Mr. Alfred Brittain —

depth: 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10

Alfred was married before, to Esther Ebbage. had four children, then a fifth, born Brittain,1879, but put in the census of 1881, dau of Fred Stephens, who Esther had married. There is a detailed account of divorce proceedings in the Times, in which the petitioner, Alfred Brittain, won a decree nisi, in spite of counter accusations. In addition Isabel appears to have been deserted by Alfred, and she appears as Mrs Scripps in the census later on, though there is no evidence to suggest that they were actually married.

Prior to marrying Isabel Hansard, Alfred Brittain, born Jun Q.,1843 married Esther Ebbage,Jul 27,1868, Clerkenwell.. They had four children, Alfred Ernest, Jun Q.,1869, Francis Herbert, Sep Q.,1870 and twins, Harold and Rosie Honor, Dec Q.,1873., all four born Ecclesall Bierlow, Sheffield. Esther’s history before 1885, when Alfred married Jsabel Hansard, has now been revealed In 1871, Esther and Alfred were with their two eldest children.. But the four children were found on their own in 1881, with two servants, Upper Hallam, a suburb of Sheffield. Esther bore a further. child, Ethel May Brittain., Jun Q., 1879.,Derby,. Alfred, a cutlery manufacturer, obtained a divorce in 1880, and Esther married Fred Stephens (sic), a Solicitor in practice, Mar Q.,1881,Islington. In 1881, Fred is shown, aged 43, born `Bridport, Esther appears as Ether (sic),30, and their daughter is listed as Ethel May Stevens, aged 1. Esther and Fred Stephens had two other children, Alice, Dec Q., 1880 ,Leeds and Kathleen Mary, SepQ., 1882, Islington. Alice,5 months, in 1881, is listed as a “Nurse Child”,in the care of couple in East Barnet By 1891, Esther is living with her father Walter. 73, widower, born Bungay ,Suffolk, with Ethel May,11. Alice,10, and Kathleen 8. Fred, b.1838, was the son of Joseph Stevens and Mary Perry. of Bridport., who married Jun 21, 1827, Horton with Woodlands, Dorset. Alfred Ernest. Brittain emigrated to Canada, and married Florence Norton.Dec 18, 1899, Ontario,York County.. He was listed as a Drill instructor in the Canadian Army. Ethel May. shown in 1901 as a French interpreter, married Jun Q.,1901, Islington, either Alexander Morgan or Thomas Durrant. Walter d.Mar Q., 1895, Holborn.,77. Esther Ebbage, born Jun 18, 1850,Clerkenwell, was the daughter of Walter Ebbage and Esther Chesterman, who married, at St James Clerkenwell, Dec 23,1843. Four children have been found; Walter Samuel,Jun Q., 1845, James, Dec Q., 1846,Esther Jun Q., 1850, and Honor,Mar Q.,1852. By 1881, Walter had a carpentry business,with 25 employees, in which his son Walter worked. Walter Senior, born in Bungay Suffolk, 1818, was the son of Samuel Ebbage and Honor Balls, and his ancestors can be traced back, a further three generations of Samuel Ebbages in the same area. Walter, widower, married (ii) Sophia Ranger,Jun Q., Islington 1859, who died in Dec Q., 1870, Holborn, aged 44.

The IGI paints a complex picture of the Brittain family, and it is not easy to disentangle. Samuel Brittain married his wife, Ann Swann, Sep 1801: he died Feb 1854. Their first two children, Samuel Swann. born Jul 14, 1802, and John, born Feb 18/19, 1804 were both first baptised at the Howard Street Independent Chapel, Sheffield. on Aug 5,1802 and Mar 29, respectively, and then were rechristened in the Cathedral St Peter. Sheffield, Apr 4,1810, and Jun 12, 1811. Two more brothers, Thomas, born,Jan 2,1806, and Benjamin, born Feb 9, 1808, were christened together, with their elder brother John, on Jun 12, 1811, and William Swann, born Mar 12, 1810 , was christened along with his brother Samuel Swann, April 4, 1810, all five at the Cathedral. Four more children have been found; all christened in Sheffield Cathedral, Elizabeth, chr.Jan 6, 1813, Verdon Swann, chr.Dec 28,1814, and George Septimus Swann, chr. 28 Dec 1817,died, 1872, Sheffield.; Ann Swann, 1817 - 1872. We are here mainly concerned with the family of Alfred Brittain. William Swan Brittain married Mary Jane Booker/B osher; the former in

her marriage entry, the latter in her eldest son and others. There were eight children, Thomas Bosher, b.1834, William Henry,1835, Frederic, b.Dec 24, 1836, chr.Feb 22, 1837, Mary Jane.Jun Q.,1839 Charles Edward, Jun Q., 1841 ,Alfred,.Jun 3,1843, Lucy Ann,Sep Q.,1847, and Clara, Dec Q.,1850.. The elder ones’ dates have had to be deduced from the census, the rest are from BMD, or IGI or both.