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Lorton Alexander Wilson

Lorton Alexander Wilson

M.R.C.S. L.R.C.P. 1915

Lorton Alexander Wilson was born at Skipton in Craven, on the 10th. August 1879. He died on 15^th Sept. 1958 in Littleover, Derby. His own records document his Irish ancestry from his great grandfather, William Wilson, a trooper in the Louisa (Muff) Cavalry and resident of Dirtagh and Gortnamoney, both in the parish of Aghanloo. His father was John Forsythe Wilson, M.D., at that time a doctor in Skipton; his mother was Mary Jane, daughter of the Rev. John Hanna, the Presbyterian Minister of Carntall. His youner brother Charles also became a doctor and eventually was personal physician to Winston Churchill, being raised to the peerage as 1st Lord Moran of Manton in 1943. He had a sister, Matilda, who died unmarried.

L.A.Wilson was educated at Epsom College (scholar) and Owens College, Manchester (scholar of Hulme Hall). He qualified MRCS, LRCP in 1907. His own biographical notes state that he was a Medical Referee with the Ministry of Pensions, 1919-46; Hon. Secretary of the Barrow Panel Committee 1913-15 and 1919-46; a Member of Barrow Insurance Committee 1914-15 and 1919-46; Hon. Sec. Furness Div., B.M.A., 1922-46, and Chairman 1930; President , North Lancs. and S. Westmorland Branch, B.M.A., 1931. He was a Governor and Hon. M.O. of the Barrow War Memorial Convalescent Home from its inception until 1941; Hon. Life Governor, Epsom College; Vice President of the Barrow Branch of the British Legion.

In the Great War he was Civil Surgeon in the Barrow Garrison from the outbreak of war until Dec. 1914. He joined the R.A.M.C. (T.A.) as a Lieutenant (1/3/1915) att. 2/5th. Border Regt., and was promoted Captain 10/10/1915. During Feb-Mar 1917 he was in France as M.O. 2/6th. King's (Liverpool) Regt. After the war he was att. 4th. King's Own (Royal Lancaster) Regt. until 1922 when he retired on reaching the age limit. In WW2 he was Deputy Chairman, Barrow Recruiting Board 1939-46, and M.O. i/c Troops and C.R.S. Barrow for about three years during the course of the war. He also served in the Home Guard 1st. County of Lancaster (Barrow Bn) as Major and M.O.I. He retired again with the rank of Hon. Major on 31.12.1945.

Lorton Wilson was a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists, and a Founder Member and Fellow of the Irish Genealogical Research Society.

He married Kathleen Emily Berry at St Paul’s, Barrow-in-Furness on 4 December 1909. Emily was the eldest child of the Rev. William Berry and Katherine Brabazon Hallowes.

The Wilsons had two daughters. Kathleen Moira (1911-1996) was a school teacher and she died unmarried after living most of her life at Littleover, Derby, apart from a visit to South Africa. Ethne Patricia (Bunny), was born in 1912 and went to South Africa as a teacher in about 1935. The outbreak of WW2 delayed her departure indefinitely it turned out, as in 1942 she married James Button (1908-1983), who farmed near Machadodorp in the eastern Transvaal. Ethne’s father in law, also James Button, had come to South Africa around the time of the Kimberly diamond rush and was involved in many pursuits including transport riding with Percy Fitzpatrick . He is the Jim in Jock of the Bushveld who is depicted stepping on a crocodile whilst hunting guinea fowl.

Some of Ethne’s memories of her parents, as recounted to me in March 2006, are outlined below. They are largely childhood memories as she left England aged about 23 and, apart for two visits to England in her parents lifetime and one in 2002, her adult life was spent in South Africa (which her parents never visited). She currently lives with her oldest son James Button in the Cape.

Kathleen Emily , née Berry, wife of Lorton

Alexander Wilson, and their children 1915

Although not mentioned in his notes, Ethne asserts that her father served as Regimental Medical Officer  for the Black Watch in Donneraile, County Cork, Ireland for part of WW1.  He was accompanied by wife Kathleen and the two young daughters.  They lived in a small house.  Ethne thinks she might have been 3 or 4 years old.  She remembers being afraid of the sound of the drums and fyfes.

Ethne recalls her father as a very gentle person and that her mother had the more dominant personality. “He was a really marvellous father – he used to take us for walks and tell us all sorts of stories. I think he was more of a parent than my mother was really. He was a wonderful person”.

