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Robert Greenham a déchiffré les certificats :

Certificat de décès de David Barrie, le frère de James Matthew Barrie

1867. Deaths in the District of Bothwell in the County of Lanark.

No. /16/

Name and Surname. Rank or Profession, and whether Single, Married or Widowed. /David Ogilvy Barrie - (Single)

/When and Where Died. /1867 - January Twentyninth - 2h. A.M. - Bothwell Academy C______ Bothwell/

Sex. /M/

Age. /13 yrs/

Name, Surname, & Rank or Profession of Father. Name, and Maiden Surname of Mother. /David Barrie - Linen manufacturer - Margaret Barrie - M. T.
Ogilvy/

Cause of Death, Duration of Disease, and Medical Attendant by whom certified. /Inflammation of Brain - One week - As Cert. by Bruce Goff M.D./

Signature and Qualification of Informant, and Residence, if out of the House in which the Death occurred. /William Keith - Guardian and occupant of house in which death occurred - (Present)/

When and where Registered, and Signature of Registrar. /1867 - January 30th - at Bothwell - _________ (name) Registrar/

Robert Greenham : This shows that David died from inflammation of the brain, and that he
had suffered from this for one week before he died. It doesn't tell us
how the inflammation was caused. But we were told by Barrie (in
Margaret Ogilvy) that David was killed in a skating accident on the eve
of his fourteenth birthday. How can we now believe what Barrie wrote?
If we assume that David did indeed bang his head on the ice in a skating
accident, then either he did so while suffering from inflammation of the
brain (which seems unlikely), or perhaps he had his accident about a
week before he died, and that was the cause of the inflammation.
Perhaps Barrie had remembered incorrectly the incident first related to
him when he was a child, or perhaps he had been misinformed by his
elders (which seems unlikely to me). Or maybe he decided to bend the
truth for some reason such as to achieve dramatic effect.

Certificat de naissance d'Arthur Davies

Registration District: Marylebone
1863 - Birth in the Sub-district of Christchurch in the County of Middlesex

No.: 362

1 When and where born: Twentieth February 1863. 18 Blandford Square.

2 Name, if any: Arthur Llewelyn.

3 Sex: Boy

4 Name and surname of father: John Llewelyn Davies

5 Name, surname and maiden surname of mother: Mary Davies formerly
Crompton

6 Occupation of father: Rector of Christchurch

7 Signature, description and residence of informant: J. Llewelyn
Davies - Father - 18 Blandford Square, Marylebone.

8 When registered: Twentyfourth March 1863.

9 Signature of Registrar: G Gaisford - Registrar

Robert Greenham : In my opinion, Column 2 of this certificate proves that Arthur had two
forenames: Arthur Llewelyn, and that his surname was Davies, and not the
double-barrelled surname 'Llewelyn Davies' that he used after leaving
Cambridge University. This is backed up by Column 5 where Arthur's
mother's name is recorded as Mary Davies, not Mary Llewelyn Davies. In
Column 7 we see that Arthur's father signed his name 'J. Llewelyn
Davies' - this had been his habit for several years but does not prove
that he had a double-barrelled surname.

Certificat de mariage de Mary Ansell et James Matthew Barrie

1894. Marriages in the Parish of Kirriemuir in the County of Forfar.

No.: 22

When, Where and How Married:
1894. on the Ninth day of July at Strathview,
Southmuir, Kirriemuir, After Banns according to the Forms of the Free
Church of Scotland.

