Fox family of Falmouth
Encyclopedia
The Fox family of Falmouth, Cornwall
, UK were very influential in the development of the town of Falmouth in the 19th century and of the Cornish Industrial Revolution
. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many of them were members of the Religious Society of Friends
(Quakers).
was published in 1972.
Caroline Fox
kept her journal from 1835 to 1871.
Barclay Fox
kept his journal from 1832 to 1854 (but with few entries after 1844). Barclay's journal was published in a scholarly but accessible edition by Raymond L. Brett
in 1979, reprinted with additional material in 2008.
was created by Caroline, Barclay and their older sister, Anna Maria
.
The first Committee of the "Poly"
, elected in January 1833, was rather dominated by Fox family members: "Dr. Fox , Mr & Mrs RW Fox, Mr & Mrs GC Fox, Mr TW Fox, Mr GP Fox, Mr & Mrs A Fox, Mr J Fox, Mr & Mrs C Fox of Perran, Miss Fox and Misses AM and C Fox and Mr RB Fox of Bank.".
In 1870, the Falmouth & Penryn Committee included Charles Fox (President), Miss AM Fox, A.Fox, N.Fox, RW Fox, Howard Fox, Mrs Howard Fox, Robert Fox, Samuel Fox and George Henry Fox. Miss AM Fox judged the Needlework that had been exhibited in the Annual Exhibition.
The Poly in Church Street, Falmouth hit serious financial problems in January 2010 and closed its commercial arm.
, was an FRS with interests in mineralogy
, metallurgy
and geomagnetism
. He was a live wire in the British Association. He invented an improved version of the Dipping Needle Deflector
, a navigational aid for polar explorers.
In August 1835, Barclay Fox
, aged 19, recorded in his Journal his visit to Dublin, for the BAAS Annual Meeting in Dublin, with his father, Robert Were Fox the younger and his uncle, Charles Fox
. R W Fox read a paper to the Physics section and demonstrated his instrument. In 1836, Barclay Fox records a large family visit to Bristol, at the time of the BAAS Annual Meeting in 1836. His younger sister, Caroline was in the party and attended the Physics`section.
In 1837, the family made a tour of the North of England, and this included the BAAS Annual Meeting in Liverpool. Caroline was also present at this event.
In 1841, Barclay attended the Annual Meeting held at Plymouth, with his two sisters and became a life member..
Caroline Fox also attended the 1857 Annual meeting, in Dublin. Her father read a paper on the temperature in mines in the Geological Section.
In August, 1884, Barclay and Caroline's older sister, Anna Maria visited Canada and the USA, with her nephew, Howard Fox
, to attend the British Association meeting in Montreal and the meeting of the BAAS with the American Association in Philadelphia.
At the British Association's Annual Meeting held in Nottingham in September 1893, Howard Fox read a paper to the Geology Section "The radiolarian cherts of Cornwall".
and horticulture. They founded the gardens at Trebah
, Glendurgan
(now a National Trust
property), Penjerrick
and Rosehill, in Falmouth, all currently open to the public and containing mature specimens on exotic plants and trees.
with mineral specimens.
Many of the family were Quakers, but they were not related to the George Fox
(1624–1691) who was one of the founders of the movement.
They were active locally in the Falmouth Meeting, Cornwall Monthly Meeting and Devon and Cornwall Quarterly Meeting. According to the Journals of Caroline and Barclay Fox, their parents and uncles usually attended the annual gathering of Quakers called London Yearly Meeting, when, as well as attending the sessions of Yearly Meeting, they met their Quaker relations and friends from all over the United Kingdom. Caroline and Anna Maria Fox were "Plain Quakers" all their lives, their unfashionable narrow skirts inspiring the names of two mine chimneys. However, the Falmouth Quakers were not "plain" in their appreciation and practice of art and literature. During the period that Barclay Fox kept his Journal, he abandoned the numbering of months for the "pagan" names, previously avoided by Friends.
The Fox family intermarried with local Quaker families and prominent Quaker mercantile families, such as Backhouse
and Pease of Darlington
, Hustler, Lloyd
and Barclay of Bury Hill.
Charles Fox (1797–1878)) and Alfred Fox's eldest son, Alfred Lloyd Fox played a part in the Society of Friends overseas missions.
.
, Falmouth, Truro
and Grampound Road. In 1957, the business was merged with Harvey's of Hayle
.
U.S. Consuls
(1762–1835), lunatic asylum proprietor at Brislington
and developer of Weston-super-Mare
as a sea-bathing resort. He married twice and had 15 daughters and 8 sons.He should not be confused with another Edward Long Fox, in whose name an annual public lecture has been endowed, at the University of Bristol. The Oxford Companion to Medicine states there were 21 doctors in the Fox dynasty.
records his enthusiastic support for the Liberal candidate for Penryn & Falmouth
, Edward John Hutchins
, his approval of the reformed electoral process and his delight at victory. In March 1840, he campaigned for Cornish MPs to support Ewart
's bill to abolish the Death Penalty for all offences.
Barclay, his father, R W Fox
and his uncle, Alfred Fox
were involved in lobbying Ministers and officials in Westminster and Whitehall with other Cornish gentry and merchants for the Post Office Packet Service
, the fishing and mining industries and the extension of a railway service west of Plymouth
.
At the 1868 general election
, Charles Fox
of Trebah was one of two representatives of Falmouth on the committee to elect the Liberal candidate, Pendarves Vivian
to Parliament, representing West Cornwall
. Howard Fox
was the Treasurer of the Falmouth Liberal Association.
