Elizabeth Sarah (Phillips) Lofty (abt. 1835 - 1915)

Born about 1835 in Upwey, Dorset, England

Wife of FitzRoy Fuller Lofty — married 1867 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Descendants

Biography

Elizabeth Sarah Phillips was daughter of solicitor Robert Phillips and his wife, Susannah Tulk. Born in Dorset about 1846 Elizabeth was living with her family at Milbrook in Southampton in 1861. ^[1]

She was in Portsmouth when in 1867 she married FitzRoy Fuller Lofty son of another solicitor Mathew Lofty and his wife, Janet Perry. ^[2]FitzRoy was a Cambridge educated churchman ^[3] and they lived in various places in Hampshire while he was a curate, but by 1881 they were settled at Whitchurch in Herefordshire where FitzRoy was the rector. ^[4] By 1891 FitzRoy had retired and taken his family to live in Bristol. ^[5]

FitzRoy died on 2 March 1892 ^[6] but Elizabeth was able to maintain the house and usually had two of her daughters at home. ^[7][8]

On 15 December 1914 her daughter, Margaret aged 38, went out to tea, and never returned. A few days later Elizabeth received a letter from her daughter informing her that Margaret had married "a through Christian man.......he is such a nice man". Shortly thereafter she heard that Margaret was dead and had been buried on the 21st of December. An inquest was held in London on 1 January 1915 revealing that Margaret had died in her bath. The story was reported in the News of the World. ^[9]

Elizabeth had little time to come to terms with her sorrow. On 1 February Margaret's body was exhumed and John Lloyd her husband was arrested. John Lloyd, whose real name was George Smith, was charged on the 23rd of March with bigamy and the murder, not only of Margaret, but of Bessie Mundy and Alice Burnham. His trial opened at the Old Bailey on 22 June 1915 but he was tried only for Bessie's murder. Found guilty he was hanged at Maidstone Prison on the 13th of August. ^[10]

Elizabeth died later that year aged 81. ^[11]

Sources

1. ↑ 1861 Census of England
   Gothic Cottage, Millbrook St., Milbrook, Hampshire, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   Robert C	Phillips	Head	Married	Male	50	Solicitor	St Mary's Lambeth, Surrey
   Susannah	Phillips	Wife	Married	Female	50	Solicitor's wife	Sturminster Newton, Dorset
   Anna C	Phillips	Daughter	Unmarried	Female	24	Solicitor's daughter	Shepton Mallet, Dorset
   Marion E C	Phillips	Daughter	Unmarried	Female	22	Solicitor's daughter	Shepton Mallet, Somerset
   Louisa Stuart	Phillips	Daughter	Unmarried	Female	17	Solicitor's daughter	Melcombe Regis, Dorset
   Elizabeth S	Phillips	Daughter	Unmarried	Female	15	Scholar at home	Broadway, Dorset
   Jane G	Phillips	Daughter	Unmarried	Female	13	Scholar at home	Radpole, Dorset
   Harry C	Phillips	Son	Unmarried	Male	11	Scholar at home	Melcombe Regis, Dorset
   Elizabeth	Corbyn	Servant	Unmarried	Female	19	Cook	Fawley, Hants
   Sarah	Cull	Servant	Unmarried	Female	18	Housemaid	Fawley, Hants

2. ↑ England and Wales marriage index (Registered Portsea Island 1867 2nd qu Fitzroy Fuller Lofty married Elizabeth Sarah Phillips)
3. ↑ Venn: Cambridge Alumni: FitzRoy Fuller Lofty
4. ↑ 1881 Census of England
   Whitchurch Rectory, Whitchurch, Herefordshire, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   FitzRoy Fuller	Lofty	Head	Married	Male	55	Rector	Lambeth, Surrey
   Elizabeth S	Lofty	Wife	Married	Female	45	-	?, Dorset
   Ethel S W	Lofty	Daughter	-	Female	7	Scholar	Basingstoke, Hants
   Margaret E	Lofty	Daughter	-	Female	4	-	Monk Sherborne, Hants
   Emily M	Lofty	Daughter	-	Female	1	-	Owslebury, Hants
   Ada M	Jenkins	Servant	Unmarried	Female	21	Cook, Domestic servant	Coleford, Gloucestershire
   Annie M	Perry	Servant	Unmarried	Female	16	Housemaid	Albury, Herefordshire
   Sarah	Waters	Servant	Unmarried	Female	19	Nurse	Monmouth

5. ↑ 1891 Census of England
   7 Ravenswood Rd., Westbury, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   FitzRoy Fuller	Lofty	Head	Married	Male	65	Retired clerk in Holy Orders church of England	Lambeth, Surrey
   Elizabeth S	Lofty	Wife	Married	Female	55	-	Upwey, Dorsetshire
   Janet L	Lofty	Daughter	Single	Female	22	-	Monk Sherborne, Hants
   Ethel S W	Lofty	Daughter	Single	Female	17	-	Basingstoke, Hants
   Margaret E	Lofty	Daughter	Single	Female	14	-	Monk Sherborne, Hants
   Emily M	Lofty	Daughter	-	Female	11	Scholar	Owslebury, Hants
   Nora	Cox	Servant	Single	Female	21	General servant, domestic	Ebbw Vale, Mon

6. ↑ Venn: Cambridge Alumni: FitzRoy Fuller Lofty
7. ↑ 1901 Census of England
   19 Woodstock Ave., Bristol, Gloucestershire, England

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   Elizabeth S	Lofty	Head	Widow	Female	66	Living on own means	Upwey, Dorsetshire
   Margaret E	Lofty	Daughter	Single	Female	24	-	Monk Sherborne, Hants
   Emily M	Lofty	Daughter	-	Female	21	School teacher	Owslebury, Hants
   Elizabeth	Powlea	Visitor	Single	Female	48	Companion	Tidenham, Glos
   Rachel M	Powlea	Visitor	Single	Female	46	Living on own means	?, Mon
   Rose	Bertin	Servant	Single	Female	18	Servant domestic	Cheltenham, Glos

8. ↑ 1911 Census of England
   19 Woodstock Ave., Redland, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England 7 rooms

   First Name	Last Name	Relationship	Marital Status	Gender	Age	Occupation	Birth Place
   Elizabeth S	Lofty	Head	Widow 6 children 1 died	Female	76	Private means	Upwey, Dorset
   Ethel Susan Winifred	Lofty	Daughter	Single	Female	37	Private means	Basingstoke, Hants
   Margaret E	Lofty	Daughter	Single	Female	34	Private means	Monk Sherborne, Hants
   Katharine Emily	Dellhouse	Visitor	Widow	Female	60	Private means	Fulham, London
   Amelia	Coombs	Servant	Single	Female	48	General servant	Montpelier, Bristol
   Emily	Claydon	Servant	Single	Female	40	General servant domestic	Evenley, Monmouthshire

9. ↑ The Murders of the Black Museum 1870-1970 Page 85: Gordon Honeycombe: Hutchinson 1982 ISBN 0-09-147610-0
10. ↑ The Murders of the Black Museum 1870-1970 Page 85: Gordon Honeycombe: Hutchinson 1982 ISBN 0-09-147610-0
11. ↑ England and Wales death index (Registered Bristol 1915 4th qu Elizabeth S Lofty aged 81)