The male line of the Crisp family originated from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, an area
where the name Crisp was common. The connection between the Crisps and the Royles
was the marriage between Annie Amelia Crisp and Samuel Royle (landlord of the Downs
Hotel - see the section on the Royle Family). Annie’s father, the magnificently-named
Fortunatus Robert Townshend Crisp is recorded as being a solicitor from Great Yarmouth
whilst his wife, Amelia, came from Gorleston in Suffolk; they married on 15 April
1830 in Gorleston. The 1851 census shows FRT Crisp as living in St. Pancras, London,
and his occupation is given as “Proprietor & Doctor of Agricultural [unreadable]”.
At this time they had only one of their two children living with them, James aged
15, described as a ‘Compositor’. Presumably Annie Amelia, 12 years older than James,
had already left home. FRT Crisp died in Marylebone in 1869.