I'm still writing about Charles Street and its people. So far I've been presenting the people who lived there in 1871. To make the physical process of doing the research a bit easier (though it may not sound like this is really an improvement), I've recently been looking at each house in each census from 1841 to 1901.
It's a big job but very gratifying, as it shows me relationships and linear strands that I wouldn't have seen otherwise.
I'm going to have more stories!
Heiresses, bankrupts, princes, countesses and pot-scrubbers, they're all here. Gotta love it.
Showing posts with label 1871 census. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1871 census. Show all posts
Monday, May 16, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
4 Charles Street, Berkeley Square, in 1871
A new house, fresh blood and more stories. The first three households were reasonably different from each other. This one adds a new dimension: gasp, the man is in trade.
Present at 4 Charles Street on census night in 1871
George Drew, Head, Married, 62. Master Grocer employing 2 men and 2 boys. Born Wimbledon, Surrey.
Mary A Drew, Wife, Married, 53. (No occupation given). Born Westminster, Middlesex.
George W. Drew, Son, Unmarried, 20. (No occupation given). Born Westminster, Middlesex.
Emma M. Drew, Daughter, Unmarried, 18. (No occupation given). Born Westminster, Middlesex.
Ellen R. Drew, Daughter, Unmarried, 16. Scholar. Born Westminster, Middlesex.
Charles B. Drew, Son, Unmarried, 14. Scholar. Born Westminster, Middlesex.
Jane Wadie, Sister, Widow, 57. Annuitant. Born Wimbledon, Surrey.
Sarah Riddle, Servant, Unmarried, 19. General Servant. (Place of birth not shown).
G.R.C. Harris (male), Lodger, Unmarried, 20. Undergraduate. Born St Anns, Trinidad.
A picture of the house today, from Google Maps Street View.
Link for those who can't see the picture.
View Larger Map
 |
| 1871 census: 4 Charles Street. Source: |
George Drew, Head, Married, 62. Master Grocer employing 2 men and 2 boys. Born Wimbledon, Surrey.
Mary A Drew, Wife, Married, 53. (No occupation given). Born Westminster, Middlesex.
George W. Drew, Son, Unmarried, 20. (No occupation given). Born Westminster, Middlesex.
Emma M. Drew, Daughter, Unmarried, 18. (No occupation given). Born Westminster, Middlesex.
Ellen R. Drew, Daughter, Unmarried, 16. Scholar. Born Westminster, Middlesex.
Charles B. Drew, Son, Unmarried, 14. Scholar. Born Westminster, Middlesex.
Jane Wadie, Sister, Widow, 57. Annuitant. Born Wimbledon, Surrey.
Sarah Riddle, Servant, Unmarried, 19. General Servant. (Place of birth not shown).
G.R.C. Harris (male), Lodger, Unmarried, 20. Undergraduate. Born St Anns, Trinidad.
A picture of the house today, from Google Maps Street View.
Link for those who can't see the picture.
View Larger Map
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Comparing Thomas March, Henry Fleming and George Lambert, all of Charles Street in 1871
It might be interesting to look at a few key bits of information about the principal residents of the first three houses on Charles Street, just for the halibut as they say down at the docks.
No. 1: Thomas Charles March, civil servant, age 52
Born: July 4, 1819, Marylebone
Married: March 23, 1867.
Spouse: Sarah Cooper, later called Arabella, b. 1839, Basingstoke
Children: Arabella (Daughter of Arabella, apparently adopted by Thomas), b. 1857, Chelsea; Thomas, b. 1868, St. George's [Hanover Square?], died at age 8; Reginald George March, b. 1874.
Died: 1898, age 79 approx.
Occupation: In the Royal Household his whole life, mainly in the Lord Chamberlain's officer; Paymaster; finally Secretary of Board of the Green Cloth. A high-ranking civil servant handling the finances of the Royal Household.
Highest honour: CB, Companion of the Order of the Bath
Value of estate: 1898, £15,387/0/8. The website Measuring Worth.com says this is worth £1.280 million in 2008 using the retail price index, or £7.04 million in 2008 using average earnings.
Parents: Thomas March, Esq. and Mary Ann Gonne, both British subjects born in Portugal to wine merchants. Gonne is an Irish surname. Mary Ann was distantly related to Maud Gonne of a later generation. There was intra-family litigation between Thomas and Mary Ann's brothers after Mary Ann's father died and Thomas went bankrupt, involving Mary Ann's marriage settlement. The case was reported in the bankruptcy law books.
Siblings: At least three sisters and two brothers. The family appears to have been wealthy and to have retained or improved their social standing.
Other notes: In 1852, Thomas represented the Royal Household in escorting the body of the Duke of Wellington to Westminster for his state funeral.
Queen Victoria Number: 1
Dracula Number: 2
Left Charles Street around 1872.
No. 2: Henry Fleming, civil servant, age about 69
Born: about 1812, apparently in Birmingham. His exact age was something of a mystery to his social circle.
Married: Never.
Died: 1876, age about 74
Occupation: Lifelong civil servant, mainly as Permanent Secretary to the Poor Law Board where it appears he was not particularly effective. He was more successful socially. Known as "The Flea", his role from at least the 1840s was literally to spread gossip strategically in political and intellectual circles. He knew Prime Ministers Palmerston, Gladstone and Disraeli, and was described a few times in the letters of Thomas Carlyle. He introduced the painter George Frederic Watts to the much younger beauty, Virginia Pattle, at a party given by Lady Holland. It goes on and on.
Highest honour: Nothing official I'm afraid.
Value of estate: Less than £3,000. In 2008 terms, either £210,000, or £1.560 million, depending on the computation method used.
Parents: Irish army officer Captain Valentine Fleming of Tuam, County Galway, and Catherine Emma Gowan, whose father was a notorious anti-Catholic, Hunter Gowan. One of Catherine's half-brothers, Ogle Gowan, started the Orange Lodge in Canada.
Siblings: Sir Valentine Fleming, a lawyer (as was Henry, though he didn't practice), Chief Justice of Tasmania; James Fleming, also a lawyer, and Chancellor of the Palatinate of Durham. James's eldest son, Frances Fleming, was Governor of Antigua, and of Hong Kong, among other postings, including service in Africa. Henry also had a sister, Emma, of whom I have seen very little.
Other notes: The brothers Fleming attempted unsuccessfully to prove themselves the lawful descendants of the Barons of Slane. No castle for you!
Henry's nickname was "The Flea". Someone should write a thesis about his role in mid-nineteenth century communication.
He died at home in 1876, at No. 2 Charles Street.
Queen Victoria Number: 2
Dracula Number: 3
No. 3: George Thomas Lambert, later, Sir George Lambert, civil servant, age 34
Born: 1837, Ireland
Married: Never
Died: 1918, age 81
Occupation: Private secretary to the Admiralty
Highest honour: Companion of the Order of the Bath (1897), Knight Bachelor (1903)
Value of estate: £22,946/9/8. Value in 2008: £833,000 or £4.1 million, again, depending on the computation method used.
Parents: Henry Lambert of Carnagh, Ireland, and Catherine Talbot, both of prominent Irish families.
Siblings: Many.
Other notes: Prominent Catholic.
Queen Victoria Number: 1
Dracula Number: 3
Frankenstein Number: 3
Winners and Losers?
Lifespan:
81 Lambert
79 March
74 Fleming
Money at the end:
£7.04 million March
£4.1 million Lambert
Less than £1.560 million Fleming
Descendants:
Of the three men, only Thomas March had children. His adopted daughter, Arabella, was unmarried. His second son, Reginald, died in 1918, leaving (at least) a daughter, Marjorie (b. 1911, the rest, unknown), and a son, Thomas (1915-1999). There may be March descendants living today.
March 1, the others zero.
Highest honours:
Lambert CB and Knighthood
March CB
Fleming Nada
Best remembered:
Fleming
March and Lambert tied, far behind
The Score:
11 March
9 Lambert
6 Fleming
Who had the most fun?
No. 1: Thomas Charles March, civil servant, age 52
Born: July 4, 1819, Marylebone
Married: March 23, 1867.
Spouse: Sarah Cooper, later called Arabella, b. 1839, Basingstoke
Children: Arabella (Daughter of Arabella, apparently adopted by Thomas), b. 1857, Chelsea; Thomas, b. 1868, St. George's [Hanover Square?], died at age 8; Reginald George March, b. 1874.
Died: 1898, age 79 approx.
Occupation: In the Royal Household his whole life, mainly in the Lord Chamberlain's officer; Paymaster; finally Secretary of Board of the Green Cloth. A high-ranking civil servant handling the finances of the Royal Household.
Highest honour: CB, Companion of the Order of the Bath
Value of estate: 1898, £15,387/0/8. The website Measuring Worth.com says this is worth £1.280 million in 2008 using the retail price index, or £7.04 million in 2008 using average earnings.
Parents: Thomas March, Esq. and Mary Ann Gonne, both British subjects born in Portugal to wine merchants. Gonne is an Irish surname. Mary Ann was distantly related to Maud Gonne of a later generation. There was intra-family litigation between Thomas and Mary Ann's brothers after Mary Ann's father died and Thomas went bankrupt, involving Mary Ann's marriage settlement. The case was reported in the bankruptcy law books.
Siblings: At least three sisters and two brothers. The family appears to have been wealthy and to have retained or improved their social standing.
Other notes: In 1852, Thomas represented the Royal Household in escorting the body of the Duke of Wellington to Westminster for his state funeral.
Queen Victoria Number: 1
Dracula Number: 2
Left Charles Street around 1872.
No. 2: Henry Fleming, civil servant, age about 69
Born: about 1812, apparently in Birmingham. His exact age was something of a mystery to his social circle.
Married: Never.
Died: 1876, age about 74
Occupation: Lifelong civil servant, mainly as Permanent Secretary to the Poor Law Board where it appears he was not particularly effective. He was more successful socially. Known as "The Flea", his role from at least the 1840s was literally to spread gossip strategically in political and intellectual circles. He knew Prime Ministers Palmerston, Gladstone and Disraeli, and was described a few times in the letters of Thomas Carlyle. He introduced the painter George Frederic Watts to the much younger beauty, Virginia Pattle, at a party given by Lady Holland. It goes on and on.
Highest honour: Nothing official I'm afraid.
Value of estate: Less than £3,000. In 2008 terms, either £210,000, or £1.560 million, depending on the computation method used.
Parents: Irish army officer Captain Valentine Fleming of Tuam, County Galway, and Catherine Emma Gowan, whose father was a notorious anti-Catholic, Hunter Gowan. One of Catherine's half-brothers, Ogle Gowan, started the Orange Lodge in Canada.
Siblings: Sir Valentine Fleming, a lawyer (as was Henry, though he didn't practice), Chief Justice of Tasmania; James Fleming, also a lawyer, and Chancellor of the Palatinate of Durham. James's eldest son, Frances Fleming, was Governor of Antigua, and of Hong Kong, among other postings, including service in Africa. Henry also had a sister, Emma, of whom I have seen very little.
Other notes: The brothers Fleming attempted unsuccessfully to prove themselves the lawful descendants of the Barons of Slane. No castle for you!
Henry's nickname was "The Flea". Someone should write a thesis about his role in mid-nineteenth century communication.
He died at home in 1876, at No. 2 Charles Street.
Queen Victoria Number: 2
Dracula Number: 3
No. 3: George Thomas Lambert, later, Sir George Lambert, civil servant, age 34
Born: 1837, Ireland
Married: Never
Died: 1918, age 81
Occupation: Private secretary to the Admiralty
Highest honour: Companion of the Order of the Bath (1897), Knight Bachelor (1903)
Value of estate: £22,946/9/8. Value in 2008: £833,000 or £4.1 million, again, depending on the computation method used.
Parents: Henry Lambert of Carnagh, Ireland, and Catherine Talbot, both of prominent Irish families.
Siblings: Many.
Other notes: Prominent Catholic.
