Mary Ann Stacey gave birth to six illegitimate children between the years 1829 and 1848. Four of these children were fathered by a man named William Artis Brown.

Richard Pierce Oxborough

Born: 17 DEC 1923 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England

Father: Edward Barrington Oxborough (1890 to 1964)
Mother: Emily Edith Lee (1888 to 1973)

Spouse: Catherine Marjorie Rix (1931 to 2019)

Married: 1951 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England

Children:

Jenny E Oxborough (1954)
Robert J Oxborough (1959)

Died: 23 APR 1999 in Bradwell, Suffolk County, England

Timeline:

1939 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England
1951 Marriage to Catherine
1954 Birth of daughter, Jenny
1959 Birth of son, Robert
1964 Death of father, Edward
1973 Death of mother, Emily
1984 Death of sister, Emily
1986 Death of brother, Edward
1999 Death and Burial

Occupation: unknown

Records:

1939 England and Wales Register
England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Marriage Index: 1916-2005
England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2005
England & Scotland, Select Cemetery Registers, 1800-2014

Variations of Surname: none

Spouse:

Catherine Marjorie Rix:

Catherine was born on 21 JAN 1931 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died on 21 OCT 2019 in Bradwell, Suffolk County, England.

Obituary:

“OXBOROUGH CATHERINE MARJORIE 21.01.1931-21.10.2019 Dearly loved mum of Jenny and Robert, nan to Clare, Yvonne, Lawrence and Rory and great-nan to Courtney, Aidan, and Danny. Reunited with Richard. Resting peacefully for eternity. Funeral service at Gorleston Crematorium on November 8th, at 12.15 p.m. Please wear bright colours. Family flowers only, donations, if desired, to Redwings Horse & Pony Sanctuary c/o Arthur Jary & Sons, 43 High Street, Gorleston, NR31 6RR.”

Published: Oct 25, 2019

Great Yarmouth Mercury

CATHERINE MAJORIE OXBOROUGH – Death Notice | Family Notices (greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk)

Catherine’s father was Samuel James Rix. He was born on 11 NOV 1891 in Gorleston-On-Sea, Suffolk County, England. He died in 1953 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Catherine’s mother was Lily Maud Brooks. She was born on 14 MAR 1892 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1969 in Gorleston-on-Sea, Suffolk County, England.

Catherine had three brothers:

Samuel James Hamblett Rix (1921)
Clifford Arthur Henry Rix (1925)
John Rix (1928)

Lily’s First Husband:

Lily Maud Brooks had previously married Albert Alfred Catchpole in 1912 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. Three known children were born to this marriage:

Lilian Maud Catchpole (1912)
Doris Aurelie Catchpole (1914)
Ethel Winifred Catchpole (1915)

Albert Alfred Catchpole was born in 1891 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. He died on 19 APR 1917 in Palestine.

Albert had enlisted with the Royal Norfolk Regiment to fight in World War I. He was a Lance Sergeant with the 5th Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment. The 5th Battalion was part of the 163rd Brigade in the 54th Division of the British Army.

In 1917, the 54th Division was ordered to invade Palestine. On 17 APR 1917, this military unit fought in the Second Battle of Gaza. The Wikipedia.com article listed the casualties from this three day battle as:

“The infantry suffered 5,328 casualties; 2,870 of these were from the 54th (East Anglian) Division and 1,828 from the 163rd Brigade alone.”

Another article explains that each brigade consisted of around 4,000 soldiers. That would have meant that almost half of the 163rd Brigade had lost their lives during this battle.

Albert died of his wounds and was buried in the Jerusalem War Cemetery in Israel. His name appears on the Jerusalem Memorial located in this cemetery.

Albert was awarded, post-humously, the British War Medal, the Victory Medal, and the 1914-1915 Star Medal. His widow may have received a memorial plaque from the British government to commemorate Alfred’s service to his country.

The Oxborough Connection:

Richard and Catherine’s daughter, Jenny, married a man who is currently still alive. For that reason, I cannot divulge his personal information.

Two children were born during this marriage before they divorced. It is through these children that the Oxborough family is connected to the individuals listed below. To be precise, the children’s paternal grandfather had been married before he wed this man’s mother.

The Bowles Family:

Cissie Margaret Bowles:

Cissie was born on 15 DEC 1904 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1975 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Cissie’s father was Arthur George Bowles. He was born on 5 MAR 1857 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. He died in 1953 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Cissie’s mother was Mary Ann Merrison. She was born on 18 NOV 1859 in Thurne, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1941 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Cissie had twelve known brothers and sisters:

Mary Eleanor Bowles (1879)
William Arthur Bowles (1880 to 1882)
Arthur William Bowles (1883)
Laura Hannah Bowles (1885)
Harry George Bowles (1888)
George Joseph Bowles (1889 to 1900)
Joseph James Bowles (1890)
Ernest Thomas Bowles (1892)
Albert William Bowles (1896)
Frederick William Bowles (1898)
Herbert James Bowles (1899)
William George Bowles (1901)

Arthur George Bowles was the illegitimate son of Eleanor Bowles.

