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The Hissem-Montague Family  |
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The Hissem-Montague Family |
The only living male members of the Heysham Family of Lancaster, England that I am aware of are,
(27) Roy Alan Heysham (c1955), of AustraliaI'd like to see at least one of them take a Y-DNA test to show whether they are related to the Heesom family of Hull, Yorkshire and the Hissem family of America. (18) John Heysham (1638)
(28) Justin Rick Heysham (c1988), of Australia
(27) William L. Heysham (1953), of Doncaster, Yorkshire
(28) Andrew William Heysham (1986), of Doncaster, Yorkshire
A son of Giles Heysham, gentleman and mayor of Lancaster, and, perhaps, Jane Baillie [Bailey]. However, unlike for his siblings, I've found no baptismal records for John, though his existence and relationships are fairly clear. I take the existence of John Heysham from Clement George Lissant's genealogy for the Heysham family of India, "Notes on the Heysham Family."
"It will be noticed that Giles Heysham (1603-1664) had two sons, Giles and John. The elder Giles is mentioned in Whitaker's "Richmondshire" as a "Gent", and living in 1650 at Langton, on the northern bank of the Swale. There is a letter of this Giles dated the 26th November 1638, in the published volume of Kenyon manuscripts. His sons Giles and John are described as merchants and shippers at Lancaster, where, says Dr. Halley, a good trade was done with the West Indies early it the seventeenth century."
Henry Lonsdale's biography of a descendant of John's, Dr. John Heysham of Carlisle, also avers,
"Yet junior branches of the family retained the ancient name; and in the town of Lancaster there were in the seventeenth century more than one branch bearing it. Thus we are enabled to trace the descent of [Dr.] John Heysham, whose life is to occupy these pages, from a citizen of Lancaster, who flourished there in the early part of that century. This gentleman had two sons, Gyles Heysham and John Heysham. They were merchants and shipowners. Gyles had several children, amongst whome were Robert and William, who both went to London in their youth, and became eminent merchants there [see the Merchants of Lancaster page] . . . The second son, John, had also several children -- no less than nine of whom were sons. Some of these, following the commercial instinct of the family, emigrated to America, and there realised fortune and position. One son, Gyles [the father of Dr. Heysham, Lonsdale's subject], maintained the family name at home." - from "The Life of John Heysham, M.D." by Dr. Henry LonsdaleThis genealogy is, unfortunately, impossible to maintain because it does not have enough generations. The nine sons, some of whom "emigrated to America," were not John's sons, but his grandsons via his son William Heysham and Dorothy Postelthwaite; see below.
The following attests that John was brother to the Giles Heysham whose sons were London merchants.
"Robert Heysham, was a son of Giles Heysham, who is mentioned in Whitaker's 'Richmondshire' as "a gent., and living in 1650 in Langston, on the northern bank of the Swale." Giles and his brother John are described as being merchants and shippers in Lancaster, where, says Dr. Halley, a good trade was done with the West Indies early in the seventeenth century . . . Robert and William, sons of this Giles Heysham, were born in Lancaster, but early in their youth they went to London, became eminent merchants there, and . . . both served in several Parliaments temp. Queen Anne and George I." - from "Notes and Queries" of 1896
The following is from a list of Freemen and Burgesses of Lancaster,
"Heysham, Giles, of Lancaster, marrinerCockerham is 6 miles south of Lancaster.
1694-5.
Heysham, Robert
Heysham, Edward, pg 140
Heysham, John, son of Giles, of Cockerham , pg 142
Heysham, William, junior, esquire, [son of William Heysham MP] pg 142
1718-19.
Heysham, Robert, son of Edwd., of Lancaster, yeoman, pg 143
1726-7.
Heysham, Edward, of Lancaster, son of Edwd., pg 143
Heysham, John, of Lancaster, butcher, pg 143
Heysham, Thos., of Lancaster, butcher, pg 145
Heysham, Robt., of Liverpool, carpenter, son of William, pg 150
Heysham, John, of Carlisle, M.D., son of Giles, of Lancaster, merchant, pg 153
Heysham, Thos. Coulthard, of Carlisle, gentleman, son of John, of same place, M.D." - from "The Rolls of the Freemen of the Borough of Lancaster. 1688 to 1840" by W. B. Kendall, T. Cann Hughes
Why might John's birth have not been noted in the church records? The following is is a note in the Lancashire Parish Register that says,
"If any bee omitted they have beene cristened att home & not knowne to the Clearke."During especially bad weather, or when the child was sickly, baptisms were sometimes performed at home. Records of these baptisms might be recorded; I have seen the notation "baptized att home" in the register, but this was not always done.
However, I do have the following comment about the parish register of St. Mary's, Lancaster.
