Henry Rycroft Giffard

Henry Rycroft Giffard


Born at Southampton in 1850, Henry Rycroft Giffard was the second son of Captain Henry Wells Giffard of the Royal Navy, who lost a leg during the Crimean War and subsequently died of gangrene; his grandfather Admiral John Giffard (1766-1855) had seen service during the Napoleonic wars.

Unlike his older brother George, Henry did not follow the family tradition of service in the Royal Navy. Various censuses list his employment status as ‘investments in England and Wales’ (1881); ‘living on own means’ (1891); ‘own means’ (1901).

On 3 October 1878, he married Cecilia Martha Hamilton, daughter of Captain Henry George Hamilton. For much of their married life the couple lived at Lockeridge House near Marlborough in Wiltshire. Their union produced five daughters and six sons. Three of their sons were killed during the First World War, including Major Edmund Hamilton Giffard who died on 10 November 1918, one day before the Armistice. Cecilia Giffard had predeceased them in 1908, aged 57.

Henry Rycroft Giffard died on 4 September 1934, aged 84. His effects were valued at £7494.

Photographed by the Southwell Brothers of London.

 


Code: 126224
© Paul Frecker 2024