Queen Victoria Number: 1
Dracula Number: 3
Frankenstein Number: 3
Winners and Losers?
Lifespan:
81 Lambert
79 March
74 Fleming
Money at the end:
£7.04 million March
£4.1 million Lambert
Less than £1.560 million Fleming
Descendants:
Of the three men, only Thomas March had children. His adopted daughter, Arabella, was unmarried. His second son, Reginald, died in 1918, leaving (at least) a daughter, Marjorie (b. 1911, the rest, unknown), and a son, Thomas (1915-1999). There may be March descendants living today.
March 1, the others zero.
Highest honours:
Lambert CB and Knighthood
March CB
Fleming Nada
Best remembered:
Fleming
March and Lambert tied, far behind
The Score:
11 March
9 Lambert
6 Fleming
Who had the most fun?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Cesira Polenghi and the Taaffe family: 19th century connections between Italian and Irish families
Sir George Thomas Lambert, C.B., K.B., lived at No. 3 Charles Street, Berkeley Square, London in the 1871 census.
He was a bachelor who died with a great deal of accumulated wealth.
Two of his six sisters, Juliana Margaret and Frances (Fanny) were granted probate.
Frances was at that time (1918) a spinster, and Juliana Margaret was the widow of Edward Gerald More O'Ferrall.
The More O'Ferrall family provides several interesting side trips from the Charles Street primary narrative.
John More O'Ferrall (1872 - )
The son and (I assume) heir of Edward and Juliana Margaret, John married Cesira Polenghi, who was born in Italy but appears to have lived in Kensington for some time.
1901: Cesira and John's marriage in Q3 (3rd quarter of the year)
In the 1901 census, before the marriage, Cesira lived at 16 Gordon Place, Kensington. The household:
John Taaffe, 82 years old, widower. "Major, late Louth Rifles". The census says born in Italy, Italian subject. I expect the born in Italy part is correct, but that Major Louth was a British subject.
Cesira Polinghi [sic], 28 years old, niece, single. No occupation. Born in Italy, Italian subject. This is probably correct.
Margaret Philips, 55 years old, widow. Housekeeper. Born in Ireland.
Gordon Place is about halfway between Holland Park and Kensington Palace.
It's the end house, a bright white one with the red door in this picture from Google Street View, as far as I can tell.
View Larger Map
Link to 16 Gordon Place on Google Street View (in case picture doesn't display above)
In 1891, the family was at the same place and consisted of:
John Taaffe, married, age 71. Late Major, Louth Rifles. Born in Italy, British subject.
Barbara Taaffe, his wife, married, age 45. Born in Ireland.
Cesira Polenghi, his niece, singe, age 19. Born in Milan, Italy.
There was one servant, Bridget d'Alton, single, age 45. Cook. Born in Ireland.
Class: RG12; Piece: 20; Folio 84; Page 40; GSU roll: 6095130.
To unravel this, I started with Major John Taaffe.
Irish Genealogical Sources: Louth Rifles, 1877-1908 No. 21
He was a bachelor who died with a great deal of accumulated wealth.
Two of his six sisters, Juliana Margaret and Frances (Fanny) were granted probate.
Frances was at that time (1918) a spinster, and Juliana Margaret was the widow of Edward Gerald More O'Ferrall.
The More O'Ferrall family provides several interesting side trips from the Charles Street primary narrative.
John More O'Ferrall (1872 - )
The son and (I assume) heir of Edward and Juliana Margaret, John married Cesira Polenghi, who was born in Italy but appears to have lived in Kensington for some time.
1901: Cesira and John's marriage in Q3 (3rd quarter of the year)
In the 1901 census, before the marriage, Cesira lived at 16 Gordon Place, Kensington. The household:
John Taaffe, 82 years old, widower. "Major, late Louth Rifles". The census says born in Italy, Italian subject. I expect the born in Italy part is correct, but that Major Louth was a British subject.
Cesira Polinghi [sic], 28 years old, niece, single. No occupation. Born in Italy, Italian subject. This is probably correct.
Margaret Philips, 55 years old, widow. Housekeeper. Born in Ireland.
Gordon Place is about halfway between Holland Park and Kensington Palace.
It's the end house, a bright white one with the red door in this picture from Google Street View, as far as I can tell.
View Larger Map
Link to 16 Gordon Place on Google Street View (in case picture doesn't display above)
In 1891, the family was at the same place and consisted of:
John Taaffe, married, age 71. Late Major, Louth Rifles. Born in Italy, British subject.
Barbara Taaffe, his wife, married, age 45. Born in Ireland.
Cesira Polenghi, his niece, singe, age 19. Born in Milan, Italy.
There was one servant, Bridget d'Alton, single, age 45. Cook. Born in Ireland.
Class: RG12; Piece: 20; Folio 84; Page 40; GSU roll: 6095130.
To unravel this, I started with Major John Taaffe.
Irish Genealogical Sources: Louth Rifles, 1877-1908 No. 21
Sir George Lambert: Value of his estate, and beginning of his sister Juliana Margaret's story
Probate Index, Sir George Thomas Lambert, 15 March 1919.
Estate valued at 22,946/9/8.
Using the calculator on the website Measuring Worth, in today's money (2009 values), that amount would be worth 1,630,000 GBP based on the retail price index, or over 8 million GBP based on the average earnings method used on the website. (The methods are explained on the website.) My point is obvious: Sir George T. Lambert was a wealthy man at the time of his demise.
Probate granted to two of his six sisters, Juliana Margaret (identified in index as Margaret Juliana) and Frances, referred to elsewhere as Fanny sometimes.
The Law Times, January 20, 1881 John Lewis More O'Ferrall obituary. His estate passed to his only son, Edward More O'Farrell, who was married to Juliana Margaret Lambert, Sir George's sister, and one of the two executrices of his will.
From: The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland .. (Volume ed.59, yr.1919), by Edward Walford, viewed as an e-book.
This is about Juliana Margaret's son.
O'FERRALL, John MORE., Esq., of Lisard,
CO. Longford ; and of Balyna, co. Kildare.
Eldest son of Edward Gerald More-O'Ferrall, Esq.,
J.P. and D.L., of Lisard, and of Balyna, who d. 1914,
by Juliana Margaret, 4th dau. of the late Henry
Lambert, Esq., M.P., of Carnagh, co. Wexford;
b. 1872 ;
m. 1901 Cesira, 3rd dau. of Signor David Polenghi, of Italy, and has, with other issue, a son, Gerald, b. 1904.
Mr. More-O'Ferrall was educated at Stonyhurst College;
Balyna, Moyvalley E.S.O., co.Kildare;
Lisard, Edgeworthstown, co. Longford:
Kildare Street Club, Dublin ;
S. St. George Yacht Club, Kingstown.
A volume by Bernard Burke (A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Great Britain and Ireland) indicates John had three sisters (at least), Mary, Maria, and Ellen.
Because John More O'Ferrall, son of Juliana Margaret Lambert, married a woman with a unique name, Cesira Polenghi, I thought I would look for her in the census rather than searching a more common name (like "John", for example).
What I found leads to more connections between Ireland and Italy, and an unexpected contrast in sentiments between Sir George's family and that of his neighbour, Henry Fleming.
Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry,: Founded by the late Sir Bernard Burke
Estate valued at 22,946/9/8.
Using the calculator on the website Measuring Worth, in today's money (2009 values), that amount would be worth 1,630,000 GBP based on the retail price index, or over 8 million GBP based on the average earnings method used on the website. (The methods are explained on the website.) My point is obvious: Sir George T. Lambert was a wealthy man at the time of his demise.
Probate granted to two of his six sisters, Juliana Margaret (identified in index as Margaret Juliana) and Frances, referred to elsewhere as Fanny sometimes.
The Law Times, January 20, 1881 John Lewis More O'Ferrall obituary. His estate passed to his only son, Edward More O'Farrell, who was married to Juliana Margaret Lambert, Sir George's sister, and one of the two executrices of his will.
From: The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland .. (Volume ed.59, yr.1919), by Edward Walford, viewed as an e-book.
This is about Juliana Margaret's son.
O'FERRALL, John MORE., Esq., of Lisard,
CO. Longford ; and of Balyna, co. Kildare.
Eldest son of Edward Gerald More-O'Ferrall, Esq.,
J.P. and D.L., of Lisard, and of Balyna, who d. 1914,
by Juliana Margaret, 4th dau. of the late Henry
Lambert, Esq., M.P., of Carnagh, co. Wexford;
b. 1872 ;
m. 1901 Cesira, 3rd dau. of Signor David Polenghi, of Italy, and has, with other issue, a son, Gerald, b. 1904.
Mr. More-O'Ferrall was educated at Stonyhurst College;
Balyna, Moyvalley E.S.O., co.Kildare;
Lisard, Edgeworthstown, co. Longford:
Kildare Street Club, Dublin ;
S. St. George Yacht Club, Kingstown.
A volume by Bernard Burke (A genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry of Great Britain and Ireland) indicates John had three sisters (at least), Mary, Maria, and Ellen.
Because John More O'Ferrall, son of Juliana Margaret Lambert, married a woman with a unique name, Cesira Polenghi, I thought I would look for her in the census rather than searching a more common name (like "John", for example).
What I found leads to more connections between Ireland and Italy, and an unexpected contrast in sentiments between Sir George's family and that of his neighbour, Henry Fleming.
Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry,: Founded by the late Sir Bernard Burke
Friday, April 8, 2011
Lambert of Carnagh: George Thomas Lambert was from the landed gentry of Ireland
In 1871, the principal occupant and head of household at No. 3, Charles Street, Berkeley Square, London, was George T. Lambert.
Later Sir George, this particular Lambert was the younger son of an Irish landowner.
In 1851, George and Henry Lambert, brothers only a year apart, were at the College of St. Gregory [earlier I had erroneously written here "St. George's School"] in Downside, in the Parish of Midsomer Norton, in Somerset.
I have pasted some images of documents below, but they're blurry, I'm afraid. So, don't strain your eyes trying to read the details. I'll tell you what you need to know and give you links to the originals.
The page of the 1851 census return with them on it:
Reference: Class:HO107; Piece:1939; Folio:420; Page:2; GSU roll:221098
From this 1847 directory, we can see how Henry and George-Thomas Lambert ranked when it came to inheriting the family jewels. Henry, b. 1836 was the eldest son of Henry Lambert, Esq., of Carnagh, co. Wexford, b. 1786. George Thomas was born a year later, in 1837. By 1847, there were two boys and four girls. The directory doesn't give the girls' birthdates.
After the death of their father, George Thomas Lambert's brother Henry inherited the estate.
From the 1871 "genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry", we see Henry-Patrick Lambert, Esq. (formerly known to us as Henry, b. 1836), installed at Carnagh. This book tells us a little about Henry-Patrick's siblings as well.
George-Thomas, b. 9 November 1837;
Mary-Jane, married to P.-J. Lynch, Esq., of Rose Park, Co. Dublin;
Anne, married 1870 to Edwin-Windham, Earl of Dunraven and Mountearl, K.P.;
Catherine, died unmarried, 7 March 1857;
Juliana-Margaret;
Letitia;
Fanny.
(left a bit out)
An intervening directory from 1858 tells us that George Thomas's mother was Catherine, youngest daughter of William Talbot, Esq., of Castle Talbot in the same county (Wexford) and sister of the late Countess of Shrewsbury. She and Henry Lambert were married 11 June 1835.
In 1858, the children listed are:
Henry, b. 2 December 1836;
George-Thomas, b. 9 November 1837;
Mary-Jane;
Anne;
Catherine;
Juliana-Margaret.
The family motto is Deus providebit, which I believe means "God will provide".
Next, a look at Carnagh.
Later Sir George, this particular Lambert was the younger son of an Irish landowner.
In 1851, George and Henry Lambert, brothers only a year apart, were at the College of St. Gregory [earlier I had erroneously written here "St. George's School"] in Downside, in the Parish of Midsomer Norton, in Somerset.