Eleanor Bowles:

Eleanor was born in 1835 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1893 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Eleanor gave birth to another illegitimate child. His father may have been George Starling. No father’s name was written on the baptism record.

George Adolphus Bowles (1868)

Eleanor married George Starling on 30 OCT 1870 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. No known children were born to this marriage.

George had previously married Caroline Hilton around 1844. One known child was born to this marriage:

George William Starling (1846 to 1859)

Caroline Hilton was born in 1820 in South Walsham, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1866 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Caroline was the illegitimate daughter of Sarah Hilton.

Eleanor Bowles:

Eleanor Bowles was the illegitimate daughter of Mary Ann Stacey. Her mother married a man named Justice Bowles.

Justice Bowles:

Justice was born on 15 AUG 1809 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. He died on 17 MAR 1886 in Yandoit, Victoria, Australia.

In 1830, Justice Bowles was convicted of the crime of larceny. He was sentenced to six months of hard labor and whipped.

Justice married Mary Ann Stacey on 17 DEC 1831 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. One known child was born to this marriage:

John Justice Bowles (1832 to 1843)

In April of 1833, Justice was convicted of another offense of larceny. He was to be transported to a penal colony in Australia to serve a seven-year prison term. On 9 MAY 1834, the convict ship arrived at Van Diemen’s Land. In 1841, Justice was freed from prison.

In 1842, Justice married Mary Agnes Kennedy in Victoria, Australia. Nine known children were born to this marriage:

John Bowles (1843)
Robert Bowles (1846)
Sarah Bowles (1848)
Mary Ann Bowles (1851)
Elizabeth Bowles (1853)
Louisa Bowles (1859)
Alice Bowles (1862)
Stephen Thomas Bowles (1864)
Justice Bowles (1867)

Mary Agnes Kennedy was born in 1815 in Warwickshire County, England. She died on 15 NOV 1896 in Yandoit, Victoria, Australia.

In 1830, Mary was convicted of larceny and sentenced to seven years. She was transported to Australia the following year.

Justice and Mary Bowles were buried in the Franklinford Cemetery in Victoria, Australia. They have memorials on the Find A Grave website.

Mary Ann Stacey:

Mary Ann was born in 1811 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1853 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Mary Ann’s first child was also illegitimate:

Mary Ann Stacey (1829)

After Justice was transported to Australia in 1834, Mary Ann met a man named William Artis Brown. They never got married. This was probably because Mary Ann was still legally married to Justice Bowles.

Mary Ann and William lived together for 12 years. Four known children were born to this union. These children would have been considered illegitimate had one of the children claimed William’s estate.

William Artis Brown Bowles (1841)
Adolphus Artis Brown Bowles (1843)
Thomas Artis Brown Bowles (1845)
Jonas Artis Brown Bowles (1848)

William Artis Brown was born in 1814 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. He died in 1891 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

After Mary Ann died, William married Eleanor Jackman on 12 JUN 1859 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. Six known children were born to this marriage:

Eleanor Jane Brown (1860)
George Artis Brown (1860)
Harriet Brown (1862)
Adolphus Brown (1864)
Elizabeth Jane Brown (1866)
Eliza Brown (1870)

Eleanor Jackman was born in 1833 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England. She died in 1895 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk County, England.

Eleanor went by the nickname, Ellen.

Did You Notice?

There were nine children born out of wedlock. Mary Ann Stacey had six children. Eleanor Bowles had two children. Sarah Hilton had one child. If you subtract the four children born to William Artis Brown, there were still five illegitimate children.

Family Search published an article entitled Illegitimacy in England. They estimated that in 1840 about one-third of women in England were pregnant at the time of marriage.

The birth of one illegitimate child before marriage was not that uncommon. The birth of two illegitimate children would have been unusual. In the past, an unmarried woman would have had to rely on her family or her parish to support her illegitimate child.

Could this have been a common occurrence in Great Yarmouth at that time? I have not found an article on the internet that addresses this issue.

Notes:

The surname, Oxborough, originated in Norfolk County, England. It appears in church registers as early as the mid-16th century. As the world population grew, these Oxborough ancestors moved to other counties in England. By the late 19th century, some had immigrated to Canada and Australia.

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on.  There are also family trees that go “forward into time.”  Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time.  The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!