Swann Profiles

Updated 2002/09/05 at 15:31:30 (Eastern Australian time).
These notes are being built up as information comes to hand. If you have downloaded previous editions, please replace them with this latest version. Anyone who has a copy of the 1978 duplicated notes, please destroy them and replace them with this version.Kevin Swann

Richard (or Edward) Swan

Children of Richard (or Edward) Swan

John Swan (born 20.10.1775)
John, born in October, 1775, married Mary Franks in July 1796 at the age of twenty. They had three children; John; Mary; and Robert. According to plaques in the belfry of St. Wendreda's dated 1815 John Swan was a tenor bell ringer who took part in some marathon bell ring-ins. Other records of 1825 or thereabouts show that John was a publican of the Seven Stars, Town End. He also leased allotments at Norwood Field and Town End, owned by ? Smith and L. H. Taylor respectively. Not much else is known about him at this stage, except that his father was either a Richard (or Edward) Swan, (the writing in the register of baptisms being rather hard to read).

Children of John Swan

John Swann
Nothing known.

Mary Swann
Nothing known.

Robert Swann (1810 - 1883)
Robert was born on 4th December, 1810, the third child of' John and Mary (nee Franks) Swan. He married Jane Behagg and they had at least three children; John; Betsey; and Robert. In 1838 he lived in a house at Well End, owned by M. Smith and in 1858 he is listed in the P.O. Directory as a carpenter and shop keeper at Church End. Sometime between 1858 and 1880 he moved to the house at Town End next to the Seven Stars as in November 1860, the house was owned by W. Behagg and occupied by Robert Swan according to the town rates books. According to the same records, in 1880 Robert owned tenements at Marylebone. He also owned land at Hook Drove. He died on 11th November 1883 at the age of 72 and is buried in the cemetery at St. Wendreda's where his headstone (and that of his wife) can still be seen. Robert was a freeman of the Isle of Ely. (Note:- It is difficult to tell from the rate books which Robert Swann owned or rented land, Robert Snr. 1810-1883 OR Robert Jnr. 1844-1899)

Jane Behagg (1811 - 1890)
Jane was born on the 7th November 1811 and her father's name was Peter Behagg who was born in 1779. Jane died on the 19th March 1890 and is burried with her husband, Robert in the St.Wendreda's cemetery.

Children of Robert and Jane Swann

John Swann
I believe John had five children:- Kate; Frederick; Minnie; Hugh, and Arthur Jenkinson Swann. Arthur had three children:- Phyllis; Marjory (who married Harold Amos and, in 1978, lived next to Robert Swann's house and workshop in The Avenue) and Jack Swann. In 1978 Jack Swann lived directly accross the road from "The Stars" in the Avenue, Town End, March. Jack had a son:- Derek who had a daughter :- Carol who was born in 1976.

Betsey Swann
Little is know of Betsey except that she married someone named Coy had at least one son who, in turn, produced at least two boys, Douglas; and Charles who both, in 1978 lived in a lane that ran north off The Avenue, Town End, March.

Robert Swann (1844 - 1899)
Born in 1844, Robert Jr. married Mary Elizabeth Morton (17th May 1874 - 12 April 1927) who was born at Christchurch (five miles east of March). Robert seems to have been something of an entrepreneur, and a successful one at that. In 1895 he owned ten houses, the work shops and land at Town End, and he also leased land in eight different locations, presumably for the purpose of farming of one kind or another. He probably built a number of houses in March. Two of the buildings in March which he built are the Infants School (which was till used as a school in 1978), and the grain store on the corner of Station Road and St. John's Road (owned by the Morton family & now demolished) - he also designed and built its ventilation system for this building.

At some time between 1863 and 1871 a Robert Swann bought the house and workshops at Town End. Previously it was owned by W. Behagg, probably related to Robert Jrn.s mother who was Jane Behagg, and before that, in 1838 it wee owned by a Nathan Gray. At that time John Swan was living there, either Robert's grandfather or uncle, more probably his grandfather due to the ages. This John Swann was the publican of the Seven Stars and the owner, Nathan Gray was a wine end spirit merchant. (Note:- It is difficult to tell from the rate books which Robert Swann owned or rented land, Robert Snr. 1810-1883 OR Robert Jnr. 1844-1899) In February 1899 Robert died in his 54th year leaving a wife and six children. He is buried in the cemetery at St. Wendreda's, Town End, March. In 1900, following Robert's death, a number of properties were sold:- The House and workshop at Town End was sold to Tom P. Ogden, The adjoining house to Edward Elsom, a Cottage and garden in Church St. to Joseph Fox, a cottage and garden at Knights End to R. Randall all for a total of 1010 pounds. Farm animals and crops and implements were also sold; cows, pigs, hay, wheat and a horse, and stock in trade. Pages and pages of debits and income were listed by the executors of Robert's Will amounting to 5501 pounds and a balance of 2324 pounds for distrubution to his six children.

