Barbara Tearle of Oxford has told us about Moses, who married the daughter of the Lord of the Manor of Toddington. I thought I’d have a look through the censuses to see if I could put together some of his story and with that lay the cornerstone of the rest of their family’s history. Here he is in 1841, living in Toddington with his father William 1796 of Stanbridge and his mother, Catherine nee Fossey. These are the only names I have for William and Catherine’s children, but Barbara has assured me that these are the only children whom William and Catherine had. You can see that Catherine had the last of her children at 49yrs. That’s pretty good going.
1841 = William 1791 Beds Catherine 60 Sarah 16 Moses 14 John 11 in Tod
By 1851 Moses had married Amelia Cooper Cooper, called himself Henry and moved to Speldhurst, Kent – with enough wealth to support four servants. I have called him Moses in the record, but in the census you have to find him under Henry Cecil, and sometimes with a double L. Goodness knows where they got the Cecill name from, but if I might be allowed to speculate, then perhaps from the Henry Cecil of Elizabethan court fame. Amelia’s father was William Dodge Cooper Cooper of Toddington Manor and Park House, Highgate, London.
1851 = Moses (Henry) 1825 Tod Amelia 35 Aubrey 4 Dodge 1 plus 4 servants in Speldhurst Kent
There does not appear to be any good reason why he should move to Speldhurst. Perhaps because of the Speldhurst spa, famous in Tunbridge Wells. His wife is from Highgate, Mdx and they must have spent some time in London because young Aubrey was born in Paddington while Dodge was born in Worthing, Sussex. Speldhurst is close to Sussex and in fact at one time the Speldhurst parish boundary ran along the Sussex border.
In the census he records himself as “No profession” so he may have gone to a spa either for its curative properties or because he knew the rich and famous went there and the family was trying to cultivate its contacts.
St Marys, Portsea, from their website
Barbara Tearle of Oxford has told us about Moses who married the daughter of the Lord of the Manor of Toddington. I thought I’d have a look through the censuses to see if I could put together some of his story and with that lay the cornerstone of the rest of their family’s history. Here he is in 1841, living in Toddington with his father William 1796 of Stanbridge and his mother, Catherine nee Fossey. These are the only names I have for William and Catherine’s children, but Barbara has assured me that these are the only children whom William and Catherine had. You can see that Catherine had the last of her children at 49yrs. That’s pretty good going.
1841 = William 1791 Beds Catherine 60 Sarah 16 Moses 14 John 11 in Tod
By 1851 Moses had married Amelia Cooper Cooper, called himself Henry and moved to Speldhurst, Kent – with enough wealth to support four servants. I have called him Moses in the record, but in the census you have to find him under Henry Cecil, and sometimes with a double L. Goodness knows where they got the Cecill name from, but if I might be allowed to speculate, then perhaps from the Henry Cecil of Elizabethan court fame. Amelia’s father was William Dodge Cooper Cooper of Toddington Manor and Park House, Highgate, London.
1851 = Moses (Henry) 1825 Tod Amelia 35 Aubrey 4 Dodge 1 plus 4 servants in Speldhurst Kent
There does not appear to be any good reason why he should move to Speldhurst. Perhaps because of the Speldhurst spa, famous in Tunbridge Wells. His wife is from Highgate, Mdx and they must have spent some time in London because young Aubrey was born in Paddington while Dodge was born in Worthing, Sussex. Speldhurst is close to Sussex and in fact at one time the Speldhurst parish boundary ran along the Sussex border.
In the census he records himself as “No profession” so he may have gone to a spa either for its curative properties or because he knew the rich and famous went there and the family was trying to cultivate its contacts.
Barbara points out that Amelia was 14 years older than Moses, so it is interesting to speculate about their relationship.
Amelia died 1880, and Barbara has given me the flavour of her will and marriage settlement:
“Abstracts from Beds County Record Office of Cooper Cooper family documents including the marriage settlement of Amelia and Moses.
The marriage settlement tied up funds so that Amelia and Moses could only use the income. Amelia and others, but not Moses, had control of it. It was most unusual in those days for women to be in control of property. If Amelia died before Moses, he was to have an income for life unless he re-married. She died in 1880 and he went on to 1908, so he got his money’s worth.
Although the Cooper Cooper family in Toddington remained in contact with Amelia and her children, they did not acknowledge her marriage in things like Burke’s Landed Gentry. I have a copy of the 1853 entry and Amelia is firmly shown as not married.”
I found Amelia Jnr – and she had married very well, a wealthy Scottish chap who made money from Dividends – and she has stayed close to her dad:
1881 = Amelia 1855 Worthing p1 James Marley 45 Amelia A 4 James C 3 in Portsea
1881 = Amelia 1855 Worthing p2 Gesugo E Marley 11m and 2 servants in Portsea
1881 Egerton DC Cecil 1854 Worthing Elizabeth DC Cecil 29 sis Ada A Cecil 26 wife in Acton
Egerton has married and is living with his sister and his wife in Acton. He says he is a Clerk in S&A.D – South Kensington.
