Descendants of Philip Furse

1. Philip Furse was born <1650> and was buried on 27 Mar 1720 in Spreyton, Devon.

General Notes: Philip seems to have lived most of his life at Spreyton in Devon, certainly all his children were baptised there and he & his wife were buried there. Interestingly, however, amongst Furse family papers there is a lease for a term of one year to Philip from a Henry Bellew of Stockleigh English. The lease was granted in 1680 by Henry Bellew to "his nephew Phillip Furse of Spreyton" and it was for the Halsdon Estate in the parish of Dolton; it is thought by the Furse family to be the beginning of its long connection with that property but how the property came into Furse ownership is not known. Perhaps, Philip purchased it at a later date.

Henry Bellew had a sister Elizabeth who married a John Furse at Stockleigh English on 24th June 1639. It seems very likely therefore that Philip Furse's parents were John and Elizabeth but no baptismal record for a Philip Furse with that parentage has yet been found (2003) to confirm that inference. Also, Henry's and Elizabeth's father was Philip Bellew so Philip may also have taken his forename from his maternal grandfather. ¹ ^,2

Philip married Elizabeth Clarke ¹ ^,4 on 16 Jul 1674 in Spreyton, Devon ¹.^,3 Elizabeth was buried on 27 Oct 1704 in Spreyton, Devon.^⁵

+ 2 M i. John Furse ⁴ was baptized on 24 Dec 1675 in Spreyton, Devon ^⁶ and died before 1744.

3 M ii. Thomas Furse ⁴ was baptized on 19 Jun 1677 in Spreyton, Devon.^⁷

+ 4 M iii. Philip Furse ⁴ was baptized on 28 Feb 1678/79 in Spreyton, Devon.^⁸

5 M iv. Marmaduke Furse ⁴ was baptized on 29 Dec 1680 in Spreyton, Devon.^¹⁰

7 M vi. Henry Furse ⁴ was baptized on 16 Sep 1684 in Spreyton, Devon ^¹² and was buried on 16 Apr 1685 in Spreyton, Devon.^⁴

8 M vii. William Furse ⁴ was baptized on 25 Nov 1686 in Spreyton, Devon.^¹³

Second Generation

2. John Furse ⁴ was baptized on 24 Dec 1675 in Spreyton, Devon ^¹⁴ and died before 1744.

General Notes: John was settled at Halsdon at the time of the birth of his daughter Ann in 1706 and seems to have remained there for the rest of his life, though surprisingly, unlike his wife, he does not appear to have been buried in the parish.

It seems pretty certain that by that time the Halsdon Estate was in the ownership of the Furse family and that John inherited it on his father's death. Unfortunately, no Wills have survived for either him or his father so it is not possible to confirm this point.

John married Joan Averay ¹ in 1702.¹ Joan was buried on 31 Jan 1743/44 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^¹⁵

Marriage Notes: John's and Joan's year of marriage has not been confirmed by any church record so it may be that it did not take place in 1702 as suggested in the account of Furse family in Burke's Landed Gentry. If it did indeed take place in 1702, then there was quite a long period (four years) during which they had no children. Given Joan's fecundity in later years it is most unlikely that Ann was their first born and in all probability there were earlier children who died in infancy.

The Dolton parish registers record the burial of an Elizabeth Furse on February 23rd 1707/08. However, this person is not credited as being anyone's child — infants and small children were usually linked to a parent — but as there were no other Furses living in the parish at the time it is difficult to suggest what else her relationship to John and Joan might have been except that of a daughter. ¹⁶

+ 9 F i. Ann Furse ¹⁷ was baptized on 23 Feb 1705/06 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^¹⁷ and was buried on 16 Jun 1767 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^¹⁸

10 M ii. Thomas Furse ¹⁷ was baptized in 1707 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^²⁰ and was buried on 11 Jan 1708/09 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^²¹

+ 11 M iii. Philip Furse ²² ^,23 was baptized on 31 May 1709 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon,^{¹^,24} died on 16 Mar 1774 in Barnstaple, North Devon ^²⁵ at age 64, and was buried on 21 Mar 1774 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^{²⁶^,27}

12 M iv. Robert Furse ²⁹ was baptized on 30 Jul 1710 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^³⁰ and was buried on 15 Jul 1732 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^³¹

Philip married Mary Codner ,³³ ^,34 daughter of Samuel Codner and Unknown , on 6 Apr 1709 in Saint Savior, Dartmouth.⁹ Mary was baptized on 16 Jun 1684 in Ipplepen, Devon and was buried on 14 Mar 1711/12 in Spreyton, Devon.^{³⁴^,35}

13 F i. Elizabeth Furse ³⁶ was baptized in 1710 in Spreyton, Devon and was buried in 1710 in Spreyton, Devon.^³⁷

14 M ii. Samuel Furse ³⁸ was baptized on 31 Jan 1710/11 in Spreyton, Devon ^{³⁹^,40} and was buried on 31 Mar 1712 in Spreyton, Devon.^{⁴¹^,42}

Third Generation

9. Ann Furse ¹⁷ was baptized on 23 Feb 1705/06 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^¹⁷ and was buried on 16 Jun 1767 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^¹⁸

Ann married Robert Shute ,⁴³ ^,44 son of Robert Shute and Mary ——— , on 19 Nov 1733 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.¹⁹ Robert was baptized on 17 Jun 1706 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^⁴⁴ and was buried on 7 May 1777 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^⁴⁵

15 M i. John Shute ⁴⁴ was baptized on 19 Feb 1736/37 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^⁴⁴

16 F ii. Ann Shute ⁴⁶ was baptized on 20 Nov 1739 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^⁴⁶

11. Philip Furse ²² ^,47 was baptized on 31 May 1709 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon,^{¹^,48} died on 16 Mar 1774 in Barnstaple, North Devon ^²⁵ at age 64, and was buried on 21 Mar 1774 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^{²⁶^,27}

General Notes: Philip inherited the Halsdon estate from his father and somehow acquired various other properties or estates in the area around Bideford and Barnstaple. A property at Appledore, near Bideford, may have come to him from his marriage to his first wife, Mary Nichols, as she seems to have grown up in the parish of Northam; the parish in which the village of Appledore lay.

All Philip's children with the exception of his youngest son, Philip, were baptised St Edmunds Church, Dolton, which suggests that Philip was living in the parish of Dolton at that time, probably after his father died, at Halsdon House. Some time about 1759/60, he and Grace went to live in the parish of Barnstable because it was here that his younger son Philip was baptised in 1761 and where he and Grace died. ²² ^,26

• Will signed: 15 May 1773. ⁴⁹ Philip's Will, apart from some small legacies, was principally concerned with the disposal of his lesser estates and property to his younger son Philip. These were in Braunton parish, which in those days included the town of Barnstaple, Appledore (near Bideford) and in the parish of Fremington (south west of Barnstaple). He also left his son Philip £1000; a sum which he later reduced to £700 in a Codicil.

There is no mention of his Halsdon Estate but after the small legacies and his bequests to his son Philip, he left everything else to his eldest surviving son Peter.

Amongst the legacies that he left were £40 apiece to his daughter Mary and her husband John Partridge. Mary and John had only been married about six weeks at the time Philip drew up his Will and the £1000 that Philip had already given Mary on her marriage is referred to in it. In the 1st codicil to his Will, Philip increased his legacies to Mary & John to £50 apiece and in his 2nd codicil, presumably drawn up soon after Mary's first child arrived, he left £100 to his newly born grandson John Partridge.

One interesting feature of Philip's Will is that he left several relatives and kinsfolk a Moidore — a Portuguese gold coin — with which, he proposed, they should purchase a ring in memory of him.

He appointed his brother in law Lewis Wellington and his friend (and perhaps kinsman of his wife¹) Henry Hole his executors.

NOTE

¹ Henry Hole's mother was a Rebecah Wellington and it is very likely that she was related to Philip's second wife, Grace Wellington.

• Probate Granted: 14 Apr 1774. ⁴⁹ Philip's Will was proved at London by his two executors Lewis Wellington and Henry Hole.

Philip married Mary Nichols ,⁵⁰ daughter of William Nichols and Joan Kerne , on 7 Mar 1736/37 in Northam, Devon.²⁸ Mary was baptized on 21 Dec 1714 in Northam, Devon ^⁵¹ and was buried on 19 Jun 1739 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^{⁵²^,53}

General Notes: Mary is very likely to have been a kinswoman of Elizabeth Nichols who married Peter Wellington - it is possible that Elizabeth was an aunt of Mary's.

17 F i. Mary Furse ⁵⁴ was baptized on 12 Jun 1739 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^⁵⁴ and was buried on 27 Apr 1742 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^⁵⁵

Philip Philip next married. Grace Wellington ,²² daughter of Peter Wellington and Elizabeth Nicholls , on 25 Apr 1744.¹ Grace was baptized on 10 Dec 1719 in St Giles-In-The-Wood, Devon,^⁵⁶ died on 16 Oct 1763 in Barnstaple, North Devon ^⁵⁷ at age 43, and was buried on 19 Oct 1763 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^⁵⁸

General Notes: Grace's forebears owned the Manor of Way in the parish of St Giles in the Wood for a generation or two and her father, mother and brother Lewis are buried in the church and churchyard there.

The Manor of Way later came to be owned by Grace's son Peter according to various accounts so it may well be that it came into the Furse family because her brother Lewis, who seems to have died without issue, left it to his nephew.⁵⁹ ^,60

18 F i. Elizabeth Furse ⁶¹ was baptized on 26 Jun 1745 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^⁶¹ and was buried on 31 Jan 1750/51 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^⁶²

+ 19 F ii. Mary Furse ⁶³ was baptized on 13 Jan 1745/46 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^⁶⁴ and was buried on 16 Apr 1833 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon.

20 M iii. John Furse ⁶⁶ was baptized on 30 Apr 1749 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^⁶⁶ and was buried on 21 Aug 1764 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^⁶⁷

21 F iv. Elizabeth Furse ⁶⁸ was baptized on 27 May 1751 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^⁶⁸ and was buried on 11 Jan 1754 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^⁶⁹

22 M v. Philip Furse ⁷⁰ was baptized on 27 Jun 1753 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^⁷¹ and was buried on 17 Jun 1760 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^⁷²

+ 23 M vi. Revd. Peter Wellington Furse ²² ^,73 was baptized on 23 Dec 1755 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon,^⁷⁴ died on 8 Feb 1832 ^{²²^,75} at age 76, and was buried on 15 Feb 1832 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^{⁷⁶^,77}

24 M vii. Thomas Furse ⁸⁰ was baptized on 17 May 1758 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^⁸⁰ and was buried on 31 Dec 1758 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^⁸¹

+ 25 M viii. Philip Furse ⁸² was born in 1761, was baptized on 28 Jan 1761 in Barnstaple, North Devon,^{⁸³^,84} and died on 6 Jan 1847 ^⁸⁵ at age 86.

Fourth Generation

19. Mary Furse ⁶³ was baptized on 13 Jan 1745/46 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^⁶⁴ and was buried on 16 Apr 1833 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon.

Mary married John Partridge , son of John Partridge and Mary Bidgood , on 24 Mar 1773 in St Peter's Church, Barnstable, Devon.⁶⁵ John was baptized on 4 Oct 1738 in Witheridge, Devon ^⁸⁷ and was buried on 30 Oct 1781 in Witheridge, Devon.

26 M i. John Partridge ⁸⁸ was baptized on 9 Jan 1774 in Witheridge, Devon,^⁸⁸ died in Wood Town, Alverdiscott, Devon, and was buried on 8 Feb 1845 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon.

John married Anne Jervis . Anne was born <1778>, died in Wood Town, Alverdiscott, Devon, and was buried on 26 Feb 1840 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon.

General Notes: Though Peter took holy orders, he does not seem to have been a curate or ever taken a living, indeed, having inherited the Halsdon Estate (albeit perhaps only a life interest — see his Will) and the Manor of Way in St Giles in the Wood, he devoted himself to managing those properties and civic duties in the town of Great Torrington where he and Mary lived most of their married lives.

Mary is said to have been unhappy at Halsdon House, near Dolton, which must have seemed very isolated in those days for someone who had been brought up in a town. However, the early days of her married life do seem to have been spent there for not only are all her children baptised in the parish church but also, her mother is known to have lived there towards the end of her life. There is a walk in the grounds of the Halsdon House known as Elizabeth Johnson's Walk from which it is said she could see the church at Torrington. A stone now commemorates that walk.

At some stage, probably not long after her daughter Mary Grace died in 1803, Mary wearied of living so far away from Great Torrington and persuaded Peter to build a town house for her there which they also called Halsdon House; it was on the corner of South Street and the east side of Whites Lane but it no longer exists. This then became their principal residence and Peter and Mary lived out their lives there.

Peter was Mayor of Great Torrington in the years 1803-4, 1810-11, 1820-21 and 1825-26 and held other civic posts in the town. ⁸⁹

• Will: 17 Jun 1831. ⁹⁰ Peter's actual Will does not seem to have survived the World War II bombing raid on Exeter which destroyed many Devonian records. However, the Estate Duty record of its main provisions has been preserved in the National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office).

At the time of his death, Peter owned and lived in Halsdon House in Great Torrington and he might also have still had an interest in the Halsdon estate near Dolton where his son John was living. Peter left Mary a life interest the content of the house in Great Torrington and, though the Estate Duty record does not confirm this, most likely the right to live there as long as she chose. Certainly, she was living there at the time of the 1841 Census. Mary also received a legacy of £100 and all Peter's wine and liqueurs. The Estate Duty record does not mention any annuity for Mary, so what she received by way of income is unclear, perhaps, it had already been settled in the Marriage Settlement made between them in 1789.

Apart from a legacy of £100 apiece to his two daughters, Theresa Johnson and Elizabeth Yonge, and £20 apiece to his two servants, Elizabeth Sanford and John Plucknit, Peter left all the rest of his estate to his son John who also was to receive all the linen, household furniture, plate, books, &c., on Mary's death.