Signatures of Parties - Rank or Profession, Whether Single of Widowed,
and Relationship (if any):
(Signed) James Matthew Barrie M.A. - Author - (Bachelor) - - (Signed)
Mary Ansell - (Spinster)

Age: 34 - 27

Usual Residence:
Strathview, Southmuir, Kirriemuir - Strathview, Kirriemuir

Name, Surname and Rank or Profession of Father - Name, and Maiden
Surname of Mother:
David Barrie, Mercantile Clerk (Retired) - Margaret Barrie, M.S. Ogilvy
- -
George Ansell, Esquire (Deceased) - Mary Ansell, M.S. Kitchen

If a regular Marriage, Signatures of Officiating Minister and Witnesses.
If irregular, Date of Completion, Decree of Declaration, or Sheriff's
Warrant:
(Signed) David Ogilvy, Minister of Free Church, Dalziel -
(Signed) W.H. Winter, Witness - Sara M. Barrie, Witness

When and Where Registered, and Signature of Registrar:
1894, July 11th, at Kirriemuir. James S Brown, Asst. Registrar

Robert Greenham : Mary Ansell did not state a profession; this indicates that she had
finished being an actress.
Mary gave her age as 27, but we know from her birth certificate that by
the time of her marriage
to Barrie she was actually 33. There is no doubting that the Mary
Ansell who is the subject of the
birth certificate is the same person as the one who married Barrie
because, in both certificates, we
see that her father's name was George Ansell, and her mother's maiden
name was Mary Kitchen. Thus
Mary deceived the minister and the registrar and, probably, Barrie.

Certificat de mariage de Mary Ansell et Gilbert Cannan

1910. Marriage solemnized at the Register Office, in the District of
Holborn
in the County of London.

(Tabulation)

No.: 5

1 When Married: Twentyeighth April 1910.

2 Name and Surname: Gilbert Cannan - Mary Barrie formerly Ansell, Spinster.

3 Age: 25 years - 41 years

4 Condition: Bachelor - The divorced wife of James Matthew Barrie

5 Rank or Profession: Author -

6 Residence at the time of Marriage:
7 New Square, Lincolns Inn - Black Lake Cottage, Farnham, Surrey
New Grove House, Hampstead

7 Father's Name and Surname:
Henry Cannan - George Ansell, deceased

8 Rank or Profession of Father: Independent means - Independent means

Married in the Register Office by Licence before me, W.J. Darch, Deputy
Registrar
(and) Arthur W. Hill, Superintendent Registrar.

This marriage was solemnized between us: Gilbert Cannan - Mary Barrie,
in the presence of us, Elizabeth Worsley - Douglas Mackeurtan

Robert Greenham : On this certificate we see that Mary Barrie (nee Ansell) stated her age
as 41
when she was actually 49. Presumably she was still lying to everybody
about her
age, including her new husband, and by now she was 8 years older than
her stated age.

Certificat de mariage de Sylvia et Arthur Davies

1892. Marriage solemnized at the Parish Church in the Parish of
Hampstead in the County of London.

No.: 27

1 When Married: August 15th 1892.

2 Name and Surname: Arthur Llewelyn Davies - Sylvia Jocelyn Busson du
Maurier.

3 Age: 29 - 25

4 Condition: Bachelor - Spinster

5 Rank or Profession: Barrister at Law

6 Residence at the time of Marriage: 18 Craven Terrace, London W. -
New Grove House, Hampstead

7 Father's Name and Surname: John Llewelyn Davies - George Louis
Palmella Busson du Maurier

8 Rank or Profession of Father: Vicar of Kirkby Lonsdale - Artist

Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of
the Established Church after banns by me, J. Llewelyn Davies, Vicar of
Kirkby Lonsdale.

This marriage was solemnized between us: Arthur Llewelyn Davies - Sylvia
Jocelyn Busson du Maurier, in the presence of us, Henry James - Henry
Crompton - G.L.P.B. du Maurier - T.A. Lamont - H.G. Roscoe - T. Armstrong

Robert Greenham : In my opinion, the way the names were entered on the certificate in
Columns 2 and 5 suggests that both Arthur and his father John regarded
their surname as Davies, not Llewelyn Davies.

Certificat de décès de Sylvia Davies

Registration District: Barnstaple
1910. Death in the sub-district of Lynton in the County of Devon

No.: 455

1 When and where died: Twentysixth August 1910 - Ashton Farm,
Countisbury R.D.

2 Name and surname: Sylvia Jocelyn Llewelyn Davies

3 Sex: Female

4 Age: 43 years

5 Occupation: Widow of Arthur Llewelyn Davies a Barrister

6 Cause of death: Malignant Tumour of Posterior 18 months -
Mediastinum involving left lung, trachea and oesophagus - Wasting and
Exhaustion. Certified by A.H. Spicer M.D.

