John Spencer Raby

• Born              1824
• Christened     30 May 1824
• Married          Agnes Lockwood on 27 July 1847 at St Mary’s Church Birkenhead
• Death date     28 March 1891 Douglas Isle of Man
• Burial             1 April 1891 at Kirk Bradden

John Spencer Raby must qualify as perhaps the least successful of all Victorian architects. The son of John Spencer Raby senior, spirit merchant and hop dealer and his wife Eleanor, the nephew of the cotton magnate John Rylands and the brother of George Raby (qv), John Spencer Raby junior was born in Manchester, in 1824 and trained as an architect and engineer. During court proceedings in 1855 John Spencer Raby Architect and Surveyor, then of Ramsey, Isle of Man, provided details of his training, and early career to the court. “I served my time with Mr Cole of Birkenhead (6 years) Then travelled for 2 years ostensibly for the purpose of learning further my profession. Then commenced business in Birkenhead and there for 4 years. My brother (George) served four and three-quarter years in my office then I retired from business and he served with Mr Hornblower. I am employed on some large works at Ramsey for Mr Gibson of London. I remember my brother coming to set up in business and I helped him with some of the plans. I did not further my profession from the time I left Birkenhead for about 5 years when I began on my own account about 18 months ago.” [George Raby v Cubbin Brothers 1855. 

Undoubtedly, his “retirement from business” had been occasioned by bankruptcy proceedings in 1849 as recorded in the London Gazette. His various addresses previous to this were given as Slatey Lane, Claughton, near Birkenhead, afterwards of Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead, then of Nelson Street, Grange Lane, Birkenhead, at the same time having an office in Castle-street, Liverpool, then of 43, Everton-road, Liverpool, and late of Brunswick Cottage, Bootle, near Liverpool, Architect and Surveyor, an insolvent debtor ... [London Gazette 19 June 1849 page 2119]. Early in 1854 he again set up in business at Ramsey, Isle of Man, on the basis of a commission from T C Gibson to carry out harbour improvements in the town. These were completed with the opening of a patent slip in January 1856. His activities over the next four years are unknown but he and his wife accompanied his brother George to Canada where John Spencer Raby appears in the Ottawa City Directory, 1861-62. Whether he returned to the Isle of Man is unclear. According to the 1871 Census, he was living in the Cheetham Hill district of Manchester without any occupation. In 1874, while living in Upper Brook Street he was brought before the police court on a charge of perjury. He had arranged to buy building materials on behalf of John Rylands, and had borrowed money from the person he was dealing with. He then denied he had done this, and said that the money was a commission.

THE CHARGE OF PERJURY AGAINST AN ARCHITECT - John Spencer Raby was brought up on under a charge of perjury. The defence not yet being completed, he was remanded until Friday. In consequence of his bailees declining to hold themselves responsible for his further appearance, he was placed in the dock and ordered to be kept in custody till Friday. [Manchester Guardian 25 June 1874 page 5}

He was living at 16 Cottenham Street, Chorlton on Medlock when on 28 June 1875 he took poison, (believed to be nitric acid), in Rusholme Road Burial ground and was found unconscious He was subsequently charged with attempted suicide and was imprisoned on remand at Belle Vue prison, Gorton, while awaiting trial at the Quarter Sessions. The prison records describe him as 5 feet 8¼ inches in height with a fresh complexion and brown eyes and hair. His age was incorrectly given as 47 years.

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE - John Spencer Raby, architect and surveyor of 16 Cottenham Street, Chorlton on Medlock was charged with attempted suicide.  Police Constable Harrison said that he brought the prisoner from the Infirmary yesterday morning. He had been an inmate of that institution since the 28th of June. On that day he was given in charge to witness by the Sexton of the Rusholme Burial Grounds, Rusholme Road, for attempting to commit suicide by taking poison. He was unconscious when witness took him to the infirmary. The prisoner said that he had been drinking that day, and deeply regretted the act, was remanded for a week. [Manchester Guardian 7 July 1875 page 6]

Few details of his subsequent career have emerged. He was still living in Manchester in 1881 when his uncle, John Rylands employed him to survey his estates and Longford Park in Stretford and again in 1885 when a revised survey was produced. By the time of his death on 28 March 1891, John Spencer Raby had returned to the Isle of Man.

John Spencer Raby junior married Agnes in 1847 but they separated around 1868, when she left the island, according to Eleanor Goldmann's account. Agnes was in Lancaster Asylum in 1859, then in Canada with her husband in 1861. In 1870, she was in Mill Road hospital workhouse in Liverpool in 1870, followed by a period in Lancaster Asylum 1871-2. She was living in Preston in 1876, when admitted to Whittingham Asylum, where she died two weeks later. Meanwhile, he had formed a relationship with Ellen, thought to be Ellen Kissack, born in the Isle of Man/ Liverpool?. The 1871 census return states that John Spencer Raby and Ellen were married, but no evidence of a formal ceremony has been found. They had one child, Ellen Kissack Raby, born at London in 1870. The Manchester 1881 census entries includes both father and daughter, living in lodgings.  She seems not to have benefited from her father’s estate. In 1893 Ellen Kissack Raby (a single woman) is recorded as living at 10 Dunn Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock (Manchester rate-book). On 2 August of that year at St Luke’s church Chorlton on Medlock, her daughter Nellie Gay was baptised. Ellen Kissack Raby died on 10 June 1896 in Withington Workhouse and was buried in the Chorlton Union Cemetery. Her mother died in 1898 the death registered at Chorlton.

John Spencer Raby, architect, late of Manchester of 6 Woodbourne Square, Douglas, aged 66 died on 28 March 1891 and was buried at Kirk Braddan on 1 April.

Residence
1841    John Spencer Raby Belle Vue Cottage Holt Hill Tranmere (1841 Census – with parents)
1851    Parker’s Terrace Bermondsey (living with his parents and wife)
1853    Parliament Street, Ramsey Isle of Man
1860    Canada
1870    London
1871    Thompson Street, Cheetham Hill Manchester (census)
1874    John Spenser Raby 28 Upper Brook Street Manchester
1875    John Spencer Raby 16 Cottenham Street, Chorlton on Medlock. (MG 7 July 1875)
1881    John Spencer Raby, architect,83 Booth Street, Hulme Manchester (in lodgings)
1891    John Spenser Raby, architect and surveyor 6 Woodbourne Square, Douglas IoM

INTERIM RECORD