Dickensians! discussion

CHARLES DICKENS'S FAMILY CIRCLE



Charles Dickens, Jr., Kate Dickens, Charles Dickens, Miss Hogarth, Mary Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Georgina Hogarth

We sometimes find ourselves discussing Charles Dickens's family, some of whom became famous on their own merits. So it seems a good idea to have a thread devoted to his relatives and descendants: he did have 10 children after all!

Inspector Francis J. Dickens: "Chickenstalker"

We have talked about some of Charles Dickens children, and how he sent many of his 7 sons abroad. Francis Jeffrey Dickens was Charles and Catherine (Kate)'s fifth child, born in London on January 15, 1844, just after the phenomenal success of A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens nearly always gave his children playful nicknames, and Francis Jeffrey was to be called "Chickenstalker". This hints at another Christmas book by him, The Chimes.

Francis was a bit hard of hearing and had a stutter on occasion. Nevertheless Charles Dickens and Kate followed the English tradition of sending children away to boarding school at an early age.



Later to be known as "Chickenstalker"

Francis Jeffrey was sent to attend an English boys’ boarding school in Boulogne, France. Within a few years he was writing from another school in Hamburg, Germany where he was unsuccessful in studying pre-medical subjects. When he returned to London he was employed for a time on Charles Dickens magazine.

In 1863 Francis went out to India to serve with the Bengal Lancers. When Charles Dickens died in 1870, Francis Jeffrey returned to England, where his father Charles Dickens was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Four years later he was appointed as a Sub-Inspector in the newly formed North West Mounted Police and sailed for Canada. He was posted to Fort Dufferin near the 49th parallel, then during 1875 he was stationed at Fort Livingston on the Swan River (Manitoba) and then at Fort Macleod. All these posts meant long hours in the saddle across the parklands and prairies. The following year, 1876, saw all of the Canadian and American Great Plains in turmoil, after the "Battle of the Little Big Horn" by Chief Sitting Bull and his warriors (also called "Custer's Last Stand"). Both countries were on war alert.

The following year 1877 Chief Sitting Bull moved into the Cypress Hills and his people remained in Canadian territory for almost three years. During that year Francis Dickens was stationed at Fort Macleod, and was present at The Blackfoot Crossing for the signing of Treaty Number Seven with the Blackfoot Indian tribe. He was then transferred to Fort Walsh, where he overlapped with Sitting Bull.

In 1879, while Francis Jeffrey Dickens was still at Fort Walsh, Kate Dickens died and was buried in Highgate Cemetery, London. In November 1879 a North West Mounted Police Constable was murdered while attending to horses near Fort Walsh, and this led to increased tensions in the area. A year later, in June 1880 Francis Jeffrey Dickens was promoted to the rank of Inspector and was transferred from Fort Walsh to Fort Macleod. The following year he moved to The Blackfoot Crossing on the Bow River about 50 miles east of Fort Calgary, and was involved with at least one confrontation with a brave who had stolen a horse.

Inspector Dickens remained at The Blackfoot Crossing during 1881 and the first half of 1882, during the westward development of the Canadian Pacific Railway. For 12 years, Inspector Dickens never left the frontier. In 1883 Dickens was transferred to Fort Pitt on the North Saskatchewan River and placed in charge of the small, poorly located fortification which lay on the main river highway supply route from Fort Carlton to Fort Edmonton.



"Chickenstalker" Inspector Francis Dickens 1884

There was a lot of resentment and unrest, and talk of an uprising of the Crees and the Metis. Inspector Dickens repeatedly warned of unrest in the area and in March 1885 it all came to a head with battles at Duck Lake followed by the burning of Fort Carlton. Many were killed by the Crees. Negotiations led to the civilians agreeing to become prisoners of the Cree and Big Bear. The Chief gave Inspector Dickens and his men a short time to abandon the fort. This they did, travelling through the ice pans in a leaky scow. Scouts from Fort Battleford reported that everyone at Fort Pitt had been massacred, but after six days on the river Inspector Dickens and his men arrived at Battleford, and received a hero’s welcome.

During the summer of 1885 Inspector Dickens was the Justice of the Peace who conducted preliminary trials of those involved in the uprising near Forts Pitt and Battleford. Eight of them were hanged. Inspector Dickens was given medical leave, and travelled to Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. He celebrated Christmas in Ottawa with a friend, and finally resigned from the Canadian Mounted Police the next year due to ill health.

His friend in Ottawa, Dr. Alexander Jamieson of Moline, Illinois was an admirer of the writings of Charles Dickens. Francis Dickens accepted Dr. Jamieson’s invitation to travel to Moline, to give talks about his experiences in the Riel Rebellion of 1885. But while drinking a glass of ice water, he clutched his chest in pain, and died of a heart attack. He was 42 years old. The townsfolk of Moline made all the arrangements and carried most of the expenses of Inspector Dickens’ funeral and burial. In time a cement marker was placed at the grave and many years later a bronze plaque was attached to the original marker.

