Category: Lavinio & Letitia -2nd Gen

Lavinio was the first son of Cristoforo Setacci and Lucy Iles. Your Great Great Great Grandfather Lavinio was born in London in March 1862 . As a teenager Lavinio starts an early and long career as a civil servant with the Admiralty. In the 1881 Census when he is 19 and living with his family at 35 Harrington Road near Regent Park his occupation is listed as a Civil Servant in the Lower Division of the Admiralty. The “Admiralty” of course was the part of the British Government that was responsible for the British Navy.

Mary Letitia Ward is born in May 1865 to Anne Swiney and Edward Ward. She was their first and only child. Sadly she would have little memory of her father as he passed way in early in 1871 when Letitia was only 4 years old. In fact the 1871 Census shows her living with her mother and her grandparents in Westminster. Letitia was baptized at St Annes Church , Soho, Westminster in 1875.

By 1881 her mother has remarried to Robert Ward. Mary Letitia is listed as Letitia only – and as the stepdaughter and scholar, Letitia is 15 years old and has a half sister. They live at 9 Percy Street in the Tottenham Court area.

Lavinio and Letitia are married in 1886 in St Matthews Church, Oakely Square. Unfortunately the church no longer exists as it was demolished in 1977. Below is an old ghostly photo of it.

Lavinio and Letitia have 4 children. All the boys have what to me seem to be very French sounding names. Were French names in style at the time? Or were the boys names slightly Italian? Claud could be Claudio? Maurice could be Maurizzio, and Benard could be Bernardo? Again, I am probably over thinking this.

Claud born 1889

Gertrude – born 1891

Maurice – 1893

Bernard -1894

By 1891 Lavinio is listed as 2nd division clerk at the Admiralty. In 1902 he is listed as working in the Admiralty’s Greenwich Hospital Division. Then in 1911 as assistant to the Clerk in Charge of the Greenwich Hospital Division. Now, before you start thinking that Lavinio worked in Greenwich at the hospital itself, I think I have to correct you. My understanding is that the Greenwich Hospital in actual Greenwich that many of us have probably visited on touristic trips to London stopped working as an actual hospital for the Navy in the mid 1800s. From that point onward the Greenwich Hospital Division became an organisation that funded various projects in support of the navy and its veterans. It became a very important foundation. And with two world wars about to make their appearance I would imagine the foundation would have grown in importance. Yes, Lavinio’s work must have provided him with a strong sense of purpose. And , I believe also influenced later family members. You can find the foundations website here https://www.greenwichhospital.co.uk/

So, if Lavinio didn’t go to work in historic Greenwich every day, then where did he go to work? Well, to a place with just as much historic significance. He worked at Whitehall the home of the British Government. This is confirmed in the 1921 Census. The below is a google maps screen shot of Whitehall and the historic Admiralty Buildings from up above.

Besides Buckingham Palace there is probably not much more of an iconic London location than this. Next time you are watching some event involving the Royals parading up or down the Mall you can point out to people that your Great Great Great Grandfather Lavinio went to work right – there. Which building ? Could he have actually worked here, at Admiralty House?

Who knows. One would think he might have at least had a few meetings here. And again, when you think about history and two world wars about to take place, one would think that Lavinio, though he may not have been directly involved, might have at least passed a Prime Minister or two in the course of his day to day work. I think I read somewhere that Sir Winston slept in some of the government offices during the war. What do you say to Sir Winston when you pass him in the hall – in his pyjamas?

We will do a short post on daughter Gertrude in a minute, but this is a good time to mention that she also worked at Whitehall in the 1920s, in the Home Office. And so did brother Adriano – in the patent office.

Where was home for Lavinio and Letitia?

Well, right after their marriage in 1888 they are here, at 28 Albert Street.

I assume this might be a rental property. It has 3 rooms, two on the first floor, and one back kitchen ( on another floor?) , and came unfurnished. It was very close to Regent Park and not far at all from where Lavinio’s parents lived on Harrington Street.

By 1891 they are at 45 Waldemar Avenue in Fulham to the South West, but still on the North side of the River Thames.