It is strange that there appears to be no specific mention of the Halsdon estate in either Peter's Will or that of his father Philip. Nor does the valuation of Peter's estate on his death (see probate note) seem to be high enough to include the Halsdon Estate so perhaps neither he or his father was ever the beneficial owner of it and that it came into the possession of successive generations of the Furse family by way of some earlier trust.

• Probate Granted: 14 Jul 1832, Archdeaconry Of Barnstable. ⁹⁰ Peter's son John was the Executor of Peter's Will. Peter's estate was first valued at £2000 but this seems to be have been revised downwards later to £1500.

Mary (335 KB)
bet. 1773 - 1775
A 1908 photograph of a portrait by Frances Reynolds (her aunt) painted when Mary was 14 or 16 years of age
(Click on Picture to View Full Size)

Peter married Mary Johnson ,²² daughter of William Johnson and Elizabeth Reynolds , on 13 Sep 1789 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon ²² ^,78.^,79 Mary was baptized on 21 Aug 1759 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon,^⁹¹ died on 10 Dec 1845 in Great Torrington, Devon ^{⁹²^,93^,94} at age 86, and was buried on 15 Dec 1845 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^{⁹⁵^,96}

+ 27 F i. Theresa Johnson Furse ⁹⁷ ^,98 was born <Aug 1790>, was baptized on 28 Aug 1790 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon,^⁹⁹ died on 30 Jul 1851 in Sidmouth, Devon ^¹⁰⁰ at age 61, and was buried on 5 Aug 1851 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon.^¹⁰¹

28 M ii. Wellington Furse ¹⁰³ was baptized on 15 Oct 1791 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^¹⁰⁴ and was buried on 8 Oct 1794 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^¹⁰⁵

+ 29 F iii. Elizabeth Furse ²² ^,106 was baptized on 1 Feb 1793 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^¹⁰⁷ and died on 8 Jun 1876 in Westhayes, Rockbourne, Fordingbridge, Hampshire ^{¹^,108} at age 83.

+ 30 M iv. John Henry Furse ¹⁰⁹ was baptized on 13 Sep 1794 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon,^¹¹⁰ died on 1 Aug 1854 in Halsdon, Dolton, Devon ^{⁷⁵^,111} at age 59, and was buried on 8 Aug 1854 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^{¹¹²^,113}

31 F v. Mary Grace Wellington Furse ¹¹⁵ was buried on 22 Nov 1803 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon.^¹¹⁶

25. Philip Furse ⁸² was born in 1761, was baptized on 28 Jan 1761 in Barnstaple, North Devon,^{⁸⁴^,117} and died on 6 Jan 1847 ^⁸⁵ at age 86.

General Notes: As the youngest son, Philip seems to have been remarkably successful, accumulating, as he did, a sizeable fortune. (See Probate Note)

In the early days of his adult life Philip lived in Bristol and described himself as an ironmonger. The trade of iron mongering in the late 18th-century was not as we would understand it today (2003); in those times, before industrialisation, most things made from iron would have been manufactured locally, often starting with the iron ore. An ironmonger might have employed smelters, blacksmiths as well as men to sell the products. Whether or not this was the case with Philip's business has not been discovered but clearly he made a considerable amount of money out of that trade and possibly out of other successful business ventures.

In later years he moved to Exeter but it is not known whether or not he continued in the iron mongering trade there. He seems to have been an astute businessman and his lengthy Will (12 pages in all) is full of advice to his Trustees and Executors.

His father had left him an interest in some properties near Barnstaple and Bideford but by the time he died these had been let go and others had been acquired. When he died, his principal properties were a leasehold house in Exeter, which he had retained after "retiring" to another leasehold house in the village of Kenton, south of Exeter towards the mouth of the river Exe, and a freehold estate called Shepherds at Clyst St Mary.

¹¹⁸

• Will signed: 19 Jul 1845. ¹¹⁸ When Philip came to make his last Will he must have known that his daughter Mary, who was then married to John Guitton, was not going to produce any children - Mary by that time was in her fifties - and he, therefore, concentrated on making sure that his property, after Mary's death, was passed down to his nearest, surviving male relation taken in order of seniority. Such a person would be a son or grandson of one of his two Furse nieces, Theresa wife of Charles William Johnson and Elizabeth wife of the Rev. William Yonge.

In practice this meant that his estate would go first to Charles Wellington Johnson who was Theresa's eldest son and thence to his oldest surviving son and, in default of Wellington having a son to inherit the property, it was to go to Theresa's next son William or to William's oldest surviving son and if William had no son to inherit, it was to go to Elizabeth's only son William Johnson Yonge or to his oldest surviving son. In the event, Wellington Johnson inherited the estate and it eventually passed on to his eldest son.

Philip was also determined that the name of Furse and the Furse Arms should continue. He laid down that anyone who became entitled to the property, under the rather complex chain of inheritance set out above, must use the name of Furse and carry the Arms of Furse and, moreover, they were required to change their name by Deed Poll or Act of Parliament within 12 calendar months of inheriting.

It is interesting to speculate whether the above arrangements that Philip adopted were an original idea of his or whether the Furse family had used them before. If they had, then that would go some way to explaining why it was that the Halsdon Estate is not specifically mentioned in Philip's father's and elder brother's Wills.

Philip left his wife Eliza the use of Kenton Cottage (a leasehold property in the village of Kenton) and £300 per annum during her lifetime. He also gave her much of the household goods, &c, including, surprisingly, her own clothes, trinkets and jewellery. However, he specifically excluded most of the valuable items (plate, pictures, china, glass, books, furniture, &c.). These were to be held by his Trustees with his wife having the use of them during her lifetime. The Trustees were instructed to make an inventory of these items as soon as possible after his death, presumably, to ensure that they did not go missing!

Philip's daughter Mary was entitled to the income from his freehold estate Shepherds at Clyst St Mary during her lifetime and to any other income that might become available from his estate as time went on. On her death this entitlement was to pass first to Wellington Furse has described earlier and this it duly did when she died in 1885.

Philip added a Codicil to his Will shortly before he died giving his two nieces (see above) £100 apiece, the poor of Kenton parish £30, to be distributed in food or clothing, his three executors £50 apiece and his servants, of which there were four, £10 apiece in addition to their wages. He also left each of his servants an annuity "in token of their faithful service" - his footman Thomas Jones £20 per annum, his housekeeper Harriet Bullen £10 per annum, and two other servants Jane Walter and Caroline Bradbeer £5 per annum each.

• Probate Granted: 8 Feb 1847, London. ¹¹⁹ ^,120 Personal Estate: under £40,000. Resworn 15 November 1848, under £30,000.

When Philip's daughter Mary died in 1885 Legacy Duty was payable and the surviving Executor declared to the Inland Revenue that the residue of the estate amounted to £34,064 11s 0d.

32 F i. Mary Furse was born <1793> and died on 28 Nov 1885 in Marylebone, London ^¹²¹ at age 92.

Mary married John Guitton on 27 Apr 1813 in St David, Exeter.¹²² John died <1856>.

Philip next married Bridget Bickford ,¹²³ ^,124 daughter of George Bickford and Mary Palfreman , on 21 Dec 1802 in Bradford, Devon.⁸⁶ Bridget was baptized on 9 Dec 1763 in Okehampton, Devon,^¹²⁴ died on 9 Jan 1804 ^¹²⁵ at age 40, and was buried in St Stephen's Church, Bristol.

General Notes: When Bridget died one or more memorial rings were made, in what is probably pinchbeck, and engraved with the following inscription "Bridget Furse Ob: 9 Jan^y1804 A^et. 40.". One of these rings, which will only just fit on to a man's little finger and may, therefore, have been made for a woman, has been passed down through various generations of the family since Bridget died and is now (2003) in the possession of J. R. U. Green.

Philip next married Elizabeth Marshall , daughter of Revd. John Marshall and Mary Hawtrey , on 12 Oct 1819 in St Peter Cathedral, Exeter. Eliza was born in 1773, was baptized on 26 Aug 1773 in St Lawrence Church, Exeter,^¹²⁶ and died on 3 Aug 1858 in St Thomas, Exeter ^{⁸⁵^,127} at age 85.

Fifth Generation

27. Theresa Johnson Furse ⁹⁷ ^,98 was born <Aug 1790>, was baptized on 28 Aug 1790 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon,^⁹⁹ died on 30 Jul 1851 in Sidmouth, Devon ^¹⁰⁰ at age 61, and was buried on 5 Aug 1851 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon.^¹⁰¹

Theresa married Charles William Johnson ,⁹⁷ son of Daniel Johnson and Bridget Cory , on 5 Sep 1811 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon ⁹⁷.^,102 Charles was born on 3 Oct 1780 in Great Torrington, Devon,^²² was baptized on 18 Dec 1780 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon,^¹²⁸ died on 21 Sep 1854 in 42 South Street, Great Torrington, Devon ^{¹^,97^,129} at age 73, and was buried on 25 Sep 1854 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon.^¹³⁰

General Notes: After their mother died in 1791 Charles and the other younger members of the family were looked after by relatives in Great Torrington, possibly the Palmers -- not a happy time by all accounts -- but Charles eventually escaped to India in 1797, aged 17; sailing from Portsmouth on the "Montrose".

India was an obvious choice for Charles, being a younger son and with out much prospect in Great Torrington, India held out the opportunity of making a fortune and, besides, Charles had a very successful older first cousin there in William Johnson (a Supreme Court official in Calcutta) and, also, Richard, Williams brother, was in the indigo trade in Bengal. Additionally, Charles's elder brother, Daniel, who was later a surgeon with the H.I.E.C., may also have been out there at that time.

Charles made his fortune, either producing or trading in indigo¹ which at that time was the only source of blue dye and, consequently, a very valuable commodity; he returned home to Portsmouth aboard the "Lady Lushington" c.1810 . He then went back to Great Torrington, bought two adjacent houses in South Street and preceded to join them together internally, and externally with an extremely handsome, covered balcony most of which remains to this day (1999). It was here at No 42 South Street that he lived for the rest his days.

He seems to have led the life of a gentleman on his return to Great Torrington and, apart from his stints as Mayor and Chief Magistrate, seems to have devoted himself to keeping his fortune intact and sorting out the affairs of his kinsfolk, of which there were many, and neighbours. His son, William, wrote of him to a friend, 20 years after his death, saying "My father was so wonderfully simple, guileless, industrious and unconsciously devoted to all sorts of tiresome little duties to be done for kinsfolk and neighbours. He could not speak, debate, moderate, advise, trim, prune men's minds as I can. But he could go on for twenty years mending or unravelling the broken or tangled threads of family £ s.d. matters, for poor gentlefolk, for the children of spendthrifts, for helpless maundering widows and spinsters."

Like his father, Charles was elected Mayor of Great Torrington on several occasions; he was Mayor under the Charters in 1819-20, 1825-26, 1833-34 and after the Municipal Reform Act , in 1837, 1841 and 1849.

¹ There is mention of a C. W. Johnson as a trader in Luckipore who arrived in India in 1798, in the list of British Subjects in the Calcutta Annual Directory & Calendar for 1813. As Charles had returned to England by the time that directory was published, the reference may not be to him. ⁹⁷ ^,131

• Will: 28 Feb 1853, London. ¹³² He left his house and leasehold property in Great Torrington to his eldest son, Wellington, and he appointed Wellington and his other son William his executors and trustees.

From the rest of his estate, Charles instructed his executors to realise a sum of £8000 which was to be held in trust in two equal parts for each of his unmarried daughters, Sarah and Ellen. They were to enjoy the income from their part during their lifetime with the capital going either to their children, if they had any, or to the children of their brothers or sisters, on their deaths.

He also left £2000 apiece to his sons Wellington and William with the proviso that, if there was insufficient assets to provide for these legacies, the legacies should be reduced proportionately.

All the remainder of his estate was to be equally divided between all his children but this bequest was tilted somewhat in favour of Wellington by a later Codicil which left Wellington the contents of the house in Great Torrington.

In the event, Charles's assets were valued at £14,000 so in all probability Wellington and William got their £2000 and Ellen, and perhaps some other of Charles's children, got their hands on some of the contents of the house because Ellen sent her nephew, Jack Vidal, a silver teapot in about 1908, which she told him had strictly belonged to her brother Wellington (who had died some years earlier) but which she had kept.

• Funeral: 25 Sep 1854, Great Torrington, Devon. ¹³³ Charles's funeral was reported in The North Devon Journal as follows:-

PUBLIC FUNERAL. — The inhabitants of this town, on Thursday last, mournfully felt that a public loss had been sustained by the borough in the death of C. W. Johnson Esq. This gentleman, who was in his early days a successful adventurer in India, after his return to this country, settled down in this place, where his public spirit, his active habits, his talent for business, and his high professional character, so won for him the good opinion of his fellow townsmen that, four times under the old municipal system and three times under the new, they conferred on him the highest honour they could bestow by making him their chief magistrate. The corporation, therefore, felt that it became them, on the death of so distinguished a member of their body, to mark the respect they entertained for his character and career, by attending his remains to the "house appointed for all living." Mr. Johnson is extensively known throughout the Northern division of the county, he having been the auditor to the Unions from their formation to within a few months of his death, when illness compelled him to resign his post. The funeral took place on Monday last, at noon, the deceased gentlemen being buried in the churchyard by the side of his beloved wife who had gone down to those "chambers" before him. There was nothing of the "pomp of death" at this funeral; all was chased, solemn, and becoming. The procession of was numerous and respectable; the clergy walked at the head, then the Mayor and Town Council, preceded by the beadles in their picturesque costume, the only uniforms worn. These were followed by the coffin, borne on men's shoulders. The mourners of the family came next, and then a numerous train of the clergy, and professional gentlemen of the town and neighbourhood, who were his personal friends, or respected his character. The funeral service was performed by the Rev. S. Buckland, the vicar. The psalms usually read on the solemn occasion were ably chanted by the choir, accompanied by the organ, at the express desire of the deceased. After the burial service was finished, a knell was rung on the bells.

