A History of The Johnson Family

This page provides a potted history of our Johnson ancestors, back to the oldest traceable ancestor in the mid 1700s. Before this, the trail goes cold, but do read to the end where there’s a section on what might actually be the deeper past to the Johnson family.

The document is split into three parts:

1. Chronologies for each generation
2. Some information on where our Johnson ancestors lived (including some rather grand estates)
3. A little bit of theorising on the Johnson line previous to our oldest confirmed ancestor

1. Mid-1700s

Benjamin John Johnson (1746/47-1818)

The earliest I’ve traced back, so far, is Benjamin John Johnson, born 28^th Feb 1746/47¹ and christened at Westminster St James on the 27^th of March 1746/47.

It seems likely that Benjamin was a lawyer: his name appears in many documents relating to American Loyalist claims (these were British Americans who lost property in America after the War of Independence and who put in claims to the British Government for compensation). The American Revolutionary War ran 1775 to 1783, when Benjamin would have been in his 30s and early 40s. This connection with America is also consistent with his will (see below) where he makes a bequeath to a loyalist. Lower down is an example of one of these claims: Captain Eli Branson of North Carolina lost, amongst other things, one cow and seventeen muskets.

Benjamin married Ann Paterson in London on the 28^th of November 1780 in the parish of Westminster St George; the marriage was witnessed by a Walter Paterson who would likely have been Ann’s father. The Johnsons lived at 5 Abingdon Street, Westminster, London and had two children:

• William Fountain (born 2^nd December 1782)
• Walter Rankin (born 11^th July 1787)

Benjamin died in April 1818 and was buried on the 20^th of April at St Margaret’s, Westminster (a 5 minute walk from his house). His will was proved on the 20^th of May. Some interesting extracts:

And a relevant bit from Davison Munton’s will:

Ann Paterson

So far, I’ve discovered very little about Ann. From the marriage records (above) we can see that a Walter Paterson was a witness: perhaps this was her father. Beyond this, everything about Ann is still yet to be discovered. Paterson is a Scottish surname, and Rankin (the middle name of Ann’s second son) is also a Scottish name so there are leads here to pursue.

2. Late 1700s to mid-1800s

Walter Rankin Johnson (1787-1844)

Walter Rankin was born on the 11^th July 1787 and christened on the 27^th of July at Westminster St James. He attended Westminster School (just round the corner from his parents’ house) and then went to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1805. He was ordained a Deacon in Bristol in 1813 and started work as an Usher at Westminster School between 1814 and 1819. From then until about 1832, his life is a bit of a mystery, but we know that eventually he ended up in West Wycombe, where he was the Stipendiary Curate, most likely for St Lawrence Church. This church is a bit of a film star, having been used as a location for Downtown Abbey and Bridget Jones’s Baby.

Walter married very late (aged 53, in 1840). His wife Louisa Stephens was from Herefordshire; the wedding was held on the 2nd of December 1840 in Dilwyn, Hereford. Shortly thereafter, they had two children:

• Walter (born in 1842)
• Isabella Anne (born in 1843)

Walter Rankin died very soon after the birth of Isabella Anne, on the 27^th of October 1844 aged just 57, of an “ulceration of the stomach”.

Some interesting extracts from his will, which was proved in December 1844:

.

It seems possible that Walter was aware of his impending demise because he included clauses in his will to ensure that his children were looked after if Louisa remarried².

William Fountain Johnson (1782-1853)

William Fountain was the elder brother, born in 1782 and also attending Westminster, subsequent to which he joined the Ordnance Office in 1799 at the age of 17 as a clerk. Evidently he did well, as soon he was Senior Clerk to the Master General (1803) and by the time he retired in 1832 he was Chief Clerk.

William Fountain married Isabella Hawthorn on the 7th of August 1827 at St Giles in the Fields – his brother Walter Rankin conducted the wedding. It appears that William and Isabella had no children. They lived at 8 Connaught Square, London; presumably as prestigious an address then as it is today.