I have pasted some images of documents below, but they're blurry, I'm afraid. So, don't strain your eyes trying to read the details. I'll tell you what you need to know and give you links to the originals.
The page of the 1851 census return with them on it:
Reference: Class:HO107; Piece:1939; Folio:420; Page:2; GSU roll:221098
From this 1847 directory, we can see how Henry and George-Thomas Lambert ranked when it came to inheriting the family jewels. Henry, b. 1836 was the eldest son of Henry Lambert, Esq., of Carnagh, co. Wexford, b. 1786. George Thomas was born a year later, in 1837. By 1847, there were two boys and four girls. The directory doesn't give the girls' birthdates.
After the death of their father, George Thomas Lambert's brother Henry inherited the estate.
From the 1871 "genealogical and heraldic history of the landed gentry", we see Henry-Patrick Lambert, Esq. (formerly known to us as Henry, b. 1836), installed at Carnagh. This book tells us a little about Henry-Patrick's siblings as well.
George-Thomas, b. 9 November 1837;
Mary-Jane, married to P.-J. Lynch, Esq., of Rose Park, Co. Dublin;
Anne, married 1870 to Edwin-Windham, Earl of Dunraven and Mountearl, K.P.;
Catherine, died unmarried, 7 March 1857;
Juliana-Margaret;
Letitia;
Fanny.
(left a bit out)
An intervening directory from 1858 tells us that George Thomas's mother was Catherine, youngest daughter of William Talbot, Esq., of Castle Talbot in the same county (Wexford) and sister of the late Countess of Shrewsbury. She and Henry Lambert were married 11 June 1835.
In 1858, the children listed are:
Henry, b. 2 December 1836;
George-Thomas, b. 9 November 1837;
Mary-Jane;
Anne;
Catherine;
Juliana-Margaret.
The family motto is Deus providebit, which I believe means "God will provide".
Next, a look at Carnagh.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sir George Thomas Lambert, CB, KB, 1838 - 1918, of No. 3 Charles Street, Berkeley Square, London (1871)
Not as colourful a character as Henry Fleming, but a solid contributor to society and a man of rather strongly-held opinions about education, and other things.
George Lambert in 1851 was a school boy in Midsomer Norton. The school was St Gregory's, Downside. Downside is a hamlet in the parish of Midsomer Norton in Somerset. All sounds suspiciously close to Midsomer Murders, doesn't it?
Midsomer Norton in "A Vision of Britain Through Time" website
The 1851 census for the school shows pages and pages of boys. All "scholars". George and Henry Lambert, born 1837 and 1838 respectively, are on the same page, both born in Ireland, but the town is not specified.
In the Downside Review, Volume 33 (1914), (the school magazine), we find a notice:
Sir George T. Lambert, CB, second son of Henry Lambert, Esq., MP , of Carnagh; came to Downside September 27, 1849; successively private secretary to Lord Derby, Sir G. Trevelyan and Lord Brassey; Director of the Estates and Finances of Greenwich Hospital 1885-1901; a Governor of Christ's Hospital; C.B. 1897; Knighted 1903.
There is no doubt that we are talking about the same person. Through the Naval List, for example, we can verify that Lambert was Lord Brassey's secretary in the Admiralty.
Next time, Lambert of Carnagh.
George Lambert in 1851 was a school boy in Midsomer Norton. The school was St Gregory's, Downside. Downside is a hamlet in the parish of Midsomer Norton in Somerset. All sounds suspiciously close to Midsomer Murders, doesn't it?
Midsomer Norton in "A Vision of Britain Through Time" website
The 1851 census for the school shows pages and pages of boys. All "scholars". George and Henry Lambert, born 1837 and 1838 respectively, are on the same page, both born in Ireland, but the town is not specified.
In the Downside Review, Volume 33 (1914), (the school magazine), we find a notice:
Sir George T. Lambert, CB, second son of Henry Lambert, Esq., MP , of Carnagh; came to Downside September 27, 1849; successively private secretary to Lord Derby, Sir G. Trevelyan and Lord Brassey; Director of the Estates and Finances of Greenwich Hospital 1885-1901; a Governor of Christ's Hospital; C.B. 1897; Knighted 1903.
There is no doubt that we are talking about the same person. Through the Naval List, for example, we can verify that Lambert was Lord Brassey's secretary in the Admiralty.
Next time, Lambert of Carnagh.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
George Thomas Lambert: the brilliant genealogical detective work laid bare
Last time: No. 3 Charles Street, Private Secretary to the Admiralty, and great genealogical sleuthing by me
Let's get to the brilliance as fast as I can.
George Lambert wasn't very easy to trace using ordinary fishing techniques on the Web. He just wasn't a flamboyant guy, not that I could tell.
In short, I traced him forward in the census, finding him in 1881 and 1901, but not yet in 1891. He had a long career at the Admiralty, and at some point became a trustee of Greenwich Hospital. I don't know whether that was a full-time job.
I found the index entry for the grant of probate in 1918, to two ladies I guessed to be his sisters.
I just kept putting his name into searches, trying different additional words. There was a George Lambert, age 13, born in Ireland, appearing at school in Midsomer Norton, in Somerset, in 1851. Could this be the right one?
On the same list was another boy, Henry Lambert, 14, also born in Ireland. I wonder, were they perchance related?
It was hard to figure out the name of the school but eventually the pieces came together. I tracked down a reference to George in an issue of the school magazine, many years later, mentioning him as a trustee of the Greenwich Hospital. Bingo. He was Sir George, Companion of the Order of the Bath by the time he died.
He was unmarried.
The one interesting thing I found about him was a reference, late in life, to his having sailed to America and back, and while in New York, having been a guest of Madame Hoity Toity.
I realize the diehards among us want the details. They're coming.
But don't you think this was impressive detective work?
It gets easier, too, because there is enough history to this particular Lambert family that they appear in lists of peers.
More to come.
Let's get to the brilliance as fast as I can.
George Lambert wasn't very easy to trace using ordinary fishing techniques on the Web. He just wasn't a flamboyant guy, not that I could tell.
In short, I traced him forward in the census, finding him in 1881 and 1901, but not yet in 1891. He had a long career at the Admiralty, and at some point became a trustee of Greenwich Hospital. I don't know whether that was a full-time job.
I found the index entry for the grant of probate in 1918, to two ladies I guessed to be his sisters.
I just kept putting his name into searches, trying different additional words. There was a George Lambert, age 13, born in Ireland, appearing at school in Midsomer Norton, in Somerset, in 1851. Could this be the right one?
On the same list was another boy, Henry Lambert, 14, also born in Ireland. I wonder, were they perchance related?
It was hard to figure out the name of the school but eventually the pieces came together. I tracked down a reference to George in an issue of the school magazine, many years later, mentioning him as a trustee of the Greenwich Hospital. Bingo. He was Sir George, Companion of the Order of the Bath by the time he died.
He was unmarried.
The one interesting thing I found about him was a reference, late in life, to his having sailed to America and back, and while in New York, having been a guest of Madame Hoity Toity.
I realize the diehards among us want the details. They're coming.
But don't you think this was impressive detective work?
It gets easier, too, because there is enough history to this particular Lambert family that they appear in lists of peers.
More to come.
Monday, March 28, 2011
No. 3 Charles Street: Private Secretary to the Admiralty, and great genealogical sleuthing by me
It's one of those occasions when I feel so clever. Actually, instead of patting myself too hard on the back, I have to say that the Web makes research 1,000 times easier than it ever was. Wonderful!
OK, on with the show. Who lived on Charles Street, Berkeley Square, London, in the 1871 census? Who were these people.
At No. 3 in 1871 we have:
George T. Lambert, Lodger, Unmarried, 33 years old, Private Secretary to the Admiralty, born in Ireland
Clara Beetles (?), Head, Unmarried, 33, Landlady of Lodging House, born Bewerty, Huntingdonshire
Lucy A. Sharp, Servant, Unmarried, 21, Domestic Servant, born Vauxhall, Middlesex
Agusta Beetles (?), Sister, Unmarried, 25, Milliner, born Earsdon, Cambridgeshire.
OK, on with the show. Who lived on Charles Street, Berkeley Square, London, in the 1871 census? Who were these people.
At No. 3 in 1871 we have:
George T. Lambert, Lodger, Unmarried, 33 years old, Private Secretary to the Admiralty, born in Ireland
Clara Beetles (?), Head, Unmarried, 33, Landlady of Lodging House, born Bewerty, Huntingdonshire
Lucy A. Sharp, Servant, Unmarried, 21, Domestic Servant, born Vauxhall, Middlesex
Agusta Beetles (?), Sister, Unmarried, 25, Milliner, born Earsdon, Cambridgeshire.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
A goodbye, for now, to Henry Fleming
I have so loved researching Henry Fleming, who lived at No. 2, Charles Street, Berkeley Square, London, in 1871.
But it's time to say goodbye, at least for now, because I want to move on down the street.
Here are a few things I'll mention before leaving.
1. Henry's mother, Catherine, was the daughter of a famous, or infamous, Irish Protestant leader, John Hunter Gowan II (aka Hunter Gowan). One of her half-brothers was Ogle Gowan, who started the Orange Lodge in Canada.
2. Henry's father was Captain Valentine Fleming, from Tuam, County Galway, in Ireland. He was a captain in the British 9th Regiment of Foot. He was Catherine's second husband, and died in 1824 when his four children were roughly aged 10 to 14. I have a copy of his will.
3. All three Fleming brothers, James, Valentine, and Henry, were apparently educated in Ireland, possibly all at Trinity College, Dublin, and all three were lawyers, though Henry didn't continue with the practice very long.
4. Although I have traced each of the brothers, I don't know what happened to their mother and their sister, Emma.
5. A James Fleming, who had a brother named Henry, both of Dublin, petitioned the House of Lords in the late 1820s to claim the title "Baron of Slane". I think this may have been the brothers, before they moved from Ireland to London. They did not succeed.
6. James became a QC, Chancellor of the Palatinate of Durham, and an official for the West Indies. His wife was Julia Mary Canning, and I suspect she had a reasonably impressive pedigree herself. Their children all had the middle name "Francis", except the eldest, who was named "Francis" as his first name.
7. Henry's nephew, James's son Francis Fleming had a distinguished career in the foreign service, and was variously governor of Antigua, and a senior official (possibly also governor) of Hong Kong, Sierra Leone, and Mauritius.
8. Another nephew from the same family, Baldwyn Francis Fleming, followed his uncle Henry into the Poor Law Board and then the Local Government Board. My first impression is that he was a good civil servant who cared about the people he was responsible for.
9. Henry's brother, Valentine, became Sir Valentine, and was the Chief Justice of Tasmania for some time, before returning to England where eventually he died in retirement in Surrey.
10. Henry had kind of a double life: civil servant and socialite. As a civil servant, he was described in none-too-glowing terms, varying from boring through to incompetent, depending upon who was saying it, and when in his career they were commenting. I have yet to see a comment describing him as dynamic and indispensable, and yet he was a top-level official for decades.
11. In his social life, Henry knew everyone, and it is in this capacity that the real interest lies. He mingled with lords, ladies, writers, members of Parliament, Prime Ministers Disraeli and Palmerston, and probably Gladstone too, and his role was to spread strategically-placed gossip. This is the part of Henry Fleming's life most deserving of scholarly study.
I have collected a number of links to references to Henry Fleming. Though I haven't seen any one work devoted to the man himself, it is rather surprising just how many 19th century Londoners mention him in their own memoirs and accounts of the day.
He died in 1876, still employed by the Local Government Board, still living at No. 2, Charles Street, Berkeley Square, and on the same day as Lady Stanley, thus departing life in the same manner as he had lived it: in the penumbra of the upper class.
But it's time to say goodbye, at least for now, because I want to move on down the street.
Here are a few things I'll mention before leaving.
