The Fysons

The Fysons were an uncle and nephew pair who ran one of the four practices that provided medical care for Newmarket during the 19th century. Their practice no longer exists, except likely it was absorbed in large part by the Grays’ practice, which evolved into today’s Rookery Medical Centre (see The Fyson practice chain).

This page is about the Fysons as one of the seven major historical medical families of Newmarket (see The medical families of Newmarket). It sets Robert Fyson the uncle and his appropriately named nephew Ernest Last Fyson in their broader family context, for example showing that Ernest was not in fact the last medical Fyson after all, having a younger brother Edmund who moved away and practised elsewhere.

The Fyson family goes back a long way locally. The details are a little off topic for this website, but a Newmarket Journal article from 1917 following Ernest’s death stated that ‘The Fyson family is one of the oldest (if not actually the oldest) in Newmarket, having been settled in the district since the days of the Stuarts’ – by district they likely meant more widely, certainly including Exning, but perhaps Soham too (it’s of note that in 1917 Soham was covered by the Newmarket Union – see the relevance of Soham below). Moreover, JP Hore’s book published in 1886 refers to a John Fyson, gamekeeper to king James I at Newmarket, who was the ‘Ancestor of the present Surgeon Fyson of Newmarket’. It describes John Fyson as active over quite a wide area, including ‘Newmarkett, Exninge, Lanworth [Landwade?], Snaylewell, Fordham, Chippenham and diue [sic – meaning diverse?] other places thereabouts’. There was also a Thomas Fison mentioned in the 17th century Newmarket St Mary’s parish register (perhaps the son of John?). If any Fyson family descendants reading this know more, please do make contact using the details via the footer below. Of more recent relevance to the medical Fysons, there’s a Fyson section in Exning churchyard (see images above and below) with stones that seem to date back to the 18th century at least, with Fyson entries in the parish register as far back as the 17th century.

This account begins with William Fyson of Soham, who married Sarah Pechey Sizar, also of Soham, at Soham, on 29th May 1794. However, William appears to have been baptised at Exning in 1775, the son of William Fyson of Exning and Mary, who was originally from Isleham, but not surprisingly she appears to have been buried amongst the Fyson graves in Exning, highlighted in the image above – see the 1794 reference below for more details. Also in this group of graves is the stone of William and Sarah Pechey Fyson themselves (see image on the left). Like most of the non-medical Fysons they were farmers, but the medical Fysons all spring from William and Sarah, hence starting this account with them.

Robert, the first of the medical Fysons, was born to William and Sarah in 1807, baptised at Exning that same year. He was one of the younger members of the family, William and Sarah having had at least eight children before him, six in Soham, after which the family relocated to Exning in 1802/3. A more in depth account regarding Robert Fyson can be found on the page specifically about him, but here he’s set in the broader family context.

Robert had an older brother William, who became another farming Fyson. William married Sophia Last at All Saints, Newmarket, in 1831. They had at least eight children, but it’s their son Ernest Last Fyson who became the second Fyson medic, baptised at Exning in 1843 (obviously the reason for his odd middle name being his mother’s surname). He trained in London rather than with his uncle, and during his younger years practised in Tewkesbury then London, but Ernest joined his uncle’s practice at Newmarket in the 1870s, continuing it after Robert Fyson’s retirement. As with Robert above, a more in depth account regarding Ernest Last Fyson can be found on the page specifically about him. This is an account of his context within the broader family.

Ernest had a younger brother Edmund, who as mentioned above also became a medic. Edmund however, after leaving the area in the 1860s, never practised locally. He worked for many years in the Southwark practice where Ernest and likely Edmund had trained (see more details below), before moving on. He’s mentioned in the 1917 Newmarket Journal report, still alive and apparently working, as ‘Dr. Edmund Fyson, who is in practice at Hastings’. That report also mentions their brother ‘John Fyson, who farms on a large scale at Chevington’, showing the Fysons farming tradition continued there. Another non-medical but also non-farming Fyson mentioned in the report was ‘the Rev. N. Fyson (a brother of the late Mrs. Fyson) who has a living in Derbyshire.’ (The eagle eyed reader might wonder why Ernest’s wife ‘Mrs. Fyson’ had a brother with the surname Fyson. This is because Ernest had married his uncle Robert’s widowed daughter Frances, i.e. his first cousin. So N. Fyson (Nicholas) was Ernest’s first cousin, as well as brother in law). Robert Fyson had only one other son, Frederick, who went to Cambridge University but never appears to have graduated or worked, dying quite young (perhaps he had something like TB?).

It’s interesting to follow the Fysons on the census records, with relevant entries detailed in the references below, but here is a summary account, with a little more emphasis on Edmund, who is not otherwise detailed elsewhere on this website:-

The first census in 1841 was just before the death of William Fyson the elder at Exning. His wife Sarah Pechey Fyson had died a few years earlier. However, his whereabouts on the day of the census is as yet unknown. Most likely he was staying with one of his numerous children, but he wasn’t with his son William at Exning. That household captures the younger William as a 40 year old farmer, with his children, and wife Sophia (née Last), before the birth Edmund or Ernest Last Fyson. William’s younger brother Robert was by that stage working as a medic in Newmarket High Street, in his early 30s. He’s shown on the census newly married with his two week old son (Nicholas).

