Powys-Lybbe Forbears - Person Sheet
Powys-Lybbe Forbears - Person Sheet
Notes for Sarah Ann Bartholomew
Note in RCLP-L's hand:

"2nd Wife:
"Sarah dau of William Bartholomew of Ashley, Co Cambridge married 25 Sept 1880 at the British Vice Consulate Boulogne sur Mer France and at St John's Church there.  Died 30 March 1895 at Chancers Ho, Woodstock, Oxon having ma 2ndly at St Mary's Church Wallingford, 15 May 1889 Charles Wright Edwards L.R.C.P of Chaucers House Woodstock eldest son of Charles Hutchinson Edwards of The Chalet, Mill Hill, Clerk in Holy Orders."

We have a tree-plaque for a tree she planted for the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887.  She is named on the plaque as "Mrs Powys-Lybbe Mayoress of Wallingford".

In the Berks and Oxon Advertiser obituary on April 6th 1888 for WRL P-L she is referred to as the "third daughter of William Bartholomew Esq of Ashley Cambridgeshire".
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Censuses:

In 1851 she was in the parish of All Saints, Newmarket, apparently in Chruch Lane, with her parent and was 2 months old; she was given her full name of Sarah Ann.

In 1861 she was at home in Newmarket with her parents, aged 10, born in Newmarket Cambs and a scholar.

In 1871 she was a Nurse servant, aged 20 and born in St Mary’s parish Newmarket, with a large family of a couple with 10 children, where the eldest was 18 and the youngest 2.  The family also had a cook and two housemaids so they were all fairly busy.  The address was Priory House, Farnham [or Fordham?] All Saints, Suffolk.

In 1881 she was in Boulogne

In 1891 she was in Burghfield, Nr Newbury, said to be 32 and born in Newmarket, Cambs.
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How did Sarah get to Boulogne?

Interestingly on her marriage certificate she is shown as living at the same address as her husband.  I had been thinking that her father had run a hotel or something there but he would almost certainly have been on the marriage certificate if so.  The witnesses to the marriage are Edith Mary Powys, William P's obviously beloved sister, and the wife, or daughter, of the registrar.  My current thought is that Sarah had gone into service, ended up as some form of maid for the house or for WRLP-L's first wife, went with them to Boulogne and then came to keep the bed warm after Christine née Heywood died...  A support, though not confirmation, to this is that Cecilia died at 71 Rue Tour Notre Dame, where Wm and Sarah were both living some nine months later.

Part of my reason for this conclusion about Sarah's arrival in Boulogne is finding the 1881 census entry for the Bartholomew family all living in Ashley Cambs.  Apart from William, born in Scotland, his wife and remaining daughter were both born in the locality of Ashley, Cambs.  It looks as if they may never have moved from there or nearby Newmarket. So Wm Bartholomew would never have gone to Boulogne.

This possible origin of the relationship with Sarah may well have enabled Wm R L P to reconcile himself with his father and become W R L P-L.  In fact this reconciliation, greased liberally by the settlement of Hardwick and Broomfield on W R L P, happened two or three years later - refer to the wills of both.

August 2011: Having found the 1871 census which showed her to be a family nurse in a brewer’s house in Farnham All Saints, Suffolk, I wonder if this scenario will have any evidence to support it:
Christine may have become pregnant, so a nursemaid was hired to help her and then look after the infant.  Perhaps the nurse was Sarah.  Then Christine died, before, during or after parturition.  This left Sarah in the house with not a lot to do; she could not leave easily as she would have had no money; perhaps William did not appreciate this predicament so she stayed on, and the rest is history.
I have a got a French researcher to see if he can find the 1876 and 1881 Boulogne censuses and and any death certificate for Christine and any French civil marriage (in addition to the two in the English church and the English consulate) for Sarah.
March 2012: All he could find was the 1881 census showing William, Sarah and the infant Reginald.

When was she born?

The first we knew was from her marriage certificate to WRL PL when she was recorded as 27 at the time of marriage in Sep 1880.  This made her born in 1853.

Then her death record was found where she was stated to be 38 in March 1895; this made her born in 1857.

Corroborating the last there is a newspaper cutting for her death and burial which includes:

“The plate on the coffin bore the following inscription:
          SARAH EDWARDS
      Born, January 18th 1858
      Died, March 30th 1895

Much later I found that she was shown as 32 in the 1991 census, so born in 1858/9.

Finally her birth was found to be registered as on 17th January 1851.  She must have worn well to have lopped 6 years off her age, presumably on marriage to her second husband, the young and newly qualified surgeon.  He was 26 and she may have given herself as 33, instead of the true 39.

2011, TFPL: Additionally I have found she gave an age of 28 for the 1881 census in France, subtracting much the same two years from her age as when she was married.

April 2022, TFPL: On the marriage register for her second maerriage she gave her age as 38; she their Marriage Notes for her second marriage.  So her age was not concealed from her second husband, rather he seems to have concealed it from others.

Was she related to her 2nd husband?

Just a thought: she met and married him rather rapidly.  How did she meet up with him?  Her aunt Eliza married an Edwards.  So they might have met in Ashley or Chippenham.

