Ann Watts

Portraits by the artist as a young man: Constable's parents finally identified.

Children of Ann and Golding Constable

1. Ann Constable
2. Martha Whalley (Constable)
3. Golding Constable
4. John Constable, RA
5. Mary Ann Constable, John's favourite and youngest sister
6. Abram Constable

John Constable was born in East Bergholt, a village on the River Stour in Suffolk, to Golding and Ann (Watts) Constable. His father was a wealthy corn merchant, owner of Flatford Mill in East Bergholt and, later, Dedham Mill in Essex. Golding Constable owned a small ship, The Telegraph, which he moored at Mistley on the Stour estuary, and used to transport corn to London. He was a cousin of the London tea merchant, Abram Newman.

Although Constable was his parents' second son, his older brother was intellectually disabled and John was expected to succeed his father in the business. After a brief period at a boarding school in Lavenham, he was enrolled in a day school in Dedham. Constable worked in the corn business after leaving school, but his younger brother Abram eventually took over the running of the mills.

References

Genealogy data - Constable family trees