curtis / cutler ashby de la zouch

[chris64]

i have now descovered that my elizabeth curtis 1847 ashby de la zouch was infact registered at birth as elizabeth cutler/cuttler daug of joseph cutler she became elizabeth curtis sometime between her birth and marraige in 1864 i thought the surname could have been transcribed wrong but it was cuttler for over 30 years on the census and the whole family of brothers and sisters of joseph also changed their names to curtis so obviously its not human error which now leads me to think there may have been a scandal in this family sometime between 1847 and 1864 so what im asking the readers of rootsweb is have any of you come across a scandal that involved a cutler/cuttler from leicestershire possibly into derbyshire and even possibly into manchester as there are cutler connections there also.
it could be something like a crimal that was deported, hung etc i would have thought it was something serious for the whole family to change their names.

[Thecuriouspast]

Hi

If you are still on rootschat can you let me know please.  I have some information on Cutler Curtis - been searching since 1990 and then in 2014 following a newspaper article. Just linked up with someone else researching the family too.

[Ellejaygee]

There is an old story in my family about someone called Cutler Curtis possibly butler to Lawrence Shirley, Earl Ferrers of Staunton Harold Hall, north Leicestershire, the last peer to be hanged for murder. However as this execution was in 1760 it doesn't fit your time frame, but it is curious that it is the same name(s) and within the same area. I would love to find out more.

[Thecuriouspast]

Hi .
So I am related to a Frederick Cutler/Curtis. He was baptised a Cutler and in 1841 he was a Cutler. In 1851 a Curtis. In 1853 marries as a Curtis but the first two children are registered as Cutlers. Then my Great Grandma, his third child, was registered as Curtis in 1860.
I found a newspaper cutting for 1846 which mentioned the marriage of Thomas Curtis and the change of name - re the bloodthirsty nature of the Shirley family following the murder in 1760.
The 4th Earl Lawrence shot his steward John Johnson in January 1760 and was subsequently hanged at Tyburn in May 1760.  The story about Cutler/Curtis being a butler isn't quite right. A lot of the staff are witnesses at the trial and no Cutler/Curtis is mentioned.  However, after John Johnson dies at Lount following the shooting at Staunton Harold, the Doctor got a posse together from Lount. There was a siege at the house for hours with local men around the house waiting to apprehend the Earl.  In the trial documents from 1760 it says he is arrested in the gardens by a bold man a collier called Cutler.  (I have a printed verbatim record of the trial printed in 1812. There are also copies of it on google books). On later record some say the collier was called Curtis !! I can only find Curtis at Ashby and Cutlers at Lount. The statement read by the Attorney General at the trial says Cutler.  If only they had mentioned the first name............
I managed to find a baptism mentioned in Breedon Hill Church records that just says Henry Cutler baptised at Staunton Harold (can't remember the date whilst filling this in.) However, he would have been about 50 at the time. Sadly though there is no mention of his parents on the baptism. I have found it impossible to bridge the gap between my ancestor and the Cutlers in 1760 period.
Spent a lot of time researching the families around Staunton Harold and Lount and the men seem to change their names from Cutler to Curtis around 1840 onwards.  It's still very odd to do that 80 years after the event.
A book was written called the Kirkland Papers and the author mentioned that he believed that the arresting collier was an ancestor of Joseph Curtis the curate at Ashby de la Zouch church.  Having researched this it just doesn't fit or at least can't be proven because Joseph Curtis's father doesn't have his Cutler or Curtis as a surname.
However, that little newspaper cutting did alert me to a story I had never heard - even though I was born in Leicester. It now makes a very good history talk which has proved very popular. Without that little newspaper cutting I would never have found the story.

[KazReid]

Hi I have an Elizabeth Cutler/ Curtis born 1828 in Lount in my extended family tree. I’d love to know more.

[trish1120]

Welcome to Rootschat.

Hopefully someone related will answer you soon.

The Marriage of Elizabeth CUTLER to John BIRD is on FreeREG

19 Apr 1852, The Priory Church of St Mary and St Hardulph, Breedon on the Hill, Leicestershire
Elizabeth age 22 occp Lace Runner, her abode Lount
John age 23 occp Collier
Bachelor/Spinster
Fathers WILLIAM Cutler, Collier and JOSEPH Bird, Collier
Witnesses, Joseph BIRD/William CROSS

Elizabeth CUTLER was bapt 1829 same Church to WILLIAM/ELIZABETH
(no exact date given)
Siblings bapts;
William 1830
Joseph 1833
Wm 1837
Sam 1841



Her Mother ELIZABETH was buried 19 Oct 1856 above Church age 58, abode Lount

Trish

[KazReid]

Thanks Trish, that’s the lady in question. Interestingly the family are then known by their Curtis Bird surname.