Progress Made in 2004

In the web site, I have included a summary of the research that I have undertaken into the Victorian Calling Book.

I published details of the project on the web hoping to : Find the Lady!

 

Progress Made in 2005

1891 Census for Hampshire

I purchased the Hampshire index to the 1891 Census published by the Hampshire Genealogical Society. With the 1881 Census I was able to print off the entries for the whole of Lymington and print off full details from the CD-ROM. The 1891 index gives areas by code. By using the codes, I was able to print off names of interest and I consulted the Census itself to find out where they lived.

I was able to identify some more names in the Calling Book, i.e. Archer Burton and Hockings.

West Galway Family History Society

The Victorian lady visited Galway in Jan-June 1985 and met approx 50 people. I e-mailed the West Galway Historical Society to ask if they can identify some of the people and places mentioned, some of which are difficult to read.

New Milton Advertiser

I asked that a letter about the Calling Book appear in the local paper.

Photographs

The opportunity was taken to take a photograph of Newlands Manor where the West (later Cornwallis West) family lived.

A note on the family was added later.

The Rookes of Lymington

I received an e-mail from Canada, with some very interesting information, from a descendant of Elizabeth Home (1810-1894). She married Leonard Charles Rooke (1797-1852), youngest son of Sir Giles Rooke and Harriet Sophia Burrard (two very important surnames in Lymington history).

Elizabeth and Leonard Rooke lived at Formosa House in Lymington and we know that our Victorian lady met the Rookes of Formosa and other members of the family including Mrs W Rooke and Mrs Rook (Woodside).

I added some photographs of Woodside Gardens:

Photographs of the Lymington area including Newlands Manor and Woodside Gardens

For the 10 Rooke entries, see Name Index:

 

Find the Lady! - Name Index

Progress Made in 2006

Identification of More Names in the Calling Book

The last six months of 2005 were devoted to furthering the research into the Calling Book. As a result, there was a sharp increase in the number of potential matches between:

• names identified from local research and
• names in the Calling Book (as shown in the Names Index)

 

1991 Census

I searched the 1991 Census records held on microfiche by the libraries in New Milton and Lymington, and found 24 more matches with names in the Calling Book.

Society of Genealogists

I visited the Society of Genealogists and cleared up 4 queries in the Galway list of names.

Interim Report

I published an Interim Report in paper format and sought the help of local historians. When I had their feedback, I published an initial report which I lodged with Lymington and New Milton Libraries.

The Extraordinary (Cornwallis) West Family

I added a brief summary of some of the events regarding Milford's most famous family, the Extraordinary (Cornwallis) West Family.

Donation of Calling Book

At long last I was able to donate the Calling Book and Interim Report to the St Barbe Museum in Lymington:

Donation of the Calling Book

I also lodged a copy of the Interim Report with the Christopher Tower New Forest Reference Library, which is situated on the First Floor of the New Forest Museum in Lyndhurst.

Publicising Interim Report

My letter to the Editor of our local paper the New Milton Advertiser and Lymington Times (the A & T) was duly published.

Sion Place, Sion Hill, Leeds

The Victorian lady recorded a visit to 8 (?) Sion Place, Sion Hill, Leeds in her Calling Book.

I found an entry in a local Yorkshire directory (Whites Directory of Leeds 1872), for Sion Hill, Thirsk:

List of West Riding Magistrates

Hon George Edwin Lascelles
Sion Hill, Thirsk

I am taking it that Sion Place, Sion Hill, Leeds was named after Sion Hill, Thirsk.

Progress Made in 2007

-

Progress Made in 2008

The Shrubb Family of Boldre

A descendant of Ida Marcia Augusta Shrubb (Marcia), searching the web about the influential Shrubb Family of Boldre, came across my web-site.

He set out some detailed and very interesting information about the Shrubb Family. This included the extraordinary 1899 wedding of Marcia Shrubb, to which the cream of local society was invited plus Daisy, Princess of Pless formerly Mary Cornwallis West:

The Shrubb Family in Boldre

Annie Fluder

He also gave me more information on Annie Fluder who is a good candidate to be the Lady who kept the Calling Book.

