Lillie Langtry - Genealogists' Forum

Olde Crone · #1 02-12-09, 19:52

No, not that one, another one!

I have this in a book about the Parish of Gawsworth in Cheshire (St James, parish church) describing all the stained glass windows:

"The next window to the West has the following inscription:
'To the Glory of God and in loving memory of William Donald Lawton, who died May 22nd 1931 AD, aged 9 years'
This window is dedicated by Lillie Langtry (Miss Langtry, now Mrs Steel, lives in Macclesfield)".

The book was written in 1957.

I am intrigued as all Lawtons in Gawsworth are related to me. I cannot find a Langtry marrying a Steel and I cannot find any Lawton/Langtry/Steel marriage at all. Young William's mother's maiden name was Hanna and I can't find anything if I add that to the combination. I cannot find the birth of a Lillie Langtry either!

If anyone is at a loose end........William Donald Lawton's father was Lincoln Lawton. I no longer have access to Ancestry which is why I am not looking myself! I would love to know also who this other Lillie Langtry is.

Thankyou in advance.

OC

HarrysMum · #2 02-12-09, 20:11

Can't find anyhting obvious, OC.

There is a marriage between Martha Lawton and Arthur Steel 1947, Leeds.

Another Lilian Steel and Stanley LAYDON 1942, Durham.

At a pinch the Laydon could be Lawton...lol Can't see the original of course.

Nothing else seems to fit the dates. I wonder if Lillie was godmother???

samesizedfeet · #3 02-12-09, 20:11

I got all excited then as I have a connection to the other Lillie Langtry

Olde Crone · #4 02-12-09, 20:19

Oooh, I never thought of godmother, silly me.

(One wonders though, why someone would call their child Lillie Langtry???)

OC

HarrysMum · #5 02-12-09, 20:21

There's quite a few, OC.

Merry · #6 03-12-09, 06:38

I can see this is goin to drive me to distraction!

Maybe Miss L's first name wasn't really Lillie, but she became known as that because of her surname, like my father's first wife who was called Gloria because her maiden name was Swanson, but her real first name was completely different. Then we only need Miss L to have married to a Mr 'something associated with metal', but her new husband was actually Mr Cutler, or something, and she instantly becomes untraceable!

There, now I don't need to try and find her

HarrysMum · #7 03-12-09, 07:02

*****quickly crosses Merry off my Chrissie card list******

Olde Crone · #8 03-12-09, 10:28

Merry

If you didn't want to play, wouldn't it have been easier just not to answer my post???!!!

But you are right. Thankyou. I think.

OC

Merry · #9 03-12-09, 10:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Olde Crone

If you didn't want to play....

But I did play for ages last night, but she was being mean and not revealing herself!

Phoenix · #10 03-12-09, 11:49

If I had oodles of money, I would be looking at the little boy's death cert, seeing if there were a report in the paper of the death or burial, just in case Miss Langtry was mentioned.

If I had access to Ancestry, I would also be looking at telephone directories for Macclesfield c 1950s. Anyone who paid for a stained glass window had to be worth a few bob.

Memorials are usually put up by the grieving relations, with that relationship stated, so the boy himself or the manner of his death must have been something special. And were there any Langtrys in the directories in the 1930s?