Cutbush and Cutbush?

[Herlock Sholmes]

We know that Macnaghten, in his memorandum, stated that Supt. Charles Cutbush was the uncle of Thomas Hayne Cutbush. We now know that this isn’t the case. So how could this have happened?

I realise that Macnaghten comes in for some heavy criticism from some quarters but how could he have made such an error? It would have been natural to ask if two people called Cutbush might be related but why would someone assume it? And surely when it came to possibly linking a colleague to someone like Thomas he would have wanted to be sure…then again, the memorandum wasn’t intended for public consumption of course. I can’t think of any reason why he would have knowingly made this incorrect link so how did he come to make this error?

[The Rookie Detective]

We know that Macnaghten, in his memorandum, stated that Supt. Charles Cutbush was the uncle of Thomas Hayne Cutbush. We now know that this isn’t the case. So how could this have happened?

I realise that Macnaghten comes in for some heavy criticism from some quarters but how could he have made such an error? It would have been natural to ask if two people called Cutbush might be related but why would someone assume it? And surely when it came to possibly linking a colleague to someone like Thomas he would have wanted to be sure…then again, the memorandum wasn’t intended for public consumption of course. I can’t think of any reason why he would have knowingly made this incorrect link so how did he come to make this error?

Has it been definitively proven that his uncle wasn't the police officer of the same distinctively rare surname?

[Tani]

We know that Macnaghten, in his memorandum, stated that Supt. Charles Cutbush was the uncle of Thomas Hayne Cutbush. We now know that this isn’t the case. So how could this have happened?

I realise that Macnaghten comes in for some heavy criticism from some quarters but how could he have made such an error? It would have been natural to ask if two people called Cutbush might be related but why would someone assume it? And surely when it came to possibly linking a colleague to someone like Thomas he would have wanted to be sure…then again, the memorandum wasn’t intended for public consumption of course. I can’t think of any reason why he would have knowingly made this incorrect link so how did he come to make this error?

Sounds like a serious miscommunication.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Has it been definitively proven that his uncle wasn't the police officer of the same distinctively rare surname?

According to Debra Arif, Chris Scott, Roger Palmer and Robert Linford (to name but four) they weren’t. That’s good enough for me Chris…I suspect that it will be good enough for you too.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Sounds like a serious miscommunication.

I just find it a bit of strange one Tani. Maybe I’ll have a read round on the subject as it’s been a while.

[Lewis C]

I'm glad you mentioned this Herlock, because I was under the impression that they were uncle and nephew. IIRC, A.P. Wolf thought so too. So I take it that not only were they not uncle and nephew, they weren't closely related at all, right?

[Herlock Sholmes]

No relationship between the two can established according to those I mentioned Lewis. I wouldn’t expect one of them to get it wrong so all four seals it for me.

Two of them are sadly no longer with us. Debra occasionally posts but Roger is a regular so I don’t know if he’ll see the thread and would want to add something? I don’t know if it’s all possible that there might have been some connection between the two which the records don’t show (I’m not a genealogist)

[Herlock Sholmes]

I’ve just been told that another Charles Cutbush, who its believed was the son of Supt Cutbush, was incarcerated in Cane Hill Lunatic Asylum in 1908.

[Lewis C]

No relationship between the two can established according to those I mentioned Lewis. I wouldn’t expect one of them to get it wrong so all four seals it for me.

Two of them are sadly no longer with us. Debra occasionally posts but Roger is a regular so I don’t know if he’ll see the thread and would want to add something? I don’t know if it’s all possible that there might have been some connection between the two which the records don’t show (I’m not a genealogist)

Thanks, Herlock.

It would have to be a fairly close relationship to be significant, close enough that they were aware of it at the time. They would have been distantly related, both probably having William the Conquerer and Alfred the Great as ancestors, and probably having a far closer relationship than what those common ancestries would indicate. Maybe for the purposes of this case, Macnaghten thinking that they were related is significant even though he was mistaken.