The Dodgson Family

Introduction

Charles Dodgson’s mother died in 1851, soon after he entered university. His mother’s unmarried sister, Lucy Lutwidge (1805-1880), came to look after the family and remained with them for the rest of her life.

Charles Dodgson’s father, Archdeacon Dodgson, died in 1868, after which Fanny Dodgson assumed responsibility for running the family home with the help of Aunt Lucy. The family moved from Croft Rectory to ‘The Chestnuts’ in Guildford.

Only three of Carroll’s siblings married (Mary, Skeffington and Wilfred).

Charles Dodgson’s Immediate Family

Further Details of Some of Dodgson’s Siblings

Skeffington Dodgson

Dodgson’s brother Skeffington was educated at Twyford School, Hampshire, privately for Oxford matriculation (Rev. A. Webster, Keswick) and Christ Church, Oxford. He gained his BA in 1862 and his MA in 1865. He was ordained deacon in 1865. He held various curacies until 1895 when he became vicar of Vowchurch in Herefordshire.

Married (14 September 1880) Isabel Mary Cooper (1848-1937).

Children: Amy Irene Hume (1884-1980), Charles Lutwidge (1885-1886), John Hassard (1887, died aged nine months), Winifred Mary (b.1888), Zoë Frances (b.1890)

Mary Charlotte Dodgson

Married (13 April 1869) Charles Edward Stuart Collingwood (1831-1898)

Children: Stuart Dodgson (1870-1937), Bertram James (1871-1934), Agnes Mary (1875, died after 7 weeks)

Carroll’s nephew, Stuart, became his first biographer, publishing The Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll (T. Fisher Unwin: 1898) soon after his death. He also conpiled The Lewis Carroll Picture Book (T. Fisher Unwin: 1899).

Wilfred Dodgson

Wilfred Dodgson was also educated at Twyford School and with Mr. Webster at Keswick. He, too, matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, gaining BA in 1860. He was renowned as a good sportsman and an excellent shot. In 1871 he became land agent for Lord Boyne’s estates at Ludlow, Shropshire.

Married (8 August 1871) Alice Jane Donkin (1851-1929)

Children: Edith Alice (1872-1942), Mary Evangeline (1873-1945), Lucy Margaret (1874-1959), Charles Hassard Wilfred (1876-1941), Frances Menella (1877-1963), Violet Eleanor (1878-1966), Reginald Henry Lutwidge (1880-1918), Beatrice Hilda (1882-1949), Gladys Marjorie (1886-1968)

Edwin Dodgson

Edwin Dodgson was educated at Twyford and Rugby schools. After a brief career at the Board of Trade he trained for the ministry at Chichester Theological College, eventually becoming a missionary in the South Atlantic Islands and in particular pastor to the inhabitants of Tristan da Cunha.

Dodgson’s Estate

Since his death, C.L. Dodgson’s Estate has been administered by Executors from the Dodgson family. They retain the copyright of all unpublished manuscripts and material within the copyright period. Permission to publish needs to be sought from their Literary Agents, A.P. Watt Ltd., 20 John Street, London, WC1N 2DR.

Papers, manuscripts, books and other items from the Dodgson Family Collection are on deposit at:

Christ Church Library

Christ Church,
Oxford,
OX1 1DP

The material at Christ Church is mainly books.

The Surrey History Centre

130 Goldsworthy Road,
Woking,
Surrey,
GU21 1ND

This material was previously held at the Muniment Room in Guildford. There is an online catalogue of the collection on the SHC Website.

A printed catalogue of the material from the Dodgson Family Collection currently held at the Surrey History Centre, entitled Lewis Carroll in Guildford Muniment Room (Surrey County Council: 1989), may be viewed at the Centre.

The SHC also houses other Carroll-related books and archives.

Useful References

Mr. Dodgson: Nine Lewis Carroll Studies (The Lewis Carroll Society: 1973)

‘Archdeacon Dodgson and Archbishop Longley’ by J. F. A. Mason in Jabberworcky, Spring 1979, Vol. 8, No. 2

Letters to Skeffington Dodgson from his Father edited by Anne Clark Amor (Lewis Carroll Society: 1990)

Skeffington Hume Dodgson, Brother of Lewis Carroll, Vicar of Vowchurch by Edward Wakeling (privately printed: 1992)

‘The Chestnuts’ by Sir Christopher Pinsent in The Carrollian, Issue 1

‘The Dodgson Sisters’ by Sarah Stanfield in The Carrollian, Issue 2

‘The Dodgson Ancestry’ by Keith Wrightin The Carrollian, Issue 13

‘The Brothers and Sisters of Charles L. Dodgson revealed in their letters: some previously unpublished correspondence’ by Francis R. Dodgson and Edward Wakeling in The Carrollian, Issue 18

Lewis Carroll in Guildford Muniment Room by Shirley Corke (Guildford Borough Council: 1989)

Online Article: The Skeffington Family

Online Dodgson Family History: The Descendants and Charles Dodgson (pdf)