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Newsletter
The Clout Descendants Society produces a quarterly newsletter titled Cloutlines which covers both historical research and current family news but principally the former. Each issue chronicles the activities of the various researchers and the results of their latest research. In this way, all interested persons are kept up to date with the latest news and information. Click on the following links to view the feature articles which appeared in each newsletter.
Mark Stump of Castlemaine, Victoria has uncovered two photos which will be of great interest, particularly to Camden Clan descendants. The first is of Charles Clout (b.1805), progenitor of the Camden Clan, while the second is of George Clout (b.1829), youngest son of the above Charles.
Verifying the identity of the those in the photos, however, has not been straightforward. Mark advises that the photo purporting to be Charles Clout is annotated in two distinct hands on the reverse of its cardboard mount. The first is that of Mark's grandmother, Jean Stump, and reads "Great Grandfather C..." with the remainder having been cut away. To this, the second hand, that of Mark's father, has added a line diagram showing his mother's descent from great grandfather C, through George Clout and Hannah Collins (nee Clout). To support this, there is general agreement that the features are those of a Clout, especially when one compares this photo with the photo in Cloutlines: A Family History which identifies the subjects as Charles Clout junior (b.1828) and his first wife Mary Ann Norris. In fact the likeness is sufficiently strong to raise the possibility that these two photos are of the same man. Mark and I have discussed this at length and, although we believe the identification in both cases is probably correct, we would dearly like to hear from anyone who can provide further proof. The photo of George Clout is a reproduction from a tiny miniature, the size of a five cent piece, framed in a small circular costume brooch. The brooch has been passed down from Mark's grandmother, through his Aunt Joyce, to Mark himself. Both Mark's Aunt and Doris Morris of Albury, who saw George Clout before he died, have positively identified the picture as being of George Clout. Contents
Chapter 5 of Cloutlines: A Family History describes the arrangements made by the Macarthur family to bring out Emigrants from England to work on Camden Park Estate. As we know these included the family of Charles Clout and Ann (nee Sharpe). However, the book gives only a limited description of conditions on the estate during the family's early years at Camden Park. The following extract comes from the NSW Legislative Council Votes and Proceedings 1838, Minutes of evidence, in which William Macarthur gives evidence before the committee on Immigration. Although referring specifically to conditions immediately prior to the Royal George's arrival, it is probably safe to assume that the situation remained essentially unchanged, at least for a few years :
The storekeeper on the Estate maintained records of employee's wages and the provisions dispensed to them and their families. These were entered in Journals containing separate personal accounts of all employees. These Accounts have survived and form part of the Macarthur Papers held in the Mitchell Library in Sydney. Prior to the founding of Camden village on the edge of the estates in July 1841, the storekeeper played a vital role in supplying the 50 or so employees and their families with their personal needs as well as in the running of the estate. Indeed, in the relative isolation of Camden Park there were few other places to spend money. As a result the account books during this period provide a comprehensive record of the individual daily requirements of each family. Charles Clout's accouts in Ledger No. 2 show that Charles' annual wage, like the other Royal George immigrants, was £20, which was credited to his account quarterly. As part of his agreement with the Macarthurs, he was provided with goods in England to the value of £5.19.10. One third of this amount was then to be credited to Charles' account for each year's service until this liability was liquidated. In other words, these goods were provided free to Charles on condition that he worked for the Macarthurs for three years. As the above extract indicates, as part of their conditions of employment, each employee received basic rations [the equivalent of £14.14.6] and certain clothing free of charge in addition to their basic wage. These items were not charged to the personal accounts. In addition to the basic rations, the accounts show that the family's requirements were fairly typical of the family's on the estate: regular withdrawals of meat, sugar, flour, arrowroot, tea, and rice for food as well as tobacco, soap, lamp oil and cotton, and candles. Other items that Charles purchased from the store include a frying pan, 2 buckets, a cask, a spade and various materials (Osnaburg, flannel). On 30 April 1839, Charles, together with the other employees on the estate, paid a Subscription of 2/6. This was presumably towards the St John's Church of England which was soon to commence construction on the hilltop overlooking the newly laid out village of Camden. As also noted earlier, women and children could also contribute to the running of the estate through task work or day work. While the rates were not very lucrative, such income might nevertheless be important for the families involved. The accounts for Charles Clout show a number of credit entries for work at 6d. and 5d. per day, and probably represent payments for work performed by Charles' sons, Charles and George. Sources:
Amongst the Macarthur Papers held in the Mitchell Library are a number of manuscripts relating to the Camden Park School. These cover the period from 1841 to 1879 and include school rolls (dating from 1866), miscellaneous correspondence, and accounts for school fees (ML A2981). The accounts span from 27 September 1841 to 30 October 1843. Each of the pupils attending Camden Park School during that period is listed with a separate account being maintained for each child. Included in the accounts are George Clout (b. 1829) [p.45] and Sarah Clout (b.1834) [p.46], the two youngest children of Charles Clout and Ann (nee Sharpe). Presumably, their eldest son, Charles, aged 14, was already working on the estate by the time these accounts were commenced. Alan Atkinson, in his book Camden, discusses the Camden Park School during this period:
The accounts record when each of the children apparently commenced at the school. Although the full accounts suggest that school fees were generally 4d. per week, for some reason, Sarah was charged at 6d. per week until she left in December 1842; and George was charged at 3d per week for the short time that he attended. Interestingly, although George was five years older than his sister, he attended the school after Sarah had already left. When the Camden Park School reopened on 27 November 1866, at the instigation of Mrs Macarthur, among the eleven pupils in attendance was Mary Clout, aged 9, daughter of Charles Clout and his second wife Amelia Meal. As recorded in the school rolls, Mary remained at the school until her final day on 29 August 1973. The school rolls also record the attendance of several of Charles Clout and Mary Ann Norris's children: Mary Rose Clout (b.1865), while on the roll, appears to have been absent from school more often than not, Frederick Arthur Clout [listed as "Arthur"] (b.1867) left the school on 13 October 1876 while John Charles Clout [listed as "Charles"] (b.1870) was in attendance during 1878-79. I was unable to locate any references to the other children of Charles Clout and Mary Ann Norris at the school. It is probable that Charles and Mary Ann's children also attended one of the other schools in and around Camden, if only for a limited time. Sources:
As mentioned in Chapter 5 of Cloutlines: A Family History, those emigrants brought out by the Macarthurs as agricultural labourers to Camden Park Estate were required, under their agreement, to remain in the Macarthurs' employ for three years, after which they were encouraged to become tenant farmers on the estate. Many of the leases which the Macarthurs arranged with their tenant farmers have survived and can be found among the Macarthur Papers collection held in the Mitchell Library. In addition, the collection also contains, albeit also incomplete, the Macarthurs' accounts of rental payments made by each tenant. Miscellaneous other documents also survive which provide useful information about the tenant farmers and their farms. In Cloutlines I also said that, while many of the other immigrants to Camden Park eventually took up farming leases on Camden Park, Charles Clout senior, whether unwilling or unable to change his station in life, continued on at Camden Park in the service of the Macarthurs. Various documents among the Macarthur Papers reveal that this is may not be quite true although, while many of the immigrants were taking up leases during the 1840s and early 1850s, Charles Clout senior was not one of them. The earliest extant reference to the Clouts as tenant farmers is in a "Terrier of Farms" dated 1854. It lists Charles Clout junior and George Clout, the sons of Charles Clout senior, as leasing land on the Great South Road, south of Camden village. Charles' farm consisted of a total of 88 acres, while the size of George's farm is not recorded. No indication is given as to how long they had occupied their farms. On 1 July 1857, Charles junior signed a 14 year lease with the Macarthurs for a farm of 81 acres situated at West Camden on what was known as the North Cawdor Estate. At the time of signing the lease, the farm consisted of 38 acres of arable land and 43 acres of grassland, for which Charles paid an annual rental of £17 10s 6d, £15 7s for the arable and £2 3s for the grassland. Charles' farm is referred to as Farm No 31 on many of the early documents (but later renumbered No. 20). Fortunately a copy of this lease has survived amongst the Macarthur Papers . The lease also records the settlement for £35 of all rents prior to the date of the lease. Based on the rental of the newly signed lease, this perhaps indicates that Charles had occupied this farm from as early as 1855. From the leases held in the Macarthur Papers, it appears that the Macarthurs arranged many long term leases around this time. The leases were of a standard format and prepared by Holden and McCarthy and printed by Reading and Wellbank, Printers, Bridge Street, Sydney. It is almost certain that George signed a similar lease with the Macarthurs at much the same time as Charles (although no copy has survived). A later document describes both Charles' and George's leases as having 10 years left to run. George's farm consisted of 95 acres, situated just to the south of his brother's farm. The farm was divided into 40 acres of arable and 55 acres of grassland, for which George paid an annual rent of £20. George's farm is referred to as Farm No. 27 on many of the early documents. Prior to 1860, details of rental payments appear to have been recorded on the Macarthurs' copy of the lease itself, and thereafter in various account books. As a result, we have a complete record of Charles' rental payments but only from 1860 onwards in the case of George. The accounts of rental payments suggest that George transferred the lease of his farm to his father sometime after 1862. As we know, it was at this time that George left Camden for Junee, and it seems clear that George was experiencing difficulties paying his rent. In fact it seems that from March 1862 to May 1864 no rental payments were made against the lease for Farm No 27. The Macarthurs, as landlords, appear to have granted George a remission, or waiver, on two years rent, and reduced the rate for future years as well. George was not alone in his difficulties. According to Alan Atkinson, in Camden:
In that year, George sowed 30 acres of wheat, but it was a total failure with absolutely no grain harvested nor hay produced. His brother, Charles junior, faired only slightly better, producing 20 bushels of wheat and 2 tons of hay for his 38 acres sown. "In some cases remissions continued for years. In 1867 after disastrous flooding the landlords wrote off more than £2000 among forty individuals". There are documents which suggest that George's brother Charles took over the leases of both farms from 1863, although from 1865 to 1871 his father is recorded as paying the annual rent for Farm No. 27, which had been reduced from £20 to £15 per annum. While responsibility for paying the rent for George's farm was transferred to his father in 1865, there is no direct evidence to suggest that Charles senior actually farmed the lease himself. It is worth noting that the Macarthurs' personal accounts for Charles senior survive for the period up to 1861 and from 1871 until his death in 1885. I cannot say whether the 10 year gap is because Charles left the Macarthurs employ over that period or because the accounts for this period are simply missing. I suspect the latter. It is more probable that Charles junior farmed both leases together from the time of George's departure for Junee. In any event, Charles junior was paying rent to the Macarthurs for both farms from about 1871. The accounts also reveal the difficulties Charles junior had in meeting his rental payments. From 1862 onwards, cash payments towards farm No. 31 are invariably late and often only in partial instalments. More often than not Charles paid his rent by labouring for the Macarthurs and occasionally by selling the Macarthurs maize or hay. In 1867 he was granted a remission of £16 18s. In a "Return of Acreage under Crop on the Camden Park Estate 1869", Charles is listed at having 9 acres of wheat and 7 acres of oats. The accounts record Charles' occupancy of Farms No. 27 and 31 up until December 1879. Another document, however, records that as at 31 December 1881, Charles had £65 or two years rent owing on the two farms. It was during the early 1880s that the Macarthur-Onslows decided to sell the farms on the North Cawdor estate, including Charles' farms, by public auction. Obviously, Charles was no longer paying rent to the Macarthurs after the sale of the farms. Without any further accounts among the Macarthur Papers I am unable to say at this stage exactly how long Charles remained on the farms after they were sold. Sources:
Notes:
Shirley Maynard of Hampton, Virginia, USA, has kindly sent me the following information on the descendants of her husband's great grandmother, Martha Clout, daughter of Richard Clout and Mary Camparney: Martha Clout, daughter of Richard Clout and Mary (nee Camparney), was born on 29 August 1829. On 6 December 1851 at Sandhurst, she married William Maynard, son of William Maynard and Sarah nee Camp/Kemp. William and Martha immigrated to the USA from London, arriving in New York City on 4 July 1860 on the ship Plymouth Rock. With them were Martha's four children:
After William and Martha arrived in Indiana (where William's parents had already settled), Martha bore another child:
In 1861, Martha's husband enlisted in Company H., 83rd Regiment, Infantry, Indiana. He was with the Army of the Tennessee. We have no record where Martha and her children were during the Civil War years, but presumably she remained with her parents-in-law, William and Sarah Maynard in Penntown, Dearborn Co., Indiana. Martha was a member of the Baptist church where her father-in-law, William Maynard snr, preached, until they were both "read" out a few years before Martha's death on 13 September 1867 (Martha's birthdate, marriage date and deathdate are taken from William's Civil War pension record). Contents
In Newsletter No 5 (September 1987), I provided details on the family of Thomas Clout (born 1831, London) and Caroline (nee Love) who were married in London in 1865 and arrived in Victoria aboard the Swiftsure in December 1865. Research indicated that Thomas was most probably the son of Richard and Sarah Clout baptised at Kennington St Mark, London, on 9 October 1831. The Victorian Index of Births, Deaths and Marriages recorded two births to Thomas and Caroline: Thomas John (1866) and Caroline Sarah (1870). At the time of their daughter's birth, Thomas and Caroline were living at Crooked River on the Dargo High Plains of Victoria, where Thomas was a miner. No further information on this family surfaced until a recent search of the 1881 Census Index for Cookham, Berkshire, England, revealed that the family had returned to England shortly after the birth of Caroline Sarah. Although only Caroline snr and Thomas jnr were listed, their ages, Thomas' birthplace and the fact that, in the Victorian records, Caroline's birthplace was listed as Berkshire provided convincing evidence that this was the same family. A search of the English Index of Births explained the additional daughter, Emma Jane, listed in the census: A search of the Deaths Index revealed the fate of Thomas Clout snr, his eldest daughter, Caroline, and indeed of his youngest daughter, Emma Jane. One wonders whether the hardships associated with Thomas' work as a miner in Victoria contributed to his early death. Further research of the English births, deaths and marriage records suggests, although still inconclusively, the following family relationships: Contents
Colin Cameron, a New Zealand researcher, has kindly sent the following information on Joseph and Benjamin Clout who were among the earliest members of the Clout family to settle in New Zealand. Colin is a great great grandson of Joseph. Joseph and Benjamin Clout were the seventh and ninth of James Clout and Frances (nee Golden) who were married in Cranbrook, Kent in 1795. The family lived and worked in the Horsmonden area, where James most probably moved from farm to farm to find work as an agricultural labourer. Joseph Clout was baptised on 16 November 1806 in Horsmonden and on 27 November 1823 he joined the 58th foot regiment, describing himself as a labourer and stating that his place of birth was "Tickhurst" [Ticehurst], in East Sussex and only a few miles from Horsmonden. Benjamin Clout was born in Horsmonden and baptised there on 9 April 1809. He joined the 60th regiment on 26 February 1828 but in June of the same year transferred to the 58th foot regiment. On 22 June 1840, Joseph married Elizabeth Davis at St Thomas' Cathedral, Portsmouth. Joseph described himself as a regimental musician. Elizabeth was only 15 years old at the time of her marriage. She was a "daughter of the 58th regiment" as her father William Davis had been with the 58th from the age of seven years when he was a drummer boy for the regiment in Malta where he was born. It seems likely that Elizabeth was born in Dublin circa 1825 as the regiment was there at that time. Joseph and Elizabeth's first child, James Clout, was born in 1842 at Chatham, Kent. Benjamin married his first wife, Ann in 1841, in Dublin, but there were apparently no children by the marriage. In 1843 it was decided that the 58th (the Black Cuffs or Rutlandshire Regiment) should be sent to Australia, so between 1843 and 1845 they left England on nineteen convict ships, acting as guards for the convicts who were transported to Tasmania or Norfolk Island. After each voyage the guards joined the regiment in the Sydney area. Joseph and his brother Benjamin left London on the Ann on 1 January 1845, arriving in Sydney on 13 June that year. Some of the 58th were sent from Sydney to New Zealand in 1845 because of unrest in the Bay of Islands (North Auckland) but returned to Sydney on 5 December 1846. However, the entire regiment, including those soldiers of the 58th who had stayed in New South Wales, was soon recalled to New Zealand between June and September 1847. Joseph and Benjamin travelled on the Pestonjee Bomanjee, which left Sydney on 3 June and arrived in Auckland on 12 July 1847. Perhaps Joseph's wife had been permitted to travel out with her husband to New Zealand but in any case she must have arrived soon after his arrival as their second child, Frances, was born at Auckland on 16 August 1849. On 27 November 1847, in Auckland, Joseph took his discharge from the army on medical grounds. He was reported as suffering from varicose veins and chronic rheumatism. At the time of his discharge, aged 42 years, he was described as 5ft 9½in tall, fair haired, with grey eyes, and of fair complexion, with no marks or scars except varicose veins. He was a labourer by trade and was being paid 3d per diem for good conduct, being in possession of three distinguished badges, thus making his pension 1/3d per day. His character was described as "very good"; seldom in hospital, trustworthy and sober. His military service lasted 24 years 16 days of which 10 years 6 months were served in Ceylon and 2 years 5 months in Australasia. The doctor's report confirmed that his disability was