Unfortunately the relevant 1851 census returns are missing (i.e. for Newmarket St Mary’s and Exning), and obviously things had moved on significantly by 1861. By that stage farmer William’s household in Exning had seen Ernest born, grow up and start his apprenticeship – he can be seen doing his apprenticeship with an Edwin Jones in Southwark. Edmund was by that stage aged 12, living with his parents and numerous other grown up siblings, still at Exning. Their uncle Robert can be seen still in practice at Newmarket, but on a different part of the High Street from where he was in 1841.

During the 1860s Ernest qualified and joined a practice in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Interestingly, on the day of the 1871 census, Edmund was in the household of his brother Ernest at Tewkesbury and defined as a ‘Scholar of Medicine’ (see image below).

It’s not known whether Edmund was actually apprenticed to his brother, or whether he just happened to be there on the day of the census. We don’t have Edmund’s LSA examination records to tell us who he was apprenticed to, since he was of a generation that did not necessarily obtain the LSA qualification (see The history of medical treatments, training, qualifications and regulation). More likely he was apprenticed to Edwin Jones in Southwark (see why below) like his brother had been, and was just visiting Tewkesbury on the day of the census. It’s of note also that their sister Sara(h) was Ernest’s housekeeper in Tewkesbury. Nothing much had changed for Robert Fyson back in Newmarket during the 1860s, except the significant family event in the death of his brother William (the father of Ernest and Edmund) in 1866 at Exning. William’s household on the 1871 census records only John and Victoria at the family farm (Sophia their mother must have been away, since she features 10 years later on the 1881 census aged 70 in the household of Edmund, by that stage at Southwark).

Edmund had been in practice at Southwark with Edwin Jones since the time of his qualification in 1874 (likely just continuing on from his apprenticeship). Surprisingly, Edwin Jones left for Brighton in 1877, an event which appears to have precipitated Ernest joining Edmund for a year or two in Southwark (Ernest had returned to Newmarket in 1874, was in Southwark again by 1877, but back in Newmarket for good by August 1878 – see the page in Ernest last Fyson for details). Edmund Fyson however continued to practise in Southwark until 1886, before moving on to Walthamstow. The 1881 census captures Ernest in partnership with his uncle Robert back in Newmarket, living in his household (see an image on the page about Ernest Last Fyson), and Edmund in Southwark, with his mother as mentioned above. By that stage all of the Fysons had left Exning (quite remarkable given their apparent long history there).

1883 saw Robert’s daughter Frances Fyson marry a local solicitor Hubert de Stuteville Isaacson (it was later that she married her cousin Ernest, see below). The same year Edmund Fyson married Rosalie Mathilde Loibl. Interestingly this took place in Paris, although she was from London. However, as her name suggests she had continental roots. She was the daughter of Emil Loibl, a London based music hall proprietor originally from Vienna in Austria.

Later that decade Robert Fyson retired and Ernest moved the practice to Cheveley House, on the other side of the Clock Tower (which was built in 1887 – the same year that Robert Fyson is first shown as retired, so perhaps they regarded it as his retirement clock – and how it’s unofficially thought of on this website!).

Frances’ husband Hubert de Stuteville Isaacson died just before the 1891 census, so that snapshot in time shows her living back with her retired elderly parents as ‘Frances de S. Isaacson’ a 40 year old widow. Ernest was running the practice from over the road in Cheveley House, living alone except with some servants (again see the page on Ernest Last Fyson for an image of that 1891 census). Edmund was in practice with his young family, still in Walthamstow.

In 1892, at the age of 48, Ernest finally married Frances, also in her 40s. 1894 saw the death of her father Robert at the good age of 86, by that stage a widower. The old surgery in Newmarket High Street was sold, and interestingly redeveloped to become a veterinary surgery (see the page on Robert Fyson for details). The following couple of decades appear to have been remarkably uneventful from the Newmarket medical Fysons perspective, drawing to a close with the death of Frances in 1907 followed by Ernest in 1917.

Edmund continued in practice at Walthamstow until about 1904, when he relocated to St Leonard’s on Sea, near Hastings. He remained there until 1917, apparently still working, but after that (probably retired) is recorded with various addresses in the Medical Directories until his apparent death at Kingston, Surrey, in December 1928, aged 81. So the medical Fysons came to an end; there is no evidence so far that any other Fyson descendants became medics, in Newmarket or anywhere else. If you are one reading this web page please get in touch using the details via the footer below.

 

Image sources and acknowledgements:-

Image 1: Photograph taken in 2018, by the author of talkingdust.net.

Image 2: Photograph taken in 2018, by the author of talkingdust.net.

Image 3: Diagram drawn in 2019, by the author of talkingdust.net.

Image 4: The 1871 census, reference RG10/2678 (cropped); image ©, reproduced with kind permission of The National Archives.

Note: see comments regarding images and copyright © etc. on the Usage &c. page as well. 

Relevant references in chronological order

1641, 25th March: Thomas Fison married Sarah Houghton at St Mary’s, Newmarket. Reference J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: this is included as an early example of a Fyson/Fison in Newmarket itself, during the time of the Stuarts – Charles I; it’s not known how Thomas might relate to the later medical Fysons who claimed Newmarket ancestry back to the time of the Stuarts – see the February 1917 reference below, and JP Hore in the ‘other sources consulted’ below that.]

1686, 11th October: William Milton married Frances Fyson at Exning St Martin. Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 7), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: this is included as an early example of an Exning Fyson, during the time of the Stuarts – James II; it’s not known how Frances might relate to the later medical Fysons of Exning, who claimed ancestry in the Newmarket area back to the time of the Stuarts – see the February 1917 reference below, and JP Hore in the ‘other sources consulted’ below that.]

