On my grandfather’s family tree, he recorded that my great-great-great-grandfather, William Baynham was born 27 January 1841. ‘Of a Berkshire family of Baynhams’, he allegedly had two sisters: Ella (who originally had been noted down as Emily) who married a Devonshire solicitor and Emma who married a Moxon and had one son. No further information was known by my grandfather and so, many years ago now, I decided to try to find out more.
Regular blog readers will know that I formerly lived in Reading. In fact, I lived there for fifteen years and lived in many shared houses and flats in my student days. At one point in time, I even lived above a pub on the Thorn Walk, near the wonderfully titled IDR (Inner Distribution Road) which circumnavigates the town. Imagine my surprise, when purchasing the birth certificate of Emma Jane Baynham, to see the address of 31 Thorn Street, Reading!
Her middle name coming from her mother, Jane (nee Buckeridge), it would appear that actually Emma Jane was the only daughter of John and Jane Baynham, according to the 1851 census and all future censuses for the family.
John’s occupation – and the family residence – seemed to change more frequently than I have had hot dinners this week. A porter to the railway in Roade, Northamptonshire on his marriage certificate in 1840, a servant in East Woodhay, Berkshire in 1843 on the birth of William, a labourer in Reading in 1945 and by 1851, a coachman in Lee, Kent.
Emma Baynham was living at the family home of West Heath, Coachman’s Cottage, Hampstead – daughter of John, a coachman – in 1861 before marrying Charles James Moxon in 1867. No Ella and a little bit of confusion about who married Moxon, it would appear. Charles James Moxon was an architect, son of Charles St Denys Moxon, a clerk in holy orders. I am not sure where the ‘Devonshire solicitor’ idea came from, but in 1881, Charles’ parents lived in Jacobstowe in Devon….
Charles James and Emma Baynham had one son – that was right! – called Geoffrey Charles Moxon born in 1868. But where on earth did they disappear to? I am totally unable to locate them in any census after this and although I have been in touch with a granddaughter of Geoffrey, no-one seems to know what happened to Emma. There are no deaths for Emma Moxon which fit with my Emma and when Charles James dies in 1899, he leaves everything to his friend Emma Mattock, the wife of William Beadman Mattock.
HELP!!
