Thomas Gassaway

Thomas Gassaway (or Gaswaie) was a carpenter in Westminster and was buried in St Margaret's church on 19th November 1658. But he has no remaining gravestone nor any monument. 

He married Ann Collingwood in this church on 6th January 1631 (it appears she was buried on 26 May 1647). Several children were baptised in the church: Nicholas 1634 (who emigrated to Maryland USA and had a family there), Jane 1636, Anne 1639 (who may be the child who died of plague and was buried in 1641), Hester (who was buried in 1643) and another Anne. 

His first wife was Joan Wood and baptisms for their children Mary 1622, Joyce 1626 and Thomas 1628 appear in the church registers. At this period no name of the mother was given in the registers. A Joyce Gassaway married John Dollomore in the church on 23rd December 1646 but one of this name was also buried in 1630.

(A Richard Gassaway also lived in this parish and his daughters Elizabeth and Jane were baptised in 1635 and 1638).

Thomas did carpentry work in Westminster Abbey, on the sounding board for the pulpit and new pews but none of his work still remains in the Abbey.