Zoë Skene - Thomson

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About Zoë Skene - Thomson

Dominik Wujastyk said in an email to Anthony Legg and others (March 2011):

James and Rhalou's daughter Zoe (picture of her here: [http://books.google.com/books?id=ut0YAQAAIAAJ&lpg=PA5&ots=ZNF7hXSTq...]%29 married William Thomson, the Archbishop of York. He died in 1890, and in his obituary, Rhalou was called "a Greek lady of distinguished birth" (see here: [http://books.google.com/books?id=W8rUAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA89&ots=mpI8LM6_...]).
By the way, I found that Rhalou's daughter Zoe corresponded with Matthew Arnold! Picture of the letter attached to this email. (Eeeuuwwwghh! Buy a razor, Matt[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Arnold].%29 There's actually a biography of her, that also has stuff about Rhalou. But I couldn't read it online. See here: [http://books.google.com/books?id=2t-0AAAAIAAJ&q=rhalou+rangabe&dq=r...]. So it'll have to wait till I can get to a good library some time. A book about her husband, the Archbishop (here: [http://books.google.com/books?id=16UNAAAAYAAJ&dq=rhalou%20rangabe&p...]), describes Rhalou as the "daughter and descendant of Greek princes of ancient lineage."
There's also a biography of Felix's little sister, Felicia Skene (here: [http://books.google.com/books?id=2t-0AAAAIAAJ&q=rhalou+rangabe&dq=r...]) which has more stories about how James and Rhalou met. Felicia seems to have been great-great-grandpa James's favourite child. She never married, and seems to have been really a rather remarkable, creative and socially-aware woman.
Before writing this email to you, I had no idea we were descended from Emperor Michael of Byzantium. That's quite a big deal. Amazing, actually.


  • Residence: Oxford St Peter in The East, Oxfordshire, England - 1861
  • Residence: Bishopthorpe, Yorkshire, England - 1871
  • Residence: St Mary Bishopshill Senior, Yorkshire, England - 1891
  • Residence: Chelsea, London, England - 1901
    • ******************************************************************************************************** Zoe Thomson (born Skene)
Birth:	1836 - Αθήνα, Attica, Greece  
June 5 1835 - Athens, Greece  Parents:	James Henry Skene,
Rhalou or Ralou Skene (born Rizo-Rangabe) Rhangabé   --  Rizou Rangavi) 
Rizos-rangavis)  

Husband: Most Rev. William Thomson

Siblings: Felix James Henry Skene, George William Charles forbes Skene Jane Skeen/Skene Bruce , James Aleco William Skene, Adla Skene, Bernardine Skene,

Children: Ethel Loe = Zoë Goodwyn (born Thomson),

Wilfrid Forbes Home Thomson, Jocelyn Home Thomson,  Sir Basil Home Thomson, Zoë Jane Hovle - Hoyle (born Thomson),
Beatrice Mary Rennie Preston (born Thomson), Alexandra Studholme (born Thomson), Bernard Henry  Home  Thomson, Madeline Ida Mary Thomson
view all 20

Zoë Skene - Thomson's Timeline

1834
July 1834
St Paul's Church, Athens, Greece, Athens, Greece
1834
Ελλάς
1857
1857
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom
1858
March 29, 1858
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
1859
August 31, 1859
Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
1861
April 21, 1861
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
1862
1862
Oxfordshire, England
1864
1864
London, London, England