Charles James Martin, 1866-1955

Abstract

Charles James Martin was born at Hackney, in the North East outskirts of London, on 9 January 1866. His parents, Josiah and Elizabeth Mary, lived in one of the Georgian houses with large gardens in Dalston Lane which have since been demolished. Both of them had been married before. Charles acquired one sister by the latest marriage, but was already well provided with older step sisters and step brothers, to one of whom, Howard Rothery a son by his mother’s former marriage, he became greatly attached. His father’s family came originally from North Walsingham in Norfolk, while his mother, whose maiden name was Lewis, was of Scottish descent, her mother having been a Stuart. In Martin’s own words, ‘the family into which I was born was a Nonconformist middle class one characteristic of the period, with lots of children, a fading flavour of piety and a small revenue. My father had thirteen children and my mother contributed two more by her first husband. We were not all in residence at one time but it was a “full house” . We were well fed and well cared for but there was little money to spare for education and an occasional holiday at the seaside, and all the boys had to start to earn their living at 15 years of age.’