| Biographical Notes |
 Note: In 1849 Richard Lakeman was living at 9 Titchborne Row, Paddington W.2. in the West End of London. On 24 Jun 1849 he had his 3 children baptised (a job lot!) at St. John's, Paddington. His occupation on the certificates is "servant" but in what capacity is not known. He was in fact a merchant seaman and gained his captaincy, becoming in due course Master of Lord Rosebery's yacht.
Archibald Philip Primrose 5th. Earl (1847-1929) succeeded 1863. He won the Derby 3 times and was a noted horse owner. He was British Prime Minister 1894. Richard was in his service until his retirement at about 70 years and he was presented with a large grandfather clock (that showed the phases of the moon) by his Lordship. In after years Rosa sold it for £25 because it was too heavy to move out to clean behind and George (naturally) and Louie had £25 each. In fact the clock was willed to George.
The family had moved between Plymouth and London until Richard Purchased "Esmeralda Villa", Colindeep Lane, Hendon and also a terrace of 9 two storey houses at The Borroughs to be rented out for income. At this period he was comfortably off and the family lived well and the children were looked after, as per the business bought for ALFRED.
Richard died at "Esmeralda Villa" on 23 May 1887, aged 78 years. Interred at St. Mary's Churchyard, Hendon (the family plot.)
Shortly before Richard's death, George had been busy over codicils and now received, besides the house (though Eunice had right of occupation for her lifetime), The Clock, a third of the terrace houses and two thirds of the residue of the estate. To Louie went the piano and the gold locket, evidently a family treasure, to Alfred £100, to Charles in Australia £300 and to Rosa, the mainstay of them all - nothing. Richard had promised to buy her something "to make up", but, said Rosa, "I never saw it". This loss of the house to the daughters was a blow, as well as the loss of rents of three houses. They were to be much less comfortable than they had expected.
The mother had weighed 17 stones before she suffered a stroke nine years before she died. The two daughters nursed her devotedly. During the last year or so she had faded to less than 7 stones and was easily carried up and down stairs by her nurses. She died at home aged 72 years on 16 Mar 1888 and joined Richard at St. Mary's Churchyard.
It was then discovered that Richard had taken out a mortgage on "Esmeralda Villa" for £550 and this was now called in. George soon sold, at auction, at Token House Yard, London, on 7 Nov 1888 and pocketed the profit. The purchaser was the Roman Catholic Church which made the villa into a convent and it remains the same to the present. The two daughters were left homeless, and George wrote to Charles, "I have found them a little house in Hendon", to rent, and allowed them some furniture. Louie married her elderly widower, and Rosa took at least one position as a lady help, then found an even smaller house at Kentish Town. She inherited Louie's three houses in 1905, and had in fact been left three also, though nothing else, so moved into no. 75 Trelawne Terrace and lived on the rents of the other five until she died. The houses from a photograph of them appear to be of good size and of two storeys. It was not until two years later (1923) that Richard's estate was finalized, and by then only the bad tempered widow of George was left to scoop up most of the residue.
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