Update: As of 21 August 2025, I’m thrilled to tell you this whole collection is now in the very safe hands of a lady and her family who are descendants📚

Introduction

When we went to the Alweston car boot sale back in May I got chatting with one of the sellers I bought a few old photos from, I’d not seen him there before and as it turned out he lives not too far from us near Bridport. He explained that he collects old photos but mostly historical and architectural types but he also said he had more of what I collect at home that he was happy to part with.

So we had a meet and I came away with lots of CDVs and Cabinet Cards, many with names/initials written on the back and many post-Victorian old photos too. Initially, I had assumed that these were separate families as the seller had had them for a long while and he didn’t know if they were connected.

But after I’d scanned all of the CDVs/CCs and sorted them into family surnames, I put them in small surname groups around my desk and gradually realised that the group that was connected was getting bigger and bigger as I added more people to the family tree and another surname was added.

So now after a few weeks of research, I have compiled a family tree on Ancestry holding all the surnames and the connections to the named people in this collection I have called the Holworth Collection.

Taking time over the research and getting to know the families always helps enormously with being able to spot the little clues that arise to be able to identify the people.

While matching up the names, initials and places on the tree to the same people on the old photos I have come across some great stories about the families. Far too interesting to keep to myself, it has been suggested that I write a book about them all, but I thought that the best way to share all of these stories with you is to write a series of Blogs about the people photographed in this collection and their families.

All the Chapters will lead to the couple that I’ve found who are descended from these families.

Chapter 1

The Robarts

Henry ROBARTS pictured below was born on 5 January 1800 in London, his parents were Nathaniel Robarts (Jnr) 1764-1845 and Martha (Fletcher) 1770-1843, the couple married at St. Botolph Aldgate, London on 20 December 1792. Nathaniel(Jnr) and Martha had moved to London from Abingdon, Berkshire before their marriage.

The Robarts were a Baptist family worshipping at the Lower Meeting House, Ock St, Abingdon, Berkshire. Nathaniel’s mother was Sarah and his father, also called Nathaniel (Snr) was a Mercer, described in ‘Old Occupations’ as a dealer in textiles and fabrics. Nathaniel (Jnr) continued in a similar trade, I found this record of Nathaniel Robarts Snr on the Apprentices Indentures for 17 January 1760, Abingdon, Berkshire, the fourth row down.

I found records of Nathaniel Robarts Jnr with Martha and their family living in Covent Garden from around 1809, and 1797 and Nathaniel before, in 1786, he was a Covent Garden Silk Mercer. Here’s just a small sample of what I found, this is from the records of the Old Bailey in 1809 via Ancestry:

1) 1786. “872. JOSEPH YORK, THOMAS AKIS and NATHANIEL ROBERTS were indicted for feloniously stealing, on the 15th day of October, thirty-six pounds weight of black wool, value 20s. twenty-eight pounds weight of black worsted, value 28s. seventeen hundred and twenty-eight yards of black shoe binding, value 4 l. eight pieces of silk ferret, value 10 s. the property of David Ferguson. ALL NOT GUILTY. Tried by the first Middlesex Jury before Mr Justice HEATH”.

2) 1809. “CHARLES WALKER was indicted for that he on the 9th of December, was a servant to Nathaniel Roberts, John Bellamy Plowman and Joseph Snugs, and was empowered and entrusted by them to receive money for them, and being such servant and so employed did receive and take into his possession the sum of 3 l. 7 s. for his said masters, and that he afterwards fraudulently and feloniously did embezzle, secrete, and steal the same; – and SEVERAL OTHER COUNTS for like offence, only varying the manner of charging them. JOHN BELLAMY PLOWMAN. Q. Who are your partners – A. Nathaniel Roberts; we are Mercer’s, living in Chandos Street”………The prisoner left his defence to his counsel and called six witnesses, who gave him a good character. GUILTY, aged 25. Transported for Seven Years.

How things had changed in a few years. The various accounts make for interesting reading, and I have saved them on the family tree.

