What happened to Theodore?

[KiwiChris]

Revd Theodore PRESTON Fellow of Trinity College Cambridge
born 30 Apr 1819 Clapham co Surrey London, son of Revd Matthew Morris PRESTON and Elizabeth GARRETT
1855-1871 Lord Almoner’s professor of Arabic at Cambridge
Married 20 Jan 1863 Caroline Elizabeth BODGER, 1881 she was married, boarding house keeper in Peckham but no Theodore at the address.
Caroline married (ii) 28 Jul 1887 James Taylor CAMPBELL

1870 ‘availed himself of the Clerical Disabilities Relief Act’ and resigned his Holy Orders
c1871 resigned as professor of Arabic at Cambridge.

Then he vanishes. There is no obvious death in the UK.

There is a death of Theodore PRESTON 3 December 1882 Lisbon Portugal, his executor was Sarah Anna NEWMAN widow 7 Grove Terrace Tottenham

1881 at 7 Northumberland Grove Tottenham is Sarah A NEWMAN widow b c1834 Cambridgeshire, with two daughters, Alice Rose born Dec q 1853 Cambridge and Emma Mary b c1861 Islington.
I have been trying to prove a link with Sarah and Revd Theodore with no success, she is widowed with the two daughters in 1871 and I cannot find her in 1861 when she may still have a husband.


Can anyone help me prove that the Lisbon Theodore is the same person as the Revd Theodore?

[maggie_4_7]

Not sure if it helps and you probably already know this but both Alice and Emma were born illegitimate so Sarah wasn't married or at least not to the father.

NEWMAN, ALICE ROSE - Order
GRO Reference: 1853 D Quarter in CHESTERTON UNION Volume 03B Page 391

NEWMAN, EMMA MARY - Order
GRO Reference: 1860 D Quarter in CLERKENWELL Volume 01B Page 532

[KiwiChris]

No, I did not know that, but I suspected it, as Alice did not name a father on her marriage certificate. Her Australian death certificate has a father's name, but I was not taking much notice of that!

I wonder if the father was Theodore?? :)

[kiterunner]

The name on that probate record is Theodoro Preston, Esquire, and he was pretty rich.

[Olde Crone]

Aside - rather unusual for anyone to give up their clerical orders. Did he perhaps have a change of faith?

OC

[Merry]

In 1861 (so two years before she married mid-40's Theodore) Caroline Bodger was 15 (matches with her age in 1871 and 1881) and living with her parents.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/8767/CAMRG9_1025_1027-0410/16522525?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return

They have a servant (out of employment) as a lodger named Anne Newman, born about 1837 in Cambridge. Could this be Sarah Ann (and if it is, what has she done with her children?) or perhaps a close relative?

EDIT - Anne isn't actually in the same household as the Bodgers, but through the same front door! Maybe Theodore was paying for her to live there and so met Caroline?

[Merry]

Did you notice Caroline's second husband was her lodger in 1881?

[Merry]

This is probably Alice in 1861:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/8767/MDXRG9_29_31-0002/131860?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return

Great Shelford is in Chesterton district.

[Merry]

I note that Caroline is said to be 'of full age' in Jan 1863, when she had recently turned 17 (birth reg Q4 1845).

They had one dau together in 1865 (Ethel Emma Preston, died same Q)

[maggie_4_7]

This is probably Alice in 1861:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/8767/MDXRG9_29_31-0002/131860?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return

Great Shelford is in Chesterton district.

I spotted that in the early hours but wasn't sure, I couldn't find Sarah or Emma, who would be somewhere because she was born 1860, but Sarah may be using the name Ann!

[kiterunner]

A footnote in this book says that Theodore was a Fellow of Trinity 1842-1882, which would fit nicely with the 1882 death:
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-ceokQFlLM8C&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=%22theodore+preston%22+%22trinity+college%22&source=bl&ots=r-pIEsVrSF&sig=uIDwreHMofyz111Fz2lZ_AGZQAc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0p-729MffAhVOKBoKHc46DvwQ6AEwC3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22theodore%20preston%22%20%22trinity%20college% 22&f=false

[kiterunner]

Theodore's brother Alfred Preston died in October 1882:
http://www.winslow-history.org.uk/winslow_families-preston.shtm

The probate entry for Theodoro Preston was administration with the will attached, probably meaning that no named executor could or would fulfil the role, so I wonder whether he had named Alfred as executor?

[Merry]

The entry in the National Probate Calendar for Theodore's father (Matthew Morris Preston d Apr 1858) says that Theodore was 'of Shelford, Cambridgeshire', so the same place Alice may have been born!

[KiwiChris]

I am pretty sure that we have all the right people tied together with your help.

Reading about Mathew Morris PRESTON, he seems to be a very uptight/upright clergyman with firm ideas, I wonder if Theo's problem is that he found it difficult to live with himself, or if he was escaping his family!

Thanks for your help. It is actually one of his brothers that I am researching, but Theo is much more interesting!

[Merry]

It is actually one of his brothers that I am researching

Is that Alfred (ordained the same day as Theodore)? His photo looks a pretty cheerless individual!

[KiwiChris]

I got so caught up with Theodore I forgot who I was really interested in, it was not one of the PRESTONs, but Theodore's brother in law Ernest William WILSON. :d

I started on Ernest thinking he had a rather boring name, but all the clergy relatives tumbling out of the woodwork have made him rather fun!

