Rev Ernest Crane

[KiwiChris]

I thought I had this man sorted but the 1921 census has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works.

1901, I think that this is him as a teacher, b c1875 West Ham
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/7136129:7814?tid=&pid=&queryId=4bec426691a90983a7d8d7ebedbfc165&_phsrc=Irh8866&_phstart=successSource

1921 he is with his wife Mabel nee Greaves born 1879 Chesterfield and he says he was 44 years 6 months born Chesterfield, so that would make him born December 1876
They married 1916 St Thomas Brampton Derbyshire, he is Ernest William Crane. The newspaper report of the marriage does not name his parents.

In 1939 he gives his birth as 7 December 1875
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/1580898:61596?tid=&pid=&queryId=3bebfd19dacaec84ae0f604cfbed420a&_phsrc=Irh8852&_phstart=successSource

I believe that he taught at Crossley School Halifax Yorks prior to ordination
He was ordained 1905 by the Bishop of Wakefield, for Bunbury Australia and he sailed to Australia and was there until 1913, he arrived back in the UK May 1913 and that passenger list says he was 36 so b c1876

He died 15 March 1955 age 81, that makes him born 1873

It appears consistent that he was born in December, so looking at possible births
March q1874 West Ham Ernest William is the only one that fits between 1874 and 1878.

I am wondering if he is the one baptised 5 April 1874 All Saints Hertford and he just got confused about his age and place of birth as he got older??!!
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/129263265:9841?_phsrc=Irh8871&_phstart=successSource&gsfn=ernest&gsln=crane&ml_rpos=12&queryId=7df07e32534a14733665542aab7e4608

Anyone got any ideas?

[Mary from Italy]

I think that's a possibility.

If you look at the GRO index, the mmn of the Ernest William born in West Ham in 1874 is Johnson.

If you have the right baptism, this should be the parents' marriage:

Marriages Sep 1871
CRANE William Hertford 3a 434
Johnson Fanny Hertford 3a 434

The image is on FMP.

This looks like Ernest in 1881 with his mother Fanny, grandparents and siblings:

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/7572/images/HRTRG11_1421_1426-0904?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=7332982

From a quick look, I think that Elisa Pritchett was Fanny's mother (illegitimate birth), and Edward Pritchett was her stepfather.

According to that census Ernest was born in Essex, but they were living in Hertford, which would explain why he was baptised there.

[Mary from Italy]

Fanny's on her own with another bunch of children in 1891, two of the older girls are still with their grandparents, and I can't find Ernest. There's a William Crane in the workhouse, but it doesn't look like Fanny's husband.

Not a very prepossessing background for a future vicar...

[Mary from Italy]

Found Ernest and Mabel's marriage:

https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5817c6e2e93790eb7f8e4b06/mabel-greaves-ernest-william-crane-marriage-derbyshire-brampton-1916-07-04?locale=en

Groom aged 41, father William Crane, naval engineer.

Quite a step up from Fanny's husband William's occupation (lime burner on the marriage cert)...

[KiwiChris]

That is where I got confused. That is what I thought were his parents, but the age is wrong, and he seems quite consistent 1901 onwards. Sometimes they lie, but the 1921 he clearly gives his place of birth and the consistent age.

I am happy to accept he was vague about his birth/parentage if we cannot find anything better!

[KiwiChris]

I am wondering if the fact that he was ordained in the UK for a position in Australia, is not a bit of a clue that his background was perhaps a little dodgy for ordination and a role in the church in the UK.
Certainly, earlier than this date, ordination and a job in the colonies was a way into the church for men who may not have been accepted in the UK.

[KiwiChris]

Here is William, marine engineer in 1911
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2352&h=52415254&tid=&pid=&queryId=c195d97f3d0d0bf99b4dc41b8c1702ff&usePUB=true&_phsrc=Irh8911&_phstart=successSource&_gl=1*wdt0tj*_ga*NjY2NDExMDYwLjE2NjUxODIxNjY.*_ga_ 4QT8FMEX30*MTY2NjM4MDczNC4yMi4xLjE2NjY0MTQwMjEuNjA uMC4w

The daughter Florence Emmeline married 1898 West Ham
Her birth registered June q 1876 Hertford, mmn Johnson, so they must be the correct people!