caused by "constitutional predisposition fairly arising during service, and not attributable to or aggravated by vice or intemperance". Joseph signed his papers in a neat hand. Benjamin was discharged on medical grounds in 1850. Aged 40, he was suffering rheumatism in the knees. At that time he was described as 5ft 8in tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes and of fresh complexion and of good conduct. His pension of 1/- per day commenced on 11 July 1850. The 1850 Auckland jury list describes Benjamin as a labourer, resident of Thames-st. Either Benjamin or Joseph (probably the former) travelled to San Francisco in May 1851 aboard the ship Mary Catherine. The journal New Zealander reported the departure of a Mr Clout. Whatever the purpose of the voyage, it was shortlived as both Benjamin and James are both mentioned in New Zealand records for 1852. In the 1852 Auckland jury list Benjamin is listed as a labourer of High-st. The Auckland South electoral rolls for 1855, 1856 and 1857 list him as "labourer, Otahuhu (householder)." The Auckland Jury List for 1852 lists Joseph Clout as a carpenter of Grey Street. Joseph apparently lived on a pensioner allotment at Grey St., Otahuhu from 1852 until his death. He is also listed in the pensioner allotment lists as "carpenter (householder) for 1855, 1856, 1857. The "fencibles" (part-time soldiers) and military pensioners were encouraged to settle in Otahuhu as a defence line against attack on Auckland by the Waikato Maori. Joseph and Elizabeth Clout's remaining children were all born at Otahuhu and baptised in Holy Trinity Church: (Mary, b. 27 May 1853, Joseph, b. 31 January 1855, Elizabeth, b 20 August 1859, Ann Jane, b. 20 December 1861). Joseph died on 11 April 1862, in Otahuhu, from lung disease. He was aged 57 years and was buried in the Anglican Cemetery, Otahuhu. Elizabeth, Joseph's widow, lived in later years in Thames, where several of her children lived. About 1885, after the decline of mining there, and the departure of some of the Clout family, Elizabeth lived with her daughter Elizabeth Stormont. It was at this address that she died of "apoplexy" on 15 September 1900, aged 75 years. She was buried in the Anglican Cemetery at Otahuhu. Benjamin's wife died on 7 March 1867 in the provincial hospital, Auckland, from complications the result of a fall or leap from a 70 ft high cliff on Taurarua Point, Judge's Bay, Parnell on 15 February 1867 in which she severely injured her left leg. At the time she had been separated from her husband for several years. Benjamin moved to Stoke's Point (Northcote Point) and with other soldier pensioners worked as a gardener. On 5 July 1871, in the Anglican Church at Northcote, he married Jane Brady, nee Agnew, the 52 year-old widow of another soldier pensioner, James Brady, ex-sergeant from the 58th Regiment. Benjamin died of general debility on 25 February 1884, and was buried in the old Anglican Cemetery in Birkenhead. His second wife, Jane, died in 1899 and is also buried in the old Birkenhead Anglican Cemetery. Contents
Joyce Lawson, of Toowoomba, Qld, and Judith Hocking of St Clair, NSW, have generously sent in the following information on the Clouten family, to which they are related. The link between the Clouten family and the Clout family has not yet been completely proven but all the available evidence suggests that the Clouten family is descended from William Clout (born 1787) [p.322], son of George Clout [p.318] and his second wife Philadelphia Godden. It is believed that William Clout changed his name to Clouten before marrying Susanna Baker in 1808. William and Susanna's second son, George Clouten, was christened in Folkestone, Kent, on 22 April 1816. George, a sawyer, married Elizabeth Marsh, a servant, at Folkestone on 14 May 1836. Elizabeth, who was born in 1817 in Cheritan, Kent, was the daughter of John Marsh and Ann (nee Farrier). George and Elizabeth lived in Folkestone where their four children were born: Elizabeth Ann (b. 1837), Georgiana (b. 5 June 1838), William (b. 26 July 1839) and Mary Ann Frances (born 26 February 1842). Two of their children died in Folkestone: Georgiana (1849) and Mary Ann Frances (1842). George and Elizabeth and their remaining two children migrated to New South Wales in 1848. They sailed from Plymouth on the Tory on 20 December 1848 and arrived in Sydney on 10 April 1849. George and Elizabeth lived in West Maitland, NSW. Elizabeth died in Maitland on 12 September 1886. On 26 September 1887, George, aged 71, married Ernestine Maud Baker, aged 21, at Newcastle. Ernestine was born at Largs, NSW, on 17 August 1886. George died in Maitland on 25 July 1892. Ernestine later remarried William J. Sampson in 1892. Ernestine Sampson died at Maitland on 22 December 1910. Karen Godfrey of Limbury Mead, Luton, Bedfordshire, England, writes that she is researching her Clout ancestry. Her great great grandfather was Henry Robert Clout (occasionally spelt Cloutt), who was born in 1841 at Welling Kent (according to the 1881 Census). The birth was registered in the Bexley registration district. Henry Robert Clout married Mary Ann Elizabeth Jeffreys in 1863 in the West Ham registration district. Mary Ann Elizabeth was born circa 1844, a native of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Henry and Mary Ann had at least five children : Ellen Louisa (b. 1863), Edith Matilda (b. 1870), Emily Frances (b. 1874), Henry John (b. 23 April 1879) and Lillian Maud (b. 1881). According to the 1881 Census, all children were born in Canning Town, Essex. In 1881, the family was living at West Ham, with Henry Robert's occupation described as "carman". This accords with Karen's description of him a hansom cab driver. Henry Robert Clout died in 1893 at West Ham, apparently the result of being kicked by a horse after a fall. His widow later remarried George Boys in 1899 at West Ham. Karen has been told that two of Henry Robert Clout's daughters emigrated to New Zealand but has no further details. Henry John Clout, son of Henry Robert, married Rose Payne on 6 August 1900 in the West Ham registration district. The marriage was witnessed by George Boys and Frances Clout. Rose Payne was born on 10 April 1880 at Canning Town, the daughter of Charles Alfred Payne and Harriet (nee Roberts). Henry John and Rose had several children, one of whom was Karen's grandfather, Herbert Charles Clout, who was born 30 November 1904 at West Ham. Strangely, the later children of Henry John and Rose were registered under the surname of Boys and both Henry John and Rose's deaths, in 1948 and 1964 respectively, are registered under the surname of Boys. Although Henry John's son, Herbert Charles was registered under the name of Clout, he had changed his name to Boys by the time of his marriage to Grace Helen Crow, daughter of Charles Stephen Crow and Eliza Anne (nee Sparks) From the information Karen has provided and from information pieced together from the English Births Deaths and Marriages records and the 1881 census, I have developed a working hypothesis which links Karen's ancestors to the family of Thomas and Caroline Clout who emigrated to Australia before returning to England. It is important to note that in some cases the connections are by no means "proven" but represent an assessment of best fit. Contents
Jeanette Greenwell, of Kiama, NSW, has kindly submitted the early history of the Waterman family in Australia and its connection to the Clout family. Elizabeth Clout [p.322], (b. 1776), daughter of William Clout and Elizabeth Robins/Robbens, married Michael Waterman, a gardener, on 25 April 1797 in East Malling, Kent. Michael's parents have yet to be proven but possibly they were Thomas Waterman and Mary Crouch who were married on 20 December 1753 at Hunton, Kent. Elizabeth died in 1842 and Michael in 1851. Both are buried in Hunton. Michael and Elizabeth had at least eight children: Mary (b. 1797) [lived at Walmer Castle, Kent]; Frances (b. 1799); William (b. 1802); Robert (b. 1805); Rebecca (b. 1806) [lived in Hunton]; Ann (b. 1809); Michael (b. 1811); George (b. 1814); and John (b. 1817). Two of Michael and Elizabeth's sons migrated to Australia. William Waterman and his family arrived on the Burhampooter in 1841 and Michael Waterman and his family arrived in 1848 on the Thetis. Before migrating, William and his family lived in Hunton, Lewisham and East Farleigh, Kent. On arrival in Australia, William was employed as the superintendent gardener of the Governor's Domain during the time of Governor Fitzroy. He gave up his position to go gold digging in Bendigo. He could not have lasted very long at this as he was back in Sydney by 1853 and settled in Balmain. William and wife Elizabeth (nee Cooper) had 13 children:
William Waterman's brother Michael and his wife Alice Ashby, had a family of 11 children. Michael worked as a gardener/coachman at Greenoaks, Darling Point (the home of T.S. Mort) and Alice was the gatekeeper. Michael was a pioneer member of the bellringers at St Mark's, Darling Point. Many of his children and grandchildren continued the bellringing tradition. Of Michael and Alice's children, Thomas was a gardener when he arrived in Australia but nothing more is known; Elizabeth settled in America; Rhoda married Robert Joyner, the founder of Joyner and Sons, a blacksmithing firm in Glenmore Road, Paddington. He was also a pioneer bellringer at St Mark's; and Ann Rebecca was a seamstress and did not marry. Contents
In Cloutlines No 26, the connection between the Clout and Clouten families was presented. While indicating that the link had not been definitely proven, the article suggested that the Clouten family was descended from William Clout(en), son of George Clout and Philadelphia Godden. It was William Clout(en)'s second son, George Clouten, who emigrated to NSW in 1848, while William's eldest son, Edward Clout, remained in Folkestone. Below I have included extracts from the English Probates Index for Edward Clout and his wife, Ann, together with a chart of known descendants for this family. 1888 Clout, Edward . 13 July (1888). The Will with two Codicils of Edward Clout formerly of Folkestone but late of Alkham both in the County of Kent who died 8 June 1888 at Alkham was proved at the Principal Registry by John Holden of 18 Clifton-crescent Folkestone Esquire and Hawtney John Camburn of 39 High-street Folkestone Butcher the Executors. Personal effects £4,727 6s 11d 1893 Clout, Ann, of Alkham Villa Alkham Kent Widow died 23 May 1893. Probate London 12 June (1893) to Emma Chittenden Widow and Florence Chittenden spinster. Effects £106. Contents
