Thomas married second Mary Gunston in August 1700 in London, England. She was eldest daughter of John Gunston, Esq. She was the heir of the manor of Stoke-Newington, a small farming community, which lay about five miles north of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.¹
     Thomas was already leasing a mansion on the magnificent Theobalds estate at Cheshunt in Hertfordshire at the time of his marriage to Mary. The couple split their time between the villages of Cheshunt and Stoke-Newington.
     Lady Mary's brother, Thomas Gunston, had begun construction of a manor house at Stoke-Newington, but after his untimely death in 1701 the estate passed to Lady Mary and her new husband. She completed the Abney House in a style that suited her taste and ideas. The estate was also known as Abney Park.
     Lord and Lady Abney attended the Mark Lane Independent Chapel in London whose pastor was Dr. Isaac Watts (1674-1748), the eminent minister and hymn-writer. In 1712 Dr. Watts suffered a breakdown, from which he never fully recovered. The Abneys invited him to spend a weekend at their estate at Theobalds. Isaac accepted-- and became a permanent housequest, living with them the next 36 years until his death. He assisted her ladyship in the design of the landscaping of Abney Park at Stoke-Newington.
     Isaac Watts' association with the Abneys, in his capacity of the family's long term guest, became legendary. He became part of the family and wrote many of his well-known books, poems and hymns at Abney House, or in its parkland grounds. His famous hymns include When I Survey the Wonderous Cross, O God Our Help in Ages Past and the great Christmas carol, Joy to the World . He is known as the "Father of English hymnody."³
     Sir Thomas ABNEY died on 6 February 1721 in Theobalds, London, England, at age 81.² He was buried in St. Peters, Cornhill.
     Sir Thomas ABNEY left a will dated. Sir Thomas' estate, said to be very great, fell to his widow and three maiden daughters. Elizabeth (1704-1782) the last surviving child and ultimate sole heiress of her father and mother, was "lady of the manor of Stoke-Newington," and died unmarried in August 1782 at the age of 78. By her will she directed that on her death the lease of the estate of Abney Park, together with the rest of her property in Stoke-Newington, should be sold, and the proceeds distributed amongst the poor. Since 1840 Abney Park has been a general cemetery for the city of London and Abney House was torn down in 1845.¹