1. Henry's mother, Catherine, was the daughter of a famous, or infamous, Irish Protestant leader, John Hunter Gowan II (aka Hunter Gowan). One of her half-brothers was Ogle Gowan, who started the Orange Lodge in Canada.
2. Henry's father was Captain Valentine Fleming, from Tuam, County Galway, in Ireland. He was a captain in the British 9th Regiment of Foot. He was Catherine's second husband, and died in 1824 when his four children were roughly aged 10 to 14. I have a copy of his will.
3. All three Fleming brothers, James, Valentine, and Henry, were apparently educated in Ireland, possibly all at Trinity College, Dublin, and all three were lawyers, though Henry didn't continue with the practice very long.
4. Although I have traced each of the brothers, I don't know what happened to their mother and their sister, Emma.
5. A James Fleming, who had a brother named Henry, both of Dublin, petitioned the House of Lords in the late 1820s to claim the title "Baron of Slane". I think this may have been the brothers, before they moved from Ireland to London. They did not succeed.
6. James became a QC, Chancellor of the Palatinate of Durham, and an official for the West Indies. His wife was Julia Mary Canning, and I suspect she had a reasonably impressive pedigree herself. Their children all had the middle name "Francis", except the eldest, who was named "Francis" as his first name.
7. Henry's nephew, James's son Francis Fleming had a distinguished career in the foreign service, and was variously governor of Antigua, and a senior official (possibly also governor) of Hong Kong, Sierra Leone, and Mauritius.
8. Another nephew from the same family, Baldwyn Francis Fleming, followed his uncle Henry into the Poor Law Board and then the Local Government Board. My first impression is that he was a good civil servant who cared about the people he was responsible for.
9. Henry's brother, Valentine, became Sir Valentine, and was the Chief Justice of Tasmania for some time, before returning to England where eventually he died in retirement in Surrey.
10. Henry had kind of a double life: civil servant and socialite. As a civil servant, he was described in none-too-glowing terms, varying from boring through to incompetent, depending upon who was saying it, and when in his career they were commenting. I have yet to see a comment describing him as dynamic and indispensable, and yet he was a top-level official for decades.
11. In his social life, Henry knew everyone, and it is in this capacity that the real interest lies. He mingled with lords, ladies, writers, members of Parliament, Prime Ministers Disraeli and Palmerston, and probably Gladstone too, and his role was to spread strategically-placed gossip. This is the part of Henry Fleming's life most deserving of scholarly study.
I have collected a number of links to references to Henry Fleming. Though I haven't seen any one work devoted to the man himself, it is rather surprising just how many 19th century Londoners mention him in their own memoirs and accounts of the day.
He died in 1876, still employed by the Local Government Board, still living at No. 2, Charles Street, Berkeley Square, and on the same day as Lady Stanley, thus departing life in the same manner as he had lived it: in the penumbra of the upper class.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Henry Fleming and Disraeli
I am becoming convinced that someone should do a thesis about Henry Fleming. Perhaps they already have.
So far he is a footnote, literally, in the papers of a number of prominent people. In his role as a trusted gossip, he seems to have been an important part of the communication channels of his day, from the 1840s until his death in 1876.
As I've mentioned before, his social life and his work for the Poor Law Board were in one way quite incongruous: champagne and gruel. On the other hand, in a paternalistic society, so notoriously class-stratified as 19th century England was, it's not surprising that the fates of the poorest were in the hands of people who had no direct personal experience of poverty.
In these two cuttings from letters of then Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, Fleming is mentioned. It seems from these two notes that Fleming had the opportunity to chat with Disraeli if they should meet; that he was a familiar, more than a nodding acquaintance.
I will let those who understand the history of the British Parliament in the 1870s explain further, in the many books and papers published about this period. Even to try and give a sketchy background is a bit of a daunting task.
In late January 1876, when the first letter was written, Parliament was about to resume sitting. Some of the contentious matters of the day involved the Suez Canal and Bosnia, names familiar in the news of our own time.
"The Happy Land" was a musical by W. S. Gilbert and Gilbert Arthur à Beckett. It broke the rules about portraying public characters: here, as shown is a parody of then Prime Minster Gladstone, Chancellor of the Exchequer Lowe, and First Commissioner of Works, Ayrton.
More from Disraeli's letters, under the heading "DISSENSIONS IN THE CABINET".
I'm assuming that this is the same Fleming, Henry Fleming "The Flea", as there are no other Flemings appearing in these letters. It would be in character for Henry to fill Disraeli in on the goings-on at the Easter Sunday church service.
Or, as Disraeli put it, "Fleming having, of course, prepared a rich discourse for my edification." Sounds like him.
So far he is a footnote, literally, in the papers of a number of prominent people. In his role as a trusted gossip, he seems to have been an important part of the communication channels of his day, from the 1840s until his death in 1876.
As I've mentioned before, his social life and his work for the Poor Law Board were in one way quite incongruous: champagne and gruel. On the other hand, in a paternalistic society, so notoriously class-stratified as 19th century England was, it's not surprising that the fates of the poorest were in the hands of people who had no direct personal experience of poverty.
In these two cuttings from letters of then Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, Fleming is mentioned. It seems from these two notes that Fleming had the opportunity to chat with Disraeli if they should meet; that he was a familiar, more than a nodding acquaintance.
I will let those who understand the history of the British Parliament in the 1870s explain further, in the many books and papers published about this period. Even to try and give a sketchy background is a bit of a daunting task.
In late January 1876, when the first letter was written, Parliament was about to resume sitting. Some of the contentious matters of the day involved the Suez Canal and Bosnia, names familiar in the news of our own time.
I quickly and the opposite of thoroughly checked Hansard for a debate where Gladstone and Lowe took a particularly active role, but I didn't locate one.
I did find this lovely picture and a connection to W. S. Gilbert.
"The Happy Land" was a musical by W. S. Gilbert and Gilbert Arthur à Beckett. It broke the rules about portraying public characters: here, as shown is a parody of then Prime Minster Gladstone, Chancellor of the Exchequer Lowe, and First Commissioner of Works, Ayrton.
More from Disraeli's letters, under the heading "DISSENSIONS IN THE CABINET".
I'm assuming that this is the same Fleming, Henry Fleming "The Flea", as there are no other Flemings appearing in these letters. It would be in character for Henry to fill Disraeli in on the goings-on at the Easter Sunday church service.Or, as Disraeli put it, "Fleming having, of course, prepared a rich discourse for my edification." Sounds like him.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
John Burgoyne Blackett at 2 Charles Street in the late 1840s
This is a listing from the Northumberland Archives, via Access to Archives, a very useful service indeed.
Here's exactly what's on the screen:
"Notebook (vol. IV) comprising copies of letters from J[ohn] B[urgoyne] Blackett, initially at 2 Charles Street, Berkeley Square, then at 10 Eaton Place to Congreve, May 1848-Dec. 1851. Concerning politics, literary matters, mutual friends, foreign affairs, university reform, possible personal insolvency, retrenchment in standard of living. A group of undated letters at the end, perhaps c.1844, predate the main section. ZBK/C/1/B/3/1/9 [n.d.]"
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=155-zbk_3-1&cid=1-1-2-3-1#1-1-2-3-1
Why it matters to our story
You may notice that in 1848 when the letters started, Blackett was living at 2 Charles Street. He was also the Member of Parliament for Northumberland South from 1852 to 1856. His successor as the MP for the riding was George Ridley, who lived at 2 Charles Street later.
Maybe No. 2 was rented for whomever represented Northumberland South from time to time. But, the dates of the letters from Blackett at No. 2 don't match the dates of his time as an MP. Perhaps the connection is more to do with being from the nobility of Northumberland.
It raises the question of what Henry Fleming was doing there on census night in 1871, though. Guest of an absent MP, perhaps?
Blackett later lived at 10 Eaton Place, London, and for some reason I think I have run across Eaton Place in this research already. Will have to keep my eyes open.
Connection between Blackett and the March family (of No. 1 Charles Street, in 1871)
This is one of those "the world is a pretty small place" things, but that's what happens when you have people descended from William the Conqueror, Plantagenets, and so on.
The name "Umfreville" appears in both the Blackett and March families. For the Blacketts, it's way back around the 1500s. For the Marches, one of Thomas Charles March's sisters married a Yorkshire clergyman (of a titled family, if I remember correctly), and their sons had Umfreville as a middle name. The spelling varies, Umfreville, Umfraville.
A distant connection.
Here's exactly what's on the screen:
"Notebook (vol. IV) comprising copies of letters from J[ohn] B[urgoyne] Blackett, initially at 2 Charles Street, Berkeley Square, then at 10 Eaton Place to Congreve, May 1848-Dec. 1851. Concerning politics, literary matters, mutual friends, foreign affairs, university reform, possible personal insolvency, retrenchment in standard of living. A group of undated letters at the end, perhaps c.1844, predate the main section. ZBK/C/1/B/3/1/9 [n.d.]"
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=155-zbk_3-1&cid=1-1-2-3-1#1-1-2-3-1
Why it matters to our story
You may notice that in 1848 when the letters started, Blackett was living at 2 Charles Street. He was also the Member of Parliament for Northumberland South from 1852 to 1856. His successor as the MP for the riding was George Ridley, who lived at 2 Charles Street later.
Maybe No. 2 was rented for whomever represented Northumberland South from time to time. But, the dates of the letters from Blackett at No. 2 don't match the dates of his time as an MP. Perhaps the connection is more to do with being from the nobility of Northumberland.
It raises the question of what Henry Fleming was doing there on census night in 1871, though. Guest of an absent MP, perhaps?
Blackett later lived at 10 Eaton Place, London, and for some reason I think I have run across Eaton Place in this research already. Will have to keep my eyes open.
Connection between Blackett and the March family (of No. 1 Charles Street, in 1871)
This is one of those "the world is a pretty small place" things, but that's what happens when you have people descended from William the Conqueror, Plantagenets, and so on.
The name "Umfreville" appears in both the Blackett and March families. For the Blacketts, it's way back around the 1500s. For the Marches, one of Thomas Charles March's sisters married a Yorkshire clergyman (of a titled family, if I remember correctly), and their sons had Umfreville as a middle name. The spelling varies, Umfreville, Umfraville.
A distant connection.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane mentioning Henry Fleming in their letters to each other
Henry Fleming lived at No. 2, Charles Street, Berkeley Square, London in 1871, and was Secretary to the Poor Law Board.
Earlier posts:
1. A map and Google Street View of the house today, and the 1871 census extract
2. Who was Henry Fleming? A dandy? A heartless villain? Both? Neither? More history from Charles Street, Berkeley Square
Thomas Carlyle, the Scottish writer who gave us, among other things, "the dismal science" as a cute little name for the field of economics, wrote to his wife Jane quite frequently, perhaps as a way of avoiding speaking to her. From their over 9,000 published letters, there are a few mentioning Henry Fleming. In "Who was Henry Fleming?", we found out he was something of a social gadfly in the 1840s.
Here are a few selections from the Carlyles. My own comments are in italics. Items in square brackets within the quoted passages are my own additions. The citation for the letters is at the end of this post.
September 11, 1844, Jane to Thomas
"Yesterday was very weary — Mazzini came then Darwin, then Mr Fleming …. They were all mortally stupid especially Mr Fleming of whom one might have carried the simile of the Duc in Thunder to that still more offensive one of 'Jenkin's hen' —"
Jenkin's hen, not a very nice thing to call someone. So, Jane thinks the charming Henry Fleming is particularly morta'ly stupid.
The footnote on the Duke University Press Carlyle website explains this further:
"Proverbially a duck in thunder is said to roll its eyes or turn them upward. In Scots, Jenkins's hen is one that never knew a cock; thus an old maid, suggesting 'the maximum of pusillanimity' (Froude, LM 1:294)."
September 12, 1844, Thomas to Jane
"We are a small party, no Stranger beyond Strachey and me yet: the Howicks have 'taken cold,' or something of that sort; Buller continues silent, absent not known where. Did Jenkin's Hen say nothing of him?"