1794, 29th May: William Fyson of Soham married Sarah Pechey Sizar of Soham, at Soham. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Soham. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2009, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely). [Note: William Fyson was buried at Exning in 1842, aged 67, according to his gravestone and the register (see below) – so born about 1775, with Sarah Pechey his wife recorded on the same stone (see image 2 above). There were two William Fyson’s baptised in Exning in 1775, one the son of a William and Mary (2nd February), the other the son of a William and Susannah (8th June). Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 9), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). Interestingly, there was a William son of William and Mary Fyson received into the church at Soham on 13th September 1775, having been baptised privately at Exning beforehand according to the Soham register. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Soham. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2009, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely). So it seems likely that he was this William Fyson.], [Note also, there is a group of at least five Fyson graves in this part of Exning churchyard, some apparently older and relating to a William and Dorothy, and a ‘Mary the wife of a William Fyson’, who died in 1815 aged 67 (see image 1 above). Interestingly, there was a William Fyson of Exning who married a Mary Knight of Isleham, at Isleham, on 20th July 1769, and a Mary Knight, daughter of Robert and Ann Knight baptised at Isleham on 30th June 1748. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Isleham. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2005, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely). This therefore was likely the Mary Fyson buried at Exning aged 67 in 1815 (i.e. 1815 – 67= 1748). That would make her probably Robert Fyson the medic’s grandmother, Ernest Last Fyson’s great grandmother. Suffice to say that the statements in 1907 and 1917 below that the Fysons ‘belonged to a family that had been resident in Newmarket for many generations’ and ‘The Fyson family is one of the oldest (if not actually the oldest) in Newmarket, having been settled in the district since the days of the Stuarts’ look likely correct.], [Note also, the spelling of Sarah’s middle name on subsequent register entries is variable, and also Sizar changes to Sizer when they get to Exning – see below.]

1795, 1st April: Wm Fyson born, son of Wm Fyson and Sarah Pechey Fyson (late Sizar), baptised the same day at Soham. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Soham. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2009, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely). [Note: this William was buried on 3rd April, 2 days later, according to the same transcript (recorded in the burials section).]

1796, 21st May: Sarah Fyson born, daughter of Wm Fyson and Sarah Pechey Fyson (late Sizar), baptised 17th June at Soham. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Soham. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2009, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely). [Note: obviously this is listed on 17th June.]

1797, 3rd October: Mary Fyson born, daughter of Wm Fyson and Sarah Pechey Fyson (late Sizar), baptised 15th November at Soham. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Soham. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2009, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely). [Note: obviously this is listed on 15th November.]

1799, 27th April: Eliz Fyson born, daughter of Wm Fyson and Sarah Pechy Fyson (late Sizar), baptised 24th June at Soham. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Soham. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2009, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely). [Note: obviously this is listed on 24th June.]

1800, 17th October: Wm Fyson born, son of Wm Fyson and Sarah Fyson (late Sizar), baptised 1st January 1801 at Soham. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Soham. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2009, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely). [Note: obviously this is listed on 1st January 1801.]

1802, 31st March: Jno Fyson born, son of Wm Fyson and Sarah Fyson (late Sizar), baptised 11th May at Soham. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Soham. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2009, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely). [Note: obviously this is listed on 11th May.], [Note also, apparently the bishop’s transcript adds that Sarah’s middle name was Pechy.]

1803, 29th November: Sizer Fyson born, son of William Fyson and Sarah Peachey Fyson (late Sizer), baptized 26th February 1804 at Exning St Martin. Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 11), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: obviously this is listed on 26th February 1804.]

1805, 16th June: Mary Ann Fyson born, daughter of William Fyson and Sarah Peachy Fyson (late Sizer), baptized 17th January 1806 at Exning St Martin. Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 11), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: obviously this is listed on 17th January 1806.]

1807, 1st June: Robert Fyson born, son of Mr Fyson and Sarah Peachy Fyson (late Sizer), baptized 11th June at Exning St Martin. Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 11), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: obviously this is listed on 11th June.]

1810, 2nd November: Richard Fyson born, son of William Fyson and Sarah Peachey Fyson (late Sizer), baptized 18th February 1811 at Exning St Martin. Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 12), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: obviously this is listed on 18th February 1811.] [Note also, Richard died aged 41 in 1852 (see below), and is buried next to his parents, the grave in the background of image 2 above.]

1830, 6th May: The records at the Society of Apothecaries in London recorded that Robert Fyson, apprenticed to ‘Mr. William Addison of Soham, Cambridgesh’ for 5 ½ years, with an indenture dated 4th October 1822, was born on 1st June 1807. Reference: Court of Examiners Candidates’ Qualification Entry Book, The Society of Apothecaries Archives, Apothecaries’ Hall, Black Friars Lane, London EC4V 6EJ. [Note: see the page on Robert Fyson for more details.]