By 1897 and until 1901 they are at 4 Yew Grove Cricklewood near Willesden, and then in 1901 they are at 16 Riffel Road, also in Willesden. Around this time Lavinio’s mother moves to this area as a widow. Brother Adriano is also in this area.

The family then moves to the Wimbledon area and 51 Alexandra Road.

They are there in the last two available UK censuses. (1911 and 1921) . Notice the house is very close to the Wimbledon Train station enabling Lavinio to get into work. Lavinio’s brother Atillio Regolos, who is a dental surgeon, lives in the Wimbledon area as well. Lavinio and Letitia’s first son Claud is living with his Uncle Atillio and apprenticing to be a dental surgeon. Claud will eventually live and practice in the Wimbledon area as well. I consider 51 Alexandra , Wimbledon to be Lavinio and Letitia’s family home. It is the home where we find the family during World War One. It is where they live when two of their son’s Maurice and Bernard enlist in the Army . It is where they would anxiously spend their days waiting for these two boys of theirs to return from France.

But they aren’t finished. In retirement, I assume, they move further South of London to Surrey. For the 1939 Register finds Lavinio at Little Hintock, Deepdene Park Road, Dorking at age 77. Letitia is not listed, so we assume she has already passed.

Lavinio passes away 5 years after this at age 82 in on May 8, 1944 at 8 Cotsford Aveneu, New Malden , Surrey. In his will he leaves his remaining effects to daughter Gertrude.

And, unfortunately we have no obituary or record of a cemetery or burial grounds for either Letitia or Lavinio. .

Uncle Adriano was the second son of Cristoforo Setacci and Lucy Iles, brother of your triple great grandfather Lavinio. Adriano was born about 1864.

Like his brother Lavinio, Adriano begins his career in the Civil Service as a teenager. While Lavinio is in the Admiralty Division, Adriano works in the Patent Office. How did the boys get these good government jobs at young ages? Did the Setacci family have some kind of connection that helped? Did the brothers travel to work together? Did they take the tube down to the government offices in Whitehall? Was the Patent Office in Whitehall at that time? I would assume so.

In 1888 Adriano marries Ada Gertrude Blake at Saint Saviour Church just north of Regent Park .

This Church still exists.

And the couple had a son. Cecil Adrian Setacci born on November 11 1888. Cecil was Baptized in 1889 at St Augustine, Paddington.

At the time the family lived at 47 Donaldson Road in the Paddington area of London. The home still exists. See below.

When young Cecil is 7 years old in 1895 he goes to Westminster, St Augustine’s Church of England School – the same Church in which he was baptized in the Paddington area. See below, Cecil is admission no, 1749 below the three Beever brothers. St Augustine’s was an all boys school in 1895. The school still exists to this day.

Unfortunately Adriano’s marriage does not last. Adriano accuses his wife of having an affair with a Mr. Sam White ( and others apparently) . Adriano files for divorce in November 1899 . It is amazing how well documented this divorce is and how easy it is to find these documents. The below snippet form the British National Archives explains why. In 1899 Divorce cases were still heard in the Supreme Court – though a special division. Getting a divorce at the turn of the century was expensive, and a big deal.

And you can read a bit about the case below.

Interestingly, as seen below, even though the alleged act of adultery was to have taken place in 1893, Adriano does not file for divorce until 1899. He asks for custody of his young son Cecil now 11 years old

Adriano wins the case. BTW – the judge even has a Wikipedia page, it can be found here! Gorell Barnes, 1st Baron Gorell – Wikipedia

And – if you want to visit the location where your Uncle’s adultery/divorce case was decided – you can go to this website and book a tour of the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand https://theroyalcourtsofjustice.com/tours/

Adriano does marry again in 1909 when he is in his mid 40s. His new wife is named Edith Augusta – I have yet to figure out her maiden name. Edith Augusta and Adriano have a son by the name of Neville Adrian a year later in 1910. The family live in Neasden, Willesden. As mentioned in other posts, both Adriano’s mother and brother also live in the area about this time. Adriano continues his career at the Patent Office. Later Electoral Registers list him as Board Of Trade Patent Office, and in 1905 as Committee of Privy Council for Trade, Patent Office. ( this sounds like a very important role to me)

Adriano dies at the young age of 56 in 1920. We don’t know the cause of death.

