CRUSO, Revd Henry Edmund Tilsley
Henry Edmund Tilsley Cruso, was born at Hook Norton, Oxfordshire in 1842, son of Edmund Cruso, a surgeon, and his wife Louisa née Parry (c1807-7 July 1868), who married at Hook Norton on 9 April 1838. In 1841, his 30-year-old father Edmund, was resident surgeon at Hook Norton Lunatic Asylum with his 30-year-old wife and their 9-month-old daughter Catherine Mabel. In 1851, Henry was living at 1 Old Town Stratford-upon-Avon with his widowed mother Louisa and were still there in 1861 with siblings, 20-year-old Catherine and 18-year-old Henry. On 1 June 1860, aged 17, he matriculated at Worcester College, Oxford, graduating B.A. in 1864 and taking holy orders, in 1866 was curate at St Andrew and St Mary, Bredmar, Canterbury. He was an assistant master at King's School, Canterbury and in 1867 took the curacy of Basted, Sevenoaks, Kent. His mother Louisa, died at Sevenoaks in 1868, aged 61. Henry married at Canterbury Cathedral, Kent on 12 February 1867, Frances Mary Oke Alford and from May 1869 was vicar of Bramford with Burstall, Suffolk. In 1871, giving his age as 32, was vicar of Bramford, near Ipswich living at the Vicarage with his 32-year-old wife and 1-year-old daughter Louisa Mabel Cruso. In 1894 he was instituted to the rectory of Tunstall, Faversham, Kent and in 1901, giving his age as 58, was living at the rectory at Tunstall, Faversham. His wife died at Tunstall Vicarage in 1904, aged 66, and Henry Edmund Tilsley Cruso died at 5 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent on 3 November 1929, aged 87. A founder member of the Ipswich Fine Art Club in 1874, his daughter was Louisa Mabel Cruso and son was Henry Alford Antony Cruso (1874-1947), father of horticulturalist author Thalassa Cruso (1909-1997).