Although the family was living in London earlier, their first three daughters Amelia born in 1793-1873, more on her later, Sarah born in 1795-1866 and Martha born in 1797-1861 were all born and baptised in Abingdon, Berkshire where the couple’s families lived. Their following five children were baptised in London, and born in the Covent Garden area. Mary Ann was born in 1798-1879, Henry (Photo CDV) was born in 1800-1885, Frances was born in 1806-1873, Frederick was born in 1808-1886 and last but not least, Emma was born in 1818-1877. This below dated 1955 is just one of many newspaper reports about Emma and her work.

This is on the YWCA website about her now: “In 1855 Emma Robarts established a group in her village to pray for young women going out into the world. At almost the same time Mary Kinnaird established a hostel for young women transiting through London to join Florence Nightingale in the Crimea. Miss Robarts’ prayer groups grew and spread and in 1877 the two organisations merged, the prayer groups out of a desire to engage a broader group of young women, and the service organisation an interest in deepening its spiritual work. How wonderful that she is remembered still now and what she started continues.

By 1840 Nathaniel (Jnr) was 76 years old and living at Great Carter Lane, London as a Proctor. (Ancestry records: London, England, City Directories, 1736-1943) (A proctor was a legal practitioner in the ecclesiastical and admiralty courts in England/ is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another)

On the 1841 census, the family are living at Chipping Barnet, Hertfordshire, Nathaniel Jnr retired now. Nathaniel’s wife Martha died in 1843 and out of their six daughter’s only the eldest Amelia had married. Henry married in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk and Frederick in Reading, Berkshire both in August 1832. The five unmarried daughters continued to live in the family home after their father Nathaniel Jnr died at the beginning of 1845.

This is the 1851 census record for the remaining family group living in Chipping Barnet showing that Sarah the eldest unmarried daughter was the Head of the household, then Martha, Mary, Frances and their widowed brother Frederick were also living there.

Frederick had married Harriett Sarah Curtis Tarbutt in Reading on 2 August 1832 and then had three children together, Caroline Townsend 1834-1903 pictured below on this next CDV, Charles Nathaniel 1835-1889 and Arthur Frederick 1839-1905, Harriett died aged 37 in early 1848.

When their father died in 1886, Caroline pictured above, got all his furniture, plate, pictures and household effects plus money in his will. As you can also see from the will Frederick was also a Proctor.

Caroline must have been an interesting lady and I was quite amazed when I came upon this newspaper article mentioning her wishes for her death in her will!

Looking at the probate record above I would never have known if I hadn’t put her name and death date into the British Newspaper Archives by chance!

Charles Nathaniel, Frederick’s eldest son became a Reverend in Oxford, he never married and died in 1889 at the age of 55 leaving his entire estate to his younger brother Arthur Frederick. The youngest sibling Arthur Frederick had married Fanny Usborne in 1861 and the couple had six children, Evelyn, Florence, Frederick, Maud, Charles and Hilda.

I suspect this large house above could be where they lived, as you can see it just has Barnet written on the back and I have been unable to find out where it was, although it looks like it says ‘Wood Street’ on the 1851 census, I’ve found no matching houses in the area, so if anyone can help with more information that would be brilliant!

Returning back to Henry 1800-1885 now, he is described on the records as a Woollen Draper (1841) and a Woollen Warehouseman (1851)

Henry had first married Ann Catherine DECK 1809-1835 on the 21 August 1832 at St Mary’s in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, Ann’s home town and they had two children Henry 1833-1833 and Frederick Hall 1835-1901, who in later life became a Clerk of Holy Orders.

Amazing to come across this record above but so very sad to have the funeral of his wife and the baptism of little Frederick Hall on the same day.

Henry then married in 1844 to Charlotte Watson 1817-1886 and they had six children together.

Henry 1846- who died in June 1852 aged just five, Nathaniel Francis 1848-1939, married Margaret Elizabeth McCall 1853-1937, who had been born in Trinidad and Tobago. In 1871 his occupation was an Australasian Merchants Clerk and then I spotted this record below it is one of a few I came across mentioning Nathaniel Francis as being a liquidator.

