Benjamin BRIGHTON, born 1834-1836, Middlesex

[Simon Winters]

Hi

Charles' daughter Flora was my grandmother. I have all the original family photos and my cousin Pamela has the original cab licence. Lots of their writing on the back of the photos too. Also have a photo of his gravestone from the 1930s.

[BAC3]

Hello Simon,

I am BAC3 who started this particular thread originally and am delighted to read your posts.

I believe you may be referring to Charles the son of Charles BLIGHTON (BLYGHTON) born in 1861.   My interest lies with the latter who was a Parkhurst Boy and one of whom I have been researching for my PhD.   In my database I have a Biography for Charles, the father, and will be more than happy to let you have a copy.   Should you have any photographs of him it would be marvellous to add them to the narrative.

If you would like a copy of the Biography please confirm your email address by sending me a Personal Message and we can then take everything from there.

For the moment

BAC3

[amondg]

Simon Winters, you will need to make one more post before you can send a PM. 

[Simon Winters]

Hello, and thanks to both of you.

I am of course new to this forum, and have no experience of this field, but I do know a lot of family history and have spent a lifetime collecting together the most complete possible Blyghton family of Westminster's photos.

I sadly don't have any photos of Charles senior, but do have of Charles junior, his second (commonlaw) wife, her mother, and the children onwards.

I am the great great grandson of Charles Blyghton Senior.

One amusing anecdote is that while Charles Blyghton senior seems to have spent some of the Victorian era troubling the vestry at Millbank , his great great grandson would one day be a local councillor for  Millbank.

Hope this link works.

https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/5069

Three branches of his family remain living in the in very same Millbank / Pimlico area.

I will send you a PM with my email address. Would love to see this biography, and to update you. I have information about the family going back to his ancestor Sir Rowland Blyton, the last Catholic Abbot of Rievaulx at the Reformation.

The family had big money in the 1500s, with poverty obviously kicking in later on.

Rowland, though, was privately a protestant on the make, and helped with the eventual dissolution.

Lord Wilson of Rievaulx was an active  member of my local Labour party branch and an acquaintance , another nice historical re-link.

Also interesting that Charles Blyghton's  Westminster-based  family all re-converted to Catholicism from the 1960s onwards. Rowland Blyton must have been spinning in his grave!

There are some other important people linked by marriage / family along the way, too. I know of links to the actor John Hurt & a subject of one of his films Joseph Merrick, and later to Enid Blyton.

My grandmother Flora Blyghton was a servant to Lawrence of Arabia in Lord North Street at Millbank, and Charles junior her dad was for a time a driver to the Duke of Clarence, who was once a contender for Jack the Ripper.

I think the Duke and his driver features in the film 'From Hell'.

An interesting family line with many ups and downs.