1831, 27th October: William Fyson, bachelor of Exning, married Sophia Last, spinster of Newmarket All Saints’, at Newmarket All Saints’. Reference: Microfiche of Newmarket All Saints’ parish register (fiche 8), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1833, 14th May: Mary Fyson baptised at Exning St Martin, daughter of William and Sophia Fyson (farmer). Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 13), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1836, 9th April: Sarah Fyson baptised at Exning St Martin, daughter of William and Sophia Fyson (farmer). Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 13), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1837, 6th February: Sarah Pechey Fyson of Exning buried, at Exning St Martin. Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 27), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: this is the grave in the foreground of image 2 above, which reads, ‘Sacred to the memory of’…[Williams bit on the left, see 1842 below – afterwards interestingly]… on the right ‘Sarah Pechy his wife departed this life Jan 31 1837 aged 67 years’ (interestingly Peachey is spelt differently on the grave of her son next door – see 1852 below).], [Note also, the gravestone ends with ‘In the midst of life… [the rest being illegible on 13th February 2018] a timely occurrence given the sub-theme of this website!]

1840, 27th May: William Fyson baptised at Exning St Martin, son of William and Sophia Fyson (farmer). Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 14), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1840, 11th May: Robert Fyson, aged 34, bachelor, surgeon of Newmarket, son of William a yeoman, married Maria Hill, aged 34, spinster gentlewoman, daughter of Nicholas Isaac Hill, Rector of Snailwell, at Snailwell, Cambridgeshire. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Snailwell. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2007, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely).

1841, 6th June: The 1841 census. Reference: The National Archives, 1841 census. [Note: on all of the census records (every 10 years below) I have traced four households (when they were in existence), i.e. 1: William Fyson the younger i.e. the one married to Sophia Last, the brother of Robert Fyson the medic and father of Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 2: Robert Fyson the medic, 3: Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 4: Edmund Fyson the medic.]

The returns of relevance for 1841 were as follows:-

1: In Exning, William Fyson, aged 40, a farmer, with his wife Sophia aged 30, and children Sophia 8, Mary 7, Sarah 5 and William 1. [Note: the two Williams are recorded as not having been born in the county, the rest were, including both Sophias – obviously William the elder was born in Soham, which is in Cambridgeshire, unlike Exning, which is in Suffolk; the case with the younger William is unclear, since he was baptised in Exning (on subsequent census returns his place of birth is recorded as Exning, Suffolk.]

2: In Newmarket, Robert Fyson, aged 33, a surgeon, with an unnamed unidentified 33 year old female Fyson (i.e. his wife) and 2 week old son marked ‘n.k.’, and some other people. [Note: ‘n.k.’ for the son might mean ‘not known’ him not yet having been named, but it could be short for Nicholas, since subsequently he was named Nicholas Isaac Hill Fyson (see below and his maternal grandfather’s name above).], [Note also, see the page on Robert Fyson for more details.]

1842, 21st January: William Fyson aged 67 of Exning buried, at Exning St Martin. Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 27), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: this is the grave in the foreground of image 2 above, which reads, ‘Sacred to the memory’ above, then on the left ‘William Fyson who departed this life Jan 11 1842 aged 67 years’, then Sarah’s bit on the right (see 1837 above).], [Note also, the gravestone ends with ‘In the midst of life… [the rest being illegible on 13th February 2018] a timely occurrence given the sub-theme of this website!], [Note also, see comments on the 1794 reference above.]

1842, 15th May: John Fyson baptised at Exning St Martin, son of  William and Sophia Fyson (farmer). Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 14), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1842, 15th June: Nicholas Isaac Hill Fyson baptised, son of surgeon Robert and Maria, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference J552/10, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1843, 24th July: Ernest Last Fyson baptised at Exning St Martin, son of  William and Sophia Fyson (farmer). Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 14), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: he was born on 1st July – see the 1863 reference below.]

1844, 25th January: Frederick William Fyson baptised, son of surgeon Robert and Maria, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference J552/10, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1848, 21st May: Edmund Fyson baptised at Exning St Martin, son of William and Sophia Fyson (farmer). Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 14), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: see the 1861 and 1871 censuses, and 1917 Newmarket Journal report on Ernest Fyson’s death below.]

1849, 26th November: Frances Maria Fyson baptised, daughter of surgeon Robert and Maria, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference J552/10, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1851, 30th/31st March: The 1851 census. Reference: The National Archives, 1851 census. [Note: on all of the census records (every 10 years above and below) I have traced four households (when they were in existence), i.e. 1: William Fyson the younger i.e. the one married to Sophia Last, the brother of Robert Fyson the medic and father of Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 2: Robert Fyson the medic, 3: Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 4: Edmund Fyson the medic.], [Note also: the families of relevance in existence were 1 and 2 as on the 1841 census above. Likely they were still in Exning and Newmarket St Mary’s respectively, since these families can’t be found and the census returns for both of these places have been lost.]

1852, 18th June: Richard Fyson aged 41 of Wickhambrook buried, at Exning St Martin. Reference: Microfiche of Exning St Martin parish register (fiche 28), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: see 1810 above, and also it’s the grave in the background of image 2 above, which reads, ‘To the beloved memory of Richard Fyson, son of Will & Sarah Peachey Fyson who died June 12 1852 aged 41 years…’ (interestingly Peachey is spelt differently to the grave next door of Sarah herself – see 1837 above).]

1861, 7/8th April: The 1861 census. Reference: The National Archives, 1861 census. [Note: on all of the census records (every 10 years above and below) I have traced four households (when they were in existence), i.e. 1: William Fyson the younger i.e. the one married to Sophia Last, the brother of Robert Fyson the medic and father of Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 2: Robert Fyson the medic, 3: Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 4: Edmund Fyson the medic.]

