Protestant Exiles from France/Book First - Chapter 10 - Section VI
VI. Le Keux.
This French refugee family were of long standing in Canterbury; the true surname was Le Queux. If K was substituted for Qu, in order to guide the English to the right pronunciation, the final X ought at the same time to have been struck off; that might have prevented the intrusion of the absurd sound of CKS. The first name on record is Antoine le Keux. He came to Canterbury in or before 1585. This we infer from the fact that his three sons, the eldest of whom entered into the marriage state in 1608, were born in Canterbury.
| Anthoine le Keux | = | |||||||||||
| Jaques, married, on 10th July 1608, Jahel, daughter of Jaques le Hand. |
Jan, married, on 1st April 1616, Marie, daughter of Jan de Lespan. |
Pierre, married, on 7th April 1616, Anne, daughter of the late Nicolas du Chasteau. | ||||||||||
| Jean m. 1646. |
= | Marguerite, dau. of John Despaigne. |
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Jean Le Keux, son of Jaques, married, on 25th December 1645, in the French Church of Canterbury, Antoine Le Quien, a refugee from “Le Croissette,” in the “Comte de St. Pol,” daughter of Guillaume Le Quien. Jean Le Keux had three sons — (1) Philippe, named after his uncle, the pasteur of Douvres, born 3rd December 1646, died young; (2) Jean, born 16th December 1647, who founded a family; (3) Pierre, baptized 6th December 1648; he also founded a family which, being still represented, I shall begin with.
Pierre Le Keux was born after his father’s death, after which event we hear of the family as residents in London, and prospering in silk-weaving. His wealth became assured by his marriage to a rich wife, Marie, daughter of Pierre Marescaux; this event took place in Threadneedle Street Church, on 7th August 1681 (although the registrar failed to ascertain the lady’s name). Mr. Le Keux joined the first regiment of the Tower Hamlets Militia; we find him styled Major Peter Le Keux in 1698, and he rose to be Lieutenant-Colonel. The line was carried on by his surviving son, William. In the Political State of Great Britain I find the following announcement:— “2nd April 1723, Died, Colonel Peter Le Keux, at his house in Spittlefields, after a lingering illness, at an advanced age [73]; he was one of the Justices of the Peace for the Tower Liberty, one of the Commissioners of Sewers, one of the Deputy-Lieutenants for the Royal Hamlets, and Lieutenant-Colonel of the first regiment therein, and one of the Commissioners of the Land Tax for Middlesex; he married one of the daughters and co-heiresses of rich old Mr. Marisco.” His son William (born 1697, died 1781) was styled “of Hayes, Middlesex,” as heir of his mother; his wife was Elizabeth Shewin, of East Grinstead. William’s son and heir, Peter Le Keux (bom 1757, died 1836), married Ann Dyer, at Shoreditch in 1776. His sons were the distinguished engravers, John and Henry. John Le Keux (born 4th June 1783, died 2nd April 1846) married Sarah Sophia Lingard, and was the father of John Henry Le Keux, of personal and hereditary celebrity in the same field. Henry Le Keux (born 1787, died 1868) was a much admired architectural and historical engraver (see chapter xiii.).
We return to the elder son of old Jean Le Keux, of Canterbury, who also was named Jean; he was baptized at Canterbury on 19th December 1647, and married in the City of London French Church, on 16th June 1672, to Susanne Didier, daughter of Abraham Didier and Lea Mancke. He had, with many other children, a son, Pierre, and a daughter, Jeanne. The son, Captain Peter Le Keux, of Steward Street, Spitalfields, Weaver, was baptized in the City of London French Church, 17th February 1683-4, and married, at St. Dunstan’s, Stepney, 29th July 1712, to Sarah Bloodworth, of the Artillery Ground, London; he died 20th June 1743, aged sixty. His son and heir, John Le Keux (born 1721, died 1764), married, in 1746, Hester Williams, of East Greenwich, and left an only son, Richard Le Keux (born 1 2th October 1755), who was buried at Christ Church, 11th April 1840, aged eighty-four, leaving no heirs of his body. The head of the branch of the family, descended from Peter Le Keux and Mary Marescaux, took possession of the considerable estate which Richard left, this claimant believing himself to be the true heir, and probably confounding one Peter Le Keux of the old time with another, both of whom were militia officers. The late Mr. Southerden Burn made practical use of his knowledge of French refugee families by dispossessing him in the interest of the grand-daughter and heiress of Jeanne Le Keux, which Jeanne was the sister of Peter (born in 1683-4) mentioned above. Mr. Burn informed Mr. Le Keux that he possessed documentary proof of the rights of this heiress; but an erroneous pedigree was relied upon by Le Keux, and an action of ejectment was resorted to. It was proved that Jeanne Le Keux (baptized in the City of London French Church, 24th March 1677) was married at St. Dunstan’s, Stepney, to Francois Marriette, merchant, of St. James’s, Westminster, 20th April 1699. Her son was James Marriette (born 1708, died 1759), who married Alice Jones in 1753. He left one child, Mary Anne Marriet (Anglicè Merrit), baptized at St. Dunstan’s, West, on 31st March 1754, and married, at St. Anne’s, Westminster, on 31st May 1778, to Isaac Wheildon. Mr. Burn put Mrs. Wheildon in possession of the Le Keux inheritance in 1846, she having then attained the age of ninety-two.