Law of Denunciation ?

[Rachel Scand]

Trawling through census images for an expensive area of Sussex, there was

'A Lady protected by the Law of Denunciation'
(that's what it looks like)

here's the link .... she's at no 11

- Ancestry.co.uk


anyone know what it means ?

[KiteRunner]

It certainly looks like law of denunciation, but the only thing that suggests to me is that the enumerator didn't want to put down what he thought her occupation was as it might be libellous? But given her age and the number of servants, that can't be right... can it?
*goes off to Google*

[KiteRunner]

Oh, I see they aren't necessarily her servants as she is a visitor rather than head of household. Anyway, I still can't find anything that directly explains it, but I wonder if it was some kind of whistleblower / witness protection thing? Except I don't think they had anything like that then, plus you would think she would have given a false name like Ann Smith or something, wouldn't you?
Maybe I should stop making up wild theories and wait for somebody who knows the answer!

[Rachel Scand]

Thanks Kite
It' a bit confusing anyway ... there's no Head of household at no 11 unless he's the one at no 10 .... listed after the servants !

[Guy]

Just a though was she divorced?
The enumerator could be thinking of the other meaning i.e. termination.
Cheers
Guy

[Mary from Italy]

Very strange. I don't think there is such as thing as the "law of denunciation".

And if the enumerator was worried about libel, he could just have put down "living on own means".

[Rachel Scand]

Just a though was she divorced?
The enumerator could be thinking of the other meaning i.e. termination.
Cheers
Guy

It says she's a Visitor at Bton ... transcribed as Blon
(presumably Brighton)

Widow aged 63 born in Calcutta, India

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Interestingly (??) in 1881 she is the head of house (annuitant) and living with her are two servants, a man and wife, but in the occupation column he is a policeman and she is a policeman's wife!

RG11 Piece 0099 Folio 101 Page 14

[Rachel Scand]

Interestingly (??) in 1881 she is the head of house (annuitant) and living with her are two servants, a man and wife, but in the occupation column he is a policeman and she is a policeman's wife!

RG11 Piece 0099 Folio 101 Page 14

and she's a 'Windower' !!!!! :D ...

so is that Police protection as Kate was thinking (1891) ?

[Rachel Scand]

this looks like her in 1871 with husband Charles
Can't quite decipher what he's Landowner of

Oh blimey ..... he's 82 !


- Ancestry.co.uk

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

In 1901 she is transcribed as Mary R McGarel :(

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Oh is the name McGarel?

Death reg
Mary R McGarel
Year of Registration: 1913 Q2
Age 85
District: Kensington
Volume: 1a
Page: 109

[Rachel Scand]

looks like it is in 1871

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

lol, sorry I was looking for the wrong surname!

CHARLES MCGAREL
Marriages:
Spouse: MARY ROSINA HOGG
Marriage: 17 APR 1856 All Souls, Saint Marylebone

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Deaths Dec 1876
McGarel Charles 88 Brighton 2b 147

This is really annoying.....what was she up to?

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Googling tells me a story :

Lady Mary Murray, who was buried at Glasnevin Cemetery on March 5th, 1888, represented a not unimportant stock. "You ask me about my mother's people," writes Mrs. Fox, of Kilcoursey; "Her maiden name was Allen, but her parents died when she was very young. Her mother's brother was the late Charles McGarel, of Belgrave Square, London, and Magheramourne, Co. Antrim, from which place Sir James McGarel Hogg (Mr. McGarel's wife's brother, to whom he left the place and an enormous fortune [£75,000 a year. The burial service of the Protestant Church was, of course, recited at her grave. Lady Mary, though Mrs. McGarel's nearest relation, was not remembered in her will.]), took the title of Lord Magheramourne. My mother (his sister's child) and I were his only blood relations at the time of his death; but in this case blood was not thicker than water."

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

and this:

James McGarel-Hogg, 1st Baron Magheramorne - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Olde Crone Holden]

The law of denunciation appears to have something to do with the Spanish Inquisition, so not that.

A wider interpretation says that, if you admit to something, or being someone, which then puts you in danger of your life, you can operate the law of denunciation.

Yet another(!) interpretation was, if you were accused of attempting to overthrow democracy, you could claim law of denunciation, so same as before.

Hmmmm.....Irish surname....wealthy....I would think an early form of witness protection certainly, perhaps in exchange for information about Irish rebels?

Seems a bit of a faff though - why not just say my name is Mary Smith? No one was going to see it other than the enumerator, and I would have thought the very unusual nature of this description would make the enumerator and copying clerks MORE aware of her, not less.

I know very little Irish history but the name McGarrel seems familiar. Or maybe it doesn't.

OC

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

If her husband had enough money for her brother to inherit enough for an income of £75,000 a year (surely that can't be right??!) then what was she (Mary Rosina, the widow) living off? She outlived her brother by many years.....

Maybe she did a runner with part of her brother's inheritance??!

[Rachel Scand]

Did Viscount Hailsham (Quintin McGarel Hogg) write an autobiography ?

She might appear in that and all will be revealed




meanwhile .... how do I find out who gt gt grandad was working for in 1891 and why he was in Sussex ? :D

I went through ED 4 looking for the Belhaven's (surname should be Hamilton) but didn't see anything I recognised