The Will of Mary Ann Titheradge

Will of Mary Ann Titheradge

About 25 years ago I obtained a copy of a will belonging to Mary Ann Titheradge. I was expecting to be able to identify her and gain a great deal of family information from the will. Instead I was left with the will of an unknown person, who left her money to people I did not know. The will has sat in my “to sort” file for the past 25 years.

I recently came across the will and decided it was time to identify Mary Ann Titheradge.

The Will

This is a transcript of the will

This is the last Will and Testament of me Mary Ann Titheradge of Portsea in the County of Hants Widow. I Give and bequeath unto Louisa Elizabeth Jacob of Portsea aforesaid Spinster my Time Piece. I Give devise and bequeath all the rest residue and remainder of my real and personal estate whatsoever and wheresoever including all monies, which may be due to me at the time of my decease from the National Debt Office unto Mary Webber the wife of William Webber of Portsea aforesaid Grocer to and for her sole use and benefit. And I herby appoint the said Mary Webber and William Webber Executrix and Executor of this my will and hereby revoking all other wills by me heretofore made. I declare this to be my true last Will and Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand the twenty fourth day of May one thousand eight hundred and seventy six. 

Signed with a cross (her mark) next to her name and witnessed by HL Rawlins and William Medus.

So, who was Mary Ann? With the aid of records available on the Internet I have been able to solve my 25-year-old mystery.

Death, Burial and Probate Records

Probate Records, Death Records and Portsmouth Burial Records showed Mary Ann Titheradge was a widow who died on 16 May 1883 at 2 Portland Street, Portsea.  She was 80 years old, which means that she was born about 1803. She was buried at Kingston Cemetery on 19 May 1883, at Carters Plot in 17th Row 4th grave. The will was proved at Winchester by Mary Webber the only surviving executor, with the estate worth under £100.

Census Records

Census Records enabled me to follow Mary Ann across 30 years back to 1861. Each census confirmed her year of birth as 1803. The 1881 census showed her born in Portsmouth, but the 1871 and 1861 showed her born in Sheerness in Kent.
In 1881 Mary Ann, a widow, is at 2 Portland Street, a boarder with Mary Webber who was a 66 year old widow and a general dealer born in Portsmouth.
In the 1871 census Mary Ann is a widow, annuitant and visiting Daniel and Elizabeth Fraser.
In the 1861 census Mary Ann is living at 43 Kilminston Street, Portsea and living with her husband Christopher Titheradge. Christopher was 69, a superannuated shipwright, born in Portsea Hampshire.

The 1851 census showed no sign of Mary Ann Titheradge. A search of 1851 Portsea census found a Mary Ann Ray living at 31 Gloucester Street, Portsea aged 48, unmarried, a milliner and born in Sheerness, Kent. Mary Ann was visiting Nicolas Verren and his wife Diana. Research showed that Diana’s maiden name was Ray suggesting she could be Mary Ann’s sister or cousin.

Marriage to Christian Fabian Titheradge

The marriage records confirmed that Mary Ann Ray married Christopher Fabian Titheradge, who was a widower, at Portsea in the September quarter of 1852.

Christopher Fabian was born in Portsea in 1792 and first married Martha Elizabeth Sutton. They had 6 children and were married for nearly 40 years until Martha died in the March quarter of 1852. Christopher was 60 when he re-married and Mary Ann 48. They were married for 15 years, before Christopher died in 1867. Mary Ann went on to live for another 16 years until her death in 1883.

Who is Mary Webber and Louisa Elizabeth Jacob

So now I know who Mary Ann Titheradge was, but who were Mary Webber and Louisa Elizabeth Jacob to whom she left her watch and money?  Why did she leave her money to these ladies? My initial suggestion was they were sisters, cousins or nieces but I can find no evidence that they were related to Mary Ann.  Louisa was born in 1839 in Liverpool and Mary Webber (nee Meech) was born in Portsea in 1815.