After his brother Walter Rankin died in 1844, William Fountain launched some sort of legal proceedings against Walter Rankin’s widow Louisa regarding the two (very) young children, Walter and Isabella Ann. Perhaps this was a custody battle? The original documents are at Kew and one day I’ll visit and find out what actually happened. In any event, William Fountain obviously cared deeply for his nephew and niece, leaving a thousand pounds and five hundred pounds respectively in his will³.

William Fountain died in 1853, aged 71 and was buried at All Souls, Kensal Green in London on the 21^st of March that year.

3. Mid 1800s to early 1900s

Walter Johnson (1842-1915)

Walter was born on the 9^th of August 1842 in West Wycombe (so, probably, born at home in the vicarage). In April 1856, aged 14, he went to Rugby School, and thence in 1861 to Trinity College Oxford, graduating in 1864 aged 22. After university, Walter obtained a commission in the Royal Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons) in October 1866. He was promoted to Lieutenant in January 1870 and retired by the sale of his commission on the 6th January 1872.

By 1881, census returns show his occupation as an Iron Merchant (apparently in Middlesbrough, according to Grace's Guide). Seeing as he had married the daughter of a famous Victorian ironmaster (see below), it seems likely that he was either persuaded to leave the army to more lucrative pursuits, or got fed up with the army and used his father-in-law to help him find an alternative career. Some years later he joined the Board of Bell Bros (the company started by his father-in-law), with which he was associated for 40 years. He was also a director of Messrs. Dorman, Long & Co., Ltd. He was for many years chairman of the Middlesbrough Chamber of Commerce, and was a warm supporter of the volunteer movement, having been for some time in command of the two Middlesbrough Companies of the Durham Light Infantry, from which he retired with the rank of Major.

Walter married Margaret Florence Bell in 1871, whilst he was still in the Army. Margaret was the daughter of the Northumberland iron magnate married Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell, Bart. Sir Isaac was the source of the name Lowthian which appears as a middle name in many subsequent Johnsons.

It is with Walter that the Johnson family first appears as an entry in Arthur Charles Fox-Davies book Armorial Families – A Directory of Gentlemen of Coat-Armour (see 7th Edition, 1929, p1056 or image below).

With Walter, the Johnson family shifted locus from the south of England (London, then West Wycombe) to North Yorkshire. The 1891 Census puts them at Rounton Grange (a grand home built by Sir Isaac).

Walter and Margaret had seven children, of whom six survived to adulthood:

• Walter Lyulph, born 1872
• Ivor Lowthian, born 1873; a barrister
• Dorothea Margaret, born 1874; married Harald Raylton Dixon, the son of Raylton Dixon, a Middlesborough shipbuilding magnate and Major of Middlesborough
• Phyllis Mary, born 1877; spinster
• Florence Phoebe, born 1879; married William Astell Kaye, a solicitor
• Phillip Hugh, born 1885 (and died 1886 as an infant).
• Margaret Philippa, born 1887; married Christopher York Pease, great aunt Helen's uncle.

Phillip Hugh is mentioned in a touching note on his grandmother's memorial stone:

Walter died on the 9^th of February 1915 at the home of his daughter and son-in law Dorothea and Harald [sic] Raylton Dixon in Redcar. Walter's wife Margaret survived another fifteen years, dying on the 27^th of March 1930.

4. Late 1800s to mid 1900s

Walter Lyulph Johnson

Walter Lyulph was born on the 15^th July 1872 at Washington Hall, County Durham; he was the eldest son of the family. Walter Lyulph’s middle name apparently comes from his mother’s brother-in-law Edward Lyulph Stanley (see Wikipedia). Perhaps he was a godfather. The Stanley’s are an incredibly well connected family and if you ever try to connect yourself to some random member of royalty, it is usually through the Stanleys.

Walter Lyulph spent his earliest years at Rounton Grange with his parents and grandparents. He went to Leeds Grammar School and then Eton from 1886-1891, before matriculating at Oxford (New College) in 1891. He graduated there with a 3rd class degree in Chemistry (Natural Sciences) in 1894. After graduating, Walter returned to Yorkshire to the family home of Rounton Grange and evidently joined the family business (Bell Bros), founded by his grandfather Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell. By 1901 he is listed as resident in Rounton Grange and working as an Ironmaster. Later he also served as a director with Dorman, Long & Co (see profile on the Durham Miner's Museum). With the latter, Walter Lyulph helped with the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, including multiple visits to Australia. In May 1926 Walter Lyulph went on a business / research trip to the USA (he appears on New York immigration records as an "iron merchant", alongside Arthur Dorman).