Barbara has added for me:
“S & AD is the Science and Art Department, possibly of the Science Museum as he says in South Kensington. The London Gazette posted notices of civil service appointments down to very humble levels (eg postmen) for many years. In July 1891 Egerton Dodge Cooper Cecil was an Abstrator in the Science division (but it does not say which ministry) and in July 1891 he was transferred or promoted to the Science and Art Department.
But these don’t account for him in 1881. Maybe appointments were not notified to the London Gazette then.
In 1902 he became a second division clerk but it does not say in which department. Possibly internal promotion.
Egerton also appears in a cricketing magazine as playing for Hampshire in 1875, in one match and not exactly covering himself with glory. Maybe he was better in village cricket than at county level.
The site gives biographical. details: born 4 July 1853 Worthing. Died 25 September 1928 Mortlake.
Elizabeth may be an interesting character. I have her birth certificate: Elizabeth Dodge Cooper Cecill born on 1 July 1851 at 3 Marine Terrace, Worthing. Father: Henry Moses Tearl Cecill, gentleman. Mother: Amelia Cooper Tearl Cecill formerly Cooper.
I found Dodge in Sussex and he is a “Retired Officer of the 47th Regiment,” which is why I couldn’t find him in the 1871 census – he was in Dublin. He is married and has his own little Aubrey and Amelia. Young Frederick was born in Dublin, I suppose while his dad was on active duty, taking his family with him. Dodge’s widowed father Moses is at last calling himself Moses, after all these years of calling himself Henry. I wonder if the T in his name is Tearle?
1881 = Dodge C Cecill 1850 Worthing Sophie J 30 Frederick W 10 Aubrey DC 8 Amelia TC 9m Moses T Cecill father 53 wid Tod in Sussex S Bersted
Barbara adds:
“The London Gazette is a great place for military (officer level) appointments and bursts Dodge’s pretensions of an army career. It records that, as from 22 June 1870, Dodge Cooper Cecill Cecill Gent was an Ensign by purchase in the 47th Foot. Next year it records that Ensign Dodge Cooper Cecill Cecill “has been permitted to retire from the Service by sale of his commission. Dated 7 October 1871.” So he did not last long.”
Aubrey is also visible in the 1881 census – he is a boarder with a newish wife, Elizabeth nee Peadon and a 2yr old son
1881 = Aubrey C Cecil 1851 Tod Elizabeth 23 Aubrey BC Cecil 2 in Chiswick Mdx
He says he has “Private Income” and his son Aubrey was “Born at Sea.”
Barbara gives us this gem:
“To add to the information about Aubrey:
24 August 1878 Aubrey Cooper Cecil formerly Tearl married Elizabeth Peadon at All Saints Church, Southampton.
10 September 1878 birth of Aubrey Bruce Cooper Cecil on board ship, the “Scottish Prince”. The certificate (which I don’t have: I think I saw it at Beds CRO) says that the last place of residence of the father, Aubrey Cooper Cecil, was Manor House, Toddington.
Don’t know where they were going, but they were back in England for him to play for Hants in 1876 and to be in the 1881 census.”
There is an interesting picture in the 1891 census. Moses is now head of the house, but lists his occupation as a solicitor’s clerk. I’m fascinated by that – I thought he didn’t have to work. Dodge and Sophia have sent their children off and there are just the three of them in the South Bersted house. And he’s calling himself Henry again.
1891 = Moses (Henry) T Cecil 1827 Tod Dodge C Cecil 41 son Sophie 40 DIL in Sussex S Bersted
Whether the enumerator got it wrong, or Egerton has changed his name a bit, he is at any rate in Wandsworth, London, in the 1891 census, and he has a 5yr old daughter, Louisa. He is in the Civil Service. I suppose, as government expanded, this became the new Ag Lab; although perhaps a little better paid and with slightly more status. Even today, Wandsworth is still largely occupied by the poor.
1891 = Egerton (Edward) 1854 Ada A 36 Louisa B 5 in Wandsworth Lon
By 1901, everyone in Moses’ house had retired: both Dodge, at only 51, and Moses at 74 are saying they are “living on own means.” The area must be fairly rural, because while they are living in Village Street, their neighbours on both sides are Ag Cattle and the neighbour two houses down is a farmer.
1901 = Dodge C Cecil 1850 Worthing Sophie 50 Moses (Henry) T Cecil 74 wid Tod in Sussex S Bersted
At last we find out that Ada’s middle name is Amelia and Louisa is now rather grandly called Harriet-Louisa Boyd Cecil, so perhaps that’s a clue to Ada’s maiden name. We find out that Egerton is in the Education Department and there is a visitor from the Admiralty staying with them. Speculating on how they would know someone from the Admiralty was interesting. And they have gone up in the world a bit, too, because Clarence Rd, Richmond is definitely better than Wandsworth.
Wendy Skelley of Auckland, New Zealand, has beautifully written and illustrated stories of Moses’ boys Aubrey and Egerton.
Barbara Tearle of Oxford has also written an excellent piece, which you can read here