Welcome to my latest post! Previously, I explored the life of one Gouly de Chaville whom I found in a chance survey of the Preston Plucknett tithe records from 1848. Gouly de Chaville turned out to have been a Frenchman originally named Paul Benoit Joseph Gouly; the ‘de Chaville’ seems to have been added after his migration to England. Not only did Paul lead an interesting life of language teaching and a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, but his choice of surname led to a new surname being formed and a new family name. Paul was not generally known simply by his birth surname of Gouly, but by ‘Gouly de Chaville.’ Possibly a moniker to mark him out from other Frenchmen, but also perhaps to show pride in his country and birthplace. This change of surname had farther reaching consequences for the surnames of his children and wider family.
The story of five children
As I mentioned in my previous post, Paul had at least five children with his first wife Harriett (or Henrietta) Maria Sanders. Harriett then sadly passed away in February of 1864,[1] the informant not her husband but likely a relative of Digory Gordge. Harriett had been living with Digory and his family at the time of the 1861 Census, in Charmouth, Dorset,[2] and was also buried there on the 12th of February, aged 60.[3] Paul did remarry to Annie Mason on 20 April 1865, in Christchurch, Hampshire.[4] The couple had no children though, and Annie outlived Paul by twenty one years; she died back in Hampshire in 1911,[5] although the couple had continued their travels having been located in Aberystwyth at the time of the 1881 Census[6] and Worthing, Sussex at the time of Paul’s death in 1890.[7]
So what of Paul’s children with first wife Harriett? From census records found, the children of that union were Emma (or Emma Maria), Edward James, Henry Hugh, Mary Frances and Pauline Maria. They were all born between 1825 and 1837, mostly in Hillingdon, Middlesex (some records say Uxbridge), although Pauline was the only child to have been born in Reading, Berkshire. As I have previously explained, I have so far been unable to undertake a full search for their baptisms for COVID-19 reasons. You may also ask why I am writing about Paul’s children at all? It was Paul after all that unwittingly changed his surname from his birth name of ‘Gouly’ to ‘Gouly de Chaville.’ Surely his children would all carry that name? In actual fact, his children carried a mixture of surnames. It would seem that they could not decide upon one either!
Emma Maria de Chaville
Emma Maria was the eldest and born in about 1825.[8] [9] Her life is perhaps the least interesting from a researcher’s perspective, as she became a teacher and died unmarried in Burwash, Sussex, on the 23 July 1898.[10] She was buried in Burwash two days later.[11] Emma had taken after her father in some respects though, as she has been located in many different residences throughout her life. These were in various guises of teacher, governess and my personal favourite ‘daily instructress.’ After 1851 (where Emma can be found with her mother and sister Mary in Charmouth), Emma never again is living with family members. Of course, this does not mean that there was never any contact with her family; who can tell what went on between the census years without further research? But, it does make me wonder how close a family they were. In any case, the most interesting aspect of Emma’s life (to this research at least), is the surname that is recorded for her throughout her life.
The 1861 Census, whilst in Taunton, Somerset, records her as Emma CHAVILLE.[12] This is also the case for the 1891 Census, when she is in Etchingham, Sussex.[13] The 1881 Census for Hythe, Kent[14] and her death and burial records in Burwash however, all record her as Emma DE CHAVILLE. There is a further difference in the 1871 Census for Crediton, Devon, where she is Emma M. GOULY DE CHEVILLE.[15] Whether Emma meant it or not, she is rarely recorded as using the name Gouly at all, and essentially perpetuates a ‘new’ surname of CHAVILLE or DE CHAVILLE.
Mary Frances and Pauline Maria De Chaville
Both of Emma’s younger sisters Mary Frances and Pauline Maria have sadder stories to tell. Pauline Maria (the youngest, born in about 1837[16] [17]), died on 10 February 1856, in Taunton, Somerset. That would suggest that the family could still have been around that area at the time, as her sister Emma was still in Taunton in 1861. Being the youngest, Pauline was still in school in 1851 and attended Knapp House in Milborne Port, under the tutelage of school Mistress Anne Kelloway.[18] On that record, she was Pauline DU CHAVILLE and upon her death certificate of 1856, she was Pauline Maria Gouly D’CHAVILLE. Pauline was buried in Taunton five days after her death at St. Mary’s Church, Taunton and had been a school teacher living at Park Street in Wilton.[19] Regrettably, she was only 19 when she died.
