• Primary Proposition: Lilian Trotter is a heraldic heiress, carrying the arms of Trotter granted by Royal Licence on 3rd December 1968 to the children of her grandfather, William Trotter (formerly Brown).
  
• Secondary Proposition 1: That she was the only child of her father to have children.
  
• Secondary Proposition 2: That her father was the eldest son of his father, William Trotter, to have issue that have surviving issue, thus making Lilian Trotter also the eventual heir general of her grandfather, albeit in her issue.
  

General Summary: See the appended pedigree of William Trotter's descendants.

The repositories for the originals of the various documents are indicated by:

• Section A: Evidence for the armorial part of the primary proposition: Refer to the Royal Licence, College of Arms ref I63/190, which in 1868 changed the family's surnames from Brown to Trotter and granted William Trotter the impartible arms of Trotter and Brown with a mark of distinction, which mark was not to be transmitted to his and Elizabeth Mary's children, record number (A1).

• Section B: Evidence for William Trotter's thirteen children:
  • 1. That he and his wife Elizabeth Mary had only 13 children:
    (a) These are all that can be found in the public records,
    (b) These are all that are in Elizabeth Mary's list of their children, record number (B1),
    (c) These no more are in William Trotter's list of their children, record number (B2),
    (d) That they registered none of their children, so their births cannot be found on the public records of such. However 11 out of the 13 baptisms have been found and the children who survived infancy are clearly to be seen on one or more censuses.
    (e) That no more than these 13 appear on any census record of William Trotter's household, as in the census records for 1841, 1861, 1871 and 1881, see record numbers (B3), (B4), (B5), and (B6) respectively and all from TNA; note that no record of the family can be found in the 1851 census. However 3 of the 13 are not to be found on censuses as they died before they could have been included in a census.
    

  • 2. That the first son and child, Sampson Henry Brown, died an infant:
    (a) His baptism record of 20th July 1835 at St Mary's, Bryanston Sq, Marylebone, being baptised by his uncle Henry Brown, record number (B7) from LMA,
    (b) His death on 1 Apr 1836 and burial on the 7th April is in the parish register of St Peter's Tandridge, Surrey, record number (B8) from SUR; it may be noted that he was buried by Henry Brown, his uncle who was curate at St Peter's, Tandridge.
    (c) His death date also appears in Elizabeth Mary Brown's list of her children, record number (B1), above.
    (d) He does not appear in any census as he died before the first census of 1841.
    

  • 3. That the first daughter and second child, Harriet Amelia Brown then Trotter, died a spinster:
    (a) Her baptism record of 28th July 1836 at St Mary's, Bryanston Sq, Marylebone, being baptised by her uncle Henry Brown, record number (B9) from LMA,
    (b) Her death on 28 Sep 1912, on her will and admon in her changed maiden name of Trotter, record number (B10) from HMCS.
    

  • 4. That the second daughter and third child, Mary Elizabeth Brown, died an infant:
    (a) Her baptism record of 21st July 1837 at St Mary's, Bryanston Sq, Marylebone, record number (B11) from LMA,2
    (b) Her death on 30 Jan 1840, on her death certificate, record number (B12) from GRO.
    (c) Her burial at St Mary's Wimbledon, Surrey on 5th February 1840, done by her uncle Henry Brown, record number (B13).
    

  • 5. That the second son and fourth child, William Sampson Brown then Trotter, survived his father and married (and had a family but see later for this):
    (a) His baptism record of 24th April 1839 at St Mary's, Wimbledon, Surrey, by his uncle Henry Brown, record number (B14) from SUR,
    (b) His marriage to Constance Selina Feeney on 6th March 1886, record number (B15) from GRO,
    (c) His death on 21 Jul 1907, see record number (B16), - Not included as data in admon.
    (d) His admon and will, see record number (B17) from HMCS.
    

  • 6. That the third daughter and fifth child, Mary Louisa Brown then Trotter, died a spinster:
    (a) Her baptism on 1st Mar 1841 at St Mary's, Wimbledon, Surrey, by her uncle Henry Brown, record number (B18) from SUR,
    (b) Her death on 2nd Nov 1903 from her will and admon in her changed maiden name of Trotter, record number (B19).
    