Robert Barclay Fox
, Barclay's grandson, was a Conservative County Councillor in Cornwall.
of St Germans, Cornwall, and his second wife, Tabitha Croker. Francis's father, also Francis
, and his mother, Dorothy, were early converts to the revolutionary Quaker faith.
George Fox married twice, first, to Mary Bealing and, second, to Anna Debell.
Children of first marriage of George Fox to Mary Bealing
Children of George Fox's second marriage to Anna Debell
The eleven children of Joseph Fox (1729–1784) and Elizabeth Hingston included two who became medical doctors-
In 1749, he and Mary Were (died 1796) were married. Their children were:
Other Sources
Online
For the Fox family 1914 to 1918 See "A Quaker record of maritime Falmouth in World War One" by Pamela Richardson in Troze: Journal of the National Maritime Museum Cornwall Volume 1, No. 2 (December 2008). Online at http://www.nmmc.co.uk/images/uploaded/troze/081203%20Falmouth%20WW%201.pdf
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
, UK were very influential in the development of the town of Falmouth in the 19th century and of the Cornish Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many of them were members of the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
(Quakers).
Caroline's and Barclay's journals
Caroline and Barclay Fox kept remarkable journals, which were published in the 1970s and provide historical and literary biographical sources for mid-nineteenth century Britain. Caroline's Journal was originally published in 1881, when it was a “surprise best-seller”. A new selection from the 1882 edition by Wendy MonkWendy Monk
Wendy Elizabeth Monk , wife of theatre critic J.C. Trewin , whom she married on October 4, 1938. They were "an inseparable couple, whose shared interests also bore fruit in literary collaboration, they had two sons"...
was published in 1972.
Caroline Fox
Caroline Fox
Caroline Fox was an English diarist. She was the daughter of Robert Were Fox FRS of the influential Fox family of Falmouth, and was the younger sister of both Barclay Fox, also a diarist, and Anna Maria Fox....
kept her journal from 1835 to 1871.
Barclay Fox
Barclay Fox
Robert Barclay Fox was a businessman, gardener and diarist, a member of the influential Quaker Fox family of Falmouth.-Family relationships:...
kept his journal from 1832 to 1854 (but with few entries after 1844). Barclay's journal was published in a scholarly but accessible edition by Raymond L. Brett
Raymond L. Brett
Raymond Laurence Brett was Professor of English at University of Hull and a friend of Philip Larkin. He produced an edition of Wordsworth and Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads which went through two further editions...
in 1979, reprinted with additional material in 2008.
Family friends, mentioned in the journals of Caroline and Barclay Fox
- Henry de la BecheHenry De la BecheSir Henry Thomas De la Beche FRS was an English geologist and palaeontologist who helped pioneer early geological survey methods.-Biography:...
- John BowringJohn BowringSir John Bowring, KCB was an English political economist, traveller, miscellaneous writer, polyglot, and the 4th Governor of Hong Kong.- Early life :...
- John BrightJohn BrightJohn Bright , Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with Richard Cobden in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League. He was one of the greatest orators of his generation, and a strong critic of British foreign policy...
- Thomas and Jane CarlyleThomas CarlyleThomas Carlyle was a Scottish satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era.He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator.Coming from a strict Calvinist family, Carlyle was...
- Derwent ColeridgeDerwent ColeridgeDerwent Coleridge , third child of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, was a distinguished English scholar and author.-Early life:Derwent Coleridge was born at Keswick, Cumberland, 14 Sept. 1800 . He was sent with his brother Hartley to be educated at a small school near Ambleside...
- William ForsterWilliam Edward ForsterWilliam Edward Forster PC, FRS was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman.-Early life:...
- Davies GilbertDavies GilbertDavies Gilbert FRS was a British engineer, author, and politician. He was elected to the Royal Society on 17 November 1791 and served as President of the Royal Society from 1827 to 1830....
- Robert HuntRobert Hunt (scientist)Robert Hunt , a scientist and antiquarian, was born at Devonport, Plymouth, in the United Kingdom. He was involved in statistical, mineralogical and other studies. He died in London on 17 October 1887.-Early life:...
- Thomas Brown JordanThomas Brown Jordan-Birth and beginnings:Born at Bristol on 24 October 1807, he was the son of Thomas Jordan , and began life as an artist.-Move to Cornwall:When barely twenty he moved to Falmouth...
- Charles KingsleyCharles KingsleyCharles Kingsley was an English priest of the Church of England, university professor, historian and novelist, particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire.-Life and character:...
- Charles LemonCharles LemonSir Charles Lemon, 2nd Baronet Lemon of Carclew was a British Member of Parliament for several constituencies and a baronet.-Service in Parliament:...
- F.D.Maurice
- John Stuart MillJohn Stuart MillJohn Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
- John Rogers (divine)John Rogers (divine)John Rogers , divine was born at Plymouth on 17 July 1778. He was the eldest son of John Rogers, the M.P. for Penryn and Helston and Margaret, daughter of Francis Basset....
- Dean StanleyArthur Penrhyn StanleyArthur Penrhyn Stanley was an English churchman, Dean of Westminster, known as Dean Stanley. His position was that of a Broad Churchman and he was the author of works on Church History.-Life and times:...
- John SterlingJohn Sterling (author)John Sterling , was a British author.He was born at Kames Castle on the Isle of Bute. He belonged to a family of Scottish origin which had settled in Ireland during the Cromwellian period...
