Don't look a guest's Pig in the mouth (part 2)

Lionel S Battye

Lionel Richard James Schofield Battye was born in 1867, the eldest child of Richard and Frances Battye. Richard was the only son of William Walker Battye, a magistrate from Skelton Hall, North Yorkshire whilst Frances was the daughter of James Jenkinson Bibby from Hardwick Grange, Shropshire and part of the Bibby shipping group (still going strong today Our Story - Bibby Line Group - Bibby Line Group).

Other children swiftly followed – Hylda Frances Marion in 1869, Millicent Audrey in 1870, Barbara Gertrude who was born and died in 1871, and Norah Madeline in 1872 (yes, Lionel had a sister called Norah Battye!). The family seem to have split their time between their London residence at 66 Queens Gardens and France’s family residence of Hardwick Grange, whilst also holidaying in the fashionable resort of Llandudno. It was in Llandudno that Barbara tragically died aged only 3 months. The family had also just returned from Llandudno in 1873 when another tragedy struck.

The Huddersfield Chronicle (27 September 1873) carried this report:

“On Tuesday afternoon a fatal accident befell Richard Battye, Esq., barrister at law, of 66 Queen’s Gardens, London and Skelton Hall, York……… The deceased gentleman was only 39 years of age, and after having spent nearly a month at Llandudo, he left that place on the 20th inst to pay a few days visit to his father-in-law James J Bibby, Esq., Hardwick Grange, Shrewsbury. The accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon while Mr Battye was out riding, and so severe were the injuries that he died the same night.”

This event must have devastated the young family, especially as Frances was pregnant with their youngest child. Marjorie Cecil Rachel Battye, known as Rachel, was born on 31st December 1873, barely three months after the death of her father. Frances was the principal beneficiary of Richard’s estate, and thus inherited 331 acres of land located in West Riding in the Ossett and Horbury areas.

Around this time, the family moved out of 66 Queen’s Gardens. By the time of the 1881 census Frances and the girls are living at 28 Great Cumberland Place, Marylebone whilst Lionel is away at Eton school.

From Eton, Lionel joined the army. He was first commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion, the King’s (Shropshire Light Infantry) and then as Second Lieutenant in the 13th Hussars (The Gazette, 6th March 1888). The 1891 census shows him in barracks in the Piershill/Jock’s Lodge area of Edinburgh, with his rank as Lieutenant, a promotion he had received in June 1890 (as per The Gazette, 10th June 1890).

Also in 1890, Hylda married Alfred Bibby, Colonel in the 4th Hussars. They married at the Royal Chapel of the Savoy, a fashionable wedding venue in the Victorian era. Alfred was a the son of John Bibby, James Jenkinson Bibby’s brother and so Hylda and Alfred were first cousins once removed.

In the autumn of 1891, Lionel and a relation of his, Edward Bibby, travelled to Rangoon aboard the Bibby Bros and Co ship “Shropshire”. They set off from Liverpool on 16th October 1891 with Lionel potentially arriving back in the UK in December 1892. It is not clear for what purpose Lionel was travelling, but certainly in later life he was a frequent traveller, so perhaps the bug struck whilst he was young! Lionel received a further promotion to Captain in 1896, remaining in the 13th Hussars.

The Shrewsbury Chronicle, 15th January 1897, reported on the death and funeral service of Lionel’s grandfather, James Jenkinson Bibby who died at the age of 84. Within this report is a familiar name – sending flowers to the funeral is Mary W Lovett, the wife of Arthur Lovett and mother of Guinevere.

On the 12th November 1898, another sister got married in the Royal Chapel of the Savoy. This time it was the turn of Rachel to wed. Her groom was Captain George Percy Brasier-Creagh of the 9th Bengal Lancers. George and Rachel were stationed in Murree, Bengal where their only child, Brian, was born on 12 September 1899.

October 1899 saw the start of the second Boer War. Captain Battye and his cavalry unit were swiftly mobilised, and the Wellington Journal (28 October 1899) boasts of his troop being fitted out with “entirely new equipment”. The 13th Hussars arrived in South Africa at the beginning of December 1899 and were engaged in the Battle of Colenso.

This must have been a worrying time for Frances but coupled with her fears for her son in South Africa, tragedy was striking in Rawalpindi. On 29th December 1899, just 2 days before her birthday and only 3 months after her son was born, Rachel Brasier-Creagh (nee Battye) died. Four months later, Captain Brasier-Creagh was mortally wounded in Blomfontein, leaving Brian an orphan. On the 1901 census, Brian is living at 84 Cadogan Square with his grandmother, Frances, and two aunts, Millicent and Norah.

In 1906, having served 20 years in the army, Lionel was moved to the Reserve List. He seems to have taken advantage of retired life because he travelled with his aunt Sarah Bibby to America. Arriving at Ellis Island on 21st April 1906, he gives his future travel plans as San Francisco and Yosemite.

Frances, Millicent and Norah remained living at 84 Cadogan Square. In 1911, Lionel is visiting his first cousin once removed, Charles Fleetwood-Hesketh (he was the brother of Alfred Bibby, but he had changed his surname by deed poll in 1907) at Stocken Hall, Stretton, Rutland. Brian Brasier-Creagh was at St Michael’s School, Westgate on Sea, a preparatory school for Eton also known as Hawtreys after its founder.

At the advent of WW1, Lionel was recalled to service and given the captaincy of 21st Lancers. He saw Home Service for the duration of the war and does not appear on Army Lists after 1918. His mother, Frances Battye died in 1921 and Lionel inherited enough for a very comfortable existence.

Brian Brasier-Creagh married on April 28th 1926, with Lionel acting as a witness and thus signing the marriage register. Being able to compare signatures with the guest book and this marriage certificate meant that I was able to confirm that I did have the correct person!

For Lionel, the 1930s can be summed up as “travel”. Passenger lists on Ancestry and Find My Past who Lionel regularly taking to the sea, sometimes to specific destinations such as Natal, Madeira and Sydney but also sometimes completing “round trips” – the equivalent of today’s cruises! One such trip was aboard SS Patroclus and took in Marseille, Port Said, Colombo, Straits (possibly the Malacca Straits) and China.

Lionel died on 15th May 1947. In the Westminster and Pimlico News (23rd May 1947) there was a short obituary noting that his funeral would take place at Putney Vale.