Ethne Patricia Button, née Wilson 1940 Kathleen Moira Wilson

It would appear that on his return from WW1, Lorton found that his medical practice had all but disintegrated and he went through a difficult and depressing period re-establishing himself in private practice. His surgery was on the ground floor of the three storey red brick house built in the late 1800’s by his father, Dr John Wilson, at 99 Abbey Road, Barrow in Furness. Lorton took over the practice from his father in 1910. He spent most of his days doing house calls, including obstetrics, and opened his surgery on the ground floor of 99 Abbey Road for two hours daily in the late afternoon. He retired from his medical practice in 1946 to Burnham on-Sea. Kathleen died there in January 1951, after which he moved to Littleover, Derby where he was cared for by Kathleen (Moira) until his death.

It is not clear when or why he became interested in genealogy, but Ethne is of the impression that while medicine was his career, genealogy became a consuming interest and a hobby for him. She recalls “…he used to work a lot on his pedigrees, as we used to call them, at the weekends and evenings and so on. He did not get very much encouragement from my mother and it was rather a lonesome job I think.” She also recalls that every year in October during school holidays, the family would travel to places her father wished to visit “to look things up and check things over”. He was also a reader of “who-dunnits and other sorts of rubbish” recalls Ethne, and apart from being a scratch golfer for a long time (he used to play a weekly game of golf on nearby Walney Island), his only other interest appears to have been stamp collecting. He assembled beautifully presented stamp collections for his twin grandsons Andrew and Christopher Button. James Button, his eldest grandson inherited his personal collection.

From this a picture emerges of a rather quiet, introverted man for whom genealogy may perhaps have become an escape from the stresses of general practice and the two world wars he lived through.

Ethne’s recollections of her Berry family are limited, but worth recording. She was terrified of Rev. William Berry, her grandfather, who was very aloof and ‘parsonical’. She remembers as a small girl being taken to see him when he was dying.  Such was her terror, she knocked over his custard making a dreadful mess and was ushered from the room.  However, she liked her grandmother, although her relationship with her was a formal one.

In 2003 Ethne was taken by her son Andrew and his wife Brenda  on a trip to the UK. Among the places they visited that rekindled memories from her childhood was the village of Seathwaite where her uncle, Francis (Frank) Berry was the pastor at the small church. As they drove towards Seathwaite Ethne recalled that the driver who used to meet them off the train had to hand pump additional petrol to the engine of a 1920s motorcar to get them up a very steep hill. The Rev. Frank Berry was looked after in the vicarage by his mother and eccentric spinster sister. A bachelor at the time, Frank married Monica Whitaker late in life. Frank used to visit his parishioners on a motorbike with sidecar and Ethne recalls exciting sidecar jaunts with Uncle Frank. Her recollection was that he had a bad stutter and that his sermons were very ordinary. She is under the impression that he was more or less ‘press ganged’ into becoming a clergyman by his family.

Lorton Wilson was one of the most industrious genealogists of his time. His collected papers are listed below. However, Giles Armstrong notes that one may come across his distinctive handwriting and almost equally distinctive typewriter text left in archives all over England. I am also aware of documentation, including a handwritten scroll containing a tree of the Berry family and “Wilson of Gortnamoney and Gortmore and Wilson Baron Moran of Manton” in which he documents his own family history. These are in possession of the Button family.

In conclusion, I wish to thank the Button Family for providing much of the information above, and particularly Ethne for her recollections.

List of manuscripts by Lorton Wilson

Library of the Irish Genealogical Research Society (I.G.R.S), London

The Library holds 25 volumes of the manuscripts.  The front cover records the title contents, inside up to 4,6 or 8 pages cover a breakdown of the contents, followed by numerous pages of the material transcripts.

Here follows a listing of the cover contents.

Vol 1 Berry of Eglish Castle, Kings Co. and collateral families. Chapters 1 & 2.

      2     Ditto                                                                             "       3 & 4.

      3        "                                                                                "      5 to 13.

      4        "                                                                                "      14 to 18. Records relating to pedigrees in vol 1-3.

      5 Berry of Clonehane als Dovegrove, Kings Co.  Pedigree & Records.

      6 Berry families of  1. Mallow.  2. Wardenstown, Co. Westmeath.  3. Dublin.  4. Berrymount, Co. Cavan.  5. Croghan, Co. Cavan.

