Rev. Henry Charles Luson Henry

[Watson]

I would like to discover when Rev. Henry Charles Luson Henry died.

He was baptized Henry Charles Luson at St. George, Hanover Square on 27 March 1795, having been born on 26 December 1794, son of John Joshua Luson and Louisa Luson.  He had a sister, Louisa, who was baptized in the following year.  Their father, John (Joshua) Luson, is a mystery man to me.  Both children somehow acquired the surname Henry.

1825:  B.A. Jesus College, Cambridge
1825: ordained deacon
1826: priest
1826: curate of Berwick St. Leonard, Wiltshire

What became of him after this, please?  Did he die in Wiltshire?

Any information gladly received.

[CaroleW]

Have you found him on the 1841/51 censuses?

[Watson]

Thanks for your interest!

No, I haven't found him on any censuses.

[arthurk]

You may already know that he appears in the Clergy Database with the surname Henry, but there's nothing after his appointment to Berwick St Leonard.

Oddly, though, all the evidence they quote gives his third forename as Luson, yet the heading for the entry has Leeson. That would be an understandable misreading, but might not help in finding him after he'd started to use the surname Henry.

Did he marry, as far as you know? And do you know what happened to his sister? Might he crop up as officiating minister or a witness if she married?

[Watson]

Thanks for your comments, Arthur.  Much appreciated.

I know his sister never married and she lived in London until 1881.  Her death index entry has her second name as Leeson, and I am very mindful of the possibilities of this variant.  However, she is referred to on most occasions as Luson.

I'm not aware that he married either, but can't rule that out.

[arthurk]

Her will was proved at the Principal Registry (London) on 12 December 1881, and the name is spelled Luson there.

It was proved by a Frances Carpenter Staunton, widow, "one of the executrices", so there must have been at least one more. Spinsters' wills often name members of the wider family, so it could be worth getting a copy of that for £1.50.

[MonicaL]

Not sure why this chat has showed up on a chess forum www.chessgames.com/player/howard_staunton.html but there is some detail on Louisa and a discussion around her being the half sister of Frances Carpenter Staunton (just use 'find' for Louisa or luson).

There is also discussion around Louisa's baptism which states:

Frances Carpenter Staunton and Louisa Luson Henry named each other in their wills and in both cases referred to the other as "my sister". Obviously, they weren't full sisters, since George Cates was father to only one of them. However, to interpret them as half-sisters makes very good sense, for the following reason. Louisa Luson was born on 10 September 1796 and baptized at St. George's Hanover Square on 20 December 1796, a daughter of John Luson and Louisa Luson. The theory is that her mother, Louisa, later became the mother (also known to have been a Louisa) of Staunton's wife, making them half-sisters. There is no proof of this as yet, and it remains to be explained how LLH acquired the name Henry (as did her brother, the clergyman). However, that they were half-sisters seems to me extremely likely.

Watson, you may have read through all this before so apologies if so.

Monica

[MonicaL]

Details here https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/79893034-659e-47d3-a74c-389b9c95f9f5 would possibly indicate that Louisa Snr. was a widow by 1798.

Monica

[Watson]

Thanks, Arthur.  I know about the 1881 will.  His sister had quite a complicated family, as their mother later had further children with another man, George Cates, but I don't think the name of the other executor throws any light on H.C.L.H.