A STIFF-NECKED GENERATION

A. Wyatt Tilby

Archive

Archive index:

There are several caps in our knowledge of the real-life characters from the novel. If you have any information, records, photographs etc. that could be added to this site, please contact Robert Saunders.

More information will be added to this page as and when it is known. Please bookmark this site and visit again soon.

Characters from the novel
Character
Real-life Person
Marion
Marian Tilby (nee Chenery) 1818-1894
Relationship to author: Grandmother
Henry
Henry Ilden Tilby 1811-1863
Relationship to author: Grandfather
Henry was the son of Thomas Martin Ilden Tilby (1783-1873) and Ann (nee Simonds, b.1780). He married Jane Barton (1811-1849) in 1842, with whom he had two dauthers: Harriet (below) and Eliza Jane Tilby (1849-1865), neither of whom bore any children. Henry's occupation is described in various records, including the 1861 census, as a Butter Salesman. After Ann died, he married Marian Chenery (1818-1894) at Christ Church Greyfairs, Newgate, London in 1850. Together they had four children: Thomas Martin, Henry and Edith who are all characters in the novel, and Marion (1860-1863) who is not. Their family house was in Islington, London. Henry died of "aneurism of aorta" on 23 April 1863 at the age of 57, as described in the novel.
Henry
Henry Tilby 1850-1913
Relationship to author: Father
Henry's and his wife Mary had three sons, although there is no mention in the novel of their first son, Percy Everald Tilby who was born in 1878 and died in 1886. Some time after the premature death of his wife in 1885, Henry emigrated to Australia leaving his two surviving sons, Aubrey and Cecil, behind. He died in Sydney, Australia in 1913 having never really established himself (see Letters from Henry to Aubrey). His death certificate describes him as unmarried (incorrectly) and as an engineer's assistant. His wife's death certificate records his occupation as "Hotel manager", while the 1881 UK census records him as "Publisher unemployed". It is not known whether or not he fathered an illegitimate son after his wife's death, as described in the novel.
Mowbray
Thomas Martin Tilby 1852-1932
Relationship to author: Uncle
Known to the family as "Uncle Martin", he and his wife Ellen had no children of their own. They took in Henry's son Percy soon after birth but he died at the age of about eight. Percy's brother, Aubrey, came to live with them after his mother Mary died in 1885. Martin and his wife lived in Islington, London, where his occupation is recorded in the 1891 census as "secry [sic] of a church society and organist."

Helen
Ellen Tilby (nee Charles) 1853-1916
Relationship to author: Aunt
Little is known of Ellen, other than what is described of her life with her husband Martin above. She lived considerably longer than her character in the novel.
Henrietta
Harriet Tilby 1843-1908
Relationship to author: Aunt
Harriet was the daughter of Henry Ilden Tilby and his first wife, Jane Barton (1811-1849). Her death certificate records her occupation as "Retired principal of ladies school". She is known to have looked after and educated Aubrey (Alec) in his later childhood years at her home in Eastbourne, in similar circumstances to those descibed in the novel. Harriet was never married and had no children.
Amelia
Edith Tilby 1856-1939
Relationship to author: Aunt
Edith is known to have worked as a school teacher in Ayelsbury, Buckinghamshire, although her death certificate records her occupation as a missionary worker. She died in a nursing home in Heathfield on 22 May1939, having never married.
Mary
Mary Louisa Tilby (nee Wyatt) 1853-1885
Relationship to author: Mother
Mary Louisa Wyatt married Henry Tilby in about 1876. Together they had three children: Percy Everald (1878-1886) who is not described in the novel, Aubrey and Henry Cecil. She was brought up by Isabella Virgo, after her mother died in childbirth. The 1861 and 1871 censuses record them as living in Finsbury and Streatham. She died of TB in 1885 when Cecil was two years old, as described in the novel.
Arthur
Aubrey Wyatt Tilby (Alec) 1880-1948
The author
Despite the morbid prognosis of his childhood, A. Wyatt Tilby went on to enjoy a successful career as an author, journalist and traveller. He married Kathleen Nora Brewer on 3rd April 1909. Together they had three children and eight grandchildren. See biography for more information
Cyril

Henry Cecil Tilby 1883-1971
Relationship to author: Brother
Cecil, as he was known, was born in Norwood, Surrey in 1883. He was brought up by Isabella Virgo after his mother (Mary) died in 1885. The 1891 census records Isabella and Cecil living in the Alms Houses in Streatham, South London. The following census in 1901 records him living in Wandsworth and working as Clock Maker and Watch repairer. In 1905, he emigrated to Canada where he worked as an electrician. He married Florence Ethel Potten (also from Surrey) in Winnipeg, Manitoba on 6th June, 1908. Togther they travelled west in search of work, and eventually settled in the village of Wabamun, Alberta, 67km west of Edmonton. Together they had seven children and twenty-seven grandchildren.
Isabel
Isabella Virgo 1819-1905
Isablla, known to the family as "Aunt Belle", was the daughter of John Virgo, a solicitor. After Mary Wyatt's mother died, Isaballa brought her up. When Mary died in 1885, Isabella took on the care of Cecil, Mary's youngest son, as described in the novel. Isabella died as a spinster on 27th november 1905 in Tooting Bec Asylum (see death certificate).
Lottie Henry's common law wife, who bore his illegitimate son in novel. It is not known if she existed in real-life.

Anyone with a Tilby family connection may be interested to subscribe to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tilby, a site run by Bruce Tilby (Cecil's great-grandson) for sharing information about Tilby family history.

Census records

All census images and transcripts on this page are reproduced with the permission of
The National Archive and findmypast.com


click to enlarge

transcript
(104 KB)

1861 census
Head of household: Henry I Tilby
Address: 4, Belitha Villa West, St Mary Islington
National Archive Reference:
RG No: RG09 Piece: 127 Folio: 125 Page: 27
Image source: www.findmypast.com


click to enlarge

transcript
(75 KB)

1861 census
Head of household: Isabella Virgo
Address: 8, Oxford Road, St Marys Islington, Finsbury
National Archive Reference:
RG No: RG09 Piece: 129 Folio: 64 Page: 3
Image source: www.findmypast.com


click to enlarge

transcript
(85 KB)

1871 census
Inmates: Isabella Virgo & Mary Wyatt
Address: Garrett Lane, St Clement Dane's Alms Houses,Streatham
National Archive Reference:
RG No: RG10 Piece: 720 Folio: 4 Page: 2
Image source: www.findmypast.com


click to enlarge

1881 census
Head of Household: Henry Tilby
Address: 255 Andover Villa, Norwood
National Archive Reference:
RG No: RG11 Piece: 819 Folio: 61 Page: 52
Image source: www.findmypast.com


click to enlarge

transcript
(74 KB)

1891 census
Head of household: Thomas Martin Tilby
Address: 24, Blythwood Road, Islington, London
National Archive Reference:
RG No: RG12 Piece: 146 Folio: 160 Page: 21
Image source: www.findmypast.com


click to enlarge

transcript
(66 KB)

1891 census
Head of household: Isabella Virgo
Address: 2, Alms Houses, Garrett Lane, Streatham
National Archive Reference:
RG No: RG12 Piece: 454 Folio: 4 Page: 1
Image source: www.findmypast.com

Other pages in the Archive: