What do you make of the fact that in the 1851 and 1861 households of James Kewley b 1783 there's an unmarried woman, Arabella Baker, a British Subject born in Brussels; and that James's natural son was given a name with a continental ring to it ? I'm speculating that she could have been related to the mother of LPKK, or even the mother herself.

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going backwards:

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1861
Conchan 1a/14

James Kewley head wid 76 landed proprietor b Onchan
Lewis P unm 21 b London
Arabella Baker serv unm 65 house keeper b Brussels

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1851
Middlesex, Chelsea, Chelsea South 2/23
8 Millman Row

James Kewley head wid 66 (Ancestry has transcribed as 16) Landed proprietor b Isle of Man
Lewis P son 11 scholar b Middlesex Chelsea
Arabella Baker serv unm 55 annuitant b Flanders Brit Subj
Joanna Chew serv unm 42 house servant b Kent Deptford

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Another mystery is the whereabouts of LPKK and his father, James, in 1841.

Arabella Baker was in Chelsea:

1841
Middlesex, Chelsea, Chelsea South, 2/12
Millman Row

Name Age
Isabella McLatchie 30
Arabella Baker 40

both ladies are "independent".
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The property on Millman Row where Arabella was living in 1841 turns out to be exactly the same as no 8 Millman Row where she was living with James Kewley in 1851. The evidence for this comes from comparing the names of the neighbours going along the row in 1841 and 1851 --- so in 1851, there's a George Williams, laundryman, at no 7, a William Wicks, carpenter, at no 5, a John Tarry, carver and gilder at no 3, followed by a police house. In 1841 the properties aren't numbered, but those same neighbours are there. How neat is that ?

She was clearly an important person in James's life.

I'm going to paste below the message you wrote, Tom, which isn't attached to this existing thread of messages.

James Kewley was an extremely impressive man !

Jean C

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Below this is the copied message:
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James Kewley c.1783 Help
By:Tom
Date: 24/2/2011, 3:36 pm
How would I get the birth of James Kewley c.1783 Ballanard, Onchan, Isle of Man

This text below was taken from newspaper cutting from Jan 1985

It has been said that Manxmen have not been especially notable as inventors. However, a newly-mounted library exhibition based on family documents and heirlooms kindly lent by Mr L J Kewley of Port Erin, aims to set the record straight, with particular reference to a most gifted Manxman, who has unaccountably been neglected by posterity.

FIRST TENANT
James Kewley, civil engineer, the son of John Kewley of Ballanard in the Parish of Onchan and Elizabeth Cannell, was baptised at Braddan on 28 September 1783. His family had already that year been in possession of the encestral quarterland farm in the treen of Tromode for almost three hundred years, the first recorded manorial tenant being John McKewley, entered in the manorial roll in 1507.

His interests and skills were remarkable in their breadth and the full measure of the achievements of his working life in England, which covered a period of 33 years from 1818 has yet to emerge.

The invention of central heating systems, fully patented, work on the early plant houses at Kew, involvement with the East London Waterworks, are balanced by his work in plant-breeding in the Island which resulted in the production of the renowned Manx codlin apple.

FLUENT
As a fluent and literate Manx speaker, he was also involved in the production London of the 'beautiful and accurate' edition of the British and Foreign Bible Society's 1819 Manx Bible, for which he read the proofs.

Sincere thanks are due to Mr L J Kewley, a long-serving member of the Friends of the Manx Museum, for his kindness in making his family collection available for this exhibition which will remain on display until the end of April.

James Kewley
Inventor and Sole Manufacturer of the Hydropneumatic Apparatus for heating hothouses, conservatories, churches, dwelling houses etc.
Manufactory No 8 Millman Row, King's Road, Chelsea.

Any help in any new info on James and his family would be of great use.

Kind Regards,
Tom.