Research:
Constable Curtis was born around 1829 or 1830 in Ebford, Devon, the son of Royal Navy Captain Timothy Curtis and Rebecca Mary Curtis. He was the Grandson of Sir William Curtis (1752–1829) 1st Baronet and Lord Mayor of London 1795–96.
Constable Curtis also went into military service and rose to the rank of Captain in the 12th Royal Lancers cavalry regiment.
Marriage and family
On 1 August 1851 Constable Curtis married his first cousin, Henrietta Mary Anne Curtis (1825-1910), the daughter of Charles Berwick Curtis and Henrietta Pearson. They were married at St Andrew’s Parish Church in Hove, Sussex.
They had eight children:
- Charles Constable Curtis (b. 1852 in Acton)
- Edward Constable Curtis (b. 1853 in Berkhamsted) – 1st marriage to Elca Rose, daughter of Sir Francis Beilby Alston KCMG; 2nd marriage to Horatia Winifred Stopford, daughter of Capt. Walter James Stopford C.B.
- Frank John Constable Curtis (b. 1857 in Berkhamsted) – married Louisa Mildred Smith-Dorrien, daughter of Robert Algernon Smith-Dorrien
- Henrietta Augusta Constable Curtis (b. 1858 in Berkhamsted)
- Lucy Emma Constable Curtis (b. 1859 in Pailton, Warwickshire)
- Sophia Thomasine Constable Curtis (b. 1864 in Pailton)
- Henry George Constable Curtis (b. 1865 in Pailton)
- Anna Louisa Constable Curtis (b. 1868 in Pailton)
Constable and Henrietta moved around the country, living variously at Pailton in Leicestershire, Monks Kirby in Warwickshire, Totteridge in Hertfordshire, and finally settling in Berkhamsted, where they resided at The Hall, a grand mansion on the High Street. They were living at The Hall in both the 1891 and 1901 censuses, along with up to 14 domestic servants and family members.
Church and leisure
Constable Curtis was evidently a devoted churchman. In 1887, during the incumbency of Rev John Wolstenholme Cobb, Curtis funded the restoration of North Aisle and Clerestories of St Peter’s Church in Berkhamsted. Constable and Henrietta’s fourth son, Henry George Constable Curtis, went into the Anglican priesthood and later returned to Berkhamsted to serve as Rector of St Peter’s 1902-1908, after Rev. Arthur Johnson retired.
Curtis was an enthusiastic member of The Royal Victoria Yacht Club on the Isle of Wight, and owned a steam yacht named Blandusia as well as a cutter named Jackdaw. During yachting season, he spent a lot of time in the coastal town of Ryde and had many associations there.
Death and legacy
Constable Curtis died in Berkhamsted 30 March 1909, aged 79. It is possible that a plot has been set aside for him in Rectory Lane Cemetery, but it appears that this was not used. Because of his love of sailing, his dying wish was to be buried on the Isle of Wight. On Saturday 3rd April, Captain Curtis’s body was transported by train from London Victoria and across the Solent by special boat, arriving in Ryde at 2pm for the funeral at Ryde Parish Church.
The remains of the late Captain Constable CURTIS, who passed away on Tuesday of last week at his residence, The Halls, Berkhampstad, were interred at Ryde Cemetery on Saturday, when the esteem and regard in which the deceased gentleman was held in Ryde, was shown by the large number who attended. The remains, enclosed in an oak coffin, were conveyed from the deceased’s residence in Berkhampstead, to Victoria Station on Saturday morning, being transferred to the 10.30 train for Portsmouth. On arrival at the Harbour Station, the coffin was taken aboard a special boat, and carried to Ryde. The steamer, together with the other local vessels, had flags at half-mast. At the Pier Gates, the cortege, which included the family mourners, was met by an open funeral car, the sides of which were heavily hung with purple drapings.
Isle of Wight Observer, Saturday 10th April 1909
Captain Constable Curtis was laid to rest in Ryde New Cemetery (Section A, Plot 8a).
The following year, his widow Henrietta died aged 84, and was laid to rest at St Mary’s Church, Northchurch.
In St Peter’s Berkhamsted, two memorials are connected with Constable Curtis:
- A plaque recording Constable Curtis’s restoration of the North Aisle and Clerestories in 1887 in memory of his uncle, Thomas Curtis
- A memorial brass to his daughter-in-law, Elca Rose (d.1889)
- A memorial brass to his daughter-in-law Horatia Winifred Stopford (1864-1914)
References
View burial 
St Peter’s Church
The Hall
Personalities of the Past
Memorial Symbolism
Military graves