Charles James Parsons and Eleanor Elizabeth Copeland

Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Marathon - geograph.org.uk/p/6732016

Charles James Parsons (b. 1867 in Rawalpindi, then India, now Pakistan, presumably an army brat) married Eleanor Elizabeth Copeland (b. 30 Sep 1881 in Gosport, Hampshire), daughter of Benjamin Copeland and Tamar Hockley, at All Saints Church, Shooters Hill, Plumstead, on 4 Nov 1899.

Charles James Parsons, Musician, joined the Royal Artillery, at 15 y & 3 m (record says appeared 14), at Woolwich, on 9 Sep 1882. He was 4ft 9¾in, with a fresh complexion, light hazel eyes and a fair complexion. In 1891, Charles James Parsons (23) Musician Royal Artillery, birth place India, was at the Royal Artillery Barracks, Artillery Place, Woolwich. He was reengaged at Woolwich on 4 May 1894 to complete 21 years service; promoted to Bombardier on 1 May 1895; Corporal on 5 Jul 1896 and Sergeant on 20 Oct 1899, then was permitted to continue beyond 21 years in 1903. Under next of kin, is "Father" Joseph Parsons, St John's Road, Deptford. No idea why parenthesis were used. At 41 years and 1 month on discharge, Charles James Parsons, who had been a Musician in the Royal Artillery Band, had grown to 5ft 9in. He was discharged after 3 months notice on 31 Jul 1908, after 25 years 327 days service, with his character described as 'Exemplary' and awarded a Silver Medal for long service and good conduct. 

In 1901, Charles James Parsons (33) Sergeant Royal Artillery Band and Eleanor E Parsons (19), were living - as a separate household - but at her parents' address at 27, Llanover Road, Plumstead.

However, Charles James Parsons died, aged 41, in 1909 M Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 760.

The couple's only daughter, Elsa Euphie Parsons was born, posthumously, on 4 Jun 1909 (1909 S Quarter in WOOLWICH Volume 01D Page 1203).

Eleanor Elizabeth Parsons, Widow, married Frederick William Watson (b. 25 Apr 1877 J Quarter in WOOLWICH Vol 01D Page 1046), son of Frederick Watson and Martha Emma Thompson, in Woolwich, on 2 Jun 1910.

Frederick William Watson, Musician, had joined the Royal Garrison Artillery, at 18 y & 4 m, at Woolwich on 6 Sep 1895. He was then 5ft 4¼in, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. He had a small mole on the right side of his nose. In 1901, Frederick Watson (23) Soldier Royal Artillery Band, was at the Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich Common.

Frederick William and Eleanor Elizabeth Watson added one son:

1. Frederick Charles Watson b. 13 Mar 1911 (Reg: 1911 J Quarter in WOOLWICH Vol 01D Page 1143), bap. 7 Jun 1911, in Plumstead.

In 1911, Frederick William Watson (33) Sergeant Royal Artillery Band from Woolwich, Kent; Eleanor Elizabeth Watson (29) born in Gosport, Hants; Frederick Charles Watson, son, under one month; Elsa Euphie Parsons (1) Stepdaughter and Jessie Alice Green (28) Visitor, were at 23 Belford Grove, Woolwich. (Jessie Alice Green was Eleanor's first cousin, daughter of Charles Green and Sarah Ann Hockley, who was her mother's youngest sister.)

Frederick William Watson served in France three times during and after World War I, in 1915/16 and again in 1919, finally being discharged on 25 Jul 1919. He was also awarded long service and good conduct medal.

In 1921, Frederick William Watson (44) Musician working for Mrs Davis at the Marble Arch Pavilion Cinema (the cinema then was equipped with a Jones straight pipe organ, which is presumably what Frederick played); Eleanor Elizabeth Watson (39), Elsa Euphie Parsons (12) and Frederick Charles Watson (10) were living at 16, Herbert Road, Plumstead.

On 6 May 1924, Frederick Charles Watson, son of F W Watson, Musician of 36, Ellerslie Road, W12, was admitted to Latymer Upper School, public school in Hammersmith, his previous school having been Woolwich Polytechnic. Frederick Charles Watson stayed at Latymer for the Summer 1924, Autumn 1924, Spring 1925, Summer 1925, Autumn 1925, Spring 1926 terms, leaving on 5 Mar 1926 for a Clerkship, Estate Agents & Surveyors.

In 1939, Frederick W Watson, Porter (Flats) and Eleanor Watson were living at 1a Challoner Mansions, Challoner Street, West Kensington.

It appears that Eleanor Watson may have died, at 80, in 1962. 

Elsa Euphie Parsons married William Arthur Connelley, son of William Connelley and Marian Jenny Cook, in Camberwell, in 1935. In 1939, William A Connelley (b. 15 Aug 1911) Postman and Elsa E Connelley, Solicitor's Clerk, were living at 8 York Close, Merton, Surrey. William Arthur Connelley of 99 Erith Road, Belvedere, Kent died, at 52, at St Nicholas Hospital, Plumstead on 2 Sep 1963 and left over £6500 to his widow, Elsa Euphie Connelley. Elsa Connelley of 122 Grove Road, Sutton, Surrey, died on 17 Apr 1992 (Q2/1992 in SUTTON (2542) Volume 15 Page 478).

