From Hong Kong to Swansea: The Life of Charles John Dormer Andrews 

Early Life and Family Background

The blogs will be highlighting individuals who settled or stayed in Swansea during one or more census years, particularly those whose origins lay far beyond Britain. One such figure is Charles John Dormer Andrews, born in Hong Kong in 1865, the son of Charles Hammond Andrews and Susannah Curry Brimsden. His birth in the Far East reflects the global reach of the British Empire during the mid‑nineteenth century and, more specifically, the expanding responsibilities of the Royal Navy’s China Station, headquartered in Hong Kong.

Charles’s father, Charles Hammond Andrews, served as a Clerk, High Division, Admiralty, a senior administrative post within the machinery that managed the Royal Navy’s overseas operations. A man of his grade in Hong Kong during the 1860s would likely have been engaged in essential administrative duties supporting the naval presence in the region. This could have included overseeing official correspondence between the Admiralty in London and the Commander‑in‑Chief of the China Station, managing ship movements, personnel records, and pay, or supervising financial accounts and logistical arrangements for the naval yard and victualling stores. Hong Kong, then a rapidly developing British colony, was a major naval base, and the Admiralty frequently dispatched trusted senior clerks to assist with audits, reorganise administrative systems, or support senior officers during periods of political or operational strain. The presence of the Andrews family in Hong Kong during this period therefore reflects both the strategic importance of the colony and the confidence placed in Charles Hammond Andrews as a capable and reliable official.

The Andrews Family in 1881

1881 Census

By the 1881 Census, the Andrews family were living at 3 Edith Road, Camberwell, London. Charles Hammond Andrews, aged 45 and born in Hampshire, was employed as a Clerk, High Division, Admiralty, while his wife Susannah, aged 44 and born in Kent, managed the household. Their children included Charles John Dormer, aged 16, already working as a Solicitors General Clerk, and his sister Susie, aged 14; both had been born in Hong Kong. Their younger siblings, Frank aged 12 and Ethel aged 10, were still at school. The family also employed a servant, Sarah Boots, aged 26. In 1888, Charles married Alice Randall at Greenwich, marking the beginning of his own family life.

Establishing His Career: The 1891 Census

1891 Census

By the 1891 Census, Charles and Alice were living in St Paul Deptford, London. Charles, now 26, was practising as a Solicitor, while Alice, aged 25, had been born in London. Their first child, Charles Dormer Randall, was 1 year old. The household was supported by two young servants, Emma Hook and Ellen Davis, reflecting the couple’s growing professional stability.

The Swansea Years: 1901

1901 Census

A significant change occurred by the 1901 Census, when the Andrews family had moved to 23 Uplands Crescent, Swansea. Charles, aged 36, was working as a Solicitor on his own account, suggesting an independent practice. Alice, aged 35, continued to manage the home, and their children—Charles aged 11, Donovan aged 8, and Cyril aged 4—were growing up in Swansea. The family employed a servant, Dorothy Thrower, aged 20. Their time in Swansea is further confirmed by the birth of their daughter Alice Janet Gwynyfrydd, born in the city around 1905–06. Although no surviving newspaper articles shed light on Charles’s professional or civic activities in Swansea, the family’s presence in Uplands Crescent places them within the city’s professional middle class during a period of considerable urban growth.

Return to London: The 1911 Census

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had returned to London and were living at 28 Braxfield Road, Brockley S.E. Charles, aged 46, continued his work as a Solicitor, while Alice, aged 45, oversaw a household of four children. Charles Dormer Randall, aged 21, was employed as a Registration Clerk; Donovan, aged 18, worked as a Deposition Clerk; Cyril, aged 14, was an Insurance Clerk; and the youngest, Alice Janet Gwynyfrydd, aged 5, was still at home and noted as having been born in Swansea.

High Wycombe: The 1921 Census

1921 Census

The 1921 Census shows yet another relocation, this time to 67 Queens Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Charles, aged 56, was employed as a Solicitor for Bless Sons Solicitors, while Alice, also 56, remained at home. Their daughter Alice Janet Gwynyfrydd, now 16, was still in education. The couple’s other children had by then moved on to their own adult lives.

Charles John Dormer Andrews
Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries, Lewisham, Greater London credit - findagrave

Death and Burial

Charles John Dormer Andrews died in 1929 in the Wycombe District, Buckinghamshire. He was buried at Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries, Lewisham, Greater London, returning in death to the area where he had spent much of his professional life.

Swansea Connection

Although the exact length of the family’s stay in Swansea remains uncertain, the evidence suggests they lived in the city from around 1900 until at least 1906. No newspaper references have yet been found relating to Charles’s activities during his Swansea years, but his presence in Uplands Crescent adds another thread to the tapestry of globally born individuals who contributed to Swansea’s social and professional landscape.