Arthur Alfred Fordham

Virtually nothing was known of this son of George and Alice Fordham (nee Anker) born in 1877.

Aunt Cicely said that Uncle Arthur had only one eye and so had a glass one, worked on the railways and was a great lover of books, but I am unconvinced that this relates to this relative and wonder if she got Arthur confused with another relative in her mothers side of the family.

It seems more likely that this is in fact the person of whom his nephew Edward Alan (my grandfather Felix) wrote:

"Another son - ? was a 'dandy' always dressed well, left home and never heard of again."

The University of Southampton run a course module which says:

Most people are familiar with the word "Dandy"-- a term used to describe a man who dresses to impress. However, the historical origins of this figure and the changing meanings of dandysm are less clear to a contemporary audience. This unit examines the role of the dandy and men's fashion in nineteenth-century Europe. Using representations in literature, etiquette manuals, art criticism and the visual arts, we will situate the dandy in his proper social and historical contexts. This unit will analyse the self-presentation of celebrated dandies such as Beau Brummell, Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, Charles Baudelaire and Oscar Wilde, who represent the shift from the sober black-clad dandy to the flamboyant aesthete. Against the backdrop of these individual stars of male elegance we will consider the rise of ready-made clothing, techniques of tailoring, and fashion for working-class men. Gender identity is a central concern of this unit and we will study issues of masculinity, androgyny and effeminacy in relation to male dress.

The 1901 Census records Arthur living and working as a barman in The Sutton Arms, 193 Caledonian Road, Islington, London