Oxford

On 23 May 1850, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson began what was to be a lifelong association with Christ Church College, Oxford. However, it wasn't until the following year that he took up residence at the College that was to be his home for the next forty seven years. The first record we have of him at Christ Church is the 1851 census in which he is inaccurately entered in the middle of a long list of undergraduates as Charles L Dodson.

1851 census of Christ Church College, Oxford. TNA ref: HO 107/1728 folio 157 page 68

On 22 December 1861, Charles was admitted into the Church of England as a Deacon. The taking of holy orders had been a matter of some concern to him for many years and although the main issue was one of conscience and his own suitability, it is possible that the stammer, which he had suffered from since he was a small boy, also affected and delayed his decision. It is certainly interesting to note that less than eight months before he eventually became a clergyman, he was staying with his psellismologist (speech therapist) near Hastings.

1861 census of Ore House near Hastings, Sussex. TNA ref: RG 9/559 folio 85 page 23

The following year an event ocurred which was to have a huge and significant effect on the life of the Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. On 4 July 1862, Charles, went for a trip down the River Thames (or Isis). His companions on that momentous boat trip were his friend Robinson Duckworth and the three eldest daughters of Henry Liddell, the Dean of Christ Church College. The girls were named Lorina (the oldest of three), Edith (the youngest) and most important of all, Alice Liddell, aged 10. During the trip, Charles made up stories to entertain the girls and at the end of the day when he returned the children to the Deanery, Alice begged him to write down some of the stories for her. It was from this small seed that the story which was to become Alice's Adventures in Wonderland grew.

The Liddell family had moved into Christ Church Deanery in 1855. The census returns for 1871 show Charles Dodgson living in his rooms in Tom Quad, Christ Church while the very next entry shows the younger Liddell children. The rest of the family including Alice were then staying with the Dean's father in Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire.

1871 census of Tom Quad, Christ Church College, Oxford. TNA ref: RG10/1437 folio 35 page 46

The Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson remained a bachelor all his life but he was very much a family man and was always keen to be at the centre of important family events such as weddings and christenings. This certificate records the marriage of Mary Charlotte Dodgson to Charles Edward Stuart Collingwood in 1869. Note that Charles L Dodgson was one of the witnesses as was R W S Lutwidge - better known to the family as Uncle Skeffington. Skeffington had also been a witness at his sister's wedding to Charles Dodgson senior over forty years earlier but his main claim to fame in the story of Lewis Carroll came in 1855 when he introduced his nephew to the art of photography.

Marriage certificate of Mary Charlotte Dodgson. GRO ref: 1869 JUN - Guildford 2a 69

By this time, Charles Dodgson senior had died, and as the new head of the family, the responsibility of seeing that his sisters were properly provided for fell on Charles's shoulders. In 1868 he arranged for them to move into a large detached house in Guildford, known as 'The Chestnuts'.