• Probate Granted: 1 Nov 1854, Canterbury, Kent. ¹³⁴ Personal Estate: £14000. Admon was granted to Charles's son William.

33 M i. John Furse Johnson ⁹⁷ was born <Nov 1812>,^⁹⁷ died in Apr 1817 ^⁹⁷ at age 5, and was buried on 15 Apr 1817 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon.^¹³⁵

Mary (325 KB)

From a self-portrait painted on wood, possibly some time in the 1830s, now in the possession of the National Library of Australia in Canberra.
(Click on Picture to View Full Size)

34 F ii. Mary Theresa Johnson was born on 23 Jun 1815 in Great Torrington, Devon, was baptized on 29 Jul 1815 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon,^¹³⁶ died on 19 Nov 1873 at age 58, and was buried in Sutton Parish Church, Sutton, Suffolk. The cause of her death was meningitis.

General Notes: In the story of the Johnsons, Mary does not seem to have been given the prominence that is due to her, yet, in all probability, her achievements will survive in the general consciousness every bit as well as those of her brother William. She was an early settler in the pioneering days of New South Wales, a writer, a fine illustrator and painter, a translator, a "Dame", in all but name, of an Eton house and, last but not least, a mother of seven children.

It was probably due to her writing that some of the fortune lost in her and Francis's unsuccessful four years in Australia was recouped. Certainly, it was her connections with Eton (her brother William Johnson, later Cory, was an assistant master there and also ran a college boarding house) which enabled Francis to take over that boarding house from William in 1851 and establish the "Vidal" house in Old Christophers, in Eton High Street, which was to survive for 30 years, being run latterly by their eldest son, Furse, who took it on from 1865. Moreover, she brought to that part of the Vidal family the artistic and commercial talents (the latter seemingly being singularly absent) of the Johnsons and their forebears that later manifested themselves in her children and grandchildren. Above all else, she seems to have had a formidable energy and determination despite suffering, grievously, from Tic Douloureux for many years (see Medical Notes).

Mary will be best remembered for her novels, particularly her first, "Tales for the Bush", which was published in Sydney by D. L. Welch in 1844 in a series of eight, sixpenny monthly parts and which established her as one of the first women novelists in Australia to be published. She later went on to write ten other novels, some set in Australia and some in provincial England, of which the best known is, probably, "Bengala:, or Some Time Ago" which was published in London in 1860 by John W. Parker and Son. How these novels were received when they were first published in England is not known but "Bengala" was moderately well received in Australia in its time. Literary critics and historians of later years have not always been enthusiastic about her work but it is difficult to make a proper judgment 150 years on when tastes and mores have changed. Nevertheless, "Bengala", which was republished in Australia in 1990, still entertains in the year 2000, though its pace is, probably, a little too gentle for modern tastes.

Mary's biography in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, though it contains many factual errors, gives a good account of her work as a novelist and concludes: "To the student of Australian literature her works are of interest historically rather than as novels in their own right."

In 1996 the National Library of Australia acquired from the Vidal family in England, two miniatures of Mary and one of Francis together with a sketchbook of flower specimens. These have been added to their collection of memorabilia. The miniatures of Mary and Francis are believed to have been painted by her and copies of them have been used to provide the pictures of them in this section.

Of Mary's other achievements, perhaps her and Francis's Australian venture would appear the most challenging to modern eyes. The long sea voyage from Plymouth to Sydney with three small children, the oldest of which was 3½ and the youngest only one month, must have seemed very daunting even in those days, not to mention, the prospect becoming a settler in some untamed part of New South Wales. By all accounts, Mary's parents and family were concerned about the venture, no doubt not wanting to see her travel so far away and fearful of the hardships of the journey and the dangers, probably more perceived than real, of an existence in a penal colony. The voyage home cannot have been much better, Mary was nearly seven months pregnant with her sixth child on their return to Plymouth in June of 1845, and there were then five children to care for and amuse during the five months journey. At least she had the prospect of being reunited with her family to sustain her and a children's nurse to help her.

Mary's Reynolds heritage showed through in her painting, particularly her attractive habit of illustrating some subject or other in her letters. According to her brother, William's, letters, she did translation work for London editors on her return from Australia. It is not known what languages she translated from or into to but in all likelihood they included French as she and Francis travelled widely in France and sent Furse and Lily to Paris to further their education.

As for being a "Dame" at Eton in all but name, she initially went there to help her brother, William, run his boarding house. William, at the time, was in a unique position of being an assistant master but also having responsibility for a boarding house. This dual arrangement was fairly unusual, Eton Dames and Dominies rarely taught, and William found it impossible to carry out both duties satisfactorily, so he persuaded Mary to help him run the house. Indeed, for a while, she seems to have been involved in running two boarding houses because in March 1848 she and Francis started a small boarding house in Keate's Lane, just around the corner from Old Christophers and it was not until 1851 that they gave up that house and moved into Old Christophers.

Dames ran most of the boarding houses in Eton and it was said that it was impossible for a man to run one successfully without a wife; hence William's problems and the reason, perhaps, why there were so few Dominies. However, Francis, no doubt, made an elegant and impressive figurehead while Mary made sure that the domestic, and probably the economic, arrangements worked satisfactorily. There are no records of how well Mary and Francis succeeded in making a financial success of running Old Christophers, one hopes it was better than Furse's efforts who managed to lose money in all but three of the first ten years in which he and Lucy ran the "Vidal" house.

Of Mary's sons, Jack and Wellie inherited her skill of illustration, Jack being also an outstanding craftsman in silver and Furse a skilled carver of wood. Leonard became a successful businessman through his purchase of F.P. Baker & Co on his retirement from the Indian Army. Of her grandchildren, Faith Compton Mackenzie was a successful writer as was her brother Christopher Stone and, to a lesser extent, Lois Chatham (née Vidal).¹³⁷ ^,138 ^,139 ^,140

Medical Notes: Mary suffered from Tic Douloureux, otherwise Trigeminal Neuralgia*, after Jack's birth in 1839, episodes of which gradually became worse and more frequent through the rest of her life and gave her a great deal of pain and misery. (See Aunt Ellen's letter to Mary's son, Jack, of Sept 7, 1910. The latter writing about the death of her sister, Fanny, in 1845 said "...& yr own Mother was not fit for any worry - she had acute Tic often...").

She must have been feeling particularly miserable and unwell sometime in c.1860 when she wrote this letter to her son Jack:-

It was addressed: For Johnny

My dearest Johnny
When this reaches you I should be out of my pain & thro' Jesus X's sake I shall be at rest.
I wish I cd have seen your dear old face once more but my sufferings have been so great I can't wish to live. I don't forget you I pray to God to watch over you & guard you from all Sin & the Devil Seek God by prayer & often take Holy Communion it only can help & strengthen you.
I commend to yr love & care yr poor Father - comfort him all you can for my sake - Lily too & the younger ones - poor little motherless Leonard!
We shall meet again I hope where is no more trial or pain.
God bless you
Yr loving Mother

Jack Vidal received this letter in April 1874, after she had died. He was serving in Barbados at the time.

NOTE
*Trigeminal Neuralgia is a neurological condition of the trigeminal facial nerve, characterised by paroxysms of flashing, stab-like pain around the eyes or over the forehead, around the upper lip, nose and checks or along the side of the tongue and lower lip, depending on which branch of the nerve is affected. Momentary bursts of pain recur in clusters lasting many seconds, paroxysmal episodes of pain can last for many hours. ¹⁴¹

• Memorial: c.1876, Sutton Parish Church, Sutton, Suffolk. Mary's life was commemorated in a porch built for this church in which the following inscription appeared:-

“This Porch was built A.D. 1876 to the Glory of God and the Memory of Mary Theresa Vidal wife of Francis Vidal, Vicar of this Parish, who was born June 23rd 1815 and died November 19th 1873.”

Sadly, the porch has been replaced and this inscription has been lost (1999).

Francis (326 KB)

From a portrait painted by his wife, possibly, some time in the 1830s now in the possession of the National Library of Australia in Canberra.
(Click on Picture to View Full Size)

Mary married Revd. Francis Vidal ,⁹⁸ son of John James Vidal and Elizabeth Wade Allwood , on 25 Apr 1835 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon ¹⁴².^,143 Francis was born on 26 Nov 1805 in Berkshire Hall, St Thomas In The Vale, Jamaica,^⁹⁸ was baptized on 15 Feb 1806 in St Thomas In The Vale, Jamaica,^¹⁴⁴ died on 20 Jun 1884 in 29 Royal Crescent, Bath, Somerset ^{¹⁴⁵^,146} at age 78, and was buried in Sutton Parish Church, Sutton, Suffolk.^¹⁴⁷

Marriage Notes: Francis and Mary were married by Mary's first cousin, the Revd. Joshua Reynolds Johnson, the vicar of Rattery, Devon.

General Notes: There has been considerable comment over the years about the lavish lifestyle of the Vidals in their heyday in Jamaica. However, the extent of their wealth has probably been much exaggerated.

Francis's father had two estates which were relatively small when compared with others in Jamaica and, in all likelihood, a significant part of his income would have come from his professional work as an attorney and from his various official appointments. One of the properties, Berkshire Hall, he let go in exchange for an annuity of £300, the other, St Jago Park Pen, he left to his eldest son, Gale. In 1818 this latter property boasted 19 slaves and 33 head of stock.

Gale kept St Jago Park Pen till he died and even invested in other estates but the realities were that the fortunes of the planters in Jamaica had been in decline from the turn of the 18th century. Sugar prices fell, there was a shortage of labour due to the lack of new slaves (the slave trade was prohibited throughout the British Colonies in 1807 and transportation rigorously suppressed by the Royal Navy) and by their threatened emancipation which eventually came about with the Emancipation Act of 1833.

However, like his father, Gale's income was supplemented first by his professional work and then by his long appointment as Clerk to the House of Assembly. There is no doubt that the rapid decline in Jamaica's prosperity following the emancipation of the slaves there and the removal of tariff protection on colonial produce in the British market in 1846, which reduced the price of sugar still further, affected Gale as much as any other plantation owner, many of whom were forced to close down their sugar plantations.

Francis and his younger brothers, Robert and George, like all younger sons at that time, only received comparatively small inheritances (though £2000 was quite a generous sum in 1823) and had to find their own way in the world. Francis was not unsuccessful; he married a clever and industrious women and thanks to her writing and her skillful management of their Eton College boarding house was able to leave £17,000 when he died in 1884. ¹⁴⁸

• Education: ???? & 1818, Camberwell, London. ¹⁴⁹ According to Francis's details in the Cambridge University Alumni, he was educated in/at Camberwell before going to Eton. However, the school he attended has not been identified.

• Education: Jan 1819 & Jul 1822, Eton College. ¹⁵⁰ ^,151 ^,152 It was later said by his granddaughter, Faith Compton Mackenzie (née Stone), that he had more pocket money than any other boy at Eton at that time. What truth there is in this remark is hard to judge as Faith was rather prone to unsubstantiated statements in her writings about the Vidals. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that Francis distinguished himself in any other way at Eton.

• Occupation: 1823.1827, Jamaica. ¹⁵³ After leaving Eton, Francis returned to Jamaica in January 1823 shortly before his father died in England. There is no record of what he did between that time and his return to England in 1827 to go up to Caius College, Cambridge. However, he did take a commission as an Ensign in the St Catherine's Militia in 1826.

It has been suggested that a decline in the family's fortunes following the death of Francis's father (see Notes) forced Francis to return to England and to take holy orders. Like all younger sons whose elder brothers have inherited the bulk of the family estate, Francis needed an occupation that produced some income. Presumably, he was not attracted to the legal profession like his elder brother Gale and his younger brother Robert and the prospects of being a successful planter in Jamaica were rapidly diminishing.

Having been educated in England, he would know that being a schoolmaster or in the Church were regarded there as perfectly acceptable occupations for younger sons but he needed a degree and to be ordained before he could embark on either career.

His father had left him £2000 in his Will, which he inherited on attaining his majority in November 1826, so he was able to use that money to return to England and fund his undergraduate days at Cambridge.

• Education: 1827 & 1831, Cambridge. ¹⁵⁴ Admitted to Caius College May 31, 1827; Matriculated Michaelmas term 1827; B.A. 1831. Did not take his M.A. until 1863 when he was no doubt thinking about retiring as a Dominie at Eton and becoming an incumbent.

• Ordination: 1831.1832, Various Places. ¹⁵³ ^,155 Ordained Deacon by the Bishop of Gloucester (for the Bishop of Exeter) at Gloucester and Priest by the Bishop of Exeter at Exeter.

• Occupation: curate, 1832 & 1838, Various Places. ¹⁵⁵ Francis was appointed to two stipendiary curacies: First, at Roborough (near Great Torrington) from 25 June 1832 at a yearly stipend of £75 and then at Ideford (near Newton Abbot) from 30th September 1834 at the same stipend. He was living at Ideford when he married Mary.

In the spring of 1836, about a year after he was married, he applied for the post of Chaplain to the Goal & House of Correction & Sheriff's Ward at Exeter. His reasons for applying for this rather depressing position can only be guessed at; it may because he needed more money or because Mary was unhappy in the rather isolated village community of Ideford. Whatever the reason, he was successful and became Chaplain from 30th July 1836 and his letter of thanks to the Magistrates of Devon for selecting him was published in the Exeter Flyer Post of April 14, 1836.

He resigned in the autumn of 1838. His resignation letter saying that he was suffering from an "organic affection of the throat" which had not been amenable to treatment and which " .. rendered my duties as your Chaplain most painful to me..".

It may be that Francis did indeed have serious throat problems because they seem to have persisted for some years causing him to lose his voice from time to time. However, from the accounts of his time there given by various of his children, it seems likely that he was also affected by the depressing role that he had to play as Chaplain to the inmates of the Prison and that he was moved by the stream of minor offenders who had been sentenced to transportation to the colonies.