  • 7. That the third son and sixth child, Arthur Edward Trotter Brown then Trotter, died unmarried:
    (a) His baptism record of 21st Mar 1843 at St Mary's, Wimbledon, Surrey, by his uncle Henry Brown, record number (B20) from SUR,
    (b) His death on 3 Jun 1887 from his will and admon in his changed name of Trotter, leaving his assets only to his siblings and ... and with no mention of a wife or any offspring, record number (B21) from HMCS.
    

  • 8. That the fourth son and seventh child, Henry Eden Brown then Trotter, died with surviving issue, one of whom is the subject of this document, see later for details of his family:
    (a) His baptism record of 9th July 1844 at St Mary's, Wimbledon, Surrey, by his uncle Henry Brown, record number (B22) from SUR,
    (b) His marriage to Mary Hodgson Gillett on 19th Apr 1877, record number (B23) from GRO,
    (c) His death on 4 Jul 1922 (with four surviving children and by then two grandchildren), death certificate on record number (B24) from GRO,
    (d) His will, record number (B25) from HMCS.
    

  • 9. That the fifth son and eighth child, Alexander Kenyon Brown then Trotter married and had one child who himself had issue who survive:
    (a) His baptism record of 12th March 1846 at St Mary's, Wimbledon, Surrey, record number (B26) from SUR,
    (b) His marriage to Annie Parry on 24th Jul 1869, certified on record number (B27) from GRO,
    (c) His death on 1st May 1891, certified on record number (B28) from GRO,
    (d) His will, record number (B29) from HMCS.
    

  • 10. That the fourth daughter and ninth child, Emily Ann Brown then Trotter, died unmarried:
    (a) Her baptism record of 17th Nov 1847 at St Mary's, Wimbledon, Surrey, record number (B30) from SUR,
    (b) Her death on 23rd Dec 1926 in her changed maiden name of Trotter, shown in the admon to her will, and that she referred to herself as a spinster in her will, record number (B31) from HMCS.
    

  • 11. That the fifth daughter and tenth child, Gertrude Helen Brown then Trotter, died unmarried:
    (a) Her baptism record is not to be found in the records of St Mary's Wimbledon, where she is said to be born in 1849, nor in Penshurst church to which the family moved a year or so later. But she is in the following censuses: 1861 record number (B4), 1871 record no (B5), 1881 record number (B6); in all of these she is shown as of an age to be born in 1849 and born in Wimbledon.
    (b) Her death on 11 Apr 1925, her will and admon in her changed maiden name of Trotter, record number (B32) from HMCS.
    

  • 12. That the sixth son and eleventh child, Ernest Balfour Brown then Trotter, married and had five children from whom issue survives to this day, but see later for his family:
    (a) His baptism record of 20 Apr 1851 is not to be found in the register of Penshurst parish, where he was reported to have been born in these censuses: 1861 record number (B4), 1881 record no (B6) and 1891, record number (F1) all from TNA,
    (b) His marriage on 12 Apr 1883 to Katherine Isabella Patteson, record number (B33) from GRO,
    (c) His death on 19 Jan 1934, his will and admon, record number (B34) from HMCS.
    

  • 13. That the sixth daughter and twelfth child, Adela Maria Brown then Trotter, died a spinster:
    (a) Her baptism record of 6 Oct 1852 in Penshurst, Kent baptism register, record number (B35) from KENT,
    (b) Her death on 12 Nov 1920, her will and admon in her changed maiden name of Trotter, record number (B36) from HMCS.
    

  • 14. That the seventh daughter and thirteenth child, Eleanor Georgina Brown. died an infant:
    (a) Her baptism record of 8th Apr 1855 in Penshurst, Kent baptism register, record number (B37) from KENT,
    (b) Her death on 5th Mar 1856, certified in record number (B38) from GRO.
    

