When is a Tytheridge not a Tytheridge?

Several years ago, I was very excited when I found the name of Ernest Burrowes Tytheridge, listed under "Soldiers Died in the Great War 1914 – 1918" on the Ancestry website.

The details were transcribed from the original and read:

Name : Ernest Burrowes Tytheridge

Place of Birth:  Islington, Middlesex

Date of Death:  26 October 1914

Place of Death: France and Flanders

Enlistment Place:  London

Rank:  Rifleman

Regiment Royal Irish Rifles, 2nd Battalion

Regimental Number:  6486

Killed in Action

I followed my golden rule - "look at the original document and don’t believe any transcription". I found the image of an original document “Ireland, Casualties of World War I, 1914-1922” which contained the names of Irish men who fell in the Great War. The picture showed the page which remembered Ernest, and it confirmed the details of the previous transcription. The book of remembrance was beautiful, published in 1923 with the printed word surrounded by the most amazing ornate border designed by the artist, engraver and stain-glass window designer Harry Clarke.

My discovery of Ernest Burrowes Tytheridge was interesting because I didn’t know who Ernest Tytheridge was. So, began my search for Ernest. I looked for a birth- no Ernest Tytheridge, no Ernest Burrowes. I searched on the 1911 no sign of Ernest. I tried all possible spelling variations of the surname Tytheridge and found nothing. I looked in vain for a connection between Tytheridge and Burrowes but none was found. For several years I had labelled Ernest as "a problem to sort" and from time to time I would try some different search to try to find out who he was.

Recently I was updating my military records for our website, where I had Ernest Burrowes Tytheridge listed among the war dead. I realised that I had no medal card for Ernest, that seemed strange but I thought perhaps it was because he was in an Irish Regiment. As I was cross checking my data with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission I realised that Ernest was not listed there either. The alarm bells rang something was not right. It was at this point I had a brainwave - l entered just the Christian names “Ernest Burrowes” into the Commonwealth War Grave Commission website and the answer to the mystery was revealed. The entry read

“Ernest Burrowes TYTHERLEIGH”

Ernest was not a Tytheridge but a Tytherleigh !

To confirm this new discovery, I searched the surname Tytherleigh and found his medal card, his birth in 1884 Islington, his marriage to Georgina in 1910 and found the couple on the 1911 census in Finchley. So my Ernest Burrowes Tytheridge was not Tytheridge after all, the error had been made on the original Roll of Honour  just after World War 1 and then copied to another document.

I always pride myself on not making assumptions but as shown above even when you are careful things can go wrong. When doing genealogy research try to remember:

• Always try to see the original document – don’t believe transcriptions 
• Always try to cross reference your fact from two different sources
• If something doesn’t seem right don’t blindly accept it; question it. (I should have had a warning alarm ringing and asked why no birth? why no medal card? why not in CWG site?)

 I have now updated our website to remove all traces of Ernest, the Tytheridge who was a Tytherleigh, from both the Military Records Roll of Honour and from the list of Soldiers whoserved in WW1.

Smallpox and the Death of Joshua Titheridge 1741

Smallpox a common cause of death

In the 17th and 18th century smallpox was a common cause of death. It caused the death of rich and poor alike. It killed several reigning monarchs including Queen Mary II of England, Czar Peter II of Russia and King Louis XV of France. On 10th October 1562 Queen Elizabeth I was taken ill at Hampton Court Palace, with what was thought to be a bad cold, this developed into a violent fever. The queen had smallpox and it was feared that the she would die. Fortunately, Elizabeth survived the disease and was not too badly scarred. It is estimated that in Europe at this period 400,000 commoners died each year due to smallpox.

Smallpox is an infectious disease caused by a virus. It is an extremely contagious and deadly virus for which there is no known cure. The person is infectious from the when the fever develops until the last scabs fall off. Smallpox is transmitted from person to person contact and has an incubation period is 7 to 17 days. Smallpox causes a high fever, flu like symptoms of malaise, vomiting, headache and this is followed by a characteristic rash that develops 2 - 3 days later, the rash develops into pus filled blisters. Smallpox kills a third of those infected with the disease, while those who survive often suffer from bad scarring with deep pitted scars, most prominent the face.