Thomas seems to enjoy Jane's nickname for Henry.
September 13, 1844, Jane to Thomas
"Do you know Bain is John Mills great man at present!!! Mr Fleming told me that he had described him to him as a person of 'the wonderfullest insight and general information that he had ever fallen in with'! — Poor Mill should be sent to Wandsworth — really. on Wednesday night I had Bolte Tizzy and Mr Fleming — with the valuable ingredient of Darwin who struck Mr Fleming with an awe which was quite edifying — It seems he (Jenkins hen) 'respects tranquillity of manner above every thing' and Darwin gave him enough of that — Mrs Buller quite regrets not to have seen Darwin in consequence of the splendid things Fleming said of him —"
Nineteenth centrury name-dropping. John Stuart Mill. Charles Darwin's brother, Erasmus Alvey Darwin. One gets the impression Fleming may be the bimbo in the room, according to Jane. And certainly Henry is doing a good job of spreading news from drawing room to drawing room.
September 18, 1844, Thomas to Jane
"I read your account of Jenkin's Hen to Lady Harriet and Buller (with reservations), the former of whom was greatly amused by it."
Tsk, tsk, Thomas. Talking about Henry behind his back like that.
December 18, 1844, Jane to her cousin Jeannie
"Mr Fleming tells me that Tizzy who is 'the most artful little Devil' in nature has got provoked with Miss Bolte for too much repressing her premature tendencies to unfortunate femalisings and tells Mrs Buller all sorts of lies to get her turned off which Mrs Buller is silly enough to believe — When they have rid themselves of Miss Bolte — if death alas do not anticipate them — they may turn their hand with that young lady of theirs as they like …"
Impressive chain of gossip. Jeannie hears from Jane, who hears from Henry, who hears from Tizzy who is provoked with Amalie for telling lies to Mrs Buller
December 22, 1844, Thomas to Lady Harriet Baring
Lady Harriet has apparently taken in another woman, Miss Amalie Bölte, who sounds like quite a pain, sickly and clinging if I read it right. Thomas has written to privately thank her, probably for ridding the rest of the gang of the responsibility and guilt.
"Poor Fleming, who seems to come here every Sunday (tho' I keep carefully up stairs), says, 'It is a noble trait of Lady Harriet':— Yes, Fleming, my man. In fact, we are all most grateful to the said Lady, and some of us, as I mentioned before, are partly proud of her in a silent way."
Perhaps Thomas feels if he stays upstairs and is very quiet when Fleming comes round, Henry will by osmosis learn to stop gossiping. However, as that seems to be what keeps him in favour with Mrs. Buller and others in the social circle, he may not be able to stop.
February 6, 1845, Jane to her cousin Jeannie
"Last Sunday Mr Fleming came while he [Richard Plattnauer, another apparent friend Thomas complains about] was here, and very soon he gave indications of thinking that his (Mr F's) visit was prolonging itself needlessly — He started from his chair at last, seized the Cat — danced her in the air a while like a Baby — then pitched her on the floor — and asked if he might go up stairs for some of his books still here — I said by all means — and he went off—not up stairs but down to the kitchen where he marched to and fro smoking and talking very loud to Helen —
"I am certain in my private mind that he went away because he felt that if he stayed he would do Mr Fleming a mischief — He told me once already how tempted he had been to 'seize the poker and dash out the brains' of a little Aberdeen man who sat 'talking the horridest stuff to me, which no woman but myself could have listened to; for three deadly hours'! Oh for a good inspiration how to put a peacable end to these visits, the chief indeed sole interest of which has come to be the question ever in my mind; will he or will he not to day or some other day do to myself or one of the others some mortal harm?
"Poor Mr Fleming! he is the greatest coward, that man, out of petticoats! and on Sunday he was even more cowardly than usual having just transacted an inflamation of the bowels — So there he sat all in a tremble — perceptibly to the naked eye, — and then hurried off an hour before he would have gone in the course of nature —"
One wonders why the Carlyles ever answered the door.
February 26, 1845, Jane to her cousin Jeannie
Jane has been suffering from one cold after another and is down with it again.
"Certainly I am better within the last two days, I am not so weak, nor so hoarse, nor so feverish, nor do I feel such noble independence of victual, nor is my temper so very devilish — I still cough enough but Mr Fleming told me on sunday that he heard by the sound of my cough that 'it was going' — a good journey to it! On the whole I have now good hope again that I shall recover entirely when warm weather comes — last week I was rather desperate about recovery under any circumstances
"I have not tried either of your mixtures but keep them in reserve in case one which Mr Fleming brought me on Sunday fails of the splendid success he predicted for it — He is not a Dr Mr Fleming but worth a score such Drs as my Brotherinlaw. He has been urging this mixture on me for weeks back — but (as Mazzini says) I want energy — last Sunday when I told him I had still not tried it he said 'nor ever will unless I get it mixed for you myself' — On leaving he went to a chemist's, and returned in half an hour, and gave the vial to Helen with directions that I was to 'take one spoonful that night— two next day and the next day I should be quite well' — When one's natural helps prove so ineffectual; it is considerate of Providence to raise up such kindhearted strangers!"
Jane Carlyle, the original Blanche "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers" Dubois
October 28, 1847, Jane to Lady Harriet Baring
"I have not seen Fleming since his return — almost dread the thought of seeing him! of witnessing the progress of his emotions —"
Getting the impression Henry was a bit of a drama queen?
February 5, 1847, Jane to Helen Welsh (her cousin)
"The last I heard of Tadpole [Anne Brown] was satisfactory thanks God — Mr Fleming went to see her last Sunday and give her some money for me — and he said she looked very well-doing and quite content in her solitude, with 'one lover and one female friend' her case is not bad — still if she were a fool she might easily think it so."
The social butterfly employed for a noble errand
September 24, 1847, Jane to Thomas
Henry has arrived at the Carlyle house at a very inconvenient time for Jane and will not go away until he delivers a message in person. He says he'll only stay for five minutes. Mainly he wants to brag about being Lady Harriet's new best friend.
"This she [Lady Harriet Baring] had told him (Fleming) when he was 'seeing her off' — And he would tell her my answer 'when he dined with her at Holland House' — 'How very odd', I said, 'that you should be acting as Lady H's Ariel'! 'Oh not at all now! — We are excellent friends now — since we staid together at Sir W. Molesworths — and there is nothing I would not do for her!! she is the dearest, playfullest, wittiest creature! I love her beyond everything.'"
Later in the same letter, some observations on Henry's manner and attire:
"Fleming's ‘five minutes’ prolonged themselves to half an hour — and then I was obliged to tell him that I could sit up no longer — and he went away in his little thunder and lightening embroidered shirt and his little new curled wig, lisping out 'I shall tell Lady Harriet that I found you in a temperature sufficient to produce a bilious fever —' It was all I could do to keep from summoning all my remaining strength together and 'doubling him up' [Yes, Jane wants to drop the gloves, as we say on the hockey rink] — prating in that fashion to me who had just come thro such a week of suffering!"
I love this:
" … he went away in his little thunder and lightening embroidered shirt and his little new curled wig, lisping out 'I shall tell Lady Harriet …'"
September 19, 1848, Thomas to his brother John A. Carlyle ("Jack")
"Our company is not worth talking about, since I wrote last: Buller, little Fleming (Mephisto in a wig, as I called him), a Lady Montague (who sings well), Lady Sandwich (who abounds in cheerful gossip, and knows all manner of women and men)"
November 10, 1852, Thomas to Lady Ashburton
"That is the historical truth;—nor is it a very strange one after what Fleming has taught me of you! Indeed I altogether agree (on reflexion) with that remarkable man"
June 1, 1854, Thomas to Lady Ashburton
"Fleming came next: 'A message from Lady Alice Peel'! cried the divine Fleming, with triumph in his eyes. Unluckily I knew nothing of this Lady, except incidental rumour of her name, thro' Another very greatly more important to me: 'Lady Ashburton is to be there,' said Fleming; 'and the Duc d'Aumale, and' —
Ah, yes, "the divine Fleming".
March 8, 1856, Thomas to Lady Ashburton
"Lady S. was quite brisk and lively, tho' rather avoiding the cruel March airs, which was wise: she expects to 'flit personally' on Monday, and is deep in upholstery, and cheery negociations with upholsterers and decorators of human life. Fleming came in while I was there; charged with gossip to the muzzle, quality clear and bitter, to a superior degree, as seemed, but my dinner hour had come, and I had to leave that interesting spiritual report."
The quality of gossip is not strain'd
All the Carlyle letters and the footnote with biographical information about Henry Fleming come from The Carlyle Letters Online [CLO]. 2007. http://carlyleletters.org, viewed February 24, 25, 26, 2011.
Our peek at the houses of Charles Street, Berkeley Square in 1871 began at No. 1: Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria.
Before that, we started with the Stoker family: Bram Stoker, author of Dracula in public records: BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death).
Next time: what the Carlyles said about Henry. Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane mentioning Henry Fleming in their letters to each other. (For what it's worth, I found it pretty funny what they had to say, and how fragrantly they could throw mud at people.)
THOMAS CARLYLE LETTERS TO HIS WIFE
Monographs personal and social
Earlier posts:
1. A map and Google Street View of the house today, and the 1871 census extract
2. Who was Henry Fleming? A dandy? A heartless villain? Both? Neither? More history from Charles Street, Berkeley Square
Thomas Carlyle, the Scottish writer who gave us, among other things, "the dismal science" as a cute little name for the field of economics, wrote to his wife Jane quite frequently, perhaps as a way of avoiding speaking to her. From their over 9,000 published letters, there are a few mentioning Henry Fleming. In "Who was Henry Fleming?", we found out he was something of a social gadfly in the 1840s.
Here are a few selections from the Carlyles. My own comments are in italics. Items in square brackets within the quoted passages are my own additions. The citation for the letters is at the end of this post.
September 11, 1844, Jane to Thomas
"Yesterday was very weary — Mazzini came then Darwin, then Mr Fleming …. They were all mortally stupid especially Mr Fleming of whom one might have carried the simile of the Duc in Thunder to that still more offensive one of 'Jenkin's hen' —"
Jenkin's hen, not a very nice thing to call someone. So, Jane thinks the charming Henry Fleming is particularly morta'ly stupid.
The footnote on the Duke University Press Carlyle website explains this further:
"Proverbially a duck in thunder is said to roll its eyes or turn them upward. In Scots, Jenkins's hen is one that never knew a cock; thus an old maid, suggesting 'the maximum of pusillanimity' (Froude, LM 1:294)."
September 12, 1844, Thomas to Jane
"We are a small party, no Stranger beyond Strachey and me yet: the Howicks have 'taken cold,' or something of that sort; Buller continues silent, absent not known where. Did Jenkin's Hen say nothing of him?"
Thomas seems to enjoy Jane's nickname for Henry.
September 13, 1844, Jane to Thomas
"Do you know Bain is John Mills great man at present!!! Mr Fleming told me that he had described him to him as a person of 'the wonderfullest insight and general information that he had ever fallen in with'! — Poor Mill should be sent to Wandsworth — really. on Wednesday night I had Bolte Tizzy and Mr Fleming — with the valuable ingredient of Darwin who struck Mr Fleming with an awe which was quite edifying — It seems he (Jenkins hen) 'respects tranquillity of manner above every thing' and Darwin gave him enough of that — Mrs Buller quite regrets not to have seen Darwin in consequence of the splendid things Fleming said of him —"
Nineteenth centrury name-dropping. John Stuart Mill. Charles Darwin's brother, Erasmus Alvey Darwin. One gets the impression Fleming may be the bimbo in the room, according to Jane. And certainly Henry is doing a good job of spreading news from drawing room to drawing room.
September 18, 1844, Thomas to Jane
"I read your account of Jenkin's Hen to Lady Harriet and Buller (with reservations), the former of whom was greatly amused by it."