• Emigration: 29 Oct 1839, Plymouth, Devon. ¹⁵³ ^,156 ^,157 ^,158 Sailed on board the "Earl Grey" from Plymouth with his wife and three small children bound for Australia, accompanied by his brother George.

The Vidal party are reputed to have taken with them two maids from Great Torrington and a couple of New Forest Hounds (a cross between blood and stag hounds). Arthur Manning's account of the voyage makes mention also of a manservant and confirms that Mary had servants with her.

Arrived at Sydney on 25th February 1840 after a voyage of 3 months and 27 days. A voyage not without its tensions, tragedies and drama, which, no doubt, was typical of long sea voyages at that time.

A passenger died in Cape Town leaving a pregnant widow and two small children; George and one or two other young, unmarried, men upset other cabin passengers by holding evening "tea parties" at which they played cards and were suspected of drinking; George got involved in a contretemps with another passenger, Lewis Whitaker, over a piece written by George in a newspaper, produced onboard, which threatened to lead to a duel.

It is unclear what brought about Francis's decision to emigrate to Australia. Certainly, he had been unhappy as Chaplain at Exeter Gaol and perhaps Mary had not settled well in Ideford or Stokeland (Exeter) and the opportunity for a new start in a burgeoning colony was, therefore, attractive. The more so because free passages were being offered to clergy to encourage them to emigrate to Australia. It seems very likely that Francis availed himself of that offer though, presumably, George had to pay his own passage.

His cousin, the Revd. Robert Allwood, had been induced by the Bishop of Sydney to go to Australia earlier in 1839 and maybe his enthusiasm and the idea of carrying the Church's message to distant parts persuaded Francis and his brother, George, to embark on this adventure.

George, who had just left Cambridge, was unencumbered but for Francis the decision must have been hard. Mary's parents are said to have been very much against the idea and are supposed to have extracted the promise from Francis that he would bring the family home within five years (some accounts say seven). In the event he did return within five years and eight months but whether that was because of a promise to the Johnson parents, or because the venture had not worked out as he had hoped (see later), is not known.

• Occupation: 1840.1845, New South Wales, Australia. ¹⁵⁵ ^,159 ^,160 ^,161 ^,162 Francis served for a short time between August 1840 and March 1841 as the incumbent at the Church of St Mary Magdalene , South Creek , near Sydney. Then, according to the SPG archives, he was sponsored by them to work in the Port Philip district (later the Melbourne area) which he did for some time in 1841 following in his cousin, Robert Allwood's, footsteps.

According to the "Blue Books" Francis was appointed as incumbent to the parish of St Stephens, Penrith in 1841 and later, in June 1844, to the parish of Denham Court, Liverpool where he stayed until he and the family returned to England in Jan 1845. He may have been responsible for the Port Philip district while he was the incumbent of St Stephen's, Penrith.

It is by no means sure that Francis remained the incumbent at St. Stephens until he took up the appointed at Denham Court. The family appears to have been living in Balmain, not far from the centre of Sydney, in 1843, when Wellie was born and there is a view that Francis's pastoral duties in 1842 were limited to the occasional service in his brother's parish and ceased altogether when the family moved to Balmain.

Francis bought a smallholding of 93 acres in the County of Melbourne, in the parish of Bourke (Jika Jika south by Yarra river) on the 23rd September 1840 at a price of £3 per acre. It is difficult to see how Francis could have farmed this properly himself given that it was quite some way from most of the parishes in which he was the incumbent, so most likely, it was leased to someone. It is said to have formed part of his estate when he died.

Francis was also a trustee for the Savings Bank of N.S.W. in the Penrith district for a while. This is rather ironic as he (and George) are reputed to have lost substantial sums of money when the Bank of Australia failed in 1843.

• Immigration: 17 Jun 1845, Plymouth, Devon. ¹⁶¹ ^,163 Left Sydney on 22 Jan 1845 on the "Pestonjee Boomanje" barque, under the command of Captain Binnie, with his wife and five children, together with his brother George (now a deacon) and arrived back in Plymouth on 17 June; a journey of 4 months and 26 days.

It is not known what caused the family to return to England. Certainly, Francis does not seem to have taken enthusiastically to being an incumbent, indeed, in later life he seems to have avoided parochial duties whenever possible. Also, the depressed economic conditions in NSW and Francis's losses when the Bank of Australia failed in 1843 must have all contributed to the urge to go home.

• Occupation: Mar 1848-Apr 1865, Eton College. ¹³⁹ ^,153 ^,164 ^,165 Francis was an Dominie (the male equivalent of a Dame who was someone who ran a boarding house for Eton College) first at a house in Keate's Lane and then at Old Christopher's in the High Street, which he took over in c.1851 from his brother-in-law, William Johnson (later Cory).

Faith Compton Mackenzie suggests in "As Much as I Dare" that Francis took a house in Eton because he wanted his sons to be educated there but could not afford to pay their board as Oppidans. However, it is also likely that he went to live in Eton because his wife, Mary, was there running her brother's boarding house and because there was an opportunity to make a reasonable, and not too strenuous a living. Eton Dames and Dominies (there were very few of the latter) ran their boarding houses independently of the College and were paid directly by the boys' parents and it was very unusual for them to teach at that time.

The Vidal establishment in Keate's Lane started modestly but grew by 1851 to consist of the Vidal family and about twelve boys. The Old Christopher's establishment, by contrast, was a good deal larger consisting of the Vidal family plus William Johnson, who kept some rooms on the ground floor where he lived and taught, and 21 or so boys not mention the seven servants, including a butler, who were needed to run the house.

Francis handed over Old Christopher's to his son, Furse, when the latter got married in April 1865. Mary had not been well for a number of years (her tic douloureux had been getting worse year by year) and, no doubt, the running of Old Christopher's was becoming quite a burden. Furse's acquisition of a wife (a vital necessity for someone running a school boarding house) provided an ideal opportunity, therefore, for some other member of the family to take over the running of the "Vidal" house.

• Occupation: Aug 1866-Jul 1867, Beachley, Gloucestershire. ¹⁵³ Priest-in-charge

• Occupation: 1872.1884, Sutton, Woodbridge, Suffolk. ¹⁵⁵ Francis took the living at this parish, which was in the gift of Eton College, and became Vicar there with his son, Wellie, as his curate. He does not seem to have spent all of this period actually in the parish. While Mary was alive, they travelled widely in Europe seeking a cure or respite from Mary's Tic Douloureux and other ailments and, when Mary's health permitted, enjoying the delights of the countryside and culture.

Later in the 1870's, Francis is reputed to have had a stroke which affected his right side (his writing in a letter to his son Jack in c.1877 giving his blessing to Jack's engagement confirms this) and left the parish totally in his son's care, at least until 1881, whilst he lived in Brighton. So we find Wellie describing himself as "Curate in charge" in the 1881 Census.

How Francis ensured that the parochial duties were carried out when Wellie moved to Bayford in Hertfordshire in 1881 is unclear. Perhaps, another curate looked after the parish.

• Will: 3 Dec 1881. ¹⁶⁶ Francis made a short Will and one which is interesting because he distributed his estate amongst his children in accordance with their needs as he saw them.

The Will read as follows:-

I The Reverend Francis Vidal vicar of Sutton in the County of Suffolk hereby revoke all Wills and other testamentary dispositions made by me and declare this to be my last Will and testament I bequeath the following legacies free of duty To my son Charles the sum of five hundred pounds To my son John the sum of three thousand pounds To my daughter Elizabeth Teresa the Wife of the Reverend Edward Daniel Stone the sum of two thousand pounds and to each of my sons The Reverend Robert Wellington Vidal George Vidal and Leonard Vidal the sum of five hundred pounds I devise and bequeath all the residue of my property real and personal including estates vested in me as trustee or mortgagee to my son Francis Furse Vidal absolutely and appoint him sole Executor of this my Will and I declare that in bequeathing the foregoing legacies of unequal amount instead of dividing my property between my children equally I have taken into consideration the different pecuniary circumstances and prospects of my several children with the view of making as far as possible a fair and equitable division of my property between them In witness whereof I do hereunto set my hand this third day of December 1881 — Francis Vidal

Francis Furse Vidal, his eldest son, received approximately £10,000 from his father's estate.

• Probate Granted: 26 Jul 1884, London, England. ¹⁶⁷ Personal Estate £17,055 9s.

Sarah (350 KB)
1893
The original of this photograph, which taken in Eton, is inscribed: "For dear Jack and Julie [Vidal] with much love from L."
(Click on Picture to View Full Size)

35 F iii. Sarah Elizabeth Johnson was born on 15 Feb 1817 in Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁵³ was baptized on 27 Mar 1817 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁶⁸ and died on 1 Oct 1902 in Burridge, Sunningdale, Berkshire ^¹⁶⁹ at age 85.

• Probate Granted: 28 Oct 1902, London, England. ¹⁷⁰ Effects: £2585 9s 3d

36 F iv. Fanny Sophia Johnson ²² was born in 1819 in Great Torrington, Devon, was baptized on 15 Mar 1819 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁷¹ died on 7 Sep 1845 in Alpha Road, St John's Wood, Middlesex ^{¹⁷²^,173} at age 26, and was buried on 14 Sep 1845 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon.^¹⁷⁴

+ 37 M v. Ven. Charles Wellington Furse ⁹⁷ ^,98 ^,175 was born on 16 Apr 1821 in Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁷⁶ was baptized on 22 Jun 1821 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁷⁷ died on 2 Aug 1900 in 1 Abbey Garden, Westminster, London ^¹⁷⁸ at age 79, and was buried on 4 Aug 1900 in Westminster Abbey, London.^¹⁷⁹

William (382 KB)

(Click on Picture to View Full Size)

38 M vi. William Cory was born on 9 Jan 1823 in Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁸¹ was baptized on 27 Mar 1823 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁸² and died on 11 Jun 1892 in 4 Rosslyn Villas, Pilgrims Lane, Hampstead, Middlesex ^¹⁸³ at age 69. Another name for William was William Johnson.

General Notes: Alumni Cantabrigienses - Part II
1751 to 1886

JOHNSON [post CORY], WILLIAM. Adm. at KING'S, a scholar from Eton, Feb. 24, 1842. [2nd] s. of Charles [William], of Torrington, Devon [connected with Sir Joshua Reynolds]. B. there Jan. 9, 1823. Matric. Easter, 1842; Chancellor's English medal, 1843; Craven Scholar, 1844; Camden medal 1844; B.A. 1846; M.A. 1849; Fellow, 1845-72. Assistant Master at Eton, 1845-72, where Lord Rosebery was one of his pupils. ' He will long be remembered as the most brilliant Eton tutor of his day' (G. W. Prothero, 'Memoir of Henry Bradshaw'). Took a leading part in the throwing open of King's, 1861-5, and contributed generously towards the creation of a fund for Exhibitions in Natural Sciences. Assumed the name of Cory, by deed poll, Oct. 17, 1872. Two years after inheriting an estate at Haldon, Devon, he resigned his fellowship of King's, and retired from Eton. Went to Madeira for the sake of his health and married there, in 1878, Rosa Caroline, dau. of the Rev. George de Carteret Guille, R. of Little Torrington, Devon, and had issue, a son. Returned to England, 1882, and resided in Hampstead, where he gave 'oral classical instruction' to ladies 'for his own sake as well as theirs.' Very short-sighted, he is said to have pursued a hen down Windsor Hill, under the belief she was his own lost hat. Died June 11, 1892, at 4, Pilgrim's lane, Hampstead. Author, Poems (Latin and Greek verse), 'A Guide to Modern English History from 1815 to 1835'. A volume of extracts from his letters and journals was published by the Oxford University Press in 1897. (King's Coll. Adm. Reg.; H. S. Salt, 'Memories of Bygone Eton,' Chap. xiv.) ¹⁸⁴

• Probate Granted: 9 Aug 1892, London, England. ¹⁸⁵ Effects: £10410 6s 10d

Rosa aged 22 years (344 KB)
14th Feb 1879
Photographed in Funchal, Maderia, six months after she was married and when she was about 4½ months pregnant with Andrew.
(Click on Picture to View Full Size)

William married Rosa Caroline Guille , daughter of Revd. George De Carteret Guille and Sophia Stevens , on 1 Aug 1878 in Madeira ⁹⁷.^,98 Rosa was born on 31 Jan 1857.^¹⁸⁶

39 F vii. Ellen Furse Johnson ²² was born in Dec 1826 in Great Torrington, Devon,^{²²^,187} was baptized on 9 Jan 1827 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁸⁸ and died on 14 Jun 1912 ^²² at age 85.

Ellen married Major Charles Johnson Anthony Deane , son of Anthony William Johnson Deane and Sarah Elizabeth Stable , in 1853 in St George's, Hanover Square, London.¹⁹¹ Charles was born in 1823 in Webbery, Alverdiscott, Devon ^{⁵⁰^,187} and died on 17 Oct 1881 in 9 Bouverie Square, Folkestone ^⁹⁷ at age 58.

• Probate Granted: 29 Nov 1881, London, England. ¹⁹² Personal Estate: £400 19s. 5d.

40 F viii. Elizabeth Reynolds Johnson ²² was born in 1829 in Great Torrington, Devon, was baptized on 5 Apr 1829 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁹³ died on 6 Nov 1834 in Great Torrington, Devon ^²² at age 5, and was buried on 12 Nov 1834 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon.^¹⁹⁴

29. Elizabeth Furse ²² ^,106 was baptized on 1 Feb 1793 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon ^¹⁰⁷ and died on 8 Jun 1876 in Westhayes, Rockbourne, Fordingbridge, Hampshire ^{¹^,108} at age 83.

• Grant of Administration: 26 Jul 1876, London. ¹⁹⁵ Effects under £3,000.