- George WightwickGeorge WightwickGeorge Wightwick was an architect and possibly the first architectural journalist.In addition to his architectural practice, he developed his skills and the market for architectural journalism...
Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
The idea for the foundation of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic SocietyRoyal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society is an educational, cultural and scientific charity, based in Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The Society exists to promote innovation in the arts and sciences...
was created by Caroline, Barclay and their older sister, Anna Maria
Anna Maria Fox
Anna Maria Fox was a promoter of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society and the artistic and cultural development of Falmouth in Cornwall, UK.-Family links:...
.
The first Committee of the "Poly"
Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society
The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society is an educational, cultural and scientific charity, based in Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The Society exists to promote innovation in the arts and sciences...
, elected in January 1833, was rather dominated by Fox family members: "Dr. Fox , Mr & Mrs RW Fox, Mr & Mrs GC Fox, Mr TW Fox, Mr GP Fox, Mr & Mrs A Fox, Mr J Fox, Mr & Mrs C Fox of Perran, Miss Fox and Misses AM and C Fox and Mr RB Fox of Bank.".
In 1870, the Falmouth & Penryn Committee included Charles Fox (President), Miss AM Fox, A.Fox, N.Fox, RW Fox, Howard Fox, Mrs Howard Fox, Robert Fox, Samuel Fox and George Henry Fox. Miss AM Fox judged the Needlework that had been exhibited in the Annual Exhibition.
The Poly in Church Street, Falmouth hit serious financial problems in January 2010 and closed its commercial arm.
R.W.Fox FRS
Caroline and Barclay's father and uncle were both scientists. Their father, Robert Were FoxRobert Were Fox the Younger
Robert Were Fox FRS was a British geologist, natural philosopher and inventor. He is known mainly for his work on the temperature of the earth and his construction of a compass to measure magnetic dip at sea....
, was an FRS with interests in mineralogy
Mineralogy
Mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.-History:Early writing...
, metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
and geomagnetism
Earth's magnetic field
Earth's magnetic field is the magnetic field that extends from the Earth's inner core to where it meets the solar wind, a stream of energetic particles emanating from the Sun...
. He was a live wire in the British Association. He invented an improved version of the Dipping Needle Deflector
Dip circle
Dip circles are used to measure the angle between the horizon and the Earth's magnetic field . They were used in surveying, mining and prospecting as well as for the demonstration and study of magnetism....
, a navigational aid for polar explorers.
Charles Fox
Their uncle, Charles Fox also published scientific papers and ran an innovative Iron Foundry.Fox family and the BAAS
The Fox family descended from R W Fox the Elder had a long engagement with the British Association for the Advancement of Science (now called the British Science Association), founded in 1831.In August 1835, Barclay Fox
Barclay Fox
Robert Barclay Fox was a businessman, gardener and diarist, a member of the influential Quaker Fox family of Falmouth.-Family relationships:...
, aged 19, recorded in his Journal his visit to Dublin, for the BAAS Annual Meeting in Dublin, with his father, Robert Were Fox the younger and his uncle, Charles Fox
Charles Fox (scientist)
Charles Fox , a Quaker scientist, developed Trebah Garden, near Mawnan Smith in Cornwall. He was a member of the influential Fox family of Falmouth....
. R W Fox read a paper to the Physics section and demonstrated his instrument. In 1836, Barclay Fox records a large family visit to Bristol, at the time of the BAAS Annual Meeting in 1836. His younger sister, Caroline was in the party and attended the Physics`section.
In 1837, the family made a tour of the North of England, and this included the BAAS Annual Meeting in Liverpool. Caroline was also present at this event.
In 1841, Barclay attended the Annual Meeting held at Plymouth, with his two sisters and became a life member..
Caroline Fox also attended the 1857 Annual meeting, in Dublin. Her father read a paper on the temperature in mines in the Geological Section.
In August, 1884, Barclay and Caroline's older sister, Anna Maria visited Canada and the USA, with her nephew, Howard Fox
Howard Fox
Howard Fox was a shipping agent and played a large part in the economic and cultural development of the town of Falmouth, Cornwall. He was a member of the influential Fox family of Falmouth.-Business interests:...
, to attend the British Association meeting in Montreal and the meeting of the BAAS with the American Association in Philadelphia.
At the British Association's Annual Meeting held in Nottingham in September 1893, Howard Fox read a paper to the Geology Section "The radiolarian cherts of Cornwall".
Gardens
Robert, Charles and their brother, Alfred, were deeply engaged in exotic botanyBotany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and horticulture. They founded the gardens at Trebah
Trebah
Trebah is a sub-tropical garden situated in Cornwall near Glendurgan Garden and above the Helford River .-History of Trebah:In 1831 Trebah was acquired by the Fox family who built Glendurgan Garden. Trebah was first laid out as a pleasure garden by Charles Fox, a Quaker polymath of enormous...
, Glendurgan
Glendurgan Garden
Glendurgan Garden is a National Trust garden situated above the hamlet of Durgan on the Helford River in Mawnan Smith, near Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Glendurgan Garden was laid out by Alfred Fox in the 1820s and 1830s...
(now a National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
property), Penjerrick
Penjerrick Garden
Penjerrick Garden, often referred to as "Cornwall's true jungle garden", lies between Budock Water and Mawnan Smith, near Falmouth, United Kingdom....
and Rosehill, in Falmouth, all currently open to the public and containing mature specimens on exotic plants and trees.