Frederick Charles Watson of 29 Elmwood Drive, Ewell, died 10 Jul 1985 (Q3/1985 in SURREY SOUTH EASTERN (7603) Volume 17 Page 944).

Vincent Hepworth and Mary Ann Rogers

Entrance to Wyvern Barracks, Topsham Road, Exeter
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Smith - geograph.org.uk/p/5073188

Vincent Hepworth (b. 2 Sep 1842 in Wakefield, Yorkshire), son of Vincent Hepworth and Maria Bevit, married Mary Ann Rogers (bap. 15 Feb 1852 in South Tawton, Devon), daughter of Richard Rogers and Martha Perkins, in Exeter, Devon, on 23 Oct 1871, according to the Register Of Marriages & Baptisms, C Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery. Gunner, Vincent Hepworth (31), in 1871, was stationed at The Artillery Barracks Heavitree, now Wyvern Barracks, originally simply called Artillery Barracks to distinguish them from the Cavalry Barracks (Higher Barracks). The hidden secrets behind the walls of Exeter's Wyvern Barracks detail the [dire lack of] facilities at the installation. If Annie went to live there with her husband, I hope she wasn't expecting much: "... these barracks lacked accommodation for married soldiers – families being separated from other soldiers by a blanket hanging across the room."

Vincent and Annie had at least 13 children, including one pair of twins:

1. Albert Vincent Hepworth b. 1872 S Quarter in EXETER Vol 05B Page 81, bap. 1 Sep 1872 in Whimple, Devon, according to the Register Of Marriages & Baptisms, C Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery. The original church baptism record lists Vincent's occupation as "Officer's Servant".
2. Edith Mary Hepworth b. 30 Mar 1875, bap. 21 Apr 1875 in Kirkee (now Khadki), India
3. George Horbury Hepworth b. 30 Jan 1878, bap. 21 Feb 1878 in Kirkee (now Khadki), India
4. Thomas Richard Hepworth b. 21 Jan 1880, bap. 22 Feb 1880 in Throwleigh, Devon
5. Marie Ann Hepworth b. 28 Jun 1881 in SAINT THOMAS Volume 05B Page 71, bap. 1 May 1890 at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter
6. Soffie Hepworth b. Dec 1882 in SAINT THOMAS Vol 05B Page 72, died aged 9 weeks and buried on 14 Feb 1883, at St Thomas, Exeter
7. William Henry Hepworth b. Dec 1882 in SAINT THOMAS Vol 05B Page 72, died at 9 weeks and buried on 14 Feb 1883, at St Thomas, Exeter
8. Charles Hepworth b. 1884 S Quarter in SAINT THOMAS Volume 05B Page 70, died 1884 D Quarter in SAINT THOMAS Volume 05B Page 44
9. Rosa Bessie Hepworth b. 20 Mar 1886 in SAINT THOMAS Volume 05B Page 65, bap. 1 May 1890 at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter
10. Eveline Maud Hepworth b. 15 Feb 1888 in SAINT THOMAS Vol 05B 66
11. Ethel May Hepworth b. 1890 J Quarter in EXETER Volume 05B Page 78, bap. 1 May 1890 at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter, died at 6 months in 1890 in EXETER and buried on 27 Sep 1890 at Holy Trinity Church
12. Ida Lily Hepworth b. 16 Sep 1891 in EXETER Volume 05B Page 71
13. Ivy May Hepworth b. 3 Nov 1892 in EXETER Volume 05B Page 82

Vincent Hepworth, previously a Boatman, enlisted in the Royal Artillery, on 21 Jan 1859, at Hull. He did two six-year tours to India, from 22 Jun 1859 to 11 May 1866 and from 16 Jan 1873 to 4 Dec 1879, the second time his wife went with him, because two of their children were born in India.

His army medical records show he was treated for Gonorrhoea, twice at age 24 and 26. He had ague (archaic name for malaria or another illness involving fever and shivering) twice in India; was twice treated there for hepatitis.

Tying in with the date of their return from India, Edith May Hepworth had been registered at Throwleigh And Gidleigh School, being previously listed at a school in Plymouth, in 1879, until she left that parish in Sept 1880.

Vincent Hepworth of the Coast Brigade, Royal Artillery, served for 22 years, 54 days. When he was discharged, at Plymouth, on 29 Mar 1881, at 42, he was 5ft 9in, with fresh complexion, grey eyes and light brown hair. 

Despite having returned to England by then, I haven't found Vincent, Annie or eldest son, Albert Vincent in 1881, but they were in St Thomas, Exeter for the birth of their child, Marie Ann, there that year. Edith M Hepworth (5) and George E Hepworth (3) were staying with their maternal grandparents, Richard and Martha Rogers at Murchington Village, Throwleigh, Devon.