Tsk, tsk, Thomas. Talking about Henry behind his back like that.
December 18, 1844, Jane to her cousin Jeannie
"Mr Fleming tells me that Tizzy who is 'the most artful little Devil' in nature has got provoked with Miss Bolte for too much repressing her premature tendencies to unfortunate femalisings and tells Mrs Buller all sorts of lies to get her turned off which Mrs Buller is silly enough to believe — When they have rid themselves of Miss Bolte — if death alas do not anticipate them — they may turn their hand with that young lady of theirs as they like …"
Impressive chain of gossip. Jeannie hears from Jane, who hears from Henry, who hears from Tizzy who is provoked with Amalie for telling lies to Mrs Buller
December 22, 1844, Thomas to Lady Harriet Baring
Lady Harriet has apparently taken in another woman, Miss Amalie Bölte, who sounds like quite a pain, sickly and clinging if I read it right. Thomas has written to privately thank her, probably for ridding the rest of the gang of the responsibility and guilt.
"Poor Fleming, who seems to come here every Sunday (tho' I keep carefully up stairs), says, 'It is a noble trait of Lady Harriet':— Yes, Fleming, my man. In fact, we are all most grateful to the said Lady, and some of us, as I mentioned before, are partly proud of her in a silent way."
Perhaps Thomas feels if he stays upstairs and is very quiet when Fleming comes round, Henry will by osmosis learn to stop gossiping. However, as that seems to be what keeps him in favour with Mrs. Buller and others in the social circle, he may not be able to stop.
February 6, 1845, Jane to her cousin Jeannie
"Last Sunday Mr Fleming came while he [Richard Plattnauer, another apparent friend Thomas complains about] was here, and very soon he gave indications of thinking that his (Mr F's) visit was prolonging itself needlessly — He started from his chair at last, seized the Cat — danced her in the air a while like a Baby — then pitched her on the floor — and asked if he might go up stairs for some of his books still here — I said by all means — and he went off—not up stairs but down to the kitchen where he marched to and fro smoking and talking very loud to Helen —
"I am certain in my private mind that he went away because he felt that if he stayed he would do Mr Fleming a mischief — He told me once already how tempted he had been to 'seize the poker and dash out the brains' of a little Aberdeen man who sat 'talking the horridest stuff to me, which no woman but myself could have listened to; for three deadly hours'! Oh for a good inspiration how to put a peacable end to these visits, the chief indeed sole interest of which has come to be the question ever in my mind; will he or will he not to day or some other day do to myself or one of the others some mortal harm?
"Poor Mr Fleming! he is the greatest coward, that man, out of petticoats! and on Sunday he was even more cowardly than usual having just transacted an inflamation of the bowels — So there he sat all in a tremble — perceptibly to the naked eye, — and then hurried off an hour before he would have gone in the course of nature —"
One wonders why the Carlyles ever answered the door.
February 26, 1845, Jane to her cousin Jeannie
Jane has been suffering from one cold after another and is down with it again.
"Certainly I am better within the last two days, I am not so weak, nor so hoarse, nor so feverish, nor do I feel such noble independence of victual, nor is my temper so very devilish — I still cough enough but Mr Fleming told me on sunday that he heard by the sound of my cough that 'it was going' — a good journey to it! On the whole I have now good hope again that I shall recover entirely when warm weather comes — last week I was rather desperate about recovery under any circumstances
"I have not tried either of your mixtures but keep them in reserve in case one which Mr Fleming brought me on Sunday fails of the splendid success he predicted for it — He is not a Dr Mr Fleming but worth a score such Drs as my Brotherinlaw. He has been urging this mixture on me for weeks back — but (as Mazzini says) I want energy — last Sunday when I told him I had still not tried it he said 'nor ever will unless I get it mixed for you myself' — On leaving he went to a chemist's, and returned in half an hour, and gave the vial to Helen with directions that I was to 'take one spoonful that night— two next day and the next day I should be quite well' — When one's natural helps prove so ineffectual; it is considerate of Providence to raise up such kindhearted strangers!"
Jane Carlyle, the original Blanche "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers" Dubois
October 28, 1847, Jane to Lady Harriet Baring
"I have not seen Fleming since his return — almost dread the thought of seeing him! of witnessing the progress of his emotions —"
Getting the impression Henry was a bit of a drama queen?
February 5, 1847, Jane to Helen Welsh (her cousin)
"The last I heard of Tadpole [Anne Brown] was satisfactory thanks God — Mr Fleming went to see her last Sunday and give her some money for me — and he said she looked very well-doing and quite content in her solitude, with 'one lover and one female friend' her case is not bad — still if she were a fool she might easily think it so."
The social butterfly employed for a noble errand
September 24, 1847, Jane to Thomas
Henry has arrived at the Carlyle house at a very inconvenient time for Jane and will not go away until he delivers a message in person. He says he'll only stay for five minutes. Mainly he wants to brag about being Lady Harriet's new best friend.
"This she [Lady Harriet Baring] had told him (Fleming) when he was 'seeing her off' — And he would tell her my answer 'when he dined with her at Holland House' — 'How very odd', I said, 'that you should be acting as Lady H's Ariel'! 'Oh not at all now! — We are excellent friends now — since we staid together at Sir W. Molesworths — and there is nothing I would not do for her!! she is the dearest, playfullest, wittiest creature! I love her beyond everything.'"
Later in the same letter, some observations on Henry's manner and attire:
"Fleming's ‘five minutes’ prolonged themselves to half an hour — and then I was obliged to tell him that I could sit up no longer — and he went away in his little thunder and lightening embroidered shirt and his little new curled wig, lisping out 'I shall tell Lady Harriet that I found you in a temperature sufficient to produce a bilious fever —' It was all I could do to keep from summoning all my remaining strength together and 'doubling him up' [Yes, Jane wants to drop the gloves, as we say on the hockey rink] — prating in that fashion to me who had just come thro such a week of suffering!"
I love this:
" … he went away in his little thunder and lightening embroidered shirt and his little new curled wig, lisping out 'I shall tell Lady Harriet …'"
September 19, 1848, Thomas to his brother John A. Carlyle ("Jack")
"Our company is not worth talking about, since I wrote last: Buller, little Fleming (Mephisto in a wig, as I called him), a Lady Montague (who sings well), Lady Sandwich (who abounds in cheerful gossip, and knows all manner of women and men)"
November 10, 1852, Thomas to Lady Ashburton
"That is the historical truth;—nor is it a very strange one after what Fleming has taught me of you! Indeed I altogether agree (on reflexion) with that remarkable man"
June 1, 1854, Thomas to Lady Ashburton
"Fleming came next: 'A message from Lady Alice Peel'! cried the divine Fleming, with triumph in his eyes. Unluckily I knew nothing of this Lady, except incidental rumour of her name, thro' Another very greatly more important to me: 'Lady Ashburton is to be there,' said Fleming; 'and the Duc d'Aumale, and' —
Ah, yes, "the divine Fleming".
March 8, 1856, Thomas to Lady Ashburton
"Lady S. was quite brisk and lively, tho' rather avoiding the cruel March airs, which was wise: she expects to 'flit personally' on Monday, and is deep in upholstery, and cheery negociations with upholsterers and decorators of human life. Fleming came in while I was there; charged with gossip to the muzzle, quality clear and bitter, to a superior degree, as seemed, but my dinner hour had come, and I had to leave that interesting spiritual report."
The quality of gossip is not strain'd
All the Carlyle letters and the footnote with biographical information about Henry Fleming come from The Carlyle Letters Online [CLO]. 2007. http://carlyleletters.org
Our peek at the houses of Charles Street, Berkeley Square in 1871 began at No. 1: Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria.
Before that, we started with the Stoker family: Bram Stoker, author of Dracula in public records: BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death).
Next time: what the Carlyles said about Henry. Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane mentioning Henry Fleming in their letters to each other. (For what it's worth, I found it pretty funny what they had to say, and how fragrantly they could throw mud at people.)
THOMAS CARLYLE LETTERS TO HIS WIFE
Monographs personal and social
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Who was Henry Fleming? A dandy? A heartless villain? Both? Neither? More history from Charles Street, Berkeley Square
At No. 2, Charles Street, which runs from the southwest corner of Berkeley Square in London, in 1871, there lived a bachelor, Henry Fleming, and two servants. Perhaps more people actually lived there, but that's who was home on census night.
Map, Google Street View, and the census return details for No. 2 Charles Street
Henry Fleming in 1871: Secretary of the Poor Law Board
It's there in black and white on the census form, Secretary of the Poor Law Board.
Your mind should immediately be racing to thoughts of Oliver Twist and gruel, poor people (both in the sense of lacking wealth and in the sense of suffering hardship), misery, and the workhouse.
This was 1871, about 32 years after the publication of Oliver Twist, but the poor were still liable to be taken into the workhouse, a place no one wanted to be.
Henry Fleming's involvement with the Poor Law Board dates back into the 1840s, closer to Dickensian times.
Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory, 1850, shows, at page 16, that the English Poor Law Board's office was at Somerset House, in London. Henry Fleming, Esq. is one of two Assistant Secretaries.
This was a time when Henry's star was rising.
A few years earlier, on July 15, 1844, Thomas Carlyle, the writer, sent a letter to his wife (one of over 9,000) mentioning callers stopping by that day.
Old Stimabile, Darwin; then after dinner, Fleming3 on horseback to ask If Mrs Carlyle was home?—perhaps by Mrs Buller's order? He would not come in, tho' I by message invited him.
(From Volume 18 of the collected letters, on The Carlyle Letters Online, a website from Duke University Press.)
The footnote says:
"Henry Fleming (d. 1876); asst. sec. of poor law board, 1848–59; permanent sec., 1859–71. Introduced into society by Charles Buller, he “made his way by his pleasant manners and amusing gossip. It was said that when Lady Palmerston wanted to know which way the political wind blew, she sent him out on a horse in the Park. He was very good-looking, and [no one could] … guess his age. He wore an undeniable brown wig, and had a lovely complexion and brilliant teeth, how much due to art no one could tell” (Mary C. M. S. Simpson, Many Memories of Many People [1898] 115).
According to another account Fleming was “a kindly little man, … commonly known as the ‘Flea.’ … He was well known in society, a friend of Charles Buller's, and an habitué of Lady Palmerston's house. He was much made up; and when Lady Ashburton was told of his house being entered by burglars, ‘It was hard on him,’ she said; ‘for he could not move, having unfortunately left his backbone on the dressing-table’” (Algernon West, Recollections 1832 to 1886 [1899] 1:86–87).
His obituary in the Times, 3 March 1876, said: “He was a welcome member of society which his official chiefs [of the poor law board] could often not aspire to enter. … As no one seemed to know his age, it was a constant subject of jocose speculation. His familiarity with Lord Palmerston was attributed to the alleged fact that Lord Palmerston had been his fag at Harrow.”
End of the footnote.
In fact, there are about 20 letters on the Duke University Press Carlyle website where Thomas or Jane (his wife) mentions Henry Fleming.
Our peek at the houses of Charles Street, Berkeley Square in 1871 began at No. 1: Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria.
Before that, we started with the Stoker family: Bram Stoker, author of Dracula in public records: BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death).
Next time: what the Carlyles said about Henry. Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane mentioning Henry Fleming in their letters to each other. (For what it's worth, I found it pretty funny what they had to say, and how fragrantly they could throw mud at people.)
Map, Google Street View, and the census return details for No. 2 Charles Street
Henry Fleming in 1871: Secretary of the Poor Law Board
It's there in black and white on the census form, Secretary of the Poor Law Board.
Your mind should immediately be racing to thoughts of Oliver Twist and gruel, poor people (both in the sense of lacking wealth and in the sense of suffering hardship), misery, and the workhouse.
This was 1871, about 32 years after the publication of Oliver Twist, but the poor were still liable to be taken into the workhouse, a place no one wanted to be.