Minerals
George Croker Fox (1784–1850), Robert Were Fox FRS and Alfred Fox assembled excellent collections of minerals, which are now in the British Museum (Natural History), given by Arthur Russell. Edward Fox (1749–1817), merchant, of Wadebridge, supplied the great collector Philip RashleighPhilip Rashleigh
Philip Rashleigh FRS , antiquary and Cornish squire, eldest son of Jonathan Rashleigh, M.P. for Fowey in Cornwall , who married, on 11 June 1728, Mary, daughter of Sir William Clayton of Marden in Surrey, was born at Aldermanbury, London, 28 Dec.1729...
with mineral specimens.
Quaker interests
Many of the family were Quakers, but they were not related to the George Fox
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
(1624–1691) who was one of the founders of the movement.
They were active locally in the Falmouth Meeting, Cornwall Monthly Meeting and Devon and Cornwall Quarterly Meeting. According to the Journals of Caroline and Barclay Fox, their parents and uncles usually attended the annual gathering of Quakers called London Yearly Meeting, when, as well as attending the sessions of Yearly Meeting, they met their Quaker relations and friends from all over the United Kingdom. Caroline and Anna Maria Fox were "Plain Quakers" all their lives, their unfashionable narrow skirts inspiring the names of two mine chimneys. However, the Falmouth Quakers were not "plain" in their appreciation and practice of art and literature. During the period that Barclay Fox kept his Journal, he abandoned the numbering of months for the "pagan" names, previously avoided by Friends.
The Fox family intermarried with local Quaker families and prominent Quaker mercantile families, such as Backhouse
Backhouse's Bank
Backhouse's Bank of Darlington was founded in 1774 by James Backhouse , a Quaker flax dresser and linen manufacturer, and his sons Jonathan and James ....
and Pease of Darlington
Pease family (Darlington)
The Pease family was a prominent English and mostly Quaker family associated with Darlington and County Durham and descended from Joseph Pease of Darlington, son of Edward Pease . They were 'one of the great Quaker industrialist families of the nineteenth century, who played a leading role in...
, Hustler, Lloyd
Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank Plc was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1765 until its merger into Lloyds TSB in 1995; it remains a registered company but is currently dormant. It expanded during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and took over a number of smaller banking companies...
and Barclay of Bury Hill.
Charles Fox (1797–1878)) and Alfred Fox's eldest son, Alfred Lloyd Fox played a part in the Society of Friends overseas missions.
Business interests of the Fox family
The family worked in partnership with other Quaker families, Tregelles of Falmouth and Price of South Wales and with the Methodist family of WilliamsWilliams family of Caerhays and Burncoose
The Williams family of Caerhays and Burncoose, were, for several generations, dominant in the Cornish Industrial Revolution as owners of mines and smelting works...
.
Shipbroking
- G.C. Fox (Shipping BrokersShipbrokingShipbroking is a financial service, which forms part of the global shipping industry. Shipbrokers are specialist intermediaries/negotiators between shipowners and charterers who use ships to transport cargo, or between buyers and sellers of ships.Some brokerage firms have developed into large...
)was a major shipping agency and broker in the growing freight port of Falmouth. The company was established in 1762 and passed out of family control on 30 September 2003. It remains the oldest ship agency company in Falmouth
Pilchard fishery, processing and export
- Alfred Fox was heavily engaged in the PilchardSardineSardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....
industry of Cornwall. Much of the output was salted fish for export to Catholic Southern Europe. - In 1882 Howard, George and Robert Fox formed the Falmouth Fishery Company Ltd., which also purchased G.C. Fox's ship towage business; in 1893 it was transformed into the Falmouth Towage Company Ltd.
Iron founding
- Perran Foundry
- General manager of the Foundry: George Fox the Second ( -1825), Charles Fox (1825–1842), Barclay Fox (1842– )
- Neath AbbeyNeath AbbeyNeath Abbey was a Cistercian monastery, located near the present-day town of Neath in southern Wales, UK.It was once the largest abbey in Wales. Substantial ruins can still be seen, and are in the care of Cadw...
Iron Foundry.
Metal mining
- Tin and Copper mining – supplying credit, pumping engines, imported materials: timber balks, coal. In partnership with the Williams family, developing the harbour at PortreathPortreathPortreath is a civil parish, village and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately three miles northwest of Redruth....
and a trackway to the mines from there..
Timber trade
For 200 years, the Fox family carried out the timber trade, with depots at PenrynPenryn, Cornwall
Penryn is a civil parish and town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Penryn River about one mile northwest of Falmouth...
, Falmouth, Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
and Grampound Road. In 1957, the business was merged with Harvey's of Hayle
Hayle
Hayle is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles northeast of Penzance...
.
Consulships
- ConsulshipsConsul (representative)The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
of various foreign countries, held successively by members of the Fox family.
"U.S. State Department FAQs: Have there been multi-generational foreign affairs families in U.S. history? . . . .
A family of English Quaker merchants named Fox were U.S. Consuls at Falmouth, England. Robert Were Fox served from 1794 to 1812, and again from 1815 to his death in 1818.
Robert Were Fox , Jr. served from 1819 to 1854 (their middle name is sometimes spelled "Weare" or "Ware"). Somehow the Consulate passed out of the family between 1854 and 1863. Two more generations of Foxes then served.
Alfred Fox was appointed in 1863, and Howard Fox served from 1874 until the post was closed in December 1905.".
U.S. Consuls
- 1792–1794 Edward Long Fox.
