EleanorBlog

16 November 2007

More Mackenzie Fraser Family Discoveries

Posted by Alison under: Genealogy; History .

My interest being piqued by my recent work on Mackenzie Fraser marriages, I remembered that I have an electronic copy of the complete 1881 British census and thought I would try and see what as many of the family who were still living at this time were up to.

Firstly, I looked at Fred and his second wife Theodora. I couldn’t find them in Scotland, which was not unusual for them as they travelled a great deal and let Castle Fraser frequently. I then decided to search for Theodora on the name index as hers was a more unusual name.

I found Theodora staying in Brighton, East Sussex. The houses’ principal family appears to have been the Nixons, but it isn’t clear what Theodora was to them. It isn’t listed as a hotel, but the family appear to have fairly humble origins and are still listed as ‘head’. Interestingly, listed with her is an Elleanor Darby, as a sister-in-law. Though this term has a couple of meanings, I’m assuming for now that she would be Theodora’s brother’s wife. As I don’t know anything apart from her parents names this is another line of enquiry should I look further into her life.

Fred, meanwhile, was staying at the house of the Governer of Portsmouth, Hampshire and who was a Prince no less. The Prince wasn’t at home at the time, but his wife was. She is listed as Augusta Weimar, and a quick search on that name brings up Augusta of Saxe-Weimar, who later became the first German Empress, and mother-in-law of Princess Victoria, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. So I wasn’t on the right track there, as this lady was born in Boxgrove, Sussex, which I found odd indeed for a Princess.

More digging produced a little melodrama all of its own. Augusta was born Lady Augusta Gordon-Lennox, daughter of the 5th Duke of Richmond and Gordon no less (a descendant of King Charles II). She married Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar in 1851, but as the marriage was morganatic she was only recognised as the Countess of Dornburg in Germany. It was Queen Victoria who granted her the title of Princess Edward of Saxe-Weimar in England. I wonder if this was quite scandalous at the time? I want to know more!

Augusta Charlotte and her husband Robert Drummond were living at the smart address of 1 Palace Gate, Kensington, London. With them their sons Charles and Wingfield. Charles had already followed his father into banking and Wingfield was on holiday from Oxford University. Where were Sybil and Kenneth you ask? Sybil I found in Fearn, Edderton, Ross-shire, Scotland. Here she is head of the household, with just 2 servants for company. At 22 years old, with no personal income that I’m aware of, I can’t help but wonder why this is. Was Sybil pensioned off for a misdemeanour of some kind? She certainly isn’t listed as an invalid. Kenneth wasn’t a huge leap of the imagination to find. There here was, as a Gentleman Cadet at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, Berkshire which is still around and revered today. Another point of interest for me is that Sybil, Wingfield and Kenneth are all listed as being born in Scotland, Sybil at Castle Fraser. I’m assuming for now that they were all born at the Castle, which I’d always imagined the Tomlinsons to be.

Lastly, I searched for the Tomlinsons. Well Ellie and May that is, with 2 little surprises thrown in for me. Ellie and May were comfortably settled at 3 Hans Place, Chelsea, London (not far from the Drummonds and an area I know extremely well spookily) with a personal income. Surprise number 1? Both were born in Valetta, Malta. That was a curve, I hadn’t heard that before. Well then, I thought, just one last little search for George their brother. I doubt that I’ll find him, as he is rumoured to have died young and the last account I have of him is at about the age of 10. Firstly, nothing much to identify him, so I tried as a last resort the full name index. Nothing there, but hold on a moment, there’s a George born in Malta! The year of birth was out by only one year too, so I’m as sure as I can be for now that it’s him! He was living at 1 Chiswick Cottage, Devonshire Road, Chiswick again with a personal income and servants. So yes, he still could have died young, but he made it to 23, which is more than I’d anticipated. Still, I find the address slightly odd, like that of Sybil Drummond.

So, there we have it for now, more questions. Genealogy, though is ever both pleasure and pain.

2 Comments so far...

webduck Says:

16 November 2007 at 4:39 pm.

I can’t wait to hear more! It is so interesting to follow your research progress and to read the information that you found that was surprising. Thank you, as always, for sharing your research with all of us. By the way, it is very nice that you are such an adept writer.