In 1884, eldest son was causing trouble at the Castle of Exeter - Exeter Crown and County Court - when Albert Vincent Hepworth (11), son of a labourer of St. Thomas and another boy, William Way (12), were charged with stealing a cash-box containing £12 in gold and some silver coins. Hepworth claimed that his father was drunk and his mother took the money and gave it to him. They were spared prison or the Reformatory (Industrial School), but Hepworth was sentenced to six strokes with the birch rod.

In 1888 George Hepworth and Richard (Thomas Richard) Hepworth, of 25 Friars' Walk, St. Thomas, were registered at Exeter Episcopal School, from where Richard was sent home in 1889 for theft and George left, confirmed truant. It is perhaps not unexpected that George Horbury Hepworth (12) was sent, on 2 Jan 1890, by Exeter Court - for stealing a bottle of sweets from a shop - to the Devon and Exeter Boys Reformatory, Brampford Wood.

In 1891, Vincent Hepworth (49) Foundry labourer from Wakefield, Yorkshire, was living at Laura Cottages, Horse Lane, Exeter, Devon with wife A (Annie) Hepworth (39) Midwife; A V (Albert Vincent) Hepworth (18) Plaster & mason; Edith M Hepworth (16) Dressmaker apprentice; Thomas R Hepworth (11), Marie A Hepworth (9), Rose B Hepworth (5) and Maude E (Eveline Maud) Hepworth (3). George, obviously, was still away at reform school.

Vincent Hepworth died, aged 51, and was buried on 4 Jun 1893 at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter.

In 1896, Richard Hepworth and another lad were summoned before Exeter Police Court for riding a bicycle without a light at 10:10pm.

In 1901, Annie Hepworth (49) widow, Midwife, was living at 28, Friars Walk, Exeter, Devon, with Richard Hepworth (22) Artist; Marie Hepworth (19) Dressmaker; Maude Hepworth (13), Ida Hepworth (9), May Hepworth (8), Martha Rogers (70) widow (wrongly listed as Hepworth, but this is clearly Annie's mother) and a 69 year old boarder, a plumber named James.

On 26 Dec 1908, Annie Hepworth remarried, at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter to Henry Wood Adams, widower. (His previous wife, who he married on 22 Jul 1877 at the church of St Matthew, East Stonehouse, Plymouth, was Phillis Prudence Adams (coincidence or cousin?), and had died, in 1903.)

Henry Wood Adams had enlisted on 3 Aug 1882, in the Royal Engineers, which took him to Gibraltar, Bermuda, Crete, Malta and to South Africa between 1899 and 1902, serving in the Second Boer War. He was discharged on 2 Aug 1903, at Colchester after the termination of his second period of engagement, having achieved the rank of Sergeant.

In 1911, Henry Wood Adams (55) Carpenter and Army Pensioner, was living at 13 Beaumont Avenue Plymouth, with wife Annie Adams (58) and step-daughter, Ivy May Hepworth (18) Dressmaker.

Henry Wood Adams died, aged 76, in 1933 J Quarter in ST. THOMAS Volume 05B Page 58.

Mary Ann otherwise Annie Adams of 95 Monks Road, Exeter, died, aged 82, on 5 May 1934 (1934 J Quarter in EXETER Volume 05B Page 101), leaving effects of £1156 19s 10d to Edith Mary Dare (wife of Mark Dare) and Ida Lily Soppit (wife of Benjamin Tompson Soppit).

• Albert Vincent Hepworth married Mary Ellen Garrard in Poplar, London, in 1897. In 1901, Police Constable Albert Hepworth (who earlier earned six lashes for stealing) from Exeter, Devon was living at 3, St Leonards Avenue, Bromley, Poplar with wife Ellen, sons Christopher and George and uncle William Rogers. By 1911 they'd moved to 46 Stanley Road, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex. Albert V Hepworth died, in Hendon, Middlesex, in 1927, aged 56.
• Edith Mary Hepworth married Mark Dare on 10 Oct 1898 at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter. Edith Mary Dare died, aged 60, on 12 Sep 1935, in Topsham and Mark Dare went on to marry his housekeeper, Beatrice Gale, in 1940. Mark Dare died in 1955.
• George Horbury Hepworth (18) enlisted in the Devonshire Regiment on 13 Feb 1896, at Exeter and was transferred to his father's old regiment, Royal Artillery, on 25 Mar 1896, but he deserted at Aldershot on 14 Aug 1896, re-joining 8 days later, awaiting trial for desertion. He was imprisoned in 1898 and finally discharged in 1908, having served in India from 1898 to 1904. In 1939, George Hepworth, Builders Labourer, single, was in Coventry (was he sent?) George H Hepworth died in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, in 1960, at 82.
• [As yet] I can find no further records that relate to Thomas Richard Hepworth, beyond 1901. However, it's interesting to see him then described as an Artist, as renowned artist and sculptor, Dame Barbara Hepworth (1903–1975), was from Wakefield, where his father, Vincent Hepworth, was also born. Could there be a distant connection? That would be another story entirely! 
• Marie Ann Hepworth married Reginald Louis Parr, in Exeter, in 1903. In 1911, they were  in Barton Road, St Thomas, Devon. 
• Rosa Bessie Hepworth married Lewis Albert Parr at St Mary's Church Plympton, on 24 Jul 1915. Lewis A Parr died, aged 53, in Exeter, in 1935. In 1939, Rosalie (Rose Bessie) Parr, widow, was living at 35 Torre Court, Yeovil, Somerset, described as a Qualified Nurse. Rose Bessie Parr died, aged 82, on 13 Nov 1970, in Exeter. 
• Evelyn Maud Hepworth married Arthur Charles Hawker on 23 Oct 1913 at St Mary's Church Plympton and in 1939, was also living at 35 Torre Court, Yeovil, Somerset. Evelyn Maud Hawker died, aged 86, in Wolverhampton, in 1974.

James Maslin and Ann Jones

Former St James church, New Cross
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Stephen Craven - geograph.org.uk/p/843636
St James, Hatcham was created in 1845 from Deptford, St Paul. The church
was designed by W Granville and consecrated on 17 October 1854.

James Maslin (20) Blacksmith of 9 Clifton Hill (Clifton Rise?), son of William Maslin, Brass Finisher, married Ann Jones (20) of 10 Vance Street, Deptford, daughter of John Jones, at St James Hatcham on 22 Oct 1877. Witnesses to their marriage appear to be William Campbell and Ann Rugg. However ...

In 1881, James Maslin (23) Blacksmiths Labourer was living as husband and wife with Jessie 'Maslin' (21) Collar Ironer, reputedly from Southwark, in the household of James' parents, William George Maslin and Charlotte Bland. 

(There was a death of an Annie Maslin, aged 19, in Greenwich, in 1878, but after much research, I'm convinced this relates to the unmarried daughter of a Joseph Maslin in Deptford, so I can find no further records, that can be corroborated, of Ann who had married James Maslin. And I'm certain that Jessie isn't Ann using a nickname as there are too many differences.)

James and Jessie had three children:

1. Jessie Elizabeth Maslin b. 1883 J Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 994, bap. 6 Jul 1883 in Hatcham, presumably St James Hatcham
2. Florence Charlotte Maslin b. 1886 J Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 1021, bap. 23 Jan 1890 at St James Hatcham
3. James Thomas Maslin b. 1890 M Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 1032, bap. 23 Jan 1890 also at St James Hatcham

(Hatcham largely corresponds to the area around New Cross.)

All three children have the mother's maiden name listed as Dunford. On Jessie Elizabeth's baptism, her mother's name is also Jessie Elizabeth; on those of Florence and James, their mother is listed only as Jessie. Those records are the only sources for identifying who she was, because I found no previous records of a Jessie or Jessie Elizabeth Dunford anywhere, let alone near Southwark ~1860. There's no record of a marriage between James and Jessie either, and if they knew he wasn't free to marry, that makes sense.

In 1891, one of two families living at 15 Batavia Road, New Cross were James Maslin (33) Blacksmiths Labourer, Jessie Maslin (31), Jessie (8), Elizabeth (5) - surely, they mean Florence Charlotte - and James (1).

Jessie Maslin died, at 35, in 1895 M Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 905. She was discharged from the Poor Law Hospital in Greenwich (St Alfege's Hospital), having died there at 8:35 am on Saturday, 2 Mar 1895.

In 1901, James Maslin (43), listed as single, and employed as a Potman (a man employed in a public house to collect empty pots or glasses), was living at the (Common Lodging House), (formerly Brunswick House), 124, Tanners Hill, St Paul Deptford (Common Lodging Houses, also known as the doss-house, were an option for those who could scrape together a few pence to stay out of the workhouse, though they were scarcely any better and notorious for overcrowding); Eldest daughter, Jessie E Maslin was employed as a General domestic servant in the household of Sydney T Wayment (33) Grain merchant at 194, High Street, St Nicholas Deptford; Cannot be sure of where Florence Charlotte was in 1901, but at 15, she was almost certainly also in a situation somewhere as a domestic servant; Son, James Maslin (11) from New Cross, Surrey, was a boarder in the household of Edward Cheeseman (39) Potman (public house) at 4, Morden Street, Greenwich. 

James Maslin died, aged 44, in 1901 D Quarter in GREENWICH Volume 01D Page 667, having been discharged from the Poor Law Hospital in Greenwich on 26 Dec 1901. Reason for discharge, simply reads 'Dead'.

• In the 2nd quarter of 1910, Florence Charlotte Maslin married Albert Robert Williams, in Woolwich. In 1911, Albert Robert Williams (25) Soldier A S Corps, Sergeant, from Clonmel, Tipperary; Florence Charlotte Williams (24) from Deptford and their one-and-a-half month old son, Robert Ronald Williams, were living at Caxton House, Godfrey Hill, Woolwich. 2nd child, Irene Dorothy Williams, was born, in Woolwich, in 1912.
• James Maslin (21), in 1911, was with the 2nd Battalion The King's Shropshire Light Infantry, in Trimulgherry (Tirumalagiri), India.

