Hello
I have just been given details of a fascinating family rumour which seems to have been told on more than one occassion. My dad always told me that he thought there was Italian and Irish connections in the family, and that my nan was always being spoiled by a rich 'uncle'. Now I think I can see why.
The rumour suggests that my great-great-grandmother Emily Alger and her sister Amelia were the illegitimate daughters of a certain Lord Russell and an Italian girl. She married an Irish man who sold their birthright for beer money!
Not having a clue about who Lord Russell was, I looked him up and it seems the only one who used that title at the time was the former Prime Minister, John Russell. He would have been in his late seventies at the time, so either he was a randy old goat, or possibly, if the rumour has any truth, it may have been his son, the Viscount Amberley, who seems to have been a bit more Bohemian.
Anyway, the very little I know is that Emily was born in 1866-1867, and all the census returns for her have her place of birth as Shoreditch. Amelia was born a couple of years later.
In 1871 they are listed with Henry and Martha Alger living in St Leonards Shoreditch (RG10/463 23 39). Martha would appear to have been Martha Wise, born 1842
In 1881 the girls are living with Martha Wise born in Devizes in 1821, and are listed as her nieces (RG11/402 12 17)
Emily married George Frederick Day in 1885 and appears with him for the other censuses.
It all looked perfectly normal and hunky-dory till I got the shocking news of their scandalous birth. I hadn't even given this side a moments thought really, and had just used the census returns for details, but looking closer, some things don't appear quite as normal as I thought.
Not really sure how to prove anything as yet, but does anyone know anything at all about Lord Russell (or his son) which could possibly be used to substantiate or refute any of this? Any detailed biographies that anyone knows of?
It would be a great addendum to an otherwise fairly mundane and earthy family tree to have such a scandal!
Regards
Glen