On 23 July 1699, a rector in rural Shropshire made an unusually specific note in the parish register:
“Richard Wigen A Daughter Born ye 23rd of July 1699 Mary her name.”
Such precise birth records were rare at the time, with most clergy simply recording baptisms. This entry gives us a clear starting point for the life of Mary Wiggin, daughter of Richard Wiggin and sister to Stephen Wiggin, a wax chandler in London whose story is told in a separate post.
Mary would eventually move to London, where she married a man named Anthony Sturdy—not in a parish church, but in the shadowy world of Fleet Prison. The records of her life, her marriage, and her burial offer us a glimpse into a time of legal ambiguity, migration, and shifting family fortunes.
Mary was born into the Wiggin family in Shropshire, and her birth was carefully recorded by the parish rector. Her father, Richard Wiggin, lived until 1747. His will was read in 1751 and left £30 to each of his children, including Mary, who was named in the document as Mary Sturdy.
At some point, Mary left Shropshire for London and married Anthony Sturdy. The marriage is not found in any parish register but instead in the Fleet Prison marriage records.
Fleet marriages were part of a widespread and controversial practice in the 18th century. Between the 1690s and 1753, thousands of couples married in or around Fleet Prison, where imprisoned clergymen—often debtors—performed ceremonies for a fee. These marriages were legally valid but operated outside the oversight of the Church of England. They required no banns, license, or parental consent, and records were often scribbled in notebooks by clerks or tavern keepers.
Many couples turned to Fleet marriages for speed, privacy, or to avoid the cost and constraints of church weddings. The system became notorious for irregularity and abuse, leading to its abolition by the Marriage Act of 1753 (also known as Hardwicke’s Act), which required all marriages in England and Wales to be conducted in a licensed church and properly recorded.
In Mary and Anthony’s case, we can only speculate on their motives, but the record confirms the marriage took place within this unregulated but legally binding system.
In 1736, a will made by Anthony Sturdy was brought forward. Mary’s brother Stephen Wiggin, along with another man, gave a statement confirming that they were familiar with Anthony’s handwriting and signature, and that the will was genuine. This act of attestation connects the two families in legal records and shows Stephen's continued involvement in family matters.
The will was associated with the parish of St Mary Woolnoth, a notable City church, suggesting that Mary and Anthony were living in or near the financial centre of London.
Mary Sturdy (née Wiggin) was buried on 5 March 1764 at St Mary Woolnoth, the same parish in which her husband's will had been proved nearly three decades earlier. Although little is known about her life after Anthony's death, her burial at this well-known church confirms she remained in London until the end of her life.
The life of Mary Wiggin offers a rare combination of clearly documented origins and unusual marital circumstances. From a carefully recorded birth in rural Shropshire to a Fleet marriage in London, and finally a burial in the heart of the City, her story brings together elements of family migration, 18th-century legal practice, and the hidden world of clandestine unions.