- 1794–1812, 1815–1818 R.W.Fox the Elder.
- 1818–1854 R.W. Fox the Younger.
- 1854–1863 [Unknown] The American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(1861–1865) - 1863–1874 Alfred FoxAlfred FoxAlfred Fox, of Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, was owner and developer of Glendurgan Garden, now a National Trust property. He was a member of the Quaker Fox family of Falmouth.-Business interests:...
, brother of R.W.Fox the Younger. - 1874–1905 Howard Fox, son of Alfred Fox
Medicine and Surgery
Several members of the family were surgeons and physicians, some based in Falmouth. The most distinguished of these seems to have been Edward Long FoxEdward Long Fox
Edward Long Fox was a British psychiatrist. He established an insane asylum at Brislington House, near Bristol, England, and classified the patients according to social class as well as behavioural presentation....
(1762–1835), lunatic asylum proprietor at Brislington
Brislington
Brislington is an area in the south east of the city of Bristol, England. It is on the edge of Bristol and from Bath. The Brislington Brook runs through the area in the woodlands of Nightingale Valley...
and developer of Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
as a sea-bathing resort. He married twice and had 15 daughters and 8 sons.He should not be confused with another Edward Long Fox, in whose name an annual public lecture has been endowed, at the University of Bristol. The Oxford Companion to Medicine states there were 21 doctors in the Fox dynasty.
Politics
In his journal for 1839 and 1840, Barclay FoxBarclay Fox
Robert Barclay Fox was a businessman, gardener and diarist, a member of the influential Quaker Fox family of Falmouth.-Family relationships:...
records his enthusiastic support for the Liberal candidate for Penryn & Falmouth
Penryn and Falmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Penryn and Falmouth was the name of a constituency in Cornwall represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until 1950. From 1832 to 1885 it was a parliamentary borough returning two Members of Parliament , elected by the bloc vote system...
, Edward John Hutchins
Edward John Hutchins
Edward John Hutchins was a Liberal MP, railway director and Freemason.-Birth and education:...
, his approval of the reformed electoral process and his delight at victory. In March 1840, he campaigned for Cornish MPs to support Ewart
William Ewart
William Ewart was a British politician, born in Liverpool on 1 May 1798. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, gaining the Newdigate prize for English verse. He was called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1827, and the next year entered Parliament for the borough of Bletchingley in...
's bill to abolish the Death Penalty for all offences.
Barclay, his father, R W Fox
Robert Were Fox the Younger
Robert Were Fox FRS was a British geologist, natural philosopher and inventor. He is known mainly for his work on the temperature of the earth and his construction of a compass to measure magnetic dip at sea....
and his uncle, Alfred Fox
Alfred Fox
Alfred Fox, of Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, was owner and developer of Glendurgan Garden, now a National Trust property. He was a member of the Quaker Fox family of Falmouth.-Business interests:...
were involved in lobbying Ministers and officials in Westminster and Whitehall with other Cornish gentry and merchants for the Post Office Packet Service
Post Office Packet Service
The Post Office Packet Service dates to Tudor times and ran until 1823, when the Admiralty assumed control of the service. Originally, the Post Office used packet ships to carry mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts. The vessels generally also carried bullion, private...
, the fishing and mining industries and the extension of a railway service west of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
.
At the 1868 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1868
The 1868 United Kingdom general election was the first after passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom...
, Charles Fox
Charles Fox (scientist)
Charles Fox , a Quaker scientist, developed Trebah Garden, near Mawnan Smith in Cornwall. He was a member of the influential Fox family of Falmouth....
of Trebah was one of two representatives of Falmouth on the committee to elect the Liberal candidate, Pendarves Vivian
Arthur Vivian
Sir Arthur Pendarves Vivian KCB was a British industrialist, mine-owner and Liberal politician, who worked in south Wales and Cornwall, and sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1885.-Early life and education:...
to Parliament, representing West Cornwall
West Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)
West Cornwall was a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election.- Boundaries :...
. Howard Fox
Howard Fox
Howard Fox was a shipping agent and played a large part in the economic and cultural development of the town of Falmouth, Cornwall. He was a member of the influential Fox family of Falmouth.-Business interests:...
was the Treasurer of the Falmouth Liberal Association.
Robert Barclay Fox
Robert Barclay Fox
Robert Barclay Fox was a Falmouth businessman and Conservative Party politician in Cornwall. He was known as Barclay Fox.-Birth and family background:R.B...
, Barclay's grandson, was a Conservative County Councillor in Cornwall.
Children and grandchildren of George Fox of Par
George Fox of Par was the son of Francis FoxFrancis Fox of St Germans
Francis Fox of St Germans was the progenitor of a vast clan of people called "Fox", notable in many fields of enterprise, science and the arts. He was an early convert to the Quaker faith, to which many of later generations were also true.-Origins:...
of St Germans, Cornwall, and his second wife, Tabitha Croker. Francis's father, also Francis
Francis Fox of St Germans
Francis Fox of St Germans was the progenitor of a vast clan of people called "Fox", notable in many fields of enterprise, science and the arts. He was an early convert to the Quaker faith, to which many of later generations were also true.-Origins:...
, and his mother, Dorothy, were early converts to the revolutionary Quaker faith.
George Fox married twice, first, to Mary Bealing and, second, to Anna Debell.
