False registration of births – transportation for 7 years.

[SarahND]

Hi Alan,
I think Arthur's father is probably Lloyd Robins, who comes before Mary on the census and is also a carpenter. By 1901 he is a builder's foreman and Arthur is still in the household. Arthur's mother is a Fancy Draper.

Knowing that these stories about nationalities often collapse the generations, I went back to Lloyd's childhood in the censuses, but his parents are both born in Devon. Not looking good.

So what about Arthur's mother? She appears to have been Mary Ann Kelley, born in Reading, Berkshire and again not a Scottish relative in sight. Hmmm. One wonders where the story came from? Or maybe we have both got it wrong?

All the best,
Sarah

[Corsebar]

Hi Alan & Sarah,
You both seem to be correct, the evidence seems overwhelming. Must eat humble pie!

I got the information a few years ago from an old Thai gentleman with whom i had the pleasure of having around of golf with on that very course. As soon as he heard i was from Scotland he told me that it that it was a Scotsman who had built the course for the King. When i googled it, seemed to be true. Anyway, for the story he got a couple of halves of whisky from me when we got to the 19th hole. Ever feel you've been taken for a mug!
Least it keeps the forum going.
Ray

[Currie]

Hello Ray,

There are much tastier pies than humble ones. Try one of those instead.

There’s usually an element of truth in these stories. In the 1919 Gazette there was another railway engineer, Arthur Gibb, awarded by the King of Siam. Maybe he was a Scot.

Here’s some stuff about Mr. Robins from the Singapore Newspaper Archives which you can access for free. http://newspapers.nl.sg/Default.aspx


Singapore Free Press, 16 February, 1924.
At the golf tournament of Hua Hin, Siam’s new seaside resort, the Siamese golf championship was won by Mr. A. O. Robins with 183.

Singapore Free Press, 5 April, 1932.
The axe of economy still functions. Mr. A. O. Robins, known to many in Malaya as a golfer and one of the few who can be relied upon to return a good card from the Hua Hin course, has said goodbye to the State Railways.

Singapore Free Press, 15 February, 1934.
The finals were played on Sunday over the King’s private course at Chitr Lada Palace, a course laid out at much expense by Mr. A. O. Robins, who for a long time had the care of the Hua Hin links then in his beat as a maintenance engineer on the State Railways.

The Straits Times, 3 June 1935.
Mr. A. O. Robins, a former Royal State Railway official who helped to build the Southern line, laid out the Chitralada course and had a great deal to do with the Royal Hua Hin course and also with the teaching of Tim, was an interested spectator, revisiting Siam, of the final eighteen, until the weather drove him back to the shelter of the adjacent palace.


All the best,
Alan

[sheilajim]

Hi Alan,

Very interesting reading. It seems that back in those days, it didn't take much to land you in jail. I wonder if it was a crime to lie your age on a census? If it was, many of my ancestors were lucky to not have spent time in jail or get transported.

[Currie]

Hello Sheila,

You're probably thinking back to the case of the notorious Flora Mitchell. I posted something about her way back in 2008.

Here it is, “Crime didn’t pay at Fort William.” viewtopic.php?f=24&t=12183&hilit=

I did read in an old newspaper that the 1881 household schedule, described as “a miserable thin blue scrap of paper” contained the warning “Persons who refuse to give information, or who willfully give false information as to any of the required particulars are liable, on summary conviction before justices, to a penalty of five pounds.” The census penalties don’t appear to have been very impressive compared to those for registration of births etc.

All the best,
Alan

[sheilajim]

Hi Allen,

It would probably have been too difficult to try and find out if anybody was lying when it came to their ages. I doubt that very many people were charged with such. They probably meant to frighten them into telling the truth more than actually prosecuting them.