Why didn’t Mary Ann leave her money to her step family? All but one of Christopher’s children were dead by the time the will was made but there were at least 10 grandchildren alive.

From my point of view, it certainly would have been easier to identify her if she had left her money to a Titheradge!

If you can tell me more about Mary Webber or Louisa Jacob please get in touch.

General view of Kingston Cemetery
where Mary Ann Titheradge is buried

Ainslie Burton Tytheridge 1878 - 1919

Death Certificate for Ainslie Burton Tytheridge
Crown Copyright

100 years ago today, on 18 May 1919, Ainslie Burton Tytheridge died in a road accident – this is his story. He had survived the horrors of World War 1 only to be killed in a tragic accident six months after the war ended. 

Family Life

Ainslie was the son of Henry Burton Holdup Tytheridge and Frances Amelia Langford. They had five children all born in Richmond, Surrey. The children were

•             Cecil Walter Langford Tytheridge born 23 July 1875; died 1947 Hove, Sussex age 71

•             Arthur Burton Stanbrook Tytheridge born 25 September 1876; died September 1877 age 1

•             Twin Arthur George Tytheridge born 5 July 1878; died 18 August 1907 age 29

•             Twin Ainslie Burton Tytheridge born 5 July 1878; died 18 May 1919 age 40

•             Dorothy May Tytheridge born 9 May 1881; died 1960 Chichester, Sussex age 79

Ainslie's family tree can be found at this link.

On the 1881 Census 2-year-old Ainslie was living at 55 Church Road, Richmond with his parents, brother Cecil aged 5, his twin brother Arthur and 3 servants. On the 1891 census 12-year-old Ainslie is living at 343 Goldhawk Road, Hammersmith with his parents, brother Cecil 15, his twin Arthur, sister Dorothy aged 9 and two servants.

The Tytheridge family were wealthy and more information about the wealth of Ainslie’s grandfather, William Henry Walter Tytheridge, can be found here.  Ainslie and his twin, Arthur, went to St Paul’s School in London, a prestigious public school. While here he spent two years in the school’s army cadets. In 1894 he was registered as a Medical Student; with the St Paul’s school records showing he went to St Mary’s Hospital, London. However, there is no record of him completing his medical studies and becoming a doctor, but throughout his career he was involved with medical professions, being in the army medical corps and in 1914 he gave his occupation as optometrist and medical student.

Boer War

On 11 October 1899, the second Boer War broke out and lasted until 31 May 1902. In January 1900 the Imperial Yeomanry was formed, a volunteer mounted force of the British Army. This also included an Imperial Yeomanry Bearer Company responsible for transporting the injured soldiers from the field. The majority of the Company were volunteers from the Medical Staff Corps. Ainslie had been a member of the Corps for 5 years and was among the volunteers. He was given the rank of Sergeant. The company left England on 18 March 1900 and arrived in Cape Town on 7 April 1900. For his war services Ainslie was awarded the Queen’s South African Medal with the clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal. These clasps showed he had been in these areas at some time during the war.

 Inter War Years

Ainslie could not have stayed in South Africa long, as on the 1901 census he is recorded as a 22-year-old Medical Student staying at Schmitt’s Hotel at 19 Cackes Hill Avenue, Folkestone.

The next record we have found for Ainslie is for his sporting achievements recorded in the local newspapers. He was an extremely talented rower and a member of the Anglian Boat Club which was based near Chiswick / Kew on the River Thames. He won his first race for the club at Marlow in 1903 and went on to be Captain in 1905 and became the first eight coach in 1909.

In August 1907 tragedy struck when Ainslie’s twin brother Arthur died. We do not know the cause of death and only know that Arthur worked for the Bank of England and was a member of the Royal Naval Reserve.

In 1910 Ainslie emigrated to Canada. On 2 June 1910 Ainslie sailed from Liverpool on The Tunisian and arrived in Quebec Canada. Nothing further is known about his time in Canada until he enrolled in the Army in 1914. He has not yet been found on the Canadian Census or in any Canadian Records except his enrolment in the Army.

