Since the publication of my original web page on "Some Copus Family Lines" in March 2007, in which I bemoaned the fact that, of the many people who have contacted me about the Copus surname over the years, so few have proved to be demonstrably related to me, I have been both surprised and delighted to be contacted by no less than three previously unknown people who are researching families clearly related to my own. Not only that, but their interests (and connections to myself and my family) lie in quite separate branches of the extended family, though in each case the connection can be traced back to the Lambeth and Marylebone areas of London (Surrey and Middlesex respectively) in the 19th Century.

While researching the original web page dealing with "Some Copus Family Lines", early in 2007, I discovered a "missing" relative in the 1861 Census of Lambeth (RG 9/357/folio 30), in the form of Harriett Cawse, a widow, aged 50, "Formerly Stay Maker", born in Gloucester. Harriett Cawse (née Baker) appears as the "Aunt" of George Copus (aged 23), Furniture Dealer and Upholsterer, and of his brother Cyrus Copus, my own direct ancestor (who was then aged 20, also a Furniture Dealer and, like George, born in Bayswater). They were living at 2 Upper Dorset Place, in the Kennington area of Lambeth. This was interesting in itself, as the title page of the "Stock Book" of the two Copus brothers' mother Kezia Copus (née Baker) gives her address as not number 2, but number 1 Upper Dorset Place. It was actually while trying in vain to establish an exact date for the starting of this Stock Book, when writing the original "Copus" web page, that I came across the 1861 Census entry and realised (with considerable surprise) that I had never seen this before.

I quickly realised, too, that the 1861 Census entry contained one vital piece of information - namely the birthplace of Harriett Cawse, which was clearly given as "Gloucester", as opposed to "Gloucestershire". Given that her maiden surname and (obviously) that of her sister Kezia, my ancestor, was such a common one, Baker, this was very useful confirmation of the relevance of some baptisms at St. Nicholas Gloucester which I had found (via the IGI) many years before. It should be explained that my ancestor Kezia Baker herself was only ever listed in the Census as born in Gloucestershire, rather than Gloucester. Although the baptisms at St. Nicholas Gloucester had always looked very likely to be relevant (luckily my ancestor did at least have the unusual and distinctive given name of Kezia), this 1861 Census entry for her sister Harriett provides further very useful confirmation of that relevance. Kezia was baptised in 1808 (as "Keziah"), Harriett in 1810 (as "Harriet") and their sister Sarah in 1805, all being stated to be daughters of Thomas and Jane Baker.

Despite some further research, I have still not been able to trace the Baker line back beyond early 19th Century Gloucester. However, Harriett Baker fortunately married in 1839 (at St. Mary Whitechapel), so that I was able to obtain a copy of her marriage certificate. This confirms her father's name as Thomas Baker, and gives the further useful information that he was a Chair Maker. This had not previously been known, since my ancestors Kezia Baker and Charles Copus were married in 1827, well before the start of Civil Registration. As noted above, too, the three known Baker sisters were baptised before 1813, so that the entries in the original register of baptisms do not give any indication of their father's occupation.

It seems not unlikely that my ancestral Copus family may have gone into the furniture business as a result of this Baker connection. An advertisement by "K. Copus & Sons" (undated, but, like the "Stock Book", probably dating from the early 1860s) again gives the Kennington business address as 1 Upper Dorset Place, Clapham Road. Also interesting are the statement that the business was "Established (at the West End) 1827" and the other business address given, 2 and 3 Henrietta Street, Manchester Square.

Harriett Baker's husband Charles Henry Cawse, like her described as a Stay Maker, was a widower at the time of their marriage in 1839 and considerably older than she was. In the 1851 Census, the couple were shown in Lambeth, at 35 Walnut Tree Walk (HO 107/1572/folio 632) and Charles was then said to be aged "70" and said (possibly, it would appear from other sources, erroneously) to have been born in Lambeth, while Harriett was only "41" (which does tie up very well with the baptism in 1810 referred to above). Her birthplace was again clearly given as Gloucester.