Elizabeth married Revd. William Johnson Yonge ,²² son of Rev. Chancellor William Yonge and Frances Johnson , <1825>. William was born on 15 Oct 1785 in Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁹⁶ was baptized on 20 Dec 1785,^¹⁹⁶ and died on 2 May 1875 in Rockbourne, Fordingbridge, Hampshire ^{¹⁹⁶^,197^,198} at age 89.

General Notes: Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. Rector of Rockbourne, Hants., for 51 years. Sometime Rural Dean and J.P. for the county of Hants.

Alumni Cantabrigienses says this of William:-

YONGE, WILLIAM JOHNSON. Adm. at KING'S, a scholar from Eton, Dec. 15, 1804. S. of the Rev. William (above) (and Frances). [B. Oct. 15, 1785, at Torrington, Devon.] Bapt. Dec. 20, 1785. Matric. Michs. 1804; B.A. 1809; M.A. 1815. Fellow, 1807-24. Ord. deacon (Norwich), Dec. 18, 1808; priest July 8, 1810. P.C. of Rockbourne, Hants., 1824-75. Married Elizabeth, 2nd dau. of the Rev. Wellington Furse, of Halsdon, Devon. Died May 2,1875. ("Clergy Lists"; "Crockford"; "King's Coll. Reg."; Burke, "L.G." sub Furse; Sir W. Sterry.) ¹⁹⁹ ^,200

41 F i. Frances Johnson Yonge ²⁰² was born in 1825 in Great Torrington, Devon,^²⁰³ was baptized on 13 Jul 1825 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon,^²⁰⁴ and died on 22 Dec 1902 in 39 Cambridge Terrace, Hyde Park, London ^²⁰⁵ at age 77.

Fanny married John Alexander Radcliffe ,²⁰² son of Revd. George Radcliffe D.D. and Unknown , on 26 Apr 1848.²⁰⁷ John was born <1822> in Salisbury, Wiltshire ^²⁰³ and died on 27 Jan 1891 in 39 Cambridge Terrace, Hyde Park, London ^²⁰⁸ at age 69.

• Probate Granted: 7 Mar 1891, London. ²⁰⁹ Personal Estate: £31,945 18s 3d.
Resworn May 1892: £34,421 12s 5d.
Resworn May 1898: £35,921 12s 5d.

42 M ii. Revd. William Wellingon Yonge ²¹⁰ was born <1828>,^²¹⁰ was baptized on 17 Apr 1828 in Rockbourne, Fordingbridge, Hampshire,^²¹¹ and died on 28 Feb 1878 in White Waltham, Berkshire ^{²¹⁰^,212} at age 50.

General Notes: Yonge, William Wellington, o.s. William Johnson, of Rockbourne, Hants, cler. EXETER COLL., matric. 3 Feb., 1848, aged 19; B.A. 1851, rector of Shottsbrooke and vicar of White Waltham, Berks, 1857 until his death 28 Sep., 1878. See Foster's "Our Noble and Gentle Families", II, 817; & Eton School List. ²¹⁰

• Grant of Administration: 15 Mar 1878, London. ²¹³ Personal Estate under £4,000.

43 F iii. Mary Agnes Reynolds Yonge ²⁰⁷ was born <1830>, was baptized on 20 Aug 1830 in Rockbourne, Fordingbridge, Hampshire,^²¹¹ and died on 23 Jan 1914 ^²¹⁴ at age 84.

44 F iv. Elizabeth Deane Yonge ²⁰⁷ was born <1832>, was baptized on 13 Feb 1832 in Rockbourne, Fordingbridge, Hampshire,^²¹¹ and died on 12 May 1918 in Rockbourne, Fordingbridge, Hampshire ^²¹⁶ at age 86.

45 F v. Theresa Jane Yonge ²⁰⁷ was born <1833>, was baptized on 6 Dec 1833 in Rockbourne, Fordingbridge, Hampshire,^²¹¹ and died on 6 Jan 1900 in Westhayes, Rockbourne, Fordingbridge, Hampshire ^²¹⁸ at age 67.

30. John Henry Furse ²²⁰ was baptized on 13 Sep 1794 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon,^²²¹ died on 1 Aug 1854 in Halsdon, Dolton, Devon ^{⁷⁵^,111} at age 59, and was buried on 8 Aug 1854 in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^{¹¹²^,113}

General Notes: After an education at Eton and Exeter College, Oxford, where he took his BA in 1816, John seems to have lived out the rest of his life as a country gentlemen at Halsdon and, unlike his father, he took little interest in the civic affairs of Great Torrington.

• Will signed: 9 Mar 1848. ²²² John left his illegitimate daughter Mary Wren an annuity of £50 for life provided she did not marry before the age of 28; he also left her £1000 subject to the same condition. About six years later, he added a Codicil to that Will and gave Mary (now call Mary Furse) a further £5000, subject again to her not marrying before the age of 28. In this Codicil he also left his wife Anna sum of £100 and declared that that sum was to "be in lieu of and in full satisfaction for all dower thirds & which my said wife might otherwise claim or be entitled to out of my real estate".

John did not made any bequests in connection with any land that he may have owned, that may have been because he was only a life tenant of the Halsdon Estate and had no need to specify his successor or because, in the absence of an heir, he chose to overlook the matter.

The two Trustees and Executors that John appointed to carry his Will into effect did not, in the event, do so as they both renounced their roles, doubtless, because of its controversial content.

• Grant of Administration: London. ²²³ ^,224 On the 15th day of January 1855 Admon (with the Will and Codicil annexed) of the Goods Chattels and Credits of John Henry Furse late of Halsdon in the parish of Dolton in the County of Devon Esq^re deceased was granted to Elizabeth Yonge (wife of the Rev^d William Johnson Yonge Clerk) the natural and lawful sister and the only next of kin having been first sworn by Canon duly to administer... John Stoley and William Evan in the Will written William Price Esquires the executors named in the said Will having renounced the probate and execution of the said Will and Codicil. No residuary legatee named in the said Will. Anna Sophia Furse Widow the Relict having renounced the Letters of Admon (with the said Will and Codicil annexed) of the goods the said deceased (as by Acts of Court appears)

From the Legacy Duty records, it appears that John's estate was valued at £20,000 but whether or not this included the Halsdon Estate is not clear. Half of that sum went to John's widow Anna and the remainder to John's sister Elizabeth Yonge. Elizabeth Yonge, as administrator, having set aside the £50 annuity and the bequests amounting to £6000 which were supposed to be paid to John's illegitimate daughter Mary Furse and having ignored his wishes concerning his wife (see his Will).

The Halsdon Estate then passed into the hands of John's nephew Charles Wellington Johnson who had the previous year changed his surname to Furse. It may be that in order to inherit the Halsdon Estate he needed to make such a change or it may be that Wellington knew that in order to inherit from his granduncle, Philip Furse, he would have to take on the Furse name and Arms and chose to do so then. (See Philip Furse's Will for details).

John married Anna Sophia Buller ,²² daughter of Revd. Richard Buller and Anna Sophia Marshall , on 18 Jun 1831 in Saint Peter's Cathedral, Exeter, Devon.¹¹⁴ Anna was born on 26 Oct 1801, was baptized on 20 Apr 1802 in Colyton, Devon,^²²⁵ and died on 9 Oct 1872 in Surrenden Dering, Pluckley, Ashford, Kent ^{²²⁶^,227} at age 70.

Marriage Notes: John and Anna probably met through John's uncle, Peter Furse, whose third wife, Elizabeth Marshall, was Anna's aunt.

It does not seem to have been a happy marriage. Anna was unable to bear John any children and there was, therefore, little to hold them together as the years went on. Doubtless, John's affair with Liza Hookway, which may have been one of many such liaisons, and his wish to recognise Liza's child by him, was both a symptom and a cause of the deepening rift between him and Anna.

So it is not surprising that by 1851 Anna had left John and was living in the village of Uley, near Dursley, with her own establishment and, as she continued to live there after he died (but in rather more style), the conclusion must be that she had parted from him permanently by 1851; this is no doubt why John, when he added a Codicil to his Will of 1848 in 1854, specifically set aside all other provisions for Anna and left her only a modest £100. (See note about his Will).

After John's death, Anna was given an absolute interest in half his estate which was a generous arrangement born, perhaps, out of Furse family unhappiness with how she had been treated. Anna did not return any of her legacy to the Furse side of the family, choosing instead to spread it amongst her own nieces and nephews. ²²⁸ ^,229

General Notes: Not unsurprisingly perhaps, Anna seems to have become a rather sad and reclusive figure in her later years if the preamble to her Will is any guide. It reads: "...I desire that I may be buried in the churchyard or cemetery of the parish or town in which I die as privately and with as little expense as may be and without any notification of the place of my burial...".

In the event, Anna died at Surrenden Dering, a house lent to her by Sir Edward Dering near the village of Pluckley in Kent where, in all probability, she is buried in the churchyard. She left Sir Edward all the furniture, books and household effects that she had brought to Surrenden Dering in recompense for his kindness. ²²⁹

• Will signed: 21 Jun 1871. ²²⁹ Sophia disposed of her not insubstantial estate to no fewer than 23 relatives, all cousins on her father's or mother's side.

• Probate Granted: 5 Dec 1872, Canterbury, Kent. ²³⁰ Effects under £18,000

Sixth Generation

37. Ven. Charles Wellington Furse ⁹⁷ ^,98 ^,231 was born on 16 Apr 1821 in Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁷⁶ was baptized on 22 Jun 1821 in St Michael And All Angels Church, Great Torrington, Devon,^¹⁷⁷ died on 2 Aug 1900 in 1 Abbey Garden, Westminster, London ^¹⁷⁸ at age 79, and was buried on 4 Aug 1900 in Westminster Abbey, London.^¹⁷⁹ Another name for Wellington was Ven. Charles Wellington Johnson.

General Notes: Wellington's entry in WHO WAS WHO for 1897-1915 is as follows:-

FURSE, Ven. Charles Wellington, MA, JP; Archdeacon of Westminster from 1894; Canon of Westminster, 1883; Rector of St John Evangelist, Westminster, 1883-94; b. 1821; s of C. W. Johnson, Torrington, and d of Rev. P. Wellington Furse, Halsdon; assumed surname Furse in 1854; m 1st, Jane Diana (d 1877), d Rev. J. S. B. Monsell; ten c; 2nd Gertrude, d of Henry Barnet. Educ.: Eton; Balliol College, Oxford. Ordained 1848; Principal of Cuddesdon Theological College 1873-83; hon. canon of Christ Church, 1873. Publications: Sermons, Helps to Holiness, The Parish Church and the Parish Priest. Address: Halsdon House, North Devon; 1 Abbey Garden, Westminster. Died 2 Aug. 1900. ²³²

The Venerable Charles Wellington Furse, who died at his residence in Abbey-gardens yesterday morning, was the senior in age of the canons of Westminster, and second only to the sub-dean, Canon Duckworth, in length of service on the chapter. He was born in 1821, his father being Mr. Charles William Johnson, of Great Torrington, Devon, and his mother, Theresa, daughter of the Rev. Peter Wellington Furse, of Halsdon, North Devon. On the death of his father in 1854 Mr. Furse assumed the name by which he has since been known. Etonians will think of him in connexion with Johnson, the Eton master, whose journal, printed privately, has revealed to his friends the extreme conscientiousness which he strove with the difficulties and misunderstandings of such work as his.

Mr. Furse was educated at Eton and Balliol College, where he took his B.A. degree in 1847, but without distinction in the schools, and was ordained in 1848 by Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, whose son afterwards succeeded him at St. John's, Westminster. After serving curacies at Clewer and Christ Church, Albany-street, Mr. Furse was appointed by the Lord Chancellor to the vicarage of Staines, where he remained from 1863 to 1873. He had been appointed in 1870 chaplain to Bishop Mackarness, an office which he held till the Bishop's death in 1888. In 1873, on the Bishop's nomination, he became vicar of Cuddesdon and rural dean, being the at the same time, according to custom, principal of Cuddesdon College. The ten years of his headship of the college were perhaps the most important of his life; no man can hold that office without exercising a considerable influence of some sort on the Church at large. In 1883 he received from the Crown the residentiary canory in Westminster Abbey which carries with it the charge of the parish of St. John, Westminster, and in 1894, exchanged this stall for one to which no parochial duties attached. In 1895 Bishop Temple nominated him to succeed Dr. Farrar as Archdeacon of Westminster. Canon Furse, who owned property in North Devon, and was on the commission of the peace for that county, was twice married. Among his sons is Mr. C. W. Furse, the well-known painter. The Archdeacon, who perhaps never made any considerable mark as a preacher at the Abbey, had for some time been unable to perform his residentiary duties and there had been some question of his resigning his Archdeaconry. He was the author of a volume of sermons entitled "Helps to Holiness" and of "The Parish Church and the Parish Priest." The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey to-morrow at 12.30.

• Funeral: 4 Aug 1900, London, England. ¹⁷⁹ The Times, Monday, August 6th 1900

The funeral of Archdeacon Furse took place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday. The coffin was received at the Cloister entrance by Canon Duckworth, the Sub-Dean, Canon Wilberforce, Canon Gore, the Rev. H. G. Daniell-Bainbridge, the Precentor, and the minor canons. A procession, headed by the choir and the clergy, was formed into the Abbey, where the first part of the service was conducted by the Sub-Dean and Canon Gore. After the lesson, the hymn "Let Saints on Earth in Concert Sing" was sung and Chopin's "Funeral March" played by the organist while the body was being borne to the grave in the East Cloister. The remainder of the service at the graveside, was conducted by Canon Gore and the Precentor, the concluding hymn being "Praise to the Holiest in the height" (Cardinal Newman).
The principal mourners were Mrs Furse (widow), Mr. J. H. M. Furse, Mr. C. W. Furse, the Rev. M. B. Furse, and the Rev. H. R. Furse (sons), Mr Ralph Furse (grandson), the Rev. J. P. and Mrs. Maud, the Rev. C. T. and Mrs. Abraham, Miss Furse, Miss Katherine Furse, Mrs. W. T. Furse, Mrs. Ward, Lieut-Colonel Monsell, and Rev. Herbert Barnett. Those present included the Rev. Furse Vidal, Mr H. Evans Gordon, Sir William Vincent, Mr J. G. Talbot, M.P., the Rev. F. and Mrs. Gurdon, Mr. John Thynne (Receiver-General to the Dean and Chapter), Mr. Arthur Mackarness, Mr Luxmoore, and Mr Thomas Bond.

