John Taylor, Straw Hat Manufacturer

Knowing an unusual family name (like Kapadia in late 19th century England) makes it fairly easy to locate a family's documentary record. Slightly more common, but still unusual, the name Hanrott helped in finding Zoe Young, and so on. Records for Zoe's great grandparents Taylor seemed beyond reach. But it was her grandfather, William Taylor, who had the good fortune to receive a legal training, and this proved enough to locate some records about his father.

In the early 19th century, legal training involved serving as clerk to an established attorney for five years. The contracts made by aspiring solicitors are recorded in Articles of Clerkship, which, at the very least, name the Clerk and the Attorney to whom he was articled. Given that most young men entering the profession were about 16 years old, their fathers are often mentioned as parties to the contract. In addition, Articles of Clerkship take the form of an affidavit made by someone who was not a party to the actual agreement, and these names can be useful in finding connections among family members.

As you might suspect, simply searching (on ancestry.com) for Articles of Clerkship for William Taylor yields many results, even if we specify 1810s London. But if we specify additionally that John Birkett must be named, there they are, Articles of Clerkship 1817 assigning the young William Taylor as clerk from John Blow to John Birkett for the remainder of his five-year term. This was also a geographical move from Carlisle to London - for his training at least, since it's unclear where he was born, although his 1841 England Census return claims he was not born in Middlesex.

We already have records indicating a professional relationship between Birkett and Blow; by 1847 there were law partnerships of Messrs. Blow and Relph in Carlisle working with Messrs. Birkett, Taylor and Cox at Cloak Lane, London. By 1847, John Birkett had died, but a son had taken up the mantle. Meanwhile, John Blow of Carlisle had died in July 1829, although the law practice still bore the name Blow. And Birketts, The Next Generation describes evidence for a likely family relationship between the two as first cousins.

Back to the Articles of Clerkship. There are actually two documents, each of them a sworn statement to the effect that William Taylor, son of John Taylor, was assigned from John Blow to John Birkett on the date 6 February 1817. The parties to the contract are "John Blow of the City of Carlisle in the county of Cumberland Attorney at Law of the first part John Taylor of Maiden Lane in the City of London Straw Hat Manufacturer of the second part William Taylor Son of the said John Taylor of the thrid part and John Birkett of Cloak Lane in the City of London attorney at Law of the fourth part". One of the documents is from Carlisle (dated 29th March), recording the execution of the Articles of Clerkship by John Blow and John Taylor. The other document is from London (dated 10th April), recording its execution by John Birkett and William Taylor. How much of the term of the clerkship was remaining as of April 1817, I don't know. By December 1821, however, William Taylor married John Birkett's daughter, Sarah Halton Birkett.

We do know, now, the name, address and occupation of William's father, John Taylor of Maiden Lane, Straw Hat Manufacturer. A google search of these terms gives two useful leads. First, the National Archives at Kew has a Will for such a person (PROB 11/1660/105). I purchased a copy, in which he wrote:

          I John Taylor of Maiden lane in the City of London Straw hat manufacturer 
          do make and publish this my Last Will and Testament in manner following that 
          is to say I give devise and bequeath all my household goods linen plate book 
          and other debts sureties for money and all other my estate and effects of what 
          nature and kind soever and wheresoever unto my dear wife Ann Taylor her 
          heirs and assigns and I do hereby nominate and appoint my said Wife and my 
          friends John Botts and John Birkett Executrix and Executors of this my Last 
          Will and Testament...

One of the witnesses to this Will is George Cox 3 Cloak Lane, presumably Birkett's law partner. The Will was made 24 November 1821, and proved 20 July 1822. Confident that he was buried between these dates, I searched ancestry.com for a burial record in London. Needless to say, many John Taylors died in 1822, but I just looked at each record until I found John Taylor of Maiden Lane, who died aged 58 years, and was buried 12 July 1822 at St Ann and St Agnes Aldersgate. This sets his birth year about 1768.

From the Will we learn that at the time of his death his wife's name was Ann, although this does not mean that Ann Taylor was William's mother. John Taylor might have been widowed and remarried for all we know. I did look for baptismal records for parents John Taylor and Ann, but I'm stymied by the lack of information in parish registers of this period, with neither address nor father's occupation to differentiate between the several families of this name.

For example, the most promising list comes from the parish records of St John Zachary City of London, which has five baptisms of children of John Taylor and Ann, including a William Taylor (born 30 June 1798, bapt. 30 Sept 1798 - but note the claim of the 1841 census that he was not born in Middlesex). St John Zachary had been incorporated into St Ann and St Agnes, which is why it caught my attention. The other children are Elizabeth Ball Taylor (born 4 June 1797, bapt. 16 July 1797), Caroline (born 12 Aug 1801, bapt. 1 Jan 1802), Jane (born 6 Sept 1802, bapt. 17 Nov 1802) and James (born 19 May 1804, bapt. 30 May 1804). These are names I am keeping in mind, especially Elizabeth Ball, on the off chance that further evidence might make sense of them.