The returns of relevance for 1861 were as follows:-

1: In Exning, William Fyson, aged 60, a farmer, with his wife Sophia aged 55, and children Sophia 28, Mary 25, Sarah 23, Victoria 22, William 20, John 18, Edmund 12 and one other person. [Note: some of these ages and names seem a bit inconsistent with other records above, but clearly it’s the same family.]

2: In Newmarket, Robert Fyson, aged 53, a surgeon / apothecary / general practitioner, with his wife Maria aged 54, and children Frederick W. 17, Frances M. 11, and some other people. [Note: Frederick is recorded as an undergraduate at Cambridge – see the page on Robert Fyson for more details], [Note also, his eldest son was likely away at university, but I have not found him on the census – but see later census records below.]

3: In Southwark, Ernest L ‘Flyon [sic]’, aged 17, apprentice surgeon, in the household of Edwin Jones (see 1863 below), and some other people. [Note: see the page on Ernest Last Fyson for more details.]

1863, 5th November: The records at the Society of Apothecaries in London recorded that Ernest Last Fyson apprenticed to Edwin Jones of Blackfriar’s Road, with indenture dated June 1860 was the son of ‘Wm Fyson Newmarket’ and that he was born on 1st July 1843. Reference: Court of Examiners Candidates’ Qualification Entry Book, The Society of Apothecaries Archives, Apothecaries’ Hall, Black Friars Lane, London EC4V 6EJ. [Note: see the page on Ernest Last Fyson for more details.]

1866, 22nd May: Death of William Fyson, at Exning. Probate 19th January 1867; mentioned are Sophia Fyson his widow, Robert Fyson of Newmarket St Mary, Suffolk (a surgeon) his brother, and William Fyson of Exning (a farmer) his son. Reference: Online image of National Probate Registry entry, ancestry.co.uk (accessed 13th February 2018).

1871, 2nd/3rd April: The 1871 census. Reference: The National Archives, 1871 census. [Note: on all of the census records (every 10 years above and below) I have traced four households (when they were in existence), i.e. 1: William Fyson the younger i.e. the one married to Sophia Last, the brother of Robert Fyson the medic and father of Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 2: Robert Fyson the medic, 3: Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 4: Edmund Fyson the medic.]

The returns of relevance for 1871 were as follows:-

1: In Exning, apparently living in the same property as on the 1861 census above, were John Fyson, aged 28, farmer’s son, and Victoria Fyson, aged 32, farmer’s daughter, with two other people, but the whereabouts of the rest of the family (other than those in Tewkesbury below) is not yet known.

2: In Newmarket, Robert Fyson, aged 65, a surgeon, with his wife Maria aged 65, and children Frederick Wm. 27, Frances M. 21, and some others, including his business partner Samuel Gamble. [Note: his eldest son was likely living elsewhere aged 29, but I have not found him on the census – but see later census records below.], [Note also, see the page on Robert Fyson for more details, and the page on Samuel Gamble for an image.]

3&4: In Tewkesbury, Ernest L Fyson, aged 26, a General Practitioner, with his brother Edmund there on the day of the census at least, a ‘Scholar of Medicine’, with their sister Sara as housekeeper, and two other people. [Note: see the page on Ernest Last Fyson for more details, and above for an image.], [Note also, the ages of Sara and Edmund seem incorrect on this census. Edmund is shown aged 19, when he was 12 on the 1861 census, consistent with his baptism in 1848 (see above), and Sarah is shown aged 23 here and on the 1861 census was 23 as well! Her apparent baptism on 9th April 1836 above would make her at least 34 when this census was taken – suffice to say that he had a sister called Sara(h) who was his housekeeper in Tewkesbury, probably in her mid 30s.], [Note also, Ernest was in fact 27 not 26 too!]

1874: ‘FYSON, ERNEST LAST, Exning, Newmarket, Suffolk – L.R.C.P. Edin. (exam) and L.M. 1871; – M.R.C.S. Eng. 1864; L.S.A. 1865; (Guy’s).’ Reference: The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1874. [Note: this was his first appearance back in the Newmarket area, but there was some toing and froing – see the page on Ernest Last Fyson for more details.]

1875: ‘FYSON, EDMUND, 194, Blackfriars-rd. S.E. – M.R.C.S. Eng. 1874; (Guy’s).’ Reference: The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1875. [Note: this was his first entry in the medical Directory.], [Note also, he kept this address until his 1886 entry – see below.]

1878, 30th September: Frederick William Fyson buried, aged 35, Newmarket. Reference J552/10, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1878, 5th October: Reported in the press under Newmarket, ‘The mortal remains of Mr. F. W. Fyson, younger son of Mr. Robert Fyson, surgeon, of this town, were deposited in their last resting-place in Newmarket cemetery on Monday last… The deceased, from his kindly and genial manner, had won the esteem of many friends, and great regret is felt at his sudden call, at the comparatively early age of 35.’ Reference: The Bury Free Press. Saturday Oct 5 1878: 8.

1881, 3rd/4th April: The 1881 census. Reference: The National Archives, 1881 census. [Note: on all of the census records (every 10 years above and below) I have traced four households (when they were in existence), i.e. 1: William Fyson the younger i.e. the one married to Sophia Last, the brother of Robert Fyson the medic and father of Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 2: Robert Fyson the medic, 3: Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 4: Edmund Fyson the medic.]

The returns of relevance for 1881 were as follows:-

1: In Exning – all of the Fysons appear to have left Exning by 1881, their farm having been taken over by a Charles Rayner (but see Sophia in 4: below).

