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Posts Tagged ‘ Great Western Railway Shareholders Index ’
Findmypast.co.uk records tell Charles Dickens’ story
Today is Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday and to mark the occasion, we’ve been investigating the records on findmypast.co.uk to see what they can tell us about Dickens’ life.
We feel like we know Dickens a little bit better following our research – read on to find out what our records reveal about this extraordinary man.
Baptism
It seemed logical to start at the beginning, so our first stop was to search for Dickens’ baptism record. Dickens’ unusual middle name makes it easy to be sure that we’ve found the right man.
Dickens record shows that he was baptised in Portsea St Mary, Hampshire on 4 March 1812. We can also learn that Dickens’ parents are called John and Elizabeth:
Charles Dickens' baptism record - click to enlarge
Marriage
Fast-forwarding a few years, we discovered the record of Dickens’ marriage to Catherine Thomson Hogarth. The pair married in Chelsea, Middlesex on 2 April 1836:
Charles Dickens' marriage record - click to enlarge
Dickens and Catherine lived in Bloomsbury where they went on to have 10 children. Sadly, the couple separated in 1858 but never divorced; this wouldn’t have been a socially acceptable action for someone as well-known as Dickens.
Dickens in 1861
By 1861, Catherine and her son, Charles Jr, had moved out of the family home and Catherine’s sister, Georgina, was living with Dickens and the rest of the children. Georgina took Dickens’ side in his rift with Catherine and took over the running of the household.
In the same year that ‘Great Expectations’ was published, Dickens’ 1861 census return provides us with a glimpse into his life at this time. Dickens is described as ‘married’, giving away nothing of his separation from Catherine.
Dickens’ occupation is listed as ‘Author Novelist Essayist & Editor’ and Georgina is recorded as ‘Servant Housekeeper’:
Charles Dickens' 1861 census return - click to enlarge
Death
Next we found Dickens’ death record. He died on 9 June 1870 in North Aylesford, Kent – view the record here:
Charles Dickens' death record - click to enlarge
As well as this record, we unearthed a different record of Dickens’ death on findmypast.co.uk
Dickens was a shareholder in the Great Western Railway, which means that a record of his death appears in the GWR Shareholders Index.
The GWR recorded all transactions that related to shareholdings which changed hands due to an event other than a simple sale. The most common event recorded in the ledger was the death of the shareholder. When a shareholder died, their shares were passed to their beneficiaries and the executors handled the administration of the estate.
Displaying further evidence of his rift with his wife, Dickens’ record shows that his wife’s sister, Georgina, and friend, John Forster, were the executors. View this beautifully handwritten original document here:
Charles Dickens' Great Western Railway Shareholders Index record - click to enlarge
We hope you enjoyed discovering what the records on findmypast.co.uk reveal about Charles Dickens’ life.
Findmypast.co.uk records tell Charles Dickens' story
Today is Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday and to mark the occasion, we’ve been investigating the records on findmypast.co.uk to see what they can tell us about Dickens’ life.
We feel like we know Dickens a little bit better following our research – read on to find out what our records reveal about this extraordinary man.
Baptism
It seemed logical to start at the beginning, so our first stop was to search for Dickens’ baptism record. Dickens’ unusual middle name makes it easy to be sure that we’ve found the right man.
Dickens record shows that he was baptised in Portsea St Mary, Hampshire on 4 March 1812. We can also learn that Dickens’ parents are called John and Elizabeth:
Charles Dickens' baptism record - click to enlarge
Marriage
Fast-forwarding a few years, we discovered the record of Dickens’ marriage to Catherine Thomson Hogarth. The pair married in Chelsea, Middlesex on 2 April 1836:
Charles Dickens' marriage record - click to enlarge
Dickens and Catherine lived in Bloomsbury where they went on to have 10 children. Sadly, the couple separated in 1858 but never divorced; this wouldn’t have been a socially acceptable action for someone as well-known as Dickens.
Dickens in 1861
By 1861, Catherine and her son, Charles Jr, had moved out of the family home and Catherine’s sister, Georgina, was living with Dickens and the rest of the children. Georgina took Dickens’ side in his rift with Catherine and took over the running of the household.
