I've being doing some more research trying to track down William and have come across three possible leads.
The first two are because of an artillery/India link with Alan being a gunner in the Bombay artillery
1/ There was a William Papworth Royal Artillery who married Mary Anne Richardson (Indo British 14 years old) on the 5th May 1846. at the Chaplain station Archdeacon of Madras. He lived in Bangalore and had a child Frederick William Papworth born 24th Jan 1847 Madras.
2/William Papworth a farm Labourer from Common Farm Elsworth, Caxton, Cambridge born 1843 aged 18 Joined the Royal Artillery in November 1861. F504 fresh complexion blue eyes, brown hair.
Brother Charles b1847 sister Emma born 1845. The father was an Agricultural Labourer but they do have a house keeper.
Witness at his military attestation was Alfred Blyth. N.O.K. was his brother either Charles from London or Charles London.
His fathers name William Papworth of Cambridge
Tantalisingly William Papworth was a gunner in India from the 28th July 62 to the 24th Nov 1867 then 15th June 68-16th Dec 1869. The first spell being the same time as Alan was there as a gunner.
Served in the Abyssinian Campaign 67-68
He was discharged from the army on the 28th Nov 1882 with his place of intended residence being Collingwood Cottages, Lee?
Did Alan get to know him and his family and take one of his relatives on as a servant?
The lead that got me the most excited was that in the 1841 census:-
3/ William Papworth (dead by 1871) from Back Lane, Cotternham, Chesterton, Cambridge, a farmer married Elizabeth with their children being Ann, Mary, Betsy, Charles and William ( who was 7 in 1841)
By the 1871 census the son William Papworth was at Lodge House, Great Bardfield, Dunmow Essex (now aged 36 1835 born Cottenham, Cambridgeshire) and was a Farm Bailiff on a farm of 500 acres employing 17 men and 5 boys, with his wife Susan age 35 born 1836 Suffolk and daughter Ann Elizabeth Papworth age 1
By 1881 the family including William (hopes dashed. I thought Alan may have taken him) was at Little Hyde Inglestone, Essex
plus a 9 year old son George.
The Gardner's lived at Stansted Hall, Essex only a few miles down the road from Dunmow from 1877
to 1883. Was Alan introduced to one of William the bailiffs relatives as a good servant?
(Alan and Nora moved to Newton Hall, Dunmow in 1885)
There are a
lot of William Papworths out there and most of them are from Cambridge or Hertford and are either publicans, farm labourers, butchers and other common trades. Many often end up drunk, getting into bother and ending up in court.
Interestingly in a letter to his mother in 1873 Alan states:-
"I dare say Herbert has told you the bother I had with my brute of a groom getting drunk. I think however he has had a rather unpleasant time of it since so I intend keeping him on for the present as he will probably do very well for some time to come"
Is this William?
In relation to a memorial being made for him by Alan's mother this is the only Papworth grave location I can find. Its at Christchurch Cambridge, though it looks rather expensive for a farm labourer or butcher.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]William Papworth died 29th November 1846. Son of William and Elizabeth Papworth.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]On the same memorial William Papworth died 31st October 1860.
The investigation continues.
Kate