Elnathan Ayres and Elizabeth Perry

St Mary Matfelon's footprint, Whitechapel
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Natasha Ceridwen de Chroustchoff - geograph.org.uk/p/1278357

Elnathan Ayres (b. 17 Jul 1752) Bachelor, son of Elnathan Ayres and Martha Travally, married Elizabeth Perry (b. 28 Aug 1749) Spinster, daughter of John Perry and Ann Watlington, at St Mary's, Whitechapel (St Mary Matfelon), Whitechapel High Street, on 3 Oct 1771. Witnesses were William Dalton and Sarah Dalton; Esther Travally (Elnathan's aunt or cousin) and Ann Perry. 

(Sarah Dalton (née Travally) and her sister Elizabeth Travally, who was my 5x great-grandmother, were Elnathan Ayres' first cousins, daughters of Winnall Travally and Elizabeth Benbow. Winnall Travally, my 6th great-grandfather, thus was Elnathan's uncle; his mother's brother. As both Elnathan and his father were shipwrights and since the Daltons later lived in a house built by John Perry (shipbuilder), the founder of the Blackwall Yard, which built ships for the East India Company, I was certain Elizabeth Perry was related - she was John Perry's youngest sister. Elnathan Ayres was my 1st cousin seven times removed, as our nearest common ancestors were Thomas Travally and Rachel Winnall - his grandparents and my 7x great-grandparents.)

Elnathan Ayres had at least eight children with Elizabeth Perry:

1. Elnathan Boulton Ayres b. Saturday, 5 Dec 1772, son of Elnathan, Shipwright of Queen Street and Elizabeth, bap. 30 Dec 1772 at St Anne, Limehouse (at 25 days old). Elnathan Ayres of Queen St, aged 2 years, 6 months, was buried at St Anne, Limehouse on 4 Jun 1775
2. Elizabeth Ayres b. ~Jul 1774. Elizabeth Ayres of Queen Street was buried at St Anne, Limehouse on 21 May 1775, aged 10 months.
3. Elizabeth Ayres b. Friday, 25 Sep 1778, bap. 18 Oct 1778 (at 23 days old), as Betsey Ayres daughter of Elnathan Ayres (Shipwright, Ropemakers Fields) & Eliz, at St Anne's Limehouse 
4. Martha Travally Ayres bap. 8 Oct 1780 at St Mary, Redcliffe, Bristol
5. George Ayres bap. 31 Mar 1782 at St Mary, Redcliffe, Bristol
6. Charlotte Ayres bap. 9 Jun 1784 at St Mary's Church, Rotherhithe
7. Sage Boulton Ayres bap. 2 Jun 1786 at St Mary's, Rotherhithe
8. Martha Ayres b. Sunday, 4 Sep 1796, bap. 9 Oct 1796 at St Dunstan's, Stepney (baptism specifies that she was 35 days old)

For the last child in 1796 to be also named Martha, it's clear that Martha Travally Ayres born in 1780 must have died (not found record) and makes sense of the order the children are later listed on Elnathan Ayres' will.

Eldest son and daughter Sage, were given the middle name Boulton, which had to be significant. Richard Boulton was one of four partners - all retired sea captains who had worked for the East India Company and were members of London's shipping community - who had owned the Blackwall Yard (The Ownership of Blackwall Yard, 1724–79). Boulton, was a London merchant and an important figure in the East India Company, of which he was a director from 1718 to 1736 and on the Committee for Shipping from 1723 until 1726. He was a member of the Honourable Company of Shipwrights. During the 1720s Elizabeth's grandfather, Philip Perry, worked as manager for John Kirby and was later employed in a similar capacity by Collett and Boulton. (Blackwall Yard: Development, to c.1819). And her brother, John Perry, purchased the yard from Boulton, Gosfreight and partners. 

Elnathan Ayres was listed among European inhabitants in Bengal, excluding those in the service of the East India Company or the Crown 1805.

The will of Elnathan Ayres is a real eyebrow-raiser and probably creates more mysteries than questions it answers, but its highlights include:

In the Name of God: Amen: I Elnathan Ayres, Ship Wright of the Town of Calcutta Bengal being in bodily Health, and of sound and disposing memory; and considering the Evil, Dangers and other Uncertainties of this transitory life, do (for avoiding Controversies after my Decease) make, publish and declare this My last Will and Testament, in manner following:- that is to say, first I recommend my Soul to God, who gave it; and my body I commit to the Earth, or Sea, as it shall please God to order; and for and concerning all my Worldly Estate, I give bequeath and dispose thereof as followeth; that is to say; First I Will, that all my just Debts and funeral Charges be paid and discharged by my Executors hereinafter named and Secondly that my House and all my Effects be turned into ready money as soon as conveniently may be and Disposed in the manner following, Viz, I leave and bequeath to my son James Ayres, born in Calcutta the Sum of Sicca Rupees [1] three thousand five hundred to be laid out by my Executors, at Interest on good Security, for his Education (which is not to be under the charge of his mother), the principal not to be given to him untill (sic) he becomes of Age the remainder of my property I leave to my Wife Elizabeth Ayres of the parish of St Mary's Rotherhiethe (sic) London and in case of her Death to be equally Divided between my four children in England, Viz: George Ayres, Charlotte Ayres, Sage Ayres and Martha Ayres, of the parish Aforesaid and to my Oldest Daughter Elizabeth Ayres, I only leave one Rupee and in case of the Death of my son James born in this country before he becomes of age, then the property left him to go to my Children in England, to be equally Divided as above, and I do hereby nominate and appoint James Horsburgh and George Watson of the Town of Calcutta to be Guardians of my Son James and Executors of this my last Will and Testament ... dated 7 Jul 1808.