In Newsletter No. 24 (December 1995), I provided details on the descendants of Richard Clout (born circa 1797), in particular the family of his son, Thomas Clout (born 1831, London). Newsletter No. 28 (September 1996) included additional details on this family extracted from the English Index of Probates and Administrations 1858-1943. Further research into this family, using the English Indexes of Births, Deaths and Marriages, the above mentioned Probate Indexes and the 1881 and 1891 Census records, have enabled the descendants chart for this family to be extended. It has been established that Richard and Sarah Clout had another son, Richard, born circa 1825. Also, the Richard William Clout previously ascribed to Richard senior, was in fact the son of Richard junior. 1869 Clout, Richard, Effects under £12,000. [Granted] 22 July (1869). The Will of Richard Clout late of 4 Augusta-place Clapham-road in the County of Surrey Gentleman deceased who died 10 April 1869 at 4 Augusta-place aforesaid was proved at the Principal Registry by the oaths of Richard Clout of 60 Kennington-Park Road in the County aforesaid Butcher William Henry Clout of Garrett-lane Wandsworth in the County aforesaid Butcher and Albert Clout of 4 Augusta-place aforesaid Carpenter the Sons the Executors. 1872 Clout, William Henry, Effects under £2,000. [Granted] 4 September (1872). The Will of William Henry Clout formerly of 2 Sydney-cottages Willington-road Stockwell but late of 13 Devonshire-road South Lambeth both in the County of Surrey Gentleman who died 18 August 1872 at 13 Devonshire-road was proved at the Principal Registry by Emma Clout of 13 Devonshire-road Widow the Relict one of the Executors. 1899 Clout, Richard Victor, of 4a the Poplars Bounderies-road Balham Surrey died 12 November 1899. Administration London 8 December (1899) Julia Beale Clout widow. Effects £1,807 6s 8d. 1906 Clout, Richard, of Brome-house West Malling Kent died 2 March 1906. Probate London 19 May to Albert Clout and Thomas Watt Galloway gentleman. Effects £11,299 1s 10d. 1912 Clout, Julia Beale, of the Elms Gossamere-lane Aldwick Bognor Sussex widow died 31 July 1912. Probate London 30 August (1912) to John Michie MB. Effects £1,252 4s 8d. 1920 Clout, Albert, of Brome-house West Malling Kent died 15 August 1920. Probate London 17 September (1920) to Thomas John Clout and Robert John Hunton, gentlemen. Effects £7,963 7s 5d. 1925 Clout, Richard William, of Claybury Mental Hospital Woodford Essex died 1 March 1925. Admin London 18 May (1925) to James Robert Hunton retired carpenter. Effects £625 1s 5d. Contents
Note: This article has been adapted from the original one that appeared in the newsletter. In Cloutlines: A Family History, it is stated that John Clout, the eldest son of John Clout and Mary Miller (p.22,), migrated to New South Wales with his wife, Mary (nee Pettit) and six of their children (pp.126-129). It noted that one son, David, married and remained in Kent, and also raised the possibility that their third son, John, was the John Clout who married Mary Sharpe and emigrated to New Zealand. Several New Zealand researchers (Colin Cameron, of Auckland, Bert Williamson, of Wellington, and Owen and Faith Gibbs, of Hamilton) have now established that the John Clout who emigrated with his family to New Zealand in 1841 on the Lord William Bentinck, was in fact the son of William Clout and Philadelphia Smith and was not the John Clout who married Mary Sharpe. Instead, the evidence from the Benenden Parish Registers and other sources indicate the following relationships and sequence of events: [1] John Clout [born 9 December 1814, son of William Clout and Philadelphia Smith] married Eleanor Ealden (also spelt as Eailden, Eilden) on 30 Jun 1835 at Benenden. John and Eleanor already had a daughter, Eleanor, baptised on 5 July 1834. Eleanor, wife of John, buried on 31 August 1836, aged 21 years. [2] Stephen Shoobridge (also spelt as Shoebridge) married Mary Ealden [sister of Eleanor] on 5 February 1832 at Benenden. Stephen and Mary had a son, William, baptised on 22 November 1832 (Note: the father's name is given as William in the parish register but this is almost certainly an error) and a daughter, Mary Jane, baptised on 25 October 1835. Stephen Shoobridge, Mary Jane's husband, was buried on 1 August 1835. [3] John Clout, widower, and Mary Shoobridge [nee Ealden], widow, moved in together. John Clout and Mary Shoobridge had a daughter, Martha Ann, born on 21 December 1838. On Martha Ann's birth certificate, her mother's maiden name is given as Ealden. It is perhaps significant that Martha Ann was not baptised, at least not in the Anglican Church in Benenden. [4] Eventually, John and Mary were married, at Benenden , on December 21st 1840. Their marriage took place less than one month before they left England for New Zealand aboard the Lord William Bentinck, and suggests that they must have finally obtained "special" permission to legalise their union prior to emigrating, despite the Church of England's rule forbidding the marriage between a man and his deceased wife's sister; Otherwise, the minister at the time of the marriage may have been unaware that John had previously married Mary's sister, Eleanor. When John Clout applied to the New Zealand Company for emigration his family was listed as three daughters, aged 7, 6 and 3 years, and one son, aged 8½ years. The "daughters" are quite clearly Eleanor (daughter of John Clout and Eleanor Ealden, and known as Ellen in New Zealand), Mary Jane (daughter of Stephen Shoobridge and Mary Ealden) and Martha Ann (daughter of John Clout and Mary Ealden). The son is clearly William (son of Stephen Shoobridge and Mary Ealden). After arriving in New Zealand on 22 May 1841 as the "Clout" family, John Clout and Mary Shoobridge had two other children: George Edward, born on 5 February 1845, and Eliza, born on 19 November 1849, both in Wellington. Contents
The following newspaper articles were taken from The Times of London. It seems that The Times was only interested in recording the misfortunes which befell various members of the Clout family, be they separations and divorces (as presented in the previous newsletter) or criminal offences, as in the following two examples. Neither of the subjects of the following items has yet been positively identified within our family tree database and they are not included to embarrass any possible descendants. Rather, they are presented for the general interest of readers and in the hope that someone may be able to positively identify either of these individuals or at least provide a lead which will help to identify them. From The Times dated 15 March 1837: SPRING ASSIZES.- HOME CIRCUIT. MAIDSTONE, Tuesday, March 14 [1837]. CROWN COURT.- (Before Mr. Justice Vaughan.). John Clout, a labourer, was convicted of stealing 12 hop-poles, value 1s, the property of John Jarvis, of Horsmonden, and sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labour. The person in our records that seems to best fit is John Clout, the son of James Clout and Frances Golden, who was baptised on 19 May 1805, at Horsmonden. From The Times, dated 24 December 1856: WINTER ASSIZES.- James Cloutt, 19, was indicted for a burglary in the dwelling-house of William Farmer, and stealing some articles of clothing, his property. He was also charged with feloniously and maliciously setting fire to the same dwelling-hose. While we have records of a branch of the Clout(t) family living in Bexley, there does not appear to be any named James Cloutt which could possibly fit these details. Contents
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission was established by Royal Charter in 1917. Its duties are to mark and maintain the graves of the members of the forces of the Commonwealth who were killed in the two World Wars, to build memorials to those who have no known grave and to keep records and registers, including, after the Second World War, a record of the Civilian War Dead. 1,700,000 men and women of the Commonwealth forces died in the two World Wars. Of these the remains of 925,000 were found and their graves are marked by a headstone. Where the remains were not found, the casualty's name is commemorated on a memorial. There are war graves in some 150 different countries; mostly in the 2,500 war cemeteries and plots constructed by the Commission. The Register maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is now available on the internet at http://www.cwgc.org/. The following list of Clout war graves has been extracted from this register. Where possible, I have included additional information, in parentheses, from the society's own records. Albert Clout, Private, 18292 Aubrey William Clout, Sergeant, N.78420 Cyrus Clout, Private, 7845 Charles Frederick Clout, Sergeant, 1393499 Cecil Godfrey Clout, Able Seaman, P/JX 147368 E A Clout, Private, 3547 Edward Percy Clout, Private, 3732 Ernest Wylie Clout, Lance Corporal, 6233 Harry Crow Clout, Private, L/106404 Harry Louis Clout, Private, NX22872 Henry William Clout, Private, G/9712 J C Clout, Gunner, L/6301 John Ferguson Clout, Private, NX78505 J W Clout, Private, G/9271 [Joseph Walter Clout, b. 1885, Brighton, Sussex, son of Harry Carter Clout & Mary J. Grimes, and descendant of Thomas Carter Clout and Gift Powel [p.319]] John William Clout, Private, NX80059 [John William Clout [p.303], b. circa 1922, son of Aubrey William Clout & Kate Lilian Titchen] Leslie Walter Francis Clout, Private, 4965 Norman Charles Herbert Clout, Leading Aircraftman, 1330092 R J Clout, Lance Corporal, 6908971 W E Clout, Lance Corporal, 8048 William Joel Carter Clout, Private, 5784078 Clout John, Private, 11177 Edward Charles Cloute, Master at Arms, P/M 39838 G Cloute, Private, L/8423 Leslie Clouten, Private, 2421 C Cloutt, Private, 27484 Harry Cloutt, Private, 34376 Harold Cecil Cloutt, Serjeant, 1561462 S G Cloutt, Serjeant, 65717 A H Cloutte, Private, 829219 J R Cloutte, Private, 430510 The following newspaper articles were taken from The Times of London. The subject of the following items has not yet been positively identified within our family tree database and, as with previous newspaper extracts, these articles are not included to embarrass any possible descendants. Rather, they are presented for the general interest of readers and in the hope that someone may be able to positively identify the individual or at least provide a lead which will help to identify him. From The Times dated 26 August 1852: POLICE. From The Times dated 8 September 1852: POLICE. From The Times dated 23 September 1852: NEW COURT. It is possible that this William Clout is the William John Clout who married Mary Ann Quinn, in Dapto, NSW, in 1862 and who died in 1891, aged 70 years. His death certificate states that, at the time of his death, he had been 40 years in the colony. Given that this figure is probably only approximate, it is therefore possible that William left England soon after completing his sentence. I would be pleased to hear from anyone who can throw any light on the identity of William Clout. Contents