[Merry]

You may have this already (and if not, the last part should keep you busy for ages!! lol):

Essex Standard 06 December 1854

Nov. 30th, at Over Worton Church, in the county of Oxford, by the Rev. Wm. Wilson, Vicar of Banbury, Ernest William Wilson, Esq., to Eliza Jane Preston, daughter of the Rev. M.M. Preston, Vicar of Cheshunt, Herts.

and then from Wikipedia re Over Worton…

In the 1840s the curate was William Wilson, an evangelical whose family had owned the manor of Over Worton since 1799. In the 1840s Wilson had the medieval church demolished and the present Church of England parish church of the Holy Trinity built in its place. It is a Gothic revival building, designed by the architect JM Derick and completed in 1844. The north tower was added in 1849 and has two bells.

Imagine knocking down a medieval church these days!!

The parents of Ernest (evangelical William and his wife Mary - names from his baptism at Walthamstow, Essex) appear on the 1851 census at Over Worton. They lived at Worton House.

There is also this William Wilson who died at Worton House in 1821 who had someone from Clapham in London conduct his burial (bottom of left page):

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/61059/PAR300_1_R5_1_005/454060?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk% 2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3doxfordshireparishburials%26gs fn%3dwilliam%26gsln%3dwilson%26gsfn_x%3d1%26gsln_x %3d1%26cp%3d11%26gskw%3dworton%26gskw_x%3d1%26qh%3 deopNXhO5dfvJ5U%252fynktRIw%253d%253d%26hc%3d50%26 new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26redir%3dfalse%26uidh%3d672&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

Note that immediately above his burial is the burial of another William Wilson aged 4 who died at Islington, but was brought to Over Worton for burial (and was buried by William Wilson, presumably Ernest's father). The parents are helpfully given as Rev. Danl and Ann Wilson.

I found the bap of this child, (helpfully transcribed by Ancestry as surname Wilbon!):

St Andrews, Holborn, London

19 Dec 1816 William, son of Daniel and Ann Wilson, Chapel St, Bedford Row, occ Clerk, baptism conducted by D Wilson, minister of St John's Chapel

The William who died aged 64 in 1821 left a will:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/5111/40611_310368-00417/435056?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return

He mentions lots of relatives and about half way down page 2 he has a son, William Wilson, who may well be Ernest's father. Halfway down page 3 he mentions a grandson, Daniel Wilson, (son of his daughter Ann Wilson - surely not an illegitimate grandson :eek: Maybe daughter Ann was married to a Wilson relation?!!).

A few pages later (lol many?! Document page number 435) he mentions a different Daniel (a son-in-law) - I think this one is the Daniel whose son died age 4 in 1821. He is the husband of William's daughter Ann and so father of the other Daniel previously mentioned in the will.

The will was written in Aug 1819 (plenty of cash and property to dole out). It extends to 23 pages!! I read the first three pages, but after that, just scanned it for names! I'm sure this family also have a large number of clerics!

EDIT I just looked for the marriage of Rev Daniel Wilson and Ann Wilson which took place in 1803 at St Lawrence Jewry in the City of London. Plenty of info on the marriage entry (below). I see Ann was 'of Milk Street', which was her father's former address on his 1819 will.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1623/31281_a101774-00023/1003518?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk %2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3dlmamarriages%26gsfn%3ddaniel% 26gsln%3dwilson%26gsfn_x%3d1%26gsln_x%3d1%26cp%3d1 1%26mssng%3dann*%26mssns%3dwilson%26mssng_x%3d1%26 mssns_x%3d1%26qh%3dArkU7TaS1%252bDgtsazlsmwug%253d %253d%26hc%3d50%26new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26redir%3dfal se%26uidh%3d672&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

Clearly I should be doing housework right now, so I'd better leave this. They do seem quite interesting though! Pity about the common surname!

[Merry]

I saw an obit for the son-in-law, Daniel, North Devon Journal 11 February 1858, but it's too long to transcribe. It's definitely the same person as it says he married Ann Wilson dau of William in 1803.

Here's the Wikipedia entry for the same man which covers some of the obit info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Wilson_(bishop)

[Merry]

O there's a better bio on Ancestry -

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1981/47596_83024005549_1441-00570/109498?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk% 2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3ddictnatbiogv1%26gsfn%3ddaniel %26gsln%3dwilson%26gsfn_x%3d1%26gsln_x%3d1%26cp%3d 11%26msbdy%3d1778%26msbdy_x%3d1%26msbdp%3d1%26qh%3 dk7LrIpfnKp%252fBREeQqkKH3w%253d%253d%26hc%3d50%26 new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26redir%3dfalse%26uidh%3d672&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

Says he married his cousin, dau of his uncle, William Wilson.

[KiwiChris]

Thanks Merry, I had not found the Bishop! Even more clergy tumbling out! And on the Wilson side now!

I had been side tracked by the Prestons!

The really interesting bit for me, is that surrounded by evangelicals on all sides, Ernest William was Anglo-Catholic, attending the 1921 Anglo-Catholic Congress, which is my study interest.

I will now add all your finds!

Thanks heaps.

[Merry]

attending the 1921 Anglo-Catholic Congress

Erm, wasn't he dead by then??

[KiwiChris]

Not quite, Ernest William Wilson, grandson of William Wilson, died 1924. Ernest's father, also Ernest William, was a farmer.

[Merry]

Ah, I mis-understood; when you said it was Theodore's brother-in-law you were interested in, I presumed he was another minister!! I hadn't looked at the names of his children!

[KiwiChris]

Bp Daniel was metropolitan for New Zealand as well as in India, until Bp BARKER of Sydney took over that role for New Zealand, so thanks Merry for that addition!