It says “Our Mutual Friend” Inspector F.J. Dickens of the NWMP

Fore further details David J. Carter has written a book about Charles Dickens's son "Chickenstalker", called "Inspector Francis Jeffrey Dickens, of the North West Mounted Police" (2004) (subtitled, "The Christmas Carol Baby"). David J. Carter is an ordained Anglican clergyman and a former Speaker of the Alberta Legislature. His book contains photographs, illustrations and reproduced documents.

This is largely paraphrased from a feature he also wrote.

This is quite fascinating. It's a very different life than his father's. Very frontier as opposed to his father's city life.
This time in history leant itself to picking up and moving to another world.
I wonder if the plaque is still there. I'll have to google that.

Yes, isn't it, Petra?! What also amazed me was how like his father Francis looks :) I'd love to know anyone who has seen the plaque.

His grave is in The States. He was buried in Moline: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6...
I believe that is the plaque along the bottom of the stone.

Thank for posting the picture of the actual grave Petra. It's good to see more evidence of his tragic death in Moline. It must have been such a shock for the townspeople who had asked him to come and speak to them, that he died in that way, just before he gave his talk.

Thanks for posting this Jean. What a fantastic life Francis Dickens had. I have dear, dear friend who lives in Calgary and I've been many times to the Bow River there. Next time I go, I'll be thinking about Francis Dickens "Chickenstalker". Also I was raised in the Illinois suburbs, not far from Moline for the early part of my life. Next time I go visit my family, I'm headed for that plaque and I will post a picture :-)

Bridget wrote: "Next time I go visit my family, I'm headed for that plaque and I will post a picture :-)..."

That would be fantastic Bridget! Thank you too for saying how close your connection is! It's hard to keep in mind where everyone is, and how widespread we are really, geographically. I'm glad you enjoyed it - Francis is a son who doesn't seem to get mentioned very much, but he clearly had an exciting, responsible and challenging life. Who would have thought that thin, frail little boy would have ended up doing all that?

I thought you might like to see this ... the engagement ring, given to Catherine by Charles Dickens when they became betrothed:



(forget diamonds - that's my sort of ring :D)

It also features as the ring which (view spoiler)[ David gives Dora (hide spoiler)] in David Copperfield, and can be seen in real life at the "Charles Dickens Museum" in Doughty street, London.

Wow! Thanks, Jean.

I love these little incidental things, that make up a picture of their lives :)

That's beautiful! I wonder if it's turquoise or something that looks like it?

It's definitely be turquoise, probably from Persia (Iran) with that lovely blue colour! The turquoise from Afghanistan is more greenish (Gemstones are one of my "things" :) )

This is a popular style - and stone - for Victorian rings. I've just found an antique Victorian ring very like this for sale, but it's a bit pricey at over £400. Perhaps if they knew it was like one Dickens chose, the price would go up further!

Bionic Jean wrote: "It's definitely be turquoise, probably from Persia (Iran) with that lovely blue colour! The turquoise from Afghanistan is more greenish (Gemstones are one of my "things" :) )

This is a popular st..."

Jean, I think you might need to add that to your Christmas list! 😊

LOL I have to admit I do love turquoise :)

American turquoise is a little bluer still I think. I have some earrings with small inlays. I love Southwestern Navajo, Hopi, or other native jewelry though most I have is Hopi silver with designs.

Oh how lovely, Sue! I do love those designs, and prefer turquoise set in silver really :)

The Victorians had firm tastes in jewellery, with jet, marcasite, amethyst and seed pearls as favourites. They even had mourning jewellery. Then there are those strange rings and brooches, set with body parts like hair and teeth :( I know it's supposed to be in memory of a dear departed, but I'd rather have photographs!

Thats a beautiful ring! I am a big fan of turquoise as well, and actually just got to the passage in David Copperfield you mention Jean! I was wondering when I saw the picture if it was that ring!

Wow Jenny - talk about serendipity! It must have given you a delightful shiver down the spine :)

Quite Jean :) And it makes so much sense for a ring that was so important in his life to be in DC as autobiographical as it is.

That's a beautiful ring! I like turquoise and simple design rings such as this one. It's a wonderful engagement ring.

Jean, you mentioned photographs. Was it during Dickens’s time or later that the posed photos of the dead became sort of a “fad?” Perhaps this was a part of the fascination with the afterlife that lasted into the early 20th century.

As a P.S. to my last comment, I believe I found a photo, not posed, but of someone in a casket, among my mother’s photos. She had some from the turn of the 20th century. Sadly I don’t know who many of the people are. Ah, families.

