Next week’s edition of ‘Find My Past’ (Yesterday channel at 9pm) is about the railway accident in 1865 at Staplehurst, Kent. Railway accidents weren’t uncommon in those days and often involved fatalities. More notice was taken of this one because Charles Dickens was on board.
He was still producing ‘Our mutual friend’. One of the main characters was Noddy Boffin, the ‘golden’ dustman. In a prelude of the book Dickens wrote “On Friday the Ninth of June in the present year, Mr and Mrs Boffin (in their manuscript dress of receiving Mr and Mrs Lammle at breakfast) were on the South Eastern Railway with me, in a terrible destructive accident. When I had done what I could to help others, I climbed back into my carriage – nearly turned over a viaduct, and caught aslant upon the turn – to extricate the worthy couple. They were much soiled, but otherwise unhurt. ….”.
Now I don’t want to spoil the story – and I haven’t seen the episode.
It is said that Dickens used names for his characters partly from names he came across during his life in London. There would have been few true Boffins in London about this time. The main ones originated from Bicester, Oxfordshire. There is also another family of Baughans (the name may have been pronounced, and spelt, as Boffin) in Holborn about this time. Others (Dickens followers) may have more information.