Selmes, Gurr

[sillgen]

I wonder what Monica's middle initials stand for?    Often middle names can be a clue to a father if the child is illegitimate.  According to the 1939 register her birth date is March 16th 1916.   They are living at 28 Oxford Road, Hastings.

[sillgen]

Death registered in Hastings for Monica Catherine D Holmes in 1981.

[jonw65]

New GRO birth index gives the full name
June 1916 Hastings 2b 54
Selmes, Monica Catherine Doris
mother's maiden surname —

[jonw65]

Is this Frances?
Dec 1894 Battle 2b 57
Selmes, Frances Harriet
mother Messiter

A servant in Hastings in 1911 (free index)
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X7BJ-94W

Death
Jun 1977 Hastings & Rother 18 803
Selmes, Frances Harriet
d-o-b 12 Aug 1894

[jonw65]

Hastings and St Leonards Observer, 29 April 1916
Hastings Borough Bench
Thursday
AFFILIATION CASE.
Arthur Charles Cramp, a driver in the Royal Engineers, was summoned in respect to the child of Frances Harriet Selmes.— The Bench refused to make an order.

[jonw65]

Well, they refused to make an order. But who was Arthur Charles Cramp? Not a very common name.
There is an Arthur H C Cramp, a driver in the Royal Engineers, in the medal rolls. Might be a possibility.
Index card (free to view on ancestry)
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D1990762

Could this be the Arthur Henry Charles Cramp registered in Battle in June 1895, mmn Vidler?
Curiously, this chap may have married Annie Burrows in June qtr 1916!

[Welshselmes]

Sorry the thread is difficult to keep up on my phone. Yes she is a member of the messiter family. That Arthur bit...how do I get a copy of the full court transcript.? This could be the man. Wow. Thank you for your help.

[jonw65]

Hi
Forgot to say, welcome to Rootschat!
I would say that the survival of those sort of court records regarding maintenance claims may be somewhat patchy.
You could try a search on The Keep
http://www.thekeep.info/

Those East Sussex record descriptions on The Keep can usually be found on TNA website as well.
Could there have been another local newspaper with a more detailed report?

Of course we don't know why the court didn't grant an order against Arthur. It's a pity that his army records appear not to have survived (unless he served past 1920 perhaps)
Still, we have progress of a sort!
John

[Welshselmes]

Absolutely. I have a line of enquiry. Thing is..Frances had "many men" apparently. We only recently found a sister of hers was living in Australia.

Thank you and I will take a trip to the keep soon.