      7. Berry & related families Parts 5 & 6.    5. Families of Crow & Sterling.  6. Other Sterling families.

      8. Fetherston & Fetherstonhaugh families.  Miscellaneous families.

      9. Hallowes and related families.

      10.    "           of Glapwell in Derbyshire.  Chapters 1 & 2.

      11.    "                 "                  "                  "       3 - 5.

      12.    "                 "                  "                  "       6 - 9.

      13. Records relating to Hallowes & Descent of the Manor of Glapwell.

      14. Wilson & related families.

      15. Newspaper Extracts.

      16. Parish Registers.   Monumental Inscriptions.  Family Papers.

      17. Extracts from the Registry of Deeds.

      18. Wills.

      19. Equity & Chancery Bills etc.

      20. Collectanea 1.    Abbott to Anketell.

      21.           "       2.    Annesley to Ayton.

       22.           "       3.    Babbington to Cuppage.

       23.            "      4.    Daly to King.

       24.            "      5.    Lefroy to Ryan.

       25.            "      6.    Sacheverall to Young.

Public Records Office of Northern Ireland - T. 1021 (1 - 32)

1. Extracts of References to Families from Irish Newspapers, 1707-1943.
2. A List of Irish Stockholders, 1779.
3. Yeomanry Muster Rolls, Co. Londonderry, 1797-1804.
4. Census Extracts, 1821-1851, Cos. L'derry, Down and King's Co.
5. Abstract of Irish Prerogative Wills, 1623-1851.
6. Abstracts of Diocesan Wills, 1626-1852.
7. Notes on Families of Bacon, Co. L'derry, Lane, Ballycarton, Saxberry, Kinsale.
8. Eq. Exchq. Bills, 1703-1829; Chy. Bills, 1691-1808, House of Lords Appeals, 1761; Pg. Cause Papers 1682-1769.
9. Notes re Stirling family, Cos. L'derry, Meath, King's, etc., 17th cent. onwards.
10. Notes on family of Berry of Wardenstown, Co. Westmeath, circa 1681-circa 1768.
11. Notes on family of Berry, Dublin, circa 1687-circa 1741.
12. Notes on family of Berry, Berrymount, Co. Cavan, circa 1710-circa 1869.
13. Notes on family of Berry, Croghan, Co. Cavan, circa 1710-circa 1869.
14. Notes on family of Berry, Clonehane, King's Co, circa 1650-circa 1848.
15. Notes on family of Breakey, Drumskelt, Co. Monaghan, circa 1812-circa 1839.
16. Notes on family of Crow of King's Co., Co. Galway and Crow, Bp. of Cloyne, circa 1515-circa 1889.
17. Notes on family of Forsyth, Artikelly, Co. Londonderry, circa 1744.-1951.
18. Notes on family of Lurting, Magilligan, Co. Londonderry. circa 1625-191,1949
19. Notes on family of McMorran, Ballynagarrick, Co. Down, circa 1742-1842.
20. Notes on family of McMorran, Drumcaw, Co. Monaghan. circa 1734-1919.
21. Notes on family of Millar of Lungs, Clogher and Simpson-Millar, Findermore. circa 1743-circa 1889.
22. Pedigree of Pearce, based on one drawn up by T. U. Sadlier, circa 1676-1775.
23. Notes on Wilson of Killenure, Baronet, circa 1610-circa 1770.
24. Ex. from Parish Registers or Parochial Returns, Wilson, etc. 16-20 century.
25. Family papers, Wilson, Hallowes, Berry, etc., circa 18 - 20 century.
26. Addenda to Pedigree of Crow family - See No. 16.
27. Addenda to Pedigree of Berry Family of Wardenstown, Co. Westmeath.
28. Exts. Prerogative Grants (I) Diocesan Grants (I):- Berry, Bourne, Carmichael, Hallowes, Brabazon, Bury, Crow, Echlin, Fetherston, Fleetwood, Forsythe, Sampson, Wilson, Lurting, Lane, etc.
29. Extracts from Registry of Deeds:- Berry Bourne , Bury, Featherstonhaugh, Haslett, Lane, Sampson, Sherlock, Wilson, Wills etc
30. Exts. Prerogative Wills:-Berry, from Genealogical Office, Dublin Castle.
31. Pedigree notes of Haslett of Upper Drumnsechy, Co. L’derry, 1712-.
32. Miscellaneous Notes (from Dublin Jnl; Freeman’s Jnl.; Gentleman’s Mag.; Pue’s Occurances, etc) relating to Wilson, Sterling, Fetherston, Lynn, etc.

In Possession of the Button Family to be inserted

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