Children of first marriage of George Fox to Mary Bealing
- Edward Fox (born 1719) of Wadebridge, married Anna Were (1719–1788). They had nine children, including
- George Fox (11 July 1746 – 22 June 1816) of PerranarworthalPerranarworthalPerranarworthal is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately four miles northwest of Falmouth and five miles southwest of Truro....
near Falmouth, Cornwall, merchant - Thomas Fox (17 January 1747/8 – 29 April 1821) of Wellington, Somerset (woollen manufacturer and banker).
- Edward Fox (13 December 1749 – 8 April 1817) of Wadebridge, Merchant.
- Robert Were Fox (1758–1818) of Wadebridge (not to be confused with his son, Robert Were Fox (1792–1872) or his cousin or cousin's son, both also called "Robert Were Fox").
- George Fox (11 July 1746 – 22 June 1816) of Perranarworthal
Children of George Fox's second marriage to Anna Debell
- George Croker Fox the First (1727/8-1781) (See below).
- Joseph FoxJoseph Fox the elderJoseph Fox Having taken to Medicine rather than business, Joseph and his descendants were less prosperous, had less leisure, and are not included in Carlyle's eulogy....
(1729–1784) of Falmouth. Joseph was the first Falmouth Fox, and founder of the medical dynasty. He was also a man of character, as is plain from the affair of the Prize Money. He married Elizabeth Hingston (28 October 1733–1802) on 17 May 1754. He was Mayor of Falmouth at the time of the visit of Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United KingdomVictoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
and Prince Albert, on 1 September 1843.
The eleven children of Joseph Fox (1729–1784) and Elizabeth Hingston included two who became medical doctors-
-
- Joseph FoxJoseph Fox the youngerJoseph Fox 1st Internist London Hospital. Born a Quaker, he became a catholic on what was supposed to be his deathbed and lived a year afterwards.-Life:...
(1754–1832), of Falmouth, who married his 2nd cousin Elizabeth Peters. Joseph became a catholic. - Edward Long FoxEdward Long FoxEdward Long Fox was a British psychiatrist. He established an insane asylum at Brislington House, near Bristol, England, and classified the patients according to social class as well as behavioural presentation....
(1762–1835), lunatic asylum proprietor at BrislingtonBrislingtonBrislington is an area in the south east of the city of Bristol, England. It is on the edge of Bristol and from Bath. The Brislington Brook runs through the area in the woodlands of Nightingale Valley...
and developer of Weston-super-MareWeston-super-MareWeston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
as a sea-bathing resort (Described above under "Medicine and Surgery"). Edward Long Fox married first, Catherine Brown, and second, Isabella Ker, and had 22 children.
- Joseph Fox
- The other children of Joseph Fox (1729–1784) and Elizabeth Hingston were:
-
- Anna, who married first, William Rawes, and second, Thomas Thompson
- Elizabeth married John Allen
- Sarah
- Tabitha
- Rachel
-
- Richard married Hannah Forster
- Nathaniel
- Francis married Hester Mills
- Philip
Children of George Croker Fox the First (1727–1781) and Mary Were, his wife
George Croker Fox the First was the son of George Fox of Par and his second wife, Anna Debell.In 1749, he and Mary Were (died 1796) were married. Their children were:
- George Croker Fox the Second (2 June 1752 – 31 December 1807). He married Catherine Young (1751? – 1809) in 1780.
-
- Their son, also called, George Croker Fox (1784–1850), in 1810, married Lucy Barclay (b.1783), whose sister, Maria, who married R.W. Fox the Younger. Lucy and Maria were daughters of Robert Barclay (1751–1830) of Bury Hill, near Dorking, Surrey. Lucy and George Croker Fox the Third had no children. He was the author of the following translations:
- The PrometheusPrometheus BoundPrometheus Bound is an Ancient Greek tragedy. In Antiquity, this drama was attributed to Aeschylus, but is now considered by some scholars to be the work of another hand, perhaps one as late as ca. 415 BC. Despite these doubts of authorship, the play's designation as Aeschylean has remained...
of Æschylus and the Electra of SophoclesElectra (Sophocles)Electra or Elektra is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles. Its date is not known, but various stylistic similarities with the Philoctetes and the Oedipus at Colonus lead scholars to suppose that it was written towards the end of Sophocles' career.Set in the city of Argos a few years after the Trojan...
. Translated ... With notes, intended to illustrate the typical character of the former. Also, a few original poems. By George Croker Fox. London, Darton & Harvey, 1835. - The death of Demosthenes, and other original poems: with the Prometheus and Agamemnon of Æschylus, translated from the Greek; London, 1839.
- The Prometheus
- Their son, also called, George Croker Fox (1784–1850), in 1810, married Lucy Barclay (b.1783), whose sister, Maria, who married R.W. Fox the Younger. Lucy and Maria were daughters of Robert Barclay (1751–1830) of Bury Hill, near Dorking, Surrey. Lucy and George Croker Fox the Third had no children. He was the author of the following translations:
- Joshua Fox (?1752 – 1791). (Not to be confused with Joshua Fox (1792–1877).
- Robert Were Fox the Elder, (1754–1818), businessman See below.
- Thomas Were Fox (1 July 1766 – 23 July 1844) married Mary Tregelles (1770–1835). They had four sons, He moved to PlymouthPlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
after his wife's death - William Were Fox (d.1775)
- Philip Fox (d.1775). William and Philip were drowned "in a great storm, off the coast of Holland."
- Three other children.