The second lead into John Taylor's life comes from the London Gazette, the pages of which are filled with legal notices. Many of these notices concern the administration of bankruptcies, from which law firms, like Birkett, Taylor and Cox, made their living (although I do not see them in this particular case).

A series of notices dated from 28 January 1800 onwards chronicle some bankruptcy proceedings against "John Taylor, of Maiden-lane, in the City of London, Weaver and Straw Hat-manufacturer, Dealer and Chapman". The notices announce the various meetings and examinations to which he would have been subjected by his creditors. He would have made some kind of offer to pay them dividends periodically. His creditors appear to have been favorably inclined. By 9 September "his Certificate will be allowed... unless Cause be shewn to the contrary on or before the 4th day of October next [1800]". Less fortunate debtors might end up in prison at the pleasure of their creditors. The last record I found was an announcement 16 July 1805 of a dividend to be paid. And we know from the Articles and from his Will that he was still trading from an address at Maiden Lane well after this.

So, here are John and Ann Taylor who turn out to be 5xgreat grandparents of mine. On the one hand a small gain in information; on the other hand, I am surprised that I found them at all given a name as widespread as Taylor.

Some Loose Ends Tied

Among my objectives for genealogical research is to document the siblings of my direct ancestors. Not only does this put my ancestors' lives into perspective, but the documentation of siblings might yield clues pointing to the preceding generation. To this end, I never feel I can rest until I have a full set of BMD Index, parish and census data for an ancestor or a sibling. Or perhaps I'm merely rationalizing an obsessive impulse!

This post presents the available data - at least the data I've found - for Sarah Halton Birkett, wife of William Taylor, solicitor of 3 Cloak Lane, even at the risk of repeating some that I've already referenced earlier on the blog. These are my 4xgreat grandparents, and parents of Charlotte (who married James Denoon Young). At the same time, I will present available data for another of their daughters, Zoe Emmeline (who married James Bertrand Payen Payne). But some loose ends remain.

The post Meet the Birketts expands on Sarah Halton Birkett's family. I begin here with the record of her baptism on 21 July 1799 at St Stephen, Walbrook.

          Was baptized Sarah Halton Daughter of 

          John Birkett and Charlotte his Wife 

          Born 20th April 1799

          Note of the Parish of Stephen Walbrook

This is before the 1837 introduction of civil birth, marriage and death registers for England and Wales, as is the record of her marriage to William Taylor at St Thomas the Apostle in the City of London on 13 December 1821.

The marriage is also recorded in Pallott's Marriage Index:
     Taylor Wm b(St Faiths London)
          =  Sarah Halton Birkett
               p. lic[ence]
     St Thomas Apostle 1821

The baptismal register at St Michael Paternoster in the City of London on 2 March 1826 records their children William Lonsdale (born 19 July 1824) and Charlotte (born 15 January 1826), giving father's occupation as Solicitor, and address 3 Cloak Lane. William Lonsdale was apparently baptized twice, his first baptism on 1 September 1824 at St Thomas the Apostle gives the same name and birthday for the child, and same names, occupation and address for the parents. As previously reported, 3 Cloak Lane is also the address of the Birketts in 1828 (Articles of Clerkship) and 1848 (Post Office Book).

The next documentary appearance, I could find, is another baptism, this time at St Giles in the Fields Holborn on 27 November 1840 of Zoe, daughter of William and Sarah Taylor. His occupation is given as Solicitor, their address as 59 Gt Queen Street. Great Queen Street is close to The Rookery, Hogarth's inspiration for Gin Lane, but also closer to Lincoln's Inn and the legal district of London. I can find no BMD Birth Index entry for Zoe Taylor. However, Zoe Young proved hard to trace due to difficulties in transcription for the name Zoe, and I suspect that something similar has happened for her aunt. 

Great Queen Street is where I find them for the 1841 England Census. The reproduction of this census transcript is quite poor - although this may be faithful to the original - and I am rather relying on the index provided by ancestry.com.

     William Taylor   40    Solicitor      No [not born in the county]

     Sarah Taylor     45                      No

     Berbet Taylor   15                      No

     Charlotte Taylor 15                     No

But I note the absence of William Lonsdale and Zoe, which, without the St Giles baptism, would lead me to doubt that this is the correct family. William Lonsdale may have died by 1841; I have no further record of him. But I do have later records of Zoe, so she may be recorded elsewhere.

I'd suspected that Berbet (age is in the "male" column of the census return) should be Robert, or possibly Herbert. The equal ages of 15 years for the younger two Taylors does not require that they are twins. The 1841 census rounded ages down to the nearest 5 years. As we can tell from the baptismal record, Charlotte really was 15 at census time; but whoever "Berbet" was, he could have been born between 1822 and 1826.

