Hunting for Hassall

[pdre]

Hi everyone -

I'd appreciate any thoughts you can offer on how I might find the source of an infuriating name in my tree.

John Ellwood (b 1826, Westmorland) broke with centuries of Ellwood tradition and left the lakes for London, to become butler to a gentleman, in Mayfair.  Not far round the corner from him lived Jane Nicoll (b 1824, Woolwich), maid to another gentleman, Lord Raglan (of Charge of the Light Brigade notoriety).

They met, and married in 1860.  In 1861 they produced John Hassall Edmund Charles Ellwood, the splash of names, presumably some form of silent tribute to the toffs they had served. 

Hassall is the mystery.  There are no maiden names of that kind in either family.  The only guess I have arrived at is the thought that Dr Arthur Hill Hassall, a prominent public health figure, also lived not far from the two posh houses.

But I cannot prove it one way or the other.  I've read a couple of Hassall's books, on the off chance he referred to treating John or Jane for something (cholera for example).  But he didn't.  Any ideas out there on where else to look?

[MargP]

Hi and a warm welcome to RootsChat

Like today, people would name there children, after prominent figures of the time.

Margp

[avm228]

Welcome to Rootschat from me too

It can be so frustrating when a tantalising given name can't be traced to an obvious source.  I have encountered similar issues - sometimes I have been able to identify (via inscriptions in books, family bibles or diaries/memoirs etc) that the name is that of a godparent.  In other cases they end up on the "don't know why" pile - with the thought that the name may be that of a person or place important to the family, or a public figure not personally known to them but admired for some reason or another, or just a name they liked the sound of.

I see that John was a publican at 33 Great Marlborough Street in the 1861 census (though enumerated as Wm Ellwood, wife as Jane L) and that the same address was given when John (licensed victualler) and Jane Ann had the baby baptised at St James' Piccadilly on 21 July 1861.  Unfortunately C of E baptism registers (unlike many Roman Catholic ones) do not generally record the names of godparents and this one does not.

Was the famous Mr Hassall a local man to the area where the family lived?  Perhaps he (or some other Hassall) was a regular at the pub and befriended them?

Hope you find an answer but sometimes there are just no records to be found.