Henry Fleming's involvement with the Poor Law Board dates back into the 1840s, closer to Dickensian times.
Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory, 1850, shows, at page 16, that the English Poor Law Board's office was at Somerset House, in London. Henry Fleming, Esq. is one of two Assistant Secretaries.
This was a time when Henry's star was rising.
A few years earlier, on July 15, 1844, Thomas Carlyle, the writer, sent a letter to his wife (one of over 9,000) mentioning callers stopping by that day.
Old Stimabile, Darwin; then after dinner, Fleming3 on horseback to ask If Mrs Carlyle was home?—perhaps by Mrs Buller's order? He would not come in, tho' I by message invited him.
(From Volume 18 of the collected letters, on The Carlyle Letters Online, a website from Duke University Press.)
The footnote says:
"Henry Fleming (d. 1876); asst. sec. of poor law board, 1848–59; permanent sec., 1859–71. Introduced into society by Charles Buller, he “made his way by his pleasant manners and amusing gossip. It was said that when Lady Palmerston wanted to know which way the political wind blew, she sent him out on a horse in the Park. He was very good-looking, and [no one could] … guess his age. He wore an undeniable brown wig, and had a lovely complexion and brilliant teeth, how much due to art no one could tell” (Mary C. M. S. Simpson, Many Memories of Many People [1898] 115).
According to another account Fleming was “a kindly little man, … commonly known as the ‘Flea.’ … He was well known in society, a friend of Charles Buller's, and an habitué of Lady Palmerston's house. He was much made up; and when Lady Ashburton was told of his house being entered by burglars, ‘It was hard on him,’ she said; ‘for he could not move, having unfortunately left his backbone on the dressing-table’” (Algernon West, Recollections 1832 to 1886 [1899] 1:86–87).
His obituary in the Times, 3 March 1876, said: “He was a welcome member of society which his official chiefs [of the poor law board] could often not aspire to enter. … As no one seemed to know his age, it was a constant subject of jocose speculation. His familiarity with Lord Palmerston was attributed to the alleged fact that Lord Palmerston had been his fag at Harrow.”
End of the footnote.
In fact, there are about 20 letters on the Duke University Press Carlyle website where Thomas or Jane (his wife) mentions Henry Fleming.
Our peek at the houses of Charles Street, Berkeley Square in 1871 began at No. 1: Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria.
Before that, we started with the Stoker family: Bram Stoker, author of Dracula in public records: BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death).
Next time: what the Carlyles said about Henry. Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane mentioning Henry Fleming in their letters to each other. (For what it's worth, I found it pretty funny what they had to say, and how fragrantly they could throw mud at people.)
Friday, February 25, 2011
No. 2 Charles Street Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London, in 1871
The last seven posts, starting with
Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria
have looked closely at the family who occupied No.1 Charles Street according to the 1871 census.
Charles Street runs from the south west corner of Berkeley Square, and from what I've seen, it was a pretty good neighbourhood back in 1871.
We continue the exploration with the second house on the street. Here's the Google Maps image as it now is.
View Larger Map
And the current Google Street View picture, with No. 1 on the right (Thomas C. March house in 1871) and No. 2, the blue one, on the left.
View Larger Map
Link in case map isn't visible: 2 Charles Street, Mayfair, and the link to the Street View.
Living at No. 2, in 1871, the census says this.
No. 2: Henry Flemming, 59, unmarried, Civil Servant, Secretary of the Poor Law Board
1 Family, namely Henry himself.
2 Servants, James Austen, 50, and Martha Newman, 17, both unmarried.
Citation from Ancestry.co.uk: Class: RG10; Piece: 102; Folio: 75; Page: 31; GSU roll: 838762.
There's a mention here on p. 522 of The British Medical Journal, May 23, 1868:
"IO. Mr. Flemming, Secretary of the Poor-law Board, acknowledges
on February 20th, I867, the receipt of Mr. Trevor's last letter."
The spelling of "Flemming", however, is not consistent in the records. In the majority of cases I've seen so far, it's been spelled with only one "m", "Fleming".
Henry Fleming was a rather interesting fellow, from another interesting family. This family will take us to the poorhouse and to the last gasps of the slave trade.
Our peek at the houses of Charles Street, Berkeley Square in 1871 began at No. 1: Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria.
Before that, we started with the Stoker family: Bram Stoker, author of Dracula in public records: BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death).
Next: Who was Henry Fleming? A dandy? A heartless villain? Both? Neither? More history from Charles Street, Berkeley Square.
Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria
have looked closely at the family who occupied No.1 Charles Street according to the 1871 census.
Charles Street runs from the south west corner of Berkeley Square, and from what I've seen, it was a pretty good neighbourhood back in 1871.
We continue the exploration with the second house on the street. Here's the Google Maps image as it now is.
View Larger Map
And the current Google Street View picture, with No. 1 on the right (Thomas C. March house in 1871) and No. 2, the blue one, on the left.
View Larger Map
Link in case map isn't visible: 2 Charles Street, Mayfair, and the link to the Street View.
Living at No. 2, in 1871, the census says this.
No. 2: Henry Flemming, 59, unmarried, Civil Servant, Secretary of the Poor Law Board
1 Family, namely Henry himself.
2 Servants, James Austen, 50, and Martha Newman, 17, both unmarried.
Citation from Ancestry.co.uk: Class: RG10; Piece: 102; Folio: 75; Page: 31; GSU roll: 838762.
There's a mention here on p. 522 of The British Medical Journal, May 23, 1868:
"IO. Mr. Flemming, Secretary of the Poor-law Board, acknowledges
on February 20th, I867, the receipt of Mr. Trevor's last letter."
The spelling of "Flemming", however, is not consistent in the records. In the majority of cases I've seen so far, it's been spelled with only one "m", "Fleming".
Henry Fleming was a rather interesting fellow, from another interesting family. This family will take us to the poorhouse and to the last gasps of the slave trade.
Our peek at the houses of Charles Street, Berkeley Square in 1871 began at No. 1: Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria.
Before that, we started with the Stoker family: Bram Stoker, author of Dracula in public records: BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death).
Next: Who was Henry Fleming? A dandy? A heartless villain? Both? Neither? More history from Charles Street, Berkeley Square.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Applying some Jane Austen logic to the marriage of Thomas Charles MARCH, Queen Victoria's Pay-master
I've been tracing the residents of Charles Street, Berkeley Square, based on the 1871 census. This started with the family of Bram STOKER, the author of Dracula, but it is not he who lived on Charles Street. I looked at the Bram Stoker household beginning in 1881, their first appearance in the English census, including examining the three women servants they had then. One, Elizabeth JARRALD, was a widow in 1881, but I found her (assumed) husband, Charles JARRALD in 1871. Even though Elizabeth and Charles were already married then, he, a 22-year-old servant, was at his employer's house on census night in 1871. That house was No. 27 Charles Street.
A little nosing around at who Charles's employer might be quickly showed that Charles Street was full of the upper classes, and so I decided to detour a bit away from the STOKERs, but don't worry, we will get back to Mr. Dracula eventually.
To keep the connection with Drac going, I am now playing two concurrent games:
Six Degrees of Queen Victoria
and
Six Degrees of Dracula.
The Head of the household at No. 1 Charles Street in the 1871 census, Thomas Charles MARCH, has a Queen Victoria number of 1. In a couple of posts from now, I'll reveal his Dracula number, which may surprise you.
Here's a recap of the 1871 census return for No. 1 Charles Street, from the post "Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria".
At home: Thomas, age 50, married, Clerk Lord Chamberlain's Office, born in Marylebone.
His wife, Arabella S. MARCH, 32, born in Basingstoke.
Daughter, Arabella MARCH, 14, born in London St. Luke's Chelsea.
Son, Thomas C. MARCH, 3, born in London, St. George's [Hanover Square].
Thomas and Arabella got married some time after the 1861 census.
There are two little nits about the details of that marriage that make it less straightforward than at first appears.
The first is the name of Thomas's wife. In the 1871 census she is Arabella S. MARCH. I haven't found a matching lady named Arabella in a search for the marriage in the Ancestry.co.uk database (which searches the GRO Index and Free BMD, among others). The closest match I've found hangs on the "S": Sarah COOPER. Her age and place of birth match Arabella S. MARCH from the 1871 census, so I have provisionally assumed them to be the same person. There is no other likely Thomas Charles MARCH who matches nearly so closely.
Making assumptions in a blog post doesn't bother me. I try to make it very clear when I am crawling out on a limb, and I hope anyone reading this who has more information, will tell me. In the meantime I hate to let the absence of concrete proof of the facts get in the way of a good story.
The parish marriage register for the Parish of St. Thomas Portman Square (shown in Ancestry.com's database as St. Thomas Marylebone), shows:
On March 23, 1867, Thomas Charles MARCH, of full age, bachelor, Gentleman, of 93 Wimpole Street, Father's name Thomas MARCH (deceased), Gentleman,
married
Sarah COOPER, of full age, spinster, of 93 Wimpole Street, Father's name William COOPER, Gentleman.
The relevant entry is #425, found on page 213.
Source citation, from Ancestry: London Metropolitan Archives, Saint Thomas, Saint Marylebone, Register of marriages, P89/TMS, Item 006
The second nit is about Thomas's daughter, also called Arabella. On the one hand, she would appear to have been named for her mother, or at least, for the name her mother used in the 1871 census and later, but on the other hand, her birthdate is from the 1850s, before Thomas and Sarah (later Arabella) got married in 1867.
Arabella MARCH, Thomas's daughter in every census from 1871 on, was reportedly born around 1857, about 10 years before her parents' marriage.
I tend to assume, perhaps incorrectly, that single mothers in the second half of the 19th century were ostracized by society. Given that Thomas was working in the household more noted than any in English history for its propriety, Queen Victoria's, he is literally one of the last people I would expect to do anything remotely unconventional or scandalous.
This leads to some conclusions and assumptions.
The first assumption is that Arabella COOPER, later known as Arabella MARCH, the daughter, was born to married parents.
Given that, then the question is, were Sarah and Thomas actually married already when they got married in 1867? That seems unorthodox too, and is not my preferred hunch.
The second choice is that Arabella had either a different father, or a different mother, or both, and that one or both parents was either divorced or widowed. I rejected divorce, again because of propriety. It's something I wouldn't rule out conclusively, but it's low on the list of assumptions.
Then we consider: which parent was widowed? To conclude that either was, we have to assume that the marriage register was in error in calling the couple a bachelor and spinster. That does not seem likely, given who we're talking about, but I did look for evidence that either party had been married before. I found no evidence and decided to start a different line of inquiry: that Sarah gave birth to Arabella without marrying Arabella's father or that Sarah is Arabella's mother by adoption.
The out of wedlock birth seems almost inconceivable (pun intended and apologized for). Still, it was something I had to check out.
I searched in Ancestry.co.uk for a census return in 1861 for a woman born about 1838 in Basingstoke, with a daughter named Arabella.
Lo and behold, there emerged Sarah COOPER, unmarried, born about 1838 in Basingstoke with a daughter, Arabella COOPER, born about 1856 in St. Luke's Chelsea. Bingo! This doesn't prove Sarah to be Arabella's biological mother, but it does provide more clues. I would like to work more on the adoption hypothesis some time.
There is also the possibility that Sarah COOPER died and Thomas MARCH remarried between 1867 and 1871. I have not found evidence of such a death or such a remarriage, but my search has not been exhaustive. However, when Sarah COOPER, then Sarah MARCH died in 1888, the name under which probate was granted to her spinster daughter Arabella MARCH, was simply Sarah MARCH, no mention of Arabella.
And now, dear reader, cast your mind to the immortal words of Jane Austen as spoken by the insufferable Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
It is probably a truth also universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a husband.
Sarah COOPER in 1861 lived with her daughter and one servant (Louisa HIGGS, b. 1843 in Cornwall), at 78 Sloane Street, Chelsea. Her occupation was "House and Funded Proprietor". Ka-ching! I think I hear the sound of the accountant's mind jumping into gear as Thomas MARCH meets the younger, apparently wealthy woman with a daughter, Sarah COOPER.