Mary Frances (born in about 1831[20]), also had a sad life. Most of the census records do not even record her name, only her initials. This was due to her residency at the Fisherton Anger Lunatic Asylum near Salisbury, Dorset. In the future, I hope to discover more about her time there, so that her story can be told along with that of her siblings. Mary Frances spent most of her life in that Asylum, from at least 1861[21] until her death in December of 1901.[22] She is generally identifiable by an occupation of ‘daughter of a tutor’ and similar. Although when she is named in the Census of 1901[23] and in her death certificate later that year, she is Mary Frances Gouly DE CHAVILLE. So, yet again, this new surname of ‘De Chaville’ is used, rather than her father’s initial family name of ‘Gouly.’
Henry Hugh Gouly de Chaville
This brings me to Paul Gouly de Chaville’s two sons, Edward James and Henry Hugh. Henry Hugh (born in about 1829[24] [25]), was following in his father’s footsteps and working as a professor of languages (French and German) in 1851.[26] This was in Chard, Somerset, in the household of George Dunn. But a mere ten years later, he could be found in Downton, Wiltshire, living with the local vicar, having become a clerk in holy orders.[27] It is currently unclear what prompted this momentous shift in occupation! His surnames were a mixture of those of his sisters Emma and Mary Frances; on these records he was known as either Henry GOULY DE CHAVILLE or Henry H G DE CHAVILLE. Although Henry Hugh also died relatively young (like his sister Pauline), he did marry and was able to pass on his surname. So far, five children have been found for Henry and his wife Lucy Elizabeth (neé Fairthorne). The couple married on 12 February 1862, in Longcot, Berkshire,[28] eight years before Henry Hugh’s death at the age of 41.[29] The family had moved down to Devon, before Henry’s wife Lucy moved back to Wiltshire to spend her days at the Duchess of Somerset’s Almshouses in Froxfield.[30] The Almshouses were set up specifically to house the widows of clergymen residing within 160 miles of London.[31] Lucy then ended her life as Lucy Elizabeth GOULY DE CHAVILLE on 29 August 1913,[32] having never remarried. Further research is needed for Henry and Lucy’s children, but so far, they seem to have carried either the surname of GOULY DE CHAVILLE, or simply DE CHAVILLE.
Edward James Gouly
The last of Paul Gouly de Chaville’s children is Edward James, born in about 1827.[33] [34] Whilst not the oldest, he was the oldest boy and perhaps this is why he subsequently used solely the surname GOULY throughout his life. Further research into any French naming practices that might govern this choice would need to be performed, but there is no variation with GOULY DE CHAVILLE or even DE CHAVILLE like his siblings. Subsequently, he was by far the easiest to locate and also the family member who did the least travelling. Edward’s marriage to Elizabeth Frances Dearsly took place on 24 August 1844, at Holy Trinity Church in Islington, Middlesex. Edward was still a minor at about 17, but had already found employment as a clerk for the Bank of England.[35] This was an occupation he carried on until sometime before 1895, when he was recorded as being retired on his second wife’s death certificate.[36] His first wife Elizabeth, died in 1853[37] and Edward then remarried twenty nine years later on 01 June 1882. This second marriage was to Julia Marianne Hawkey, who was residing in Bournemouth at the time, which is also where the marriage took place.[38] Coincidentally, this is not far from where his father Paul married his second wife in 1865.
As Edward had steady employment, so he had a more steady residence than his father and most of his siblings. Islington was where Edward and his family lived until 1871 at least, living first at 11 Eden Grove[39] and then at number 5, St. John’s Park, St. Mary’s, Islington.[40] [41] Just before his second marriage, Edward moved to the St. Pancras area of London and lived at number 25 (or St. John’s Lodge), Dartmouth Park Avenue[42] [43] until sometime between 1901[44] and 1911.[45] By 1911, Edward had moved again to Bounds Green in New Southgate, Middlesex, outliving even his second wife Julia, who died in 1895.[46] Edward died himself at 1 York Road, Southgate on 04 December 1916, at the grand old age of 89.[47] He left just over £2,000 in his estate,[48] and had also been one of the executors of his stepmother Annie’s estate upon her death five years earlier.[49] It must have been a slightly strange family dynamic when Edward was about five years older than his stepmother Annie!
Two surnames for the same family
Like Henry Hugh, Edward James passed his surname on to his children (also five, by his first wife Elizabeth). But this time, the surname passed on was GOULY, with no exceptions. Their father Paul’s family surname could live on in its original form, but only through one of his children! Only Henry Hugh had any other descendants and he passed on the variations that were created when Paul decided to add ‘de Chaville’ to his own name. What this has created is two branches of the same family with completely different surnames! This makes it more likely that anyone researching one of these branches may not make the connection with the other, at least to begin with.
There is much left to discover in Paul’s family and there are even hints that the descendants of Edward James and Henry Hugh may have Australian and South African links. What I have found so far has only just scratched the surface, so I am looking forward to adding to their stories in the future. What I have outlined in this series of posts though, is that through one man’s decision, a whole new surname or set of surname variants was created. They in turn were cemented by constant use and appearance in official records, and it all started with ‘Gouly de Chaville’ being recorded in the 1848 Preston Plucknett tithe records. The smallest or most innocuous entry in a record, really can spark something immense!
© 2021 Shersca Genealogy
[1] Deaths (CR) England. Charmouth, Dorset. 05 February 1864. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Maria Henrietta. Entry no. 320.
[2] Census records. England. Charmouth, Dorset. 07 April 1861. DE CHAVILLE, Harriet M G. PN: RG9/1370. FL 66. SN 39. ED 1. p. 6. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.
[3] Burials (PR) England. Charmouth, Dorset. 12 February 1864. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Henrietta Maria. Collection: Dorset, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-2010. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 10 December 2020.
[4] Marriages (CR) England. Parish Church, Christchurch, Hampshire. 20 April 1865. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Paul Benoît Joseph and MASON, Annie. Entry no. 190.
[5] Deaths (CR) England. Boscombe, Christchurch, Hampshire. 06 Oct 1911. GOULY-DE-CHAVILLE, Annie. Entry no. 65.
[6] Census records. Wales. Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire. 03 April 1881. CHAVILLE, Paul Benoet. PN: RG11/5445. FL 44. SN 362. ED 1b. p. 6. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 26 November 2020.
[7] Deaths (CR) England. Worthing, Sussex. 04 May 1890. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Paul Benoît Joseph. Entry no. 405.
[8] Census records. England. Charmouth, Dorset. 30 March 1851. DE CHAVELLE, Morea [Maria] G (head). PN: HO107/1862. FL 8. SN 38. ED 1. p. 9. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.
[9] Deaths (CR) England. Burwash, Sussex. 23 July 1898. DE CHAVILLE, Emma. Entry no. 3.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Burials (PR) England. Burwash, Sussex. 25 July 1898. DE CHAVILLE, Emma. [Transcription only.] Collection: Sussex Burials. http://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.
[12] Census records. England. St. Mary Magdalen, Taunton, Somerset. 07 April 1861. CHAVILLE, Emma (head). PN: RG9/1617. FL 68. SN 127. ED 9. p. 17. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.
[13] Census records. England. Etchingham, Sussex. 05 April 1891. CHAVILLE, Emma. PN: RG12/779. FL 62. SN 56. ED 6. p. 9. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.
[14] Census records. England. Hythe, Kent. 03 April 1881. CHAVILLE, Emma M G de. PN: RG11/1014. FL 78. SN 275. ED 9. p. 52. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.
[15] Census records. England. Crediton, Devon. 02 April 1871. GOULY DE CHEVILLE, Emma M. PN: RG10/2161. FL 44. SN 33. ED 3. p. 6. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.
[16] Census records. England. Milborne Port, Somerset. 30 March 1851. CHAVILLE, Pauline du. PN: HO107/1931. FL 297. SN 81. ED 3c. p. 20. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 08 January 2021.
[17] Deaths (CR) England. Wilton, Taunton, Somerset. 10 February 1856. D’CHAVILLE, Pauline Maria Gouly. Entry no. 126.
[18] Census records. England. Milborne Port, Somerset. 30 March 1851. CHAVILLE, Pauline du. PN: HO107/1931. FL 297. SN 81. ED 3c. p. 20. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 08 January 2021.
[19] Burials (PR) England. St. Mary, Taunton, Somerset. 15 February 1856. DE CHAVILLE, Pauline Maria Gouly. Collection: Somerset, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1914. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 10 December 2020.
[20] Census records. England. Charmouth, Dorset. 30 March 1851. DE CHAVELLE, Mary F. PN: HO107/1862. FL 8. SN 38. ED 1. p. 9. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.
[21] Census records. England. Fisherton Anger, [Salisbury], Wiltshire. 07 April 1861. C, M F G D’ [CHAVILLE, Mary Frances Gouly De]. PN: RG9/1315. FL 150. SN 1. ED Fisherton House Lunatic Asylum. p. 18. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 14 January 2021.
[22] Deaths (CR) England. Fisherton Anger, Wiltshire. 08 December 1901. DE CHAVILLE, Mary Frances Gouly. Entry no. 437.
[23] Census records. England. Fisherton Anger, [Salisbury], Wiltshire. 31 March 1901. DE CHAVILLE, Mary Frances G. PN: RG13/1951. FL 142. SN 1. ED Fisherton House. p. 6. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 08 January 2021.
[24] Census records. England. Chard, Somerset. 30 March 1851. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Henry. PN: HO107/1928. FL 57. SN 75. ED 1b. p. 20. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.
[25] Deaths (CR) England. Dartmouth, Devon. 07 December 1870. DE CHAVILLE, Henry Hugh Gouly. Entry no. 374.
[26] Census records. England. Chard, Somerset. 30 March 1851. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Henry. PN: HO107/1928. FL 57. SN 75. ED 1b. p. 20. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.
[27] Census records. England. Downton, Wiltshire. 07 April 1861. DE CHAVILLE, Henry H G. PN: RG9/1314. FL 60. SN 70. ED 4. p. 13. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 08 January 2021.
[28] Marriages (CR) England. Parish Church, Longcot, Berkshire. 12 February 1862. DE CHAVILLE, Henry Hugh Gouly and FAIRTHORNE, Lucy Elizabeth. Entry no. 118.
[29] Deaths (CR) England. Dartmouth, Devon. 07 December 1870. DE CHAVILLE, Henry Hugh Gouly. Entry no. 374.
[30] Census records. England. Froxfield, Hungerford, Berkshire [Wiltshire]. 02 April 1911. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Lucy Elizabeth (head). RD 115. PN: RG14/6406. ED 7. SN 10. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 08 January 2021.
[31] Hamilton, N. E. S. A. (1868) The National gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Virtue. [Extract transcribed by Colin Hinson, 2003] https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/WIL/Froxfield : accessed 06 June 2021.
[32] Deaths (CR) England. Froxfield, Ramsbury, Wiltshire. 29 August 1913. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Lucy Elizabeth. Entry no. 1.
[33] Census records. England. Islington, Middlesex. 30 March 1851. GOULY, Edward Ja[me]s (head). PN: HO107/1500. FL 750. SN 12. ED 68. p. 3. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.
[34] Deaths (CR) England. Southgate, Middlesex. 04 Dec 1916. GOULY, Edward James. Entry no. 139.
[35] Marriages (PR) England. Holy Trinity, Islington, Middlesex. 24 August 1844. GOULY, Edward James and DEARSLY, Elizabeth Frances. Collection: London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1932. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.
[36] Deaths (CR) England. Kentish Town, Pancras, London. 27 March 1895. GOULY, Julia Marianne. Entry no. 429.
[37] Deaths (CR) England. Holloway, Islington, Middlesex. 06 March 1853. GOULY, Elizabeth Frances. Entry no. 187.
[38] Marriages (CR) England. Parish Church of St. Clements, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Hampshire. 01 June 1882. GOULY, Edward James and HAWKEY, Julia Marianne. Entry no. 117.
[39] Census records. England. Islington, Middlesex. 30 March 1851. GOULY, Edward Ja[me]s (head). PN: HO107/1500. FL 750. SN 12. ED 68. p. 3. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.
[40] Census records. England. Islington, Middlesex. 07 April 1861. GOULY, Edward J (head). PN: RG9/137. FL 23. SN 44. ED 70. p. 9. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.
[41] Census records. England. St. Mary, Islington, London. 02 April 1871. CHEVILL, Emma M Gouly De (head). PN: RG10/276. FL 7. SN 26. ED 74. p. 8. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.
[42] Census records. England. St. Pancras, London. 03 April 1881. GOULY, Edward J (head). PN: RG11/221. FL 43. SN 195. ED 39. p. 39. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.
[43] Census records. England. St. Pancras, London. 05 April 1891. GOULY, Edward J (head). PN: RG12/139. FL 9. SN 62. ED 42. p. 13. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 06 January 2021.
[44] Census records. England. St. Pancras, London. 31 March 1901. GOULEY, Edw[ar]d J (head). PN: RG13/156. FL 66. SN 377. ED 19. p. 55. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.
[45] Census records. England. Bounds Green, New Southgate, Middlesex. 02 April 1911. GOULY, Edward James (head). RD 132. PN: RG14/7401. ED 51. SN 208. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 07 January 2021.
[46] Deaths (CR) England. Kentish Town, Pancras, London. 27 March 1895. GOULY, Julia Marianne. Entry no. 429.
[47] Deaths (CR) England. Southgate, Middlesex. 04 Dec 1916. GOULY, Edward James. Entry no. 139.
[48] Testamentary records. England. 25 January 1917. GOULY, Edward James. Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the grants of probate. p. 410. Collection: England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.
[49] Testamentary records. England. 07 November 1911. GOULY DE CHAVILLE, Annie. Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the grants of probate. p. 290. Collection: England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995. http://www.ancestry.co.uk : accessed 13 December 2020.
