Frederick Locker-Lampson was the husband of my 3rd cousin, Lady Charlotte Christian Bruce. Together they had only 1 child before the early death of my cousin, a girl, Eleanor Bertha Mary Locker.

 

Frederick's surname had been simply "Locker" until he remarried Hannah Jane Lampson 2 years after the death of Lady Charlotte at which time he added "Lampson" making his family surname "Locker-Lampson".

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Frederick suffered from chronic health issues which prevented him from an active life, but as a known bibliophile, he managed to surround himself with rare books, first editions, prints and manuscripts. Through his love of literature he became acquainted with almost every important literary figure of the period including: the Browning sisters, Thomas Carlyle, Charles Dickens, George Eliot and Alfred Tennyson (also related to me by marriage - see separate entry). Although I can find no documentation of it, through his friendship with Leigh Hunt he probably also met and knew John Keats, and Hunt's wife, Mary Shelly, author of "Frankenstein" as Hunt was close friends with Keats.

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Frederick had 3 more children with his second wife in addition to Eleanor. 

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Frederick's ancestors also have some interesting footnotes in history:

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His paternal Grandfather, Captain William Locker, was Captain of the HMS Lowestoffe and onboard that vessel a newly promoted Lieutenant Horatio Nelson - later to become Admiral Lord Nelson - was under his wing. On February 9, 1799, Lord Nelson wrote the following to his old captain:  "I have been your scholar; it is you who taught me to board a Frenchman by your conduct when in the Experiment; it is you who always told me 'Lay a Frenchman close and you will beat him', and my only merit in my profession is being a good scholar. Our friendship will never end but with my life, but you have always been too partial to me."

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His maternal Grandfather, Jonathan Boucher, was an outspoken cleargyman, teacher and preacher. In 1759 he went to Virginia where he became a private tutor for Virgina planter families. He returned briefly to England in 1762 to be ordained by the Bishop of London and then went back to America in 1775 and was a rector of various parishes in Maryland and Virginia.

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Boucher also kept a school, and one of his pupils from 1768 was John Parke Custis, stepson of George Washington, better known as President George Washington after the War of Independance. During this time, Jonathan and George Washington became close friends. As dissention in the colonies grew, Jonathan denounced the unfair practices of the British against the colonies, but did not support hostilities towards the King. In 1775 Boucher returned to England with his new wife (Eleanor Addison of Maryland) leaving his friend George Washington and thus easing Washington's struggle with protecting his outspoken friend and showing his support for the colonists and their cause.

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So here we have familial ties to most of the 19th century literary greats as well as one of England's finest Admirals and America's founding father, all through one family member.