The following transcript of the Will of Thomas Clout, linen weaver of Brenchley, who died in 1618, was transcribed by Pat Sheriff. As noted in Cloutlines: A Family History such transcriptions represent a formidable task due to the age of the documents, the different style of script, and the now obscure idioms, spellings and legal jargon of the times. Those sections which were not clear are marked with a [?]. In the name of God Amen the 20th day of January in the 14th year of the reign of our most gracious sovereign Lord King James by the Grace of God King of England, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith and of Scotland the 49th. I, Thomas Cloute Sen. of the parish of Brenchley in the County of Kent, Linen weaver, being not well in body but of good and perfect remembrance, thanks be to God for it, do make and ordaine this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following. That is to say first and principally, I commit my soul to almighty God, my only Saviour and Redeemer and my body to the earth. Item: I give and bequeath unto Thomas Cloute, my son, £5 of lawful money of England to be paid to the said Thomas or his assigns within one whole year next after my decease. Item: I give and bequeath unto John Clout, my son, £ of lawful money of England to be paid unto the said John or his assigns within [?] whole years next after my decease. Item: I give and bequeath unto Alexander Cloute, my son, £5 of lawful money of England to be paid unto the said Alexander or his assigns within 3 whole years next after my decease. Item: I give unto Alexander, my son, one little joined shelf. Item: I give unto Johan, my daughter, Henry Kirin's wife...20/- of lawful money of England whereof 10/- thereof to be paid unto the said Johan within one whole year next after my decease and the other 10/- to be paid unto the said Johan or to her assigns within two whole years next after my decease. Item: I give and bequeath to Allen, Edward, William and Bridgett, children of Henry Kirin aforesaid, to everyone of them severally three shillings four pence of lawful money of England to be paid unto them as they come to their several ages of one and twenty. Item: I give and bequeath to Lottie [Lettie/Lettis?], my daughter, wife of Thomas Morecrofte [Morecrafte?], 20/- of lawful money of England to be paid to the said Lettis or to her assigns within 5 years next after my decease. Item: I give and bequeath unto Robert Morecroft, son of the said Thomas Morecroft, 40/- of lawful money of England, to be paid unto the said Robert or to his assigns when he cometh to the age of one and twenty years. Item: I give and bequeath unto Elizabeth Gibbons, daughter of Henry Gibbons... [?] pepingham[?], 40/- of lawful money of England to be paid to the said Elizabeth or to her assigns when she shall come to the age of one and twenty years. Item: I give and bequeath to Johan Apes, daughter of William Apes, deceased, 40/- of lawful money of England to be paid to the said Johan or to her assigns when she shall come to the age of one and twenty years. Item: I give and bequeath to Bridgett Apes, daughter of the aforesaid William Apes, 40/- of lawfull money of England to be paid to the said Bridgett or to her assigns when she shall come to the age of one and twenty years. Item: I give and bequeath unto Margaret, my wife...ii/iii pieces of pewter and two pewter porringers and my best flock bed, two pair of sheets and all other things belonging to the said bed, and a bordered [?] chest and my best brass kettle and iron pot, an iron posnet and a brass posnet [?] with other small household stuff, needfull for her use. Item: I will the said William, my son, shall from time to time as occasion shall [require?] find and five [?] continually during the natural life of his mother, sufficient food, sweet butter, milk or other good household dishmeat [?] to her liking as she shall need for her own spending and also drink. Item: I give unto Robert Morecroft aforesaid, my linen loom. The residue of all my goods and chattels I give to William, my son, who I make sole executor of this my last Will and Testament This is the last Will and Testament of me the above named Thomas Clouet made and declared the day and year above written...and concurring the order and disposition of all and singular my messuages, tenements and lands whatsoever I have...situate and lying and being in the parish of Brenchley aforesaid. Imprimus: I give and bequeath all my said messuage, tenement and lands aforesaid to William Clout, my son, and to the heirs male of his body, lawfully begotten forever provided and under this condition that Margaret, my wife shall have...dwelling in 9...convenient for her and also the...in during all the term of her natural life and also [?] shillings of lawfull money of England during the term of her natural life, half quarterly to be paid by the said William, my son, or his assigns without any further delay. Item: If it shall happen that the said William do die without heirs male of his body, lawfully begotten, then I do give and my will and meaning is that Joane, the wife of William, my son, shall have and take the yearly profits of all the premises during the term of seven years to be accounted from the decease of William, my son, in as full manner and form as William, her husband, might could or should...[?] the same, provided and under this condition that the said Joane do well truly and faithfully discharge all and singular the legacies in my will before mentioned and she do pay the land [?] rents and keep the house the barns and all other the house ...[?] from time to time well and sufficiently repaired and making no [?]. Item: I will that if it happen that William, my son, do die without heirs male of his body, lawfully begotten, then I do give and my mind and will is that the said messuages, tenements and lands aforesaid to William my son...[?] shall descend and I do give them to John, my son, and the heirs male of his body, lawfully begotten, provided and under this condition that the said John, my son, do faithfully and truly discharge and pay all and singular the legacies above mentioned in my Will provided my will and meaning is that he shall only discharge such legacies as shall remain unpaid and not by this my said will but at the decease of the said William, my son. Contents
A Record of my father by Stanley H. Clute, B.A., B.Ed. Born at Portslade, just outside Brighton, England, on 13 September 1903, Sydney Maxwell Clout (later known as Sydney Maxwell Clute) resided in the Brighton area with his parents and older sister Minnie and brother Victor (Max) until 1907. On his fourth birthday, he, his parents Isaac and Sarah Clout, and his two siblings boarded a ship at Liverpool and embarked on a new life across the Atlantic. Sydney remembered little of the voyage to Canada, except for one incident which he never forgot. He recalled playing with a tin toy train on the deck of the ship and a fellow passenger stepping on the toy and crushing it. Sydney grew up in Toronto where, in fact, he spent most of his life. Despite his indisputable intelligence, formal public education was anathema to him and he left school after Grade 6. As a young boy, he often got into fights with male classmates. In later life he used to enjoy recounting how the little girls in his class would run to his home and tattle to his parents whenever he got into a fight. After leaving school, he worked for a time for a printing firm in Toronto. As a young man, Sydney apprenticed to his father as a plasterer. He followed this trade for a number of years until his legs began to insist that he find a less strenuous occupation, after which he taught himself carpentry. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Syd worked with his father until 1932, at which time Isaac took ill with Paget's Disease (Osteitis Deformans) and never worked again. He used to tell a very touching anecdote about those days. Just after his father became ill, Syd landed a job of plastering two houses. Bear in mind that this was the time of the Great depression when any job was a real boon. Needing someone to help him with this job, he recalled a Russian Jew named Eli Lash (nicknamed Sam), who had helped him on a previous job. Eli agreed to help him on the basis of a 50% split of the proceeds. A couple of months after they finished the job, Syd collected the payment for it and took Eli's share to his house. Eli wasn't home, so Syd explained to his wife Kate (who never fully mastered the English language) why he was there and gave her the money. He said later that she gave him a very funny look. Not knowing much about Jewish customs at that time, Syd thought that he might have somehow offended her. Years later he learned the truth. Ever after that time, Eli and his family were the best friends that Syd had. Eli would bring around a Jewish challah egg loaf and a bottle of homemade wine to us every Christmas Eve. Often he would bring other gifts as well. When Syd took him to task for this, many years later, he explained that he greatly appreciated Syd's honesty in not cheating him out of his share of the money from that 1932 job: "You could have claimed that you were unable to collect from the customer and kept all the money for yourself," he said. "I wasn't home when you brought that money over. Do you know where I was?" Syd said, "No, but Kate gave me a very strange look. I thought that maybe I had offended her somehow." "No," stated Eli, "When you brought us that money, I was out walking the streets of Toronto, trying to find a crust of bread to feed our five children for their dinner that night. So you can understand what that money meant to us!" On 28 October 1938, Syd Clute married Amy Constance Butcher of Toronto, a daughter of the late John William Butcher and his wife Minnie (nee Breckles). Their only child, a son, was born by caesarean section at Toronto