Children of R.W. Fox the Elder and Elizabeth Tregelles (1768–1848), his wife
- Robert Were Fox the YoungerRobert Were Fox the YoungerRobert Were Fox FRS was a British geologist, natural philosopher and inventor. He is known mainly for his work on the temperature of the earth and his construction of a compass to measure magnetic dip at sea....
(1789–1877), F.R.S. and businessman. (See below) - George Philip Fox (1790–1854)
- Joshua Fox (17 April 1792 – 27 March 1887) of Tregenda, married Joanna Flannering, who died 1826. Three daughters:
- Joanna Ellen Fox
- Marie Louise Fox (1825 – July 1894) – married Harry Triebner in October 1877.
- Josephine Fox
- Alfred FoxAlfred FoxAlfred Fox, of Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, was owner and developer of Glendurgan Garden, now a National Trust property. He was a member of the Quaker Fox family of Falmouth.-Business interests:...
(1794–1894), businessman. Twelve children. (Details of his marriage and children are given in his Wikipedia article). - Henry (d.1809)
- Charles Fox (scientist)Charles Fox (scientist)Charles Fox , a Quaker scientist, developed Trebah Garden, near Mawnan Smith in Cornwall. He was a member of the influential Fox family of Falmouth....
(1797–1878) of Trebah, general manager of the Perran FoundryPerranarworthalPerranarworthal is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately four miles northwest of Falmouth and five miles southwest of Truro.... - Charlotte Fox (1799–1879) married Samuel Fox (1794–1874), of Wellington, his second marriage, 18 April 1849. The family moved to Tottenham in 1837 and on his retirement in 1857, to Falmouth.
- Elizabeth Tregelles Fox (1800–1837) married Will Gibbins (1791 – 15 February 1843), of Birmingham and later of Falmouth, banker, in 1833. No children
- Lewis Fox (15 February 1803 – 6 December 1839), unmarried. Merchant at Perran Wharf.
- Mariana Fox (1807–1863) married Francis Tuckett (1802–1868), of FrenchayFrenchayFrenchay is a suburb of Bristol, England, to the north east of the city, but located mainly in South Gloucestershire and the Civil Parish of Winterbourne....
, leather factor, in 1833
Children of R.W. Fox the Younger and Maria Barclay, his wife
- Anna Maria FoxAnna Maria FoxAnna Maria Fox was a promoter of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society and the artistic and cultural development of Falmouth in Cornwall, UK.-Family links:...
(1816. – 1897)), promoter of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic SocietyRoyal Cornwall Polytechnic SocietyThe Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society is an educational, cultural and scientific charity, based in Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The Society exists to promote innovation in the arts and sciences...
. No children. Amateur painter and organiser of the Art section of the Annual Exhibition at the “Poly”. The first purpose-built building of Falmouth School of Art, in Arwenack Avenue, was given in memory of her. The 1904 building was refurbished in 2007. - Barclay FoxBarclay FoxRobert Barclay Fox was a businessman, gardener and diarist, a member of the influential Quaker Fox family of Falmouth.-Family relationships:...
(1817–1855), author of Journal, published in 1979 (Details of his marriage and children are given in his Wikipedia article). No children. - Caroline FoxCaroline FoxCaroline Fox was an English diarist. She was the daughter of Robert Were Fox FRS of the influential Fox family of Falmouth, and was the younger sister of both Barclay Fox, also a diarist, and Anna Maria Fox....
(1819–1871), author of Journal, published in 1881 and 1972. No children.
Other relations
- Edmund Backhouse (MP)Edmund Backhouse (MP)Edmund Backhouse , banker, J.P. on the County Durham and for the North Riding of Yorkshire benches. He was Member of Parliament for Darlington.-Family:...
(1824–1906), son-in-law of Charles Fox. - Horace PymHorace PymHorace Pym was a confidential solicitor, book collector and the editor of the best-selling private journal of the Quaker writer, Caroline Fox: Memories of Old Friends, published in 1881.-Name, birth and parentage:...
, editor of Caroline Fox's Journal, published 1881 and husband, successively of two of her relations. - Josiah FoxJosiah FoxJosiah Fox was a Cornish naval architect noted for his involvement in the design and construction of the first significant warships of the United States Navy....
(1763–1847), naval architect and a relation of this family. - Howard FoxHoward FoxHoward Fox was a shipping agent and played a large part in the economic and cultural development of the town of Falmouth, Cornwall. He was a member of the influential Fox family of Falmouth.-Business interests:...
, (10 February 1836 – 15 November 1922), son of Alfred and Sarah Fox, Chair of the Falmouth Harbour Board and the Falmouth DocksFalmouth DocksFalmouth Docks are the docks of the town of Falmouth in Cornwall, England, UK.The docks are served by the Falmouth Docks railway station. Policing is by the Falmouth Docks Police.-Further reading:...
Company for 45 years. Married Olivia Blanche Orme, a non-Quaker. They had two sons , Charles Masson FoxCharles Masson FoxCharles Masson Fox was a Cornish businessman who achieved international prominence in the world of chess problems and a place in the gay history of Edwardian England....
and Howard Orme Fox, and two daughters, Olivia Lloyd Fox and Stella Fox.. - Charles Masson FoxCharles Masson FoxCharles Masson Fox was a Cornish businessman who achieved international prominence in the world of chess problems and a place in the gay history of Edwardian England....
(6 November 1866 – 11 October 1935), chess player. Son of Howard Fox and Olivia Blanche Orme, his wife. Partner in the Fox family's businesses and Consul to Russia and Sweden. - Charles Fox (1740?–1809), poet and orientalist of Falmouth and Bristol. This Charles Fox is the subject of a DNB article. It is not clear whether or how he was related to other Falmouth Foxes.