Walter Lyulph served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Durham Light Infantry 1st Volunteer Battalion from 1908 (by which time he would have been 35, hence serving in a Volunteer capacity as being over-age). First records show him, in 1908, being transferred from the 1st Volunteer Battalion to the 5th Battalion (which saw active service) and accepting (at his own request) a "demotion" from Lieutenant Colonel to Major. Another record from 1914 shows him as retired, but being re-promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (temporary) on the 18th of October, just a few weeks before the end of the War.

Walter Lyulph was the founder of the Hutton Rudby Choral and Dramatic Society (see Facebook page) in 1918. In Hutton Rudby the family home was Enterpen Hall. He then moved to Crathorne Grange and finally Arncliffe Hall (his grandparents' - Isaac Lowthian Bell and Catherine Bell - home), all of these in Yorkshire.

Walter married Alice Hilda Lupton in Northallerton in 1908 (he was 35, she 32). It is through Hilda that we are connected, ultimately to Catherine Middleton, the (sort of) future Queen of England. Catherine is a fifth cousin of mine and all of us in the same generation. Thus we probably share 1% of our DNA (the royal bits).

Walter and Hilda had three sons:

• Maurice Alan (“Guppa”, born 2^nd July 1909 in Stokesley)
• Stephen Philip Lowthian (“Stevie”, born 1912)
• Walter Mark (“Mark”, born 24^th August 1915 in Hutton Rudby).

Walter Lyulph died on the 24^th of October 1938 at Ingleby Arncliffe and was cremated.

5. Mid 1900s to late 1900s

Maurice Alan Johnson

[to come]

6. Where they lived

Number 5, Abingdon Street, Westminster

This address was home to Benjamin John Johnson and his wife Ann. However the house, and the row of houses it was part of, no longer exists : it was a row of houses on Abingdon Street (which becomes Millbank to the south), very conveniently located for access to Westminster School (which is where Benjamin’s sons went). The location was also just round the corner from Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.

Washington Hall, Tyne & Wear

Washington Hall, a few miles south of Newcastle, was built by Isaac Lowthian Bell in 1854. The Bell family lived there for nearly twenty years and indeed, this is where Walter Lyulph was born in that same year. However, in 1872 an illegal child chimney sweep, Charlie Drummond (aged 6), died in a chimney and the Bell family promptly moved out. The building was eventually renamed “Dame Margaret’s Hall” and donated as a home for poor children.

Rounton Grange, East Rounton, North Yorkshire

Rounton Grange was built by Isaac Lowthian Bell on the East Rounton estate which he had bought from John Wailes in 1866. Rounton Grange was home to Walter Johnson and family (shared, obviously, with in-laws) from around 1880 to around 1901. Sir Isaac employed Philip Webb (1831-1915), as architect on the house. The following text comes from http://www.lostheritage.org.uk/houses/lh_yorkshire_rountongrange.html:

Arncliffe Hall, Ingelby Arncliffe, North Yorkshire

From about 1905, Walter Johnson and his wife Margaret lived in Ingleby Arncliffe, at Arncliffe Hall, and this is most likely where they lived until they died. This property was bought by Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell in 1902. The house was originally built in the 17th century by the Maulever family.

Enterpen Hall, Hutton Rudby, North Yorkshire

Enterpen Hall was the home for Walter Lyulph and family, probably for around 10-15 years from about 1909 to the mid-late 1920s. Guppa, Stevie and Mark were all born here.]

Strathaird

Strathaird Estate was bought for Walter and his spouse Alice by her father - Alan Lupton - as a wedding present in 1914 and the Johnson family spent summers there. The main part of the Estate was sold by the sons (Maurice, Mark and Stephen) in 1968 and the remainder in 1973, excluding the plots of land they retained for themselves:

• Drinan (Mark)
• Drinan Dun (Maurice)
• Dunliath (Stephen)

Glendouglas House

Maurice (Guppa) moved his family here in the spring of 1954, after retiring from the army. I haven't got any pictures, but you can find it on Google Maps here.