Although there are Robert and Herbert Taylors of about the right age, none of them was constistent with other family data. Looking at the return again I thought to try Birkett as the given name, and found that Christ Church, City of London has a baptismal record on 22 November 1822 for Birkett Wilfred (or rather, Wilfrid) Taylor son of William and Sarah, Solicitor of Paternoster Row, born October 25, 1822. Also for Birkett Wilfred Taylor are Articles of Clerkship dated 1838 and a burial record for 8 July 1843 at St Thomas the Apostle, corresponding to BMD Death Index Dec1843 London 2 111. If I am reading correctly, the Articles of Clerkship bound him to Joseph Bebb for five years from 8 or 10 May 1838, so he died not long after completing his clerkship.

I have plenty of evidence that Zoe Emmeline Taylor is the sister of the Charlotte whose baptism I have presented above. The first piece is the 1851 England Census at 31 Michael Street, Kensington in the household of Edward Colnett, Boarding House Keeper:

     Sarah H Taylor    Wid  51  Annuitant     Middx, Walbrook

     Charlotte             Unm 25                     Middx, College Hill

     Zoe                     Unm 10                     Middx, St Giles

This return I have mentioned before. Interestingly it includes James Denoon Young, who would marry Charlotte a few months later. College Hill, by the way, is off Cloak Lane. William Taylor had died during the preceding 10 years. Finding the death record will be difficult because there are hundreds of recorded death for such a common name.

After this I had no more record until Sarah's death. BMD Death Index has Sarah Halton Taylor Dec1877 Brighton 2b 124 Age:76. This is a death certificate that may be worth having. Had she moved to Brighton? Who was she staying with?

It was in searches designed to find her daughter Zoe that I found her last two census records. I looked for a Zoe Taylor born in 1840 in Lincolns Inn. I found an entry on the LDS familysearch.org site for the 1861 England Census in Kensington for a "... Taylor". But this only shows an individual entry. Searching for the corresponding family group in ancestry.com, I found, at ?? (the return transcript is torn) House near Notting Hill Square, Kensington in the household of  Elizabeth England:
     Sarah H Taylor   Boarder Widow  61  Lives own Means
                                                                  Middlesex, Walbrook
     Zoe Taylor         Boarder  Un       20  Lives own Means
                                                                  Middlesex, Lincoln's Inn Fields                          

The ancestry.com index has them as Sarah H Gaylor and Lo?? Taylor, which is why I hadn't seen this return before. Having seen "Loe" as a transcript variant of Zoe, the next census entry came from an ancestry.com search for a Loe Taylor born 1839-1849. The 1871 England Census for the household of "James Bethany Bayne" at Grange Terraces Tempsford House has:
     James Bertrand Payne   Head   Mar       37  late? Capt Royal Artillery
     Zoe Payne                    Wife    Mar      29
     Sarah H Taylor             Mother Widow 75
     James B D  do              Son                  4
     Ralph S H   do              Son                  3 m

The address of Tempsford House, The Grange, Brompton is given as the address for J Bertrand Payne in the Catalogue for the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867. Also, Tempsford House was the scene in January 1871 (not long before the census) of a "Singular Boiler Explosion". In this return (it is actually the census enumator book, a compilation of the householders' returns), Zoe is written above a crossed out Emmeline, and should be indexed as Payne, not Taylor. Sarah H appears as Sarah A; she should, of course be mother-in-law, and only 72 years old, but who's counting. And the sons' last name should be Payne and not Taylor. But apart from that the return is fine!

The marriage of James Bertrand Payne and Zoe Emmeline Young is recorded in BMD Marriage Index Mar1864 St George Hanover Square 1a 387 (a certificate I reported in All These Gentlemen).

The 1881 England Census for 53 Camden Park Road for the household of Charlotte Dunn, I have reported before in Witnesses to a Wedding. Suffice to tell here that it includes Zoe Payne 35 and her daughter Mabel 7. The 1891 England Census return for Zoe also proved difficult to find. I already had the 1901 and 1911 returns, and was drawing a blank. So I searched for Mabel Payne, and found this return at 41 Handforth Road, Lambeth:
     James Payne    Head     M 55 Living on own means  London
     Emily Payne    Wife      M 47                                  London
     Mabel Payne    Daur      S  14                                  London
     Charles Penney Nephew S 29 living on own means    Liverpool

Emily may be the name she goes by at this time, although this may itself be a census enumerator's misreading for Emmy. Liverpool as place of birth for the nephew is certainly wrong, as the next two returns for Zoe (Emmeline/Emily) will show.

James Bertrand Payen Payne died in 1898 (BMD Death Index Sep1898 Fulham 1a 253 Age:65). The 1901 England Census finds Zoe Emmeline in the household of her nephew Charles Penney at 7 Aldebert Terrace, Lambeth:
     Charles Penney                    Head   S       39 Tutor             Dorset, Weymouth
     Zoe Emmeline Payen-Payne Aunt    Wid   58                      London, St Giles
     Mabel Zoe Payen-Payne      Cousin  Daur of widow 27
                                                         Clerk in Insurance Office  London, Kensington
     Plus a visitor and a servant.