2&3: In Newmarket, Robert Fyson, aged 74, a surgeon in general practice, with his wife Maria, aged 76, and daughter Fanny M. 31, and Ernest L. Fyson, aged 37, a partner surgeon in ‘Gen Practice’ and some other people. [Note: see the page on Ernest Last Fyson for an image], [Note also, Nicholas I. H. Fyson, aged 39, born in Newmarket, Suffolk, can be seen as the curate of Farcett near Huntingdon, with his wife and children, including a 15 year old son born in Oxford and 10 year old daughter born in Downham, revealing his earlier whereabouts – see also 1891 below.], [Note also, it’s of interest that Robert’s brother John, a widower aged 79, farmer of 1000 acres and employer of 31 people, can be seen living with their 75 year old unmarried sister Mary Ann Fyson in Snailwell, adding to the general picture of the medical Fysons coming from a family that was otherwise largely in farming.], [Note also, see the pages on Robert Fyson and Ernest Last Fyson for more details.]

4: In Southwark, Edmund Fyson, aged 32, General Practitioner, with his mother Sophia, aged 70, sister Victoria, aged 29, and three other people (interestingly living next door to a surgical instrument maker). [Note: Victoria’s age seems incorrect – she ought to be 42 judging by the 1871 and 61 census records above (I haven’t found her baptism yet, but it’s of interest that she appears to have died in 1912, a spinster in Cambridge, her probate being ‘to Ernest Last Fyson and Edmund Fyson physicians and surgeons.’ Reference: Online image of National Probate Registry entry, ancestry.co.uk (accessed 16th February 2018).]

1883, 17th January: Under marriages, ‘Fyson–Loibl.–17th inst., at Paris, Dr. Edmund Fyson, of West Kensington, London, youngest son of the late William Fyson, Esq., of Exning Villa, Suffolk, to Rosalie Mathilde, eldest daughter of Emil Loibl, Esq., of Gordon Lodge, Maids Vale, London. Reference: The Ipswich Journal (second sheet of). Saturday Jan 20 1883: 10. [Note: it’s interesting he’s described as of ‘West Kensington’ – his address in the Medical Directory was still 194 Blackfriars’ Rd, likewise in the Medical Register for 1883.], [Note also, Rosalie can be seen aged 12 on the 1871 census living in Kensington. She was born in London, as was her mother and siblings, but her father was a music hall proprietor born in Vienna, Austria.]

1883, 13th August: Hubert Tyrrell de Stuteville Isaacson, solicitor, bachelor aged 36, of Newmarket All Saints’, married Frances Maria Fyson, spinster aged 33, of Newmarket St Mary’s (father Robert Fyson surgeon), at Newmarket All Saints’. Reference: Microfiche of Newmarket All Saints’ parish register (fiche 17), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1884, 23rd April: ‘He [Robert Fyson] was gratified to find that the Lodge [of Oddfellows] had appointed his nephew, Mr. Ernest Last Fyson, to succeed him [as their surgeon]… Mr. E. L. Fyson was then admitted as an honorary member…’ Reference: The Bury Free Press. Saturday Apr 26 1884: 8. [Note: see the page on Robert Fyson for more details.]

1886: ‘FYSON, EDMUND, Sundon House, Church-hill and 10, Courtenay-terr. High-st. Walthamstow, Essex – L.R.C.P. Edin. and L.M. 1882; M.R.C.S. Eng. 1874; (Guy’s). Surg. St. James Matern.; Med. Ref. Prudent. Assur. Co.’ Reference: The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1886. [Note: he remained in Walthamstow until his 1905 entry – see below (but note comments on the 1911 census).]

1887: ‘FYSON, ROBERT, Newmarket, Cambs (retired) – L.S.A. 1831; (Guy’s and St. Thos.’s); late Med. Off. Health Newmarket.’ Reference: The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1887. [Note: this was the first mention of him being retired; his entry remained unchanged from this point.]

1891, 20th February: Hubert Tyrell De Stuteville Isaacson buried, aged 44. Reference: J552/10, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1891, 5th/6th April: The 1891 census. Reference: The National Archives, 1891 census. [Note: on all of the census records (every 10 years above and below) I have traced four households (when they were in existence), i.e. 1: William Fyson the younger i.e. the one married to Sophia Last, the brother of Robert Fyson the medic and father of Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 2: Robert Fyson the medic, 3: Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 4: Edmund Fyson the medic.]

The returns of relevance for 1891 were as follows:-

2: In Newmarket, Robert Fyson, aged 83, retired medical practitioner, with his wife Maria, aged 84, and daughter Frances de S. Isaacson, aged 40, widow, and three other people. [Note: Nicholas I. H. Fyson aged 49, born in Newmarket, Suffolk, can be seen as a ‘Clerk in Holy Orders’ in Boylestone, Derbyshire, with his wife and children. He was still in Boylestone on the 1911 census, with his full name Nicholas Isaac Hill Fyson – see the 1917 Ernest Fyson obituary below also.]

3: In Newmarket, Ernest Last Fyson, aged 47, General Medical Practitioner, and three other people. [Note: see the page on Ernest Last Fyson for an image.], [Note also, he was in Cheveley House by this time, living separately from Robert Fyson’s household – see the pages on Robert Fyson and Ernest Last Fyson for more details on exactly where they lived.], [Note also, he was still single at this stage, but see 1892 below.]

