Ferris family

The Ferris family were English nobility who received their estate, Heytham Abbey, during the reign of Charles II. Over time, their rank was elevated from knighthood to baronetcy to barony. Like the Rankin family, the Ferrises had the tradition of sending third sons to the Aerial Corps.

In the early 19th century, the head of the family was Albert Ferris, who held the title of Baron and was addressed as Lord Seymour. Lord Seymour's wife held the title of Baroness and was addressed as Lady Seymour. They had at least three sons. Like Jeremy Rankin's mother, Lady Seymour resisted the tradition of sending away her third son at age seven to become an aviator cadet.

Lord Seymour had two younger brothers. The second son was Captain Richard Ferris, who served in the British army. The third and youngest son was Lieutenant Henry Ferris of the British Aerial Corps, who was ten years younger than Lord Seymour.

His mother, the Dowager Baroness, was addressed as Lady Catherine Seymour. (The use of her first name implies that her father's rank was an earldom or higher.) She had sent her son Henry into the Corps at the traditional age; at the time, he was afraid to leave home and wept at the separation, though by adulthood he was happy to serve as an aviator. Perhaps in overcompensation, Lady Catherine became very vocal about praising the Aerial Corps. She criticized her daughter-in-law's reluctance to follow her own example in reliquishing a third son at age seven.