The aftermath...

Above: The birth and death certificates of little Vincent Corvan, the illegitimate son of Rosa Corvan.


Violence can never be justified, of course, but this case is so very sad because you can see just what led to the few minutes of craziness between brother and sister, and the incredible remorse felt by both parties afterwards.
John Corvan was being eaten away by what he considered to be his sister's unforgivable sin and being reminded of it each time he looked upon the face of the infant Vincent who was living with his own children under his roof.
The appearance of the child's father wanting to take him away for whatever reason would have been viewed by John as a Godsend. On the other hand we have poor young Rosa Corvan, distraught because her baby was being forcefully taken from her arms and home. It is not surprising that emotions were running high that day.
The testimony of Charles Adams, witness for the defence, was very touching, describing how it did the scenario of a young man who took in and cared for his siblings while raising his own young family. Charles was a neighbour and friend of the Corvans. He can be found in the 1881 census living at St. Helena Gardens, Rotherhithe,at the spectacular address of "Sedgewick's Wax Work Show" in the employ of William Sedgewick,travelling showman.( "Oldham based Sedgewick originally entered show business with a photographic studio and by 1860 was travelling a waxworks show. He then moved into the menagerie business and by 1869 was running a group of performing lions. Sedgewick was a great breeder of lions, boasting that he had more than any other showman." - From http://www.fairground-heritage.org.uk )
Charles Adams' occupation was 'traveller', and he was 42 years old, unmarried from Bermondsay, Surrey.

The declaration of "Guilty-five years' penal servitude" is the last comment I can find in reference to John Corvan. It is almost as if he disappeared from all records- I can't find him in subsequent census returns, and can locate no death for him.
Evidence points to his death occurring between 1891 and 1901, as his wife in 1891 describes herself as 'married', but in 1901 was 'widow'.

So what happened to John Corvan's family while he was in prison? Sadly,in the 1891 census I located his wife Elizabeth Inch Corvan in the St. Olave Union Workhouse:

" Elizabeth Corvan/ Inmate/ married/ 41/ nil profession/ born St. Martins Fields, Middlesex."

At the time of her husband's incarceration their children would have been aged 10 (Rose Cecilia); nine (John Stephen); six (Elizabeth) and five (Vincent).

I was so sad to find Vincent Corvan in the 1891 census...he was 11 years old, and living at St. Agnes Orphanage,in St. Marys Parish, Leyton in Essex. As yet I can find no trace of son John and daughters Rose and Elizabeth under any spelling combinations.By 1891, Rose would have been 16 or 17, John 15 or 16 and Elizabeth about 13.

HOLD ON!!!!! I just this second located Rose Cecilia and her brother John Corvan in the 1891 census! Rosa was working as a domestic servant for a pork butcher widower and his family in Bermondsey, and indexed in the Ancestry index as "Conary"!:

170 Bermondsey Street, London.
James Milbank/head/widower/56/pork butcher/b Essex
Mary Milbank/sister/54/housekeeper/ born Waltham Essex
Edward J Milbank/son/18/ manager to pork butcher/b Bermondsey
Thomas H Milbank/son/15/assistant pork butcher/ "
Elizabeth M.H Milbank/daughter/scholar/ "
Agnes Milbank/ niece/16/ born Great Waltham, Essex
William Andrews/servant/widower/48/slaughterman/b Whitechapel
ROSE C CORVAN/ servant/single/16/domestic servant general/ born Strand, London.

John Stephen Corvan was a boarder in a Boys' Home at 81 Blackfriars Road,, Southwark, London. He was 15 years old, and his employment was boot ____ maker. His birthplace was given as Bermondsey, London.
Further investigation shows that this institution was officially known as St. George's Working Boys' Home, and that it was an auxiliary home to St. Vincent's Industrial School for Roman Catholic Boys at Dartford, Kent.
"Certified 3rd December 1891 for a number not exceeding 45 boys. An additional house was taken at No. 83 Blackfriars Road, and fitted with workshops, reading rooms etc. Departments for printing, cabinet-making and book-binding were initiated for the employment of boys discharged from Industrial Schools, or out of employment. There was a reading room had been founded for the lads after working hours. There was also a gymnasium with baths and lavatory. A great effort was made to promote the best interests of the lads dealt with to secure them a comfortable home, due care and suitable occupation. This auxiliary home was gone from 81 Blackfriars Road, Southwark, Surrey by 1897." ( Source: http://www.missing-ancestors.com/ )

I won't give up on finding Elizabeth Corvan...just yesterday I couldn't find any of the family of John Corvan in the 1891 census, and 24 hours later I have his wife and three of four children...rewards come to the very persistent!
Rose Corvan, John's sister, was perhaps the most tragic victim of this sad story.After standing up in court and trying to defend her brother by saying she had injured herself falling down stairs and that she couldn't remember what happened on the night in question, she not only had to watch John be sent to prison but also his family disband.Her own little boy, Vincent, who was unwittingly at the root of the whole terrible event, died just two months after the trial.
His death certificate states that on May 27, 1884, at 11 Herbert Street, Vincent Corvin, aged 2 years, son of Rosa Corvin of no occupation, died of Tuberculosis and consequent congenital atrophy from ???? (looks like 'inutrition') certified by E.E Hooper, M.R.C.S. The informant was M.Starns, occupier, present at the death, 11 Herbert Street, Hoxton, New Town.