Charles Henry and Harriett Cawse only had one child known to be still alive in 1851 - a daughter, Charlotte Jane Cawse, shown in the 1851 Census as aged "10" and born in St. George's, Middlesex (in the 1841 Census, the couple, with Charlotte aged "1", are shown in St. George in the East, Middlesex). However, they did have one other known child, a son Charles Joseph Cawse, whose birth certificate shows that he was born in 1842 at 30 Monkwell Street in the City of London. Sadly, he survived only until 1844, when he died at 27 Monkwell Street. His death certificate shows that his death at the age of 2 years was caused by consumption. I am grateful to Christine Foreman for this information about Charles Joseph Cawse and copies of his birth and death certificates. Christine contacted me in February 2008; she tells me that as well as research on her own direct line, she has been gathering information in the UK for a Cawse descendant in Canada, Thom Fowler, who has masterminded a large amount of research into the Cawse family and its connections, reflected in a comprehensive family tree. They would be very pleased to hear from anybody interested in the Cawse family. Please contact Christine by email at christineforeman@mac.com.

I am not directly descended from the Cawse family, my own interest being mainly in any further information which can be found on the elusive Baker family connected to both the Cawses and my own Copus family. However, the Cawse family is clearly very interesting in itself, including for instance John Cawse (1778 - 1862), a portrait painter, who in the early part of his career, around 1798, worked as a caricaturist. From 1801 to 1844, he exhibited portraits at the Royal Academy of Arts. His own portrait, and the portrait of Joseph Grimaldi which he painted, are now in the National Portrait Gallery, for whose website, see www.npg.org.uk/live/index.asp Again, I am grateful to Christine Foreman and Thom Fowler for this information.

In May 2007, just two months after I had first stumbled upon this Cawse connection, Brian Eaton made contact with me at the suggestion of Brian Copus, who runs the Copus Family History Website www.copusfamily.co.uk Although, as far as we know, Brian Copus is not related to my own Copus family, Brian Eaton is my cousin twice over, being descended from Thomas and Jane Baker of Gloucester through two of their daughters - Harriett (who married Charles Henry Cawse) and Kezia (who married Charles Copus) - a fascinating double connection which has made it still more satisfying to re-establish contact with this branch of the family.

Brian Eaton has provided some interesting charts, photos and even the previously unknown death certificate of an earlier George Copus, who died in 1843, aged 73. This George Copus' stated occupation was "Miller", not a familiar one from previous research. However, he died at 8 Salem Gardens, Bayswater, at about the time when my own ancestral Copus family was also living in Bayswater. As noted above, both my ancestor Cyrus Copus and Brian's ancestor George Copus were stated in the 1861 Census to have been born in Bayswater. Most interestingly, though, a Charles Copus was the informant shown on this death certificate. If only a relationship between this particular George and Charles Copus had been given, or an address which is definitely for the latter, this would have been more helpful - since Charles is stated on the certificate only to have been "present at the Death at" 8 Salem Gardens, Bayswater, although technically, as the informant, his own address should have been given.

Nevertheless, this was a very useful item to come out of the renewed contact between these two branches of the family. At least Charles Copus' address was not actually stated to have been 8 Salem Gardens, and so he could equally well have been living at 5 Coburgh Place, Bayswater, or at one of the other known family addresses. Then too, the age at death of this George Copus does strongly suggest that he could have been the father of Charles Copus (my ancestor) and of George Copus junior (ancestor of Gill Poland). Their father, who was indeed a George Copus, was baptised at Stoke next Guildford, Surrey, in 1770, married Elizabeth Young there in 1796 and had children baptised at Cobham, Surrey, including Charles (baptised in 1797) and George (baptised in 1806). It is possible to trace the ancestral Copus line back in Stoke and nearby for a couple of generations more, before it becomes lost in the mists of time.

There is a further problem pinning down the Copus family in Bayswater - as successive generations of researchers (from the time of my grandfather Leslie Copus onwards) have only been able to confirm to their regret, the 1841 Census returns for the Bayswater area are missing. Unfortunately, despite the huge advances which have been made recently in access to Census returns and indexes online, there is nothing which can be done in this case - recent efforts by both myself and Brian Eaton (independently) have simply confirmed that there is, sadly, still no way of tracing the Copus family in Bayswater 1841 Census, as the relevant returns are indeed just missing.

By 1851, the brothers Charles Copus and George Copus junior were both also dead, though survived by their widows, Kezia (née Baker) and Harriett (née Leggatt), respectively. From a genealogical point of view, their deaths just before 1851 are simply unfortunate, but on a personal level, their early deaths must have been devastating to their families.

In memory of Leslie Welch Copus (1899-1984).

Matthew Copus
307 Dale Street
Chatham
Kent ME4 6QR

Email: info@mcopus.co.uk
Web Site: www.mcopus.co.uk