Last time we provided a short introduction to Robert Austin Shearn (1877-1940). He lived a troubled life and got into quite a bit of mischief. In that post, I wrote that Robert’s mother, Arabella Cowley, was Robert’s father, Charles Hall Shearn’s, first wife. She was Charles’ second wife. His first wife, Matilda Hart, gave Charles two sons, Charles James Hall Shearn (1858-1933) and James Parfitt Shearn (1862-1877).* Matilda died in early 1875. Charles and Arabella married on 27 April 1876.
1877 A Fateful Year
For the Shearn family, 1877 had some high times and some very low times. And it all seemed to happen at once. An occasion that one would expect to be one of the high times, Robert Austin Shearn was born 27 April 1877 at St. George, Hanover Square, Middlesex. However, during the birth Arabella did not fair well. She died as a consequence of complications of childbirth on 14 May 1877. Even before Arabella succumbed to her illness, poor fourteen year old James Parfitt Shearn, Charles Hall Shearn’s second born, died on 11 May 1877, just three days before Arabella. What an rollercoaster of a fortnight! Or thereabouts. Charles must have been beside himself with grief and responsibility. The oldest child, Charles James Hall Shearn was around nineteen and certainly able to help out. He must have also been quite distressed. As he grew older, how was Robert affected by the stress and pain of the situation for his father and brother? Did this lead him to live his life the way he did?
Name and Alias
Robert was likely given his first named after his paternal grandfather, Robert Cowley. He also had an uncle by the same name, Robert Cowley, Jr. Later in his life he would take the name of his aunt. Arabella had a brother named Ebenezer. He married Janet McFarlane Wilson. Robert Austin probably took his alias, McFarlane, from his aunt. Austin is a family name from his paternal side. Many Shearns were named Austin. My great-grandfather and my great-great-grandfather were both named Austin. But their surname was Hall, as discussed in a previous post.
Census Records
In the 1881 census, Robert was listed with his step-mother Eliza who was head of household at 17 Half Moon St, Hanover Square, Middlesex. His older brother Charles James Hall Shearn was twenty-two and also in the home. The property was owned by Charles Hall Shearn according to the rate books. He also owned the apartment building behind on Clarges St. The Half Moon St place was used as a boarding house. On census day they had seven boarders.
In the 1891 census, Robert was with his Uncle Robert and Aunt Jane Cowley, nee Plaster, in Bampton, Oxfordshire. He may have been visiting or he may have been living there. In 1891 Eliza and Charles James Hall Shearn were in Hanover Square.
Coming up
In the next phase of Robert Austin Shearn’s life he joined the British Army, in 1896. He was nineteen years old. We will talk about that next time.
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