Martin family, Scandal at Blaisdon (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Sunday, April 06, 2014, 21:27 (3885 days ago) @ Mike Pinchin

Hi Mike,
I'm afraid I have no real idea. When I found the article# I did briefly try searching what seemed a rather unique name but didn't get anywhere, think my temperamental pc had one of it's "outages" instead. A few years ago I'd have said there couldn't be two different Alfreds with such a similar name as that, but my FH experiences suggest anything's possible. I guess that surname could have a few legitimate spelling variations so may well have been different men from different backgrounds with same name ??

OR

was the Rev Alfred a realife example of one of those dubious characters portrayed so well by the likes of Peter Sellers in Ealing comedy films, maybe it was an imposter who read those same newspaper articles about Rev Edersheim and stole his identity... (unlikely !).

I wonder if the "off to America" story was just that, fictional smokescreen to help hide/silence the truth and save the Church or families from further embarrassment ??

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I see Alfred EDERSHEIM is readily found on the net, and clearly not "our" man.
eg http://www.oxfordchabad.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/895196/jewish/Alfred-Edersheim...

UNLESS.. could "our" Alfred been a son ?. He apparently had seven children after marrying a Mary Broomfield in Scotland in 1846. In the winter of 1860-61 poor health led Edersheim to move to Torquay, where Mary died. He subsequently married Sophia, nee Hancock.

FreeBMD gives just two Edersheim births for the whole UK, one at Westbury on Severn and one at Bridport Dorset, so both seem to "fit" ref Blaisdon and the above article which states,

"In 1875 he was ordained in the Church of England, and was Curate of the Abbey Church, Christchurch, Hants, for a year, and from 1876 to 1882 Vicar of Loders, Bridport, Dorset. He was appointed to the post of Warburtonian Lecturer at Lincoln's Inn 1880-84. In 1882 he resigned and relocated to Oxford. He was Select Preacher to the University 1884-85 and Grinfield Lecturer on the Septuagint 1886-88 and 1888-89."

Surname First name(s) District Vol Page

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Births Dec 1882 (>99%)
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Edersheim Pauline M E Westbury S. 6a 258

Deaths Dec 1882 (>99%)
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EDERSHEIM Pauline M E 0 Westbury S. 6a 163

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Births Mar 1885 (>99%)
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EDERSHEIM Dorothy Julia Bridport 5a 396[/color]

Plus other Eversheim M & Ds around the UK (but not Edersheim/Everstein/etc), including this lone Alfred, is it coincidence this London marriage is the FreeBMD record immediately before the above W-o-S Birth ??

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
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Marriages Dec 1881 (>99%)
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Edersheim Alfred St.Geo.H.Sq. 1a 749
HIGGS Mary St. Geo. H. Sq. 1a 749
MONTAGU Lydia Julia P St. Geo. H. Sq. 1a 749
Wooller Thomas St Geo Han Sq 1a 749

??

==========

GlosBMD has just this one Edersheim record, so very close to Blaisdon;

Birth Details
Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
EDERSHEIM Pauline Margaret Eugenia EDERSHEIM EDERSHEIM MONTAGUE 1882 Gloucester Gloucester, Huntley 16 31

=========

A possible mother, perhaps ? GlosBMD carries abt 12 Montagues in the Dean, all Lydney area. This site's PRs only 12 in total, not a typical Forest name.

Birth Details
Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
MONTAGUE Ada Juliana Marguerite Amelia MONTAGUE MONTAGUE DENYS 1849 Forest of Dean Chepstow, Lydney 5 13

????

Please keep searching for him, I'll try and help too.

# NB I found the article only while searching "Blaisdon", I have no knowledge whatsoever of the Rev Alfred or his family.