Theatrical family - missing

[kiterunner]

Lorraine, did you get any answers about the school on the forum linked to below? I can't read the answers posted because I don't have an account but I assume you do.
https://forum.familyhistory.uk.com/t...-school.22964/

[kiterunner]

I have a feeling Catherine's surname might be Scott, not Poetl, but not found anything to confirm it yet. Or perhaps Poett.

[Lorraine Karen]

Thank you Phoenix

Violet and Horace were baptised outside of their parish having contacted the vicar there, so they weren't claiming parish relief, neither have we found any bastardy bonds or scandalous stories for the mothers claiming support from the fathers in the newspapers or courts. It seems that Priscilla was a very understanding and supportive mother to Violet's mother Eliza and Horace's mother Alice Thrasher/Grace Courtenay. Where was Violet in the 1891 census, have they hidden her in a room or taken her out so she wouldn't be registered - but why - Eliza's 'husband' doesn't appear either! Priscilla died in 1900 and Violet and Horace are sent to a boarding school in Southend in 1901, Alice Thrasher/Grace Courtenay found in boarding house living on own means in Kensington - an allowance? Why did Alice/Grace and Horace change their names from Thrasher to Courtenay (not by marriage).

Well that's a very good suggestion, PrisCILLA and SACILLIA or CeCILIA - Priscilla is living in Archel Road in the 1894 electoral register and Sacillia Lovell is living in Damer Terrace in the 1894 electoral register - the roads are 1.5 miles away - could someone register twice using two different names - why have two addresses?

Priscilla's daughter Louisa married Percy Frederick Atkins in 1905 - Percy uses Percy Thresher/Thrasher in the electoral registers but Atkins in the 1911 census - and he is a well known theatrical business manager reported in The Era, The Stage, other regional newspapers.

We only found this family because Grace and Horace were living separately, Grace married in 1901 after the 1901 census and Edward Leslie Court, Horace's cousin is living with Grace in the 1911 census - without this historical good luck not only would it have been impossible to trace this family and their story but also proving all the name changes!

Thanks for your help.

[Lorraine Karen]

Thank you Merry and Kiterunner

Nothing was ever found about the school or the matron Catherine, the local archives had no information on the school either, why would Louisa be in a boarding school away from her family - but so close by when her mother and sisters are in Chelsea, Belgrave and the boarding school is in Chelsea, Mayfair.

Catherine Poet died in 1885, born 1820, St George, Hanover Square, London

3 Market Mews is stables by 1901! Advertised in the newspaper.

[Merry]

Here's Catherine in 1861:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interacti...cklabel=Return

Born Donington Shropshire as before, aged 40, married (no husband listed) dressmaker at 10 Shepherd St, St George Hanover Square.

In 1851 she does have a husband! A butler named John Poets who is a British Subject born in France. They are at the same address as 1861.

I haven't found her in 1871 as yet. (or John Po*t* anywhere else!!)

This might be them:

Marriages Sep 1848

PALMER Catharine St Geo Han Sqr 1 63
Poets Jannot S. Geo Han Sqr. 1 63

Unfortunately I can't find an image for this marriage. I looked for her just in case she turned out to be connected to the family you are looking for, but I suppose it could be very difficult to know one way or the other!

There's also this birth in the right place:

POETS, JEAN BAPTISTE
WILDERE
GRO Reference: 1855 M Quarter in SAINT GEORGE HANOVER SQUARE Volume 01A Page 192

but different surname for Catherine and no sign of a death for Jean Baptiste.

I think Jean Baptiste may be a red herring as there is a baptism for Catherine Palmer at Lilleshall in Shropshire 27 Aug 1820 and the abode is Donington Wood. Parents are Moses (a miner) and Anne.

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Lorraine Karen

Well that's a very good suggestion, PrisCILLA and SACILLIA or CeCILIA - Priscilla is living in Archel Road in the 1894 electoral register and Sacillia Lovell is living in Damer Terrace in the 1894 electoral register - the roads are 1.5 miles away - could someone register twice using two different names - why have two addresses?.

Have you found Sacillia after 1894 or Priscilla before 1894 in the electoral record?

If not, it is possible that she moved and took up a new identity with the move.

I don't know the process for recording voters in Victorian elections, but imagine it was much as now: a fairly broad period of time in which you could register your intention to vote. If Sacillia is a voter straddling the 1891 census, she ought to appear somewhere in the area.

Nor do I know how the details were recorded, but if a clerk noted them, that could account for the number of "spelling mistakes", use of pet names etc.

[Lorraine Karen]

Thank you all.

Catherine Poet died 1885, the Matron of the boarding school where Louisa was boarding in 1881. Why would she be boarding when her family is living so close by, don't understand this at all, one less child to look after as her mother is a widow? Most of the girls there are born in the local London area and most of their mothers are widows.

Another forum has found Catherine Poet's burial records at Brompton Cemetery, the school where she worked is listed as Christ Church Schools.

We've looked up wedding witnesses, people boarding with the family, all available people on documents associated to this family, you never know what you might find!

We did find that when Louisa's sister Ruth Thrasher/Ruby Jezard married Albert Edward Court in 1900 their wedding witnesses were Arthur Brooks comedian, later gramaphone pioneer and Albert Kingsley artist!

The pattern I noticed with name changes are:
Violet Jezard is born in 1890 to Eliza Thrasher/Eliza Jezard - not married
The family then change their name to Torplow/Triplow in 1891 census - but Violet is not with her mother Eliza in the census or found in the census at all

Horace Thrasher later Horace Courtenay is born in 1893 to Alice Thrasher later Grace Courtenay (not marriage)
Priscilla then starts using Priscilla Jezard in the 1894 electoral register and she is found as Priscilla Jezard up until 1900 in the Kensington/Fulham areas as she dies in 1900

Sacillia Lovell is in the 1889, 1890 and 1891 electoral registers in the Chelsea/Kensington areas

Cecilia Lovell is in the 1894 electoral register

Have not been able to find an appropriate Sacillia Lovell/Cecilia Lovell in the 1891 census

How is a woman able to vote at this time period?

[kiterunner]

Some women could vote in local elections - see Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_suffrage_in_the_United_Kingdom

[Phoenix]

There were several categories of voters in the 1800s. Women could vote in local elections, but not in national ones. They appear in a separate category. Unfortunately, the electoral rolls do not describe the categories, but I think renting a property over a certain value. So widows and spinsters living independently would be eligible.

It has been glossed over recently, but universal male suffrage only started in 1918, and some women had a limited franchise before labouring males did.

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by kiterunner

Some women could vote in local elections - see Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_suffrage_in_the_United_Kingdom

That's interesting, Kite. Rates books - in Croydon at least - are riddled with errors, so if that's where the details were gleaned from it would explain some of the inaccuracies I've found.