• Probate Granted: 4 Sep 1900, London, England. ²³⁴ Effects: £19594 4s 6d. Resworn Jan 1902 £20246-7-11 and £20297-12- 4.

Wellington married Jane Diana Monsell ,⁹⁷ ^,98 daughter of Revd. Dr. John Samuel Bewley Monsell LL.D and Unknown , on 24 Feb 1859 in St Boniface, Bonchurch, Iow ⁹⁷.^,98 Jane was born <1837> in County Derry, Ireland and died on 20 Mar 1877 in Cuddesdon, Oxfordshire ^²³⁵ at age 40.

• Grant of Administration: 6 Dec 1885, London, England. ²³⁶ Personal Estate £1,000

48 M ii. Charles Cyril Furse ²² ^,242 was born on 19 Jun 1861 ^{²²^,242} and died on 21 Mar 1862 ^{²²^,242} .

56 M x. John Monsell Furse ²² was born on 12 Mar 1877 ^²² and died on 28 Feb 1888 ^²⁴² at age 10.

Gertrude (370 KB)
c. 1885
(Click on Picture to View Full Size)

Wellington Wellington never married. Gertrude Louisa Barnett ,²⁴² daughter of Colonel Henry Barnett and Emily Ann Stratton , on 7 Jan 1880 in Glympton Parish Church, Oxon ⁹⁷.^,180 Gertrude was born on 2 Apr 1848 in London ^²⁵⁴ and died on 6 Mar 1912 in Markham House, Wokingham ^{²⁴²^,255} at age 63.

• Probate Granted: 1 May 1912, London, England. ²⁵⁶ Effects: £5182 18s 6d

57 F i. Katherine Emily Furse ¹ was born on 21 Feb 1881 ^¹ and died on 8 Jul 1911 in Halsdon, Dolton, Devon ^¹ at age 30.

• Probate Granted: 29 Aug 1911, London, England. ²⁵⁷ Effects: £2580 7s 4d

58 M ii. Lt. Col. Herbert Reynolds Furse M.B.E. ¹ ^,114 was born on 31 Jan 1887 ^¹ and died on 25 Feb 1956 ^¹ at age 69.

• Grant of Administration: 28 Mar 1956, London, England. ²⁵⁸ Effects: £262 4s

Herbert married Catherine Ann Carlisle , daughter of John Carlisle and Unknown , on 28 Mar 1953.¹

Seventh Generation

• Early training: From 1881 to 1887, British Museum, London. ²⁶⁰ After leaving Oxford, Harry went to work at the British Museum. What he did there has not been discovered but it seems to have developed his interest in sculpture.

• Artistic Endeavour: 1881 onwards, Various Places. ²⁶¹ Harry had a considerable flair for sculpture and probably during his time at the British Museum and, certainly later, he executed many excellent works of sculpture and undertook several commissions. A statue of the Rev. Dr William Miller and the busts of Mrs Edward O'Brien & Mrs David Henderson have been mentioned in this regard, to which should certainly be added the busts of Margaret Newbolt & her daughter Celia. He also executed several medal groups and bas-reliefs of animals.

• Probate Granted: 15 Jun 1950, London, England. ²⁶² Effects: £31116 11s 2d

Ethel (338 KB)
c. 1886
From a Furse family group taken in the grounds of Halsdon
(Click on Picture to View Full Size)

Harry married Ethel Dolignon , daughter of Revd. John William Dolignon and Emily Augusta Reynolds Montagu , on 16 Dec 1886 in Westminster Abbey, London ¹.^,241 Ethel was born in 1856 in Paddington, Middlesex ^{²⁶³^,264} and died on 10 Oct 1887 in 8 Gloucester Street, Warwick Square, London ^²⁶⁵ at age 31.

• Grant of Administration: 26 Jan 1888, London, England. ²⁶⁶ Persona Estate: £289 3s 2d

Harry next married Evelyn Mary Campbell ,¹ daughter of George Campbell and Unknown , on 11 Mar 1922.¹ Evelyn was born in 1874 ^{¹^,270} and died on 18 Mar 1963 in Yeatman Hospital, Sherborne, Dorset ^²⁴⁵ at age 89.

• Probate Granted: 10 Jul 1963, London, England. ²⁷¹ Effects: £30,983 12s

• Grant of Administration: 22 Mar 1939, London, England. ²⁷² Effects: £5943 4s 11d

Elizabeth married Rt. Revd. John Thomas Primatt Maud ,²⁴³ son of Revd. John Primatt Maud and Unknown , on 8 Jan 1891.²⁴² John was born in 1860 ^²⁷³ and died on 21 Mar 1932 ^²⁴² at age 72.

• Report of death: 24 Mar 1932, London, England. ²⁷⁴ The Church Times reported John's death:-

On the 21st inst. The Right Rev. John Primatt Maud, Bishop of Kensington since 1911, formerly Vicar of St Mary, Redcliffe, Bristol (1904-11), aged 71.

60 F i. Jeanie Monsell Maud ²⁷⁵ was born in 1891 ^²⁷⁵ and died in 1970 ^²⁷⁵ at age 79.

Jeanie married Rt. Revd. John Norman Bateman-Champain ²⁷⁵ in 1912.²⁷⁵ John died in 1950 ^²⁷⁵ .

61 F ii. Dorothy Maud ²⁷⁵ was born in 1894 ^²⁷⁵ and died in 1977 ^²⁷⁵ at age 83.

62 M iii. Christopher Maud ²⁷⁵ was born in 1896 ^²⁷⁵ and died in 1911 ^²⁷⁵ at age 15.

65 M vi. Lord John Primatt Redcliffe Maud G.C.B., C.B.E. ²⁷⁵ was born on 3 Feb 1906.^{²⁷⁵^,276}

John married Jean Hamilton ,²⁷⁵ daughter of J. B. Hamilton and Unknown , in 1932.²⁷⁵

• Probate Granted: 27 Jun 1952, London, England. ²⁷⁷ Effects: £1176 0s 11d

Charles (306 KB)
1918
Taken from a group photograph at Halsdon, Devon, with Ned Stone

Mary married Rt. Revd. Charles Thomas Abraham ,²⁴³ son of Rt. Revd. Charles John Abraham D.D. and Caroline Harriet Palmer , on 24 May 1883.²⁴² Charles was born in 1857 ^²⁷⁸ and died on 27 Jan 1945 in Upton Noble, Somerset ^²⁴² at age 88.

• Report of death: 9 Feb 1945, London, England. ²⁷⁹ The Church Times gave this notice of Charles's death:-

On Jan 27th. The Right Rev. Charles Thomas Abraham, formerly Bishop Suffragan of Derby (1909-27) and late Rector of Astbury, Cheshire (1927-35), aged 87.

On the same page the Church Times printed the following under the title "IN MEMORIAM"

His many friends heard with great sorrow of the death of the Rt. Rev. C. T. Abraham at Upton Noble in Somerset. A graduate of Keble College, Oxford, the late Bishop was ordained in 1881 to the curacy of St Mary's, Shrewsbury, - appointed vicar of All Saints, Shrewsbury in 1885 and vicar of Christ Church, Lichfield, in 1889. In 1909 he was consecrated Bishop Suffragan of Derby - he resigned in 1927 and about ten years ago he went to live at Upton Noble. All who were privileged to know him will remember his transparent sincerity, his humbleness and generosity of heart and mind.

66 M i. Charles Wellington Rupert Abraham ²⁸¹ ^,282 was born on 23 Jul 1884 ^²⁸² and died in 1951 ^{²⁸¹^,282} at age 67.

Jasper married Edith Mary Betts ²⁸¹ ^,282 in 1934. Edith was born in 1912 ^²⁸² and died in 1995 ^²⁸² at age 83.

68 F iii. Marjorie Monsell Abraham ²⁸¹ was born on 12 Feb 1888 ^{²⁸¹^,283} and died on 14 Jun 1972 ^{²⁸¹^,283} at age 84.

Marjorie married Revd. Sidney Ernest Swann ²⁸¹ ^,283 on 8 Aug 1917.²⁸¹ Robin was born on 24 Jun 1890 ^²⁸³ and died on 19 Sep 1976 ^{²⁸¹^,283} at age 86.

General Notes: Sometime Chaplain T. H., Archdeacon in Egypt and Canon of Bristol. ²⁸³

Molly married Revd. Arthur Rupert Browne-Wilkinson ²⁸¹ ^,282 in 1917 in Bakewell, Derbyshire ²⁸¹.^,284 Rupert was born on 6 Aug 1889 ^²⁸² and died on 7 Apr 1961 in Chichester, Hants. ^{²⁸¹^,282^,285} at age 71.

70 F v. Jeanie Furse Abraham was born in 1891 in Lichfield ^²⁸⁶ and died in 1960 in Taunton, Somerset ^²⁸⁷ at age 69.

72 M vii. Capt. Geoffrey William Pepperrell Abraham ²⁸¹ was born in 1896 in Lichfield, Staffordshire,^{²⁸¹^,288} died on 16 Nov 1917 ^{²⁸¹^,289} at age 21, and was buried in Port Said War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.^²⁹⁰

73 M viii. Rt. Revd. Philip Selwyn Abraham ²⁸¹ ^,282 was born on 29 Jul 1897 in Lichfield ^{²⁸¹^,282^,291} and died on 22 Dec 1955 ^{²⁸¹^,282} at age 58.

Philip married Elizabeth Dorothy Cicely Marriott ,²⁸¹ ^,282 ^,291 daughter of Sir John Marriott and Unknown , on 7 Jun 1923 ²⁸¹.^,291 Cicely was born on 10 Apr 1892 ^²⁸² and died on 1 Sep 1975 ^{²⁸¹^,282} at age 83.

Katherine married Revd. Alfred Swann ²⁸¹ in 1923.²⁸¹ Alfred died in 1961 ^²⁸¹ .

Delia married Revd. Alan Ecclestone ²⁸¹ ^,282 in 1934.²⁸¹ Alan was born on 3 Jun 1904 ^²⁸² and died on 14 Dec 1992 ^²⁸² at age 88.

General Notes: William's entry in WHO WAS WHO for 1951-1960 is as follows:-

FURSE Lieut.-General Sir William T., K.C.B., cr. 1917 (C.B. 1915); K.C.M.G., cr. 1935; D.S.O. 1900; R.A.; b. 21 Apr. 1865; s. of late Ven. the Archdeacon of Westminster; m. 1899, Jean Adelaide, 2nd d. of late H. Evans-Gordon; two s. one d. Educ.: Eton. Entered army, 1884; Captain, 1893; Major, 1900; Colonel, 1911; A.D.C. to Lord Roberts when Comm.-in-Chief in India, 1890-93; graduated at Staff College, 1897; R.A. Headquarters, 1897-1902; D.A.Q.M.G. 2nd Army Corps,, 1902-4; Army Headquarters, 1905-7; G.S.0. 2nd Grade, Staff College, 1908-11; O.C. 12th Brigade, R.F.A.; G.S.0. 1st Grade, 6th Division, 1913-14; B.G.G.S., II. Corps, France, 1915; G.C.O. 9th (Scottish) Division, 1915-16; served in S. Africa, 1899-1900 (dispatches, Queen's medal 5 clasps, D.S.O.); European War, 1914-18 (dispatches, K.C.B.; prom. Maj.-Gen. and Lt.-Gen.); Master-General of Ordinance, 1916; member of Army Council; retired, 1920; Director of the Imperial Institute, 1926-34. Address: 42 Worminghall, Aylesbury, Bucks. [Died 31 May 1953]. ²⁹²

William married Dame Jean Adelaide Gordon O.B.E. , daughter of Henry Evans Gordon and Mary Theodosia Sartoris , in Apr 1899.¹ Jean was born in 1874,^²⁹⁴ died on 23 Jun 1954 in 14 Cheyne Row, Chelsea, London Sw 3 ^²⁹⁵ at age 80, and was buried in All Saints Church, Cuddesdon, Oxon.^²⁴⁷

• Probate Granted: 26 Nov 1954, London, England. ²⁹⁶ Effects: £3707 2s 10d

77 M ii. Roger Kemble Furse ²⁹⁷ was born on 11 Sep 1903 ^²⁹⁷ and died on 19 Aug 1972 in Corfu, Greece ^²⁹⁸ at age 68.

General Notes: Roger's entry in WHO WAS WHO for 1971-1980 reads:-

Furse, Roger Kemble, RDI 1949, freelance theatre and film designer; painter; illustrator; b 11 Sept. 1903; s of late Lieut.-Gen. Sir William Furse, KCB, KCMG; m 1936, Alice Margaret (née Watts) (marriage dissolved, 1951); no c; m Ines Sylvia Perg. Educ: St George's Choir Sch., Windsor Castle; Eton; Slade Sch .of Fine Arts. Worked in Paris, 1924-27, in USA, 1927-31 (commercial work, portraits, etc.); returned to London, 1931, since when has been designing for Theatre; and later, 1943, for films. [There then follows a long list of credits (plays and films) culminating in an entry for "The Workhouse Donkey" at Chichester Festival Theatre in 1963]
Served War 1939-45; joined Navy 1940; commnd RNVR, 1941. Recreations: friends. Address: c/o National Westminster Bank Ltd, Tavistock Square, WC1. [Died 19 Aug. 1972]. ²⁹⁹

• Probate Granted: 12 Apr 1973, London, England. ³⁰⁰ Effects in England and Wales: £2045

Roger married Alice Margaret Watts ,²⁹⁷ daughter of Arthur Watts and Unknown , on 4 Dec 1936. The marriage ended in divorce in 1951.

