Back in September, we visited the Ford Car Boot sale in Sussex again, over the years I have found some wonderful treasures there that remain very special old photos in my collection. A lot of these treasures have come from one dealer John. He loves the history of these old photos and does try to keep small collections together, especially ones with names. I understand it’s not always possible as people that owned them before often split them up or when they pass away, they end up as part of house clearance job lot and all the family connections are sadly lost. This one page I bought from him is just a gem! The last photo is stuck on the reverse of these first four on the same piece of thick paper. How wonderful that someone has written on the page at some time. Although the date written in the top corner is a bit out, these were taken about 1866.

They are just the most beautiful family photos aren’t they, The top photo on the page is especially poignant of Mum Harriet Williamina Hepburn-Forbes with her eldest daughter Ada Harriet as Mum Harriet died about three years after these photos were taken in 1869, she was just 34.

I adore this photo above, Harriet looks such a very loving Mum.

I love this little lad Charles below, he looks a bundle of mischief! He became the 21st Baron Clinton.

I would love to have seen the rest of the homemade photo album before it was split up, I do wonder if one of the children made it.

There is a huge amount of the family’s history on the internet it’s very easy to find, so I haven’t made a family tree to go with this Blog. But here below is just a little of the family history I’ve collated from various sources online: Ancestry public trees, Wikipedia, The Peerage website, familypedia website, national portrait gallery, all great sources for information and to compare images.

Charles Henry Rolle Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, 20th Lord Clinton, was born on 2 March 1834 in Rome, Italy. He was the son of Charles Rodolph Trefusis, 19th Baron Clinton (1791-1866) and Elizabeth Georgiana Kerr (1807-1871)

Charles was educated at Eton College, Windsor, Berkshire, England. He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford University, Oxford, England on 3 June 1852. He graduated from Oxford University in 1856 with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) (Conservative) for North Devon between 1857 and 1866. He graduated from Christ Church, Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire in 1859 with a Master of Arts (M.A.) He was chairman of Devonshire Quarter Sessions between 1863 and 1899.
He succeeded as the 20th Lord Clinton (E 1299) on 10 April 1866. He also held the office of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, India Office between 1867 and 1868 in the Conservative government of the Earl of Derby and Benjamin Disraeli.

On 4 September 1867 his name was legally changed to Charles Henry Rolle Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis by Royal Licence.
He gained the rank of Captain in the 25th Aberdeenshire R.V.C. He held the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Devon between 1887 and 1904. He was chairman of Devonshire County Council in 1888. He gained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal North Devon Hussars. He held the office of Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) of Kincardineshire. What a busy chap he was!

His first wife was Harriet Williamina Hepburn-Forbes who was born 17 May 1835 in England to John Stuart Hepburn-Forbes (1804-1866) and Harriet Louise Anne Kerr (1808-1884) The couple married on 29 July 1858 at  Fasque House, Fettercairn, Kincardineshire, Scotland.

What a spectacular place to be married!
Harriet died 4 July 1869 Heanton Satchville, Huish, Devon, England. She was just 34.

The couple had five children:
Hon. Ada Harriet Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis b. 1860, d. 14 Oct 1945
Hon. Mary Elizabeth Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis b. c 1862, d. 7 Jun 1954
Charles John Robert Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, 21st Lord Clinton b. 18 Jan 1863, d. 5 Jul 1957
Lt.-Col. Hon. Henry Walter Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis b. 8 Dec 1864, d. 2 Jun 1948
Hon. Margaret Adela Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis b. 1866, d. 20 Mar 1939

His second wife was Margaret Walrond was born on 16 November 1850 at Linden House, Wellington, Shropshire, England. She was the daughter of Sir John Walrond Walrond, 1st Bt. and Hon. Frances Caroline Hood married on 30 March 1875 in Uffculme, Devon, England.

The couple had seven children:
Hon. Edith Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis b. 12 Feb 1876, d. 13 Apr 1934
Brig.-Gen. Hon. John Frederick Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis b. 14 Jan 1878, d. 24 Oct 1915
Hon. Walter Alexander Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis b. 1 Jul 1879, d. 11 Jul 1926
Hon. Schomberg Charles Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis b. 22 Mar 1882, d. 11 Oct 1974
Hon. Evelyn Mary Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis b. 3 Jul 1883, d. 5 Jan 1963
Hon. Robert Henry Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis b. 1 Jul 1888, d. 1 Jul 1958
Hon. Harriet Margaret Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis b. 20 Mar 1891, d. 2 Feb 1975

Charles Henry Rolle Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, 20th Lord Clinton died on 29 March 1904.

There were several obituaries but here’s a very informative one from The Buchan Observer and East Aberdeenshire Advertiser on 5 April 1904:

Info from Wikipedia: ‘Following the death of the 21st Baron Clinton on 5 July 1957, the barony fell into abeyance between his two daughters: The Hon. Harriet Fane (14 November 1887 – 15 March 1958), who married Maj. Henry Nevile Fane, only son of Sir Edmund Fane (whom she divorced in 1935); and the Hon. Fenella Bowes-Lyon (19 August 1889 – 19 July 1966), an aunt of Queen Elizabeth II through her marriage to John Bowes-Lyon, second son of the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. The abeyance of 1957 was terminated 18 March 1965 in favour of Gerald Neville Mark Fane Trefusis, the 22nd Lord Clinton, who is the great-grandson of the 21st Baron Clinton and grandson of Hon. Harriet Fane. His great-aunt Fenella supported his eight-year legal fight to succeed as Baron. Baron Clinton had already in 1958 assumed by deed poll the additional surname of Trefusis and had inherited the 85,000-acre estate in Devon from his great-grandfather‘.

So, the family is related to our Queen Elizabeth. The young lad whose photo we have above, who became the 21st Baron Clinton was married 1 June 1886 to Lady Jane McDonnell (15 June 1863 – 27 August 1953) (a daughter of the 5th Earl of Antrim) and they had two daughters. First Harriet (14 November 1887 – 15 March 1958) married Major Henry Nevile Fane (1883 – 2 August 1947). They had seven children.
Secondly, Fenella (19 August 1889 – 19 July 1966) married John Herbert Bowes-Lyon (They had five children) he was the brother of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the future Queen Elizabeth and later the Queen Mother) and of course Uncle to our Queen. (Info from Wikipedia)

Isn’t it just astonishing what you can find through old photo finds, it’s what keeps me searching and collecting, I just love all the interesting connections I come across when researching.

Till next time then……..