When research takes you to the unknown!!

Sometimes whilst researching family histories something grabs your attention and leads you into a journey of the unknown and, in the case I'm going to discuss here, irrelevant but fascinating information.

I recently bought a book from the Northampton Museum called Stories Behind The Headstones edited by Anne Garraway. The book was written by a group within the Northampton University of the Third Age (Northampton U3A) and gives a short description of each person in the Towcester Road Cemetery who has a Commonwealth War Grave. This book got me thinking... a lot of my research is in and around Silverstone and Towcester.  So I thought I'd look to see what graves were on the website www.cwgc.org.

The results for Silverstone (St Michaels) Church, which is where my grandparents and various ancestors are buried came up with two results.....

(image from www.cwgc.org retrieved 7/10/2014)

Neither of these are connected to my ancestry.  However, I was drawn to the name of Algernon Joseph Rutherford Lamb and in particular his first name of Algernon.  This name had come up in research before when helping a friend with some research in the Towcester/Potterspury area.  It's a very unusual name so I wondered whether there was some connection.

From doing a Google search on the name I found this which gives it's meaning

Algernon meaning and name origin

Algernon \a-lger-non, al-ge-rnon\ as a boy's name is of Old French origin, and the meaning of Algernon is "wearing a mustache". The Normans were usually clean-shaven, and this was a nickname for William de Percy, a companion of William the Conqueror. It was revived in the 15th century for his descendant Henry Percy, and adopted into other families connected to them. Oscar Wilde used it for a brainless fop in "The Importance of Being Earnest". Algy and Algie are pet forms. English poet Algernon Swinburne.

( http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Algernon#eUBBbXhsqQqcAVEj.99 retrieved 7/10/2014)

 This information didn't really give me any information into whether there was a connection however sometimes finding the meaning and origin of a name can lead to new information. See my post on "what's in a name" which considers the importance of this.  

On finding no link between the names I then decided to look to see who Algernon was and how he ended up being buried in Silverstone. 

Having such an unusual name it was going to be fairly easy to find any information on him.  Also using the information from CWGC I knew that he had died in 1941, he was born around 1891 and his service number for the Royal Army Service Corps was 730.

Also from CWGC it is possible (if research has been included) to find out other information on a person.  

For example, for Algernon, the entry includes the following. 

  
(retrieved from CWGC.org on 7/10/2014)
  
From this we can see that he was the son of William Rutherford Lamb and Alice M S Lamb (nee Mitford) and the husband of Phillipa Mabel Lamb of Towcester.

Putting this information into Ancestry.co.uk produces 11,614 results.  However, the first result is the most significant. The first result listed is from the Scotland, Select Birth and Baptisms 1564-1950.

 From this result we can see that Algernon was born in Scotland and also have his birth date.  It's important to point out here that it's not always that easy to find out birth dates.  Often you have to hope that you either find a death which has a date of birth on (which tends to only be from a certain period) or that a baptism record has both birth and baptism date on them.  I have seen many family trees where people have listed the baptism date as the date of birth (this is also common with dates of death and burials), however it is important to double check with exact dates that they have listed the correct event.

Knowing Algernon's date of birth in this instance doesn't particularly help apart from confirm that it is the correct person we are looking for.  Obviously we are looking for what brought him to Silverstone.  For this information we need to see if we can find marriages or census returns which may have brought him to the area.

Goldsborough Hall - Now a Hotel

The 1901 census return has Algernon living with his parents and his older sister Iris (born around 1889) at Goldsborough Hall, near Knaresborough, Yorkshire. This property was owned by the Lacelles family who also owned Harewood House, Leeds and were known slave owners.  The 1901 census shows that Algernon's father, William, was a local magistrate living on his own means.

In 1911  the family were split.  William was still at Goldsborough listed as "own means" as his occupation but seemingly the head of a household of servants (anyone thinking of Downton Abbey now??).

Alice and Iris were visiting Edward Ledwich Osbaldeston-Mitford at Mitford Hall in Morpeth.  Further searches as to the connection between Alice and Edward have proven to lead to a bit of a dead end and confusion.  This can happen when researching families, particularly if they are families where you have no oral histories to revert to.

Back to Algernon, in 1911 he was living in Aldershot as part of the 1st Cavalry Brigade where at the age of 19 he was 2nd Lieutenant.  From this we can see that he had started his military career already.  With this information known it is fairly conclusive that Algernon would have had some part in World War 1 (1914-1918).

1914-15 Star, British War Medal & Victory Medal

DSO

Algernon's WW1 Medal Card

A search for a WW1 Medal card reveals a very decorated and detailed record.  Many record cards often only have the 1914-15 Star (depending on when they enlisted), the British War Medal and the Victory Medal (also known as Pip, Squeak and Wilfred).  From Algernon's medal card we can see that he received many other accolades.  It also mentions his award of a DSO (Distinguished Service Order).  From his medal card we can also see that at some point Algernon was made a Lieutenant and then a Captain.  This shows that he was given a lot of responsibility during his time in service.  Algernon's award of the DSO was published in the newspapers.  An extract from the Birmingham Gazette on 10th November 1914 reads the following:-

NEW DSO'S

Gallantry of British Officers Recognised

A supplement to the "London Gazette" last night notifies that the King has approved of the undermentioned officers to be Companions of the Distinguished Service Order in recognition of their services with the Expeditionary Force:- 
............
Lieutenant Algernon Joseph Rutherford Lamb 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queens Bays).........

