William Reffell (1797-1846)

There is some degree of doubt over William Reffell's parentage. It was alleged during the court of appeal into the will of Madame Caballero, that his father was the Richard Reffell who married Mary Leshley, being the widow of John Leshley and the mother of the Madame. This was not proved beyond all doubt in court and hence the will judgment went against the Reffell clan. Nonetheless, there is strong circumstantial evidence that this was indeed the case.

William's first career was as a schoolteacher during the 1820s in the Marylebone area of London. He was married to Elizabeth Parry at St Anne Soho on 21 March 1820, and their first three children were baptised in St Marylebone; Mary Ann (1820), William (1823) and Antonio (born & died Devonshire Street 1825). Their next child John Alfred was born in 1827, somewhere in Middlesex.

William then entered the Royal Navy and his postings around the country can be traced by where the next children were born:-
Alfred James, 1828 Ringwould Kent
Edward Forrester, 1830 Ringwould Kent
Elizabeth Sarah, 1832 Milton-by-Gravesend
Nelson, born & died 1835 Portsmouth, Hampshire
Richard, 1840 presumed in Ireland
James John, presumed born in Ireland, lost at sea around 1871

William is shown in a number of the Officers Navy List at the time, being a Mate/Second Lieutenant and then a Lieutenant with the Coast Guard service. His seniority was stated to be from 7/2/1828, and this is consistent with the dates above. From around 1840, he was stationed in Ireland. The records show that he transferred from the Revenue Cruiser Adelaide, to Trybane in County Donegal, and then onto Colaris in Castletown Bearhaven County Cork during 1844.

It was during 1846 that William died, the circumstances in which this happened are currently unknown, the brief account in his service record states simply that he 'died'.