• Section C: Evidence for the family of William Sampson Trotter, eldest surviving son:
  • 1. That he and his wife Constance Selina had only two children:
    (a) That only these children can be found on the records,
    (b) That only these appear in William's households in the censuses of 1891 and 1901, record numbers (C1) and (C2) from TNA,
    (c) That only these two children and no grandchildren are mentioned in the 1946 will of their mother Constance Selina Trotter, record number (C3) from HMCS.
    

  • 2. That the only son, John Frederick Arthur Trotter married and had no children:
    (a) His birth on 16th May 1887, certificate on record number (C4) from GRO,
    (b) His marriage to Ida Winifred Wansbrough on 6th August 1914, record number (C5) from GRO,
    (c) His death on 15 Feb 1955, his will and admon which left his assets to his wife with no mention of any offspring, record number (C6) from HMCS,
    (d) His wife outlived both him and his sister, dying on 4 Dec 1980 and in her will left all her Trotter assets to her cousin in law, Hugh Trotter, with no mention of any offspring of her and John, record number (C7) from HMCS.
    

  • 3. That their only daughter, Eileen Constance Beryl Trotter, died unmarried:
    (a) Her birth on 16th May 1889, certificate on record number (C8) from GRO,
    (b) Her death on 7th Aug 1974 from her will dated 19th Feb 1969 and proved on 28th Oct 1974 in which she used no married name and made no legacies to any children or spouse, leaving the residue of her estate to her brother's widow and her Trotter family portraits to her cousin Hugo Trotter, record number (C9) from HMCS.
    

• Section D: Evidence for the family of Henry Eden Trotter, second surviving son and, in his issue, heir to his father:
  • 1. That he and his wife Mary Hodgson née Gillett were married and had only six children:
    (a) That only the following six children can be found on the records,
    (c) That only these six appear in Henry Eden's households in the censuses of 1881, 1891 and 1901, record numbers (D1), (D2) and (D3) all from TNA,
    (d) That my father, Antony Powys-Lybbe, signed a pedigree with the declaration that there were no more descendants, record number (D4).
    

  • 2. That the first daughter and first child, Edith Mary Trotter, died a spinster:
    (a) Her birth on 11 Jul 1878, certified in record number (D5) from GRO,
    (b) Her death on 15 Jul 1962 with the same maiden name, certified in record number (D6) from GRO.
    

  • 3. That the second daughter and second child, Evelyn Constance Trotter, died a spinster:
    (a) Her birth on 28 Aug 1880, certified in record number (D7) from GRO,
    (b) Her death on 27 Sep 1975 with the same maiden name, certified in record number (D8) from GRO.
    

  • 4. That the first son and third child, Aubrey Robert Gillett Trotter, died unmarried:
    (a) His birth on 19 Jan 1884, certified in record number (D9) from GRO,
    (b) His death on 11 Feb 1914, certified in record number (D10) from GRO,
    (c) His admon, but he left no will, granted to his father stated that the father was next of kin and which makes no mention of any wife, record number (D11) from HMCS,
    (d) That no record can be found of any wife or family.
    

  • 5. That the second son and fourth child, Ronald Herbert Gillett Trotter, died unmarried:
    (a) His birth on 30 Aug 1885, certified in record number (D12) from GRO,
    (b) His death in action on 25th Sept 1914, certified in record number (D13) from GRO,
    (c) He left no will nor is there any record of any admon being taken out in the London Probate Registry, though there is reference to one being taken out in Argentina where he had lived until returning to fight in WW1, record no (D14) from TNA,
    (d) That his army papers explicitly state that he was not married, record no (D14) from TNA,
    (e) No record can be found of any wife or family.
    

  • 6. That the third daughter and fifth child, Lilian Frances Gillett Trotter, married and had issue. Her family has been already recorded in the College of Arms.
    (a) Her birth on 17 Feb 1887, certified in record number (D15) from GRO,
    (b) Her marriage to R C L Powys-Lybbe on 12 May 1908,, record number (D16) from GRO,
    (c) Her death on 6 Nov 1951, certified in record number (D17) from GRO.
    

