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Edward Reynolds KELLY (1810–1882)
His wife Mrs Elizabeth KELLY, née Wardman (c.1816–1875)
Their daughter Elizabeth Mary KELLY (1844–1871)
Their son Edward Wardman KELLY (1846–1875)
Their son John George KELLY (1855–1883)
St Paul section: Row 15, Grave A22 (St Paul ref S.12)

Edward Reynolds Kelly was born in Portsea, Hampshire on 9 December 1810, the son of the surgeon Thomas Kelly and his wife Mary, but was not baptised there until 9 December 1825 when he was aged 15. At the time of the 1841 census, when he was aged 31, he was working as the butler of Sir George Vandeput Drury at Shotover House in the parish of Forest Hill near Oxford.

Elizabeth Wardman was born in Newton Kyme, Yorkshire in c.1816, the daughter of the farmer John Wardman. In 1841 she was aged 26 and was also working at Shotover House as a servant.

On 14 November 1842 at Forest Hill Church, Edward Reynolds Kelly married Elizabeth Wardman, and they had the following children, the first born just six weeks after the wedding:

• Thomas Kelly (born at New Road, Oxford on 30 January 1843 and baptised at St Peter-le-Bailey Church on 26 February)
• Elizabeth Mary Kelly (born at Shotover in 1844 and baptised at Forest Hill on 11 August)
• Edward Wardman Kelly (born at Littleworth, Shotover in 1846 and baptised at Forest Hill on 30 August)
• Charlotte Jane Kelly (born at Littleworth, Shotover in 1849 and baptised at Wheatley on 25 February)
• Sarah Annie Kelly (born at Shotover in 1854 and baptised at Wheatley on 18 June)
• John George Kelly (born at Adelaide Street, Oxford in 1855 and baptised at St Paul’s Church on 8 April).

Their first child Thomas was born in Oxford, but they were back at Shotover the next year, with their address specified in 1846 as Littleworth, which like the rest of Shotover was extraparochial and midway between the villages of Wheatley and Horspath, and hence split between Wheatley and Shotover (Wheatley) parishes. Edward Kelly was described as a butler in 1844, and as a gentleman’s servant in 1849.

In 1851 Edward Kelly (41), who was now curiously described as a landed proprietor, was living in a cottage on Shotover with his wife Elizabeth (35) and their first four children Thomas (8), Elizabeth (6), Edward (5), and Charlotte (5).

By the time of Sarah Annie’s baptism in 1854 John Kelly was a college servant, and soon afterwards the family moved to Adelaide Street in St Giles, which fell into the St Paul’s district chapelry.

At the time of the 1861 census Edward Kelly (51), by now the porter at Trinity College, Oxford, was living at 14 Adelaide Street with his wife Elizabeth (45) and all six of their children: Thomas (18), who was a solicitor’s clerk; Elizabeth (16); Edward (14), who was an apprentice cook: and Charlotte (12), [Sarah] Annie (9), and John (6), who were at school

Their daughter Elizabeth died in 1871:

† Miss Elizabeth Mary Kelly died at 14 Adelaide Street at the age of 27 in March 1871 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 24 March (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

At the time of the 1871 census Edward Kelly (61), still the porter at Trinity College, was living at 14 Adelaide Street with his wife Elizabeth (55) and three of their children: Edward (25) was an unemployed cook; Charlotte (20) was a draper’s assistant; and Annie (19) was a dressmaker; and John (16) was unemployed.

Their eldest son was married near the beginning of 1872:

• In 1871/2 (reg. first quarter 1872) in the Buckingham district, Thomas Kelly married Sarah Ann Taylor.

None of their other children married.

Four years later Mrs Kelly and her second son Edward died within five days of each other and were buried on the same day:

† Edward Wardman Kelly died at 14 Adelaide Street at the age of 20 on 19 February 1875 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 27 February (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

† Mrs Elizabeth Kelly née Wardman died at 14 Adelaide Street at the age of 59 on 24 February 1875 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 27 February (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

Their joint death announcement in Jackson’s Oxford Journal read:

Feb. 19, at 14, Adelaide-street, Oxford, Mr. Edward Wardman Kelly, aged 28.—Feb. 24, at 14, Adelaide-street, Mrs. Elizabeth Kelly, mother of the above, aged 59.

Edward Reynolds Kelly must have moved a few doors down the road after his wife’s death, as at the time of the 1881 census he was living at 18 Adelaide Street with three of his children: Charlotte (28), Annie (26), and John (25); he was described as “late college servant”, and none of the children worked.

Edward Reynolds Kelly died in 1882:

† Edward Reynolds Kelly died at 18 Adelaide Street at the age of 72 on 20 March 1882 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 25 March (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

His death notice in Jackson’s Oxford Journal read: “March 20, at 18, Adelaide-street, St. Giles’s, Mr. Edward Reynolds Kelly, porter at Trinity College, aged 72.“

His estate came to £1,815 2s. 4d., and his daughter Charlotte was his executor.

His son John died the next year:

† John George Kelly died at 18 Adelaide Street at the age of 28 in September 1883 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 8 September (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

John’s two unmarried sisters continued to live at 18 Adelaide Street: Charlotte (39) and [Sarah] Annie (37) were there at the time of the 1891 census.

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Surviving children of Edward & Elizabeth Kelly

• Thomas Kelly (born 1833) was an inland revenue inspector in 1881, lodging away from his wife and children at Knaresborough in Yorkshire. The family then spent some time in Clackheaton, Yorkshire and Tipton, Staffordshire. By 1901 Thomas Kelly was a superintending inspector, living at 18 Stormont Road, Battersea with his wife Sarah and his children Alice (27), Elizabeth (25), Denzil (22), Harold (21) and Aubrey (17). By 1911 he was retired and was running a small farm at Northmoor, worked by his sons Harold and Aubrey. He died in Witney at the age of 72 on 16 March 1915. His effects came to £1,171 14s. 11d., and his executor was his son Denzil.
• Charlotte Jane Kelly (born 1849) never married. At the time of the 1901 census she was living with her brother Thomas and his family in Battersea. In 1911 when she was 58 she had been working as a nursemaid, but was a patient in the Portsmouth Infirmary on census night. She died at the Lunatic Asylum at Milton, Portsmouth at the age of 64 on 18 April 1913. Her effects came to £205, and her executor was her sister [Sarah] Annie.
• Sarah Annie Kelly (born 1854) was always known as Annie, and may be the A. Kelly, aged 57, who in 1911 was working as a housekeeper and lodging at Southsea (although she is described as having been born in Oxford rather than Shotover).