When we first did a quick search for Thiselton-Dyer on the Internet, we came up with numerous references to two Thiselton-Dyers:

• Sir William Turner Thiselton-Dyer KCMG FRS FLS was a leading British botanist, and the third director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (Married to /sir Joseph Hooker’s daughter.)

• The Reverend Thomas Firminger Thiselton-Dyer, MA, Oxon (1848 – 14 July 1923)  an English writer of popular non-fiction books, including British Customs: Past and Present, The Folk-lore of Plants, and perhaps most famously, Strange Pages from Family Papers which was considered a masterpiece of popular historical writing.  He was particularly admired for his ability to couple in-depth research with the suspense and excitement normally associated with the nascent art of detective fiction.

And if you search for it spelt Thisleton-Dyer, you came up with the same two people! Just not quite so many hits.

So the first thing seemed to be to try and establish if either of them was connected to our Thiselton-Dyers.

We were eventually (despite written ‘evidence’ to the contrary) able to establish that William and Thomas were brothers.  (The first clue was that William’s Mother’s maiden name was Firminger).  Because these two men has such wide-ranging interests, any keywords from what we knew about our Thiselton-Dyers from the gravestone, came up linked to William and/or Thomas Firminger.  William had one son and one daughter.

Now we have established they are nephews of Thomas Dyer Thiselton-Dyer.

A further complication to any search of the records was added by this record in Military Appointments, Promotions &c. Register, Madras, 1841

• “T. D. Thiselton, 36th N. I., agreeably to request, to be in future returned in list of army by name of Thiselton  Dyer.”

Until this point he was T D (Thomas Dyer) Thiselton.

Looking for updates we found some clarification:

The family carried the name Thiselton until 1840 when William Turner Thiselton-Dyer’s

grandfather inherited from Rev Thomas Dyer MA on condition that he adopted the

surname Dyer.  The bulk of his estate and property is then given to his nephew William Matthew Dyer, specific mention being made of his great-nephews William George Thiselton and Thomas Dyer Thiselton.

Marianette Rosabella Eliza Humphries married Thomas Dyer Thiselton-Dyer on  3rd May 1884

Oxford Journal Oxfordshire, England - 16 Mar 1844

Births, Deaths, Marriages and Obituaries

Thomas Dyer Thiselton Dyer, Esq.  36th Regiment Madras Native Infantry, to Mariannette, widow of the late Capt. F. W. Humphreys [at St. Marylebone]  Her maiden name was Williams.

She had a daughter Rosabella Sophia Humphries, who married Dr John Urquhart 1825-1892 of the Indian Medical Service and died in 1891 in Aberdeen.  

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AS A02

• Dyer Thomas Dyer Thiselton - age 57 - Lieut Col M.N.I., died on board the SS Viceroy on Sept 17th 1873 at Colombo Ceylon
• Dyer Jessie Urquhart Thiselton - age 29  - died 8th June 1887
• Dyer Dyer Thistelton- 41 eldest son died at Hassan, Mysore, India 3rd Jan 1888
• Thiselton-Dyer Marinnetta Rosabella Eliza - age 92  - Not recorded on memorial; d. 27/1/1909
• Emma Bertha Depree Philpot

Daughter of the late Lieut. Col Thistelton-Dyer

Wife of William Stephen Philpot

Born 1st Jan 1855Died 26th Sept 1912