Ellen Louisa Gilbert Beachcroft Harrison

[Provenance]

This lady was divorced in London in 1891 and very possibly went to South Africa in 1894 her only child, a 5 year old son.  Her ex-husband's name was Wilton Forrester Battern, also known as William Foster Battern.  Her mother was Louisa Walker Brown Harrison, occupation described as 'literary' (I think she wrote children's books under the name of Louise Walker).  Does anyone recognise any of these names?  I know what happened to Ellen's son (he was my grandfather), but I don't know what happened to Ellen or her mother.   Any help at all very gratefully received!

Provenance

[lizdb]

Here is the 1891 to show ages and birthplaces, to aid anyone searching

RG12 74 188 51
35 Charbrook Street, St Geo Hanover Sq
Louise Harrison 45 Widow literary bn North America
Ellen Battern 27 dtr Mar living on own means born Wales
Darcy Battern 5 g/son bn Cheltenham

[Provenance]

Thank you.  This census is the last record of this family except for an outgoing passenger list for Mrs and Master Battern in 1894, going to South Africa.  I can find no record of them in South Africa after that and no record at all of Ellen's husband except for their marriage certificate - they were married in Dublin.  Any help welcomed with enthusiasm!

[jorose]

http://www.national.archives.gov.za/
 then go to Search National Automated Archival Information Retrieval System
then choose
 RSA      -   All Archives Repositories and National Registers of non-public records

and search for, e.g. Ellen Louisa Gilbert
There are a couple of records in 1904 which seem to list Ellen Louisa Gilbert Beechcroft Brunel Stephens, as well as Arthur Worsley Brunel Stephens (presumably her new husband?)

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/
 - the divorce records show the surname was also "Batten"

http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=home
 - shows a Wilton Batten burial in 1923 in Alverthorpe.

[Provenance]

Thank you very much indeed for this info.  I think this must be 'my' Ellen Louisa Gilbert Beachcroft Harrison - there can't to two names like that in South Africa, despite the tiny spelling difference of 'Beechcroft'.  I had thought of her marrying again but could find no record and anyway I understood that she died young, although of course she still may have done - she was born in 1862, making her 42 in 1904.

I did know about the alternate surname spelling of 'Batten'.  Unfortunately her husband was known as Wilton Forrester Battern/Batten and also William Foster Battern/Batten.  He also claimed to be a Captain, late of the ICS, but I can find no record at the India Office.  His marriage certificate shows his father's name to be D'ArcyGeorge Clive Battern - again, no record anywhere.

I have checked the 1923 Wilton Batten burial but unfortunately this man was 33 when he died, clearly not the same person.    Many thanks again for your help and interest.

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[jorose]

Actually looking there it seems there's another set: Arthur Horsley Brunel Stevens, 1902, "antenuptial" contract with Ellen Louise Gilbert Beachcroft Battern.
"Brunel Stevens" seems to be the more common way that Arthur spelt his name.

only trace of him I could find:
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27167/pages/1230

Do you have the divorce records? It appears that she divorced him, I wonder what reasons she gave? (to get a divorce she'd
need to prove, I think, adultery plus something else like abandonment, cruelty, bigamy, etc). It might say where William/Wilton was at the time.

http://www.1911census.co.uk/
 - I see that Darcy (I think named as "Davey Wilton Battern") was back in the UK by 1911, have you found him on the incoming ship lists?

http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=home
 - also shows a William Foster Batten christened in 1847 in Surrey, parents David and Julia.

It seems he might have married in 1867 (freebmd), I believe to Annie Ella F. Silke
By 1871 there is this:
RG10/725 20/34
Annie Ella Batten, 21, "widow", b. Clifton near Bristol
Eliza Silke, 65, mother, b. Clonmel City Tipperary Ireland
Louisa Walker, 48, servant (domestic), b. Houghton Herefordshire

(in 1861 she's 16 so age does vary).

I am guessing here, but I think that probably Annie or one of her relatives caught up with him or Ellen otherwise found out about her.

http://newspapers.bl.uk/blcs/
 and search for "Foster Batten", there's some records of him in 1884.
I think referring to this in the Old Bailey records, where his name has been misspelt as "Baeton" but is "Barton" on the original.
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t18840915-885-offence-1&div=t18840915-885#highlight

It is possible that the William F. Godden (32, b. Clerkenwell) and the Annie Godden (35, b. Bristol Clifton) on the 1881 census is the same Annie nee Silke (and possibly William F. Batten under yet another name, or it's been very badly mistranscribed).

[Provenance]

Jorose - you're wonderful.  I have been searching for info on Ellen Battern for over two years, and suddenly I have loads!  You've certainly given me plenty to work on.  Watch this space! Poor Ellen - she certainly seems to have had bad luck with her husbands - one seems to have been an 'adventurer' and the other had plenty of legal problems, including bankruptcy.

Yes I do have her divorce papers from Wilton/William - she divorced him for adultery and desertion.  Unfortunately the papers give no info at all about Wilton's whereabouts at the time.

Thank you for the 1911 census reference to Darcy, transcribed as Davey.  I have not seen this before.  I have informed them of the transcription error.

I will be working on all the other leads you have given me.  Can't wait to find out more....

[jorose]

Another curious fit:
Florence Ann E. Batten m. Frederick York Powell in 1874.
in 1881 she's shown as 31 b. Clifton.

Of the daughters, "Florence" is listed in 1871 as "Florence Eliza Foster Batten", just around the corner from where Annie Ella is living in 1871.  "Carlotta J" in 1881 might be the "Jane Batten" aged 2 b. Pimlico as "granddaughter" to Louisa Pagett.

I think Carlotta dies as Jane Carlotta Batten in 1888.

Frederick York Powell seems quite well known!
http://books.google.co.uk/books?q=%22Frederick+York+powell%22+Batten&btnG=Search+Books&ei=a4D6S6_QJ5epsQb8y5mPBg&ct=result
 -

The young widow, Mrs. Batten (born Miss Silke) with whom he fell in love, had
two small daughters.

ETA: full text of that book is here:
http://www.archive.org/stream/frederickyorkpo01eltogoog/frederickyorkpo01eltogoog_djvu.txt

[Provenance]

Very interesting indeed.  Another interesting thing is that there I can find no death record for William Foster Batten, either on Ancestry.co.uk (my usual source) or on familysearch (which I had never heard of before - another thing to thank you for).  I cannot help wondering if William Foster Batten disappeared and reinvented himself as Wilton Forrester Battern.  He is about the right age (about 15 years older than Ellen and I believe he was older than she was), and there is no other William Foster Batten/Battern that I can find.  Of all the ways he described himself - his name, his rank of Captain in the ICS, his father's name, and the fact that he states on his marriage certificate that his father was a Captain in the Royal Navy - none can be verified as there are no records to be found.
 
Could I ask you how you manage to send long messages - I am nearly at the end of the space allowed already and I haven't said nearly enough!