The Peerage...

Although I am not entitled by birth to have inherited the right to wear one of the above crowns I do, as many others do have blood ancestors who married in to Royal and Noble Families.

On my last Post I featured Barbara Jessica Hardy Beaton's marriage to Robert Alexander Hambro

Barbara Jessica Hardy Beaton

1912-1973
1st cousin 3x removed

Barbara  is one of the two sisters of  Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, their mother Esther Jane Sisson was born of humble circumstances in Temple Sowerby,Westmorland, England to the local Blacksmith

Esther Jane Sisson
1872-1962
After Esther's move to London and marriage to a wealthy Timber Merchant and success of her son Cecil who became the  famous and talented Royal photographer to the Queen and many other celebrities, her life and that of her daughters changed.  Because of Cecil's connections both of his sisters married in to families with many ties to Royalty and Nobility.

 Barbara married in to the Hambros Banking Family

They arrived in the City of London in the 19th century from Hamburg via Denmark, where they built a first fortune cornering the black crepe market. They consorted with Rothschild's and Morgans, became MP's  helped run the Bank of England, funded Italian unification and financed the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Much is recorded and written and is available on Royal and Titled families so it makes it pretty easy to trace the lines and some interesting stories and many photographs and paintings and statues of people and places and their family homes.

Milton Abbey, Dorset, England
bought by Carl or Charles Joachim Hambro in 1852

The 8000 acre estate was the Hambro family home until 1932 when extravagant living and the depression could no longer sustain it. Presently it is a boys school.

Carl Joachim Hambro

1807-1877

Carl's resting place at Milton Abbey

Barbara's marriage to  Robert Alexander Hambro was not a long one as sadly Robert was killed 

in action in Libya in 1943.

  They had two daughters-

Alexandra Mary Hambro born 1925

      Rosemary Ann Hambro   born 1939    

        Rosemary married Erskine William Gladstone the Great Great Grandson of five time

 Prime Minister of England William Ewart Gladstone 
 Barbara Jessica Beaton Hambro died at Hawarden Castle in Wales in 1973.

       

Hawarden Castle, Flintshire, Wales
Gladstone Family Home

Say Yes to the Dress...

A lot of my time doing Family History is spent on finding  Birth Marriage and Death dates. I have over the years got quite a collection of photographs of ancestors in their wedding finery.  As June is the favorite month for weddings I thought it might be a good thing to show off a few of  my favorite Brides!

The wedding dress of Queen Victoria of the United kingdom in 1840 was considered an unusual choice at the time when colors were more usual though she was not the first royal to be married in white.

Wearing white was quickly adopted by wealthy, fashionable brides.

Prince William and Kate Middleton

On to some of my not quite so famous relatives...

Joseph Walker Williamson and Mary Hatch

 third cousin 2x removed

1909

Queensland Australia

Roland T Martin and Clara Walsh
1887
Oshkosh Wisconsin
(Begg -My Scottish Line) 

Francis Xavier Walsh 1834-1898
Rebecca Minerva Wood 1847-1914
Parents of the above Clara Walsh

Barbara Jessica Hardy Beaton 1912-1943
(3rd cousin once removed)
Robert Alexander Hambro 1910 1943
married 1934 Westminster, London, England
(still shot from a newsreel film)

Sounds like a "FairyTale"...

Nancy Elizabeth Louise Hardy Beaton...
1909-1999

My 3rd cousin once removed (sister of the famous and talented Sir Cecil Beaton) married Sir Hugh Houston Smiley a Baronet...

1905-1990

1933

St George's Hanover Square, London, England.

I have written about this before but not about the ancestors on this couples Family Tree.

Sir Hugh Houston Smiley's mother was ...

 

Lady Valerie Champion De Crespigny

1883- 1978 and his grandmother was...

 Lady Elizabeth Anne Kerr 

1854-

The De Crespigny Family Tree  and the Kerr Family Tree are quite fascinating and in the next one or two posts I will attempt to share some of their history.

A lot of Talent….

My 3rd cousin once removed, Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton took these pictures of the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor.

1932-2011

What a wonderful way to remember her.

Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton...

So difficult to describe this man's life and accomplishments in one Post.  To quote an introduction by Hugo Vickers "He was a man of many parts, photographer, artist, writer, designer for screen and theatre and arbiter of style".
Diane Vreeland the Editor of Vogue, told David Bailey that Cecil "realized that there's only one very good life and that's the life you know you want and you make it yourself".
He was my third cousin once removed. I am related through his Mother's bloodline.   A bloodline Cecil would have much preferred not to own up to.  He was shocked when he learned in later years that his maternal Grandfather   Joseph Sisson was a Blacksmith.
As a child he grew up believing his mother and his aunt Jessie were society ladies.  When it became obvious to him his family were not the cream of society he set about to change that.
After an education in several different private schools his talents started to emerge.  He loved the theatre and photography and taking pictures of beautiful women.

Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton

Cecil Beaton interviewed about his Marilyn Monroe photos

Cecil Beaton Photography for Sale - Bloomberg

It All Began With Ella... (Elizabeth Sisson born in 1861)

I am often asked by others if I have found anyone famous  on my Family Tree.   The answer is yes, I have mentioned him briefly in an earlier Post.  You could say this cousin is not only worldwide famous he was also very talented.  I am speaking of Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton.

 

But back before he was born his Aunt Ella  had married a wealthy man by the name of Francis Arthur Williamson.

Frank dabbled in all kinds of businesses and investments.  It has been said he gained and lost two fortunes in his lifetime.    Elizabeth and Frank married in 1885 had six children.  Ella also had three homes to take care of.  They had lot's of parties entertaining many invited guests. 

Ella's sister Jessie (Jessie Leticia Sisson born 1863)  met her husband to be Pedro Suarez at Ella's  and after her marriage she moved to London  before moving to Bolivia.

Cecil's mother Etty (Esther Jane Sisson born 1872)

would visit Jessie in London and that is where she met her husband Ernest Walter Hardy Beaton a well to do Timber Merchant.

Cecil was a prolific writer and wrote of his three Aunts "that the beauty of these three sisters vibrated the small village of Temple Sowerby in Westmorland" where their Father Joseph Sisson and his wife Elizabeth Oldcorn lived and raised nine children.

More to come...  Some Information from the Book "My Bolivian Aunt" by Cecil Beaton.

Wedding procession 2

Wedding Procession

Wedding Procession of Nancy Beaton and Sir Hugh Houston Smiley. Blurry because I got it from a newspaper on the Internet. By the way these relatives have no idea I even exist

Barbara Beaton

Nancy's Sister Barbara Beaton who married Alec Hambro another famous family.

Isn't She Lovely

Lady Smiley is my 3rd cousin 1 time removed. These Pictures were taken by her brother the famous Sir Cecil Beaton who was the photographer to Queen Elizabeth the Second for many years. Sir Cecil photographed many celebrities and was the Dress Designer for "My Fair Lady" He wrote many journals which I have copies of.