[Olde Crone]

I know that the RC church did not ordain illegitimate men. I also think that illegitimacy was a bar to any kind of career progression in the c of e, although not sure whether they would actually ordain an illegitimate man, so your idea that he emigrated for career reasons is sound. (The civil service and most professions had a similar ban on progresion).

OC

[Merry]

I have an illegitimate man in my tree who was ordained into the C of E in the 1830s. When I researched this it became clear this wasn't allowed at that date and he had slipped the net, but that's probably because he was brought up by a rich man (probably his bio-father!) who gave him an expensive education so he was no longer the son of a general servant by the time he went to Cambridge!

[KiwiChris]

In the 1800s a number of able men with a less than ideal background, were ordained in the UK for service in the colonies, many of them would have had wealthy or "connected" patrons to enable that. Most were ordained as "literate", so no university degree. Some returned to the UK after their service and went on to have successful careers at home.
Illegitimacy was certainly a bar to ordination, where it was known!

Ernest's parents were married, that bit is for sure. Where William vanished to at census time for 30 years is unclear, Fanny did have 3 children in 1891, born after the 1881 census, so maybe he came home from time to time, but what happened to any of them bar Ernest and the sister William is living with in 1911, who knows!

Ernest must have received an education as he was a school teacher before ordination, so maybe he had a patron with connections. He certainly appears to have had a successful career.

[Merry]

UK Census Online has this entry in Essex for the 1891 Census:

Name: Ernest Crane
Age: 18
Born In: 1873
Profession: Scholar

But I can't find him on Ancestry or FMP

[Janet]

Not this one, then, Merry?
1891 England Census for Ernest Crane (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6598/images/ESSRG12_1361_1363-0579?backlabel=ReturnSearchResults&queryId=6acc3ce71e74d07d8f6f86e71773af90&pId=18520113)
He's 16, born 1875, a draper, and the line below gives 'Scholar' for his younger brother. (Isn't 18 awfully old to be described as scholar?)

EDIT: Reading back, I don't see how draper would fit at all. Never mind?

[Merry]

Well, I don't know! I can't see why his age would be mistranscribed.

I looked to see what they had for Ambrose Crane on UK Census Online but I couldn't find him at all. I looked through all the Ambrose in Essex and still couldn't see him.

If UKCO was attempting to transcribe this family, then obviously that's not the right person. I went for him because he was a scholar at 18 (or apparenty was!).

I thought the 18 year-old might be the right person, given his age and occupation, but perhaps not. That's the worst mistranscription I've seen on UKCO, and I'm still not 100% convinced the transcription is the same entry as you found, particularly as I can't find his brother at all. However, as I'm not about to purchase a sub to UKCO and don't know anyone who has one, that's where I'm leaving it!!

(Isn't 18 awfully old to be described as scholar?)

I guess it just depends if you were still in education (excluding apprenticeships) or not!

[kiterunner]

If they accidentally merged the entries for Ernest and Ambrose together, with Ernest's name and age, and Ambrose's occupation, you wouldn't find an entry for Ambrose.

[Merry]

Good point! There is definitely something going on as Charles Bulgin aged 6, no occ on the image is Charles Bulgin aged 15, occ scholar on UKCO! The other names in the household are too commonplace to sort out.

I wonder where UKCO got aged 18 from? No one in the house is that age, nor 15 for that matter!

[Kit]

Have you looked at Trove? There are a few letters from him. Will not answer your above question but they have his handwriting.

Ernest Crane (https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1550608023)

There is even a letter asking about his suitability to go to Australia and the answers given. (Spoiler: He was good)

[Kit]

He went to Australia as a missionary.

[KiwiChris]

Thanks Toni, that was nice to see, and to read his letters. I must remember to look on Trove for more than just newspapers!