It’s been an exciting week for this family historian as I have found out a bit more about Robert Capon Guy (1829-1903). Until now I knew very little about his early years as I could not find him in the 1841 census, or indeed any record of his birth.  Censuses indicated he was born in Ashbourne Derbyshire, but I could find no trace of this.  All I knew of his parents was that his father’s name was William and that on Robert’s marriage certificate his occupation was listed as “gentleman”.

I had wondered about the name “capon” , as it is unusual and assumed that it was from his father’s side (somehow thinking gentlemen can have unusual names). Anyway, it turns out that the name was his mother’s surname (which is in fact a common practice to give the maiden name as a second christian name) – my assumption had led me astray.  I had also assumed finding other members of this family would be easier because of this name, but the only one that cropped up (in the right time frame) was a William Capon Guy – but he was born in Norfolk so I assumed that was a different family.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, Robert may have been born in Ashbourne Derby (there is another brother born there) but was baptised in Gloucester.  This seems to have been a family that moved around a bit as it turns out, they originated in Norfolk  – yes, William Capon was another brother – and in fact the parents were born there.

So, the sequence is, Norfolk until about 1824, then a gap, then Derby  about 1829, then a move to Gloucester where another son was born in 1833.  After that who knows, possibly London as Robert appears there in 1851 and the aforesaid William Capon died there in 1840. .  I can find no trace of any of them in the 1841 census and indeed the parents seem to have vanished after 1833.

As for the gentleman bit, well William the parent started off as a tailor (his son Robert’s later occupation) – I don’t know how he got from there to the status of gentleman!  What I need is an inspired guess – I’m trying to give up assumptions!

Next job – to get all the information on to my website!