John first appears in the available record in 1800 at his marriage to Esther Lockwood, which took place on 21 January 1800 at St Mary’s Church, Rotherhithe, County of Surrey. There is no information given apart from the names of those present.
From John’s later burial entry, also at St Mary’s in Rotherhithe, we know that he was 47 years of age and therefore born in about 1776. In the late 1700s / early 1800s there appear to have been several Vizes living in Rotherhithe. It is highly likely that they were related as at this time Rotherhithe was quite separate to London and isolated by its location on the Thames. Between 1799 and 1857 there were 37 baptisms under the surname Vize at St Mary’s. Richard and George are contemporaries of John, and Francis Vize’s first child was born the same year as John’s youngest child. Also a witness at John’s wedding was Catherine Vize.
Unfortunately no available records give us any further clue as to John’s place of origin. The parish registers for Rotherhithe in 1776 are not available on line. We do know the family had a connection with Warwickshire (via the Lucy family) and possibly with Essex (via the Collis family) as well as Ireland (through Trinity College Dublin).
John worked as a brewer in Rotherhithe. He owned a brewing business which may have operated operated from two freehold houses he owned at no. 10 and 11 York Place, Upper York Street, or a third at no. 94 Adam Street, Rotherhithe.
In 1801 John and Esther’s first son was born. Sadly this baby, named John, died at about 6 weeks of age. The second child, Harriet Bowen Vize, was born in August 1802, followed by another son, also called John, born in August 1804. Mary Ann was next in August 1806, followed lastly by William Lockwood Vize in June 1812. There may have been other pregnancies in the gap between Mary Ann and William but no records have been identified.
All four children were born in Rotherhithe and baptised at St Mary’s. They were well educated: John became a schoolmaster, Mary Ann a schoolmistress and Harriett a buisnesswoman runnig an iron mongery. We don’t know where they were educated but it may have been through private tuition, which was common at this time.