From the will, I'm reading that Elnathan Ayres was acknowledging a - clearly illegitimate - child he fathered in India with someone other than his wife. Even without the details of his estate, we had to know he was wealthy enough to do so. There is a transcript of the baptism record of James Ayres, son of Elnathan Ayres, born on 3 Feb 1809 and baptised on 26 Feb 1809, in Bengal, India. The record doesn't say who the mother was. The Will must have been drawn up as soon as Elnathan knew she was carrying the child. Alas, there's also a transcript of a burial record for James Ayres described as "Poor Boy From Free School", Race: White (if one were to speculate, I'd bet his mother was a western woman and more than likely someone else's wife, hence Ayres was taking responsibility for the child's upbringing), on 1 Dec 1812 at Fort William, West Bengal, India. Sadly, I'm sure this was the same child.

[1] Sicca Rupee - a rupee issued in Bengal before 1836 weighing more than the rupee of the British East India Company.

One wonders what eldest daughter Elizabeth had done to deserve the indignity of being left only 1 Rupee!

Elnathan Ayres was buried on 25 Apr 1812, in Fort William, West Bengal, India. On the original record of 'Burials at Calcutta Fort William in Bengal A.D. 1812', it reads: "Mr E Ayres Ship Builder at Sulkea Shot Himself." One assumes this was not accidentally. Was it because of the scandal and shame of his indiscretion, or was there some other reason? I'm sure we'll never know.

(Sulkea (now Salkia), is a neighbourhood in Howrah of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal, opposite Calcutta (now Kolkata). It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, the westernmost distributary of the Ganges. Sulkea, originally a place where salt was brought and stored in warehouses, was one in a long list of shipyard locations on the Hooghly River in the early 19th century. The area was of truly global significance, enduring for centuries. Because of the rich textiles like muslin and silk, it attracted merchants, missionaries, mercenaries, statesmen, labourers and others from Europe and beyond, making it a mini 'Europe on the Hooghly'!)

His Executors presented his will before the Honourable Sir Henry Russell Knight Chief Justice at the Supreme Court in Fort William on 29 Apr 1812. The Executors produced an immensely detailed inventory of his possessions, dated 9 May 1812, right down to teaspoons and six pairs of cotton stockings and even 'a bag with salt'. It also showed that Elnathan Ayres' estate totalled £8282 3s 6d (well over a million pounds now), of which almost £5,000 was to be paid to the Ayres Family in England. Clearly he was no ordinary shipwright. Probate was granted in England on 2 Apr 1816.

It appears Elizabeth Ayres (née Perry) died, age listed as 61, and was buried on 6 Feb 1815 at St Anne, Limehouse, so probate followed her death.

Even with this detail, I'm sure there's a much bigger story yet to uncover.

Elnathan Ayres and Martha Travally

The east end of St. Katharine's Church, the chapel of the hospice founded by Queen Matilda.

Elnathan Ayres (b. 1724), bachelor, married Martha Travally (b. 29 Jan 1716), spinster, daughter of Thomas Travally and Rachel Winnall at the Collegiate Church of St Katherine By the Tower, on 25 Sep 1748. (St Katharine by the Tower on map c. 1720. The church was destroyed in 1825 to make way for the new St Katharine Docks.) The licence says that Elnathan was 24 years old, and a Shipwright from the parish of St Anne's Limehouse. He paid a bond of £200, a huge sum at that time. Martha's age was listed as twenty-five. 

Elnathan Ayres, I am certain was the son of Elnathan Ayres and Mercy Mary Jones of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Other records suggest that Martha's husband was born in America and more still list their son as American. It's such a distinctive name that it would be hard to imagine he WASN'T connected. Both Nathaniel and Elnathan appear to be family given names and the family appear to trace back to one John Ayres (b.~1616 in England), who had made his way to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The only record of a child of this couple was their son:

1. Elnathan Ayres b. 17 Jul 1752, bap. 19 Jul 1752 son of Elnathan Ayres, Shipwright of Pump Yard (Pump Yard, Ratcliffe cross, was parallel to Narrow Street, as shown on the map here at In Search of Old Ratcliffe) and Martha, at St Anne, Limehouse (2 days old)

The burial of Martha Ayres at St James, Piccadilly on 6 Mar 1755 appears to relate. Not [yet] found any further records for Elnathan Ayres Snr.

Francis Robert Blazey and Maria Emily Andrews

Church of St Thomas The Martyr, Oxford
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Dixon - geograph.org.uk/p/2030942

Francis Robert Blazey (b. 1 Aug 1833), eldest son of Francis Stephen Blazey and Hannah Minns, married Maria Emily Andrews (bap. 22 Mar 1840 at St Thomas the Martyr, Oxford), daughter of Charles Andrews and Eliza Sparks, at St Thomas the Martyr's Church, Oxford, on 22 Aug 1859. Witnesses to their marriage were William Griffin and Mary Ann Griffin.

