Mr. Percy Bolinbroke St.John I—

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Percy Bolingbroke St John, the eldest son, was born in Plymouth on March 4 1821, and baptised on August 5, at St Andrew’s Church; his baptism is noted in his father’s journal. He followed a literary career, editing journals, writing books and acting as correspondent to newspapers. He travelled extensively with his father in his youth, particularly to Spain, but he also sailed to America, where he wrote a large number of articles and books under several pseudonyms. He later wrote to the Times complaining that this works had been republished, in America, without his knowledge, under another name. He used a whole raft of pseudonyms, including Captain Flack, Henry L. Boone, Paul Periwinkle, J.T.Brougham, Harry Cavendish, Warren St John and Lady Esther Hope!

He married, firstly, his aunt, Mary Agar Hansard, at St James’ Clerkenwell, on April 16 1841. and their only son , Oliver Cromwell, was born in 1845. In 1847, Percy was appointed Paris correspondent to the North British Daily Mail, a Glasgow newspaper, and he remained based in Paris until 1873. His wife Mary was in England at the time of the 1851 Census, with young Oliver, when she claimed to be aged 30, a daughter-in-law of James Augustus. In fact, her death certificate, dated Feb 16, 1895, stated she was aged 88, so that she was actually born in 1806/7. The exact truth may never be known, and it is possible that her marriage was annulled, under French law. Her marriage had been illegal, according to both civil and canon law.

Percy remarried, Frances Deane, in Paris on June 8 1852, in the British Consul’s Office, being described as a bachelor. By his second marriage, he had two further children and, in 1873, he returned to live in England at 3, Heath Mount, Hampstead. In 1855, while temporarily living in Kentish Town, he applied to the Royal Literary Fund, claiming he derived insufficient from his literary labour, and was entirely dependent on his relatives. He received £30, and later, in 1874 and 1879, he received £60. He died on Mar 15, 1889, being buried in Highgate cemetery.

Michael Middleton has written an extensive Biography, too extensive to fit here.