Mrs Priest's invalid Locustfinch (1 Viewer)

Here´s a a minor addition (i.e. a death year) and some curious (just fun-to-read) details triggered simply by curiosity, and the thread Iris's Broad-billed Roller (here), this time regarding yet another lady by the name Iris, commemorated in ...

irisae as in:
• the invalid "Paludipasser irisae" ROBERTS 1932, here, p.33 [syn. (Paludipasser) Ortygospiza locustella NEAVE 1909]:

... collected (and donated to the Transvaal Museum) by Captain and Mrs. (Iris) C. D. Priest, 25 miles south of Marandellas Village, Southern Rhodesia, on 30th December, I930.

Click to expand...

= Iris Priest, third (!) wife of Captain Cecil Priest*, whom she later divorced, remarried with D. Townley in the early 1930's, and thereafter her name became Iris Townley ... but she prefered to be called "Bill" ...!

She divorced Cecil Priest shortly after the publication of his book Birds of Southern Rhodesia and then remarried the Game Warden (of Rhodesian Game Department) Denis (or Dennis?) Townley (1904–1984), one of Mr. Priest's colleagues and/alt. collectors ... and the Townley Couple stayed together all the way until Mrs Townley, "our" Iris, died (of Cancer): 11th January 1975, in "Chipinga Hospital" [most likely the Hospital in today's Chipinge, Zimbabwe], (see ORAFs [Old Rhodesian Air Force] NEWSLETTER 06 MARCH 2016, here).

However; no birth, no nationality nor maiden name found on her.

More on Iris (and the Towney couple) see, ORAFs Newsletter 30 May, 2016, (here, far down the page; heading: Dennis & Iris Townley). It´s quite a story!!

For anyone more interested I assume even more info on her is to be found in The Honeyguide, journal of Rhodesian Ornithological Society, Vol. 30–32 (1984), Google Snippet view here, or in the book Winter Cricket: The Spirit of Wedza : a Collection of Biographies, Articles, Memories, and Recollections (2003); here alt. here.

Either way: enjoy!

Björn

________________________________
*Captain Cecil Damer Priest (1887–1955), late Royal Dublin Fusiliers, (British? Scottish? Irish?) oologist, ornithologist in Southern Rhodesia (today's Zimbabwe) ... author of A guide to the birds of Southern Rhodesia and a record of their nesting habits (1929), The birds of Southern Rhodesia, in 4 volumes (1933-34), Eggs of birds breeding in southern Africa (1948) and Eggs of Southern African birds (1971) ... alledgely commemorated in the subspecies Bradypterus barratti priesti BENSON 1946 (OD unseen by me). Born 15 September 1887 (here) ... Postal adress (in 1930): "Mashumba's P.O., Wazda, Marandella, S. Rhodesia. S. Africa", associate of AOU (from 1927), Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Couronne ... and onwards. A guy who most definitely liked marriages!

In the 1940's his (fourth!?!) wife was Barbara Priest, here, author of A far bell (wartime adventures in central Africa, 1947), here, but even more conspicous co-author (together with her forthcoming husband Mr Priest) of Animals' Tales, Or, Stories for Children about African Animals (from 1930, here). Also see here (No.59).

/B

This Bird in connection to the same Iris Townley (earlier Mrs Priest) was also noted in ORAFs Newsletter of 5 June 2016 (here), look for heading Townley Article Spin Off.

FWIW: Iris Townley's former husband Cecil Damer Priest died 27 June 1955, see Notice, here, bottom page.

However still no birth year (or place), no nationality nor maiden name found for the lady in question.

--

Probably born https://www.ancestry.de/search/?name=Cecil+Damer_Priest&name_x=1_1

22.10.1887 Bryanston Square St Mary England

Click to expand...

But dates of his wife are still missing. Maybe a case for Paul?

Family search tells us Iris Gartside Townley born 1904 Buckinghamshire, UK - death 11 Jan 1975 Rhodesia

See attached

And (Mary) Iris Gartside Priest nee Bagnall (I assume). Here born https://peoplepill.com/people/mary-iris-gartside-bagnall/ and http://www.thepeerage.com/p64089.htm 1903


Mother:
Mary Gartside Platt
Father:
Reginald Bagnall

Couple of things we learn based on her death certificate and subsequent searches:

1) Iris did not die in the hospital as per her obit but on the road.

2) Her parents were Reginald Bagnall 1860–1942 & Mary Gartside Platt 1874–1951

3) She was born in Lambourn, Berkshire between April and Jun of 1903

I suspect without ordering her birth certificate that is as far as we will get - all her ancestors have little else (except most incorrectly assume she died in England).

P

I would tend to June 1903 https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/districts.pl?r=109791911:6023&d=bmd_1595843552

Well done guys! :t:

If I've understood it all, we would now suddenly have ...

irisae as in:
• the invalid "Paludipasser irisae" ROBERTS 1932
= the British ornithologist Iris "Bill" Townley, (1903–1975), whose full name was Mary Iris Gartside Townley, née Bagnall, a k a Iris Priest [at the time of OD], third (!) wife of Captain Cecil Priest, whom she later divorced (remarried with Denis Townley in 1934) ...

In short: Born; (in June?) 1903, (alt. raised) in Lambourn, (West) Berkshire (or, born in adjacent "Buckinghamshire", according to the Death record), England ... [...] ... who died at the age of "71 years", the 11th of January 1975; "On road from Birchenough bridge to Chipinga" ... (thereafter, most likely, declared as deceased at the Chipinga Hospital), in Rhodesia (today's Zimbabwe). And as earlier told in this thread

Is this the correct interpretation of it all?

Björn
-

I would say yes with a small question mark on Mary (as long I have not seen the birth record).

No Birth certificate/record found, but "Mary" seems to be included in her full name, see; here alt./or here (and in the links in post #6, of course).

Until proven otherwise/wrong I'll keep it as such (in my notes).

/B

But consider in the document #5.

Taphrospilus said:

But consider in the document #5.

Click to expand...

That I've done.

In my mind the Death record only reflects what was known of her in Rhodesia, nowhere else (and as such, it doesn't necessarily have to be the full story). Note that it didn't mention her Birth/Maiden name (nor her Parents, or any other possible given names).

As I said: Until proven otherwise/wrong I'll keep her as in post #9 (in my notes).

/B
-

As well a case for an update in The Key to Scientific Names.

P.S. Not related with the famous rock band Judas Priest.