The ancestry of Boris Johnson, the new Mayor of London

This is the text of a letter I have sent to The Times. It might be of interest to you.

"There has been much talk in the last few weeks of the ancestry of Boris Johnson, the new Mayor of London. A lot of the talk has concentrated on his illegitimate descent from King George II on his father's side. Some commentators have referred to his descent from the famous social reformer, Dame Milicent Garrett Fawcett, the sister of the equally famous Dr Elizabeth Garrett Anderson.

The first problem for the "Boris descends from Dame Milicent" story is that Dame Milicent and her husband, Henry Fawcett MP, had only one child, Philippa Garrett Fawcett (1868-1948). So I thought I'd do some digging into any possible connection and see what I came up with.

Mr Johnson's maternal grandfather was the lawyer, Sir James Edmund Sandford Fawcett QC (1913-1991). He was the son of Rev Joseph Fawcett (1878-1950), who was born in Brough, Westmorland. He was the fourth son of William Fawcett (1839-1900), of Augill House, a prosperous Westmorland farmer, the eldest son of Fenton Fawcett (1800-1861), also of Augill House. Fenton Fawcett was christened in 1800 and was the 6th son of William Fenton and Mary Fenton, who were married in Brough-under-Stainmore, Westmorland, in 1775.

So far so good.

Turning now to Dame Milicent's husband, Henry Fawcett MP. He was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, in 1834 and was the 3rd son of William Fawcett JP and his wife Mary Cooper. This William Fawcett was born in Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmorland, in 1793, and was the son of William Fawcett and Elizabeth Grundy. Henry Fawcett's elder brother, yet another William Fawcett, had children and grand-children in the Salisbury area who I have traced down to 1901.

So, we have two families of Fawcetts, both from Westmorland, but as far as I can see no direct relationship unless it is some where way back in the middle of the 18th century.

So where does this "Boris descends from Dame Milicent" story come from? Is it a strange political myth or is there some substance in it? Is there a relationship which I have yet to unearth?"

Patrick Cracroft-Brennan
Editor - Cracroft's Peerage
The Complete Guide to the British Peerage & Baronetage
www.cracroftspeerage.co.uk

Source: rec.heraldry