By Christine Swan

Charles Robert was one of a large family of West End Apthorps living in what is now, the heart of theatreland in London. He was born in 1850 in Long Acre, which was at that time, the heart of the carriage making and associated maintenance industry. This particular area has changed immensely from the Victorian era to its modern-day incarnation as a mix of shops, restaurants and theatres. Turn the clock back to the mid nineteenth century and you would find workshops building coaches. Charles’ father, William Henry is recorded as being both a wheelwright and coach smith.

Charles Robert Apthorp(e)’s baptism record at St Giles in the Fields, Holborn in 1850

Charles Robert was baptised at St Giles in the Fields church and the family’s address is given as 16 Brownlow Street. There is a second Brownlow Street to the north of High Holborn but, as I discovered, this wasn’t where they lived. The correct street was to the south of High Holborn and the west of Drury Lane, below Short’s Gardens. The area around St Giles contained the infamous Rookery which was a hugely overpopulated, filthy, deprived, crime and disease-riddled district. Slum clearance was undertaken between 1844 to 1847, to permit the extension of New Oxford Street. The outcome of this was to cram even more people into even fewer streets, thereby making problems worse instead of better.

Inside the magnificent St Giles in the Fields showing the font where Charles Robert was baptised. Image taken by the author.

Nobody seemed very sure how to spell Apthorp in the nineteenth century and variations include Apthorpe, Abethorp, and Apethorp, all referring to the same people. By the twentieth century, higher levels of literacy divided families into the “with a terminal e” and without. I belong to the latter clan. It is indeed an unusual name but its etymology indicates that it may be Welsh in origin. Ap means “son of” and while this may seem a wild suggestion, to placate warlords in both Wales and Scotland, land in England was allocated to stop fighting over territory. Thorp simply means “village” so this suggestion is not as crazy as it seems. My maternal DNA also indicates Welsh heritage. Other suggestions seem to relate to Old Norse indicating a village where apples grow and even more bizarrely, ape literally referring to our simian ancestors. Some name history websites will sell you a coat of arms and crest based on these theories.

From my own research, I know that Apthorps, with or without an e, spread across the world and some became well-known because of their achievements or notoriety. My Apthorps were more humble, and their lives more ordinary. The name is an interesting one though and I am sad that the Apthorp Family History Society has now ceased because it was a great deal of fun to connect with people around the world, joined by one name but with many spellings.

1861 found the Apthorp family in Bird Street, Lambeth. Charles Robert’s mother, Mary Flood, hailed from Southwark so I looked to see if family might have been the motivation but I also wonder if it was due to the more extensive slum clearance that took place after the initial 1840s clearance. They had moved again by 1871 but not too far to John Street. Charles Robert was twenty one and working as a house painter. However, his career in painting and decorating did not last long.

The Apthorps in 1861 living in Bird St, Lambeth

Isabella Aylott was working as a general servant in a large and imposing house in Kennington Road, Lambeth. Isabella would have entered via the basement stairs and door to begin her life below stairs. Perhaps Charles Robert was decorating rooms in the house? As they lived nearby, maybe they met on the street? Either way Charles Robert and Isabella met and fell in love. They were married in August 1873 in St John’s Church, Stratford, East London, where Isabella’s parents resided.

St John’s Church, Stratford, East London – By Pedleysd (talk). – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8000644

The newlyweds did not remain close to their either of their parents, but instead moved to Southend on Sea on the Essex coast. Their first daughter, Ethel, was born in 1874, followed by William Charles in 1876 who was baptised in Prittlewell, just a short distance inland. The family then returned to Stratford which may have been prompted by the death of both of Isabella’s parents. The family moved to 53 Lett Road, Stratford, next door to Isabella’s brother, James George and his wife Martha, who lived with her parents. Isabella probably found comfort being close to family and their children were of similar ages. Ernest Robert Joseph was born in 1878, and Frederick George, known as Freddie, in 1881. To support his family, Charles Robert was working as a potman and waiter in a local inn. This was a lowly profession and not one that would have provided generous funds for so many hungry mouths to feed. In 1886 Charles Robert is listed as a grocer at the junction between Martin Street and Broad Street. This would have represented a huge step up in the family ambitions and potential income. This area is close to Stratford Station, which was still in its current location in 1886. This may have provided additional footfall as well as its close proximity to Stratford High Street.  Things were looking up for the family.

Stratford Station today – what would Charles Robert Apthorp have made of this? By Ewan Munro from London, UK – Stratford station, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38943067

1891 found the growing Apthorp family in Eve Road, West Ham, in a neat little house in a quiet street. Charles Robert was still listed as a grocer but now in Waddington Lane, which I can only guess is near Waddington Street. If it was, then this is also quite close to a station, in this case Maryland, and had a number of residential streets to draw trade from. Charles Robert was also working as a potman, probably during the evenings. The family had grown again with Frank Herbert in 1882, Charley Edgar in 1884, Edgar Edward Victor in 1886, and Charles Andrew, my grandfather, in 1888. Charley Edgar did not survive beyond one year and tragically, leaving behind a large family of still young children, Isabella died in 1891. Life would have been turned upside down for the Apthorp family.

Charles Roberts’ mood deteriorated. My grandfather, Charlie Andrew, possessed a pair of Victorian silhouette portraits of him and Isabella. My grandmother would keep them turned to the wall. “I don’t want that miserable old sod looking down on me!” my grandmother would tell the children. My grandfather never spoke about his mother. He was only three years old when she died so it seems very unlikely that he would have remembered her. As the only Apthorp daughter, Ethel, assumed the role of housekeeper and would have had caring responsibilities for her younger siblings. 1901 saw the family move back to central Stratford and Charles Robert had ceased to trade as a grocer. Instead he was still working in an inn but as a billiard marker. This was essentially a person who kept score of games played and managed bets placed on them. He would also have had a role in ensuring that players had paid and making sure that balls, tables and cues were ready for play. Frank was working as a housepainter and Edgar as a shop assistant, which would also have swelled the family coffers. Only Charlie was too young to work. Unfortunately, his memories of his father were less than fond. Eventually, Charlie left home and began work with the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company.

A billiards match in progress. A marker would have been responsible for setting the table and keeping score. By Lucien Davis (1860-1941) – Photograph of an illustration from Billiards (1902 edition), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84152630

Ethel, Charles Robert’s daughter, married and moved to Plaistow, but she continued to care for her father and he remained living with her and her new husband and eventually, their little son Horace. Charles Robert Apthorp died in 1915 aged 65. My eldest aunt would have been just two years old at this time, so would not have remembered him. However, she recounted to me her own mother’s recollections which were not pleasant. I think my grandmother felt that her husband had been driven away to sea at a young age by his cruel father. As I have often found, whilst some memories and stories are of genuinely good and kind characters, this is balanced by those whose temperament was less fondly remembered. I have discovered a whole spectrum of personalities but those further back in history still speak to me by what I discover about them. I think this is one of the fascinations for me in pursuing my study and recording their lives. I remember remarking to my late mother that I am the guardian of all of their stories and, as in any good book, there needs to be a villain as well as a hero.