Not recorded by CFHS
Parish Holy Trinity
Monument
This column of rough hewn stone stands I row east of the central path. It has inscriptions of metal letters on 3 sides which are in reasonable condition, considering they have been covered by ivy for many years. The stonemason was Wiles.
Inscription
south face
WILLIAM QUINSEE
Died April 29. 1855 aged 31 years
north face
MARY QUINSEE
Died Aug. 17 1872, aged 79 years
SUSANNA QUINSEE, daughter of the above
died Nov. 3. 1888 aged 59 years
west face
[BENJAMIN ATTACK] died May [1889]
ChARLOTTE [ATTACK] died June 15 [1878]
Relationships – Mother, 2 daughters, 1 son, 1 son in law
Holly Trinity burial records show that Benjamin and Charlotte Attack, Mary’s daughter, are also buried in this parish. We found a partial inscription on the west face of this column so have concluded that they are also buried here.
Mary Quinsee née Hammont (1793-1872)
A Mary Hammond was born in Horseheath, Cambridgeshire on January 31st 1793, to William & Susannah. She married builder William Qiuinsee (1792 – 1840) on December 12th 1816 at Holy Trinity church, Cambridge.and brought up 6 children at 1Hobson St – Charlotte (1818-1878), William (1823-1855), John (1825-1844), Susannah (1829-1888), Emma MC42 (1831) and George (1833-1836)
On 5th March 1840 William died at the age of 48, it is possible that he was ill as his will had been written on February 17th. That will asked Mary to carry on the business after his death, in the hope that sons John & William would continue it when they came of age. Sadly John died in 1843 when he was only 18. Mary put various notices in the paper explaining that she would continue the business. From one we learn that William had also been an undertaker.
It seems that eldest son William wanted to take on more responsibility too soon as in November 1843 This notice was placed in the Cambridge Chronicle “The executors of the Late Mr William Quinsee ….. is now carried on by Mrs Mary Quinsee his widow on her sole account and that her son William Quinsee, lately employed as clerk in the aforesaid concern, has no authority to contract or receive debts on her behalf.”
William Quinsee was the main contractor for the building of the Female Refuge in 1842/3. Maybe he had not calculated the costs correctly.
By 1851 William and his mother were both listed as builders.
We do not know much about the home life of the Quinsee family but we know from a newspaper report in the paper of 1842 that Mary had 7 large pots of Geraniums stolen from outside her house, We also know that they always kept at least one house servant.
After her son William died Mary continued working with longtime business partner Benjamin Attack who was married to her daughter Charlotte.
Mary died at 1 Hobson St aged 79.
Sons John & George would have been buried in Holy Trinity churchyard with their father as this cemetery did not open until 1848..No monument has been found there.
William Quinsee 1823-1855)
William was the son of William and Mary Quinsee. He joined the family building firm as a clerk but after his father died it seems there was some tension between him and his mother but they eventually worked together. (see above)
He died at 1 Hobson St aged 31.
Susannah Quinsee (1829 – 1888)
Susannah never married lived and with her parents in Hobson St. After her mother’s death she moved to 11 Warkworth St where she died aged 59.
Charlotte Quinsee (1818 – June 1878)
Charlotte married builder Benjamin Attack on December 29th 1842 at Holy Trinity Church. Benjamin was was the building partner of William and Mary Quinsee.
It is likely that she met Benjamin when in 1841 she was in Horseheath with her brother William. They were at the property of an S Hammond possibly her grandmother. Benjamin was there too.
They moved to 10 King Street where the Attack family had a building firm. They did not have any children. Sometime between 1871 & 1878 they moved to 6 Newnham Terrace. Charlotte died when visiting Great Yarmouth. She was 58 years old. Her body was brought back to Cambridge and buried on June 20th
Benjamin Attack ( c 1816 – May 22nd 1889)
Benjamin was the son of builder Joseph Attack and his wife Elizabeth. He was baptised January 5th 1817 at All Saints* church in Trinity St. In 1841 he was in Horseheath and listed as a plasterer in a household headed by S Hammond, possibly Mary Quinsee’s mother. In December 1841 his father died and he advertised in the paper that he was taking over the family building firm, in conjunction with his mother.
By 1851 Benjamin and Charlotte were living at 10 King St where he is listed as a builder employing 34 men.
Benjamin died at 6 Newnham Terrace and was buried on May 27. He was 71 years old.
He had amassed a huge fortune and although he left most of it to his sister Caroline he was very generous to his friends, family, Holy Trinity church and The Royal Albert homes on Hills Road. He also asked that his house be left in the care of his servants for 6 months to give them time to find other employment, His housekeeper was left £2,000.
After his death the premises in King Street were taken over by builder M Yarrow who had run a business in Sturton St.
*All Saints church in Trinity St was pulled down in the 1860’s and replaced by a new church of the same name in Jesus Lane.
By Mary Naylor
Sources
CHFHS transcripts of parish and census records
British Newspaper archives online
Find My Past