Or am I too cynical?
Regardless of the reasons, Thomas and Sarah I think we can safely conclude, are the people I've identified as Thomas and Arabella in later years. How Sarah became a Sloane Ranger and the mother of Arabella, and whether Thomas was taking a social risk by marrying her, are questions upon which someone else can base a good Victorian romance, but that won't be me. Believe it or not, I have focus, and it's Thomas I came here to talk about today.
Thomas March is the first of many interesting people we will meet on Charles Street in 1871. His story starts with Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria.
This article is one in an ongoing series, starting with Bram Stoker, author of Dracula in public records: BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death).
Next: The end of Thomas Charles March, his wife and children, apart from one important detail
A little nosing around at who Charles's employer might be quickly showed that Charles Street was full of the upper classes, and so I decided to detour a bit away from the STOKERs, but don't worry, we will get back to Mr. Dracula eventually.
To keep the connection with Drac going, I am now playing two concurrent games:
Six Degrees of Queen Victoria
and
Six Degrees of Dracula.
The Head of the household at No. 1 Charles Street in the 1871 census, Thomas Charles MARCH, has a Queen Victoria number of 1. In a couple of posts from now, I'll reveal his Dracula number, which may surprise you.
Here's a recap of the 1871 census return for No. 1 Charles Street, from the post "Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria".
At home: Thomas, age 50, married, Clerk Lord Chamberlain's Office, born in Marylebone.
His wife, Arabella S. MARCH, 32, born in Basingstoke.
Daughter, Arabella MARCH, 14, born in London St. Luke's Chelsea.
Son, Thomas C. MARCH, 3, born in London, St. George's [Hanover Square].
Thomas and Arabella got married some time after the 1861 census.
There are two little nits about the details of that marriage that make it less straightforward than at first appears.
The first is the name of Thomas's wife. In the 1871 census she is Arabella S. MARCH. I haven't found a matching lady named Arabella in a search for the marriage in the Ancestry.co.uk database (which searches the GRO Index and Free BMD, among others). The closest match I've found hangs on the "S": Sarah COOPER. Her age and place of birth match Arabella S. MARCH from the 1871 census, so I have provisionally assumed them to be the same person. There is no other likely Thomas Charles MARCH who matches nearly so closely.
Making assumptions in a blog post doesn't bother me. I try to make it very clear when I am crawling out on a limb, and I hope anyone reading this who has more information, will tell me. In the meantime I hate to let the absence of concrete proof of the facts get in the way of a good story.
The parish marriage register for the Parish of St. Thomas Portman Square (shown in Ancestry.com's database as St. Thomas Marylebone), shows:
On March 23, 1867, Thomas Charles MARCH, of full age, bachelor, Gentleman, of 93 Wimpole Street, Father's name Thomas MARCH (deceased), Gentleman,
married
Sarah COOPER, of full age, spinster, of 93 Wimpole Street, Father's name William COOPER, Gentleman.
The relevant entry is #425, found on page 213.
Source citation, from Ancestry: London Metropolitan Archives, Saint Thomas, Saint Marylebone, Register of marriages, P89/TMS, Item 006
The second nit is about Thomas's daughter, also called Arabella. On the one hand, she would appear to have been named for her mother, or at least, for the name her mother used in the 1871 census and later, but on the other hand, her birthdate is from the 1850s, before Thomas and Sarah (later Arabella) got married in 1867.
Arabella MARCH, Thomas's daughter in every census from 1871 on, was reportedly born around 1857, about 10 years before her parents' marriage.
I tend to assume, perhaps incorrectly, that single mothers in the second half of the 19th century were ostracized by society. Given that Thomas was working in the household more noted than any in English history for its propriety, Queen Victoria's, he is literally one of the last people I would expect to do anything remotely unconventional or scandalous.
This leads to some conclusions and assumptions.
The first assumption is that Arabella COOPER, later known as Arabella MARCH, the daughter, was born to married parents.
Given that, then the question is, were Sarah and Thomas actually married already when they got married in 1867? That seems unorthodox too, and is not my preferred hunch.
The second choice is that Arabella had either a different father, or a different mother, or both, and that one or both parents was either divorced or widowed. I rejected divorce, again because of propriety. It's something I wouldn't rule out conclusively, but it's low on the list of assumptions.
Then we consider: which parent was widowed? To conclude that either was, we have to assume that the marriage register was in error in calling the couple a bachelor and spinster. That does not seem likely, given who we're talking about, but I did look for evidence that either party had been married before. I found no evidence and decided to start a different line of inquiry: that Sarah gave birth to Arabella without marrying Arabella's father or that Sarah is Arabella's mother by adoption.
The out of wedlock birth seems almost inconceivable (pun intended and apologized for). Still, it was something I had to check out.
I searched in Ancestry.co.uk for a census return in 1861 for a woman born about 1838 in Basingstoke, with a daughter named Arabella.
Lo and behold, there emerged Sarah COOPER, unmarried, born about 1838 in Basingstoke with a daughter, Arabella COOPER, born about 1856 in St. Luke's Chelsea. Bingo! This doesn't prove Sarah to be Arabella's biological mother, but it does provide more clues. I would like to work more on the adoption hypothesis some time.
There is also the possibility that Sarah COOPER died and Thomas MARCH remarried between 1867 and 1871. I have not found evidence of such a death or such a remarriage, but my search has not been exhaustive. However, when Sarah COOPER, then Sarah MARCH died in 1888, the name under which probate was granted to her spinster daughter Arabella MARCH, was simply Sarah MARCH, no mention of Arabella.
And now, dear reader, cast your mind to the immortal words of Jane Austen as spoken by the insufferable Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
It is probably a truth also universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a husband.
Sarah COOPER in 1861 lived with her daughter and one servant (Louisa HIGGS, b. 1843 in Cornwall), at 78 Sloane Street, Chelsea. Her occupation was "House and Funded Proprietor". Ka-ching! I think I hear the sound of the accountant's mind jumping into gear as Thomas MARCH meets the younger, apparently wealthy woman with a daughter, Sarah COOPER.
Or am I too cynical?
Regardless of the reasons, Thomas and Sarah I think we can safely conclude, are the people I've identified as Thomas and Arabella in later years. How Sarah became a Sloane Ranger and the mother of Arabella, and whether Thomas was taking a social risk by marrying her, are questions upon which someone else can base a good Victorian romance, but that won't be me. Believe it or not, I have focus, and it's Thomas I came here to talk about today.
Thomas March is the first of many interesting people we will meet on Charles Street in 1871. His story starts with Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria.
This article is one in an ongoing series, starting with Bram Stoker, author of Dracula in public records: BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death).
Next: The end of Thomas Charles March, his wife and children, apart from one important detail
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Thomas Charles March, and his rise through the ranks at Queen Victoria's household
In 1871, Thomas Charles MARCH lived at 1 Charles Street, Berkeley Square, in London. (I usually use "London" to describe the modern metropolis. Many places were more properly described as being in Westminster rather than London, in the 19th century.) His career was spent in the service of Queen Victoria, and by the time he died in 1898, he was at the top of her household staff.
Thomas MARCH: One degree from Queen Victoria
I have traced Thomas and his family, mainly through the census returns using Ancestry.co.uk, as well as a few other online sources. At every turn I find something rather unexpected and interesting. Hope you find it so, too.
Where and what Thomas MARCH was in the census
1841: Don't know yet. I have looked, and looked, and looked. More to come about what I know of his family from about 1800 up to 1851.
1851: St. James's Palace, Stable Yard, No. 4, Thomas C. MARCH: unmarried, age 31, (occupation) Lord Chamberlain's Office, living with his two unmarried brothers, William (36, also of the Lord Chamberlain's Office) and George (22, No Occupation), and an unmarried woman servant, Elizabeth BARTLEY, age 70 (or possibly 40).
Census Reference (from Ancestry.com): Class: HO107; Piece: 1481; Folio: 10; Page: 12; GSU roll: 87806.
Modern Google Map for Stable Yard Road
The official website of the British Monarchy, "St James's Palace"
1861: St. James's Palace, Thomas C. MARCH, Head, unmarried, 41, [Clerk?] Lord Chamberlain's Office, living in a dwelling (not sure of what sort) with his brother William G. MARCH, unmarred, 43, "Ditto" (i.e., also a clerk in the Lord Chamberlain's office) and a 54-year-old widow, Sarah LOW, as their general servant.
Census Reference (from Ancestry.com): Class: RG9; Piece: 56; Folio: 17; Page: 29; GSU roll: 542565
With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that Thomas rose through the ranks of the Royal Household to become what appears to be the top financial manager. The Lord Chamberlain, his boss for most of Thomas's years in service, was a political appointment. There were about 13 of them, some with multiple terms of office, during Thomas's career. I envision Thomas as the Victoria equivalent of Sir Humphrey Appleby.
(Link to video in case the embedded video is not showing.)
Sometime in the 1860s it appears Thomas got married. In the census returns before 1871, he was shown as unmarried. (This is not the same as widowed, which is usually specified.) I hard quite a hard time figuring out the identity of Thomas's wife. That's coming next.
Thomas March is the first of many interesting people we will meet on Charles Street in 1871. His story starts with Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria.
This article is one in an ongoing series, starting with Bram Stoker, author of Dracula in public records: BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death).
Next: Applying some Jane Austen logic to the marriage of Thomas Charles March, Queen Victoria's Pay-master
Thomas MARCH: One degree from Queen Victoria
I have traced Thomas and his family, mainly through the census returns using Ancestry.co.uk, as well as a few other online sources. At every turn I find something rather unexpected and interesting. Hope you find it so, too.
Where and what Thomas MARCH was in the census
1841: Don't know yet. I have looked, and looked, and looked. More to come about what I know of his family from about 1800 up to 1851.
1851: St. James's Palace, Stable Yard, No. 4, Thomas C. MARCH: unmarried, age 31, (occupation) Lord Chamberlain's Office, living with his two unmarried brothers, William (36, also of the Lord Chamberlain's Office) and George (22, No Occupation), and an unmarried woman servant, Elizabeth BARTLEY, age 70 (or possibly 40).
Census Reference (from Ancestry.com): Class: HO107; Piece: 1481; Folio: 10; Page: 12; GSU roll: 87806.
Modern Google Map for Stable Yard Road
The official website of the British Monarchy, "St James's Palace"
1861: St. James's Palace, Thomas C. MARCH, Head, unmarried, 41, [Clerk?] Lord Chamberlain's Office, living in a dwelling (not sure of what sort) with his brother William G. MARCH, unmarred, 43, "Ditto" (i.e., also a clerk in the Lord Chamberlain's office) and a 54-year-old widow, Sarah LOW, as their general servant.
Census Reference (from Ancestry.com): Class: RG9; Piece: 56; Folio: 17; Page: 29; GSU roll: 542565
With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that Thomas rose through the ranks of the Royal Household to become what appears to be the top financial manager. The Lord Chamberlain, his boss for most of Thomas's years in service, was a political appointment. There were about 13 of them, some with multiple terms of office, during Thomas's career. I envision Thomas as the Victoria equivalent of Sir Humphrey Appleby.
(Link to video in case the embedded video is not showing.)
Sometime in the 1860s it appears Thomas got married. In the census returns before 1871, he was shown as unmarried. (This is not the same as widowed, which is usually specified.) I hard quite a hard time figuring out the identity of Thomas's wife. That's coming next.
Thomas March is the first of many interesting people we will meet on Charles Street in 1871. His story starts with Thomas March of 1 Charles Street: One degree from Queen Victoria.
This article is one in an ongoing series, starting with Bram Stoker, author of Dracula in public records: BMD (Birth, Marriage, Death).
Next: Applying some Jane Austen logic to the marriage of Thomas Charles March, Queen Victoria's Pay-master
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