I was so pleased to find out a little more about Nathaniel Francis, a keen archaelogist with an interest in bees.

Nathaniel Francis and Margaret had four children, Henry Ernest 1880-1956, who married Beatrice and was a Civil Engineer and later in life a Railway Divisional Engineer, and William Arnold 1884-1971 who married Alice and also worked for the Railway as an Engineer Works Manager. Muriel 1885-1945, she never married and was a school teacher, an Assistant Head Mistress.

Francis Watson 1882-1915, Francis Watson was killed in action in WW1 1915, the following information from the Imperial War Museum website: “2nd/Lt Francis Watson Robarts He was a member of Surrey County Cricket Club in London and is listed on their war memorial. (1st Battalion 14th London Regiment, London Scottish) fell in action in France on October 13, aged 33. He was well-known as a batsman in Metropolitan club cricket, especially for the Norwood C.C. and the Wanderers“.

Henry and Charlott’s third son Joseph Howard 1851-1925, married Margaret Robinson in Pyrton, Oxfordshire in 1875, Joseph was living in Brannox Town, Co Kildare, Ireland at the time of their marriage, the couple had four children Edith, Henry, Herbert and Charlotte. In 1881 Joseph was a Land Agent, unemployed, Joseph died in Holloway Sanatorium in 1925, “a place built in 1883 for the provision of better treatment for the middle-class mentally ill“, more here about Holloway:  Holloway Sanatorium, Virginia Water

Their daughter Emma 1855-1917, never married and died at 49 Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead.

Mary Elizabeth 1855-1937. She married Stewart MacKenzie Anstruther in June 1893. He sadly died in 1898 at the age of 49, the couple had no children. But I found a little more about Mary here before her marriage, on 31 May 1886, Mary was a witness at court in the case of ” 607. MARY MCLEARY (15), Feloniously setting fire to certain articles of clothing in the house of Samuel Morley, with intent to set fire to the dwelling-house” “MARY ELIZABETH ROBARTS . I am the honorary secretary of the Trewint Home at Tottenham—I attended at the Home on 27th April at half-past 11 in consequence of receiving a telegram—I saw the prisoner and said to her “This is a sad thing that you have done”—she said “I did not do it”—I said “I am afraid you did”—she made no reply—I sent for a constable and gave her into custody—I went upstairs to the dormitory and examined it, I saw the wall was scorched from the floor to the ceiling, and a piece of paper was burnt off the wall quite as large as my hand would cover, and the plaster underneath was blackened—the wooden rail was scorched and blistered, and the varnish blistered off—on the floor between the prisoner’s bed and Fox’s I found a match, and the matron picked up two others in my presence, they were charred at the end. “GUILTY Recommended to mercy by the Jury and Prosecution. Discharged on recognisances to appear for judgment if called upon.

Sydney the youngest sibling is a bit of a mystery, he was born in 1859, in 1881 he was unmarried and a Commercial Clerk.  But that’s all I have been able to confirm about him, I’m wondering if he emigrated? There are too many options for a marriage or a death for his name.

In 1881 Henry and Charlotte are living at ‘The Main Rd, Warwick Hse, Hackney’ and Henry’s occupation at the age of 80 is a Middlesex Magistrate. He died on 5 November 1885 in Stamford Hill, Middlesex aged 85 years.

Henry’s probate record above, he died in 1885.

Charlotte his wife died just over a year later in 1886.

The one person that I haven’t told you anything about yet is Amelia Robarts. This is her photo below.

Amelia was born on 27 September 1793 in Abingdon, Berkshire, and was the eldest child of Nathaniel and Martha, a sister to Henry. Amelia is very important in my story as she married in 1822 to Joseph W BROMLEY and the couple had seven children and became Ancestors to my couple. Chapter 2 will feature Amelia and the Bromley Family.

Till next time then…….