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Archiver > LONDON > 2008-07 > 1216342494


From: "B & L Jones" <>
Subject: Re: [LON] Charles Henry DAVIS 1844, son of the Prince of Wales?
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:54:54 +1000
In-Reply-To: <003401c8e7f0$f9f37b30$0202a8c0@NEWCOMP>



Hi Andy

Thank you for your very comprehensive list of tips. I will follow up on all
you've given me. I have a lot of work to do!!

Thanks
Lorna




_____

From: Andy Hedgcock [mailto:]
Sent: Thursday, 17 July 2008 7:39 PM
To: B & L Jones;
Cc:
Subject: Re: [LON] Charles Henry DAVIS 1844, son of the Prince of Wales?


Hi Lorna
I think you'll have to put the story of the royal connection to one side as
there's no way you can find out if this is true. You have several things
against you.

1 - His name is too common, as you know. Henry may or not be the father's
given name, or surname.

2 - Although he didn't know his place of birth you can't limit the search to
those who have 'not known' as their location. Someone could have listed him
with a 'pob' in error.

3 - To cover up illegitimate births the family could have woven the story
that he was of 'royal birth' which gives a slight air of respectability.

4 - The father could be anyone in the Royal Household, and as they were
rather large in those days you have too many males to link him to. You say,
'On his marriage certificate his parents were unknown', did that refer to
the mother as well? They refer to fathers only.

5 - Having said that you could research into where the Royal Household was
in around 1843/4, search for any Charles DAVIS born in that area. Then
research all of those to cross them out. The Times Archive and others
available on Gale may help you here.

6 - You could work back from the 1871 census with all those that have H as a
middle initial. You have his occupation, track down any that seem suitable
(back AND forward) to rule any out. If you do this ignore the place of birth
for the moment. Are there any lodgers, visitors, boarders, etc, in later
census that could provide a vague link? You would need to research these as
well.

7 - Ancestry has a Royalty and Nobility message board which is further
broken down to more specific topics and worth a look at, if not for nothing
more than to realise there are so many 'family myths' that there is a
connection to royality/ households etc. Worth reading so you understand just
how hard it would be to prove there is a link.

I'm not trying to put you off but this is one of those queries where you'll
have to do a lot of what I call 'negative' research in order to try and find
the positive. There's no way of proving 'the idea of the rumour being true'
without doing most of the above.

Cheers
Andy

>
>
> B & L Jones wrote:
> > Hi List
> >
> > According to the censuses Charles Henry DAVIS was born
> about 1844 but he
> > didn't know where. He was a member of the Royal Artillery
> and married Lucy
> > Grant Ferguson in 1872 at the Royal Chapel Tower of London.
> On his marriage
> > certificate his parents were unknown.
> >
> > An elderly aunt has always maintained he was an
> illegitimate son of the
> > Prince of Wales, 'one of many' I'm told.
> >
> > While there are other persons of that name born around that
> time I would
> > like to explore the idea of the rumour being true. I
> presume this has been
> > done before so I'm wondering if anyone has any clues as to
> how/where I could
> > start my search for his birth.
> >
> > Lorna
>




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