From Philip Powys' notebook, transcribed by EAP: "Isabella Powys my dear wife dyed at Benson at the Red Lyon in her way home from Oxford on Friday 6th March 1761 between 2 and 3 in the afternoon in the 48th year of her age.  She had been ill for some time was advised for the sake of the journey to go to Oxford to consult Dr Lewis.  She lies buried in the Vestry at Whitchurch."
_______________________________________________________

Martin P-L writes, Section X:

ISABELLA, only child and heiress of RICHARD, 1713-61.

Called Bell as a child.
1713   Whitchurch Baptism Register:
           "1713 Jan 12  LYBB   Hissabela d. Richard Esqre & Hissabela LYBB"
1722 Her father dies, when she is aged eight.
1730 She orders the sale of part of her father's estate, to pay debts.
Aged 17 [TFPL: in fact sixteen, to be seventeen in a month] she marries PHILIP POWYS.  For five years they lived at his house in London, then moved to Hardwick.
1731-41  She bore 6 children, only three of whom survived infancy; and one of these three died aged 27.
1761 Aged 48, she was ill for some time.  Returning from a doctor in Oxford, she died at the Red Lion in Benson.
She was buried in the vestry at Whitchurch, under which is the first family vault.  [Where the North aisle now is, there had been two small chantry chapels, both claimed by Hardwick.]    This vault was eventually filled, I imagine.  At any rate, starting in 1821, members of the family were mostly buried in a new vault, in the churchyard.  The last, so far as I know, was the Mayor, in 1888. [TFPL: The Mayor's sister Edith Mary was also buried there after her death a few days after the Mayor's and in fact PLPL, Mr Lybbe, is the last, buried in 1897.]

Whitchurch Burial Register:
  "1761 Mar 10   POWYS   Isabella, wife of Philip, esqre"

AP-L has portraits of Isabella and her husband by Davison.

Court proceedings involving Isabella (which I have not studied):-
1723 Isabella Lybbe, spinster, Chan. Pro. 1714-58,  2222/52.
1742/3 Chan.Pro. 1714-58, 548/8, continued in 1758-1800 series, Bundle 774/2.
1757 Lybbe v. Blagrave, Ch. Pro. C11/2222

Given the fecundity of Lybbe mothers, it is remarkable that the name disappeared from the area.  The "slave" line bumped on (legitimately and otherwise) for a few more years - see section T1.  But none of Isabella's three uncles had any sons.  In fact, the only one of her 12 aunts and uncles to have any children was Elizabeth Mrs Merrick.  And it seems that those children died without issue, as the portraits of Dr and Mrs Merrick, plus a canteen of dessert cutlery with the Merrick crest, came back into our family.

Caleb and Hannah Libby had a child baptised in 1740 at Lower Metting near Newbury; but that spelling and those Christian names belong to our Puritanical cousins (such as went to America) not to our branch.

TFPL: John Ramskill Twisden noted that "Oxford gossip had previously assigned her [Isabella Lybbe] to her third cousin, Sir Thomas Twisden, 4th baronet of Bradbourne."  See notes for Sir Thos.
________________________________________________________

In his diary for 1764, Phil Powys writes against 30 December "30. My Wedding day, in the year 1730".  Presumably this included an allowance for the lost 14 days, though in fact he seems to have lost only 11 here.

In E A Powys' copy of Philip Powys's notes (her gt-gt-grandfather), he had recorded "Philip Powys was marred to Isabella Lybbe of Hardwick in Oxfordhire 19th Decr 1730".

In E A Powys' account of the family, page 69, she writes that they were married on the 19th December 1730 at Doctors Commons church and went the same day to his house at Sion Nr Isleworth.

On the English Origins site, there is a record of the Vicar General's Marriage licence Allegations in which Lybbe married Powys on 19th Dec 1730.  A full copy of the source of this has been ordered and is awaited.

In Boyd's Marriage Index, ISB LYBBE m. PHIL POWIS at LONDON (ST BENET PAUL'S WHARF) in 1730.
_____________________________________________________

The marriage licence of the 19th December 1730 has:

“Which day appeared personally Phillip Powys of Isleworth in the County of Middlesex aged twenty one years and a Batchelor and allegeth that he intends to marry with Isabella Lybbe of Hardwick in the County of Oxford aged sixteen years and a spinster by and with the consent of Isabella Lybbe of Hardwick aforesaid widow the natural and lawful mother of the said Isabella Lybbe spinster ... prayed licence for them to be married in the cathedral church of St Pauls London or the parish church or St Bennett Pauls Wharf London.

Signed Philip Powys.

“The same day appeared Personally Isabella Lybbe of Hardwicke aforesaid widow the natural and lawful mother of the said Isabella Lybbe spinster and maketh oath that she is consenting to the above intended marriage between the said Phillip Powys and Isabella Lybbe her daughter.”

Signed Isabella Lybbe.

Four things to note:

(a) the date of this licence was 19th December so it is not likely that they were married on that day, probably a few days later judging from other licences.  False!  TFPL, Dec 2009: The transcript of the marriage register in the Harleian Society volume for St Bene’t’s is quite clear that the marriage was on the 19th.  Interestingly the curate from Goring church, Mr Wooddeson, had been brought up to London to perform the ceremony.

(b) I wonder if St Bennetts was not truly the parish church of Doctors Commons, hence the naming in some documents?

(c) Isabella was sixteen and her baptism in Jan 1713, indicating a birth a day or so earlier, was of course in 1713/14 which was just under seventeen years before her marriage.  (From the 21st century I wonder what motivated her mother to get her married quite so young?  Perhaps the shortage of cash made Philip with his cash pile very attractive?)

(d) Why are the handwritings of the two paragraphs so different?
______________________________________________________

Later in Aug 2006, TFPL: I have now found a transcript of the entry in the marriage register for St Benet’s of Paul’s Quay.  This was from the Harleian Parish register volume XXXIX for the year MDCCCCX, 1910.  The title is “The Registers of St Bene’t and St Peter, Paul’s Wharf, London” so that ‘Benet’ is short for Benedict.  The entry was:

19 Dec  Philip Powys, Esqr of Isleworth, Middx., B, and Isabella Lybbe of Hardwick, Oxon, S; by Mr Wooddeson, Cur. of Goring, Oxon.

So this spoils my theory about the Allegation and Marriage dates.  Perhaps (another good speculation) the need to get Madame Isabella Lybbe up to sign her approval for the Allegation meant that this could only be done on the day of the marriage.  This still sounds a bit tight, though.  Further I would like to see a photo of the register itself just to make sure that it had not included the allegation date which was then mistaken for the marriage date by the Harleian transcriber.
_______________________

From FamilySearch:

groom's name:                     Philip Powys
bride's name:                     Isabella Lybbe
marriage date:                    19 Dec 1730
marriage place:                   Saint Benet Pauls Wharf,London,London,England
indexing project (batch) number:  M00136-1
system origin:                    England-ODM
source film number:               547508, 574439, 845242
_____________________

March 2021, TFPL: Transcript, by me, of the actual marriage register on Ancestry:

[ City of London  >  St Benet Paul’s Wharf  > 1728-1742 ]

“Marriages in 1730
“. . . .
“Powys and Lybbe
“Philip Powys Esq of Isleworth Midx B and           19 December
“Isabella Lybbe of Hardwick Oxon S by Mr
“Wooddison Cur of Goring Oxon
______________________