I didn't know Sue, but have found this excellent piece on the BBC site https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england... (that's a link - it won't let me use html as GR thinks the the BBC site is unsafe!)

Oh my goodness what a creepy idea - yet the photos themselves are tastefully done, I think. I was looking at one with 2 children, and couldn't see which had died - and then read that it was the mother. I wonder if it helped those left to grieve. It was a Victorian idea, because so many children died in infancy then, so does look as if it would happen in Charles Dickens's later life.

Thanks for this :)

The picturing of the dead children was common in America as well. I attended an exhibit on this subject many years ago at a museum in Maryland and found it eerie and unforgettable. The flowers were placed around them to help mask the odor of decay.

On that note, taking photos of the dead in their caskets was done even into my childhood and I know of at least one incident of it even in the 1990s. The person taking the photo was older and thought it quite natural to do so, Sue.

Thanks for all the information. I have so many interesting photos that I can’t connect with specific people but I love them anyway. They reflect an earlier time so well. Probably will get thrown out when I die.

It's quite startling how recently this was common, then. Sara, the Ancient Egyptians used flowers and herbs in their tombs for the same reason. When I saw the Tutankhamun exhibition (now replicas, as they are not allowed to leave Egypt) they used original recipes.

Sue, that is so poignant.

Here's another of Catherine Thomson Dickens's turquoise pieces: a bangle, which Charles Dickens gave to her in the early days of their marriage.



It's a serpent bangle. In the Victorian Era the serpent was a symbol of eternal love. ❤️

Those are beautiful! I don't wear jewelry much, but I would love those!! Especially the bangle.

It's extraordinary, isn't it Renee? In a way it's quite modern!

The bangle is beautiful. I am not a jewelry person, but that would be worth having just to look at. Kind of sad that the symbol outlived the reality where the Dickenses were concerned.

Yes :(

Did you know Charles Dickens wore glasses later in life? Apparently he was very self-conscious about it, so never wore them in public. But there is one drawing which shows them:

Ah yes, glasses later in life, I know about that too! I love this drawing. Its got a close and personal feel to it, sometimes drawings are better than photographs.

I'd love to know the back story to it too, Bridget. I wouldn't be surprised if one of his friends drew it surreptitiously, without Charles Dickens realising, whereas photographs took so much setting up in those days, that nobody could be clandestine about it!

In this drawing Dickens looks very much alike his interpretation by Simon Callow in Doctor Who :))))

LOL! I think Simon Callow plays him very well - he does readings on stage too :) He's a real fan, and wrote Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World - an excellent book.

That's a wonderful drawing!
What's he got going on with the hair on the side of his head?! LOL! He's pulled it back. To cover baldness? Was that the style?

I can relate to glasses later in life. I've worn glasses since I was 8 but the reading portion is a whole new ball game.

Other drawings and pictures have shown Dickens with hair loss on the top of his head, but I've never seen so little hair on the side of his head. I wonder if this was just a quick sketch by a non-professional, because the few strands of hair on the side don't look natural. The artist did a nice job on the face.

I don't know who it's by, I'm afraid. It's just one they have at the "Dickens Museum" in Doughty Street. It's probably just by a friend, as you say, otherwise it would be signed. Just a quick candid sketch of what he really looked like, without being especially posed :)

Thank you, Jean, I put Simon Callow's book in my to be read list!

Great! I found it quite an eye-opener: a biography of how Charles Dickens thought as an actor, written by another actor.

Charles Dickens loved his children, but found his relationships with them very difficult at times, commenting that he had "brought up the largest family with the smallest disposition for doing anything for themselves." (Anne quoted this elsewhere, when we were reading Little Dorrit :) )

In particular, Charles Dickens's relationship with several of his sons was fraught, and sometimes it's possible to identify them creeping into his stories :) So here's a thumbnail sketch of all his sons.

Charley - He was Charles Dickens's first child, who was the only child who lived with his mother after Dickens's separation with Catherine in 1858. He married the daughter of Dickens' former publisher, one of the many people with whom Dickens had a falling out. Then after a failed business venture, Charles Dickens hired Charley as sub-editor of "All the Year Round", so there was a sort of reconciliation.

Walter - became a lieutenant in the 42nd Highlanders in India, where he got into debt. He died and his debts were sent home to his father.

Francis - A month after Walter died, Francis discovered the fact as he had joined the Bengal Mounted Police. He returned to England in 1871, the year after Charles Dickens died. There's more about him earlier in this thread: "Francis J. Dickens" (Chickenstalker).

Alfred - also emigrated - to Australia, where he remained for 45 years. Later he lectured on his father's life and works in England and America, dying in New York on a lecture tour. Apparently he had no money worries, about which his father must have been relieved!