7 Signature, description and residence of informant: Crompton Llewelyn
Davies - Brother-in-law - Present at the Death - 14 Barton Street,
Westminster, London

8 When registered: Twenty-eighth August 1910

9 Signature of registrar: Henry Reed - Registrar

Robert Greenham : This certificate shows that Sylvia adopted Arthur's second forename,
Llewelyn, as well as his surname, Davies. Arthur's brother, Crompton,
was also using 'Llewelyn' which, when he was born, was not registered as
part of his surname. (The births of all the brothers were all
registered under the surname of Davies, and in Crompton's case his name
was indexed as 'Crompton L. Davies'). However, it seems that it was
Arthur and Sylvia who started the family habit of regarding their
surname as double-barrelled; once married it seems they never referred
to themselves as simply Davies. Of the major biographers of Barrie,
only Denis Mackail indexed the members of the Davies family as simply
'Davies', and he was the closest to the Davieses as well as to Jim and
Mary Barrie.

Certificat de décès d'Arthur Davies

Registration District: Berkhamsted
1907. Death in the sub-district of Berkhamsted in the County of Hertford

(Tabulation)

No.: 294

1 When and where died: Nineteenth April 1907 - Egerton House,
Berkhamsted U.D.

2 Name and surname: Arthur Llewelyn Davies

3 Sex: Male

4 Age: 44 years

5 Occupation: Barrister-at-Law

6 Cause of death: Sarcoma Alveolar 10 months - Coma 7 hours.
Certified by J.B. McBride L.R.C.S.

7 Signature, description and residence of informant: Beatrix Millar -
Sister-in-law -
Felldene, Boxmoor, Hemel Hempsted.

8 When registered: Twentieth April 1907

9 Signature of registrar: Harry Holloway - Registrar

Robert Green ham : In the right hand margin there is a note made later by the
Superintendent Registrar which is of little consequence, although of some interest to us. It
certifies that a clerical error which had been made in Column 2 (where we see what looks
like Llewelyn crossed through with a line) was subsequently corrected several years
later, in 1924.
For what it's worth, I believe that Harry Holloway had probably been
given Arthur's full name incorrectly by the informant, that is that Beatrix Millar had supplied the name Llewelyn twice, perhaps mistakenly thinking that Llewelyn was both Arthur's second Christian name and also the first part of his supposed compound surname. By crossing out the second of the two Llewelyns the Superintendent Registrar seems to have
indicated, correctly in my opinion, that Arthur's surname was simply Davies.

Certificat de naissance de Margaret Henley

Registration District: Brentford
1888 - Birth in the Sub-district of Chiswick in the County of Middlesex

No.: 414

1 When and where born: Fourth September 1888. 1 Merton Place, High
Road, Chiswick, U.S.W.

2 Name, if any: Margaret Emma

3 Sex: Girl

4 Name and surname of father: William Ernest Henley

5 Name, surname and maiden name of mother: Hannah Johnson Henley
formerly Boyle

6 Occupation of father: Journalist

7 Signature, description and residence of informant: H.J. Henley,
mother. 1 Merton Place, High Road, Chiswick

8 When registered: Eighth October 1888

9 Signature of Registrar : Chas. Lawrence - Registrar.

Certificat de décès de Margaret Henley (voir le bas de la page).