Survivors of the disease were often called upon to try and nurse victims as it was known that no one could contract smallpox twice. In 1796 Edward Jenner, an English doctor, carried out an experiment that lead ultimately to the eradication of smallpox. He took pus from a milkmaid with cowpox and inserted it into a young boy. Later he exposed the boy to smallpox and no disease developed. The vaccine had been successful, and this was the start of vaccination against infectious diseases. Smallpox vaccination spread around the world and saved the lives of millions. In 1980 the World Health Organisation certified the global eradication of smallpox. The last naturally occurring case was in 1977.

Did Your Ancestors Die of Smallpox? 

The chances are you would not know your ancestors died of smallpox unless some kind parish clerk has recorded the cause of death in the burial registers. In the parish of Basingstoke in the 1740s the parish clerk has done just that. It shows that in 1741 there was an outbreak of smallpox in Basingstoke. In April 1741 there was one death due to smallpox and none between May and August. However, between 9th September and 30th September there were 15 smallpox deaths recorded. In the month of October the epidemic reached a peak and there were 61 smallpox deaths. The figures reduced to 29 deaths in November and just 5 smallpox deaths in December. In the 18th century Basingstoke was a small market town. Even by the end of the century there was only a population of 2,500, so the death of 105 individuals from smallpox in 1741 was quite a significant decrease in the population.

Joshua Titheridge

One of the individuals who suffered from this outbreak of small pox was Joshua Titheridge. The parish records show he was buried on 22 September 1741, buried in cloth and died from small pox.

So, who was Joshua? Joshua was baptised on 21 June 1701 one of 10 children born in Kingsclere, Hampshire to Joshua Titheridge and Margaret Butt (sometimes recorded as Bull). The Titheridge surname is also recorded as Titteridge, Tytheridge and Tetheridge. Joshua married Anne Moore on 3 November 1735 in Basingstoke and they had three children Anne who was born and died in 1735, a second daughter called Anne who was born in 1737 and John who was born in September 1740 and died in May 1741 just a few months before Joshua. Joshua was just 40 years old when he died from smallpox; his widow Ann lived another 40 years, her burial being recorded in December 1781 in Basingstoke. After the death of Joshua's nephew, Richard, in Basingstoke in 1785 the Titheridge line in Basingstoke dies out.

The Titheridges of Kingsclere and Basingstoke 

(Click on the family tree to enlarge it)

Francis Titheridge 1854 -1941 (Part 2 covering 1901 to 1941)

Fareham Cemetery

This Blog continues the story of Francis Titheridge in the last blog (please read part 1 first). The story begins in 1901

1824 Vagrancy Act

To set the scene for Francis’s story you need to know about the Vagrancy Act. This act was passed in 1824 by the English Parliament making it an offence to sleep rough or beg. It was a law that criminalized those who were homeless and forced to beg for survival, irrespective of why the individuals were placed in this predicament. It meant anyone found begging could be arrested and sentence to imprisonment. Francis was one of the unlucky individuals who fell afoul of the act.

County Asylum 1901 – 1919

Four years after the last reference to Francis came the 1901 census, this was taken in April 1901. Francis was living on his own in Up Marden, Sussex occupation given as carter on farm and marital status single. By the 1911 census Francis is recorded as an inmate in West Sussex County Asylum in Graylingwell situated on the outskirts of Chichester. He was recorded as a farm labourer, 49 years old and a widower. Reviewing the records for the Asylum they show that Francis was admitted on 8 October 1901 and was discharged on 8 August 1918 stating he was recovered. With the advent of World War 1, the asylum was requisitioned to act as a military hospital with the patients being redistributed through other asylums within the south east. Francis’s records have Canterbury written on them, so we can assume he was transferred to Kent. It was here in Canterbury he was released in 1918. Can you imagine how he felt after release from the asylum after 17 years? England was now a country at war with Germany, Francis had no job, no means of support, and was miles from home.

Begging in Kent 1919

Six months after his release this article appeared in the Kent papers.

