Baptism look up for Nellie Earl(e)

[jonw65]

Hi
Yes, I too though it must be your Elizabeth.
And I would imagine that David was a Sickelmore, especially since he was from Lewes. Those old newspaper reports do seem liable to have those kind of errors. Doubtless it still happens today.
I don't know if there were any other Sussex papers at that time which also might have reported on the Uckfield Petty Sessions, possibly in more detail. If so, lets hope they get them online!
It would be good to see what actually was said in that particular case.
John

[maufleury]

Hi again! I looked up David Sickelmore after what you told me and I found a marriage for him in 1897 to a Rose Annie Teague in 1897 vol 2b 235. I think the marriage was in Lewes; would have to check again. So it looks like he married the girl he loved and let Elizabeth and her "bastard child" go. Then I found him on the 1901 census, still married to Rose Annie and with a 2 year old son. Now living at London, Middlesex, now 35 years old. So, that had to be her. I noticed that when I searched the 1901 for Sickelmore, a phonetic search was done and "Sycamore" showed up so maybe the reporter of the newspaper thought it sounded like Sycamore (which it does) and misspelled it. Like you said, there does not appear to be any "Sycamore" people in the Lewes area. I am curious as to how you found that old newspaper report?

As for why the case was dismissed, who knows? Maybe for lack of proof (no DNA back then) or maybe the defense said Elizabeth was promiscuous or maybe she was too poor to hire a lawyer for herself. Sad, if in fact, he WAS the father. I also would love to read the transcript of the actual case.

Likely the case got thrown out for lack of proof; no DNA testing back then. Poor girl! Or maybe he argued that she was promiscuous or something. Who knows?

[jonw65]

Hi
The newspaper report - only a couple of lines - is on the British Newspaper Archive  (and also on findmypast). Luckily, I can access the BNA at the library. However, if you register with them they give you three page views for free which you can download. You need only to provide your name, email, and a password. Sometimes they have other offers
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

There is another article about David in the Sussex Express, 14 September 1934 (page 7). Evidently they returned to Lewes. 
Gone full circle here! The headline is
Lewes Wife's Maintenance
Order Against Old Age Pensioner
Rose Annie Sickelmore summoned her husband David for neglecting to provide reasonable maintenance.
Seems they were separated. And he had an army pension.
This time he had to pay up!

Never come across David before, although my gran's mother was a Sickelmore (from London, but the line goes back to Brighton)
John

[maufleury]

Jonw65, you are so amazingly helpful to me! Words cannot express my gratitude and excitement! I think it's quite ironic that our David ended up in trouble and having to pay up later in his life! So you think you might be related through your grandmother?? So if David was an army pensioner, he must have enlisted in the army at some point because on the 1901 census, it said he was a fancy cleaner which I assumed is like a dry cleaner here in Canada. Once again, thank you for making my day so interesting!