My ancestors - Blennerhassett - Contents

Arthur Ponsonby

• References:
  • Letter from Frederica Ponsonby in Scotland to Margaret Gourley, 20 Dec, probably 1965.
    • See p.1 and p.2 and p.3 and p.4 and p.5 and p.6.

• Sources yet to be consulted:
  • ADM 73/319/55 in Greenwich Hospital School Admission papers at [NA.UK].

Arthur Ponsonby,
born 14 February 1845.
He was educ Greenwich Hospital School.
Officer in Royal Navy.
Served on the Adventure in 1871.
Listed as Lieutenant and "supernumerary" on the Ocean in 1872.
He was court martialled in June 1872 for drunkenness after a ball in Jan 1872. Court martial was held on board the Royal Adelaide at Devonport (Royal Navy base). He was dismissed from the Navy. See newspaper item.

He mar 1stly, 6 Aug 1875, Christ Church, Marylebone, London, to Emily Taylor.
Possibly divorced.
He joined merchant navy. Listed at mar 1882 as "seaman (master), merchant service".
At mar 1882 he is listed as residing at the George Hotel, Paisley, Scotland. Listed as bachelor but that is wrong.

He mar 2ndly, 14 Mar 1882, Paisley [GRO.Scot], see mar cert, to Jane Wilson [born 1857].
Listed at dau's birth 1883 as "master mariner".
Living Lancashire in 1891 census.
He had issue by 2nd wife:

1. Frederica Ponsonby,
   after grandmother,
   born 31 Dec 1883, 22 Albert Road, Gourock, Scotland [GRO.Scot], see birth cert,
   some sources have "Fredrica" and "Fredericka", but "Frederica" is how she spells it herself in letter.

   She visited Ireland and visited her ancestral home Crotto in 1920 or so.
   [Galvin, 2017, Ch.3] mentions the visit to Crotto of "Miss Ponsonby" in summer 1955. This may be her. Galvin says she came from Whitehaven, Cumbria.
   [Gourley, 1965] said that then (1965) Frederica was living in Scotland, unmarried.
   See letter she wrote from Scotland to Margaret Gourley, 20 Dec, probably 1965. She is living 36 Ashton Rd, Gourock, Scotland (the town she was born in, see map). She talks about visiting Crotto in 1920 or so, and talks about the Ponsonby vault in Kilflynn.
   She died unmarried, 12 Jan 1987, age 103 yrs.
   (todo) See death of "Frederika Ponsonby", [GRO.UK], 1st qr 1987, Manchester district, vol 38 p 1206.

   
   

2. Margaret Ponsonby,
   died unmarried.

"Miss Frederica Ponsonby" of Manchester speaking at Brooklyn business women's club, Brooklyn, New York, in 1931.
From The Standard Union, Brooklyn, 12 Feb 1931.