Rose Emma Ellis; Rose Powsey.

Woman Marine Diver.

This is the only image allegedly of Rose posessed by the Canadian branch of the family, an old newspaper clipping passed from Professor Powsey to Alfred Amos (Nick) Powsey to his son Tony and now in the possession of Mathew Powsey, one of Rose's great grandsons. We're all presuming that 'Millie Marnier' was a stage name of Rose's.

The following are notes put together a few years back with all the information available to this branch of the family; more information and anecdotes would be gladly recieved.

Rose Emma Ellis married Albert Edward Powsey.

At 20 years old Rose Emma Ellis was 'touring the world' as the first woman deep sea diver. A family anecdote also tells of her diving in the Brighton aquarium for spectators. We know virtually nothing of her stunts or of her family, who must have been involved in her aquatic prowess. Tony Powsey remembers her as a very good cook from the part of his childhood spent living with Rose and Bert at 79 Virginia St. in Southport. He also remembers her telling him at Bert's funeral that she wouldn't be seeing him again because 'now your Grandad's gone I won't last long'.

Rose was with daughter Dolly Wright (Powsey) at 79 Virginia St. when she died just 6 weeks after the death of Professor Powsey. She was buried with him, and the ashes of Dolly were put in the grave of Rose and Albert when she died in 1995 by Dolly's grandson Tony McLaughin, with whom she was living on the Isle of Skye.

The 1881 census was checked for a Rose Emma Ellis and there were some candidates for her and her family, but nothing substantiated. However, a Rose Ellis was found in Dartford, born in approximately 1870, which is the area Powsey's seem to have emerged from.

An internet search for 'Millie Marnier' found a brief paragraph on a page of miscellaneous notices on a site of extracts from late 19th century and early 20th century newspapers. The paragraph was transcribed from 'The Sphere' newspaper dated 1 November 1913, p. 105, and reads:

'Miss Millie Marnier of New Brighton is the only lady sub-marine diver in the world. Although Miss Marnier is a fully-qualified diver she has not yet taken her art beyond the exhibition stage, and that she does in the cause of charity, at aquatic galas and elsewhere.'

Click on the quote to see the actual page.

This possibly isn't the Millie Marnier pictured and creates questions as to whether the picture is actually Rose Emma Ellis. This is because Rose was over 40 at that time and should have been living in Southport. But the woman in the photo certainly looks like a lot of Powsey women, including Aunt Gladys. Perhaps Rose continued to perform occasionally for charities until her 40's?

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