Francis & Maria Blazey had two sons:

1. Francis Charles Blazey b. 1860 J Quarter in OXFORD Volume 03A Page 543, died aged 4 in 1864 S Quarter in WITNEY Volume 03A Page 418, buried 1 Aug 1864 at St Mary, Witney
2. William James Blazey b. 1863 S Quarter in WITNEY Vol 03A Page 589, bap. 13 Sep 1863 at St Mary the Virgin, Witney, Oxfordshire

In 1861, Francis Robert Blazey (27) Fireman, wife Maria (20) Dressmaker and their son, Francis Charles (1) and Samuel Blazey (19), Francis' younger brother, were living at 2, St Pauls Street, Blockhouse, Worcester.

The next record tells us Maria Andrews Blazey, wife of F. R. Blazey, Driver E.I.R. (East Indian Railway Company), died from Cancer on 4 Sep 1873, aged 32y 7m, and was buried on 5 Sep 1873 at Dinapore, Bengal, India. (Dinapore was a British garrison town in the 19th century, now called Danapur, it's about 10km NW of Patna, and 500km NW of Calcutta, now Kolkata.)

Francis Robert Blazey, 41, married Louisa Susan Stanley, 16 (b. 21 May 1857 and bap. 25 Jun 1857, at Poona (now Pune), India), daughter of Augustus George and Eliza Jemima Stanley, on 9 Apr 1874, in Dinapore, India.

Francis & Louisa Blazey added a daughter:

3. Alice Maud Stanley Blazey b. 21 Dec 1875, bap. 31 Jan 1876, in Dinapore, India

Both the marriage record for Francis and Louisa and the baptism record for Alice Maud Stanley Blazey give their residence as Khagoul (now Khagaul). A record dated 13 Jul 1880, relating to Francis Robert Blazey, Engineman, having membership of the Pioneer Lodge of the Freemasons, lists his residence as being in Assensole (now Asansol).

Louisa Susan Blazey died, aged 27, on 2 Mar 1884, at sea, aboard the India of Glasgow (of the British India Steam Navigation Company Glasgow & London), presumably on route to the UK, from Softening of the Brain (Cerebral softening, also known as encephalomalacia). The Inventory of the Estate of Mrs Louisa Susan Stanley amounted to three pages and a total of 6,463 (I assume pounds sterling, rather than Rupees) and included remittances to Francis Robert Blazey and for their daughter Alice Maud Stanley Blazey.

Francis Robert Blazey (51), Widower, Gentleman, of 9 Union Terrace, then married Eleanora Matilda Audric (24) at St James' Church, Norlands on 23 Apr 1885. The bride, of 161 Holland Road [Islington], listed as a Spinster, named her father as John [Jean] Baptiste François Audric, Cabinet Maker.

Francis & Elenora Blazey had two further children:

4. Constance Ellen Blazey b. 1890 J Quarter in ISLINGTON Volume 01B Page 224, bap. 1 Jun 1890 in Holloway, Islington, with parents listed as Francis Robert Blazey, Licenced Victualler, and Margaret Matilda Eleanor Blazey, of 54 Hampden Road, Islington - formerly the address of the now demolished Royal Oak Tavern
5. Harry Robert Blazey b. 5 Apr 1899 J Qtr in KENSINGTON Vol 01A Page 103, bap. 6 May 1899, son of Francis Robert, Retired Engineer, and Ellen Nora Blazey of 155 Holland Road

In 1891, at The Swan Inn, The Common, Kings Langley, Hertfordshire were Francis R Blazey (57) Publican; Margaret M Blazey (30) from Whitehaven, Cumberland; Alice Maud Blazey (15), Constance Blazey (0), Elizabeth Stiles (28) and Elenor E Stiles (1) Visitors and Maud Millers (9) Stepdaughter.

The Eastern Post of 3 Nov 1894 under Transfer of Licences in Tower Hamlets, "in the Parish of St Mary, Stratford, Bow: Milford Castle, Cadogan Terrace, Baptiste de Bolla to Francis Robert Blazey." This was a typo as it was the Mitford Castle, 129 Cadogan Terrace, Bow E9, a pub that, now gone, was already infamous then as the public house to which the victim, Thomas Briggs, was brought when his body was found on the tracks behind the pub on July 9 1864. He would later die and become the first ever murder victim on a British train. (An oddly ironic, if darkly appropriate, pub for an ex-train driver!)

In 1901, at 31, Sinclair Gardens, Hammersmith, were Francis R Blazey (68) Retired Engineer, Norah Blazey (39), Constance E Blazey (10), Harry R Blazey (2), daughter Alice Maud Trevail (25) - Alice married Herbert Fleming Trevail - Winifred S Trevail (0) Granddaughter, Katherine Pye (56) Boarder, Thomas R Cox (24) Boarder, Nellie Kent (19) General Domestic Servant, Margaret Bennet (56) Visitor and Kate Eames (47) Visitor - Sick nurse.