And in 1911 at 22 Kensington Crescent, Kensington:
     Charles Penney                    Head  Single    49 Tutor  Weymouth, Dorset
     Zoe Emmeline Payen-Payne Aunt   Widow  70  Private Means
                                                                                    Lincoln's Inn Field, London
     Mabel Zoe Payen-Payne      Cousin Single    37 Clerk to Charity Organization
                                                                                    Kensington, London
     Plus a boarder and servants.

BMD Death Index has Zoe Payen Payne Dec1920 Greenwich 1d 1001 Age:80

In all this I have accumulated much documentation for Sarah Halton Birkett (married name Taylor) and Zoe Emmeline Taylor (Payen-Payne). But I lack an 1841 census for the latter, and her BMD Birth Index Entry. One lead, an Emmeline Taylor born in Islington 1840 turns out to be the daughter of John Taylor, Beer Seller (1841) and Licensed Victualler (1861). In this latter census she is a barmaid - not our Zoe Emmeline, whose BMD Birth Index record may be one of the 3 unnamed female Taylors born in central London registration districts Dec1839 to Dec1840.

We now have evidence for four children born to William and Sarah Halton Taylor:
     Birkett Wilfred          1822 baptized at Christ Church
     William Lonsdale      1824 baptized at St Thomas the Apostle
                                                                          and St Michael Paternoster
     Charlotte                  1826 baptized at St Michael Paternoster
     Zoe Emmeline           1840 baptized at St Giles in the Fields

It is most likely that there are other children - I would estimate from 3 to 6 - born after Charlotte and before Zoe remaining to be discovered. If any of them survived I might expect to find them in 1841 in the same household as Zoe. This may yield more clues to the family of origin of William Taylor, Solicitor of 3 Cloak Lane.

All These Gentlemen

This post confirms the hypotheses made in Witnesses To A Wedding. I have received three birth certificates and two marriage certificates which I report here. The frequency of the reported occupation of Gentleman on these suggests some preoccupation with status. Just what it meant to be a gentleman, I'm not sure, but presumably it means some kind of occupation which pays fairly well, and doesn't involve getting one's hands dirty!

Charlotte Dunn is Charlotte Young (nee Taylor). Zoe Emmeline Payen Payne is Zoe Taylor, Charlotte's sister. And as I suspected, Euphemia Chamberlain Young is the daughter of James Denoon and Charlotte Young. Which suggests to me that all is not lost when census details are incorrect. In this case the inconsistencies were relationships to head of household and ages, although the names appeared to make sense. Conversely, however, I am less inclined to rely on census details if that is all I have.

Here is the information from the marriage certificates, first BMD Marriage Index Mar1864 St George Hanover Square 1a 387 for Zoe Emmeline Taylor/James Payne:
     Solemnized 12 March 1864 at the Parish Church of St George Hanover Square
     James Bertrand Payne, Full Age, Bachelor, Gentleman, of 44 Dover Road Fulham
          father: James Payne, Gentleman
     Zoe Emmeline Taylor, Full Age, Spinster, of 44 Dover Road Fulham
          father: William Taylor, Gentleman
     Witnesses:
         Walbanke Baker Barber
         Jane E Barber

I'm not sure of James Payne senior's occupation, but his son was a managing editor for the Moxon publishing house, of which more in the prior post. Zoe's father William Taylor, now deceased had been a solicitor.

As far as I can tell, no relation to our family, Walbanke Baker Barber was baptized 26 July 1826 at St Philips, Liverpool, son of Charles and Bell Barber, and died in Stoke Newington aged 49 on 17 September 1874. He was appointed Master Extraordinary in the High Court of Chancery (London Gazette Dec 1850), listed as an attorney (1851 Census), Solicitor's Managing Clerk (1861 Census). He married Alice Lloyd Little in 1863. Their marriage certificate shows his father was Charles Barber, artist. In fact, his father was Charles Vincent Barber, landscape artist and art teacher, who, with his brother Joseph Vincent Barber, founded an art academy which became the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists and Birmingham School of Art. At his death, Charles was president of the Liverpool Academy of Arts and had exhibited paintings at the Royal Academy in London. Walbanke's paternal grandfather was Joseph Barber, another prominent artist and member of the Birmingham School of landscape painters. Jane E Barber is Walbanke's older sister. Although the Barbers are not blood relations of Zoe, their witness signatures give some indication of the circles in which the Paynes and/or the Taylors moved. I am thinking here of Zoe's family ties to the legal profession, and James Bertrand Payne's literary and artistic connections.

And then BMD Marriage Jun1877 Kensington 1a 129 for Charlotte Young/Jabez Dunn:
     Solemnized 16 June 1877 at the Parish Church of Kensington
     Jabez Dunn, Full Age, Bachelor, Gentleman, of Lee Terrace Blackheath
          father: Richard William Samuel Dunn, Gentleman
     Charlotte Young, Full Age, Widow, of Brompton Road
          father: William Taylor, Gentleman
     Witnesses:
          James Bertrand Payen-Payne
          Herbert Playshed

Curiously, I can find no records pertaining to a Herbert Playshed, through either ancestry.com or familysearch.org. Obviously James Bertrand Payen-Payne is Charlotte's brother-in-law.

