Gell Family

Daniel Gell was buried in the west cloister of Westminster Abbey on 18th June 1763. No gravestone remains for him. He was the eldest son of Ralph Gell and grandson of Anthony. Before becoming Chapter Clerk at the Abbey in 1729 he had been secretary to the bishops of Peterborough and of Gloucester and registrar of the diocese of Llandaff. His first wife Elizabeth was buried with him on 20th October 1759 and his second, Margaret Clagett whom he married in 1761 at St Paul's Covent Garden, was buried on 26th August 1783, aged 84.

Anthony Gell, a cousin of the above Daniel, was buried in the north cloister. He was then living at Cheyne Walk in Chelsea. His gravestone is rather cracked, at the west end of this cloister walk. The inscription reads:

Undernearth are deposited the remains of Anthony Gell Esqr. late Receiver of this Collegiate Church who died 28 January 1817 in the 84th year of his age. And nearby are deposited two of his sons Thomas William Gell who died 25 December 1792 in the 15th year of his age and Anthony Gell who died 20th November 1801 in the 38th year of his age.

He was appointed Receiver General of the Abbey in 1787, having probably been clerk to Daniel, and was also Coroner and Clerk of the Markets for the City of Westminster. From 1801 his son John Henry Gell held the office of Receiver with him jointly. His wife Frances was the daughter of Joseph Dalby, apothecary, and was buried on 7th February 1825, aged 85, then living at Bexley in Kent. Son Anthony was a clerk of the cash book in the office of the auditor of the Exchequer and appears to have died unmarried. The children of Anthony and Frances, in addition to the two mentioned on the stone, who were buried in the cloisters were Thomas 1766, Ann 1769, Frederick 1775, William Egerton 1838 and John Henry 1856.

William Egerton Gell had a tablet on the wall of the cloister but this was removed having become decayed. Its inscription read:

To the memory of William Egerton Gell Esq. who after a long and severe afflication departed this life on the 17 of May 1838 aged 56 years. In him many will have to deplore the loss of a generous and kind hearted friend 'Comfort the soul of thy servant for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul'

The memorial to John Henry Gell was moved from the north cloister to the dark cloister and this reads:

To the memory of Emma, wife of George Hawkins Esqr and only child of John Henry and Charlotte Gell. She died 26th January 1823 in the 21st year of her age. Also of the above named George Hawkins who died on the 23rd of August 1846 in his 53rd year. Also of John Henry Gell, Esquire, the affectionate and loved father of the above named Emma Hawkins. He died, sincerely regretted, in his 86th year on the 8th of October 1856.

Both Emma and George were buried in the north cloister. John Henry was Abbey Auditor from 1795 and succeeded Anthony as Coroner and Clerk of the Markets of Westminster from 1816. In 1801 he married Charlotte Harmar at St Margaret's Westminster. As the tablet mentions, Emma was their only child. He resigned the office of Coroner in 1845 and became deputy coroner.

The Coroners Inquests from the time of Anthony and John Henry Gell (1792-1845) are preserved in the Westminster Abbey archives.

Katherine, daughter of John Gell, was baptised in the Abbey on 22nd April 1645. John was a son of Katherine, eldest daughter of John and Philippa Packer, who married William Eyre. The mother had been baptised in the Abbey on 11th March 1624 as her father John Packer resided in the precincts of the Abbey (Several of Packer's children were baptised in the Abbey and he was buried in St Margaret's church Westminster on 15th February 1649 - modern dating). John was the second son of Katherine and William Eyre and assumed the surname of Gell (reason not known), through whom they were the ancestors of the celebrated antiquary Sir William Gell. Katherine died in 1722.