By Bob Solly
We have had two new members since my last report. Firstly Robert Charlton is interested in Solly-Flood. He writes:
I am an amateur historian and genealogist researching the genealogy of my godson, a 2nd great grandson of Major-General Sir Frederick Richard Solly-Flood
(1829-1909), son of the (rather infamous) Frederick Solly-Flood of Ballynashlaney (1801-1888) and Mary Williamson (c. 1802-1864), who in turn is the son of Richard Solly (c. 1771-1803) and Frances Flood (1775-1803).
I joined the Sole Society earlier today by internet ……
Please advise what information would be available concerning the ancestors and descendants of these persons. I would be pleased to share whatever information I have accumulated.
(Although the subject research is very recent, it forms part of my private database built up over more than 20 years which now includes more than 46,000 people.)
We do have a fair amount of history of this family, and an article on Frederick Solly-Flood has appeared. Frederick Solly-Flood, born 1801, the son of Richard Solly (1771-1803), a partner in the firm of Isaac Solly and Sons who was another son (not included in the pedigree in the last journal) of Isaac Solly who founded the firm. Frederick added the name of Flood when his maternal grandfather died in 1824. Frederick was the Attorney-General for Gibraltar and ‘Advocate General for the Queen in her Office of Admiralty’ (to give him his full title). He achieved sudden fame in 1872 as the assessor at the court which tried to discover what had happened on board the Mary Celeste, a ship found sailing in the Atlantic in full working order, with sufficient food to last six months but without a soul on board.
Our second new member Robert Flood (sadly no connection with the above) wrote:
I hope that you do not mind me contacting you, I am doing so because the Sole Society web site shows you as their contact for Solley and related names.
My interest is in an ancestor Ann Solly who married Stephen Chandler in Ash, Kent on 4 Oct 1735. I believe that she was born in Ash in 1713 and christened at St Nicholas, Ash 18 Apr 1713. If so she may trace back to a Stephen Solly born 1520 and his second wife Margaret but I am far from sure about this. I wondered if you have any information about Ann?
We were able to assist with both enquiries.