Jabez Dunn, as noted previously (Witnesses to a Wedding), was possibly an attorney since his marriage bond gives him the honorific of "Esquire". His family was from Gillingham, Kent, his father a shipwright, although on the marriage certificate described as a gentleman. The 1861 England Census finds him with his brother Alfred James Dunn and a large number of single males (hospital, hostel?) in the Baynard Castle ward of London, and gives his occupation as "Warehouseman" - not quite an attorney! As luck would have it, I can find a partial transcript of his 1871 England Census in Lee, Lewisham, Kent (along with his mother, and some siblings) on the familysearch.org site, but no occupation. Frustratingly, I cannot find this return on ancestry.com. Maybe the index entry is incorrect for this census return. I am not, however, vested enough in this family to browse through the returns of the six registration districts in Lee. If I did, I might expect to find an occupation closer to justifying his title of "esquire" and "gentleman".

The birth certificates I have just received are for the three daughters of my 3xgreat grandparents James Denoon Young and Charlotte (nee Taylor). In chronological order, the first of these is Zoe, my 2xgreat grandmother.
     BMD Birth Index Joe Davina Halton Young
                    ["Joe" is a 19th century transcription error]
                                   Dec1859 Lambeth 1d 406
     Born 2 October 1859 Vernon Cottage Stockwell Park Road
     [Z]oe Davina Halton, Girl
     James Denoon Young, Engineer
     Charlotte Young (formerly Taylor)
     Reported by Jas D Young, father, Vernon Cottage Stockwell Park Road
          11 November 1859

     BMD Birth Index Euphemia Chamberlain Young
                                   Dec1862 Upton upon Severn 6c 317
     Born 14 September 1862 Ripple
     Euphemia Chamberlain, Girl
     James Denoon Young, Gentleman
     Charlotte Young (formerly Taylor)
     reported by Charlotte Young, mother, Ripple
          14 October 1862

     BMD Birth Index Violet Young
                                   Mar1865 Wandsworth 1d 487
     Born 16 January 1865, 2 Harley Street
     Violet, Girl
     James Denoon Young, Civil Engineer
     Charlotte Young (formerly Taylor)
     Reported by Jas D Young, father, 2 Harley Street Battersea

When Charlotte reports Euphemia's birth, she reports her husband's occupation as Gentleman. In the two cases where the father is the informant, he signs Jas D Young, and reports his occupation (more modestly?) as Engineer. I wonder how important was the status of "Gentleman". His 1841 Scotland Census lists his occupation as Ironmonger, whereas his England Census return for 1851 has Iron Founder and Engineer. He held a couple of patents for improved production of iron, suggesting he had a deep knowledge of his trade. I suspect the family aspired to be loosely "gentlefolk". However the London Gazette contains several items pertaining to bankruptcy proceedings against James Denoon Young during the 1860s. When he died - I am beginning to think, a death certificate worth purchasing - the family was left with no income, as we will see.

The 1871 England Census shows the family somewhat dispersed. Of the girls, I find Violet with her mother in lodgings, Euphemia a visitor in another household, Zoe with the Hanrotts (later to be adopted, it appears). Of the boys, Haydon might be recorded at 6 Vigo Street, Westminster in the household of Benjamin Criddle, while Lonsdale is most certainly a pupil at Christ's Hospital School, Christchurch, London, otherwise known as the Bluecoat School on account of their distinctive uniform.

Charles Dickens, Junior wrote of this school, founded in the reign of Edward VI to provide education for poor orphaned Londoners:

Presentations to Christ Hospital can only be obtained from governors under certain regulations. It is generally understood that the principal requirements are, briefly, that children must be presented when between eight and ten years of age, and must be free from active disease, as well as from any physical defect which would render them unable to take care of themselves; that their parents (if one or both be living) have not adequate means of educating and maintaining them; and that the children have not such means of their own. A written statement, showing the amount, or average amount, of the parental income with particulars of its source or sources, the total number of children in the family, and how many of these are still young and dependent, and any other relevant circumstances, is in each case required to be made in the petition...

Christ's Hospital school still exists although its campus has moved to Horsham, Sussex. It is still an independent boarding school with a mission to provide educational opportunities to families in need. Through their website I enquired of their archives. Almost immediately, a volunteer responded to confirm Lonsdale Denoon Young's enrollment at the school. A week or so later, the same volunteer sent me information on Lonsdale's family in the possession of the school. Most of this confirmed what I had already discovered, but there are two fascinating items. The first on Lonsdale's application, made shortly after his father's death, Charlotte wrote that she was:

a widow without income and having five children totally unprovided for; that her husband who was a civil engineer and contractor has died in the present month of April only, and consequently at this time she can hardly see where or how to provide for the education of her children, the eldest being only in his 14th year

The school register shows Lonsdale's admission in 1868 at the top of page 291 left-hand page, and his discharge in 1873 on the right-hand page opposite. Sir William Anderson Rose was the presenting governor of the school through whom Charlotte made her petition. He was an Alderman of the City of London at the time, sometime Lord Mayor of London. There is no evidence that he knew the family.