I don't know why little Vincent was staying in the Starns household. In 1881, the Starns family living at 11 Herbert Street, Hoxton, consisted of:
George Starns/head/35/milkman/born Suffolk
Marion Starns/wife/35/born Portsmouth
Children William aged 7; Marion aged 4 and Arthur aged 1; as well as a 13 year old nephew William Starns and two servants.
George Starns had married Marianne Watson in the district of St George Hanover Square, London in 1873.I can find no relationship between this family and Rosa Corvan, or in fact any trace of the Vincent Coleman who fathered Rosa's child.

In the 1891 census return, Rosa was a boarder in the London suburb of Willesden. She was living with the Morris family in Rucklidge Street, Willesden:
John W. Morris/head/35/bus driver/b Camden Town
Caroline Morris/wife/35 b Cambridge
Children: Charlotte ,14, laundry maid; Ellen, 11, scholar; Edward, 7, scholar; John, 4, scholar and Frederick, 2.
Rosa Corvan/boarder/single/35/living on own means/ born Strand.


In 1891 Rosa was still in Rucklidge Street, Willesden, but boarding with another family:
70 Rucklidge Street.
Charles Horbury/head/35/railway engine driver/b Yorkshire
Agnes/35/wife (maiden name Cowley)
Children:Charles, 13; Agnes 6; Henry 3; Annie W 1.
Rosa Corvan/boarder/single/44/living on own means/b Strand
Two other boarders were also living with the Horbury family: 18 year old railway engine stoker Joseph Brockie and 24 year old Charles Salter, same occupation.

The last trace of Rosa Corvan comes in the 1911 census, and she is still living with the Horbury family, even though they have moved to another house. Boarder Joseph Brockie is also with them:

78 Leghorn Road, Harlesden, Willesden.
Charles Horbury/head/45/locomotive engineman
Agnes Horbury/45/married for 26 years
Charles John/son/23/railway clerk
Agnes Margaret/daughter/16
Henry/son/13/scholar
Annie Winifred/daughter/11/scholar
Rosa Corvan/boarder/single/living on own means/ b Strand
Thomas Hale/27/boarder/single/locomotive fireman
Joseph Brockie/boarder/single/28/locomotive fireman

I would love to know the circumstances by which Rosa Corvan found herself with the means to support herself without working for over twenty years.I wish that she had married and had other children, but since this wasn't to be I hope she found peace after the tragedy she went through as a young woman.



WHATEVER BECAME OF THE CHILDREN OF JOHN CORVAN AND ELIZABETH INCH?

I would never have found the answers to this question if it wasn't for a wonderful lady named Linda Corvan, a distant Corvan relation who found my blog and was kind enough to contact me to share information about her grandfather, Vincent Corvan, the youngest child of John Corvan and Elizabeth Inch. It was Linda who sent me the wonderful photographs reproduced below- the first Corvan photos, besides those few of my great-great grandmother Rosa Corvan, that I have ever seen.

These two photographs portray John Corvan's wife, Elizabeth Inch, and three of their children- Vincent, Rosa and John.

The wonderful top photo shows Vincent Corvan sitting astride a stuffed alligator with two unknown friends. Linda Corvan wrote : "It seems to have been some sort of a Florida tradition to have a photo taken sitting on a stuffed alligator. I have a similar photo of my dad's sister sitting on probably the same alligator. Now that I have scanned this photo and then opened it up in a viewer, enlarged, I can clearly see the scald scar on his left cheek. When looking at just the photo itself, I thought he had very large sideburns."

This reference to a scald also appears on Vincent Corvan's 1921 U.S naturalisation papers in his description: 42 years old; 5 feet 5 inches; dark complexion; blue eyes; dark brown hair; visible distinguishing marks: left side of face scald scarred.

The bottom photo is of Elizabeth Inch Corvan and her children John Stephen and Rosa. It must have been sent from England by Rosa to her brother Vincent in Florida, because on the reverse is written " This is my mother, brother and myself. I should like one of you if I could get it or your family." In another hand in pencil is written "This is your Daddy's sister, Rose, and his brother John and his mother"...the latter obviously being written for the benefit of Vincent Corvan's son, Vincent.

It appears that both Vincent and his brother, John Stephen Corvan, left England and ended up in the United States, possibly via Canada. Dealing with John Stephen Corvan first...

The details of John Stephen Corvan's life are very patchy. In 1891 he was a 15 year old living at the St. George's Working Boys' Home in Southwark. There are no signs of him in the census returns for 1901 and 1911, but he pops up in the U.S 1910 census for San Francisco. Information to be gained from this documents includes: lodger/ male/ single/ white/33/ born in England' both parents born in England/ Immigrated to the U.S in 1900/ gardener/ can both read and write.

In California in 1918 when aged 41 John Corvan filled in a WW1 draft registration card. His birth date was given as October 6, 1876, his birthplace as Britain and his occupation as shipping clerk. His nearest relative was given as Mrs E. Corvan, 3 Clifton Crescent, London, England. John's description was "short in height; medium in build, grey eyes, and black hair.

In 1921 there is a shipping record for a return trip to England by John Corvan on board the ship 'Empress Of Britain'. Information given in the passenger list included :Proposed Address In The United Kingdom: 3 Blucher Road Camberwell, London E. C.
Occupation: Shipping Clerk
Country of Last Permanent Residence: California Age: 45 Arrived: 6 August 1921.