Comments on: Minor Pieces 42: Thomas Francis Lawrence Part 2 http://britishchessnews.com/2022/08/19/minor-pieces-42-thomas-francis-lawrence-part-2/ We focus on the British Chess Scene Past & Present! Sun, 12 Feb 2023 20:57:29 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 By: (Francis) Jonathan Berry IA, FM, (ICCF) GM http://britishchessnews.com/2022/08/19/minor-pieces-42-thomas-francis-lawrence-part-2/#comment-56645 Sun, 12 Feb 2023 20:57:29 +0000 https://britishchessnews.com/?p=21145#comment-56645 Having no known family connection to chess here in Canada, I was ripe for wondering whether there was some relation, based upon two facts, one of which proved to be erroneous. My great grandmother was born Caroline Lawrence. In an article, Thomas was reputed to be from Croydon, where my great grandparents lived. Perhaps that author was thinking of D.H. Lawrence, who indeed taught school in Croydon.

It was a great pleasure to find and read Richard James’s two-part essay. Lawrence having no connection with Croydon rather puts the kibosh on the idea of our being related. However, I wonder whether Thomas Francis Lawrence (1871-1953) might have passed on the street my great-uncle Francis Lawrence Berry (five years his junior). The one’s residence was less than 1 km from the other’s place of business. People did not wear name tags, so why should those two halt? Perhaps because of how much they resembled each other! Photo of FLB available.

Thomas’s brother was Henry Arthur Edward Lawrence. Another great uncle of mine was Henry Arthur Lawrence Berry (born a couple of decades later). Probably just chance, but family naming patterns are both a curse and a boon in genealogy.

Now, to work on Blackburne. I have Blackburn from the North. J.H.’s father reputedly added the -e to make the name more posh….

]]> By: Bill S. http://britishchessnews.com/2022/08/19/minor-pieces-42-thomas-francis-lawrence-part-2/#comment-48831 Mon, 22 Aug 2022 01:37:45 +0000 https://britishchessnews.com/?p=21145#comment-48831 I just want to say that I enjoy reading every one of these Minor Pieces. You’ve spent a great deal of time researching and writing them and I find the juxtaposition of the subjects’ chess games/matches with the often mundane features of their lives to be very interesting (given the Victorian/post-Victorian setting).

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