18th March 1868 Clothed 14 May 1868 Lonsdale Denoon Young Son of James Denoon Young deceased born 18th May 1858 admitted from St Stephen South Lambeth, Surrey.
Sir William Anderson Rose Knight (?) Aldm

1873 July 17th Lonsdale Denoon Young discharged by his brother Mr. Heydon Charles Young of No.12 Pelham Street Brompton on behalf of his Mother Mrs. Charlotte Young, Widow, residing at the same place.
[signed] H.C. Young

Of the brothers I have no more record after 1873. Presumably they emigrated or otherwise escaped documentation before they died. They are not listed in the BMD Death Index, which suggests they did not die in England and Wales. A google search showed an ancestry.com genealogy of unknown source suggesting Lonsdale Denoon Young died in 1879. Prompted by this I made an ancestry.com search among a wider variety of death records which offered a gravesite on the Isandlwana battlefield in South Africa of one Lieutenant L. D. Young of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment of the Native Natal Contingent. For those not conversant with British military history, the Battle of Isandlwana 22 January 1879 was a British disaster during the Anglo-Zulu War, depicted in the movie Zulu Dawn, in which a little over a thousand-strong detachment of British and Colonial soldiers was overrun and destroyed by a much larger Zulu army. The Native Natal Contingent was raised from indigenous Africans and officered by Europeans, although the white settlers didn't trust black Africans with firearms, so they were equipped mostly with spears.

I am particularly interested in this suggestion, since in all the years 1837 to 1863 there are very few L Youngs recorded in the BMD Birth Index. There are 11 L (and not D, that is, with some other middle initial) Youngs, who can be ruled out; 36 L Youngs (a few of whom might have had a D for a middle initial); and only 2 L D Youngs. One of these is Leonard Douglas Young (no relation) for whom I can find a census return for 1891 and thus rule out; the other is Lonsdale Denoon Young. Now, the dead officer at Isandlwana might have been born before 1837 (when the Index begins), or he may have been born outside England and Wales (which is its coverage), but, all the same, it seems worthwhile to look for more evidence. The National Archives in Kew has the WO12 series of muster rolls which claims to cover colonial units up to 1878, but it's not clear that this must include the Natal Native Contingent. Otherwise I do not know where I could search for the name of the lieutenant buried on the Isandlwana battlefield in South Africa. I would like to rule him in or out as our Lonsdale Denoon Young.

Next up, some more about James Denoon Young, Lonsdale's father, and my 3xgreat grandfather...

Witnesses to a Wedding

It's been a few weeks since my last post here, so here's hoping to return to a regular and more frequent routine. There is certainly enough material from research so far that I find interesting, and more certificates in the mail. Spurring me on are the well wishes of strangers, distant cousins, no doubt, who have written to me or posted after reading the blog. Here goes!

I have already written of the marriage of my 2x great grandparents Ardeshir Kapadia and Zoe Young-Hanrott, and extensively about the parentage and name change of the latter (How Many Ways to Spell Zoe? and A Change of Name). For completeness I thought to send for the marriage certificate for this couple, BMD Marriage Index Mar1886 Lambeth 1d 559, and was not expecting much more information from it than I already had. But it contains some interesting names as witnesses.

First, the certificate itself, for this marriage solemnized at the Lambeth registry office 11 March 1886. The groom, Ardeshir Kapadia, was 21 years old, occupation listed as Law Student, living at 68 Blackheath Hill (in Greenwich SE10), and that his father was Rustomji Kapadia, Tea Merchant. The Lincoln's Inn Admission Register have his date of admission as:
     14 January 1885  Adeshir Rustomji Pestonji Kapadia, of Uny. of Bombay (20),
          o.s. [only son of] Rustomji Pestonjee K., of Bombay, general broker.

The bride, Zoe Devinia Halton Young-Hanrott (other sources have Devina, and no hyphen), was 26 years old, living at 50 Guildford Road, South Lambeth, and confirms her father as James Denoon Young, deceased, Civil Engineer - implying that Ardeshir's father was still thought to be alive at the time.

The witness signatures turn out to be quite interesting - to me at least! The first is Zoe Emmeline Peyen Payne and the second Euphemia Chamberlain Young.

I had previously encountered a Zoe Taylor, as Zoe Young-Hanrott's aunt. According to parish records of St Giles in the Fields, Holborn, Zoe Taylor was baptized 27 November 1840, daughter of William and Sarah Taylor. Living at 59 Great Queen Street, her father was a solicitor. Zoe Taylor is listed as age 10 in the 1851 England Census, living with her mother Sarah Halton (nee Birkett) Taylor, widow, and her sister Charlotte age 25, at the same boarding house as the widowed James Denoon Young. I have not tracked down a BMD Birth Index for her yet. Peyen Payne is a distinctive, possibly unique, surname. A google search showed the author and genealogist James Bertrand Payen Payne, who married Zoe Taylor (BMD Marriage Index Mar1864 St Geo Han Sq 1a 387). For more on his background see this brief biography. The dispute with Mrs. Moxon referred to in the biography, hinges around Payne's management of the Moxon publishing house, which controversially lost Alfred Lord Tennyson as one of its authors in 1868.

