Fanny Eliza Jacqueline BUTLER (née MOURILYAN) (1849-1927)

Fanny Eliza Jacqueline Butler, née Mourilyan (1849-1927), was the sister of Eugénie Sladden.  She is mentioned in a number of letters written by her sisters and nieces and nephews.

Fanny was born at Sandwich, Kent, on 14^th November 1849, the sixth of eight children of John Mourilyan and Mary Anna, his second wife.  She was baptized at St Clement’s Church, Sandwich, on 16^th December 1849.  Fanny spent her early years in Sandwich but then, at the age of about three or four, moved with her family to Paris where she spent most of her childhood years.

Fanny’s life was to change as she reached womanhood.  Firstly, her mother died in March 1869 when Fanny was aged 19.  Then, the following the year, the Siege of Paris took place, which meant that the Mourilyans had to flee the city.  At the time of the 1871 census, Fanny was living with her widowed father and sister, Eugénie, at 28 Great Coram Street, Bloomsbury.  They had returned to Paris by 1872.

It was probably during this period in England that Fanny met her future husband.  On 16^th July 1872, Fanny married Charles Butler, a tobacco manufacturer of the firm Lambert & Butler.  They were married at the British Embassy in Paris as her father had returned to Paris by this time.  Charles’ father, also Charles Butler, had founded Lambert & Butler in 1834 with his wife’s brother.  They began selling cigars first in St John Street, Clerkenwell and then from 1836 from their premises in Drury Lane. 

Fanny and Charles lived firstly at Moreford Lodge, Norbiton.  Early in 1878 they moved to Gloucester House, Claremont Road, Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, and had four sons and five daughters:  Charles Rupert (1873-1915), Evelyn Fanny (1875-1925), Francis Mourilyan (1876-1917), Lilian Mary (1878-1952), Winifred Emma (1880-1958), Mabel Jacqueline (1883-1945), Thomas Lionel (1884-1954), Alfred (1885-1961) and Christine Maria Louise (1890-1955).  Charles and Fanny were away from home on the night of the 1891 census.  The six youngest children were at Gloucester House in the charge of a governess, Ruth Matson, and five servants, including 21-year-old Sarah Roberts from Badsey.

In September 1896 the family moved to The Lodge, Byfleet, Surrey, where Charles died on 8^th August 1898, aged 50, leaving effects of £79,588 14s 10d.  Lambert & Butler had grown considerably during this time.  Three years after Charles’ death, the company joined with 12 other companies to form the Imperial Tobacco Company during the Tobacco Wars, in order to fend off competition from the United States by the American Tobacco Company. After the amalgamation, Imperial concentrated on the British market. A new company called British American Tobacco was set up to export all tobacco brands. In 1973, after an exchange of trademarks, the Lambert & Butler name is owned in Britain and elsewhere by Imperial Tobacco; Lambert & Butler is a UK cigarette brand.

By 1901, Fanny was living at Broadlands, St Georges Avenue, Weybridge, Surrey, with three of her children, Francis, Winifred and Christine, and five servants.  By 1911, Fanny was living with her youngest two children at Amroth, Woburn Hill, Addlestone, Surrey.

Fanny died at Addlestone on 2^nd January 1927, aged 77, leaving effects of £2,292 19s 10d.