francis aylmer frost + mary stubs
Francis was born in Chester on 25 May 1824 and baptised at the Crooke Street Presbyterian Chapel on 16 July. He was the son of Francis Aylmer Frost and Ann Stubs.
Francis married Mary Stubs at St Lawrence in Frodsham on 14 February 1854. Mary was born on 20 August 1818 in Liverpool, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Stubs, and was Francis’ cousin.
On the marriage certificate, Francis’ occupation was listed as a Cotton Spinner and he was living in Ashton-under-Lyne at the time. Thirty-five year old Mary was a spinster and living in Netherton. Her father was deceased but another family member, Jos. Stubs, signed the register as a witness. In 1851, Mary had been living with her widowed uncle, Joseph Stubs, so he may have been the one who signed the register.
Francis and Mary had three children and their first, Mary, was born in Ashton-under-Lyne in 1856 and one year later, their son Edmund was born and baptised at St Michael in Ashton on 28 May 1857. Robert was born on 17 June 1859 and baptised at St Michael on 8 September.
In 1861, Mary and her children were living in the family home on Stamford Street in Ashton-under-Lyne along with three servants — a cook, a nurse maid and a house maid. Francis was visiting his mother-in-law, Mary Stubs, in Poulton. His occupation was listed as a Cotton Manufacturer and his brother-in-law, Peter Stubs, was also a manufacturer who operated a tool factory that employed almost 600 men.
On 22 January 1862, their fourth and final child, Francis Aylmer was born. In 1871, Francis and Mary were living in Reddish, a small town between Manchester and Stockport, and Francis’ occupation was listed as Master Cotton Spinner and Justice of the Peace. Reddish became a centre for cotton spinning and knitting manufacture between 1850 and 1870 and one of the largest mills, known as Reddish Mill, was built by Stott and Sons for prominent mill owner William Houldsworth. The mill covered 64 acres and consisted of two five-storeyed blocks and at its height in the late 19th century, it employed over 500 workers. Several other large mills operated in Reddish including the Broadstone Mill, Albert Mills and Moor Mill.
Their daugther Mary was attending a girl’s boarding school in Blackpool run by sisters Emily and Eliza Nanson and her brothers Robert and Francis were attending a boy’s preperatory school on nearby Church Street. Fourteen year old Edmund has not been found in the census but he was likely at boarding school as well.
The family was still living on Spring Hill in Reddish when the 1881 Census was taken and both Mary and Edmund were at home but the younger boys were not. Edmund’s occupation was listed as a Clerk at a steel and file manufacturer’s and it is possible that he was working at his uncle Peter’s factory. Robert was on a break from his studies in law at London University and was visiting a friend, Sydney Mason, and his family in Ashton-under-Lyne.
Mary Stubs died on 29 November 1884 at the age of sixty-six and she was buried four days later at the Willow Grove Cemetery in Stockport. Her husband, Francis, died the following year and was buried at Willow Grove on 4 July; he left an estate valued at £66 000.
Their daughter Mary never married and following her parents’ deaths, she moved to Torquay to live with her uncle Robert and his family. In 1911, she was living in a large 10 room house in East Grinstead, Sussex along with a companion and several servants.
Edmund studied to be a physician at Edinburgh University before marrying his wife, Mary Elizabeth Theobalds, in the late 1880s. They had two children, Edmund Lionel and Anita Lily, both born in Lasswade, Midlothian in Scotland. Edmund and Mary eventually settled in Eastbourne on the south coast where he practised as a physician for many years. When war broke out, their son Edmund enlisted in the army and served as a Lieutenant in the South Lancashire Regiment; he died in the Battle of Ypres on 16 June 1916. Their daughter Anita married Edgar Shannon in Eastbourne in 1918 and they had three children but sadly, Anita died of cancer in 1929 aged only 35 years. Edmund, the elder, died in Eastbourne on 10 December 1921 and was buried at the Ocklynge Cemetery; his wife Mary died on 3 July 1944 and was buried next to him.
Robert was a barrister and in 1891, he was practising at the St James’ Chambers on Duke Street in Westminster. He married Alexandra Rose in Kensington in 1894 and they had two sons, Robert and Richard.
Francis married his cousin, Ann Lucy Frost, on 5 October 1898 at St Mary’s on the Hill in Chester. Ann was the daughter of Thomas Gibbons Frost and his wife Mary Wood. In 1901, they were living at Grappenhall Hall in the village of Grappenhall in the north of the county of Cheshire.
They did not have any children but numerous visitors and seven servants were also listed in the census returns. Francis’ occupation was listed as a File Tool & Steel Manufacturer but it is not known if he worked for his uncle Peter Stubs or on his own. Francis and Ann have not been located in subsequent records so it is not known if they had any children after 1901.