Herbert Best

[Historycat]

I have Herberts' death certificate on which it says that he was a member of the Cape Police.  He died in Aston Union Workhouse Erdington UK in December 1909 and was a solicitor.  He was married to Mary E Malim and they had 2 daughters one of whom died young.  Mary and Herbert had married in 1869, and are only found together on the 1871 census, he is not on the 1881 but is on the 1891 as "uncle" to William B Benison and in 1901 he is a lodger in a household in Aston.
So sometime between 1871 and 1891 he was in S Africa how can I find out more of what he was doing there? He does not appear to have had any further contact with Mary after 1871 (when the younger daughter was born)
Thanks

[julianc]

Hello Historycat,

I'm afraid I can't help with the Cape Police but was fascinated toe see Herbert Best come up here when I googled "Herbert Best" and "workhouse".  I am a 3 x great-grandson of Herbert's elder sister Mary.  It was at the house of my 2 x great-grandfather William Bedell Benison that Herbert was enumerated in 1891.
I take it you are connected through Herbert's wife Mary Elizabeth Malim since, as far as I know, their own surviving child Jessie died unmarried and had no children.
I am fascinated that they did not seem to live together after his return from South Africa but he, at least, is shown as "Married" in both the 1891 and 1901 censuses so there appears to have been no divorce.

[Historycat]

 Lovely to hear from you.  Herberts' wife was Mary Elizabeth Malim, eldest daughter of Frederick Malim and Margaret Hallam.  My great grandfather Arthur Wentworth Malim was one of her younger brothers, and became a solicitor in Weymouth. Mary is enumerated on the 1881 as a visitor to one John Marston (along with daughter Jessie) in Wolverhampton, 1891 and 1901 as a visitors guide at the Devonshire and Buxton Hospital, on all occasions she states that she is married, so I think we can assume no divorce. She died in 1921 at Elivy Hall Rhyl, informant Katherine Ley, who was I understand a friend of Jessie. I have death certificates for Herbert, Mary,Jessie and the infant daughter Irene, as well as Herbert and Marys' marriage certificate.  If you'd like copies of these then please pm me.

[julianc]

Hello Historycat,

I would love to see the death and marriage certificates but can't PM you yet, I believe, as this is only my second posting and I understand that I have to make 3 before I am able to PM!  Is that right?
By the way, I wondered if you had spotted in the 1871 census George W Mallim at 25 Wellington Street, Bilston, Staffordshire, a boarder in the home of Henry Dewes Best who was Herbert's eldest brother and a doctor by trade.  George is aged 26 and described as Henry's assistant and his birthplace is given as Grantham, Lincolnshire.  I take it that he must be a relative of Mary Elizabeth Malim.  Perhaps a brother of hers and Arthur Wentworth??  I wonder whether she and Herbert got him the job or whether it was the other way round and through him that Mary Elizabeth and Herbert met each other(?)  I suppose we will never know.  If you haven't got the census image, please do let me know and I'll send it to you, once I have your e-mail address via PM that is!

On the 1901 census at the Devonshire and Buxton Hospital I just loved the census enumerator's remark about Mary Elizabeth - "will not tell me her age".  It sounds as if there might have been an altercation. Very amusing!

I haven't managed to find Mary Elizabeth in the 1891 census yet.  It would be wonderful if you could let me have those details.  Please do let me know if you need anything from me.

Final remark - Edward Best, Herbert's father also died in Rhyl (in 1859).  I wonder whether there was a family property there - a holiday home at the seaside or something like that - or whether that was just a popular resort to visit or retire to from the Midlands in those days.