Oundle 1861 - Branford

[js2005]

I would be very grateful if anyone with access to 1861 Census information covering Oundle could do a search for William Branford. He was definitely living in Oundle by 1863, when his son Victor was born (registered in 1864). I do not know the date of William's marriage. Any information on William or other Branfords would be very welcome. William's full name was William Catton Branford (place of birth Norfolk).

[DeanNH]

1861 Oundle
15 West St
William C. Branford Head Mar  27 Veterinary Surgean (M.R.C.V.S.L.) Norfolk Thetford
Ann do  Wife Mar 35 Upton, Nottinghamshire
Mary A. K. do dau 6mos Northhamptonshire Oundle
Sarah Thompson Servant un  40 House Maid upton
Eliza Wise Servant un 21 Nurse Maid do
John Dillion Servant un 23 gen lab Ireland
Richard DoubledayServant un 16 Stable boy Fiskerton

RG9/961 foilio 173 page 19

[js2005]

Thank you very much for the very helpful reply. This is certainly the correct family. In case anyone else is interested, the later details are as follows:

William Branford and his family moved to Edinburgh in 1869 when he became Professor of Veterinary Surgery. He had some troubles with the College authorities and was dismissed the following year and returned to the Midlands to live with his wife's family in Notts. Ann, his wife, died in 1871, her death almost certainly hastenmed by the family troubles. Eventually, the College was reorganised and William was reappointed. All his sons studied at the University and went on to academic careers or careers in the Church. Victor Branford became a pioneer sociologist in Britain.

It is interesting to see that there is a stable boy. William seems to have kept horses forpoint-to-point racing and won a number of prizes over the years.

I would be pleased to hear from anyone intereted in this family.

[rb1947]

I am researching the ideas and career of Victor Veracis Branford (1864-1930), the eldest son of William C. Branford.  I have a great deal of information about Victor's work as a scholar and businessman, and about his role as a founder and sponsor of the Sociological Society.  His papers are at Keele University Archives, and there's also quite a lot of material available in the Patrick Geddes Collection at Strathclyde University Archives.  Victor's ideas and writings are well documented in the Sociological Review, a journal which he edited for substantial periods until he died in 1930, and which includes memorial tributes to him by such luminaries as Lewis Mumford and Patrick Geddes.  I would greatly welcome news from anyone else interested in Victor Branford, or in his wife, Sybella Gurney, or his brothers Lionel, Benchara and John (Jack).  I would be happy to share and exchange information.

I know Victor's birth was registered in Oundle in 1864, March Quarter, Oundle Vol 3b, p. 211.  The Branford family (father and children, no mother) are recorded in the 1881 and 1891 censuses of Edinburgh.

I'm seeking information about Victor V. Branford's first and second marriages --- to Elizabeth Martyn Stewart (nee Smith) and then to Sybella Catherine Nino Gurney -- and anything about the families and roots of his mother Ann, his first wife, and his second wife.  I would also be very interested to learn when William C. Branford settled in Oundle, and when and where he married Ann.

      best wishes, Ray Bromley     rb1947

[seahall]

Hi to you both

On freebmd you will see the birth details for

BRANFORD  Mary Alice Kitchen   Dec Qtr 1860 Oundle 3b 189
BRANFORD  John William Tennant Kitchen  Jun  Qtr 1862 Oundle 3b 196
 
You can view the original images.

It seems as though the maiden name of his wife could be Kitchen.

Cheers Sandy

[rb1947]

Sandy, 
 
      Many thanks for adding the details on the births of the first two Branford children.  The second, BRANFORD, John William Tennant Kitchen, is a complete surprise.  He probably died within a year or so.  As a result, his parents may have delayed longer in registering the birth of the third, BRANFORD, Victor Veracis -- thinking that a sickly boy-child might not survive (js2005 reports that Victor was born late in 1863, even though the birth certificate is 1864).  The death of the infant John, the second child, may also explain why the youngest of the (now six) children of William C. Branford, though christened John, was always known as "Jack".

      It seems now that William C. Branford's wife was born Ann Kitchen, in the Village of Upton in Nottinghamshire, around 1826, and <from js2005> I know that she died age 45 in 1871.

      best wishes,
               Ray          rb1947

[samlig]

Hi,

New to the board but decided to register as saw this post, appreciate its 12 years old but thought I'd give it a shot, realised (only tonight) whilst making an attempt to build out my family tree that William Catton Branford was my Great, Great, Great Granddad, so would be interesting to find out more if anything came of this!

Thanks

Sam

[seahall]

HI samlig.

Welcome to Rootschat. 

Anc**** now has Oundle Parish Registers on line.

Sandy

[JS2017]

I can throw some further light on this. I have previously posted as JS2005, but for boring reasons have had to reregister with a different username! My friend and colleague RB1947 showed me the latest postings and we thought an update might be helpful.

We have done a considerable amount of work on the Branford family. Much of this has been published in our book Envisioning Sociology (Scott and Bromley, SUNY Press, 2013), which contains biographical information on various branches of the family. A full biography of William C. Branford is now available in tne Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

The ongoing project can be seen at the following webpage: http://www.johnscottcbe.com/branford.html. There are links from that page to biographical notes and a gallery of Branford family photographs.

I have further details on links to Branford kin. If samlig would like to say where he/she links to W C Branford I can see if we have any further relevant information on that line of the family.