First World War in Headington and Marston
New Marston War Memorial

Frederick Charles BURBOROUGH (1879–1915)

Frederick Charles Burborough was born in Wolvercote in 1879, the son of John Burborough (born in Iffley and baptised there on 14 February 1847) and his second wife Sarah Brooks (born in Longworth in 1841).

Frederick’s father married his first wife, Anne Sarah Snow, in haste at St Clement’s Church on 9 March 1873. They were both living in St Clement’s before their marriage, but moved to the Marston Road afterwards. They had two daughters, who were Frederick’s half-sisters:

• Maria Lydia Annie Sarah Burborough, variously known as Mary or Annie (born in the Marston Road, Oxford in the third quarter of 1873 and baptised at St Clement’s Church on 3 August 1873)
• Ivo [sic] Ada Jessie Theresa Burborough, known as Ada (born at Cherwell Cottages in 1875, registered third quarter, and privately baptised via St Clement’s Church on 13 September 1875).

John Burborough’s first wife Anne died in St Clement’s at the age of 30 and was buried at Holy Trinity Church, Headington Quarry on 27 September 1875.

Just over a year later, in the fourth quarter of 1876, John Burborough married his second wife, Sarah Brooks, in the Oxford Registration District. They had the following children, of whom Frederick was the eldest to survive:

• George John Burborough (born in Wolvercote, privately baptised at St Peter’s Church there on 4 September 1877, buried in its churchyard on 10 September 1877)
• Frederick Charles Burborough (born in Wolvercote in on 4 April 1879, baptised at St Peter’s Church there on 27 August 1880)
• John Burborough (born in Wolvercote in 1880, registered fourth quarter in Woodstock district)
• Thomas Albert Burborough (known as Albert, born in St Thomas, Oxford in 1884/5, registered first quarter of 1885 in Oxford district).

At the time of the 1881 census Frederick was six months old, and his family were living at Wolvercote. His father (34) was a general labourer, while his mother (recorded as 33, but in fact about 40) was a rag cutter at the paper mill, even though she had four young children to look after: her stepdaughters [Maria] Annie (7) and Ada (5), and her own children Frederick (2) and John (six months).

By 1891 the family had moved to 61 Hayfield Road in north Oxford, and Frederick (12) was still at school and his father was a farmer’s labourer. His sister Maria (18) was at home, but working as a general servant elsewhere.

By the time of the 1901 census Frederick (21) was a pig dealer’s labourer, and was living with the said pig dealer, Anthony Harris, at 73 Hayfield Road. Meanwhile his father, now a butcher’s labourer, was living at 23 Wellington Street, Jericho, Oxford with his wife and his two youngest sons: John (20) did not work as he was “a cripple from birth”, and Thomas (16) was a road labourer.

♥ In the fourth quarter of 1903 in the Oxford Registration District Frederick Charles Burborough married Ada Annie Matthews (born in Marston in 1876, the sister of Richard Matthews of New Marston, who also died in the First World War). They had one child:

• Cyril Frederick Burborough (born in St Thomas’s, Oxford in 1904, registered third quarter). (Jericho was then in St Thomas’s parish.)

Frederick’s mother Mrs Sarah Burborough died at the age of 63 in 1904 (registered second quarter) in the Oxford registration district.

At the time of the 1911 census Frederick Burborough was working as a builder’s merchant’s labourer, living with his wife and their six-year-old son as well as his brother Albert at 44 Wellington Street in Jericho. His widower father John Burborough also living in Jericho (at 1 Nelson Street) with his crippled son John and was now working as a jobbing cattle drover.

Frederick’s father died in the Headington registration district in the first quarter of 1914: his age was given as 69, but he was in fact 67.

Frederick’s address is given as Tilehurst in Berkshire at time he enlisted, which suggests that he may have become a soldier before the outbreak of war. His wife was born in Marston, and it seems likely that she stayed with her family there during the war.

In the First World War Frederick Charles Burborough served as a Lance Corporal in the 5th Battalion of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Service No. 17854). He was killed in action at Ypres in Belgium at the age of 36 on 25 September 1915.

 

He has no known grave, but is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 37 and 39) and on the New Marston War Memorial on the Marston Road, Oxford.

 

Left: Frederick Charles Burborough’s name on the Ypres (Menin Gate) War Memorial, kindly supplied by British War Graves