7. Before Benjamin

My current hypothesis is that our Johnson family is part of a family sometimes referred to as the “Johnsons of Ayscough-fee Hall” (aka JoAH) or elsewhere as the “Johnsons of Spalding” (JoS) e.g. in Burke’s Landed Gentry. The Johnsons of Spalding line merged with another set of Johnsons: the “Johnsons of Pinchbeck (JoP)”. The evidence for this heritage is as follows:

1. Fox Davies “Armorial Families” from 5th Edition onwards (1905) lists Walter Johnson and his sons and quotes the family motto as “Onus sub honore”. This motto is elsewhere ascribed to the JoAH or JoP (e.g. in Burke’s Landed Gentry). Obviously, this attribution could simply be an error (accidental on the part of the author, or deliberate on the part of Walter who wanted to associate himself with a distinguished family). However, Fox Davies has/had a reputation for being a stickler for false claims to arms, and was keen to avoid promulgating such. In his works, he evens illustrates, with italics, armigerous claims that he finds doubtful. The Johnson one is not in italics, suggesting that he had some confidence that it was a genuine claim.
2. Descending from Benjamin there’s a long trail of Walters (and a Maurice). Walter and Maurice (particularly Maurice) are incredibly common names in the JoAH and JoS lines. Indeed, the firstborn of that line was called Maurice from the 1600s onwards.

Some things to bear in mind:

1. Benjamin was born in Westminster, London. The JoAH and JoS/JoP families are all from Lincolnshire. If the families are connected, where and when was the shift from Lincolnshire to London?
2. Benjamin was born in 1746/47. His father would have been born around 1710-1726. His grandfather would have been born around 1675-1706
3. Bill Johnson shared a family tree that he had been given. In it, Benjamin’s parents are given as John and Mary.
4. Benjamin is not a common name in the JoAH and JoS/JoP lines
5. There is no baptismal record for a Benjamin John Johnson in Westminster at the appropriate time. There is, however, a record for John Johnson, baptised Mar 1747, born Feb 1746, son of John and Mary. This person was baptised in St James Westminster, which is where Walter Rankin Johnson was baptised.
6. A John Johnson married Mary Newman at St George Hanover Square in 1744 (just two years before Benjamin was born). The repetition of the name “John” fits nicely with the theory of descent from John Johnson of Fulney Hall.

The trick in proving the connection probably lies in Benjamin John’s father. Give Benjamin’s birth (1746), the likelihood is that this is where the branch off the JoAH line occurred and his grandfather is potentially the common shared ancestor with the JoAH line. Top theory: Benjamin’s grandfather might be John Johnson (“of Fulney Hall”, 1690-1744), brother of Maurice Johnson (1688-1775) aka “The Antiquary” and founder of the Spalding Gentleman’s Society, who had 26 children (!) and is part of the main JoAH line. John Johnson of Fulney Hall married Frances ? (who died 1722/1723), and then married Elizabeth Elmhirst (in 1724). John Johnson of Fulney Hall was a barrister, so would have had spent a lot of time in London. This helps establish some link to London (which is where Benjamin was born). Unfortunately, I’ve not found any information on John Johnson’s children (one of whom would have had to have been Benjamin’s father).

By this theory: John married Elizabeth in 1724 and they had a son, John, within a couple of years (i.e. by 1726). That son married young in 1744 and had Benjamin at the age of 20-22. Or alternatively, John married Frances before 1722 and a son, John, was born before 1722. That son married in 1744 and had Benjamin when aged 24 or older.

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Footnotes

¹ Before 1752, the calendar year ended on the 25^th of March. As Benjamin was born on the 28^th Feb, historical records would indicate a birth year of 1746, but in modern calendars this becomes 1747.
² Louisa later remarried Phillip Coxe, by whom she had more children.
³ Worth roughly £80,000 and £40,000 respectively in 2018 terms