The article claims a single son, James Bertrand De Vinchelez Payen Payne, but baptismal records from South Acton 25 September 1878 have records for Mabel Zoe and Ralph Stephen Hacon Payen Payne, both as children of this couple, and the added information that James Bertrand senior was a Colonel R[oyal] A[rtillery].

James Bertrand Payen Payne

Euphemia Chamberlain Young has a BMD Birth Index entry of Dec1862 Upton on Severn 6c 317, and I can locate her 1871 England Census as visitor in the household of Elizabeth Dredger at 50 Guildford Road, Zoe Hanrott's 1886 address before she married. Euphemia is possibly a daughter of James Denoon Young and Charlotte. I have sent for her birth certificate.

Now see this 1881 England Census at 53 Camden Park Road
     Charlotte Dunn     Head   W      45          London EC
     Euphemia Young  Niece  Unm   18          Worcestershire, Ripple
     Violet Young        Niece  Unm  16           Surrey? Battersea
     Zoe Payne            Sister  Marr   35          London W
     Mabel Payne        Niece             7           Middx, Islington

This household came to my attention as one result of a search for Violet Young, Zoe Young-Hanrott's sister. When I first saw this around Christmas, I ignored it as the other names were all wrong, and Young is, after all, quite common. But in the light of the marriage witnesses, this is worth another look. We see Zoe Payne (and her daughter Mabel) who is the Zoe Emmeline Peyen Payne of the marriage certificate. Here also is Euphemia Young (mis-transcribed here as Eupheria), along with Violet, listed as nieces to someone named Charlotte, although, at least for Violet, I would have expected daughter.

Could this Charlotte Dunn be Zoe Young-Hanrott's mother? Her father, James Denoon Young, died in 1868. I searched for marriage records of Charlotte Young with Dunn, and found the following. First, BMD Marriage Index has Jun1877 Kensington 1a 129 Jabez Dunn and Charlotte Young. Further, London and Surrey, Marriage Bonds and Allegations 15 June 1877 records the oath of Jabez Dunn, Esquire that there was no impediment to his marriage to Charlotte Young, widow. Jabez Dunn died not long after (BMD Death Index Jun1879 Brentford 3a 75 Age:41), leaving Charlotte a widow once more for the 1881 census. All this would seem consistent with Charlotte Dunn being my 3x great grandmother. In any case, I have sent for the Dunn-Young marriage certificate.

Violet Young ought to be Charlotte's daughter, rather than niece. There is a baptism 19 August 1874 at Greenwich, East Church of Violet, daughter of James Denoon Young, Civil Engineer and Charlotte, his wife. Her father had died in 1868. It doesn't give a date of birth, but I suspect BMD Birth Index Mar1865 Wandsworth 1d 487.

However, for Charlotte Dunn to be our Charlotte Taylor, born 1826, the ages are all wrong! This 1881 Census for Charlotte Dunn gives 45 when she should be 55. Also Zoe Payne, born about 1840, is given as 35. Here are age records for Charlotte, assuming they are all the same person:
     1826 Baptism shows birthday as 15 January
     1841 Probable census with William and Sarah Taylor                                 age as 15
     1851 Census with mother Sarah Halton Taylor                                           age as 25
     1861 Census as Charlotte Young with children and stepchildren                  age as 31
     1871 Census as Charlotte Young, widow daughter Violet Young                age as 37
     1881 Census as Charlotte Dunn, widow shown above                                age as 45

These are all I have found so far, but clearly as early as 1861 some fudging of age is going on. But I do see the same phenomenon with Zoe Taylor, although her census age catches up with her chronological age by the time of her death.
     1840 Baptism 27 November, age unknown
     1851 Census with mother Sarah Halton Taylor                                           age as 10
     1881 Census as Zoe Payne, shown above                                                 age as 35
     1901 Census as Zoe Payen-Payne                                                             age as 58
     1911 Census as Zoe Payen-Payne                                                             age as 70
     BMD Death Index Dec1920 Greenwich 1d 1001                                      age as 80

I am certain that the 1881 through 1920 dates are for the same Zoe (and quite sure that the preceding ones are, as well), and I do see under-reporting of her age. Thus the same is quite plausible for Charlotte. I expect that the certificates I have ordered will confirm the identity of Charlotte Dunn. In which case surely Violet should not be niece, but daughter - maybe a census enumerator error. And who are the parents of Euphemia Chamberlain Young? In any case I will learn more of the family of origin of Zoe Young Hanrott.

A Change of Name

Changing one's name turns out to be easy (well, it did for me at least). My parents divorced, and subsequently remarried, so although my birth certificate and medical records have one name, that of my biological father, my school records were in my stepfather's name. When I turned 16, my grandparents paid for me to legally change my name to Stuart-Tilley, combining the two. This seems worth documenting to reduce the frustration of future genealogists wondering what happened to me! In fact my name had already changed by common usage to Tilley. However, on the change of name deed, I was changing from Stuart to Stuart-Tilley - the only time I have signed my name "Alan Stuart".

