Charles James and Reginald Theodore Blomfield

The two brothers were both born in Bow Rectory near the church in Nymet Tracey. Their father was Rev George John Blomfield (1822-1900) who had been instituted to the united rectory of Bow and Broad Nymet on 20 Jan 1853. Their mother was their father's cousin Isabella, whose own father (Charles James Blomfield) was Bishop of London and officiated at their wedding.

They had an elder sister Isabella Mary (b 1852).

Charles James Blomfield was born on 26 May 1855. He underwent military training at Sandhurst, and served as an army officer in India, Sudan, and Natal. He was awarded DSO in 1898, CB 1906. He attained the rank of Major General before retiring in 1917. He died in 1928.

Reginald Theodore Blomfield was born on 20 Dec 1856. He became an architect and was knighted in 1919. He is remembered mainly for his work designing British war memorials in various parts of the world. He is probably most famous for the Menin Gate "Memorial to the Missing" at Ypres, completed in 1929.

He died 27 Dec 1942 aged 86.

Two weeks after Reginald was born their four year old sister Isabella died of scarlet fever. Within a few days in January 1857 Rev Blomfield exchanged parishes with Rev Clotworthy Gillmor and the family moved from Bow to Dartford in Kent.

Arthur George Blomfield MD

Charles and Reginald had a cousin, Arthur George Blomfield MD who qualified from Aberdeen. He first came to Exeter when appointed as resident house surgeon to the Devon and Exeter Hospital from 1881-87. He was later appointed physician to that hospital, and also had a private practice in Exeter.

In January 1898, he died suddenly aged 42 at his residence 34, Southernhay. The inquest showed that death was due to an overdose of morphia or laudanum taken to induce sleep when he was recovering from an attack of influenza. He was found unconscious by his servant. Dr Russell Combe was summoned and made use of a stomach pump, but Dr Blomfield died shortly afterwards. It seems that he had injected himself with morphia as well as taking laudanum. A verdict of misadventure was returned.

A distant relative Rev James Sevencroft Blomfield was a convicted fraudster who was transported to Australia in 1835.