Robson (Swinyard) family tree

Robson (Swinyard) Family History

Bartholomew and Emily Robson, Lifford Lodge 1912

BARTHOLOMEW ROBSON SWINYARD - 1846 - 1928

Bartholomew and Emily Robson – I had heard their names from both my mother and my grandmother but who on earth were they? I also have got their photos – now ageing so it is time for them to be “immortalised”.

For ages I couldn’t find any information about them but then made the discovery that Bartholomew was in fact born Bartholomew Robson Swinyard in Horsham, West Sussex, England. This was such as coincidence as I was actually working in Horsham at the time and walked past the end of the road he was born in every morning!

So who was this Bartholomew and why did my Grandma end up being so close to them (apart from the fact that Emily Robson was in fact Emily’s Great Aunt?

Bartholomew was born on the 10^th June 1846 (registered on the 24^th June) and was Christened on 3^rd January 1947  in North Street or Station Road, Horsham to a Clay pipe maker called William and his wife Martha. After a while he went to live with his uncle (also called Bartholomew Robson who was a schoolmaster in Jamaica Row in the East End of London and who also gave public lectures on poetry to the poor of Rotherhithe and Bermondsey.

He was already trading as a bookseller when he married his wife Emily (nee Bird) whose father was an Essex cowman and she was a housemaid.. She was born in 1849 (1848) in Elsenham, Essex

It is interesting to see how well they did after that – he became an established bookseller with shops in the heart of London – including Hanover Street and Cranbourn Street. When I started doing my family history, I also found out that he was quite the purveyor of “erotic” literature and have since found many links to confirm that he was – more of that to follow.

After a few years of bookselling, he became a partner of a bookseller called Frank Kerslake who appears to have been a bit of a oddball.There were two brothers – Frank and Arthur Kerslake (in the 1871 Census – Frank was 18 and Arthur 19 – so born 1853 and 1852. Lived at 8 Arthur Road, St Pancras, London as a boarder.

The bookshops were at 43 Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, London, W1. (from Business Directory of London, 1884. This is now Fiori cafe

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Centro/@51.5112792,-0.1285685,3a,75y,196.33h,111.67t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slHAsdquxvioCLQ38FiJEfA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x487604cd8b189c41:0x445ee487583763b!2s42-43+Cranbourn+St,+Charing+Cross,+London+WC2H+7AN!3b1!8m2!3d51.5111403!4d-0.1286399!3m4!1s0x487605f3f84f7055:0x5b3e38f9d3810de0!8m2!3d51.5111527!4d-0.1285371?hl=en

Also 25 Coventry Street, Haymarket (now apparently TGI Fridays)

and also Hanover Square, London (needs confirming).

Bartholomew and Emily also lived at Vanburgh Fields, Maisfield Lodge, Charlton in 1899. Also Blackheath, SE3 in 1897 and Greenwich East in 1881.-

Frank was born in 1851 Birmingham and was a shopman – and was a boarder living at 8 Arthur Street, St Pancras, London. – Birmingham XV1 398 Jul-Sep 1851.

Arthur was born in 1853 again in Birmingham and was a commercial traveller – Birmingham, 6D 116 Jan-Mar 1853

Bartholomew and Emily (Bird) so she was Emily Lang’s Aunt – got married at the Parish Church of St Martin’s in the Fields in London on the 9th June 1872.  He lived at 15 Castle Street, Leicester Square  in London. Emily Bird’s father was a coachman and was called James Bird (he must have been William Bird’s brother). Frank and Emily Kerslake were witnesses at their wedding. So why was Emily Bird (Lang) over in Ireland? Had James Bird come over from Ireland or had William gone to Ireland which seems a bit unlikely as the Potato Famine was raging. So it is more likely that James had come over to England.

** I have since found out that James Bird was possibly married to Charlotte Papworth in Huntingdonshire (as it was called then) and got married on 17th October 1841 in Northumberland - which ties in to Bartholomew Robson too as our ancestors possibly lived there too (as Master Mariners). Charlotte's father was James Papworth

Martha Swinyard (his mother) maiden name was Anderson.

Bartholomew (the uncle) was born in 1801 in Bermondsey? who was a schoolmaster died on the 8^th November 1866 (same date as my dad) of old age (decay of nature) (funny how it doesn’t appear old now) – informant was Mary ? of 9 Prospect Place, Union Road, Rotherhithe. He married Susanna Anderson  (a dress maker) (she was born in 1804 in Spitalfields - on the 15^th November 1839 at St Saviour, Southwark – his father’s name was also Bartholomew and was a Mariner – her father was John Anderson, also a Mariner. Bartholomew (both of them) lived at 13 Jamaica Row, Bermondsey (1862) and she at 46 Paradise Street, Rotherhithe. Witnesses were John Anderson and Caroline Marie Made?

Bartholomew Robson (I think his uncle was originally born in 25^th April 1819 in Lamesley, Tyne and Wear *Durham – his father was William and his mother Judith)

I have some death certificates of daughters from Charles Swinyard (I think Williams brother) – diphtheria was the main cause.

Emily died on the 29^th May 1936.at 3 Tavistock Road, UD – of cancer,. The death was reported by her cousin S Jackson of 111 Waddon New Road, Croydon. She made her will on the 11^th Nov 1932 – with Barclays Bank being the Executor and Trustee. She left some money to John Percy Shewring (a pecuniary legacy) and also to Mary Blyth (who were they) – who married Alexander Beaton on 9^th November 1932 – Emily approved accounts on the 20^th January 1938.

William Swinyard married Martha Anderson (is this a relation of Susanna Anderson who married Bartholomew? In Shalford – John Anderson is named as the father – I can’t work out what his occupation is on the certificate. But William snr was also a pipemaker.