Sydney - joined the Navy, which pleased his father very much. But *sigh*... he got into debt, asking his father for financial aid which Dickens refused. Sydney died at sea.

Henry - was called after Henry Fielding. (All Dickens's children are called after writers or actors in part of their names, such as "Alfred D'Orsay Tennyson Dickens".) Henry was apparently the most successful of Dickens children. He became a lawyer and judge, and was eventually knighted in 1922. He also performed readings of Dickens's works and published books on his father's life.

Edward - nicknamed "Plorn" was named after the novelist Edward Bulwer Lytton. He was Charles Dickens's youngest son, and a favourite. With his father's (strong!) encouragement, Edward emigrated to Australia at the age of 16, and eventually entered politics, serving as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1889 to 1894. He died in poverty at the age of 49.

It's amazing to see what some of them achieved (and his 2 daughters too). Charles Dickens did guide them all with a firm hand though, and those who emigrated really did this because their father thought it was a fine thing to do, with so many opportunities overseas. He agonised over his sons, because, remember he had sole responsibility, having taken them all (except Charley) away from their mother.

It's also surprising how many of Charles Dickens's children survived, in an age when infant mortality was so high. There were 3 daughters too, although one did not survive.

Great information. Thanks.

You're welcome Curt :)

Here's a "could have been" Charles Dickens's family:



His young sweetheart ...

Maria Beadnell:

Charles Dickens was to write little cameo roles of her in many of his stories, but the main incarnation is Flora Finching, in Little Dorrit. The real life story is quite poignant.

Charles Dickens fell madly in love with Maria Beadnell in 1830, when he was 18. She, like Flora, was pretty and flirtatious, and the daughter of a highly successful banker. (view spoiler)[(Note that Mr. Casby, Flora's father, owns lots of properties.) (hide spoiler)] After three years, her parents objected to the relationship, because Charles Dickens's prospects did not look good as a struggling young court reporter and they sent Maria to Paris. How wrong time proved them to be!

Charles Dickens wrote to Maria Beadnell, "I never have loved and I never can love any human creature breathing but yourself." He was heartbroken over the break up. His portrayal of (view spoiler)[Dora Spenlow (hide spoiler)] in David Copperfield was also based on his early memory of Maria.

However, things changed. Although Maria had married, and was now Mrs. Henry Winter, Charles Dickens kept the flame alive, in retrospect telling his friend John Forster that his love for Maria,

"excluded every other idea from my mind for four years... I have positively stood amazed at myself ever since! The maddest romances that ever got into any boy's head and stayed there".

Of course by now Charles Dickens had begun to make quite a name as a writer, and Maria was flattered when they began to exchange letters. In 1855 Charles Dickens wrote:

"Whatever of fancy, romance, energy, passion, aspiration and determination belong to me, I never have separated and never shall separate from the hard hearted little woman - you - whom it is nothing to say I would have died for.... that I began to fight my way out of poverty and obscurity, with one perpetual idea of you... I have never been so good a man since, as I was when you made me wretchedly happy."



The older Maria ...

Maria tried to warn him, describing herself as being “toothless, fat, old and ugly.” But Charles Dickens's own marriage was in trouble, and he did not want to believe her description. They agreed to a secret meeting without their spouses, whereupon Charles Dickens was extremely disappointed to find her, (as she had honestly described herself to be), in her forties, fat, and dull.

Charles Dickens then made sure he would only met Maria in company, and rebuffed her flirtatious attempts. His letters to her underwent a sea change, and became short and formal. Maria tried to renew the relationship, but Charles Dickens then broke it off for good.

As for Flora Finching in Little Dorrit:

Flora is the wonderful twittery, chattering, nonsense-babbling, almost ditzy (yet quite astute), good-hearted ex-amour of Arthur Clennam. I do love the way Charles Dickens can make her speech run on so. I always think of Miriam Margolyes in the part, (and narrating it in her stage show too). She simply becomes Flora!

In Little Dorrit, (view spoiler)[ Arthur feels he is well out of marrying Flora, as Charles Dickens says she has become a peony instead of a lily (I don't quite understand this bit - I love peonies!) And (hide spoiler)] Charles Dickens has written Flora Finching, perhaps rather spitefully, as a tribute to an old flame.

Thank you for adding this here, Jean :)
It’s always interesting to read who Dickens based his characters on.

Yes, it was useful to be reminded during the re-run of Little Dorrit, as I'd written and posted most of it in the original group read. It just needed tweaking a bit, and a couple of images adding :) Thanks Janelle!

Jean, this is fantastic! Thank you!
She was honest with him and yet he held on to his recollections and memories of her youth. It sounds as if he took her physical change very personally which is sad.