 (extracted from British Newspaper Archives 10/10/2014)

The Western Daily Press reports on this further by including:-

Lieutenant Algernon Joseph Rutherford Lamb 2nd Dragoon Guards.  As machine gun officer by his coolness and promptitude the hostile gun fire was got under, and mainly owing to the fire of his detachment eight hostile guns were abandoned by the enemy

 (extracted from British Newspaper Archives 10/10/2014)

From this report we get a  bit more of a picture of one of the events involving Algernon during the first World War.

Another article regarding this was printed in the Birmingham Daily Post on 14th January 1915 which read:-

The King held an investiture at Buckingham Palace yesterday, when a number of Ministers were received and war and other heroes were decorated........
..... The war heroes included several officers and soldiers who have won the Victoria Cross and sailors who distinguished themselves in the fight off the Bight of Heligoland.   The following officers have received the Distinguished Service Order:-.........Lieutenant Algernon Lamb 2nd Dragoon Guards

(extracted from British Newspaper Archives 10/10/2014)

It can also be noted that he spent some time in the Sudan and was awarded medals for this too. Further searching on Ancestry revealed 3 entries for these medals and clasps for his time in the Sudan.  These entries show that he was in service from 1910-1925 and that by the time these medals were awarded he had been promoted to Major.  There is also a mention on a passenger list showing that Algernon travelled on the Mandala from Port Said, Egypt to London (1st Class) in July 1918.

After WW1 it is often difficult to find information on ancestors online as many records are not available for public viewing due to the 100 years rule.  You can search for Birth Marriage and Death records and sometimes electoral registers dependent on where the person you are searching for lived.

Doing a search for a marriage for Algernon brings up a marriage in the 3rd Quarter (July-August-September) of 1921 to a Grace G F D Burton in Reeth, Yorkshire North Riding.  There is also another marriage for Algernon in the 1st Quarter of 1940 in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.  This has two entries for the spouse.  One in the name of Philippa M Hulse and on in the name of Philippa M Taylor.  It may be that Philippa was previously married and one of these is her married name.  Also the date is significant as we know from the CWGC entry that Algernon was married to Philippa when he died a year later in 1941.  It will also be interesting to consider what happened to his first wife, Grace.

Through further research it has been possible to find out that Grace G F D Burton was in fact Grace Galloway Frances Denys-Burton.  According to an article about the couple's wedding in the Yorkshire Evening Post dated 21st September 1921, Grace Denys-Burton was the daughter of Sir Francis and Lady Denys-Burton of Draycott Hall.

The record of the marriage in the newspaper is greatly detailed which shows that it was a marriage of significance within society. 

Miss G F Denys-Burton and Major A R Lamb.

Many friends in Yorkshire and Co Carlow were interested in the marriage which took place at Grinton near Richmond (Yorks) today of Miss Grace Frances Denys-Burton third daughter of Sir Francis and Lady Denys-Burton of Draycott Hall and Major Algernon R Lamb DSO Queens Bays only son of Mr and Mrs Lamb of Goldsborough Hall, Knaresborough.  The bridegroom was on of the first to win the DSO in 1914.  The bride has a reputation as a fine horsewoman and is well known in North Yorkshire and at Pollacton Co Carlow, the property which her mother inherited fro her uncle, Sir Charles Burton last Baronet of Pollacton.  It was through this inheritance that Burton was added to the family name of Denys.

The ceremony was performed by Canon Egerton Leigh, assisted by the Rev B Gregory and the Rev Hastings Kelk, vicar of Goldsborough.  Capt. Ronald Worlsey KOSB was bestman. 

The bride who was given away by her father, wore a gown of white satin, with a train of chiffon and silver, covered with antique Brussels lace, a white tulle veil and wreath of orange blossom.  She carried a bouquet of lilies. 

In attendance on the bride were her sister, Miss Sophie Denys-Burton, Lady Clemtine Waring's youngest daughter (cousin), Miss Elizabeth Hare (niece of bridegroom) and George Leigh Hare (nephew) as page.  The bridesmaid's dresses were of powder blue georgette, with marguerites and cornflowers at the waist, and wreaths of the same flowers, and they had bouquets of lilies.  The page wore a suit of powder blue satin.  

The honeymoon is to be spent in a motor tour through the Pyrenees.

Draycott Hall

Among the guests at the reception at Draycott Hall were Mr & Miss Lab, Mrs Hare, Mr Montagu Denys, Major W Waring MP, Miss C Warring, Sir William and Lady Wilson Todd, Mr and Mrs Tatton of Marske Hall, Sir Thomas and Lady Blake, Sir Henry and Lady Beresford Peirse, Lord and Lady Marsham, Sir Joseph and Lady Radcliffe Lady Cowell and Lady Curzon-Howe and many other well known people in the county. 

(extracted from British Newspaper Archive 13/10/2014)

There doesn't seem to be any more reports about Algernon or his family until 1939.  However, from a search on Ancestry.co.uk it is possible to find two children born of the family.  These being Michael Frances Rutherford Lamb born in Kensington, London in 1931 and William Denys Rutherford Lamb born in December 1927 in Kensington London.  From this we can narrow down a date for a possible divorce as being between 1931 to 1940 when Algernon's 2nd marriage is reported in the paper.

 The next mention in the newspapers for Algernon was in 1939.  On 26th April 1939 in the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligence the following was reported:-

The following appointments, promotions and retirements have been gazetted:-

Terrotorial Army

Royal Engineers

Maj. Algernon Joseph Rutherford Lamb, Reserve of Officers, to be Maj, and Admin Officer

(Extracted from British Newspaper Archives 13/10/2014)

It is worth noting that this appointment was made 5 months before the outbreak of the Second World War (1929-1945).