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Email from Ian: January 2018
Our FH recounts that Emily Fraser married Francis Shirley
in about 1876. We can find no record of the marriage be the search
focused on Francis (or Frederic) Shirley or Emily Fraser (vide
infra). Their children were born in Brighton, Sussex between
1875 and 1883: Saxon Fraser Shirley (30th December 1875); Ronald
Fraser Shirley (3rd January 1879); Winifred Fraser Shirley (20th
January, 1880; died 28th October 1880); Victor Fraser Shirley
(20th January 1882); Dorothea Fraser Shirley (20th April 1883).
Emily Fraser was born at Babcary, Somerset on 4th February
1855 to parents Joseph Boyes Fraser (1801-1986) and Hephzibah
nee Brown (1831-1895). It seems that Emily lived in Babcary with
her mother and grandparents until 1859 when they moved to Sussex.
We have no knowledge of Emily’s whereabouts or activities
between 1861 and 1871. Censuses show that she moved from Ferring
(west of Brighton) to 1 York Grove in Brighton where she was
an apprentice dressmaker in 1871.
We have little FH material on Francis Shirley other than his
father was Arthur Shirley and he was allegedly (i) with the sugar
merchants Tate and Lyle in Mincing Lane, London (not possible
as the Company formed only in 1921), (ii) knocked down by a cab
when he died of his injuries, and (iii) he had a baron as an
ancestor. Beyond his details on the birth certificates of his
five children and the death certificates of Emily and Ronald
Fraser we have no knowledge of Francis (or Frederic) Shirley.
He is recorded as Francis Shirley, a commercial traveller on
the first, and a commission agent on the second to fifth, birth
certificates.
Intriguingly the Kent Directory of 1791 records that one Francis
Shirley then operated as a ‘merchant of commerce’ from
14 Mincing Lane in 1791! He is documented as Frederic Shirley,
a company promoter, on Emily Shirley’s death certificate
(1915) where Dorothea Fraser was the informant. He was recorded
as Fredrick on Ronald Fraser Shirley’s death notice (1950)
when his daughter was the informant. The nature of Francis’
declared occupation of ‘commercial traveller or commission
agent’ may have taken him away from home for extended periods.
We thus do not know how much time he and Emily actually spent
together.
Emily declared herself ‘married’ in the 1881 census
but a ‘widow’ in the 1891 census. We can find no record
of Francis’ death between 1882 (conception of Winifred)
and 1897 (grant of Hephzibah’s Will in which Emily is also
described as a widow). After extensive searches we have come
to the conclusion that they were not married.
Documented evidence
• We have no documentation of Francis ever living with the
family.
• His name ‘Francis’ appears on 5 birth certificates
and 1 death certificate in the early 1880’s. Emily was the
informant in all cases.
• He was known as a “commercial traveller” or
a “commission agent” on birth certificates and as a
“Company Promoter” on Emily’s Death Certificate
(1915) where Dorothea Fraser Shirley was the informant.
• Emily and her children moved from Brighton to Tunbridge
Wells between 1883 and 1884.
FH Information
• His name was Francis or Frederic. The latter is tenuous
being recalled some 30 and 65 years after his presumed last association
with the family in the early-mid 1880’s.
• The name of his father was Arthur. Most personal details
in our FH archive have been later found to be accurate and thus
“Arthur” is an important criterion in the search strategy
below.
• He was knocked down by a cab when he died of his injuries
(sometime after the conception of Dorothea in 1882)
• Francis allegedly had an ancestral baron in the family
• Francis was allegedly with the sugar merchants Tate and
Lyle in Mincing Lane, London. While this is inaccurate (the Company
formed only in 1921) web information indicates that Mincing Lane
was extensively linked with the sugar trade. The information
intimates that he likely had knowledge of the sugar business
and that he knew London.
https://www.geni.com/people/Emily-Shirley/6000000025155408103
WORKING FAMILY LINEAGE
Arthur Shirley (from family tradition and 'archive')
children:
1(i). Francis (Frederic) Shirley,
commercial traveller. He is not found in any census, but named
as father in other records.
Ancestor of DNA Participant Kit #IN23038
(supposedly) married Emily Fraser
children:
2(i). Saxon Fraser Shirley born 30th December 1875
Name Saxon Fraser Shirley
Event Type Birth Registration
Registration Quarter Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration Year 1876
Registration District Brighton
County Sussex
Event Place Brighton, Sussex, England
2(ii). Ronald Fraser Shirley born 3rd January 1879
Name Ronald Fraser Shirley
Event Type Birth Registration
Registration Quarter Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration Year 1879
Registration District Brighton
County Sussex
Event Place Brighton, Sussex, England
Name Ronald Fraser Shirley
Event Type Death
Event Date 22 Mar 1950
Event Place Salisbury, Zimbabwe
Gender Male
Age 71
Birth Year (Estimated) 1879
2(iii). Winifred Fraser Shirley born 20th January 1880.
She died 28th October 1880
Name Winifred Fraser Shirley
Event Type Birth Registration
Registration Quarter Oct-Nov-Dec
Registration Year 1880
Registration District Steyning
County Sussex
Event Place Steyning, Sussex, England
2(iv). Victor Fraser Shirley born 20th January 1882
Name Victor Fraser Shirley
Event Type Birth Registration
Registration Quarter Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration Year 1882
Registration District Steyning
County Sussex
Event Place Steyning, Sussex, England
2(v). Dorothea Fraser Shirley born 20th April 1883
Name Dorothea Fraser Shirley
Event Type Birth Registration
Registration Quarter Apr-May-Jun
Registration Year 1883
Registration District Steyning
County Sussex
Event Place Steyning, Sussex, England
Name Alexander Cocker Cruickshank
Event Type Marriage
Event Date 31 Dec 1921
Event Place Durban, Natal, South Africa
Gender Male
Age 36
Birth Year (Estimated) 1885
Spouse's Name Dorothea Fraser Shirley
Spouse's Gender Female
Spouse's Age 38
Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated) 1883
UK Census
1881
Emily Shirley Wife Head F 26 Somerset, England
Saxon Shirley Son M 5 Brighton, Sussex, England
Ronald Shirley Son M 2 Brighton, Sussex, England
Rebecca Simmon Boarder F 25 Maidstone, Kent, England
Event Place: Preston, Sussex, England
Registration District: Steyning
Residence Note: Springfield Road
Gender: Female
Age: 26
Marital Status (Original): Married
Occupation: Dress Maker
Relationship to Head of Household: Wife Head
1891
Error, shown as Linley surname (only in Ancestry.com, not
found elsewhere). Living in Kent with children: Ronald, Victor
F etc.
1901
Emily S Shirley Head F 45 Castle Cary, Somersetshire
Victor F Shirley Son M 19 Brighton, Sussex
Dorothea F Shirley Daughter F 17 Brighton, Sussex
Quinton A Ross Visitor M 13 Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Event Place: Rotherfield, Sussex, England
County: Sussex
Civil Parish: Rotherfield
Ecclesiastical Parish: Crowborough
Sub-District: Rotherfield
Registration District: Uckfield
Residence Note: Blacknest Road
Occupation: LIVING ON OWN MEANS
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
1911
Emily Shirley Head F 56 Somerton, Somersetshire
Mabel Shirley Granddaughter F 6 Durban Crans Vnal S Africa
Event Place Crowborough, , Sussex, England
County Sussex
Parish Crowborough
Sub-District Rotherfield
Registration District Uckfield
Gender Female
Age 56
Marital Status (Original) WIDOW
Occupation PRIVATE MEANS
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Shirley family of