Mary Elizabeth Morton (1874 - 1927)
Born 17th May 1874 in Christchurch Mary was a member of the Morton family of March who were among other things, gain merchants. Mary married Robert Swann and they had six children, Robert, Sidney, Walter, Bertha, Ada, Fanny. After Sidney and Olive moved to Australia, Mary and Olive kept up regular correspondence. My father (Donald) could remember as a boy his mother (Olive) receiving news from England. Walter Robinson Swann recalled in 1979 memories of his Grandma Swann looking forward every week to receiving the letter from Uncle Sid and Aunty Olive in Australia. Mary later lived 129 Creek Road (this house was built in 1910). Mary died on 12th April 1927 aged 80 years, and a photo of her in death was sent to Sidney & Olive in Australia. My father never met any of his relatives other than his immediate family, and when Bob heard Walter refer to "Aunt Olive", that was the first time Bob had ever heard his mother called "Aunt".

Children of Robert and Mary Elizabeth Swann

Robert Swann (d 1941)
Robert, brother of Welter Snr. and Sidney, by all accounts seems to have been a bit of a lad. Amongst his more daring exploits he climbed the steeple of St. Wendreda's parish church, March (no mean feat in anybody's books). At a later data he apparently threw a butcher to whom he was apprenticed, through a plate glass window. As he was wearing a suit at the time he ran to a nearby peat bog and rolled in it so as to disguise himself, eventually running away to sea in the merchant navy. His travels took him all over the world and no doubt he experienced many adventures, one of them being the famous earthquake in San Francisco. Eventually he came to Australia working on properties as a Jackaroo. An incorrectly engraved memorial to him is on a gravestone in St. Wendrada's cemetery but his burial place is (at this stage) unknown

Australian Army Record for Driver Robert Swann (682)
Stated on enlistment he had 8 years service with the Royal Marines and that he was born at March, Cambridgeshire, England. * Enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Sydney on 31 August 1914, as a Batman and posted to 1st Brigade Ammunition Column. * Embarked from Australia on 17 October 1914. * Date of arrival in the Middle East is not recorded. * Joined the Middle East Expeditionary Force on 4 April 1915. * Attached Mobile Section, Suez Camp on 25 December 1915. * Taken on strength of 8th Battery at Tel-el-Kebir on 15 February 1916. * Embarked at Alexandria on 25 March 1915. Disembarked at Marseilles on 29 March 1916. * Remustered as a Driver on 19 October 1916. * Unit now 3rd Army Brigade, Australian Field Artillery. * Embarked for return to Australia on 8 October 1918. * Disembarked in Melbourne on 2 December 1918. * Discharged "Medically Unfit" on 5 May 1919. * Awarded 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. * Driver Swann is recorded as having died at Cairns [Qld. Australia] on 25 November 1941.

Walter Morton Swann
Walter, born and raised in March. He was apprenticed as an engineer in Grantham @ sixpence per week. Afterwards he went to Sheffield and got a job there. He met Almina Robinson and they married in Sheffield. They had one son (Walter Robinson Swann Click here). Walter Morton Swann became ill with TB and was sent to a London Hospital but they could not help him, so he went back to March and died there.

Almina Robinson (Circa 1875 - 1949)
Almina was raised by foster parents (the Robinsons) in Sheffield. After her husband's (Walter) death she became ill and her Mother-in-law (Mary Elizabeth Swann) sent her to hospital. On her release from hospital she went to live with the Robinsons in Sheffield while the young Walter stayed with his Aunt Fanny in March. Later (1912) Walter joined his mother in Sheffield. Almina died on the 3rd November 1949 aged 74 years and she is buried in St Wendreda's Cemetery.

Fanny Swann (Circa 1874 - 1939)
Fanny, a milliner by trade, lived all her life in March and never married. At one time she lived with her mother, sister-in-law Almina and young nephew Walter. She had quite deal to do with Walter's upbringing before he turned 13 years of age. A photo exists of her Sunday School group at No 8 The Causeway, and Walter is in the photo. Fanny ran her millinery business in from No 8 The Causeway in 1904. Later she moved to a house in Station Road, and according to Kelly's Directory, she was still carrying on her business of millinery there in 1916. The house eventually became occupied by electricity offices. In 1929 she was living at 129 Creek Road, March. Fanny taught Sunday School at St. Wendreda's Parish church. She died on 12th April 1939 aged 65 years and she is buried in the cemetery at St Wendreda's.