To return to Zoe Davina HaltonYoung. One question is when she acquired the name Hanrott. Another is her familial relationship with Mary Anne Dover Hanrott, listed in the same household as cousins in the 1871 census.

In the 1851 England Census, Charlotte Taylor was living in the same boarding house with her mother Sarah H Taylor (widow, age 51, born in Walbrook, Middlesex), and her future husband, James Denoon Young. On their parish marriage record her father is listed as William. Searching for a baptismal record of Charlotte Taylor, I found an entry for St Michael Royal, City of London for a double baptism on 2 March 1826 for William Lonsdale (born 19 July 1824) and Charlotte (born 15 January 1826), the children of William Taylor, Solicitor of 3 Clock Lane, and his wife Sarah Halton. Note that James Denoon and Charlotte name one of their sons Lonsdale Denoon; this is most certainly the baptismal record of Zoe's mother.

Incorporating this information, the next search (for a marriage record) revealed the marriage 13 December 1821 at St Thomas the Apostle, City of London between William Taylor and Sarah Halton Birkett, that is, Zoe's maternal grandparents. Looking for more parish register records of this name, I found what was labeled a burial, but on examination turned out to be a baptism, in fact two baptisms on May 26th and July 21st 1799 of Mary Ann (born 23rd January 1797) and Sarah Halton (born 28th April 1799), daughters of John Birkett and his wife Charlotte, of the parish of St Stephen Walbrook (Middlesex). These, then, are Zoe's grandmother, great-aunt and great-grandparents.

And so to research the wife of Howard Augustus Hanrott, the Solicitor,who turns out to be Mary Anne Dover Fearon, daughter of John Hodgson Fearon, Captain in the Army, according to the marriage record in 1862. By this time, he had been dead seven years, but has left to posterity some interesting records. The Asiatic Journal confirms his service in the 63rd Foot in Moulmein (now Mawlamyine), Burma, Mary Anne's birthplace. Another daughter had been born in 1836 in Madras. This is the period of the uniform depicted on Quality Street toffees (and, for privates, in the right-most illustration above). But in 1839, he left Burma on furlough for health reasons, and next shows up in copies of the London Gazette for 1843, seeking protection under the 1842 Act for the Relief of Insolvent Debtors. He was buried at St George Battersea in 1855.

Pallot's Marriage Index records the marriage of John Hodgson Fearon and Mary Ann Birkett in Croydon, 1833. Parish records, if they exist, could confirm these identities as the future Captain Fearon, and Zoe's great Aunt. If so, Mary Anne Dover Hanrott and Zoe Davina Halton Young were first cousins once removed, through the Birkett sisters who were baptized in 1799.

Mary Ann Birkett turns out to be a fairly common name. For example, one of the right age was an unmarried schoolteacher in the 1861 England Census. There is at least one other John Hodgson Fearon, baptized in 1825, possibly the son of the above from a previous marriage - although, obviously too young for an 1833 marriage!. Also the Pallot's Index has some anotations which have been transcribed as Esq. and Jas Wester. Esq[uire] could mean that he was "more than a gentleman", or that he was a lawyer, or many other things. But I wonder if the scrawled note is Ens[ign], the most junior infantry officer rank in 1833. I also wonder if the other words mean St Ja[me]s, Westm[inste]r, where the banns had been read, and then transferred to Croydon.

Having been unsuccessful searching the 1881 England Census for Zoe, I searched for Mary Anne Hanrott. The fuzzy-logic allowed for few enough possible hits for me to scroll someway down the first page to a "Mary B Henrott", Head, Widower, Age 42, Annuitant, born in the East Indies. In the same household, at 20 Edgerton Road, Greenwich, was ___ Henrott, Daur., Unm., Age 21. The ink is faint, but I can definitely make out "Zoe _ H Y Do", the "Do" being ditto for Hanrott!

Among the pleasures of genealogy are the historical snippets I discover as background information. A question has arisen of whether Zoe Young was adopted by the Hanrotts. Well, the legal answer would have to be no. I learned that adoptions were not formally recognized in the UK until 1926. However, historians also note that de facto adoptions must have been quite common given the mortality rate. According to probate records, when her father, James Denoon Young died in 1868, Zoe's mother was still alive. Zoe Young came to the Hanrott household before 1871 when she was eleven years old. I speculate that Charlotte Taylor died between 1868 and 1871. However she understood the adoption process, by 1881 Zoe had acquired the surname Hanrott, and Mary Ann reckoned her a daughter.

Howard Augustus Hanrott died in 1880, and so does not appear in the 1881 England Census. Mary Ann remarried in 1885 to Henry Cowland (the Legal Clerk who was residing at their household during the 1871 England Census, now an Estate Agent). 

One of the witness signatures to the wedding is that of Zoe Davina Halton Young Hanrott - in her own hand. In another year she would use this signature for the last time, as she married Ardeshir Kapadia.