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Naval Captain Seeks Wife . . . . .
http://www.nelsonandhisworld.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1561
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Author:  Mark Barrett [ Sat Oct 26, 2013 10:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Naval Captain Seeks Wife . . . . .

A while back there was a previous thread about Admiral Sir William Essington and his wife.

Lady Essington moved to Birmingham after Sir William's death which is why I was particularly interested in the story. I had never worked out why she came to Birmingham but I had a fairly strong notion that she had family connections here.

Anyway a friend recently gave me a cutting from a 1916 newspaper - repeating a story from a book of Reminscences.

It reads like this:

"During the time of the French war a gay young lady residing in one of the good houses in Aston Street . . . . saw in a newspaper an advertisement for a wife. She thought it had a genuine look, and half in earnest answered it. Her letter was answered by a Captain Essington, who said he was with his ship in Portsmouth harbour, that he wanted a wife, that his time was short, and that he could not go and seek one in the usual way. It ended in them making a match of it."

Lady Essington's maiden name was Bowlker - quite unusual. In the old Birmingham directories I have found someone named Bowlker in the very next street to Aston Street so it looks as if the story may well be true.

Has anyone heard of any other naval officer advertising for a bride??!!

MB

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