Need help unravelling this!

[zetlander]

(have posted in the past re. search for John Dorrington c1852 Whittlesey - this is different!)

Newspaper report 15 Oct 1872 -

John Dorrington MA Phd FLS GS alias John William Henry FESENMEYER master of Ripley College charged with fraud.
(He was aged 48.)

He was writing to people asking for money to support two women who were very ill.  These women were healthy and according to the newspaper report were in fact his sisters - Mary Dorrington and Rebekah (or Rebecca) Ranson.
(Rebekah Dorrington married John Daniel Ranson in Clerkenwell in S1849.)

Also involved in the fraud was Mrs. Lupton of Bury Farm Rickmansworth.
(She was Martha Lupton b. 1833 who married the artist Nevil O Lupton in St Martin's London inS1866 - her surname when she was married was Tolley.)

Can anyone identify this family on any census - or give more details about them.

Not sure what the outcome of the court case was.     Thanks.

[stanmapstone]

He was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment, from the Illustrated London News 02 November 1872

[zetlander]

He was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment, from the Illustrated London News 02 November 1872

thanks - am I right in assuming that John Dorrington was his real name and John H W Fesenmayer was a false one?

so far no luck in finding anyof the family Mary Dorrington - Rebekah Ranson and 'John Fesenmayer' on the 1871 other censuses.

[JenB]

so far no luck in finding anyof the family Mary Dorrington - Rebekah Ranson and 'John Fesenmayer' on the 1871 other censuses.

The newspaper reports of the time state that Mary Dorrington was, from March 1871 until July 1872, in the employ of a Mr Pollard in Epping, and this is where she can be found in the 1871 census, working as a housekeeper. See RG 10 / 1640 / 15 / 21.

[JenB]

thanks - am I right in assuming that John Dorrington was his real name and John H W Fesenmayer was a false one?

Fesenmeyer was his mother's maiden surname.

John Dorrington married Catherine Fesenmeyer at St Luke Finsbury 21st August 1808.

[JenB]

The newspaper report also mentions him running a chemists shop.

His baptism in 1815 was in the Henham (Essex) registers.

So this looks as if it might be him in 1871

RG10/3508/42/20
45, Bilbie Street, Esplanade, Nottingham

John Dorrington, head, married, 49, retired chemist, Essex Henham.

plus wife Jemima and 6 children.

In 1861 the same John Dorrington is in Rickmansworth

RG 9 / 835/ 92 /5
Frogmore House, Rickmansworth

John Dorrington, head, mar, 41, Principal of Frogmore House School, M.A., F.L.S., L.G.S., B.S., Essex Henham

plus wife Jemima, three children, servants and and 14 pupils

[JenB]

I see now that you already knew that Fesenmayer was his mother’s maiden surname!
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=813714.0

It seems I spent several hours yesterday looking for information you were given a year ago.

[jonw65]

It seems I spent several hours yesterday looking for information you were given a year ago.

We've all done it Jen, with this OP

Aghadowey summed up the situation back in November.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=821989.msg6847611#msg6847611

Personally, I think it is best to ignore any thread with the words "John" and "Dorrington" in close proximity

[JenB]

Thank you John.
I will take your advice.

zetlander: a link to your earlier Fesenmeyer thread would have saved me a lot of time.