Francis Robert Blazey, listed as Frank Blazey, died in 1902 M Quarter in RICHMOND SURREY Volume 02A Page 309. Whilst the age at death appears to be 10 years adrift, this could indeed be a subtraction error, or seeing that he had a couple of younger wives, he may have been massaging his age.

Norah Blazey died on 14 Mar 1909 (1909 M Quarter in ST MARYLEBONE Volume 01A Page 442), age estimated as 45. Probate was granted on 20 April to Thomas Robert Cox Carpenter, the record lists, "BLAZEY, Margaret Matilda of Brook Side, Cat Hill, East Barnett, Middlesex, widow died 14 March 1909 at Middlesex Hospital, Gower Street, Middlesex. Effects £649 5s."

William James Blazey and Emma Greaves Marshall

St Bartholomews Cathedral Entrance - 86 Middle Road - Barrackpore - Kolkata
Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

William James Blazey (28) (bap. 13 Sep 1863 in Witney, Oxfordshire), Batchelor, Mechanic, younger son of Francis Robert Blazey and Maria Emily Andrews, married Emma Greaves Marshall (17) (b. 9 Jul 1874, bap. 15 Sep 1874 in Vepery, Madras (Chennai), India), Spinster, daughter of Robert Greaves Marshall and Jessie Charlotte Twigg, on 15 Jul 1891 at St Bartholemew's Church (now St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral), Barrackpore, Bengal, India. (Barrackpore Trip Guide – A walk down the forgotten history of the Oldest Cantonment). Both parties gave their address as Ishapore (later site of the Rifle Factory Ishapore). Ishapore was located near Barrackpore, outside of Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal. The first Arms Manufacturing facility on the site was a gunpowder factory, which makes complete sense to locate them both there as at the time of Emma's baptism, her father's occupation was described as 'Supervisor Gun Powder Manufactory'.

The couple had one son:

1. Frank Kenneth Blazey b. 27 Oct 1907, bap. 9 Dec 1907 at the Sibpur College Chapel (Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST, Shibpur), Shibpur. The university was founded as the Civil Engineering College in 1856. The baptism record lists his father's position as Foreman Instructor, C. E. College Sibpur.

Unusual for a first child to be born after 16 years of marriage, but after extensive searches, there is no evidence of any other children.

However, William James Blazey, Foreman Instructor, Civil Engineering College, Sibpur, died on 13 Jan 1908 at Howrah General Hospital from an aortic aneurysm. He was buried at the General Episcopal Cemetery, Calcutta (Kolkata) on 14 Jan 1908. The records list his widow and child, and inform us that both his parents were dead and that he had one brother and three sisters in England. The brother will have been his younger half-brother, Harry Robert Blazey; the half-sisters being: Alice Maud Stanley Blazey from his father's second marriage and Constance Ellen Blazey from his father's third marriage; the third sister must have been Maud Millers, his father's step-daughter.

Not unsurprisingly, Emma Greaves Blazey (34) Widow, then remarried to William Altmore Christian Hughes (26) (reportedly b. 1884 in Wales), Batchelor, Assistant Foreign Office, said to be son of William Le Maistre Hughes, at St. Stephen’s Church, Kidderpore on 7 Feb 1910.

But only 18 months later, William Altmore Christian Hughes, Clerk, Government of India, Foreign Department, died, aged 28, on 21 Sep 1912 from gangrene and consequent septicemia and was buried on 22 Sep 1912 at Simla, West Bengal. The record states that his mother was still alive and that he had a wife and one child (which will have been his step-child).

There is evidence to suggest that young Frank, then going by his step-father's surname as Frank Kenneth Hughes, was still in India, as the The Civil and Military Gazette of 4 Feb 1922 lists him among the school exam results (he would then have been 15) at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla.

A report in the Derby Daily Telegraph of 17 Apr 1930, concerning a man being knocked down by a motor-cycle names, "Frank Kenneth Hughes, aged 22, electrical engineer, of Codnor, the cyclist, escaped with slight injuries, but suffered from shock." Subsequent records persuade me this is 'our man' and suggests he therefore came to England between 1922 and 1930.

Initially, I hadn't found further records, but knowing that Blazey has been mis-spelled so many ways, I searched the 1939 register for 'Frank' with no surname and just his date of birth and found him as Frank K Hughes (b. 27 Oct 1907) Electrical Engineer, Sound Engineer & Cine Engineer, Married; Ida Hughes (b. 18 Aug 1912) [Frank K Hughes had married Ida Channon in Oxford, in 1936] and Frank's mother, Emma G Hughes (b. 9 Jul 1874) Government Clerk (Retired), Widow, at 15 Mayfair Road, Oxford.

Emma Greaves Hughes of 24 Lime Grove, Shepherds Bush, London, died, at 74, on 27 Nov 1948 (1948 D Quarter in HAMMERSMITH Volume 05C Page 805). Probate was granted to Frank Kenneth Hughes, electrical engineer. Emma left effects valued at £1250 8s 10d (almost £60K today).

(Frank Kenneth Hughes of 17 Welbeck Gardens, Toton, Nottinghamshire, died on 24 Oct 1976; Ida Hughes died on 5 Dec 1990, leaving a daughter.)