FANNY HERBERT gave birth to FREDERICK RICHARD HERBERT in September 1882 when she was 17 and claimed that The Rev. Frederick Richard ANDREWS was the father. He denied this through two sets of court proceedings, one for slander and libel against Fanny’s parents and another by her against him for child maintenance payments.

See below for proceedings #1 (See menu for proceedings #2). She had moved with his family to Sheffield to work as a maid. He was around 36 years old with a wife and five children and was a relatively famous preacher.

In 2020 ROGER HERBERT, FANNY’s great grandson, discovered he had a DNA match with one of Rev. ANDREWS descendants…. He was the father all along! But it took nearly 140 years to prove it!

She gave birth to FREDERICK RICHARD HERBERT at 10 Mill Street, West Bromwich on 17th September. 1882 and on his Birth Certificate his Father’s name is “blank”.  

He was evidently brought up by his Grandparents, John and Rhoda, and may not have known that FANNY was his Mother.  If he did, he never told anyone, and FRED’S children always referred to FANNY as Aunt FANNY.

When he got married, he gave his Father’s name as JOHN HERBERT (deceased) but in fact JOHN was his Grandfather. On FRED’s Marriage Certificate to ELSIE BRIDGMAN in 1905, his occupation and that of his “Father” is given as Hay and Straw Dealer…. 
A few thoughts:
Did FRED know that Fanny was his mother or did he think Rhoda, his grandmother, was?
Or did he know but spent his whole life not saying?
Did “Aunt Fanny” go to his wedding to Elsie Bridgman in 1905?
What sort of relationship did she have with FRED’S five children, her grandchildren? Neither Winifred or Cliff ever said anything, other than that they knew Aunt Fanny.
When Nancy Herbert started on the Herbert family tree, she was aware that there was a question mark as to who Fred’s father was. She obtained a copy of his birth certificate and this indicated father ” blank”.
The mystery then continued from that point in 1995 until 2020, when Roger Herbert, Fanny’s great grandson, discovered he had a DNA match with the Rev. F. R. Andrews’s great great grandson.