  • 7. That the third son and sixth child, Arthur Malcolm Gillett Trotter, died the last of the six children and unmarried:
    (a) His birth on 15 May 1890, certified in record number (D18) from GRO,
    (b) His death on 7 Oct 1979, certified in record number (D19) from GRO,
    (c) His will which listed only members of his sister Lilian's family mentioning no other relatives though including several friends. record number (D20) from HMCS,
    (d) No record can be found of any wife or family.
    

• Section E: Evidence for the family of Alexander Kenyon Trotter, third surviving son and, in his issue, heir male to his father:
  • 1. That he and Annie Parry had only one child, a son:
    (a) That only this son can be found on the records. Note that Alexander's household does not appear on any census until 1891, just before he died, see record number (E1) from TNA.
    

  • 2. That the only son, Alexander William Lewis Trotter, survived his father, married and had issue:
    (a) His birth on 8th Oct 1870, certified in record number (E2) from GRO,
    (b) His death in action in WW1 on 12 Jul 1916, certified in record number (E3) from GRO.
    (c) The notice in the London Gazette on behalf of his widow asking for claims on his estate, record number (E4) from LG. (No other record for his marriage, which was in the USA.)
    Alexander W L Trotter's issue included two sons and a male line from the second of these continues to this day, being the heirs male to William Trotter of Horton Manor. In principle this line could be documented with their right to the undifferenced, cf the Royal Licence, Trotter arms recorded in the College of Arms.
    

• Section F: Evidence for the family of Ernest Balfour Trotter, fourth surviving son of William Trotter of Horton Manor:
  • 1. That he and Katherine Isabella Patteson had five children, four sons and one daughter:
    (a) That these are the only children that can be found on the records,
    (b) That only these appear in Ernest Balfour's households in the censuses of 1891 and 1901, record numbers (F1) and (F2) from TNA.
    (c) Katherine Isabella's will of 1938 explicitly states that she had five children and lists them by name (as well as the names of her six grandchildren), record number (F3) from HMCS.
    

  • 2. That the eldest son and first child, Meyrick Archibald Trotter, married (and had one son, killed in action in WW2):
    (a) His birth on 19 May 1884, certified in record number (F4) from GRO,
    (b) His marriage on 21 Sept 1915 to Grace Harriet Pryor, certified in record number (F5) from GRO,
    (c) His death on 22 Aug 1976 from his admon (will omitted as not relevant), record number (F6) from HMCS.
    

  • 3. That the second son and second child, Stuart Ernest Trotter, married (and had two children, a son and a daughter):
    (a) His birth on 21 April 1886, certified in record number (F7) from GRO,
    (b) His marriage on 28 August 1919 to Constance Angelica Mary Stukely Buck, certified in record number (F8) from GRO,
    (c) His death on 14 Feb 1963 from his admon (will omitted as not relevant), record number (F9) from HMCS.
    

  • 4. That the third son and third child, Balfour Anthony Trotter married (and had one daughter):
    (a) His birth on 12 Jan 1888, certified in record number (F10) from GRO,
    (b) His marriage on 29 Dec 1925 to Olive Margaret Neale, record number (F11) from GRO,
    (c) His death on 1 Apr 1963 from his admon (will omitted as not relevant), record number (F12) from HMCS.
    

  • 5. That the only daughter and fourth child, Mary Katherine Trotter, married (and had two daughters):
    (a) Her birth on 31 Jan 1889, certified in record number (F13) from GRO,
    (b) Her marriage on 19 Sept 1918 to James Frederick Hay, record number (F14) from GRO,
    (c) Her death on 25 Feb 1973 from her admon (will omitted as not relevant), record number (F15) from HMCS.
    

  • 6. That the fourth son and fifth child, Welbank Alan Trotter, died unmarried:
    (a) His birth on 7th Oct Nov 1890, certified in record number (F16) from GRO,
    (b) His death on 1 Jan 1962 from his admon (will omitted as not relevant), record number (F17) from HMCS.
    

T F Powys-Lybbe
23rd June 2008