Sir Robert Turnbull

     
     Robert Turnbull was born on 21 Feb 1852 in Salop, Whitchurch, SAL, ENG, This date fits within the estimated date range for Robert being a grandson of Robert Turnbull and Eleanor Scott, and therefore the elusive "Sir Robert Turnbull" of Charlotte Turnbull nee Finlay's letters⁴. (not found on Free BMD Whitchurch 1851 to 1853, or Shropshire, options available on Free BMD include a Robert reg. Longtown, the home of the Turnbulls, Jun qtr 1853 and one reg. Blackburn Sep qtr 1852).^5,6,7,4
     Robert Turnbull married Kate Humbert, daughter of James Morten and Maria Skinner, bef. Apr 1889 in Paddington, ENG, indexed as Kate Humbert to Robert Turnbull, reg. March qtr 1889, in Paddington Vol 1a page 86.^5,8
     Robert died on 22 Feb 1925 at King's Langley, WAR?, ENG, at age 73; dth notice reads: "Sir Robert Turnbull who died at King's Langley on Sunday, the day after his 73rd birthday, had devoted his carreer to railway working, as distinguished from railway policy or finance, and had done much valuable service in railway devlopment and research. By the time of his retirement in 1914 he had rasied the London and North-Western Railway to a high degree of technical efficiency, and other lines also benefited by seeking his expert advice.
     The son of the Rev. Robert Turnbull, Vicar of Wybunbury, Cheshre, he was born on February 21, 1852, and was sent to Whitechurch Grammar School, Shropshire. he joined the service of the London and North-Western in 1868, became assistant district superintendent at Liverpool under Mr James Shaw, in March, 1877, and in March, 1885, removed to London as superintendent of the Southern Division of the line. In 1887 he became assistant superintendent of the line, and on August 1, 1895, was promoted to be superintendent. In 1914, he became general manager, but retired and joined the Board of Directors in 1915. He was also a director of the old London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, and, after the amalgamation of the Southern Railway, in 1917, he returned to duty as acting general manager of the Lond and North-Western, in order to release the late Sir Guy Calthrop for war service as Coal Controller. (this is called helping out the family, Sir Guy being his brother-in-law as he had married Gertrude Morten, Kate's sister)
     The funeral will be at Stanmore Church to-morrow, at 3 o'clock. A special train leaves Euston at 2:10."^9,2,10
     Sir Robert Turnbull and Stephen Turnbull were supposed to be cousins. According to Stephen's wife Charlotte⁴, Stephen (and therefore Ellen my great grandmother) apparently had a cousin in London "Sir Robert Turnbull". I had taken the "Sir" bit with a ton of salt, but subsequently found references¹ to one in London in the right timeframe, so thought that it may yet prove correct. The identification was strengthened by my recent findings of the 1871 census for Wybunbury in Cheshire¹¹ which shows the Rev. Robert Turnbull as being born in Kirk Andrews, Cumberland, and of an age to be a previously unknown son in the family of Robert Turnbull and Eleanor Scott. Rechecking my UK research I notice that my search of the Parish records for Kirkandrews started from 1813, and a search of the Bishop's Transcripts to 1812 did not show a baptism of Robert. The link was finally confirmed when an ordered copy of the marriage certificate¹² of the Reverend to Louisa, as it clearly showed his father as Robert, a joiner.^4,1,11,12
     Sir Robert Turnbull was considered as a potential duplicate of Robert Turnbull, but this has been discounted; one the Superintendent of the Line, Sir Robert Turnbull, the other an 1852 chr London to a John, one of the original possibilities for (Sir) Robert's father. It is now known however that (Sir) Robert Turnbull was born in Whitchurch, not London, and to the Rev Robert Turnbull not a John. This father/son of John and Robert did prove to be connected however, John being Sir Robert's uncle.¹³
     Robert Turnbull was educated at the Grammar School, Whitchurch, SAL, ENG.¹⁴
     The census of 7 Apr 1861 showed Robert and Walter and their sisters Louisa, Ellen, Sarah and Edith in the household of their parents Robert and Louisa Philipine Turnbull in the Village, Wybunbury, CHS, ENG, enumerated as TURNBULL: Robert, head, 49 Vicar Wybunbury b Kirk on Esk, Cumberland; wife Louisa Philippine 48 b Dou?? France; Children (all scholars): Louisa Mary Ann 15; Ellen 14, both b Cambridge; Sarah 11 b Keighley, Yorkshire; Robert 9; Edith 7; Walter 5 all b Whitchurch, Shropshire.³
     Robert appeared on the census of 1871 in Turnpike Rd, Nuneaton, WAR, ENG, enumerated as a visitor, Robert Turnbull, 19 railway clerk b Whitchurch, Salop in the household of STEVENSON: David 49 head, railway manager b Islington, MDX; wife Eliza 44 b Hampstead, MDX; Children: David 17 railway clerk b Regent Park, MDX; Edith 6mths b Attleborough, WAR; and 3 servants incl an Annie Corn 17 nurse b Wybunbury, CHS (where Robert's father lived).¹⁵
     Robert appeared on the census of 3 Apr 1881 at Moody Hall 11 Moody Street, Congleton, CHS, ENG, enumerated as listed as Robert Turnbull, visitor, unm, 29, b Whitchurch, Shropshire, Railway Superintendent (with John Latham, solicitor and family).¹⁶
     Robert and Kate Turnbull appeared on the census of 5 Apr 1891 at 48 Craven Park, Willesden, Par. of All Souls, MDX, ENG, as Robert Turnbull, superintendent on a railway, 39 b Whitchurch, Shropshire; wife Kate, 30 b Denham, Bucks; Sidney Humbert, step son, 6 b Watford, Herts; Noel Turnbull, son, 1 b Willesden, Middlesex; Maria Buckland, nurse, 49, b Bucks; Helen Litmuss, servant, 20, housemaid, Shelford, Bucks; Martha Bird, 28, cook, b Loudon, MDX; Clair Cowl (?Bowl), visitor, mar, 31, b Sutton, Hampshire.¹⁷
     Fr 1900 - 1913 Sir Robert Turnbull was the Superintendent of the Line, London and North-Western Railway (LNWR) probably in ?London, ENG, Robert is mentioned in this position in two Court Circulars:
     10 Oct 1904 .. the King shook hands with Mr Turnbull and thanked him .. ;
     21 Apr 1913 The King conferred the honour of Knighthood on Mr Robert Turnbull, Superintendent of the line..
     Earlier references include a 1900 letter, listed in a 2003 auction catalogue: from "Office of Superintendent of the Line, Euston Station, London. Robert Turnbull; and a 1902 newspaper report in The Nuneaton Observer and in an article about the LNWR .. (Sir) George Findlay chief traffic manager, later general manager from 1880 to 1893, who developed a highly efficient, sophisticated and centralized management structure overseeing 15,000 employees around the country: an organisation continued by able successors - Frederick Harrison, Prank Ree, Robert Turnbull, and Guy Calthrop, all of whom were knighted"
     However a book on the LNWR¹⁸ has him becoming Superintendent of the Line on the retirement of G P Neele in 1895 and adds: "Robert Turnbull was awarded a knighthood on 21 April 1913 during a visit by King George and Queen Mary to Crewe. After being received at the station by the town's mayor, LNWR signalman Frederick Manning, the royal party inspected Crewe works and then went to Crewe Hall for the investiture ceremony. (Robert Turnbull was only the second officer of the Company to recieve a knighthood.)". It goes on to say that he became General Manager in Feb 1914.^{1,19,20,21,22,9}
     By Feb 1897 Sir Robert Turnbull was living at 4 Craven Park, Harlesden, MDX, ENG, according to his sister Ellen's will written then (it clearly says 4, although the 1891 census shows Robert and Kate living at 48).²³ He was named as an executor of the will of Ellen Bolton on 15 Feb 1897 at Braeside, West Kirby, CHS, ENG, and received a legacy of £30 (but presumably not until she died in 1918!).^23,24,25
     Robert Turnbull was shown as the head of the household in the census of 1901 in "Rosslyn", Great Stanmore, Par. of St John, MDX, ENG, with Kate enumerated as enumerated as Robert Turnbull, 49, b Salop, Whitchurch, Railway Superintendent; Kate Turnbull, wife, 40, b Denham, Bucks; Dorothy Humbert, step dtr, 18, b Watford, Herts; and 4 servants - cook, parlour maid, housemaid, kitchenmaid.⁵ Robert Turnbull and Kate Turnbull were 1st class British passenger list shows Robert 55, Kate 48, Noel 18 arriving from Montreal on 24 Sep 1907 on the "Lake Manitoba", Liverpool, LAN, ENG.²⁶
     The census of 1911 showed Robert with his wife Kate at Rosslyn, Stanmore, MDX, ENG, household enumerated as TURNBULL: Robert 59 Railway Superintendent, worker b Whitchurch, Salop; wife Kate 50, b Denham, Bucks, married 22 complete years, 1 child, still living; Son Noel 21 unm. student b Harlsden, MDX; 4 servants; living in a 17 room house.²⁷
     His entry in de Brett's in 1913 reads: Robert Turnbull M.V.O. son of the late Rev. Robert Turnbull, V. of Wybunbury, Cheshire, b 1852 ed at Whitchurch Gram. Sch. entered London and North Western Railway Co's service 1868; was Sup. London Div 1885-7; Assist Sup. of the Line 1887-94 since when he has been Sup. of the LIne. m 1889, Kate da. of James Morten of Denham, widow of Sydney Humbert cr M.V.O. (5th class) 1911 Rosslyn, Stanmore, Middlesex.²⁸
     On 21 Apr 1913 Sir Robert Turnbull was knighted, the reference reading: "The King conferred the honour of Knighthood on Mr. Robert Turnbull, Superintendent of the Line, London and North-Western Railway."¹ He was the General Manager of the LNWR, and the Company's representative on the Railway Executive Committee during the Great War fr Feb 1914 - Dec 1914 ?London, ENG.⁹ He was a Director of the LNWR, retiring from the Board of Directors in Jan 1922 when it amalgamated with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway fr Dec 1914 - Jan 1922 ?London, ENG.⁹ In Jan 1923 a report in The Times said: "The following directors were elected at the special general meeting of the respective companies: ... Sir Robert Turnbull" (appears to be as a result of the merger of the three southern railways).²⁹
     Sir Robert seems to have had a train named after him as an auction catalogue lists Sir Robert Turnbull (apple green) with train in plum & spilt milk at Bletchley in July 1948.³⁰
     Railways must run in the blood for this family as Robert's brother Walter appears in the 1881 & 1891 census records as a railway clerk, and in 1901 as a Superintendent of Railway. In addition, Sir Francis Henry Dent, the husband of Janet, another sister-in-law, was general manager of the South-Eastern and Chatham Railway.^31,32,33