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Yes Inky - Maçon - thank you.

Maçon

From school girl French...builder?

What is that you posted Inky and how does that relate to this thread please?

From family writing, I am wondering if our name was Anglicised to May from either Mayern or Maçon when our family came from France as Huguenots. A very elderly relative of mine who passed on a long time ago wrote the following with the family crest which she sent to me from England:

"Tarquet de Mayene Louis de Macon.
The May's Family Huguenot Crest.
An old French Aunt lived in the French Hospital in London and gave Aunt Lydia May the crest before she died. The hospital was bombed in the second world war and is no more. Aunt Connie May, who lived at that time in Westcliff was given the crest by Aunt Lydia. She then moved to Baker Street London and when the war came in 1939, she brought the crest to sister, Evelyn at Chirpford Essex as thought it would be safer with us. After the wall, she told mother to keep it in our hall. Aunt Connie died. It came to Worthing with us in 1970 and I think you should have it to continue with the MAYS."

Although the hospital was bombed, apparently it is still there and operational. Connie and Lydia are there in my records, but I need to work out who the elderly French aunt was so that I can seek hospital records and find that connection to my French past. Aunt Lydia was one of Charles Croxton May's daughters. She was born in 1857 at Shoreditch, Middlesex. She never married, but lived with her sister. She lived to 100 years old and died blind in Rochford Hospital. She received a telegram from King George V on 100th birthday in 1957. The elderly French Aunt needs to have given Lydia the crest maybe some time between maybe 1870 and 1935 or thereabouts? This could have been one of her great aunts - Sophia 1776 - 1861, Henrietta 1787 - 1858, Charlotte 1789 - ? - so Sophia and Henrietta had families of their own, though I can't find out much about Charlotte. There was a record that somebody with her name marrying in West Middlesex when Charlotte would have been 44 years old. There is another one who may have married one of four men in 1839 actually in Shoreditch - but she would have been 50. Then again, it may not have been a French Aunt in her 80s or 90s, the French Aunt may have just been one of her father's sisters rather than one of her father's aunts... I have a puzzle to solve! hahaha

The French Hospital included Almshouses, so I would guess that is where the French Aunt lived. The Hospital is no longer in London but has relocated to Rochester, Kent.

There is a lot about it if you google. The records are very comprehensive - the following from familysearch:

The Huguenot Library has much more unpublished charity material as well.

Marmoy’s splendid series on the vast records of the French Protestant Hospital called La Providence, at Rochester in Kent was published in the Quarto Series as volumes 52 and 53. It has extracts relating to all inmates and unsuccessful applicants 1718-1957 as well as for the Coqueau Charity 1745-1901, with details such as appear below.


Sarah Elizabeth CLARKE, applicant
Entered 31 Mar 1880, deceased 22 Jul 1880. Of 133 Columbia Square, Bethnal Green. Spinster d/o James and Sarah Clarke. Born 26 Oct 1823 in Busby Street, Bethnal Green. Mother was a d/o Elizabeth Vatin, a member of French Protestant church until her death. Petitioner is niece of Susannah Lawson (also in index) a former recipient of Coqueau Charity. Formerly a weaveress, now supported by waistcoat making, earns about 6/- weekly from the use of her needle. Failing health. In her file are copies of parish register entries for her birth/christening, parents’ marriage, mother Sarah Palmer’s birth/christening and grandparents Joseph Palmer and Elizabeth VATIN’s marriage.

It might be worth contacting the Hugueonot Society:

http://www.huguenotsociety.org.uk/library-and-archive/collectionsarchive.html

I am a MAY,i was told once MAY was French and it could of been De-MAY or Le-MAY.

Thank you Malcolm and Potty. I joined the Australian Huguenot society a few years ago and am currently waiting back to hear from them on these latest finds. I'll start Googling the hospital today to see what records I can find.

Thank you again.

13 April 1892 - Dundee Courier - Dundee, Angus, Scotland

Deaths
On the 11th inst., Charles Croxton May, of 46 Fountayne Road, Stoke Newington, London, in his 76th year.

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar#calendar

Chris :)

From Ancestry - details of Charles's probate:

of 46 Fontayne Road Stoke Newington Common Middlesex silver thimble and silver-mounted smelling bottle manufacturer died 11 April 1892 Probate London 30th April 1892 to Esther May widow and John May and Josiah Charles May silver thimble and silver-mounted smelling bottle manufacturers Effects £3054 18s 1d

Thank you so much! It's great to have those extra details to put in there!