In looking at this source for Edward Dickinson, it states he is from Perthall (presumably in the UK). I don't find such a place on the map.
Where would it be?
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2 Answers
Benjamin West, Jr. was the son of Benjamin West, the artist.
"Perthall" is likely a misreading of "Pershall," an estate and family in Staffordshire that is well-documented. The misreading is due to the 1700s-early 1800s use of the "long s" which can be mistaken for an "f" or a "t":
Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure 1772-12: Vol 51 Iss 357
The Caledonian Mercury 1730-07-06: Iss 1597
The misspelling "Perthall" also appears in Robert C. Alberts' Biography of Benjamin West.
The "England, Staffordshire, Church Records, 1538-1944" database shows that Mary Dickinson of Eccleshall, Stafford obtained a license to marry Benjamin West at Atcham, Shropshire.
The Pershall estate is about 1 mile outside the town of Eccleshall. Some of the Pershall buildings are listed in the National Heritage List for England.
The wedding was noted in the Monthly Register and Encyclopedian Magazine 1803-09-01: Vol 3 Iss 17:
Transcription:
Shropshire. Married. -- At Atcham, Benjamin West, esq. to Miss Dickenson, of Pershall, near Stafford, a most beautiful and accomplished young lady, with a fortune of 30,000l.
This inflation calculator tells me that £30,000 is worth £3,286,021.53 in 2022, so Miss Dickenson/Dickinson was also quite wealthy.
The Gentleman's Magazine, Volume 73, Issue 2 (1803) suggests that Perthall is/was near Stafford in Staffordshire:
