Category Archives: Mansel family

How to use the British Newspaper Archive

Posted on June 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

I rarely buy family history magazines anymore but whilst we were on holiday last month I picked up one to read. There was an article about the British Newspaper Archive which sounded interesting so I signed up online and received 15 free credits (which equated to 3 page views).

I tried a couple of simple searches with no luck and was pretty disappointed at the results which seemed illegible. The original newspapers are scanned, converted to a JPEG2000 format for archive purposes, and then run through an optical character recognition (OCR) process which creates the electronic text. This means that the text isn’t read by a human so the words are made live on the website even if they don’t make sense, i.e. ‘MISS SELINA RANCE,n ttends bhtre Gret Lodon Serio-Comic. treet, ‘ Continued Engagement of the Universil Favourites and ge, ou Star Duettists.’ So you need to do a bit of detective work!

I then tried some searches for some of the middle and upper class members of my tree, in particular Selina Elizabeth Courtenay Mansel, as I noticed I didn’t have a date of her marriage to Alfred Young.

On the second page of results was for a notice of their marriage in the Hampshire Telegraph, dated Saturday 27 July 1850:

Young-Mansel  On the 16th inst., at the Collegiate Church of St Nicholas, Galway, by the Rev J Macready , Alfred Young Esq. Lieutenant R.N. grandson of the late Bishop of Clonfert , to Selina Elizabeth Courtenay, only child of Captain Thomas Mansel, R.N. , and grandchild of the late Sir William Mansel , Bart., of Iscoed, Wales.

I’m really glad I persevered with searching as I doubt I would ever have found a record of their marriage. I can see how easy it would be to become addicted to this site! I also found an entry for the death of Admiral Thomas Mansel in the Morning Post, 7th April 1869.

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Posted in Ireland, Mansel family, Young family

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Local newspapers – The Cambrian

Posted on June 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

The Cambrian was the first English-language newspaper to be published in Wales, running from 1804 – 1930.  A couple of years ago I heard that it had been digitised and indexed which was great news for family historians with Welsh ancestors.

The following extracts relate to Admiral Thomas Mansel (1783-1869):
The Cambrian (Catalogue Index T30)
09 July 1814
With pleasure we state that … Thomas Mansel, Esq. son of the late Sir W. Mansel, Bart. of Iscoed, have been promoted to the rank of Master and Commander.

The Cambrian (Catalogue Index K62)
19 April 1834
Capt. Thos. MANSEL., R.N. – On Thursday, the 27th ult., the officers and crew of the Folkestone District, presented to our brave countryman, Capt. T. Mansel (son of the late Sir William Mansel, of Iscoed, Carmarthenshire), upon his retiring from the command of that district, with a salver, coffee-pot, sugar and milk ewer, of the most costly description, as a token of their high respect and sincere regard for his urbane, gentlemanly, and kind attention to his brother officers during the arduous service of the last three years in that district. On the coffee-pot was engraved the following inscription:- “To Captain Mansel,R.N., on promotion. Presented by the Officers of the Folkestone District, in testimony of their respect and esteem. 1834.” Inscription on the salver:- “To Captain Mansel, R.N., on retiring from the command of the Folkestone District. Presented by the respective Crews as a testimony of their grateful respect for his solicitude in promoting their interest and welfare. 1834.” – Capt. Mansel returned thanks in a feeling address, – The Devon Telegraph, from which the above notice is extracted, says – “We understand it is intended to give the gallant Captain a public dinner in the Town-hall at Folkstone, in which many of the neighbouring gentleman have expressed a wish to join.”

The Cambrian (Catalogue Index C20)
09 April 1869
Death of Admiral Mansel. – the death of Admiral Thomas Mansel took place on the 1st inst., at Fareham, in the 86th year of his age. The deceased admiral, who was the last surviving son of the late Sir William Mansel, of Iscoed, Bart., entered the navy in 1798, and as midshipman served in the Elephant, under Lord Nelson, at the battle of Copenhagen, in April, 1801. He afterwards proceeded to the West Indies, and took part in the operations against the French, at St Domingo, in 1803. As lieutenant of the Racoon he was wounded at the recapture of a merchant vessel off Cuba. He commanded the armed ship Trowbridge, and was present at the taking of the Isle of France in 1810. His last appointment was in April, 1831, to the coastguard, in which service he continued until he was promoted to captain in February 1834. His commissions bore date as follows: Lieutenant, 16th September, 1804; commander, 15th June, 1814; captain, 12th February,1834; retired rear-admiral, 21st October, 1856; vice-admiral,27th April, 1863; and admiral, 18th October, 1867.

The Cambrian (Catalogue Index C10)
09 April 1869
On the 1st inst., At Fareham, Admiral Thomas Mansel, the last surviving son of the late Sir William Mansel, Iscoed, Bart., in the 86th year of his age.

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Posted in Mansel family, Royal Navy, Wales

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Do you visit places your ancestors lived?

Posted on June 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

I’m sure I can’t be the only person who loves to visit the places their ancestors lived. Thanks to the census and other records it’s possible to get a good idea of the places people lived. On a few occasions my husband has driven me round to look at places although he always makes me get out of the car to take photographs!

West Street, Fareham

Thomas Mansel died at West Street, Fareham on the 1st April, 1869. George Duncan was also a resident of West Street, Fareham at the time of his marriage to Ada Young , 11th May 1878. Photograph of West Street, Fareham taken in 2005.

East Street, Fareham

Mansel Young was resident at 11 East Street, Fareham according to the 1881 census. Photograph of East Street, Fareham taken in 2005.

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Posted in Duncan family, Mansel family, Young family

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Mansel, Thomas

Posted on May 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

Thomas Mansel entered the Navy, in 1798, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the HYAENA 24, Capts. Hon. Courtenay Boyle and David Lloyd, stationed at first in the North Sea and afterwards in the Mediterranean. Removing as Midshipman, in 1800, to the ELEPHANT 74, Capts. Thomas Foley and George Dundas, he served in that ship under Lord Nelson at the battle of Copenhagen 2 April, 1801, and on proceeding to the West Indies took part in the operations of 1803 against the French at St. Domingo. Between the summer of 1804, on 16 Sept. in which year he was confirmed a Lieutenant, and the date of his promotion to the rank of Commander, 15 June, 1814, we find him serving, in every quarter of the globe, in the PORTMAHON sloop, Capt. Sam. Chambers, BARRACOUTA schooner, commanded by himself, RACOON 18, capt. Edward Crofton, AVON 18, Capt. Mauritius Adolphus Newton De Starck, DREADNOUGHT 98, Capt. Wm. Lechmere,VOLONTAIRE 38, Capt. Chas. Bullen, HIBERNIA 110, Capt. R.J.Neve, TROUBRIDGE armed ship, under his own orders, DRAGON 74,bearing the flag of Sir Fras. Laforey, and BARHAM 74, Capt.John Wm. Spranger. He was wounded, during that period, in the boats of the RACOON at the recapture of a merchant vessel off Cuba – was present in the AVON (after having escorted a Russian ship of the line to the Baltic, and Mr. Erskine, H. M. Minister, to the United States) in a gallant escape made by that vessel from the French 74-gun ship Regulus – aided, when in the VOLONTAIRE, in conveying the present King of the French to Malta, as also in capturing the island of Pomegue, near Marseilles, and in destroying Fort Rioux, mounting 14 guns, near Cape Croisette- and commanded the TROUBRIDGE at the reduction of the Isle of France. His last appointment was 13 April, 1831, to the Coast Guard, in which service he continued until posted 12 Feb. 1834.
[British Naval Biographical Dictionary, 1849]

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Posted in Mansel family, People, Royal Navy