Registration District: Croydon
1894 - Death in the Sub-district of Croydon in the Counties of Croydon
and Surrey

No.: 237

1 When and where died: Eleventh February 1894. Ashburton Lodge,
Ashburton Road, Croydon U.S.D. (U.S.D. = Urban Sanitary District)

2 Name and surname: Margaret Emma Henley

3 Sex: Female

4 Age: 5 years /

5 Occupation: Daughter of William Ernest Henley - Man of Letters

('man of letters' is a man, usually a writer, who knows a lot about
literature)

6 Cause of death: Tubercular Meningitis 23 days. Certified by P.T.
Duncan M.D.

7 Signature, description and residence of informant: M. MacBride, Aunt

Present at the death - 10 Howard Place, Edinburgh

8 When registered: Twelfth February 1894

9 Signature of registrar: Edwin Bailey - Registrar

Certificat de décès de J.M. Barrie

Registration District: St Marylebone
1937. Death in the sub-district of St Mary in the Metropolitan Borough
of St Marylebone

No.: 311

1 When and where died: Nineteenth June 1937 - 57 Manchester Street

2 Name and surname: James Matthew Barrie

3 Sex: Male

4 Age: 77 years

5 Occupation: of Adelphi Terrace Chambers, Westminster - Baronet, O.M.
- Author and Playwright

6 Cause of death: I (a) Broncho Pneumonia - II Prostatic Hypertrophy -
Certified by I. Mackay Huey *

7 Signature, description and residence of informant: Reginald Ward
Poole K.G., V.O. - Solicitor - Causing the body to be buried - 47 Great
Cumberland Place, W.1.

8 When registered: Twentyfirst June 1937

9 Signature of registrar: W.E. Lake - Deputy Registrar


I. Mackay Huey's name is followed by two initials which are illegible
but are probably 'M.D.'

Robert Greenham : This certificate reveals that the precise address where Barrie lived his
last 8 days was 57 Manchester Street, Marylebone. (Denis Mackail stated
that Barrie was transferred to a 'bedroom in Manchester Street', while
Janet Dunbar said that Barrie was in a 'nursing home in Manchester Square')
Adelphi Terrace Chambers was the informant's name for the building
within which Barrie's precise address was 3 Adelphi Terrace House.

Certificat de décès de Mary Ansell (mère)

Registration District: Hastings
1905. Death in the sub-district of All Saints in the County of Hastings

No.: 164

1 When and where died: Eighth January 1905 - 45 Cornwallis Gardens,
Holy Trinity. U.D.

2 Name and surname: Mary Ansell

3 Sex: Female

4 Age: 84 years

5 Occupation: Widow of George Ansell, of Independent Means

6 Cause of death: Acute Bronchitis 11 days. Exhaustion and Cardiac
Failure.
Certified by ? George L. Allford L.R.C.S.

7 Signature, description and residence of informant: Mary Barrie,
Daughter -
Present at the death. Leinster Corner, Lancaster Gate, London W.

8 When registered: Ninth January 1905

9 Signature of registrar: George Hutchings - Registrar

Robert Greenham : It is possible that Barrie was with his wife at the time of her mother's
death, and it is known that they attended the funeral together, travelling in their chauffeur driven car, just two days later, on 10 January. Mrs Ansell's body was buried at the Hastings Borough Cemetery, where the grave was purchased by Mary Barrie. It is also known that the Barries stayed in Hastings for a few days: on 19 January 1905 the Hastings Advertiser reported, somewhat strangely: “Everybody will hope that in coming on a visit to Hastings the great novelist and playwright, Mr J. M. Barrie, has got what he had been looking for – rest, recreation and renewed vigour. We hope to see him here frequently on the same errand.” I found no mention in the newspaper of the death or funeral of Barrie's other-in-law.

Certificat de décès de Mary Ansell (fourni par la Mairie de Biarritz - mille mercis pour leur diligence.)

On remarquera que le certificat ne rétablit pas la vérité quant à l'âge de Mary et son lieu de naissance !

Robert Greenham s'est mis en quête de ces précieux documents et a eu l'extrême bonté de nous en offrir copie pour ce site. Nous le remercions infiniment pour ce sublime cadeau.

Nous traduirons ses commentaires.

***

Le passeport de Barrie (extrait de la base de données d'Andrew Birkin) qui témoigne que Barrie n'était nullement aussi petit que ses biographes l'ont cru (j'ai moi-même commis cette erreur) ni aussi petit que Barrie semblait se présenter.

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