4: In Walthamstow, Edmund Fyson, aged 42, General Practitioner Surg, with his wife Rosalie M., aged 32, children Rosa Mary 3, Emile Edmund 1, and three other people. [Note: according to the Medical Directories he arrived in Walthamstow from Southwark in 1886 – see above.]

1892, 13th April: Maria Fyson buried, aged 85, Newmarket. Reference J552/10, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1892, 2nd June: Ernest Last Fyson, aged 48, bachelor surgeon of All Saints’ Newmarket (father William deceased) married Frances Maria Isaacson, aged 42, widow, of St Mary’s Newmarket (father Robert Fyson, surgeon), St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/10, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1894, 13th March: Under deaths, ‘FYSON – 13th inst., at Newmarket, Robert Fyson, aged 86 years.’ Reference: The Bury and Norwich Post. Tuesday Mar 20 1894: 5.

1894, 16th March: Robert Fyson (surgeon) buried, aged 86, St Mary’s, Newmarket. Reference: Microfiche of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register (fiche 8), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: he was actually buried in the cemetery – see 24th March below.]

1894, 17th March: ‘DEATH OF MR. ROBERT FYSON.- The oldest medical practitioner in the town has just passed away in the person of Dr. Robert Fyson, who died on Tuesday last, at the ripe age of 86 years. He had been in indifferent health for some time past. Dr. Fyson was a gentleman of kindly, courteous, and charitable disposition, and he was highly respected by all sections of the community. The funeral takes place today (Friday), at three o’clock.’ Reference: The Newmarket Journal. Saturday Mar 17 1894: 5.

1894, 24th March: ‘FUNERAL OF MR ROBERT FYSON.- On Friday last, at the cemetery, the remains of the late Mr. Robert Fyson, surgeon, were interred in the presence of a number of sympathising friends, including Dr. G.B. Mead, Dr. C.F. Gray, Dr. W. Hutchinson…’ Reference: The Newmarket Journal. Saturday Mar 24 1894: 5. [Note: it’s odd that this account does not mention family, including Ernest and Frances, but it’s a short account and includes ‘and others’. Perhaps for some reason it wanted to emphasise the sympathising friends?], [Note also, see the page on Robert Fyson for am image of his grave.]

1901, 31st March / 1st April: The 1901 census. Reference: The National Archives, 1901 census. [Note: on all of the census records (every 10 years above and below) I have traced four households (when they were in existence), i.e. 1: William Fyson the younger i.e. the one married to Sophia Last, the brother of Robert Fyson the medic and father of Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 2: Robert Fyson the medic, 3: Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 4: Edmund Fyson the medic.]

The returns of relevance for 1901 were as follows:-

3: In Newmarket, Ernest L. Fyson, aged 57, surgeon, with his wife Frances. M., aged 51, and three other people.

4: In Walthamstow, Edward [sic] Fyson, aged 52, surgeon &c., with his wife Rosalie M., aged 42, children Rosa M. 13, Emile E. 11, and two other people.

1905: ‘FYSON, EDMUND, Warrior-sq. St. Leonards-on-Sea – M.R.C.S. Eng. 1874; L.R.C.P. Edin and L.M. 1882 (Guy’s).’ Reference: The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1905. [Note: he remained here, near Hastings, until 1917 (see the 1917 Ernest Last Fyson obituary below also), then his entry has no address until 1923, when he appears in Woking for a couple of years, then from 1925 until 1928 he recorded Fleet in Hampshire, then his last entry in 1929 again records no address (i.e. ‘Address uncommunicated.’ – it appears he might have died in 1928, since an Edmund Fyson died in Kingston, Surrey in December 1928 aged 81. Reference: England & Wales Civil Registration Death Index 1916-2007 (online database with image from the General Register Office interpreted), ancestry.co.uk (accessed 29th July 2019 and in early 2018).]

1907, 14th February: Frances Maria Fyson of Newmarket All Saints’ buried, aged 56, ‘wife of Dr Fyson’, in Newmarket burial ground (i.e. the cemetery). Reference: EF506/2/10, Newmarket Burial Ground burial register 1906-1928 (=book 3), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1907, 16th February: ‘DEATH AND FUNERAL OF MRS. FYSON.– We record with deep regret the death of Mrs. Fyson, who passed away at Cheveley House, Newmarket, on Monday last. The deceased lady belonged to a family which has been resident in Newmarket for many generations. She was the only daughter of the late Dr. Robert Fyson, and married her cousin, Mr. E. L. Fyson, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., who succeeded his uncle in practice.’ The account mentions that those in attendance included Dr. Fyson (husband), Rev. N. Fyson (brother), Mr. John Fyson (brother-in-law), Dr. C. F. Gray, Dr. E. Crompton and Dr. S. W. Woollett. Reference: The Newmarket Journal. Saturday Feb 16 1907: 5. [Note: see 1794 reference above and 1917 below for further comments.]

1911, 2nd/3rd April: The 1911 census. Reference: The National Archives, 1911 census. [Note: on all of the census records (every 10 years above) I have traced four households (when they were in existence), i.e. 1: William Fyson the younger i.e. the one married to Sophia Last, the brother of Robert Fyson the medic and father of Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 2: Robert Fyson the medic, 3: Ernest Last Fyson the medic, 4: Edmund Fyson the medic.]

The returns of relevance for 1911 were as follows:-

3: In Newmarket, Ernest L. Fyson, aged 67, surgeon, and two other people. [Note: he was a widower – see 1907 above.]