East General Hospital on 29 October 1947, weighing 10lb 6oz at birth. This boy was given the name Stanley Howard Clute. I was aggressively not named after anyone. Syd and Amy were determined not to have relatives arguing about who the child was named after, so they picked two names (Stanley and Howard) which did not appear anywhere else in the family as they knew it. Eventually, Syd entered into partnership in the housing construction industry with his younger brother Ron Clute (Born in Toronto in 1910) under the name of Clute Bros., Builders. Their father, Isaac, died in August of 1952, and his widow, Sarah, lived most of her remaining years with Syd's family, dying on 4 August 1960, at Toronto. Having secured some land in Dundas, near Hamilton, the brothers built eight houses in the Dundas subdivision of University Gardens, including two for their own families. The family home at 89 Greenlaw Avenue was sold and Syd and his family moved into number 7 Danbury Street in May of 1953. Ron and his family moved into 15 Danbury Street. The brothers then built several other houses in University Gardens before the partnership went bankrupt in 1956. At that point the business was dissolved; Ron became a hardware merchant in Hamilton and Syd and his family moved back to metropolitan Toronto, buying a house in Willowdale in what later became the city of North York (now part of the so-called megacity of Toronto). Syd went into partnership with two of Eli Lash's sons and Eli's brother in North York and built ten semi-detached houses in Newmarket, Ontario. The profit from this venture was reinvested in building six houses in North York. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond the firm's control, these houses proved difficult to sell at that particular time and the business lost so much money that bankruptcy was again declared. After this, Syd changed from being a builder to a renovator, specialising in small carpentry alterations and repairs, including recreation room finishing and the building of a number of summer cottages. In this, virtually all his business came by word-of-mouth recommendation from satisfied customers. He hardly ever advertised, or needed to. He prospered as a renovator and eventually retired from business towards the end of the 1970s. In the summer of 1975, Syd and Amy took their first vacation in twenty-five years and spent two and a half months travelling around the perimeter of North America in a camper van. Syd and Amy sold their North York home late in 1981 and began "trekking" westward with a van and trailer full of possessions. It was their original intention to build a retirement home on Vancouver Island. Stopping in High River for a month long visit with son Stanley, who had moved there in April 1980, they decided that they liked the town and liked being near their only offspring. They stayed on. Syd began looking around for land on which to build his "dream home" facing the Rocky Mountains. Late in 1983, he underwent an operation in Calgary for prostate gland and developed some complications, possibly due to his diabetes. He was still recovering when he developed a breathing problem and was admitted to High River Hospital. He had an aneurism in his chest which nobody suspected. Less than twenty-four hours later, it burst and he died within minutes. His body was cremated and, in accordance with his wishes, the ashes were scattered in the Rocky Mountains. Amy developed Alzheimer's Disease and for the next ten years slowly declined. Her last several years were spent in the High River Nursing Home, where she died peacefully in her sleep on 8 May 1994 (Mother's Day). In accordance with her wishes, her body was cremated. Contents
In the September 1999 newsletter, I provided details of the East Sutton line of the Clout Family, one of the "untraced" family groups for which a direct link to our main family tree has yet to be established. Another such line is the family of Thomas and Elizabeth Clout of Eynsford, in North West Kent. In recent times, descendants of this family, including society member Barry Clout, of King's Lynn, Norfolk, England, and Gillian Adshead, from Canada, have kindly provided information on this family. While a record of the death of Thomas Clout has not yet been found, the following obituary from the Horton-Kirby Parish Magazine dated March 1914 records the death of his wife: Burials 1914. Thomas and Elizabeth Clout had some thirteen children, one of whom was Edward Clout, who was born in 1868 at Burham, in North West Kent. Edward died on 13 August 1939 and his death is recorded in the following newspaper clipping:
Edward's wife, Eliza Ann, died in 1952: Mrs. Eliza Ann Clout, of Maldon Road, who died on October 1st [1952] at the age of 83, was a native of Tiptree, being a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. David Hull. She was the last surviving member of that family. Mrs. Clout leaves 23 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. The funeral took place at St. Luke's Church on Saturday, the officiating clegymen being the Rev. K.W. Sibley (rector) and Rev. E. Lawford Jones (Congregational Minister. Miss B. Taylor was organist. The mourners were Messrs E.D., W.T., D.F. and W.R. Clout (sons), Mrs. E. Keeler, of Watford and Mrs. E. Chaplin (daughters), Mrs. W. Clout (daughter-in-law), Mr. E. Chaplin (son-in-law), Mrs. A. Hume and Miss N. Sach (nieces), Messrs. David and Geoffrey Clout of Watford (grandsons), Miss Peggy Chaplin (granddaughter), Miss F. Chaplin, Mrs. W. Burmby, and Miss B. Ravenscroft (friends), Mr. S.C. Smith (Bawtree and Sons). As indicated in Edward Clout's obituary, Thomas and Elizabeth Clout had thirteen children, although identifying them all has proven difficult. Based on information from the 1881 Census, Parish records and the UK Index of Births, the following are the likely children of Thomas and Elizabeth:
Using similar sources, a hypothesis has also been developed which traces the family of Thomas and Elizabeth Clout back to George Clout (b. 26 July 1778) and Sarah Bennett, from whom another member, Alan Holden, of Durham is descended. However, it is important to note that many of the family relationships, especially the earlier ones, have not been "proven." Contents
By Alan Thompson (Introduction adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure Of The Blue Carbuncle) I had called upon my friend Sherlock Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention of wishing him the compliments of the season. He was seated in front of a computer in his study, a bookcase of lever arch files within his reach upon the left and, on the floor near at hand, a pile of photocopies of old newspapers, evidently newly studied. A file had been removed from its place on the shelf and lay open beside the computer. On his lap sat a large notebook, delicately balanced, evidently suspended in this manner for the purpose of examination. 'You are engaged,' said I; 'perhaps I interrupt you.' 'Not at all. I am glad to have a friend with whom I can discuss my results. The matter is a perfectly typical one' - he jerked his thumb in the direction of the photocopies strewn across the floor- 'but there are points in connection with it which are not entirely devoid of interest or even of instruction.' 'I suppose,' I remarked, seating myself in his armchair, 'that you are involved in some sinister affair, and that those newspaper copies contain the clue which will guide you in the solution of the mystery and the punishment of some crime.' 'No, no. No crime,' said Sherlock Holmes, laughing, 'but an exercise which demonstrates those faculties of deduction and of logical synthesis which I have made my special province. The case involves the search for the descendants of a certain Hester Ann Clout [p.312] who was baptised on 2 November 1823, in Benenden, Kent, England, the daughter of William Clout and Lydia (nee Austin).' 'Most texts on genealogical research concentrate on the methods involved in tracing back from a living person to his or her distant ancestors. However, these same texts do not cover in any detail the methods which can be employed to discover the descendants (previously unknown) from a particular individual of the past, in particular those descendants along the female lines.' 'In the particular case I am working on, my clients had traced their family back to a brother of Hester Ann Clout, and were interested to see if they could trace Hester Ann's family (if indeed she had any) to identify their distant cousins. However, their initial efforts failed to locate any further reference to Hester Ann in England... ...I began by searching the Shipping Records for all states of Australia. This immediately led to a single possibility, found in the Nominal List for the Emma Eugenia which sailed from Plymouth on 23 March 1852 and arrived at Portland, Victoria, on 8 July 1852: Clout, Hester Ann, farm servant, (Native County) Kent, Presbyterian, Read & Write, single 28 years, engaged by Donald Cameron of Portland for wages of £25 (with rations) for a 3 month term. These details corresponded well with the baptismal records so that I adopted this as my working hypothesis The next step was to check whether Hester Ann married. A search of the Victorian Index of Marriages 1788-1930 (mostly now available on CDROM) produced the following two entries:
This was somewhat unusual, but intuition suggested that the second entry was a duplicate of the first entry, with a variation on the spouse's surname and with the date possibly incorrectly recorded. Based on this assumption I then checked the Victorian Index of Births (using the Pioneer Index) to look for any children from this marriage, looking under both McROBERT and McROBERTS:
These entries confirmed that the 1852 entry was the right one. The next step was to check for marriage entries in the Victorian Index of Marriages for each of these children. Possible entries found were:
The first two entries appeared highly likely candidates, while the third was more dubious given that the groom's birthplace was given as Beaufort and not Collingwood as in James William McROBERT's birth entry. However, it was far too early to discard it just yet. At this stage, it was not totally clear whether McROBERT or McROBERTS was the correct variant, but in any case it would be necessary to continue checking for both forms since the registrar's staff could quite easily continue to enter the name incorrectly. I now returned to the Victorian Index of Births to search for any children from the above three marriages with the following results:
