Ebenezer Beuzeville Hewlett (1812-1887)
Early Life and Education
Ebenezer Beuzeville, the second son of Esther and James Hewlett, was born in 1812 at Oxford and baptised on October 28 at the church of St. Mary Magdalen.
In his early years, he was educated at home or at a local school. After the death of his father, Esther obtained a place for him at Christ’s Hospital school, most likely at the London campus. The experience proved deeply unhappy for him; according to family recollection, he was so miserable there that he could never bear to speak of it. [1]
Others, however, have left vivid accounts of life at Christ’s Hospital. The English critic, essayist and poet Leigh Hunt (1784–1859) attended the school from 1791 to 1799 and provides a balanced description of its character.
Christ’s Hospital: A Harsh School
Hunt remembered the school with gratitude in some respects. He credited Christ’s Hospital with providing him with a good classical education and “a well-trained and cheerful boyhood.” The school’s cloistered setting and emphasis on classical languages introduced him to the works of Homer and Ovid. [2]
Yet he also described a system in which discipline was harsh, routine rigid, and food relatively scarce—conditions not unusual in schools of that era. While the moral tone of the institution was generally sound, Hunt records that some masters behaved as tyrants, “passionate and capricious,” and he recounts instances of unjust punishment and cruelty. [3]
Not all boys endured such conditions as successfully as Hunt. Sensitive children could easily be overwhelmed by fear and humiliation. If Ebenezer was among those who struggled deeply with the school’s harsh discipline, it may explain why his formal education did not continue further.
Hunt himself went on to use his education to enter the literary world and associated with figures such as William Hazlitt, Charles Lamb, Tennyson, Keats, Shelley, and Browning.
Early Adult Life
If Ebenezer’s early schooling had been more humane, he might have continued his education at Oxford and entered a profession as his brothers did. Instead, he entered adult life without advanced education or training in a particular trade.
Yet he was far from defeated. His later life demonstrates resilience and adaptability.
When Ebenezer was twenty-seven years old he married Mary Burden Chetham in July 1839 at the Baptist Chapel in Eythorne. The ceremony was conducted by Rev. William Copley.
Mary had been born in 1814 and baptised at the church of St. Mary Magdalen in Oxford, where the Hewlett family had worshipped. At the time of the marriage Ebenezer was described as a schoolmaster, suggesting that he may have been living or working at his brother’s school in Eythorne.
Mary’s father, originally from Cheshire, worked as a Clerk of the Wharf, while her mother came from Coventry, Warwickshire. Mary herself was living in Eythorne at the time of the marriage, possibly in the household of Esther and William Copley. [4]
Life in Maidstone
After their marriage, the couple settled in Maidstone, about sixty-five miles from Eythorne. Situated on the River Medway, Maidstone lies at the heart of the agricultural county of Kent, often called the Garden of England.
During the following decades, Ebenezer pursued a variety of occupations and moved house frequently. [5] Kelly's Directory, Post Office Records and Census records show him working in several different trades:
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1840 – Baker, 18 Haslet Street, Maidstone
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1847 – Plasterer, 18 Union Street, Maidstone
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1850 – China and glass dealer, 8 Portland Place, Maidstone
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1861 – Coal merchant, 52 Brunswick Terrace, Doncaster
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1871 – Investor, Roussel Villa, Crabble Hill, River near Dover
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1879 – Commission agent, 28 Church Street, Maidstone
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1881 – Living on dividends at River, Kent
By 1881 both Ebenezer and Mary were recorded as living from investment income.
Financial Independence
How did a man who began adult life without advanced education or a specialised trade eventually achieve financial independence?
Several possibilities suggest themselves. Ebenezer and Mary appear to have lived carefully and may have been frugal. They had no children to raise, which would have significantly reduced household expenses. Another factor may have been an inheritance. Mary’s father, Harry Chetham, a wine and spirit merchant, died in 1864, leaving an estate valued at nearly £3,000. If divided among his four children, Mary may have received about £750—a substantial sum that could have helped establish the couple’s later financial security.
Final Illness
On April 7, 1887, Ebenezer was admitted to St. Augustine’s Hospital, Chartham, a psychiatric institution then known as a lunatic asylum. The hospital stood on a large site at Chartham Downs, three miles south-west of Canterbury.
His admission record states that he was suffering from senility and that his physical condition was “bad, very helpless.” He died there on May 1, 1887. [9]
The fact that he remained in the institution for only three weeks suggests that his wife had cared for him at home during the final years of his decline before his condition became too severe to manage.
Burial and Family Connections
Ebenezer was buried in the Baptist churchyard at Eythorne, close to the grave of his mother, Esther (née Beuzeville), and near that of his sister Emma.
It was unusual for people who had left the church to be buried in its churchyard, and the fact that he was buried there suggests the esteem in which he was still held by the community.
His wife Mary Burden Hewlett (1814–1907) lived for another twenty years. She died on January 1, 1907 at the age of ninety-three and was buried at Radford, Coventry, where several of her siblings were living.
Probate
Probate of Ebenezer’s estate was granted on June 4, 1887 to:
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Mary Burden Hewlett
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Francis William Franklin of Coventry
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Edward George Sargent of the Bristol branch of the National Provincial Bank of England (his nephew) [10]
Ebenezer’s estate amounted to £254 8s 0d.
At her death, Mary’s estate amounted to £1,254 19s 10d.