Bertha Swann
Bertha, a music teacher, married another teacher by the name of William Stewart. There is an often heard story that "Bertha went to Canada" - we even heard it from a Jack Swann in March in 1978 - but I am not so sure of this story. Uncle Will (1956 address:- Mr W.N. Stewart, of "Stonecroft" 1 Beauleu Avenue, Christchurch, Hants.) was an old man I think Bob Swann met in 1956. He had a daughter named Amy who married a T.L. Jones (1956 address: "Holwell" Cranborne, Wimborne, Dorset). Bertha & Will Stewart had two other daughters.

Ada Swann (1877 - 1961)
Ada was born on 15th April 1877 and married Vernon Barrett, (25th March 1873? - 30th November 1958) who was the chief clerk at Liverpool Street station. They lived at Ilford, London and later moved to Clacton-on-Sea. (1956 address; 26 Holland Rd, Clacton-on-Sea.) There were two children:-. 1 a daughter Gwen (aged 54 in 1956) who married Ted Evens (6ft 2" tall) (1956 address; Hillcrest, The Dingle, Stepenhill, Burton-on-Trent, Stafford). Gwen had a son, Terry & a daughter Pat who married Eric ?, (in June 1956 they lived in Sheffield and had nine month old son). :- 2. and a son Stanley who was the bank manager at a bank (either Barclays's or Lloyd's) at Cheapside, Newgate St. near the GPO, London. Stan married Effie and had a son & a daughter. (1956 address; 12A Kingfisher Court, East Molesey, Surrey; they seem to also had a place at Middlesex just south of the Thames near Hampton Court Palace). (Ada died on 23rd May 1961)

Sidney Swann (1883 - 1949)
Sidney was born at Town End, March on the 10th January 1883 and grew up in March. In 1903 he married Olive Pinn at Stevenage where they lived for approximately eight years. An entry in Kelly's Directory of Trade and Business shows that in 1906 he was listed as a wood gate and fence manufacturer at the Steam Joinery Works, High Street, Stevenage. According to the 1978 curator of Stevenage museum, this could have been at the back of No 3 High Street, "Bates" or "Bates and Warren, Builders". In 1910 he moved his business to Middle Row. They lived in Baker St.. Sidney went into business on his own but after a run of' bad luck, which included the loss of two fingers from an accident with a circular saw, he was advised by Archdeacon Ward who was visiting England at the time, to try his luck in Australia. In 1969 Walter Robinson Swann could remember (as a boy of about five) that Olive, Cicely and baby Robert came to stay in March with him, Fanny and his grandmother Mary Elizabeth Swann a "Westwood". He remembered that Cicely asked him one Saturday why he was not at school. He told her it was a holiday, to which she replied she would be glad when she went to school so that she could have holidays on Saturdays too.

In 1912, Sidney and Olive and three of their children (Joyce Phyllis had died 8 days after her birth on about 9th December 1907 and was buried at St Nicholes, 18th December 1907) - Cicely (b 19th April 1905), Robert, (b 27th November 1908), & Molly, (b 12th October 1910), migrated to Australia on an assisted passage. (Molly learned to walk during the voyage.)

They first lived in Opal Street, Goulburn and Sidney worked for a builder by the name of Cody. My father, Donald (b 11th May 1913), was the first of the family born in Australia - in the Opal St. house. Eventually they bought the house in Opal St. and later Sidney built a house at 510 Auburn Street, Goulburn which is still there today (2001). Three more children were born in Goulburn - Morton Click Here (b 8th May 1915), John (Jack) (b 7th November 1918) & Elizabeth (Betty) (b 22nd August 1922).

The family managed to survive the depression of the late twenties and thirties. Sidney worked for another builder by the name of Gould. He then worked for the NSW Government Railway as a carpenter and being a non unionist he was the first to be moved to Chullora workshops in Sydney when the other unionists refused to move. Sidney and Olive bought a house at 71 Chalmers Road, Strathfield about 1939. Ten years later Sidney retired and on 20th November 1949 he died in Bromalan Private Hospital, Everton Road, Strathfield, Sydney, Australia.

Olive Louisa Pinn (1882 - 1974)
Olive Louisa Pinn was born on 14th August, 1882, daughter of William and Emma Click Here. In 1904 she married Sidney Swann who came from March, Cambridgeshire, In 1912, Sidney, Olive and their three children Cicely, Robert & Molly migrated to Goulburn, NSW, Australia. (Joyce had died four years earlier aged 8 days.)

After this the family moved to Strathfield in Sydney NSW Australia where Sidney died in 1949 and where Olive continued to live in the Chalmers Road house with her son John (who died 2nd May 1968) and daughter Cicely, until Olive's death on 15th August, 1974 at Burwood, Sydney, Australia (Winter Bourne Nursing Home), at the age of 92.

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