Even if the James McRobert who married Bessie Fanny Harricks was the right one, it appeared that this marriage did not produce children in any case. In the same way as before, I returned to the Index of Marriages 1788-1930 to try and find any marriages for any of the above children. I found the following entries:
The last two entries were more likely but it was still too early to discount the first. A further search of the Index of Births looking for any children born before 1920 from the above three marriages produced the following results:
Having exhausted the Births and Marriage Indexes up to 1920 and 1930 respectively, I then turned to the Index of Deaths 1889-1985 to try and locate the entries for any of the individuals I had so far recorded as possible descendants of Hester Ann Clout. My findings were as follows:
The first thing to note is that the age for Annie Hester McROBERTS is given as 72 years which accords well with a baptism date of 1823 for Hester Ann Clout. While her father's name is recorded as CLARK, this is most probably a corruption of CLOUT, either by the registrar or the informant. The place of death A.V. probably stands for Ascot Vale, which is near Essendon, where Hester Ann's daughter, Jessie, gave birth to her second child in 1892. The death entry for Margaret McKinley Taylor reveals that Margaret did not marry. I could find no death record for a Roberta, or Hester Jean Taylor, or Annie Grace Evans which meant either that they married or that they died after 1985. The 1945 death entry for Richard John Evans gives his mother's name as Jean McRobert. I felt sure that again this was a corruption of Jessie McRobert and that further research would reveal that this was the right Richard John Evans. From this point on the search becomes more difficult because the indexes of Victorian Births and Marriages are not available to the public beyond 1920 and 1930 respectively. Therefore it is necessary to rely on other sources, of which, the main two - electoral rolls and death notices - require a lot of patience and a bit of luck. [One could apply for copies of death certificates to identify children but the expense soon becomes prohibitive when researching a number of lines]. I next concentrated on the Taylor family. Since the children of Robert and Helen Taylor were born in Richmond, I started by searching electoral rolls for the electoral districts which covered this suburb, gradually expanding to a wider and wider circle, if initially unsuccessful. These were my findings: Yarra - Richmond West (1903):
Yarra - Richmond North (1908):
Yarra - Richmond North:
If further proof was needed that the Robert Angus Taylor who died in 1909 was Helen's husband, it can be found here in the fact that no further listing of Robert Taylor occurs after 1908. It should be noted that the 1914 listing for Robert clearly refers to Roberta McRobert Taylor, since later entries showed this entry to be incorrect. Because Roberta does not appear after 1917, it suggests that she either married or moved away from Richmond about this time. Within a year or two of Helen's death in 1937, her other daughters had either moved away from Richmond or married and I could not track them further. At this point, the only way of progressing my research on the Taylor family was to try and locate a Death Notice for Helen in The Age or Argus for 1937 [held on microfilm in the National Library in Canberra]. It takes me about two and a half hours per year when searching death notices in a metropolitan daily. Eventually my search of the Death Notices was successful: TAYLOR (nee McRobert) - On November 25, at her residence, 13 Elizabeth-street North Richmond, Helen Widow of the late Robert Angus Taylor, loved mother of Margaret McKinley, Roberta McRobert (Mrs Graham) and Jean McRobert Taylor and fond grandma of Betty. Interment private [The Age, 26 Nov 1937]. It appeared, from this notice, that only one of Helen's daughters (Roberta) had married. Now, I tried and locate her under her married name. A search of the Index of Deaths between 1936-1960 produced no results, so I returned to the electoral rolls, commencing with Richmond and gradually moving further and further away until finally and luckily I found: Henty - Sandringham:
(Note that in 1936 Hampton was within the subdivision of Sandringham, but in later years became part of Higginbotham-Hampton, Balaclava-Hampton, Balaclava -Sandringham as electoral boundaries were redrawn.) This revealed that Roberta's husband was Charles William Graham and that her daughter was Betty Margaret (the grand-daughter mentioned in Helen Taylor's death notice). However, Charles William Graham was not listed after 1943 and a return to the Index of Deaths revealed why:
I now searched the Death Notices in The Age for 1944 until I found: GRAHAM - On May 22 [1944] at 23 Sargood-street Hampton, Charles William, loving husband of Berta and loved father of Betty. [The Age, 23 May 1944] Although I had already searched the Index of Marriages, I rechecked the Index in search of a marriage for Charles William Graham and Roberta Taylor. I concentrated on the years from 1915 to 1926, given that their daughter Betty must have been born some time before 1926 in order to appear in the electoral roll for 1943. This time I was successful:
Since Roberta Graham was not recorded in the electoral roll after 1978, I searched the Death Notices in The Age for 1979 and discovered the following notice: GRAHAM - On Monday, May 28 [1979], Roberta McRobert, loved wife of Charles (dec.), loved mother of Betty, fond mother in law of Athol; loved nanna of Frances, Graham and Heather; loved sister of Margaret (dec.) and Jean. [The Age, 29 May 1979) Unfortunately, while revealing that Roberta's daughter Betty had married a man named Athol, and that they had three children, it gives no indication of her married name. As a result, it was impossible to continue the search of this family further. The notice also revealed that Roberta's sister Margaret had already died, sometime between 1960 and 1979, and that her other sister Jean was still alive. Again, there are no clues as to whether they married and, as a result, further practical research was impossible. Returning to the Evans family, I commenced my search of the Electoral Rolls in Essendon because John and Jessie Evans' second child was born there. I then gradually widened the search area until luckily I tracked them down: Melbourne Ports - Ascot Vale (1903):
Maribyrnong - Ascot Vale:
Maribyrnong - Moonee Ponds:
These last entries indicated that the Richard John Evans who married Dorothy Duggan in 1916 was the correct one, since he moved from his parents' home in 1915 and followed his father's occupation as stationer. However, the fact that Dorothy Evans is no longer listed after 1917 and that Richard John returned to his parents' place suggested some tragedy. Indeed, a search of the Index of Deaths revealed:
Since Dorothy's son, Christopher John Evans, was born in 1917, it is possible that Dorothy died in childbirth, or as a result of complications arising from the birth. The Evans family appeared to have moved after 1922 and initial searches of surrounding electoral divisions proved fruitless. I therefore decided to search the Death Notices in The Age for 1945 to see whether Richard John's notice would throw further light on the problem: EVANS - On May 30, Richard John, loved son of Mrs. J. Evans, and the late Colonel John Evans, VD., brother of Grace. EVANS - On May 30, Richard John, of 421 Gaffney-street, Pascoe Vale, beloved husband of Margaret, father of John, David, Kenneth, James, and Frank. Private funeral [The Age, 31 May 1945] With this information, I returned to the Electoral Rolls. It immediately became apparent that Richard John's second wife was Margaret Seymour Hammond whom he had married in 1926. Their children also are listed in the electoral rolls. It also became clear that Richard John's sister Annie Grace did not marry. Bourke - Coburg
Given that John Christopher and Joyce Hilda Evans both left the address in 1944, I concluded that the latter was the former's wife, especially since she is not mentioned as a daughter in Richard John Evans's Death Notice. I looked up the 1993 electoral roll in the hope of locating any of Richard John's children still living. Again I was fortunate. I sent off letters to some of these, presenting the information I have found and seeking any further information they care to provide. Time will tell whether I have aroused the interest of others in discovering their ancestry. After this article originally appeared in the Winter 1995 (Volume 22 Number 6) edition of Ancestor, the journal of the Genealogical Society of Victoria, I received an email from Mrs Tricia Hilder, of Ballarat, Victoria, who had read my article and was tracing the Duggan family. She was able to provide details of Dorothy Duggan's Death Notice which appeared in the Hobart Mercury, dated 11 August 1917: EVANS (nee DUGGAN) - On 7th July, Dorothy, dearly beloved and only child of Essie and the late C.J. Duggan, Dermott, New Town, Tasmania and beloved daughter-in-law of Colonel and Mrs Evans, Maribynong, Victoria. After an exchange of emails, in which I passed on details of the addresses of the Evans family which I had extracted from the Electoral Rolls, Tricia was able to pass on the following information in October 1998: I have received a very interesting letter from Ken McRobert Evans confirming that John Christopher Evans was "mine". J. C. (known as Jack), who died in 1981, had three children and Ken has given me an address for Richard, the eldest. Joyce Hilda Evans is still alive but not in good health. Please give me a couple of weeks to write back to Ken explaining how I came to contact him before you write to him. Thanks again for your article. I will now contact Richard Max McRobert Evans... With the recent release of the Victorian Index of Deaths 1920-1985 on CDROM, it has become possible to do searches of the index of deaths, based on the surname of the deceased person's father or mother, rather than just the surname of the deceased. Previously, using the indexes that were available on microfiche, which were presented in alphabetical order by surname, it was only possible to search for individuals based on the surname of the deceased. Such a search produced the following result:
This entry raises the possibility that John McRobert and Hester Annie Clout had another child, Jean. The recording of the mother's maiden name as Clarke in this entry is similar to and consistent with the entries in the Index of Deaths for Hester Anne's other children (see above). Further research will need to be done to establish whether or not Jean Levens (nee McRobert) does indeed belong to this family. With the recent transcriptions of the Victorian Indexes of Births, Deaths and Marriages to CDROM, the search capabilities have become far more powerful and flexible. For example, it is now also now possible to search for entries in the Index of Births based on the maiden name of the mother. In this way, one can find relevant entries that would have been impossible to find using the old microfiche based indexes. Thus, from the above case, you can see how the Indexes of Births Deaths and Marriages, when used in conjunction with the electoral rolls and newspaper death notices, provide a practical way of deducing family relationships and tracking down living descendants. Probate indexes, while not used in the above case, can also help if available. These usually record the testator's date of death and usual place of residence. Then it is generally a simple matter to go directly to the death notices in the relevant newspaper for further details. Similarly, postal and telephone directories can also be used in addition to the electoral rolls. Having noted the address of the head of the household in the postal or telephone directory (which usually cover a much wider area than electoral rolls), go to the electoral roll to find other members of the household. Contents
As mentioned in the previous article, David Clout, who emigrated to Australia in 1839 and was the founder of the Tumut Clan, was the son of Charles Clout and Sarah Deacon. When David's father died on 11 April 1852, in England, news of this event reached David and his family, at that time living at Goulburn in New South Wales. Earlier this year, we learnt that the letter that David and his wife Caroline Clout wrote from Goulburn to David's mother and sister, upon the death of David's father, has survived. Although the letter includes sections by both David and Caroline, the entire letter is written in a single hand, suggesting either that the letter was dictated to a scribe or that the surviving document is a transcript of the original letter. An exact transcript of the letter follows, complete with the original spelling and punctuation (or lack thereof): Goulbourn Dear Mother and Sister This comes with my kind love to you hopeing to find you quite well as think God it leaves us all at present my Dear Mother we recieved your letter on the 21st Sept and was very happy to hear from you but my Dear Mother we was very sorry to hear that Death of our poor Dear father for my Dear Mother i did not expect to hear it so soon i am sure you felt the lost of him very much Dear Mother i am very glad that you are gone up to the little lady's house i deare say you did not like to leave the old that you have been in so long Dear Mother i am very glad to hear that you have got Anne at home with you and i hope she will be a good girl and not leave you and do all she can for you for i am shuer you are not able to do but very little yourself but Dear Mother i hope you do not suffer for any thing Dear Mother Carline feals very much for you and wishes she was not so far away i hope the boys will try and help you [End of page 1] i think those that have no Children may assist you a little untill i can send you some mony witch we we will do as soon as we can Dear Mother it is a grate deal of trouble to send monny home or we should have sent you some before but Dear Mother we will send you ten pounds witch i hope will be a grate help to you and and witch you may look for soon after you get this letter but but i will send another letter a few days before we send the monny that you may now when to look for it Dear Mither we put our selves in [m]ourning as soon as we heard of our poor father witch was all we could do as we were so maney miles from you all Dear Mother i offen wish i could come and see you all but it is so far away and my famley is to Large to fetch them all home to England now so we must be conted to stop in New South Weals and i hope God will prevoide somthing for you at home and i will do all i can to help you and i hope all brothers and sisters will do the same Dear mother we have had a very wet winter and very hevvy floods one town was nearly all washed a way [End of page 2] about 80 solders lost their lives at that place and A grate menny more drowned at other places The oldest man in New South weals never see such a winter before Dear mother we are stoping at the same place still i think it is better than going to the Gold Diggins we have been in Mr Bradleys place 10 years he is a verry good master Dear mother i suppsos you have just don hoppicking when i rite this and we are just now begin sheep sheareing the spring is seting in and and your winter is coming Dear mother i must conclude as i leave the rest for Carline so God bless you Dear mother and sister Dear mother and sister this comes with kind love to you hopeing to find you quite well as think god it leaves us at present my Dear i am verry sorry to hear the Death of our poor father have[?] i am shuer it is a grate lose to you but Dear mother you must not fret for i hope he is better off and we must all go when it pleas god to call us Dear mother i hope by the blesing of god you [End of page 3] will find friends to asist you so that you may not suffer for eny thing i wish i wad near to you Dear mother i feal very very uneasey about you but i hope the boys will look to you untill we can send you the mony Dear mother tell Sarah and harrait to rite to us and the boys as we have never heard from eny of them but George and John we should be very happy to hear from all of them so more at prssent from your Sone and Daughter David and Carline Clout
English Research – Introduction to Clout Family Demographics. Using information from the English Parish baptismal registers, the International Genealogical Index, and the UK Index of Births, I have undertaken an analysis of where, in England, the Clout family was mainly to be found at any point in time. The publicly available Indexes of UK Births cover all births registered in England and Wales since civil registration commenced on 1 July 1837 up until 1992. While theoretically this should include all births, it is estimated that in the first few years of registration only about 90% of all births were registered, with this percentage progressively and reasonably quickly improving. Not withstanding this, these indexes provide a reasonably comprehensive guide to all Clout family births over this period. Prior to September 1837, no comprehensive index of births exists. The nearest thing to it is the International Genealogical Index (IGI), which contains (among other things) entries of baptisms, extracted from church parish records. However, only about half of all English parish registers are included in the IGI. Therefore it is necessary to supplement these records by individually searching those parish registers not included in the IGI (not to mention re examining those registers that are covered by the IGI in case entries have been missed or incorrectly recorded). Clout family researchers have spent hundreds of hours undertaking this task for many parish registers but, nevertheless, our pre-1837 records must still be considered far from complete. Based on the number of birth entries located before 1837 with the number located after 1837, I estimate that, at present, we have only located about 75-80% of all Clout baptisms in England before 1837. In addition to this, pre-1837 parish burial records reveal that there were a not insignificant number of infants that died before they were baptised. Based on difficulties in obtaining a precise count of such cases, they have been excluded for the purposes of this initial study. The following map of England and Wales shows the total number of Clout(t)(e) births that have been located for each county from the various sources referred to above. This map clearly shows that by the end of 1992, the vast majority, that is some 88%, of Clout(t)(e)s had been born in the south-east corner of England, with most of these in Kent (1388 or 56% of the total), followed by neighbouring Sussex (393, 16%), London/Middlesex (259, 11%), Surrey (68, 3%) and Essex (62, 2%).
At the end of the 19th century, in 1900, the concentration of births in the south-east was even more dramatic, with 94% of all births occurring within the above-mentioned counties; 68% of these occurred in Kent. Indeed, it appears that it has only been in the past 100 years that there has been any significant movement of Clout families away from Kent (ignoring the relatively small number of families that have left England completely and migrated to Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the United States). The following table shows the number of Clout(t)(e) births for each of the principal counties during each time period. Before 1800, I have only shown total figures for each century without a breakdown by decade. From 1800 onwards, I have shown the figures for each decade, with the totals for the 19th and 20th centuries also included.
While the earliest known reference to the Clout surname is to Nicholas Clowt, in Frant, Sussex, all other 15th Century references identify Clout family members in Horsmonden or Lamberhurst in the Weald of Kent. The earliest known baptism was for William Cloute, son of Thomas Cloute, performed in nearby Brenchley, Kent. These figures all support the original thesis, outlined in Cloutlines: A Family History, that the Clout family did not have its origins in England and that when it did arrive in England, probably from Flanders, it settled in the south-east of England.
This map shows where Clout families and individuals were living at the time of the various UK Censuses, from 1841 to 1911. At present the map only covers South-East England (ie. Kent, Sussex, Surrey, London/Middlesex and Essex). The markers are placed as closely as possible to the precise location, based on information recorded in the census and on contemporary maps. In some cases this will mean the exact location of the house or cottage, in others to within a group of houses of cottages, or to a specific farm, street, lane or road, or in the worst case, to within a village or hamlet. Contents
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Sunday, June 25, 2006