78 F iii. Diana Furse ²⁹⁷ was born on 26 Mar 1902 ^²⁹⁷ and died on 7 Jul 1931 ^²⁹⁷ at age 29.

79 F iv. Judith Furse ²⁹⁷ was born on 4 Mar 1912 ^²⁹⁷ and died on 26 Aug 1974 at age 62.

General Notes: Charles's entry in WHO WAS WHO for 1897-1915 is as follows:-

FURSE, Charles Wellington, ARA 1904; painter; b 1868; 3rd s of late Ven. C. W. Furse, Archdeacon of Westminster, and of Halsdon House, N Devon; m 1900, Katharine y d of John Addington Symonds of Clifton Hill House, Bristol; two s. Educ: Haileybury Coll. Studied at the Slade School under Prof. Legros; Slade Scholarship; afterwards worked in Paris; gold medal, Munich; member of the New English Art Club. Recreations: shooting, golf, fishing. Club: Savile. Died 17 Oct. 1904. ²³²

A GREAT PAINTER.
—————
DEATH OF MR. C. W. FURSE
—————
NEW NOTE IN PORTRAITURE

England has to mourn the loss of one of her greatest portrait painters in Mr. Charles Wellington Furse, who died yesterday at the age of thirty-six.
The cause of this sudden snapping of a career of great promise was asthma supervening upon hæmorrhage, the result of long standing pulmonary affection aggravated by getting wet while shooting.
Charles Wellington Furse was the third son of the Venerable C. W. Furse, Archdeacon of Westminster, and of Halsden House, North Devon. He was educated at Haileybury College, studied at the Slade School under Professor Legros, won the Slade Scholarship, and afterwards worked in Paris. He married in 1900 the youngest daughter of Mr. John Addington Symonds, of Clifton Hill House, Bristol.
It is only a few months since the election of Mr. Furse to the associateship of the Royal Academy was hailed by artists throughout the country as a well-merited reward of real distinction and as a hopeful sign foreboding a more liberal policy on the part of this conservative body. The influence of so strong and individual an artist, who was then thought to be only at the beginning of a brilliant career, was expected to be most beneficial in more ways than one. His forceful, charming personality rallied around him a large circle of friends and admirers.
The dead artist's career was meteor-like in its suddenness and brilliancy. Before the opening of the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1903 his name was only known to a very limited circle of fellow-artists and art lovers.

When, however, the 1903 exhibition opened he appeared in such commanding strength that not a dissenting voice could be heard in the enthusiastic chorus which welcomed his admirable masterpiece "The Return from the Ride" which had deservedly been given one of the coveted places of honour. It was a portrait group, which combined the essentials of successful portraiture with the colour of true decorative art and with the suavest rhythm of line. Two more pictures shown at the same exhibition - a portrait of Lord Charles Beresford and a portrait of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir J. J. White Jervis - proved that "The Return from the Ride " was not a happy accident, but the outcome of mature artistic skill and taste.
This triple success was followed by Mr. Furse's election for the first vacant associateship, but its true meaning was only disclosed when the gates of the Royal Academy opened for the summer exhibition of the present year and disclosed another quartette of masterpieces from the same brush.
All these pictures introduced a new note in portraiture. Mr. Furse has done away with the "pose" which is so apparent even in some of the masters' masterpieces, and which has been the stumbling-block of so many minor talents. He combined in a perfectly natural way the portrait and the "genre" picture. He avoided the artificiality of the studio atmosphere and the awkwardness of the pose. He showed his models unconscious of being painted, in the pursuit of their favourite outdoor sport or pastime. Their features are keen and expressive, and never express fatigue or boredom. And this is an immense gain to the art of portraiture.
The painter leaves an unfinished portrait of Mr Chamberlain, of which the highest [expect]ations were formed.

• Grant of Administration: 14 Dec 1904, London, England. ³⁰¹ Effects: £3184 5s

Charles married Dame Katharine Symonds G.B.E., D.G.Stj., R.R.C. ,¹ daughter of John Addington Symonds and Janet Catherine North , on 16 Oct 1900 in St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, London ¹.^,249 Katharine was born on 23 Nov 1875 ^²⁹² and died on 25 Nov 1952 in University College Hospital, Grafton Way, London Wc1 ^{¹^,246} at age 77.

General Notes: Katharine's entry in WHO WAS WHO for 1951-1960 is as follows:-

FURSE, Dame Katharine, G.B.E., cr. 1917: R.R.C.; Lady of Grace Order of St. John; b. 23 Nov. 1875; d. of John Addington Symonds and Janet Catherine North; m. Charles W. Furse, Painter; two s. Educ.: at home. Wood Carver; Commandant-in-Chief, V.A.D.; proceeded to France, Sep. 1914, and started V.A.D. work there; came home Jan. 1915 and started the V.A.D. Dept. under the Red Cross; resigned, 1917; Director Women's Royal Naval Service, 1917-1919; Director World Bureau Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, 1928-38. Publications: Ski-running, 1924; Hearts and Pomegranates, 1940. Address: 34 Sloane Court S. W. 3. Clubs: Allies', Portsmouth Service Women's. [Died 25 Nov. 1952. ²⁹²

• Probate Granted: 17 Feb 1953, London, England. ³⁰² Effects: £10996 13s 7d

Margaret married Ven. William Aubrey Robins ,²⁴² ^,243 son of Revd. George Robins and Unknown , on 22 Jul 1907.²⁴² William was born <1868> and died on 22 Nov 1949 in Hutching Green House, Harpenden ^{²⁴²^,305} at age 81.

General Notes: Sometime Archdeacon of Bedford and Vicar of St. Paul's, Bedford. ²⁴²

• Report of death: 25 Nov 1949, London. ³⁰⁵ The Church Times carried this notice of William's death:-
On Nov 22 at Hutching Green House, Harpenden, The Ven. William Aubrey Robins, Perpetual Curate of St Martins Knowle (1906-08); Vicar of Cirencester with Holy Trinity Watermoor (1908-22); Vicar of St Paul's, Bedford (1922-36); Archdeacon of Bedford (1935-45); Archdeacon Emeritus of St Albans since 1945; aged 81.

• Probate Granted: 30 Mar 1950, London, England. ³⁰⁶ Effects: £20,553 8s 6d

82 F i. Ursula Robins ³⁰⁷ was born in 1908 ^³⁰⁷ and died in 1951 ^³⁰⁷ at age 43.

General Notes: Michael's entry in WHO WAS WHO for 1951-1960 is as follows:-

FURSE, Rt. Rev. Michael Bolton, K.C.M.G., cr. 1947; D.D.; Prelate of Order of St. Michael and St. George, 1936-51; 4th s. of late Charles Wellington Furse, Archdeacon and Canon of Westminster, Halsdon, Dolton, N. Devon; b.1870; m.1903, Francis Josephine (d. 1947), d. of Capt. James Redfield, U.S. Army. Educ.: Eton (King's Scholar); Trinity College, Oxford. B.A. 1893; M.A. 1896; D.D. (Hon.) 1911; Deacon, 1896; Priest, 1897, by Bishop of Oxford; Fellow and Dean of Trinity College, Oxford, 1895-1903; Archdeacon of Johannesburg, 1903-09; Bishop of Victoria, 1909-1920; Bishop of St. Albans, 1920-44; Member of the House of Lords, 1923-44; Hon. Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford, 1921; Publications: A School of Prayer; God's Plan; Stand Therefore! Recreations: golf, fishing. Address: Framland, Wantage, Berks. [Died 18 June 1955. ²⁹²

• Report of death: 1 Jul 1955, London, England. ³⁰⁸ The Church Times had this note about Michael's death:-

Recently, the Right Rev. Michael Bolton Furse, Archdeacon of Johannesburg (1903-09), Bishop of Pretoria (1909-20), of St Albans (1920-44), aged 84.

• Probate Granted: 12 Nov 1955, London, England. ³⁰⁹ Effects: £7334 4s 9d

Michael married Frances Josephine Redfield , daughter of Capt. James Redfield and Unknown , on 30 Jun 1903 in St. Batholomew The Great, West Smithfield, London ¹.^,252 Frances was born on 25 May 1875,^³¹⁰ died on 4 Dec 1947 ^³¹¹ at age 72, and was buried in All Saints Church, Cuddesdon, Oxon.^³¹²

84 F i. Jane Diana Furse ¹ was born on 19 Aug 1904 ^¹ and died on 3 Aug 1918 ^¹ at age 13.

• Probate Granted: 17 Feb 1961, London, England. ³¹⁴ Effects: £13,429 14s 3d

Edith married Cecil Lubbock , son of Frederic Lubbock and Unknown , on 14 Apr 1898 in Westminster Abbey, London.²⁵³ Cecil died on 18 Jan 1956 ^²⁴² .

General Notes: Sometime Banker and member of the Court of the Bank of England. ³¹⁵

• Probate Granted: 6 Apr 1956, London, England. ³¹⁶ Effects: £31,760 8s 7d

Michael married Diana Crawley ³¹⁷ in 1931.³¹⁷ Diana died in 1976 ^³¹⁸ .

87 F iii. Joan Lubbock ³¹⁷ was born in 1903 ^³¹⁷ and died in 1980 ^³¹⁷ at age 77.

General Notes: Margaret Hester Lubbock is the daughter of Cecil Lubbock and Edith Furse. She was born on 24 March 1910.1 She married William Rathbone, son of William Rathbone, on 16 November 1932.³¹⁷

Eighth Generation

General Notes: Ralph's entry in WHO WAS WHO for 1971-1980 reads:-

Furse, Maj Sir Ralph Dolignon, KCMG 1941 (CMG 1935); DSO 1918; Hon. DCL Oxford 1949; King Edward's Horse; b 1887; s of John Henry Monsell Furse; m 1914, Margaret Cecilia d of late Sir Henry Newbolt, CH; two s one d (and one d decd). Educ: Eton; Balliol Coll., Oxford (MA). Asst Private Sec., Colonial Office, to Mr Harcourt, 1910-14; served European War, 1914-18 (dispatches twice, DSO and bar); Asst Private Sec at the Colonial Office to Viscount Milner, 1919, Mr Churchill, 1921, the Duke of Devonshire, 1922; Private Sec. to Mr J. H. Thomas, 1924; to Mr Avery, 1924; to Lord Passfield, 1929. Dir of Recruitment, Colonial Service, 1931-48; Adviser to Sec. of State for Colonies on Training Courses for Colonial Service, 1948-50. Publications: Aucuparius: Recollections of a Recruiting Officer, 1962. Address: Halsdon, Dolton, Winkleigh, N Devon. T: Dolton 214. Club: Savile. [Died 1 Oct. 1973.] ²⁹⁹

Ralph married Lady Margaret Cecilia Newbolt ,¹ daughter of Sir Henry John Newbolt C.H., D.Litt. and Lady Margaret Edina Duckworth , on 2 Jun 1914 in Netherhampton, Nr. Salisbury, Wiltshire ¹.^,269 Celia was born in May 1890 in 14 Victoria Road, London,^³¹⁹ died on 13 Jan 1975 in Exeter ^³²⁰ at age 84, and was buried in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^³²¹

Marriage Notes: Ralph and Celia may well have first met each other at Netherhampton Manor, a house which Celia's parents shared with Ralph's father, Henry.

In the spring of 1907 Henry, a widower of nearly 20 years, was facing the prospect of living alone — his remaining unmarried sister, Margaret, having become engaged to marry William Robbins — and had invited the Newbolts to come to live with him for a while. The arrangement lasted for seven years until the autumn of 1914 when Henry decided to take up residence in Devon on the Furse family estate at Halsdon; Newbolts liked Netherhampton so much that they continued to live there for another 20 years.

In that spring of 1907 Ralph was 19 years of age and Celia 17. It is not surprising that they fell in love; Celia was a most beautiful young woman, Ralph a handsome and eligible young man and, moreover, because of their family circumstances, they were regularly in each others company. So when, in October 1913, they finally announced their engagement, the only surprise was that it had taken so long to happen. ³²²

+ 90 F i. Barbara Dolignon Furse was born on 3 Apr 1915, died on 27 Nov 1944 in The Cottage Hospital, Torrington, Devon ^³²³ at age 29, and was buried in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^³²⁴

General Notes: According to his son, Anthony, Michael changed his name in April 1939 because his brother-in-law, Wilfrid Freeman, who was on the Air Council, told Anthony's wife that war was then inevitable and knowing that his two sons were expecting to join the RAF, Michael thought that they would be better treated by the Germans in the event of them becoming POWs with the name of Furse rather than Abraham.

Michael married Sibyl Freeman ²⁸¹ in 1922. Sibyl died in 1970 ^²⁸¹ .

David married Hilda Gladys Hill-Williams ,²⁹⁷ daughter of John Hill-Williams and Unknown .

Janet married Roger Mozley ,²⁹⁷ son of Bernard Mozley D.S.O. and Unknown .

Peter married Babara Ross ,²⁹⁷ daughter of Hon. James Hamilton Ross and Unknown , on 25 Jun 1931.²⁹⁷

General Notes: Paul's entry in WHO WAS WHO for 1971-1980 reads:-

FURSE, Rear-Adm. (John) Paul (Wellington), CB 1958; OBE 1946; CEng; FIMechE; FLS; retired; b 13 Oct. 1904; s of late Charles Furse, artist, and late Dame Katharine, GBE, RRC, Dir, WRNS; m 1929, Cicely Rathbone, one s. Educ: Osborne; Dartmouth; RN Engineering Coll., Keyham. Service in Submarines, etc, 1927-39; Asst Naval Attaché, Europe and the Americas, 1940-43; 5th and 4th Submarine Flotillas, 1943-46; Admiralty, 1947, Dir of Aircraft Maintenance and Repair, Admiralty, 1955-58; Dir-Gen. of the Aircraft Dept, Admiralty, 1958-59; retired, 1959. Botanical expeditions in Turkey and in France, 1960, 1962; Afghanistan, 1964, 1966. VMH 1965. Publications: articles on flora of the Middle East in RHS Jl and Year Book, British Iris Soc.Year Book, Alpine Garden Soc. Bulletins. Recreations: mountains, skiing, botany, painting. Address: Hegg Hill, Smarden, Kent. T: Smarden 229. Club: Army and Navy. [Died 8 Oct. 1978]. ²⁹⁹

Paul married Cicely Rathbone ,³⁰³ daughter of Frederick Rathbone and Unknown , on 7 Apr 1929.²⁹⁷ Polly died on 2 Sep 1991 ^³²⁹ .