I have her will - and may type it in here, if only to show how a solicitor covered his backside not only with wadding but also with fire-proof concrete.

Feb 2002: Just realised that she was almost certainly an heiress.  While she had brothers, all but William vanish from the scene and, from his will in which he left everything to his younger sister's family, he had no family and it is doubtful that he married.  So the only children of William and Mary Ann Seal who had descendants were Sarah Ann and her youngest sister Eliza who married William Luther Foreman and has issue to this day.  So Sarah and Eliza were co-heirs, but to little or no money and certainly to no arms.

Dec 2018: I have discovered a marriage for her eldest brother James in 1872 which Sarah attended in Ashley, signing the marriage register as a witness.  There are some births of daughters to James with a mother’s maiden name of Lines in the following years.  James was a soldier at marriage and his family may have gone abroad and stayed there; certainly no subsequent census has any information of this family.  But if James had any children and if they had issue who survive to this day, those lines are the heirs to William Bartholomew of Ashley and Sarah is not a co-heir in her issue.  For now I think it is likely that she is not an heir so have unset her heir flag.
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The Primrose League: Sarah was Ruling Councillor of the St Stephen's (Wallingford) Habitation of the Primrose League.  In May 2002 I found a piece of silk in my father's house on which was printed:

                                     TO THEIR
                   Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESSES

   The members of the St Stephen's (Wallingford)
Habitation of the Primrose League respectfully desire to offer
to your Royal Highnesses their most hearty congratulations
upon the occasion of your Silver Wedding.

   They acknowledge, with much thankfulness, the
noble and self-sacrificing efforts you have made to advance
every great and good work in the country ; and they humbly
hope Almighty God may grant you a long and happy life.

                                     (signed)
                                SARAH POWYS-LYBBE, O.M.
                                 RULING COUNCILLOR
MARCH 8th 1888
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TFPL, March 2003: I have seen her entry in the record books of the College of Arms.
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TFPL, May 2004: In the 1891 census she was with her new husband and all her children at The Bungalow, Burghfield Common, near Newbury, Berks.  She gave her age as 32, remarkable in view of the fact that she was 40.  (Recte: her husband may have given her age as 32.)
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On her death certificate, her name was given as “Sarah Powys Edwards” and she was said to be 38 [a mere 6 years younger than her true age].  She was “Wife of Charles Wright Edwards Physician and Surgeon” and she died from “Hepatic Cirrhosis, Gastritis, Double Pneumonia 7 days” certified by W Duigaw, NBBC.  The informant on the 2nd Apr 1895 was C Wright Edwards, widower of deceased who was in attendance at the death.

In her burial record she is similarly stated to be aged 38.

There are no other Edwards burials from 1891 to 1895, tending to indicate that she and Charles had no children.
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From the London Gazette:

9 Aug 1895: “Re 'SARAH BRIGHT EDWARDS ^Deceased.-
Pursuant to the -Act of Parliament 22 and 23 Vict.:cap. 36 intituted "An Act to further amend the Law of Property and to relieve Trustees.”
NOTICE is hereby'given that all .creditors and other persons haying any claims, or demands against the estate of Sarah Wright Edwards late the wife of Dr. Charles Wright Edwards of Chaucer's House Woodstock: in the county of Oxford, and formerly known as Sarah Powys Lyble of the-Croft Wallingford in the county of Berks Widow (who 'died on the 30th day of March 1895 and whose will was proved in the Principal Registry of the Probate Division of Her Majesty's High Court of Justice on'ifche 8ttf day of June l895 by Edward Foulger Pye-Smitih Solicitor .of Salisbury the executor therein-named-) are hereby required to send the particulars in writing of their claims or demands to us the undersigned the Solicitors for1 the said executor on or before the 14th day of September 1895 after which date the said executor Will proceed to distribute the assets of the said deceased amongst the persons entitled thereto having regard only to the claims and demands of which he shall then have had notice and lie will not be liable for the assets of the said deceased or any' part thereof so distributed to any person or persons'of. whose claims or demands he shall fcpt then have ha4 notice;— Dated this .2nd day of August 1895.
FULTON and PYE-SMITH, Solicitors, Salisbury.”
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In Jackson’s Oxford Journal of 6 Apr 1895, page 8, there is this obituary:

“WALLINGFORD
“DEATH OF MRS EDWARDS--The death of this lady, who was previously the widow of Mr W. R. L. Powys-Lybbe, occurred on Saturday, after a short illness, at Boscombe, near Bournemouth.  During the 2 ½ years of her first husband’s Mayoralty of Wallingford, Mrs Powys-Lybbe especially attached herself to the feelings of the inhabitants generally by her sociability and large-hearted hospitality”
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Sept 2016, TFPL: Just found that her and William’s marriage entries are on the GRO Consular Marriages record set via FindMyPast:

First name(s)   SARAH
Last name       BARTHOLOMEW
Year range      1876-1880
Marriage place  BOULOGNE SUR MER
Country         FRANCE
Record Source   GRO Consular Marriages (1849-1965)
Volume          6
Page            359
Record set      British nationals married overseas 1818-2005
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TFPL, 2018: Sarah’s signatures are almost as rare as hens’ teeth.  I have just obtained a copy of the marriage certificate for her brother James’ marriage to Elizabeth Lines.  The certificate included that Sarah was a witness to the marriage, but this certificate is a certified copy of the original record, not a photocopy of the original.  The original is in the Cambridge Record Office, currently being moved to Ely from Cambridge and thus not available for copying until late in 2019.  Someone needs to remember to find when it is to reopen and then see if a copy of the original can be obtained.  I’m putting a reminder on my Computer to November 2019 and repeating monthly.

