{"id":2112,"date":"2025-03-14T20:19:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T20:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/favell.org.uk\/wp\/?page_id=2112"},"modified":"2025-10-07T18:37:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T18:37:07","slug":"burrus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.favell.org\/index.php\/burrus\/","title":{"rendered":"Burrus"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Burrus Favell<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Burrus Favell was from the village of Copingford, near Huntingdon.\u00a0 In August 1896, 3 months short of his 21st<\/sup> Birthday, he went to Northampton and signed up as a regular soldier.\u00a0 His army record probably tells us most of what we know about him, as he missed both the 1901 and 1911 census, being out of the country on both occasions.\u00a0 There is also some mystery about his death in 1917.<\/p>

When he signed up for the Army he was described as a brown eyed with brown hair, weighing 11 stone and working as a Groom.\u00a0 He signed up to serve in the Northamptonshire Regiment for an initial 5 years, followed by a further 5 years in the reserves.\u00a0 When the Boer War started in South Africa he was posted there and did not return until his first 5 year term was completed.\u00a0 He was discharged onto the reserve in October 1903.<\/p>

He was awarded two campaign medals for his service.\u00a0 The Queen\u2019s South Africa Medal with clasps for Belmont, Modder River, Orange Free State and Transvaal.\u00a0 He also received the King\u2019s South Africa Medal with clasps for South Africa 1901 and 1902, as of course the long reign of Queen Victoria had ended while he was abroad. The first two clasps were for battles, while the latter were more areas of \u2018occupation.\u2019<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Byrkley Lodge<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The next we know of him is from family postcards that indicate he was working at Byrkley Lodge stables, Burton on Trent, owned by Sir William Bass.\u00a0 Bass was the son of\u00a0Hamar Alfred Bass\u00a0whose father’s family traced its fortunes to\u00a0William Bass, who founded the famous\u00a0brewery company.<\/p>

William Bass was educated at\u00a0Harrow School\u00a0and started at\u00a0Trinity College, Cambridge, but appears to have decided to join the army instead.\u00a0 He was commissioned a\u00a0second lieutenant\u00a0in the\u00a010th Royal Hussars\u00a0in 1899 and, like Burrus, served in Boer War.<\/p>

He succeeded to the\u00a0baronetcy\u00a0of Stafford in 1909 following the death of\u00a0his uncle and was first chairman of Provincial Cinematograph Theatres, which was founded in 1909 with the aim of opening a cinema in every town in the UK with a population of 250,000 or more. \u00a0He also gave financial support to the London Film Company<\/p>

However, Sir William (or Billy Bass as he was known) was most noted for his ownership of racehorses. He was a member and steward of the\u00a0Jockey Club, was on the\u00a0National Hunt Committee\u00a0and joint Master of the Royal Hunt.\u00a0 So Burrus we guess was a groom looking after the race horses.\u00a0 But maybe his service in South Africa had some link with him getting that position.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Burrus is recorded as travelling to the USA in 1908, 1910, and again in February 1911, arriving in New York.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0This was likely to be while working for Sir William and could have been accompanying his horses for racing in the USA.\u00a0 In 1911 he is recorded as being a Groom and that he was visiting W Clark, Troop A Armoury, Orange Street, New Haven.<\/p>

The story in his family is that he was thought to have been working for a titled family in New York (probably Sir William) but he may have them gone on to work for others.\u00a0 There is a photo handed down within his family that has a note on the back saying \u201cGentleman in USA, he lived with Gentleman service.\u201d\u00a0 The photo is of a man and woman with a young boy.\u00a0 Probably his employers.<\/p>

Burrus never returned from the USA and the story handed down is that he died after being shot in either a case of mistaken identity, or due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. \u00a0\u00a0However, despite much searching, no newspaper reports or other records have been found.\u00a0 The Favell surname is very often found to be mis-spelled or mis-pronounced, and the unusual first name of Burrus is subject to the same vagaries.\u00a0 A definitive answer will be hard to find.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
The family Burrus is thought to have been in service with<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Burrus James Hales<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

However, recently a death certificate has come to light for an English Stableman, who died in East Brunswick, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania in 1917.\u00a0 Around 125 miles from New York as the crow flies.\u00a0 Bert Favell (or possibly Bart) was aged \u2018about 42\u2019 and single.\u00a0 His date of birth, father\u2019s name and mother\u2019s name are given as \u2018unable to obtain.\u2019\u00a0 His birthplace is stated as England and cause of death as \u2018paralysis of the heart\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>

The story regarding Burrus being shot during a case of mistaken identity could still have basis in fact, as these family legends often do.\u00a0 But possibly this might not have actually resulted in his death.\u00a0 There may yet be more to find out.<\/p>

A final even sadder postscript relates to his namesake nephew, Burrus James Hales.\u00a0 Son of his sister Mary Elizabeth Favell.\u00a0 Burrus junior was serving in the British Army in France.\u00a0 Originally joining the Huntingdonshire Cyclists Battalion, he was a Private in the Berkshire Regiment when he was killed in action on May 3rd<\/sup> 1917.\u00a0 The day after Burrus died in Pennsylvania.<\/p>

The tragedy of Mary Elizabeth of losing her son and her brother within two days were enough for her to forbid any of her children naming any of their offspring Burrus, as she believed the name was now cursed.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tClick here for link to Burrus James Hales story<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Burrus Favell Burrus Favell was from the village of Copingford, near Huntingdon.\u00a0 In August 1896, 3 months short of his 21st Birthday, he went to Northampton and signed up as a regular soldier.\u00a0 His army record probably tells us most of what we know about him, as he missed both the 1901 and 1911 census, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_canvas","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2112","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.favell.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.favell.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.favell.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.favell.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.favell.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2112"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.favell.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2211,"href":"https:\/\/www.favell.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2112\/revisions\/2211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.favell.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}