Sir Francis (Frank) Mowatt 1837 - 1919
Sir Francis (Frank) Mowatt , of Keymer, Sussex, England, Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, etc. Treasury 1st class clerk (1871). 1881 census describes him as "Principal Clerk Treasury " Secretary of Treasury (1901). Retired Civil Servant Pensioned (1911). an Alderman of Islington Borough Council, 1904-7 GCB His wife was probably his 2nd cousin. Was there poss. another son? Births Dec 1877 Mowatt Ryder Kensington 1a 125 ------------- Brighton In 1874 the Mowatts moved to Withdeane Hall - now surrounded by Varndean Gardens. Though Eric (von Stenbock) soon went to board at a school in Germany the house in Brighton remained the family home for the remainder of his life. Withdeane Hall was built in 1861 of red brick in a Victorian Gothic style. Flint decoration was added in deference to local style. According to the complex purchase documents (AMS 837 held at the Sussex Record Office) the house was built on "...part of a field known as Great Laine..." originally owned by Sir Charles Ogle. The plot was 500 feet long and 700 feet wide and backed onto land owned by Sir Edward Cholmeley Dering and Julius Deedes. It is unclear who the original occupants were but according to directories of 1869 a Mrs Lacy was living there. Susannah Lacy died in 1869 and the house, its stables and coach house were rented by a Mr Edward Hamshaw. By 1875 Mrs. Lacy's executors were looking to sell the property. Frank Mowatt, then dividing his time between Cheltenham and his city house at 61 Lowndes Square in London took over the lease for £6100 and 99 year rent of £63 p.a. Withdeane Hall in the 1920's The house, seen here in the 1920's, with its unusual domed palm house, stood at the end of a long drive guarded by a lodge. Its central tower contained a viewing platform and both the chimneys and roof were extravagantly patterned. With its large garden, proximity to Preston Park with it's society polo matches and central position in the fashionable suburb of Patcham, Withdeane Hall was an ideal place for a career minded senior civil servant to bring up his large family. On the main road between London and Brighton and close to the newly built Preston Park Station met the Victorian needs for status, fashion and convenience. Brighton was in its heyday in the 1870's, attracting society gentlefolk who had their pictures taken by Monsieur A Boucher at his King's Road studio and who visited the Tivoli Gardens and Royal Pavilion Estate. But, it was also the home of bohemians, artists and it attracted London day-trippers seduced by sun, sea, sand and cheap train fares. Eric too seems to have appreciated this uniqueness and spent much time in Brighton or with Brighton connected people such as Aubrey Beardsley. At the turn of the century the Mowatts left Withdeane Hall. and there followed a long succession of different owners until the 1930's. The house then became K. F. Robinson's Preparatory School for Boys. Land around the house was sold and varndean Gardens and Withdean Crescent were built curving round the house like a cup.
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| Born: Sydney, , NSW, Australia 28th Apr 1837 | Baptised:
| | Died: 41 Sloane Gdns., London, , , England 20th Nov 1919 | Buried:
| | Family: Mowatt |
Sources
Census
- 1841 census (member of household - 35 Devonshire Place, London, , , England)
- 1871 census (head of household - Lowndes Square, St Luke Chelsea, London, , , England)
- 1881 census (head of household - Withdean Hall, Patcham, Sussex, , England)
- 1891 census (head of household - Withdeane hall, London rd, Patcham, Sussex, , England)
- 1901 census (head of household - 35, Lennox Gardens, Chelsea, London, , , England)
- 1911 census (head of household -
No address )
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Timeline
| 28th Apr 1837 | Born (birth) Sydney, NSW, Australia | | 1841 | Member of household in 1841 census (census) London, England | | 9th Jun 1864 | Married Lucy Sophia Frerichs
(von Stenbock , Mowatt ) 1839 - 1896 (marriage) Cheltenham, Gloucs., England | | 1871 | Head of household in 1871 census (census) London, England | | 2nd Apr 1881 | Head of household in 1881 census (census) Patcham, Sussex, England | | 1891 | Head of household in 1891 census (census) Patcham, Sussex, England | | 1901 | Head of household in 1901 census (census) London, England | | 1911 | Head of household in 1911 census (census) London, England | | 20th Nov 1919 | Died (death) London, England |
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