4: In St Leonard on Sea, Nr. Hastings, Edmund Fyson, aged 62, surgeon &c., with his wife Rosalie Mathilde, aged 52, daughter Rosa Mary 23, and two other people. [Note: according to the Medical Directories he arrived in St Leonard’s on Sea from Walthamstow in 1905 – although his 1902-4 entries are marked with a *, suggesting they had not been updated.], [Note also, I have not found the whereabouts of Emile in 1911; I’ve looked for him in later Medical Directories and Registers, where he doesn’t feature, so he does not appear to have become a medic, at least in the U.K.]

1917, 24th February: Under a heading ‘Death of Dr. Fyson’ was a report that included, ‘We record with much regret the death of Dr. Ernest Last Fyson, who passed away at his residence, Cheveley House, Newmarket, on Tuesday, about 3.30 a.m., after a lingering illness. / Dr. Fyson was born at Exning, his father being a farmer there, about 73 years ago, and succeeded to the practice of his uncle, the late Robert Fyson, whose daughter he married… The Fyson family is one of the oldest (if not actually the oldest) in Newmarket, having been settled in the district since the days of the Stuarts… During his last illness he was attended by Dr. C. F. Gray (an old friend as well as a pro-fessional confrére), who also took charge of his practice for some months. / The deceased gentleman was a widower (his wife having died several years ago), and leaves no children. He is survived by two brothers – Mr. John Fyson, who farms on a large scale at Chevington, and Dr. Edmund Fyson, who is in practice at Hastings. Another member of the family well known among the older inhabitants of the town is the Rev. N. Fyson (a brother of the late Mrs. Fyson) who has a living in Derbyshire.’ Reference: The Newmarket Journal. Saturday Feb 24 1917: 3. [Note: see the page on the Ernest Fyson for more detail about him from this report.], [Note also, his death is reported in the deaths section of the same paper on page 2.], [Note also, it seems likely therefore that the Fysons’ practice was absorbed into that of the Grays’ at this point, who likely had the capacity then being three, although a notice appeared in the paper the following week to say, ‘We are requested by the relatives of the late Dr. Fyson to state that throughout his illness Dr. Ernest Crompton was most assiduous in his attendance upon him, visiting him night and day.’ Reference: The Newmarket Journal. Saturday Mar 3 1917: 3. This appears to be an addition rather than correction? There’s nothing to suggest Ernest Crompton’s practice was expanding at this point. In fact he retired due to ill health a few years later and his practice also appears to cease at that point.], [Note also, see 1907 and 1794 references above for further comments.], [Note also, see JP Hore in the ‘other sources consulted’ below regarding more on the Stuarts’ connection.]

1917, 3rd March: The Funeral of ‘DR. FYSON’ reported in the paper. It mentioned that he was buried in Newmarket Cemetery and that ‘Blinds were drawn at a number of residences and shops along the route taken by the cortege’. Newmarket medics amongst the mourners were Dr. E. Crompton, Dr. C. F. Gray, and Dr. J. H. Maund. Reference: The Newmarket Journal. Saturday Mar 3 1917: 2.

Some other sources consulted include:-

Hore JP. The History of Newmarket and Annals of the Turf. Vol I. London: AH Baily and Co.; 1886, pg 253 has a footnote stating that the gamekeeper John Fyson was the ‘Ancestor of the present Surgeon Fyson, of Newmarket’, cf. pg 260 where there’s a quote from a royal warrant referring to him as his majesty’s gamekeeper at Newmarket, and another one describing his wide area of activity, which included ‘Newmarkett, Exninge, Lanworth [Landwade?], Snaylewell, Fordham, Chippenham and diue [sic – meaning diverse?] other places thereabouts’. [Note: thanks to Rachel Wood for spotting this footnote and drawing it to my attention.]

Suffolk Medical Biographies. Profile for Fyson, Robert. http://www.suffolkmedicalbiographies.co.uk/Profile.asp?Key=342 and Profile for Fyson, Ernest Last. http://www.suffolkmedicalbiographies.co.uk/Profile.asp?Key=297 (originally accessed pre October 2013). [Note: at the time of writing (February 2018), this website had only a handful of references relating to Robert or Ernest Fyson.], [Note also, see comments regarding this website on the Francis Greene page.] 

The Medical Directory. London: Churchill; 1847-1930. [Note: see the pages on Robert Fyson and Ernest Last Fyson for details regarding specific entries of theirs. Full entries for Edmund Fyson in 1875, 1886 and 1905 are shown above.], [Note also, this publication has been known by various titles over the years. Initially it just covered London, but from 1847 it had a wider remit, being variously known as the London and Provincial Medical Directory, The Medical Directories, The Medical Directory, etc., essentially the same work with minor variations and developments. It is usually referred to as The Medical Directory (as opposed to The Medical Register), so that is how it’s consistently referred to on talkingdust.net.]

The Medical Register. London: General Medical Council; 1859ff. [Note: this began in 1859.]

Note: For published material referenced on this website see the ‘Acknowledgements for resources of published material’ section on the ‘Usage &c.’ page. The sources used for original unpublished documents are noted after each individual reference. Any census records are referenced directly to The National Archives, since images of these are so ubiquitous on microfilm and as digital images that they almost function like published works. Census records are covered by the ‘Open Government Licence’ as should be other such public records (see the ‘Copyright and related issues’ section on the ‘Usage &c.’ page for which references constitute public records, and any other copyright issues more generally such as fair dealing/use etc.).