Florence Maria (Chapman) Downes (1867 - 1941)

Born 3 Sep 1867 in Downshire House, Wandsworth, Putney, Surrey, England

Ancestors

Wife of Arthur Henry Downes — married 15 Jan 1902 in Church of St Barnabas Pimlico, London, England

Died 31 Mar 1941 at age 73 in Haifa, Palestine

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Biography

Florence was born in 1868. She passed away in 1941.

Sources

• Her birth registration. Birth Certificate data (selection):

• Registration District : - Wandsworth
• Registration SubDistrict : - Putney
• Year of Registration : - 1867
• Nbr. In register : - 208
• When born : - 3 September 1867
• Where born : - Downshire House
• Name : - Florence Maria
• Sex : - Girl
• Father : - Horace Edward Chapman
• Mother : - Adelaide Maria Chapman formerly Fletcher
• Occupation Father : - Gentleman
• Informant : - Horace E Chapman, Father
• Informant's residence : - Downshire House, Roehampton
• When registered : - 28 September 1867
• Registrar : - Adam Walker

• Her marriage registration. Marriage Certificate data (selection):

• Year of Registration :- 1902
• Marriage solemnized at :- St Barnabas, Pimlico in the Parish of St George Hannover Square in the County of London
• Nbr. In register :- 152
• When married :- 15 January 1902
• Bridegroom (Husband): :- Arthur Henry Downes
• Bride (Wife) :- Florence Maria Chapman
• Age: Husband :- 50
• Age: Wife :- 36 [There are suspicions that she may at some point have added a couple of years to her age, probably to reduce the published age gap between herself and her husband. (She was his second wife.) A small “harmless conceit” of this nature would not have been unusual among the English Haute bourgeoisie at this time.]
• Condition: Husband :- Widower
• Condition: Wife :- Spinster
• Occupation: Husband :- M.D. Gov. Inspector
• Occupation: Wife :-
• Residence at time: Husband :- 46 Gordon Square, [London] W[est] C[entral]
• Residence at time: Wife :- 19 ?Bloomfield Terrace
• Father’s name: Husband :- Thomas Richard Collins Downes
• Father’s name: Wife :- Horace Edward Chapman
• Father’s rank or profession: Husband :- M.R.C.S. [aka a surgeon]
• Father’s rank or profession: Wife :- Gentleman
• Church or other location and style :- the above church according to the rites and ceremonies of the Established Church [aka Church of England] by license [sic] by ?Jimel Stevens
• Registry signed :- By the parties in the presence of 2 witnesses who signed the register as follows:
• Witness 1 :- Charles Napier
• Witness 2 :- ?Adelaide ? Chapman [Presumably the bride’s mother, Adelaide Maria (Fletcher) Chapman (bef.1845-1926), but account should be taken of the fact that the handwriting on this document is terrible here!]
• Witness 3 :- J. G. Branston

• Document legibility :- Poor

• Florence Maria Chapman on "The Peerage" genealogy website, created and curated by Darryl Lundy. Darryl cites "Burke's Landed Gentry" 1965: page 498 as his own source for this entry
• Lady Florence M . Downes, Donor of Allenby Park: affectionate obituary published in The Palestine Post⁩, 1 April 1941⁩. The obituary article is in two parts. The second half is attributed to "J . D . C .". "J . D . C ." may indeed be the author of the entire piece.