The reminder got lost but I found this note in Jan 2022.  So ordered the certificate from Cambridge Record Office and it arrived within 24 hours.  Definitely her signature.  Suitably distributed among sundry other descendants of hers.
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Will notes for Sarah Ann Bartholomew
Admon of 8 June 1895.

WRIGHT-EDWARDS Sarah of Chaucer’s House Woodstock Oxfordshire (wife of Charles Wright-Edwards) died 30 March 1895 Probate London 8 June to Edward Foulger Pye-Smith solicitor  Effects £1797 15s. 5d.
Notes for William Reginald Lybbe & Sarah Ann (Family)
Witnessed by Edith May Powys, Wm Reg Lybbe Powys's sister, and Isabella P E Stiglurch. The registrar was William Stiglurch, British Consul, Coulogne.  So Isabella Stiglurch must have been his wife or daughter.  That is, Sarah Bartholomew had no friends or relatives present.

(The registrar for Christine Cecilia's death was "William Stigand", probably the same chap.)

Further Sarah's address is the same as William's: 71 Rue Sur Notre Dame.

From the certified copy of the church marriage:
Page: 47
Married at: Church of St John, according to rites of Church of England, at Boulogne sur mer, pas de Calais, France
Celebrant: Henry Moysey-Turton, Chaplain
Date: 25th Sept, 1880
Groom: William Reginald Lybbe Powys, of full age, Widower, Esquire, of 71 r. Tour Notre Dame
Bride: Sarah Bartholomew, of full age, Spinster, "do" [for address].
Father of groom: Philip Lybbe Powys-Lybbe, [occupation "not mentioned"]
Father of bride: William Bartholomew, [occupation "not mentioned"]
Witnesses: Edith Mary Powys, Arthur N Moysey-Turton [relation of chaplain?]
Date of copy: 8th March 1907
Copy made by: J E Dutton-Tomson,, Chaplain of St John's
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The two index entries for this marriage are on FindMypast as:

First name(s) WILLIAM REOINALD L
Last name POWYS-LYBBE
Year range 1876-1880
Marriage place BOULOGNE
Country FRANCE
Record Source GRO Consular Marriages (1849-1965)
Volume 6
Page 359
Record set British nationals married overseas 1818-2005

and

First name(s) SARAH
Last name BARTHOLOMEW
Year range 1876-1880
Marriage place BOULOGNE SUR MER
Country FRANCE
Record Source GRO Consular Marriages (1849-1965)
Volume 6
Page 359
Record set British nationals married overseas 1818-2005
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Notes for Charles Wright & Sarah Ann (Family)
From a Certified Copy of the Marriage Entry, made on 2 June 1925:

District:
Wallingford
Certificate No:
256 of 1889
At:
The parish Church of St Mary, Wallingford, Berks
Date: May 15 1889
Groom: Charles Wright Edwards, aged 25, Bachelor, L.R.C. Physician, of Mill Hill Hendon
Bride: Sarah Powys-Lybbe, aged 38, widow, of Wallingford.
Father of groom: Charles Hutchinson Edwards, Clerk in Holy Orders
Father of bride: William Bartholomew, Inn Keeper
Witnesses: Frank Day, Jane L Edwards, H Edgar Tidy, George Clements
Officiated by C Hutchinson Edwards

Rector making the copy: Herbert Patrick Bowen on 2nd June 1925

And from the Microfiche copy of the Marriage Register:
"1889 May 15
   EDWARDS   Charles Wright 26 bach.  Mill Hill, Hendon, L.B.C. physician s. Charles Hutchinson, clerk in Holy Orders.
   POWYS-LYBBE   Sarah 38 widow o.t.p. d. William BARTHOLOMEW, inn-keeper                Lic
Wit: Frank DAY, Jane L Edwards, Tidy?  George Clements ...? M. Edwards, off. min."

Finally from FreeBMD:

Surname      First name(s)   District     Vol  Page
Marriages Jun 1889   (>99%)
Edwards      Charles Wright  Wallingford  2c   543
Lybbe        Sarah Powys     Wallingford  2c   543
POWYS-LYBBE  Sarah           Wallingford  2c   543
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Note that on the marriage register she gave her age as 38.  So her age was not concealed from her husband, rather he seems to have concealed it from others.
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Last Modified 2 Apr 2022Created 14 May 2022 by Tim Powys-Lybbe
Re-created by Tim Powys-Lybbe on 14 May 20220