Article from Kent and Sussex Courier - 28 February 1919
Headline: “Tunbridge Wells Borough Bench – Not Wanted”
Francis Titheridge was charged with begging alms on Mount Ephraim 25th February. P.C. Huckstep stated that when searched at the Police Station a sum of 5 shillings and ten and a half pence in coppers was found on the prisoner. The Chief Constable (Mr Charles Prior) said complaints had been received of defendant’s conduct. He first gave his age as 80, then 70 and finally 69 years. Upon promising to leave the town Titheridge was sentence to one day’s imprisonment, the chairman telling him that he was not wanted in Tunbridge Wells.

Begging in Hampshire 1919-1928

Three months later 64-year-old Francis made it home to Hampshire. A series of newspaper articles tell his story over the next nine years.

Article from Hampshire Telegraph - 30 May 1919
Headline: Havant and Emsworth News of the District – Occasional Court
On Monday, before Mr. S. E. Mills, an elderly vagrant name Francis Titheridge was charged with begging. P.C. Old arrested him in Market Lane about nine o’clock. He was calling at houses telling a tale about having been invalided from the Army and trying to raise a breakfast. Prisoner, who admitted the charge, was sentence to one day’s imprisonment.

Article from Hampshire Telegraph - 6 June 1919
Headline: Petersfield and District – Prison for Beggar
An elderly man named Francis Titheridge was brought before Dr Cross at the Police-court, on Monday, charged with begging in the High Street the previous evening. P.C. Arnold gave evidence, and accused, who was before the court for a similar offence only a week or two ago, was sentenced to seven days’ imprisonment.

Article from Hampshire Telegraph - 24 November 1922
Headline: Fareham and District – Begging at Porchester
At a special Police Court at Fareham on Tuesday, before Mr V. T. Keen, two men named Francis Titheridge and William Henry Walker, were charged with begging at Porchester on the previous day. P.C. Hill deposed to seeing the accused calling from house to house. Titheridge pleaded guilty and there being four previous convictions against him, he was sent to prison for seven days, while Walker who pleaded not guilty and against whom there was no previous offence, was sentenced to one day’s imprisonment.

Article from Portsmouth Evening News - 30 November 1923
Headline: Gosport Light Police Court
Francis Titheridge (82), a tramp of no fixed abode, was questioned by P.C. Seamark for begging alms in Oak Street, Gosport, on November 29, when 5 shillings in coppers were found in his possession. Titheridge, who bears a bad record, was sent to prison for a month.

Article from Portsmouth Evening News - 8 January 1924
Headline: Court Gosport Police - A Beggars “Rest”
With a very bad record as a rogue and vagabond, Francis Titheridge (77), a tramp, was given a ticket of admission to the House of Industry, and told that must stop there. From the evidence of P.C. Kemp, the prisoner begged alms in Upper South Street on Monday, with excuse that he wanted to get enough money for a bed, but when searched 7shillings 7 pence was found in his possession.

Article from Hampshire Telegraph - 26 October 1928
Headline: Petersfied and District Old Enough to Know Better
Francis Titheridge (86) was brought before Dr Cross (presiding) and Mr. E. J. Baker at the Petersfield Police Court on Tuesday charged with absconding from the Petersfield Poor Law Institution on Sunday and taking with him goods to the value of 1 pound 10 shillings, the property of the guardians. The accused pleaded guilty. Mr W. Ixer, Master at the Institution, said that on Sunday morning the accused was missing. He was found by the police at Havant and taken by P.C. Turrell to Petersfield. He said he only wanted to get out to see his sister. Supt Ellis said there were numerous convictions against the accused, mostly under the Vagrancy Act. He was 86 of age, and old enough to know better. In answer to the Chairman (Dr Cross), accused express his willingness to go back to the Institution and remain there.

Fareham Poor Law Institution 1939 – 1941

In 1939 a register was taken of everyone in Britain. Francis was recorded at Fareham Poor Law Institution, 52 Wickham, Fareham
The entry reads: Francis Titheridge patient born 25 December 1846

Francis’ death was recorded in March quarter of 1941 in Gosport District, Hampshire aged 94. His actual age was 87.

Francis was buried on 1st April 1941 at Fareham Cemetery in grave 3572. His gravestone is no longer standing but an X on the right of the picture below marks the position of the grave.

Francis's burial place in Fareham Cemetery
- marked with an X