In the same year that ‘Great Expectations’ was published, Dickens’ 1861 census return provides us with a glimpse into his life at this time. Dickens is described as ‘married’, giving away nothing of his separation from Catherine.
Dickens’ occupation is listed as ‘Author Novelist Essayist & Editor’ and Georgina is recorded as ‘Servant Housekeeper’:
Charles Dickens' 1861 census return - click to enlarge
Death
Next we found Dickens’ death record. He died on 9 June 1870 in North Aylesford, Kent – view the record here:
Charles Dickens' death record - click to enlarge
As well as this record, we unearthed a different record of Dickens’ death on findmypast.co.uk
Dickens was a shareholder in the Great Western Railway, which means that a record of his death appears in the GWR Shareholders Index.
The GWR recorded all transactions that related to shareholdings which changed hands due to an event other than a simple sale. The most common event recorded in the ledger was the death of the shareholder. When a shareholder died, their shares were passed to their beneficiaries and the executors handled the administration of the estate.
Displaying further evidence of his rift with his wife, Dickens’ record shows that his wife’s sister, Georgina, and friend, John Forster, were the executors. View this beautifully handwritten original document here:
Charles Dickens' Great Western Railway Shareholders Index record - click to enlarge
We hope you enjoyed discovering what the records on findmypast.co.uk reveal about Charles Dickens’ life.
Great Western Railway Shareholders Index is now complete on findmypast.co.uk
You can now find the complete Great Western Railway Shareholders Index 1835-1932 on findmypast.co.uk.
This is not an index of railway staff, but of shareholders in the railway.
The index lists names, dates, places and the event or role of the person listed. Some people appear on two or more occasions, for instance those solicitors who acted as professional executors to estates.
A record is an entry for an individual in the database, including not just shareholders but executors, beneficiaries and others involved in the transfer of shareholdings. An event is a disposal of a shareholder under a will or an intestacy following death, or otherwise than by simple sale during the lifetime of the shareholder.
The number of events, records and individuals in the index are:
| Number of events | Number ofrecords | Approximate number of individuals |
| 153,569 | 570,464 | 440,000 |
These records have been provided by the Society of Genealogists.
Start searching the GWR records today and visit our GWR knowledge base for more information.
A treat for Tennyson-lovers
An exhibition to mark the bicentenary of Poet Laureate Lord Alfred Tennyson’s birth has opened at his former home, Farringford House, on the Isle of Wight. Tennyson moved into the house in 1853, remained there for the rest of his life, and immortalised it in a poem to his friend Rev F. D. Maurice.
During Tennyson’s 39-year tenure, islanders were treated to regular visits from notables ranging from politicians, painters, and authors, to scientists, and even royalty. Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Darwin, Lewis Carroll, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and the Queen of Hawaii were Tennyson guests at one time or other.
The 1861 census provides an early glimpse at Tennyson’s idyllic Isle of Wight home, where he was living with his wife and two sons. The other occupants – a tutor, gardener, page, nurse, cook, housemaid, parlour maid, and a kitchen maid – give some idea of the opulent lifestyle the family enjoyed (click the image to enlarge).
Farringford House on the 1861 census
On the 1891 census an 81-year-old Tennyson is described as a peer of the realm, and his one-year-old grandson, Lionel (a future England cricketer) is now part of the household.
Farringford House on the 1891 census
Lord Tennyson would die just a year later. A search of the findmypast.com records reveals he was a shareholder in the Great Western Railway, and we discover that his wife, Emily, and eldest son, Hallam, acted as executors.
Lord Tennyson on the Great Western Railway Shareholders index
Our last glimpse at Farringford House is on the 1911 census. Lord Hallam Tennyson (who has inherited his father’s title) is the head of the household. The other residents are his wife Lady Audrey Tennyson, and seven servants. In the years that followed Farringford House became a hotel, and still serves that purpose today.
Farringford House on the 1911 census
The ‘Tennyson at Farringford’ exhibition runs until 9 September at Farringford House.