Cynthia married Alister Wedderburn ³¹⁷ in 1920. Alister died in 1968 ^³¹⁷ .

General Notes: Alexander Henry Melvill OGILVY WEDDERBURN was born on 1 Jul 1892 in 47 Cadogan Place London and was christened on 7 Aug 1892 in Holy Trinity Sloane St London Sw. He died on 23 Dec 1968.[Notes] <zapn15.htm> Alexander married Cynthia Margaret LUBBOCK, daughter of Cecil LUBBOCK, in 1921

1892 Alexander Henry Melvill Wedderburn, only s. of Alexander Dundas Ogilvy Wedderburn, Q.C., & Mathilde Segelcke [m. 1887] was b. on 1/7/1892 at 47 Cadogan Place, London, and bap. on 7/8/1892 at Holy Trinity Church, Sloane St. (W.B. p. 351) [Alexander was President of the Oxford Union in 1914; a captain in the Black Watch 1914-18; Barrister at the Inner Temple 1917 (practised 1919-36); a Director of Wedderburn & Mallett Ltd. & other companies, & a J.P. in Berkshire in 1943. In 1921 he m. Cynthia Margaret Lubbock (e.d. of the late Cecil Lubbock) & had a son & 3 daughters. (The son was killed in action in Singapore in 1960.) They lived in Berkshire. Alexander died on 23/12/1868. ('Who Was Who', 1961-1970)]

Ninth Generation

90. Barbara Dolignon Furse was born on 3 Apr 1915, died on 27 Nov 1944 in The Cottage Hospital, Torrington, Devon ^³²³ at age 29, and was buried in St Edmund's Church, Dolton, Devon.^³²⁴

• Report of death: 9 Dec 1944, London, England. ³³⁰ The Times of December 9, 1944 reported Jill's death thus:

Mrs. Whistler, formerly Miss Jill Furse, the actress, wife of Captain Laurence Whistler, and daughter of Major Sir Ralph and Lady Furse, of Halsdon Mill, Dolton, Devon, died in hospital at Torrington on November 27. Last month she gave birth to a daughter. Her first appearance on the London stage was made in 1936, and one of her greatest successes was in Rebecca at the Strand Theatre two years ago. She was a granddaughter of the late Sir Henry Newbolt, the author, poet, and naval historian and a descendant of Sarah Siddons. Her brother-in-law, Lieutenant Rex Whistler, Welsh Guards, the painter and book illustrator, was killed in Normandy soon after D Day.

Jill married Sir Alan Charles Laurence Whistler C.B.E. , son of Henry Whistler and Helen Ward , on 12 Sep 1939 in Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire. Laurence was born on 22 Jan 1912 ^³²⁶ and died on 19 Dec 2000 in Oxford at age 88. (See later)

Patrick married Elizabeth Wolpert ,³²⁵ daughter of Paul Michael Wolpert and Unknown . Elizabeth died in 2002.

Nicolas married Elizabeth Jane Wedderburn ,³³² daughter of Alister Wedderburn and Cynthia Lubbock .

Theresa married Sir Alan Charles Laurence Whistler C.B.E. , son of Henry Whistler and Helen Ward . Laurence was born on 22 Jan 1912 ^³²⁶ and died on 19 Dec 2000 in Oxford at age 88.

Sir Laurence Whistler Artist and poet who found his true medium in scratches on glass, and went on to create mysterious new worlds on bowls, goblets and windows Laurence Whistler revived a forgotten craft and raised it to an art of timeless poignancy. He always and overwhelmingly wanted to be a poet, but knew that he had not fully succeeded in verse; yet by engraving on glass he did far more than capture scenes: he expressed a whole spiritual sensibility. “I had found, by purest chance, a small untrodden lawn of snow to write my name on with the point of a stick,” he wrote.
The purest chance which gave him his vocation came in 1935, when as the younger and overshadowed brother of the society painter, muralist and illustrator Rex Whistler, he decided to engrave a sonnet of his own composition onto a window in a friend’s house. After this original piece, he looked to the 18th-century Dutch glass-engravers and created a new tradition. He modernised their pictorial technique and found subjects worthy of his poetic imagination, ranging from a cathedral of grass to the Apollo landings. As if words were insufficiently pure for him, he wrote instead in light. As John Jacob wrote in the catalogue to his exhibition Pictures in Glass in the 1970s, “light is really his medium, and the ambiguity, the illusionistic nature of glass itself, conveys that sense of ‘another’ light which pervades his work”.
Within a few years of his first efforts, he was engraving for royalty, Oxbridge colleges and wealthy admirers wanting contemporary works of art for their country houses. In six decades he was never short of commissions.
Laurence Whistler was lucky enough to be educated at J. F. Roxburgh’s newly opened public school at Stowe, where he measured and drew the magnificent south front and several of the garden temples. From this he progressed to imaginary classical elevations. Already he was using two-dimensional fancies to suggest ideal realms. His first book of poems, moulded by Spenser, Keats and Shelley, was published when he was 17.
Until he won his place at Balliol, he intended to become an architect, like his aged relative Basil Champneys, who had designed Newnham College, Cambridge, and through whom he became a friend of Sir Edwin Lutyens. Looking back in 1975 he wrote “it is a career I am glad enough to have avoided in the present age”, but in 1938 his interest led him to write the first full biography of the architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh. In a later book he ascribed a cache of drawings at the V & A to the architect for the first time. He also perpetrated a successful hoax by publishing some “Vanbrugh” drawings of his own composition in Country Life, to which he was an occasional contributor for many years.
In 1944 the deaths of his wife, the actress Jill Furse, and of his brother Rex seemed to signal the end of Whistler’s world, yet with hindsight they were keys that unlocked great creativity. Jill died shortly after giving birth to their daughter, and Rex was killed in Normandy. A process of cathartic writing in the years that followed produced a short book about Rex, a sequence of poems about Jill, who remained the love of his life, and a moving meditative biography of her and their marriage, The Initials in the Heart (1964, reprinted this year). Choosing a surprising word, Whistler later said that an artist could “feast” on both sorrow and joy. Six years after Jill’s death, he married her younger sister, Theresa, though the marriage was later dissolved.
He continued to grieve all his life for Rex, convinced that he had been the true artist of the family. He published a full biography, The Laughter and the Urn, in 1985 and a few years later organised an exhibition of Rex’s work at the National Army Museum. He also surrounded himself at home with Rex’s drawings.
His early glass was engraved in the spirit of Rex — indeed in his wake — and he admitted that it had taken him years to find his own idiom. Early works include a casket for the Queen (now the Queen Mother), and a hinged glass triptych to hold her daily schedule, which she has used for almost 50 years. He also engraved some goblets for the present Queen to give to the French President.
Whistler’s growing insight into the medium began with two principles: that engraving on glass must take account of its transparency, which “calls for an illusionistic art”, and that “a curved picture is not to be thought of as a flat one bent”. His goblets and bowls were imagined in three dimensions, to be viewed from several angles. “I had begun to envisage little worlds in the hollow of a bowl.”
Later goblets and bowls were intended for turntables, as were his remarkable prisms. The greatest of these is a mem- orial to Rex in Salisbury Cathedral (where Laurence had married his first wife, from his parents’ home in the Close, in September 1939). As the large triangular brick of Steuben crystal rotates, three views of the cathedral emerge and disappear. Each picture is formed half of engraving, right up to the prism’s edge, and half of internal reflection.
Whistler also achieved effects of perspective and depth — or sometimes of intersecting realms — by marking both the inside and the outside of goblets, bowls or windows. Transition, inside-outness and fragility became frequent themes. His best engravings are allegories of light and life, and he repeatedly used symbols such as the ankh, paper boats on a stream (of the sort he had made for Jill), shadows, flowers or “the curve of the fountain and the firework”.
He stippled at first with a diamond point, rather than etching with acid or using a wheel, but later he adopted a carbon drill rather like a dentist’s, and used the diamond only for the very finest work. The engravings show up best as white marks against a black background (though galleries do not always appreciate this), and throughout his working life he went on experimenting with new possibilities for drawing in light.
Some of his finest work is to be found in quiet country churches. St Nicholas at Moreton in Dorset gradually became a Whistler gallery, as an original commission in 1955 for three apse windows inspired other donors, until eventually he had engraved all 12 windows over three decades. The transition from the rather rigid formality of the East Windows to the burst of galactic energy over the West Door shows his growing nerve and verve about what he uniquely had to say, as well as his developing technique.
The church is the only one in the world with entirely engraved glass windows, and the effect of the transparency is quite different from that of stained glass. The interior is one with the churchyard; the worshipper seems to have stepped into one of the ambiguous roomscapes of Whistler’s goblets, where inside and outside appear as facets of one another.
A ridiculous fuss was caused by the church authorities when Whistler engraved a 13th pane, showing Judas Iscariot, for a small, blind window. He was understandably distressed when an obtuse committee questioned the taste and artistry of his gift (though he confessed that he had never mastered the portrayal of figures on glass).
In later years Whistler’s hand and eye were naturally not quite so reliable, but his imagination went on expanding, verging on the mystical, and he adapted his work to depict less but suggest more. From exact pictorial and portrait views he turned more and more to exuberant visions.
Quintessentially English, he never stopped returning, actually and in his mind, to the places he belonged to, and engraving his beloved Salisbury, Oxford and Stowe. He had a deep feeling for a neglected pastoral vein of 20th-century poetry, represented by his friends Ralph Hodgson, Siegfried Sassoon and Walter de la Mare, and his memorials include windows and panels for Edmund Blunden and Edward and Helen Thomas.
Five dazzling books of his glass were published between 1952 and 1985, and a sixth is planned. There were also catalogues of his exhibitions, most recently at Sotheby’s for his 80th birthday, and in Salisbury, where his work was complemented by pieces by his son Simon, himself now a full-time glass-engraver. In 1996 father and son collaborated on a magnificent panel for the Jacqueline du Pré Music Room in Oxford, showing the cellist as the embodiment of her music.
In 1935 a committee including I. A. Richards and John Masefield awarded Whistler the first King’s Gold Medal for Poetry, and he published numerous volumes of poems over the next twenty years, and occasionally afterwards. His verse is formally inventive — he experimented, for instance, with rhymes at the beginning rather than the end of lines — but he was never quite a master of the sound of words.
His prose is another matter, perfectly controlled, elegant, unsparing.
How unlikely it was, as she had said, that we should have found one another “in such a crowd”. The war came, and there were still five years. Perhaps one should see life as a bonus always? If one deserves nothing, ought one to expect anything? It would certainly be gay if this notion could be sustained. Compared with some we were patently unlucky. But compared with others? — those, for instance, who had travelled across Europe, waterless, in cattle-trucks . . . All human comparisons are meaningless. There is only luck. And luck is always unique, with its never-repeated, its unrepeatable, challenge.
In 1975 Whistler helped to establish the Guild of Glass Engravers, composed largely of people inspired by his example. He served as its first president, and was represented by a number of pieces at its 25th anniversary exhibition in London this autumn. He was appointed OBE in 1955 and advanced to CBE in 1973.
A debilitating stroke in 1998 confined him to hospital in Oxford, but he went on planning new work and his mind continued to explore the realms he had long inhabited. He was knighted this year.
Whistler’s sensibility was instinctively metaphorical, and he pictured the world in unfashionably transcendent terms, as when he wrote: “Rhyming and ambiguity can appear anywhere, but the best examples are to be seen in mountains and high hills . . . sometimes the answering could almost make one laugh . . . and the meaning of the whole world would be revealed as silent music.” In a late letter he asked whether anyone cared any longer for such religious ideas, but his own life took on just such a shape, as he served the people and enhanced the places that had made him. He was a Christian of complete integrity, whose life was spent wondering at man’s place in the universe.
He was married for a third time in 1987 to Carol Dawson, but the marriage was dissolved in 1991. He is survived by a son and a daughter from his first marriage and a son and a daughter from his second.
Sir Laurence Whistler, CBE, glass-engraver and writer, died on December 19 aged 88. He was born on January 21, 1912.

115 F ii. Catherine Furse ²⁸¹ was born in 1956 ^²⁸¹ and died in 1959 ^²⁸¹ at age 3.

122 M v. Patrick Martin Furse ²⁸¹ ^,282 was born on 3 Jan 1966 ^{²⁸¹^,282} and died on 30 May 1993 ^²⁸² at age 27.

Katherine married John Hooper A.R.C.A. , son of C. Owen Hooper and Unknown .

John married Faye Thurleigh Redding ,²⁹⁷ daughter of Alan Redding and Unknown .

Jane married Nicolas Ralph Dolignon Furse ,³²⁷ son of Sir Ralph Dolignon Furse K.C.M.G., C.M.G., D.S.O. and Lady Margaret Cecilia Newbolt .

Tenth Generation

Robin married James Ravilious , son of Eric Ravilious and Tirzah Garwood . James was born in Sep 1939 and died in Oct 1999 at age 60.

General Notes: James was a photographer by profession who found his subjects in the villages and countryside of Devon where he lived for most of his working life. He published several collections of his work.

After his death, following many years of suffering from leukemia, a fellow photograph described him as "one of the most talented and sensitive photographers of English country life from the 1970's and forward."

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