Interestingly , shortly after Adriano’s death , Edith Augusta and son Neville Adrian Stacey move to Melbourne Australia in 1923.

Edith seems to have settled north of Melbourne in Bendigo.

As far as I can tell Neville became a Metallurgist and worked in Mines. I can find him working at Mount Isa Mine in 1958 and later in 1980 on an Electoral roll in Heberton, Queensland Australia. I can’t find any evidence of a marriage or a wife. So did Neville leave any descendants? Do we have Stacey relatives in Australia somewhere that we aren’t aware of?

I have not been able to find out what happened to first son Cecil Adrian from the first marriage. Hopefully someone reading this will know. (note – maybe he was in WW1? Would have been in mid 20s then – a casualty possibly – but no records of it ? )

Attilio Regolos is the third and youngest son of Cristoforo Setacci and Lucy Isles. He is the younger brother of Lavinio and Adriano. ( where does this name Attilio Regolus come from – it sounds very Roman like the name of an emperor)

Interestingly Attilio does not find his final career until he is almost 30. In 1885 at age 14 he is listed as a boy-copyist at the Post Office Savings Bank. Later he is listed in the censuses as being a London Community Council Assistant. But by 1899 at age 28 we know he has registered at the Poly Institute on Regent Street and studying to become a dentist.

And by 1903 he has become a Licensed Dentist and is living on Riffel Road in Willesden area in Northern London.

In the midst of studying to become a Dentist he also gets married towards the end of 1902. He marries Helene Nachmann of Germany. The marriage is listed in the English & Wales Marriage Registration, but to date we have no record of where it took place exactly.

Who is Helene Nachmann?

It is interesting that she is listed right below Attilio in the 1901 census living with the extended Setacci family at Harrington Road. She is listed as a Visitor and a German foreign subject. Besides that we don’t know much about her. Was she already the girl friend of Attilio in 1901? Or was she a visitor with some kind of connection to Attilio’s parents Cristoforo and Lucy? Perhaps some connection to Cristoforo during his years as an exile? And as a visitor she and Atillio developed a romantic relationship? At this point we just don’t know. How or why did Helene Nachmann of Germany come to be living in London England with the Setacci family near Regent Park ? Another mystery to be solved.

Around 1905 Attilio and Helene make a surprising move. I say surprising because the Setacci family is very rooted in London. They always live very close to each other – always living nearby in the same neighbourhoods. But Attilio and Helene move north to Aberdeen, Scotland for a few years. We find Attilio and Helene listed in the Aberdeenshire electoral register between 1906 and 1908 and living at 221 Great Western Road in Aberdeen Scotland.

Maybe it was a good idea for a rookie Dentist to practice initially in a different town! Seriously, we have no idea why the move to Scotland. It is interesting too that while in Scotland Attilio Regolos registers himself as Attilio Regolos. This is about to change. Maybe it isn’t fashionable to be visibly of Italian heritage in the United Kingdom any more. Maybe it is not good for your Dental Practice? Or maybe it is time to try to fit into the higher classes of British Society, and the names Setacci, and Attilio and Regolos just don’t cut it.

Attilio and Helene return to London and purchase a nice new home just outside the gates of the famous Wimbledon Park at 31 Home Park Road. The very Italian/Roman name Attilio Regolos now magically metamorphizes to become the very upper class British sounding name Arthur Royston Stacey.

31 Home Park Road shown below, as it looks now, will become both the family home and the Dental Practice home of Arthur Royston and wife Helene Stacey.

Attilio (Arthur) and Helene have no kids of their own, Arthur however becomes a role model for his nephew, your great great grandfather Claud. For in 1911 Claud is living with Arthur Royston Stacey and practicing with him until he himself also locates his practice in the Wimbledon area as well.

Arthur Royston/Atillio Regolos passes awy at age 66 at Stanton- Wesbury Road New Malden, Surrey on August 17, 1937.

Helena Nachmann Stacey then lives with her niece Gertrude in Worthing Sussex on the south coast of England. Helene passes away in 1944.