ULOTH

The name "Uloth"

It has been suggested that Uloth is an old Saxon name:  Ul = son of; oth = wolf.
 
 

The ULOTH families

There are very few Uloths in the United Kingdom and I have traced them back to the beginning of the 19th century starting with James or Jacob Uloth who was born in Germany (according to the 1851 Census return for 21 Alfred Terrace Mile End Old Town in the borough of Tower Hamlets). Jacob married Ann Mustard on 3 December 1811 in Dundee. Jacob and Ann had a son Alexander born 1813, a daughter Elizabeth born 1815 and a son Henry born circa 1823.

Jacob Uloth was an immigrant who probably came to work in the sugar refineries in Britain. Jacob spoke with an accent, calling his grand-daughter "leibchen" (?) (German for "darling"). He is shown as a "sugar baker" in his marriage record in Dundee. Jacob moved to the east end of London,  because according to Pigot's Directory of London for 1833-34 he is shown as the proprietor of  the Unicorn at 35 Shoreditch, there is a record of him living at Silver Street in Stepney in 1820 or 1821 and also his daughter Elizabeth's children were baptised in Stepney. There is a family story that Jacob was cheated out of his business by his sons. This is at the moment only hearsay and it is not clear how many children he had. His Will suggests he has concerns over his son Henry.This Jacob Uloth and his wife Ann were living with their daughter Elizabeth Sturdy at 21 Alfred Terrace, Mile End at the time of the 1851 Census. Jacob became a British Subject and died at the same address on 4th June 1851 which must have been shortly after the Census was taken..

Alexander Uloth was apparently consul in Boulogne. Alexander married Ann Hedges on 25 September 1841 and they had the following children:

 
 

Elizabeth Uloth married William Sturdy (born 1809) who according to the 1881 census had been a Customs Officer.  The family story is that Elizabeth ran an embroidery shop in Stepney. There are many descendants from this marriage.
 
Henry Uloth was aged 28 at the time of the 1851 Census and was living at 30 Smith Street in Stepney Tower Hamlets with his wife who was then aged 24. Henry was born in St. Georges in the East, Middlesex and his occupation was clerk. Henry's wife was born in Colchester Essex. Henry and his wife Nancy appear not to have had any children. Henry died on 4thAugust 1891 at No 6 Hammelton Road Bromley Kent although he had previously been living at 12 Mornington Villas, Wanstead Flats. His estate was worth £6,030 : 19 : 9. He left everything in his Will to his wife. Nancy died on 14th November 1908 at 9 Hillside Mansions Jackson's Lane Highgate Middlesex and left a Will which identifies several relations on her late husband's side. Nancy's Will makes fascinating reading as it describes so many of her possessions and says to whom each was bequeathed. Nancy's estate was valued at only £2,727 : 8 : 8. Had she carried out some estate planning after her husband's death 17 years earlier or had she been she living off capital ?

Hermon Wilmot Uloth married Susannah Harriet Spalding and they had the following children:

Hermon's middle name "Wilmot" is taken from his grand-mother's, maiden name (Mary Wilmot).

Hermon appears to have done rather well for himself. He worked for The P&O Oriental Steam Company for many years. His descendants thought that he was a director or even managing director of the company.  Steven Rabson, an archivist for the company, told me in 1999 that at the time there were a lot of non-executive directors, but  Hermon was "only" a senior manager. It sounds as if senior manager then would have been equivalent to being an executive director now. Hermon is therefore mentioned in the directors reports of the company for the years 1900 to 1913. The old records of the company are housed at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

Amy Uloth died a spinster on 7th February 1899 at 281 Camden Road.

Jacob Werner Uloth married Annie Tozer on 21st February 1880 at St Stephens Parish Church Lambeth and they had the following children:

Jacob Werner Uloth imported matches. In 1882 he registered the trade mark "Double Lion" in respect of matches. Jacob's sister Emma married Oscar Moenich who was born in Germany. Oscar Moenich re-registered the trade mark and matches were imported under this brand from various countries until the 1950's. Oscar and his family appear in the 1881 census. Jacob Werner Uloth was also employed by P & O and was their agent in the Italian port of  Brindisi for a time.It is rumoured that he was a the "black sheep" of the family. There is an undated photograph of Jacob Werner Uloth in Tiflis (Tbilisi) in Georgia (Soviet Union). On the reverse of the picture, the (professional) photographer boasts of being the photographer to the Russian Imperial Highness. His nephew Gerald Uloth, has written "Uncle Jake Brother H.W.U. Taken in Tiflis. Have no idea what he was doing there".

