Marques Dower – Kevin Martin
The Marques Dower
A short time ago a comment was placed on SynagogueScribes asking about the ‘Marques Dower’ due to a contribution of £50 made from the Mahil Sedaca’ for orphaned girls and also £80 from the Marques Dower.
The enquirer had found this information on the Ketubot of Isaac Mordecai Rodriques and Phoebe Belasco dated 5 May 1874, Bevis Marks. Both Phoebe and her twin sister had been orphaned in 1853.
Whenever we don’t know the answer to a Sephardic History question we go to Kevin Martin, a Sephardic researcher and historian with many years’ experience in genealogy.
Whilst he knew of the Will of Diego Rodrigues Marques (1675) he decided to investigate further and see what else could be found.
A visit to the London Metropolitan Archive and sight of a ‘Restricted Access’ file brought some answers which Kevin has agreed to let us add here.
An item recorded as having formerly been ‘been in a special box’ a Will extra, from the registry of Prerogative Court of Canterbury, giving item of bequest of £1000 from the residuary estate, of which £50 is to be given annually to an orphan of our nation dated 10 Nov 1675, with an article relating to administration by Sara Anriques Marques dated 17 Oct 1678.
A decree was made that the amount of £1000 should be used for purchase of land and until that is done it would be placed in Government or other securities and the interest gained should be applied for the advancement of a female orphan of the Jewish Nation in London.
Diego Rodrigues Marques, alias José de la Fuente, was an incredibly wealthy diamond merchant who fled to London with his family following the imprisonment of his relatives by the Inquisition.
The trust was for orphaned girls whose marriage had to take place within two years to an acceptable young man or the money was withdrawn.
Kevin Martin was a keen supporter of both SynagogueScribes and CemeteryScribes for many years, his sudden passing in June 2023 came as a shock to many of us and is a great loss to Sephardic geneaology research.
ps. Taking a look at the Will of Diego Rodrigues Marques on Synagogue scribes I found the listed Item on the will by Diego Rodrigues Marques translated as follows – ‘ ITEM: ”I do have one thousand pounds Sterling to be taken out of the left of my estate that for the interest thereof fifty pounds sterling may be given yearly to an orphan of our nation and if there should be one of any kindred? such orphan to be preferred before any other which said thousand pounds shall be put in future hands? as my wife and her assissants heretofore named shall think fit. And it shall be put out so that there may be a certain revenue? of fifty pounds or more if the interest of the said thousand pounds shall amount thereto.”
My interest is here is whether maybe as it was my gggrandfater Isaac Mordecai Rodrigues marriage to Phoebe [nee Belasco] – they may have been considered as ‘kindred’ ie. a relation/extended familial connections etc.? Phoebe received £80 from the Marques Dower [ obviously indicating there was interest above the £50 from the investment when she received it that year – she also received £50 from Bevis Marks Dowery fund as she was an orphan.The ketubot shows that Isaac Mordecai brought £100 share to the marriage – this was in 1874.
Hello ! This is amazing tofind this mroning ! , life has been very busy this last year so I had to put the family arquive lid down for a while … but I was the enquierer about the ‘Marques Dower’ as it is on my gggrandmother Phoebe Belasco’s ketubot on her marriage to my gggrandfather Isaac Mordecai Rodrigues – and I am so pleased to have this information now. I am also so sorry to hear about Kevin Martins sudden passing last June as he must have been a fount of knowledge – I am just fascinated to see the name Diego Rodrigues Marques as well as his name Jose de la Fuente here and the background to the ‘Marques Dower’ — I know its probably a long shot here but I am wondering whether there was the possibilty of any connections with regards the ‘Rodrigues’ I have many of the direct links back in the London community that I have researched over the years through the Bevis Marks Archives and I have my own copies of the published archives so I will get back to those now —