Many thanks for your comment, Peter. It is interesting that our Mr Turner came from a show business family. Sad that he died at the young age of 35. Alice Lethbridge remarried in 1906, and her second spouse was Thomas Reginald St Johnston (1881-1950), a diplomat. I’m not sure when Alice’s career on the stage ended, but she will have had something of a change of lifestyle with her second husband. He was Governor of the Leeward Islands for a number of years. He also wrote a numbe rof books, most of them draw on his experiences as a diplomat, but one of which was “A History of Dancing”, which contains a lengthy chapter about his wife’s career on the stage.

Thanks Ian. If you use one of the email links on the Geoffs Genealogy website that will get you to me.

On looking at the 1891 census entry I mentioned before I can see that this was a different St Johnston family. Could not have been Alice & hubby, as they weren’t married until 1906, I think. Getting over excited, I’m afraid.

So I can decide what to send you, are you specifically interested in Alice Lethbridge , or in her parents and siblings?

Yes, can send you a scan no problem Geoff, have you got an email address please? In return would appreciate anything you have on this branch of the Lethbridges please.

Thanks for this, Ian. I’ve now seen it in the probale calendar as well. Can’t understand why I didn’t think of looking for this before. It just shows how we all have mental blocks, and good on you for thinking of it. This certainly proves the relationship, and tells us about Alice’s death. I can now see her on the 1891 census in Birmingham as well. Need to track her on the other censuses, assuming she wasn’t abroad, of course. Fantastic. You are a star! Geoff

Hi Ian.

Good to hear from you, and great that you are again active in genealogy. That’s fantastic news re Sir Thomas Reginald St Johnston, and as you say it seems to prove the relationship between Alice Lethbridge and Sir Thomas. Thankyou very much.If you could send me a scan I’d be very grateful. Thanks again. Geoff

1948 PROBATE

St Johnston, Alice Matilda otherwise Alice of Belsaye, Ratton Road, Eastbourne wife of Sir Thomas Reginald St Johnston KCMG died 4 February 1948. Probate Lewes 10 April to the said Sir Thomas Reginald St Johnston KCMG retired colonial governor. Effects £327 11s 9d

Hi Geoff,

After a few years absence from genealogy, I’m back. Evidence for the link between Sir Thomas Reginald St Johnston and your Lethbridges is that on p46 of his book “From A Colonial Governors Notebook”, he mentions “my wife’s niece Lady Drummond Hay was the first woman to cross the Atlantic in an airship”. Happy to photocopy the page fro anyone. Also, this is undoubtedly how Grace Marguerite Lethbridge met Sir Robert Hay Drummond-Hay as T R St Johnston himself worked for the Colonial Service also. His picture is in the National Portrait Gallery http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp56775/sir-reginald-st-johnston; his first name Thomas is omitted as was the custom in the St Johnston family

Regards,

Ian

Hello James. Thanks for your two comments. Sorry it’s taken me a while to reply, but I have been rather busy of late, and this is the first chance I’ve had to reprise my records re Alice Matilda Lethbridge (b 1866).

There is a sound link betweem Alice Matilda and Mr Turner. The record that persuaded me that our Alice was Mrs Turner was the 1891 census entry, ref RG12/464, fo 87, p68, sch 634. This is the household of Louisa M Lethbridge, a widow aged 47, living on her own means, and her children. Alice’s children were listed:
Alice M Turner, a widow aged 25, an actress, b Clerkenwell
Sidney, aged 23, a commercial traveller, b Camberwell:
Herbert, aged 21, a Soldier, b Islington
Horace, aged 14, a (cant read) Clerk.
The household also included a female Domestic Servant, aged 19. There were no other people enumerated in the house.

The details of the children tie up with the baptism entries that we have traced for our Alice’s siblings.

As I think you know, the civil reg indexes show that Alice Matilda Lethbridge m Henry Jameson Turner in Camberwell in 1889. I haven’t yet found the marriage entry, and haven’t bought the certificate because of the need to keep down my research costs. Notwithstanding this, I’m confident that this is correct. To clinch it, there was a libel case that proved quite costly to Alice in 1896, which explicitly refers to Mrs Turner being Alice Lethbridge the dancer . It appears from this that her spouse was an actor. If you have any other information about Alice, and what happened to her after the death of her spouse in 1898, I’d be grateful if you could share it with me. I’d love to fill in the remaining years of her life.

Now to your second query, re Sidney T Lethbridge and the 1901 census. I found him in the following entry: RG13/127, fo 19, p 29, sch 185. Sidney was enumerated at Hampstead with his young wife, and included in his household was Alice Turner, widow. If you feel able to share with me any info re your line of descent from Sidney I’d be very grateful. Possibly you may find it best to contact me using one of the links on the Geoffs Genealogy website for this purpose. Happy hunting.

Also, I can’t find Sidney T Lethbridge, my paternal great grandfather in the 1901 census at all, any help there would be wonderful
Thanks
James