ARNOLD GRAYDON

Today, I have something a little different for you.

Whilst at the local second hand market, I came across this book: Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Not a book I’ve ever read – but the green and gold embossed cover caught my attention, as did the beautiful book plate inside. Dated 1907, the plate scribes the owner of the book as ‘Master Arnold Graydon’ who was awarded it as a special prize for being a choirboy at Sunday school.

I love historical pieces like this – and I bet Arnold was so proud to have received this book – especially as it is in such excellent an condition over 100 years later.

I did some research and was able to find Arnold on both the 1901 and 1911 census and I believe he was born on the 1st July 1896 in Kings Cross in Halifax, West Yorkshire. In 1911, he was living with his mother and father – Mary & Arthur Graydon in Trafalgar Row in Halifax along with his two sisters Alice and Beatrice. Their Aunty Emma also lived with them.

From my research I also believe that he was married in 1929 to Margery Hall in County Durham and died in the first quarter of 1983 in his home town of Halifax aged 86.

Does this gentleman feature in your family tree? If so, would you like to be reunited with his prized book? Please get in touch.

SIBELLA ROXBURGH

Please excuse my lack of postings these last few months. Moving house (after 12 years) took a lot longer than thought! How much stuff can one couple have!? We are finally getting sorted and I am also re-finding photographs, well hidden, at the bottom of boxes in the attic!

So without further ado, for your viewing pleasure is this photograph of a lady called Mary Sibella Roxburgh. An unusual name, you must agree. The photograph was originally taken in 1889 in Ipswich and this copy is an enlarged version produced in 1892.

On my research of this lady I found various people with this name of different ages – so I believe that ‘Sibella’ is a Roxburgh family name that made several appearances within several generations. At first, I thought it may have been a derivative of Isabella.

According to the census, both of her Christian names were used as she was sometimes listed as Mary – and other times as Sibella.

Sibella was born in Leith, in the Portobello region of Scotland on 6th December 1863 to older parents. Her father, William Roxburgh, a physician, was born in 1812 in Bangladesh and died in 1897. Dr. Roxburgh married Anne Elizabeth Boswell on 16 December 1857 at Duddington, Midlothian, Scotland and they had three children. Sibella is listed as having two older brothers: William Henry born April 1859 (who was partially blind but later became a solicitor) and Alexander (born August 1860). Alexander died on 17 March 1953 at Locks Heath in Hampshire. Her grandfather, William Roxburgh Sr, was a doctor at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Calcutta, India.

In 1871 the family are documentated as living in Bedford. By 1881 the family are housed in Oxford (William Henry was at university here) although neither parent are listed (suggesting that either they had died or lived elsewhere). An elder aunt (also named Sibella) aged 73 was living with them. By 1891, this aunt was living in Ipswich with several friends and servants, which might suggest why the photograph of young Sibella (in this picture) was taken here. Aunt Sibella died in 1896 aged 89 years of age.

Do you know what happened to her? Did she marry? Is Sibella part of your family tree? If so, please get in touch.

UPDATE: I have since found out that young Sibella actually died on 7th September 1892 in Ipswich aged just 28 years of age. This listed photograph must have been reproduced in memory of her after her death.