CLARKE Robert b. 1841 Fulbourn, Cambs

[mudgeeclarke]

Hello,

I am posting in Cambs although it may be a Suffolk result eventually.  :-)

Robert CLARKE, son of John CLARKE and Harriet MASON CLARKE was baptized 25 April 1841 in St Vigors at Fulbourn.  The next reference I can find anywhere is in the 1861 census, where he is residing at The Vicarage, Gt. Thurlow, Suffolk, now aged 20.  He is employed as a footman to Vicar WAYMAN and family.

That's all I can find.  Can any good soul here see him for a marriage, death, burial, migration etc.? 

I'm trying to trace male descendants of John Clarke, and Robert is one direct male I need to follow.

Thank you for reading.

Colin

[bedfordshire boy]

1871 census Ambleside, Westmorland
John Clark servant unmarr 29 Butler b Fulbourn

1881 same family, Ambleside
Robert Clark butler unmar 42 b Fultown (sic) Cambs

A possibility
1891 census Queen's Hotel, Ambleside
Robert Clark Manager single 46 Hotel manager b Fultown (sic) Cambs

A possibility
1901 census Bush Hotel, St Cuthbert Within, Carlisle, Cumberland
John Clarke Hotel manager single 54 b Fulbourn

In 1851 he was still living in Fulbourn aged 10 with his parents and siblings, enumerated as CLARK

[Annette7]

Still at Bush Hotel 10 years later and still single - he appears to have 'lost 5' years by (and after) 1901.   If he stayed in Carlisle after 1911 there's 2 possible death entries although this time age has gone up i.e. Robert Clark bc.1840 died Sept.1915 Carlisle or Robert Clarke bc.1839 died Sept. 1924.

As he was almost 70 (even though he says 65) on last census and still single I don't think he's likely to have had any issue.

Annette

[mudgeeclarke]

Wow.  Thank you so much, Annette and Bedfordshire Boy, for your quick and excellent replies.  I don't know where the John may have crept in here.  Robert's father, John CLARKE was born 1805, so he is not the John mentioned in the census.  And I am not aware of Robert being called John although I guess it could have been a nickname.  It does really seem like Robert moved up from Footman to a manager of a hotel.  He may be the Robert to have died 1915, given the birthdate, but who knows.  As he has no marriage record, I agree that he may have remained single for his life.  I guess I will have to turn my attention now to his brother Henry CLARK(E) to see if I can find his line.

Henry CLARKE was b. c1849 to John and Harriet and the last I see of him is in 1891 where he is a servant in Woolwich, London.  Again, no marriage found yet.  (They were not afraid to travel for work these boys :-) )

Robert and Henry are my First Cousins 3xremoved, and I am (slowly) trying to track down a living male descendant of one of my male cousins.  I have a couple more from another GG Uncles yet to find ...

Anyway, many thanks.  And if you stumble on Henry's off spring, please let me know.  Cheers,

Colin

[Annette7]

Think Bedfordshireboys' fingers got a bit confused!   In both 1871 and 1901 he is Robert, not John.

Annette

[mudgeeclarke]

Thanks, Annette.

 I have those types of fingers at times, too.  OK, Robert it is, in lieu of John.

Cheers, Colin

PS I'm walking beside you ...

[bedfordshire boy]

Whoops! Sorry about that. Good spot Annette. My fingers type whatever my brain tells them to. I put it down to senility.

[Annette7]

Henry Clarke spent time in the Royal Horse Artillery as a Gunner.   In 1871 he was at Aldershot, in 1881 in Plumstead.   1891 he is shown as aged 42, Married, and a Butler Domestic in Woolwich.

His army service record shows he married an Emily Taylor 12/7/1882 Aldershot (Aldershot came under registration district of Farnham and married reg'd Sept.qtr.1882).   It shows he had a daughter Lillian Harriett (as spelt in service record) born 19/5/1888.

I can't see an obvious birth entry for her so don't know where the daughter was born, cannot find her or mother Emily on 1891 census (when Henry in Woolwich) and can't see any of them in 1901.

So, where were his wife and daughter in 1891 I wonder and what happened to them after 1891?  I can't see anything obvious for them.

Annette

[mudgeeclarke]

Whoops! Sorry about that. Good spot Annette. My fingers type whatever my brain tells them to. I put it down to senility.

. Oh, now you're using my excuse !!  :-)

And, Annette, that is fabulous about Henry, especially the Military bit, as I was also military and even spent time at Pirbright, Surrey, and a few visits to Aldershot.   But no male descendent for Henry.  Drats.

I will have to turn to another of the GG Uncles I guess, to seek a still living male descendant.

If you're wondering why all this, and have access to Facebook, look for "The Richard Clarke Enigma" or just google Richard Clarke b c1831 Fulbourn, and I'm sure the story will unfold.  Richard was my paternal G GF, but NPE, so I have no clue as to his father's name, and it is my Holy Grail to find a record of Richard's baptism somewhere, or some other clue to his father's name.  (Believe me, I have followed many trails and dead ends).  Richard's younger brother, Alfred, also NPE, has a baptism record at Fulbourn, so there is a curious case of a missing baptism for Richard, so possibly mother Eliza went elsewhere for this first child Richard's birth as she had all other later children (then married) baptized.  Meanwhile, if I can find a true male descendant of the known Clarke family, I can see if I can get a volunteer cheek swab to at least eliminate uncle or cousin paternity, as I am also deep into DNA searches.

Such a tangled web. 

Cheers,

Colin Clarke
Formerly of the Royal Australian Regiment
and
1st Battalion, Scots Guards.

PS, It is relatively easy to find a Richard in the timeframe, but "my Richard" died in Australia 1912, and any Richard I've ever found so far, I also find a death in the UK.