Archibald Douglas Uloth, brother to Hermon and Jacob, was for some 20 years, P& O agent in Brindisi. Brindisi was then an important port in the P & O service as it was the port for the overland mail. He also appears to have been appointed H.B.M's Vice Consul Brindisi. Archibald died on 15th May 1918 at 17 Holmwood Road Bromley in Kent although his  Will  dated 18th June 1915 gives his address then as the Caledonian Club  St James's Square London. In his Will, Archibald appointed his nephew Dr Alexander Wilmot Uloth his sole executor but in 1918 Dr Wilmot was "now out of England", presumably on active service with the Royal Army Medical Core. His sister Frances Anne Uloth who was his attorney, then commenced administration of his estate as his personal representative. However Frances died in November 1920 and a fresh Probate was taken out in 1921 by Dr Alexander Wilmot Uloth who had presumably returned to England by then.

I understand that there was a solicitor called Stanley Uloth who worked for a firm called Schuldenfrie in Somerset Square off Baker Street. Stanley had however changed his name to Uloth from something like Yudolph so was not a real Uloth at all. He died in 1971 aged approximately 41.
 
There is an interesting connection with a family called AMOTT.

It is thought that Annie Tozer may have been descended from one of the Earls Cowper.

Alexander George Werner Uloth married Laura Ann Crick at Brentford Register Office on 16th June 1906, but before their second child was born (27th November 1909), he left and it is alleged, went off with the actress Ada Reeve to the USA. I understand that AGWU sent a postcard from the ship to his daughter (who would have been aged circa 21 months !) to look after her mother). The Ellis Island passenger records show that a George Uloth , married and aged 27, with “Ethnicity” in England arrived at Ellis Island New York  on 16th March 1910, declaring residence at Sydney USA. The ship was the “Oceanic” and the port of departure was Southampton, England. The ships manifest gives certain information about this passenger: He had only $20, he came from Gunnersbury England (this is very close to Chiswick West London) he was 5’11” tall, in good health and no distinguishing marks, but sallow complexion. He was in good health and going to the United Booking Office, his final destination being Brooklyn New York and his wife was Mrs Uloth. The computer transcription of the manifest incorrectly indicates the final destination as Sydney USA. This is almost without doubt AGWU. I have also heard that there may have been a marriage (perhaps in the USA) between a George Uloth and a Rosa Quinn. Apart from this we have been unable to trace what happened to AGW Uloth. I could see no mention of AGW Uloth in the index of Ada Reeve's autobiography, nor any mention of him in the text at about the time mentioned above. I have not found any Uloth in the England and Wales death registers with those Christian names, dying since then. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who may have information on AGW Uloth who was my wife's grandfather. Laura Ann obtained a divorce from Alexander George Werner Uloth on the ground that he had been guilty of adultery and desertion. The decree nisi was granted by the High Court on 26th June 1922. There was a Uloth listed as a theatrical estate agent in the 1910 London Post Office Directory, but not in the 1911 directory. This would also be consistent with AGWU leaving for the USA in 1910.

Until late 1999, my wife thought that her grandfather AGWU was Russian and spoke several languages. Whilst the foreign connection is a little further back, Prussian may have been mistaken for Russian. Alternatively there may have been some confusion with another member of the family: Gerald Uloth who did speak many languages and in the army would have been very close to Russia at times. There was also Jacob Werner Uloth (AGWU's father) who was  in Tiflis.

We have a business card which we presume belonged to AGW Uloth. It says "G. Uloth & Co.  Surveyors, House and Estate Agents, 13 Savile Row, London W. There is apparently a reference in a 1905 London Post Office Directory to a Uloth who was an estate agent for theatrical properties.

We have two photographs of AGW Uloth, both as a handsome young man. In the earlier one he is wearing a wing collar, a watch chain through the button-hole in his left lapel, with arms folded resting on a cushioned support, taken by Searle Bros of 191 Brompton Road, perhaps at about the turn of the 20th Century. On the back, one of his daughters has written "Alexander Uloth, Laurie's husband". In the second AGW Uloth looks older, he is wearing a wide, starched, turn-down collar and a dark suit and again he has folded arms. This was taken by The Dover Street Studios of 38 Dover St Mayfair London W. On the back of the second, in a hand I do not recognise, presumably AGWU's, are the words "All best wishes for Xmas 1905". In both pictures he sports a moustache.

Frances Ann Uloth (born in 1860) died a spinster on 18th November 1920 and in her Will and codicil left her estate to her nieces.
 

Books

Riding to War by Gerald Uloth . Published in 1993. A book about the campaign to prevent German and Turkish forces from opening up a new theatre of war by infiltrating Afghanistan and thence India. The book describes the daily life of an officer of the 28th Light Cavalry of the Indian Army between 1915 and 1920. Gerald Uloth was an excellent linguist: besides Spanish and French he spoke and had qualified in Biluchi, Brahui, Pushtu, Persian, Hindustani and Russian. The flyleaf to the book says that Gerald was born in 1892.
 
 

A Coat of Many Colours by Alexander Wilmot Uloth. Published in 1970. English poetry.

Information taken from the 1901 Census is listed in a separate page.

I do have more information on the Uloths.

Last updated:  31st January 2011
 

Return to home page: Homepage

Robert Usher-Somers e-mail: [email protected]