World War 1

On 4 August 1914 England declared war on Germany and this meant all the British Empire, including Canada, was at war. Ainslie enlisted for the Canadian Army Medical Corps on 12 September 1914 at Toronto. He gave his address as 12 Charleville Mansions, West Kensington, London which was his father’s address. Ainslie’s Army Records are now available on line. From these we know that he was of a large build 5 feet 8 inches tall, (although his medical records say 5 feet 10 inches) with a 46-inch chest and an 8inch expansion. On enrolment he weighed 170 pounds (12st 1lb) but his 1918 medical records describe him as 219pounds (15st 6lb) and obese.  

He was transferred to the No 1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station which consisted of 14 Officers and 75 other ranks. Ainslie was employed as Chief Wardmaster. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant in July 1916, to Quartermaster in March 1917 and Sergeant Major in April 1918. The unit arrived in England in October 1914 and went to France in February 1915. It was based initially at Aire, France until January 1916 but it was moved around and was also based at Bailleul, Aubigny, Adinkerke, Zuycoote and Ruitz. A Casualty Clearing Station was a medical facility behind the front line to treat the wounded, but it was located just outside the artillery range of the enemy. They were usually based near transport facilities such as a railway so that the treated soldiers could be evacuated further behind the front line if needed. The 1st Canadian Casualty Clearing Station was busy and in its first two days of arrival saw 550 casualties. Ainslie remained working in the clearing station until he returned to England on leave in January 1918. While in England he was taken ill with stomach problems and spent two periods in hospital. He did not return to the front but worked in England in the Canadian Hospital at Etchinghill Lyminge which was six miles from Folkestone. 

After the end of the war in November 1918 Ainslie joined the Freemasons at Temple Lodge in Folkestone.

Traffic Accident

Ainslie's fatal accident is best described by this extract from The Thanet Advertiser and Echo published on 24 May 1919. It is a report on the inquest and tells the story of the tragic events on 18th May 1919.

Cross- Roads Fatality

Canadian Motor Cyclist's Shocking Death

“Sergeant Major Ainslie Burton Tytheridge, 39, of the Canadian Army Medical Corps was killed at the Lord of the Manor Cross Roads, near Ramsgate, on Sunday afternoon, while riding a motor cycle. He was coming from the direction of Canterbury and his machine collided with a heavy motor car, which was on its way from Margate to Deal. The result was that Sgt Major Tytheridge was thrown to the side of the road, his skull being smashed, and the front part of his cycle broken off. The car, which belonged to Mr Van der Bergh, of Rowden Hall, Margate, and was in charge of Frederick David Chell, at once pulled up and the chauffeur went into Ramsgate for medical aid. Dr Tamplin went out, and the injured warrant officer was brought into Ramsgate and received at the General Hospital. He was unconscious, and the case was hopeless from the first. Death occurred soon after admission.” ..........

After reporting the evidence from the witnesses the newspaper article concludes

“The Coroner reviewed the circumstances in detail, and said the jury had not to consider any question of liability for damages, or anything of that kind. The only verdict open to the jury to return was one of accident or one of manslaughter; and in order to justify a verdict of manslaughter it would be necessary to find that the evidence disclosed negligence of a gross, clear and palpable variety. Misjudgement or negligence in a minor degree would not justify the jury in returning that verdict.

The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death," expressed deep sympathy with the relatives of Sgt Major Tytheridge, and exonerated the driver of the car from blame.”

Ainslie died at Ramsgate Hospital, Kent on 18 May 1919 and is buried in Hanwell Cemetery, Kensington, London. The image of his grave can be viewed at this link. Although he died after the war had ended he is remembered on the Commonwealth War Graves Site which commemorates all those who died during the war and those killed after the end of the war up to 26 September 1919.

At his death Ainslie's address was 12 Charleville Mansions, West Kensington. His will showed he left £2732 14s 1d with probate granted to his brother Cecil Walter Tytheridge.