Trivia
From 1891, women were allowed to act as census enumerators and one of the first was Florence Nellie HOPTROFF in the Tunbridge Wells sub-district in Kent, covering the parish of Ashurst. Her description of her enumeration district is at RG 12/676 f 2 p i.
Charles Darwin (1809-1882), author of the Origin of Species, lived at Downe House in Kent. He was at home when the census enumerator called in 1881, see RG 11/855 f 83 p 1.
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), author, lived for a period at Pent Farm near Hythe - RG 13/853 f 28 p 12.
Mary Tourtel, née Caldwell (1874-1948), creator of Rupert the Bear, was born in Canterbury and was living with her mother and father, a stained glass artist, in 1881 - RG 11/921 f 81 p 14.
H G Wells (1866-1946), author, was born in Bromley, the son of Joseph and Sarah Wells. His father owned a failing china shop in Bromley High Street. The four year old Herbert George was there in 1871 - RG 10/873 f 68 p 21.
Charles Dickens (1812-1870), novelist, died on 9 June 1870 at his home, Gad's Hill Place, in the parish of Higham (1870 Jun N Aylesford 2a 257). Incidentally, Dickens' mistress Nelly (Ellen) Ternan can be spotted in the 1861 census in Houghton Place, Ampthill Square (RG 9/109 f 33 p 66).
Vita Sackville-West (1892-1962), gardener, was born at Knole House in Kent. She is best remembered for the design of the world-famous gardens at Sissinghurst as well as a series of love affairs with various women including Violet Trefussis, daughter of King Edward VII's mistress, and Virginia Woolf. In 1901 Vita was away from Knole at boarding school in Bournemouth (RG 13/1040 f 40 p 72). Violet Trefussis, listed as Violet Keppel, was at her mother's home in Portman Square (RG 13/110 f 36 p 15). Virginia Woolf, shown under her maiden name of Adeline V(irginia) Stephen was at the family home in Hyde Park Gate (RG 13/19 f 34 p 5).
Samuel Orchart Beeton (1831-1877), publisher and journalist, best known as the husband of Isabella Beeton, compiler of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management. In 1871 he was in Swanscombe, Kent, around the time when his business interests were collapsing - RG 10/887 f 28 p 6. Mrs Beeton had died six years earlier (1865 Mar Dartford 2a 218).
William Henry Smith (1825-1891), MP and founder of the W H Smith chain of bookshops, died at Walmer Castle on 6 Oct 1891 (1891 Dec Eastry 2a 593). He had been appointed lord warden of the Cinque Ports earlier in the same year. Smith was satirised as 'Ruler of the Queen's Navee' in Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore.
Elizabeth Fry (1780-1845), prison reformer, died in Ramsgate in 1845 (1845 Dec Thanet 5 316).
Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), soldier and prime minister, died at Walmer Castle on 14 September 1852 (1852 Sep Eastry 2a 382).