Charles Lechmere’s sister, Emily, died of phthisis in July, 1869 at 11, Mary Ann Street, St Geo E, while her stepfather Thomas Cross was still living. The informant recorded on Emily’s death cert was Mary Ann Marshall, a neighbour living at 21, Mary Ann Street who had been present at the death. The death was registered in the name of Emily Charlotte Lechmere.
This is significant because it shows us that the name Lechmere was known by at least some of the family’s neighbours while Thomas Cross was still alive.
I thought that was interesting enough, but when I looked at the Marshalls in more depth I found something even more interesting: in 1888 the family were living at 64, Berner Street. They were there in 1881 and 1891.
So CAL had ex-neighbours, one of whom had possibly nursed his sister during her last illness, living a few doors away from Dutfield’s Yard in 1888. And those neighbours knew his real name was Charles Lechmere and, if it had been the case that he was known as Charles Cross while his stepfather was alive, they would have known that too.
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