Biographical notes

Robert John Southwell may appear in the 1841 Census listed living at Mill End in the parish of Warminster in the registration district of Oundle, Northamptonshire. The family is listed as; William Southwell, age 50, born Northamptonshire with the occupation of Farmer. There is no direct evidence but William is inferred to be a widow as no female of equivalent age is listed but other members of the Household named Southwell have ages consistent as children of William. Robert Southwell age 20, has no listed occupation, but was born in Northamptonshire. Ann Southwell, age 20, born in Northamptonshire is inferred to be Roberts sister (in the 1841 Census ages were rounded to the nearest five years so Ann was probably not a twin sister of Robert). Dorah Southwell, age 15, born in Northamptonshire, is also inferred to be a sister. The Oundle birth and approximate age of Robert Southwell is confirmed in later Census entries under his assumed name of George Cardell

He next appears in the BMD register recording the birth of his illegitimate daughter Mary Ann Southwell in Hoxton, London (born to Mary Ann Cardell nee Brook on 25 December 1852, wife of George Cardell of Rochester, Kent). The couple then fled from London to Bristol, leaving George Cardell and the older two daughters behind. They lived together as husband and wife, Robert taking on the alias of his lover's husband, George Cardell, and all future children bearing the middle name Southwell. The 'real' George Cardell, from Rochester, remained in London and went on to marry Ann Lambert (probably bigamously), and had several more children before his death in London sometime between the birth of his last child in 1873 and the 1881 census.

No other information is known of Robert's origins although all Census records state his birthplace as Oundle, Northamptonshire. His occupation varies from Carpenter (on the birth certificate of his first daughter Mary Ann), to Warehouseman and Light Porter on the later census returns. He died in Bristol in 1875 and the BMD records the death under his stolen identity of George Cardell.