Annie Fluder

1873 Diary of Sybilla (Fluder) Shrubb

My correspondent usefully transcribed the 1873 diary kept by Sybella Shrubb and it presented a fascinating picture of life of a Victorian lady including the birth of her daughter Marcia on 11 March 1873 (Sundays were entered separately in the Diary):

Page from Diary - March 1873

Page from Diary - Sundays 1873

Introduction to Diary

Introduction to Diary

Transcript of Diary

Transcript of Diary

Names Index

Names Index

Arthur Edward Fluder

The husband of a descendant of Arthur Fluder advised me that Arthur was the sister of Sybilla Fluder who married John Shrubb.

Mary (Fitzpatrick) Cornwallis West

I was very pleased that a Fitzpatrick descendant had found my web site and pointed out a typing error!

Important Marriages and Name Changes

Correspondents advised me of other important marriages in the Symonds and Shrubb families so I have updated the "people" section of my research:

Important Marriages and Name Changes

The Castle/Sheepshanks Family

A correspondent made contact having seen the diary mentioned above in which Miss Castle and Mrs Sheepshanks are mentioned.

He was descended from the Castles and Sheepshanks. The Victorian lady who kept the Calling Book met a Mrs Castle and the lady herself could have been a Sheepshank.

Found the Lady! 2009

In December 2008 I identified Mary Florence Sophia (Fawcett) Murray as the best prospective candidate to be the Victorian Lady, who kept the Calling Book, so far. I have proved to my satisfaction that this is the Victorian lady who kept the Calling Book!!

Entries in the Calling Book

In the Victorian Calling Book are the following entries:

Efford Cottage, Lymington 1886

Mrs Blackwait
Warrens
Goff
West
Roberts

Hoopers Hill 1893(?)

Clinton
Roberts
Blunt (living at Hoopers Hill 1891)
Gordon
Langworthy etc

Criteria to be the Victorian Lady who kept the Calling Book

For the prospective candidate to be the Victorian lady:

- her name would not appear in the Calling Book (of course!)
- she would come from a well-connected family
- she would be the wife of a clergyman or military man who moved around the UK
- she would have lived in Lymington in 1883
- she would possibly have lived at Efford Cottage 1886 and Hoopers Hill 1893(?)
- she would possibly have links to York (1883)and Sion Place, Sion Hill, Leeds (1888?)
- she would possibly have links to Galway (1885)

Visit to Hampshire Record Office, Winchester

On Saturday 29 November 2008, I obtained three extra pieces of information from Hampshire Record Office which were the key to solving this puzzle:

1. per Kelly’s Directory of Hampshire 1885

Efford Cottage - Murray Henry S.

per Record Office Database

2. Efford Cottage

A. Appointment of a trustee to a marriage settlement (1897)
(i) Henry Fawcett late of Lymington now of Albert Bridge Road, Middx, gent and Mary Beatrice his wife
(ii) Henry Stuart Murray of Efford Cottage, Milford, esq

B. Deed poll by Warren Thomas Peacocke of Efford Cottage, Lymington (3 Dec 1906)

3. Hoopers Hill

Release of trusts of marriage settlement (1922)
(i) Henry Fawcett of 3 Wilbury Villas, Hove, Sussex, gent
(ii) Henry Stuart Murray of Hoopers Hill, Milton, major retired

Search in FreeBMD

I subsequently found out that Henry Stuart Murray married Mary Florence S Fawcett in Lymington in 1883 (the year of the first entries in the Calling Book).

The Calling Book may have been a wedding present or part of the information given to an officer's wife.

The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire

In December 2008, I was advised that:

In 1858 the 4th West York Militia (the Leeds Regiment) was raised in Leeds.

In 1881 the 2nd West York Light Infantry and the 4th West York Militia became the 3rd and 4th Militia Battalions, the Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire) Regiment.

Further information might be found in the archive research facility in the museum web-site:

www.pwo-yorkshire.museum

By feeding in Galway to their archives, I was astonished to find 2 photos taken in 1885:

1. The 1st Bn The Prince of Wales's Own (the West Yorkshire Regiment) taken at Renmore Barracks, Galway on 24 May 1885, the Queen's Birthday
- on which Henry Stuart Murray may appear

2. Regimental Family Outing Galway 1885
- on which Henry & Mary Murray may appear

Chronology of Events

This fills out the chronology of the events in Henry & Mary (Fawcett) Murray's lives:

1862 (2nd Quarter) Mary Fawcett born (parents Henry & Mary Fawcett)
1881 Mary (age 18), Parents and Family living at Wainsford House, Milford (per Census)
1883 Married (First Quarter) in Lymington
1883 In York (April-May)- Entry in Calling Book
1885 In Galway (Jan-June) - Entry in Calling Book
1885 Living at Efford Cottage (per Kelly’s)
1886 Meeting at Efford Cottage - Entry in Calling Book
1888(?) In Sion Place, Sion Hill, Leeds - Entry in Calling Book
1891 Henry Murray, Captain, 4th West Yorkshire Regiment - Living at Efford Cottage (per Census)
1893(?) Meeting at Hoopers Hill – Entry in Calling Book
1897 Living at Efford Cottage (per marriage settlement)
1901 Major, 4th West Yorkshire Regiment - Living at Efford Cottage (per Census)
1906 Warren Thomas Peacocke living at/owner of Efford Cottage
1922 Living at Hoopers Hill (per marriage settlement)

Conclusions

Mary Murray meets all of the criteria to be the Victorian lady!!!

Progress 2010

Visit of the Victorian Lady to Galway in 1885

Two cousins contacted me. They are descendants of some of the families mentioned in the Calling Book, namely Jesson, Nelson Palmer, Palmer and Stephens.

They provided some information about the families which I have added to a summary about the Galway entries:

Entries in the Victorian Calling Book - Stay in Galway 1885

Progress 2011

Efford Cottage, Everton

I have proved that the Victorian lady who kept a Calling book in 1883-1893 was Mary (Fawcett) Murray:

Find the Lady! - Final Report

For a time she lived at Efford Cottage, Everton described as the dower house to Efford House.

A correspondent contacted me to say that he lived at Efford Bower (no relative!) which may have been the dower house and he was investigating the house's history.

Captain John Whitby

Captain Whitby sailed under Nelson and Cornwallis and his wife helped Admiral Cornwallis develop Newlands Manor in Milford (now Milford on Sea). Mary (Fawcett) Murray appears to have met his daughter Mrs West.

I was contacted by a descendant of Captain Whitby. He was her 5 x Great Grandfather and I was able to put her in touch with someone who has undertaken a great deal of research into the Whitby family.

Jesson, Palmer, Nelson Palmer and Stephens Families

Mary (Fawcett) Murray accompanied Major Murray when his regiment was in Galway.

One of the entries in the Calling Book was for Nelson Palmer and I was contacted by the 2 x Great Grand-daughter of Thomas Palmer who was a cousin of Nelson Palmer.

I was able to put her in touch with two people who gave me the information on the Jesson, Palmer, Nelson Palmer and Stephens families.

Hoopers Hill, Miton 1911

A correspondent sent me 2 valuable items:

1. A copy of the 1911 Census entry for Hoopers Hill

Hoopers Hill, Angel Lane, Milton near Ashley Clinton

Henry Stuart Murray (49) Retired Major H M Army born Edinburgh
Mary Florence Sophia Murray (48) born Lymington, Hampshire
Ruby Claudia Stuart Murray (19) born Lymington, Hampshire
Geoffrey Howard Reynolds (24) Visotor/Estate Pupil born Brockenhurst, Hampshire
plus servants

History of Solicitors Moore & Blatch and Bellevue House, Lymington

2. Pages from a local history publication including Solicitors Moore & Blatch and Bellevue House.

There are 6 names mentioned in the publication that appear in the Calling Book:

Moore& Blatch, Lymington

St Barbe
Rawlins (1880)
Vores (1891)
Daniel (after 1878)

Bellevue House, Lymington

Misses Noakes (from 1871)

Edition of Heir Hunters broadcast on BBC2 1.12.2011

Chris and I were watching a TV programme (a repeat, of course!) Heir Hunters on BBC2 on 1 December 2011, when we were surprised by the inclusion of a recent addition to the estate of Frederick West of Ruthin Castle (father of Frederick Richard West who married Theresa Whitby).

The programme plotted the fascinating history of the Cornwallis West Family:

The Extraordinary Cornwallis West Family

I sent a summary of the content of the programme to two ancestors of William Cornwallis West and Mary Fitzpatrick (Patsy).

Fuller description of the programme

Heir Hunters BBC2 1 December 2011

Colin Bower
1 January 2012

Find the Lady! Final Report