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Mrs Alice MacALPIN née Stone (1839–1869)
Her infant children Margaret Annie MacALPIN (1867–1868)
and William MacALPIN (born and died 1869)
St Paul section: Row 4, Grave A20 (St Paul ref. Q1)

Alice Stone (later Mrs Macalpin) was born in Wootton near Abingdon (then in Berkshire) in 1839 and baptised there on 4 August. She was the daughter of William Stone and his wife Sarah Martin, who were married at Wootton church on 12 March 1826. Alice’s father was a farmer, and the 1851 census states that he had 240 acres and employed ten men.

Her parents had seven other children: the first two, William Stone (born c.1820) and Jubal Stone (born c.1822) were not baptised at Wootton church, but the rest were: John Comins Stone (1828), Sarah Stone (1830), James Stone (1835), Thomas Stone (1836), and Fanny Anna Comins Stone (1841).

Alice Stone was at home with her parents at the time of the 1841, 1851, and 1861 censuses. Three of Alice’s siblings died as young adults: Sarah (28) in 1859; James (26) in 1860; and John (34) in 1862.

In 1861 her future husband Alexander MacAlpin (born in Scotland in c.1830) was already based in Oxford. He was a single man of 30, living over his draper's shop at 47 Walton Street as the head of the household. Boarding with him were his sister Margaret and her husband John Paterson, who was also a draper, and their two children, and also another Scotsman, Alexander McKenzie, who was a draper’s assistant. The MacAlpin draper’s shop was listed at 47 Walton Street in the Post Office Directory for 1861 and Kelly’s Directory for 1864.

In the first quarter of 1865 in the Abingdon district (probably at Wootton church), Alice Stone married Alexander MacAlpin (whose name is also spelt McAlpin or Macalpin). They had three children:

• Mary A. S. MacAlpin (born at 8 Walton Street on 11 March 1866), with an announcement in Jackson's Oxford Journal;
• Margaret Annie MacAlpin (born in 1867); died 1868
• William MacAlpin (born at 8 Walton Street on 27 June 1869, with a notification in Jackson's Oxford Journal); died 1869

The MacAlpins appear to have moved their shop from 47 Walton Street to 8 Walton Street after their marriage.

Their second daughter Margaret Annie MacAlpin died in 1868:

† Margaret Annie MacAlpin died at Walton Street at the age of one year four months on 3 June 1868 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 6 June (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

Alice’s brother Jubal Stone died in St Aldate’s at the age of 45 less than two weeks later, and was buried at Wootton on 14 June.

Their only son was born the following year, and the proud father must have sent a notification to Jackson’s Oxford Journal immediately; but the baby was already dead before the announcement appeared in the paper, as he did not survive quite two days:

† William MacAlpin died at Walton Street at the age of about two days on 28 June 1869 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 30 June (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

The St Paul grave reference for both babies was Q1, the same as that of their mother, suggesting that they were buried in this grave before her, rather than in a parish section for infants.

Mrs Alice MacAlpin’s father William Stone also died in 1869 in Wootton at the age of 77 and was buried there on 16 December.

Alice herself died in Oxford about a week after her father:

† Mrs Alice MacAlpin née Stone died at 8 Walton Street at the age of 29 on 22 December 1869 and was buried at St Sepulchre’s Cemetery on 27 December (burial recorded in the parish register of St Paul’s Church).

Alice is recorded in the burial register with her forename spelt “Ellice”, which may have reflected the Scottish accent of her husband. A brief announcement appeared in Jackson’s Oxford Journal: “Dec. 22, aged 29, at 8, Walton-street, Alice, the beloved wife of Mr. Alexander MacAlpin.” Her effects came to under £4,000, and her husband Alexander (described as a gentleman) was her executor.

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Husband and only surviving daughter of Mrs Alice MacAlpin

At the time of the 1871 census Alexander MacAlpin, a widower of 39, was still working as a draper and living at 8 Walton Street with his only surviving child, Mary (5). Also living with him was his brother John MacAlpin (50), who was a pensioner; his brother-in-law John Paterson, a draper; his sister Mrs Margaret Paterson (40), who acted as their housekeeper; and John and Margaret's three children.

By 1881 the only surviving child of Alice and Alexander, Mary A. S. MacAlpin (15), who was still at school, was living in Inverness with her uncle and aunt John & Margaret Paterson: the fact that they had returned to Scotland from Oxford suggests that her father was now also there too.