- Robert Barclay FoxRobert Barclay FoxRobert Barclay Fox was a Falmouth businessman and Conservative Party politician in Cornwall. He was known as Barclay Fox.-Birth and family background:R.B...
(24 July 1873 – 22 April 1934), Son of Robert Fox and Ellen Bassett, his wife. Grandson of Barclay Fox. Cornwall County Councillor, High Sheriff of Cornwall, 1920–1921, Partner in G.C. Fox.
Sources
The Journals- Fox, Caroline (1881) Memories of Old Friends Caroline Fox of Penjerrick, Cornwall (edited by H. N. PymHorace PymHorace Pym was a confidential solicitor, book collector and the editor of the best-selling private journal of the Quaker writer, Caroline Fox: Memories of Old Friends, published in 1881.-Name, birth and parentage:...
, 1881; 2nd edition, 1882). U.S. edition, Rowman & Littlefield (1979), Totowa, N.J. ISBN 0-8476-6187-3
Other Sources
- Crewdson, H. A. F. (1976) George Fox of Tredrea and his three daughters: a century of family history published by the Author.
- DQB:Dictionary of Quaker Biography – a typescript compilation held at Friends House Library, London.
- Gay, Susan E.Susan Elizabeth GaySusan Elizabeth Gay was a chronicler of Falmouth in a book published in 1903 entitled Old Falmouth ....
(1903) Old Falmouth: the story of the town from the days of the Killigrews to the earliest part of the Nineteenth century, London, Headley Brothers. - Gill, Crispin Great Cornish familiesGreat Cornish familiesGreat Cornish families: a history of the people and their houses is a book by Crispin Gill, published in 1995. The authorCrispin Gill, at the time of the book's publication lived in Plymouth and was Assistant Editor of the Western Morning News...
: a history of the people and their houses, Tiverton, Cornwall Books (1995). ISBN 1-871060-25-7 . The Foxes of Falmouth are described on pp. 36–40. - Milligan, Edward H.Edward H. MilliganEdward Hyslop Milligan , also known as Ted Milligan, is a Quaker historian and the former librarian at Friends House, London. He is the author of The Biographical Dictionary of British Quakers in Commerce and Industry 1775-1920, which includes entries for some 2,800 people...
The Biographical dictionary of British Quakers in commerce and industry, 1775–1920Milligan's Biographical dictionary of British Quakers in commerce and industryThe Biographical Dictionary of British Quakers in Commerce and Industry 1775-1920, by Edward H. Milligan, includes entries for some 2,800 people, arranged alphabetically...
, Sessions of York (2007) ISBN 978-1-85702-367-7.
- Members of the Fox family of Falmouth with articles in Milligan's Dictionary . .
- AlfredAlfred FoxAlfred Fox, of Falmouth, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, was owner and developer of Glendurgan Garden, now a National Trust property. He was a member of the Quaker Fox family of Falmouth.-Business interests:...
(1794–1874), - Alfred Lloyd (1829–1885),
- Arthur Edward (1864–1940),
- Frederick (1798–1830),
- George Croker (1752–1807),
- George Croker (1785–1850),
- George Henry (1845–1931),
- HowardHoward FoxHoward Fox was a shipping agent and played a large part in the economic and cultural development of the town of Falmouth, Cornwall. He was a member of the influential Fox family of Falmouth.-Business interests:...
(1836–1922),
- Joshua (1792–1877),
- Nathaniel (1835–1910),
- Robert WereRobert Were Fox the ElderRobert Were Fox was a Quaker businessman who lived in Falmouth.- Life and work :Fox was born in Fowey, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, and married Elizabeth Tregelles in 1788. The couple had six sons, including Charles Fox of Trebah, Robert Were Fox FRS of Penjerrick Garden and Alfred Fox of...
(1754–1818), - Robert WereRobert Were Fox the YoungerRobert Were Fox FRS was a British geologist, natural philosopher and inventor. He is known mainly for his work on the temperature of the earth and his construction of a compass to measure magnetic dip at sea....
(1789–1877), - Theodore (1831–1899),
- Thomas Were (1766–1844),
- Redwood, U.M. (1989) A family of Quaker doctors photocopied electric typewriter text. Copy at Cornwall Studies Library, Redruth.
Online
- The Foxhound online database of people with surname "Fox"
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography articles used:
- Robert Were Fox the Elder (1754–1818)
- Robert Were Fox the Younger (1789–1877)
- Charles Fox (1797–1878)
- Caroline Fox (1819–1871)
- Charles Fox (1740?–1809) – probably unrelated to the other Foxes.
- Jane CrewdsonJane CrewdsonJane Crewdson , poet, was born at Perran-arworthal, Cornwall, on 22 Oct. 1808, being the second daughter of George Fox of that place , and was married at Exeter, in October 1836, to Thomas Dillworth Crewdson, a Manchester manufacturer...
(1808–1863), hymn-writer, daughter of George Fox (1746–1816) of Perranarworthal.
For the Fox family 1914 to 1918 See "A Quaker record of maritime Falmouth in World War One" by Pamela Richardson in Troze: Journal of the National Maritime Museum Cornwall Volume 1, No. 2 (December 2008). Online at http://www.nmmc.co.uk/images/uploaded/troze/081203%20Falmouth%20WW%201.pdf