"Among the earlier entries I notice the names of John Braithwaite and John Heysham." - from "Time-honoured Lancaster" by C. FleuryThe first entry after this was for 1627, and there is no further mention of John. Could this be our man?
Recently I found the following, which could be our John.
"John Heysham born circa 1638, christened 23 May [Mar?] 1638 St. Mary, Lancaster; buried 14 September 1717 St. Mary Lancaster."However, I failed to record where I found this information so I can't vouch for it's accuracy. The same entry had John's daughter as Anne Heysham Mackerell, which I believe is correct, and the date of John's burial is also correct. Note that a John Heisham was born in 1638, the son of Richard Heysham, but he was baptized on 1 June 1638 in St. Mary's church, Lancaster. John, the son of Richard, was buried on 9 March 1717, so we have two men of clearly different lineage.
There was a Heysham family memorial erected in St. Marys church in Lancaster. It had citations both for (19) William Heysham (1667), of Barbabos & London, John's nephew, and for (20) Gyles Heysham (1722), of Lancaster, John's grandson, showing the close relationship between these two lines of the family.
This descent can be traced down, through the female line, to the Gubbins-Mounsey-Heyshams of Castletown, Cumbria, and, through the male line, to the Heysham's of India, who now live in England and Australia. As far as I can tell, all the true Heysham's, so spelled, in England today are descended from our John. All the lines of descent from John's brother, Giles, ended in female heirs. The Heysham family of Philadelphia and Norristown, in America, also ended in female heirs. The Heysham family residing on the border of Pennsylvania and New York state are, as I see it, my cousins, descendents of John Heesom, of Crofton, Yorkshire. They assumed the Heysham spelling in the mid-19th century for reasons unknown.
John Heysham was a shipowner and merchant of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. He married Unknown before 1660.
John's father died on 22 May 1664, leaving his elder brother, Gyles, as head of the family. Gyles then died on 21 February 1680, leaving a wife and six children. I expect John acted as a father figure for Gyles' sons, Gyles Jr., Robert and William, who were 13 to 20 years old at the time.
John Heysham was living in Lancaster in 1684.
"Lancaster 1684On the drawing of Lancaster, above, circa 1728, John's place would be one of the buildings on the left side, lining the Green Ayre, the large open space where a number of people are standing. The Green Ayre was a low lying area subject to frequent inundations from the river. John's building would have backed onto the mill stream which made the Green Ayre an island. St. Leonards Gate road ends just before the road that can be seen curving around the bottom of the Green Ayre. The open field behind St. Leonards Gate road, going up the hill, is the Highfield. Below is Speed's map of Lancaster circa 1610. Note the Stone Well at 11 and St. Leonard's Gate road at 12.
St. Lenords Street.
. . .
Left side from Stone Well.
. . .
31. Heysham, Jno." - from "Lancaster 1684" by The Historic Society of Lancashire & Cheshire
I've recently found a map corresponding to this directory thanks to Matt Archer, on the Facebook page, Lancaster Past & Present. Number 31 St. Leonardsgate road does appear to be the very last on the road, on the left side, defining the point where St. Leonardsgate meets the current Bulk road.
Some other interesting things from the Directory of 1684.
- A Mrs. Heisum lived at number 37 Castle Park. This was on the top of the hill overlooking Lancaster. I believe this was the home of Elizabeth Thornton Heysham, the widow of John's brother, Giles. Giles had died 4 years before the Directory was compiled. Mrs. Heisum's house was behind the Priory church, just to the left of The Free School, pictured below. I think that puts it in the present day grave yard of the church, at the end of Hill Side road. The castle and its green park where just ahead and to the right.
- In his will of 1723 Gile's son, Robert Heysham, MP and Alderman, bequethed his 'Castlehill house' to his nephew, John Thornton. This was probably 3 Castle Park, the home of Thomas Thornton, the father-in-law of Robert. Both Robert's mother and wife were Thorntons.
- According to "Time-Honored Lancaster," Alderman Heysham also had a house on the later site of the Borough Surveyor's Office, which was on Market Square. This may be 36 Market street, the house of Eli Heasum, next to the Town Hall on Market Square. I don't know of any Eli's in the family unless this is shorthand for Elizabeth, Robert's mother again.
Lancashire County Quarter Sessions: Sacrament Certificates: John Heysham, witness 19 April 1685.
The 17th century saw the rapid rise in wealth and social status of the merchant class as trade goods and a nascent industrial revolution overtook in value the lands that had previously determined prestige and power. It must have seemed a topsy-turvy world to the landed aristocracy as their land values and incomes fell, while wages steadily rose, making their stately homes and manors more of a burden than an asset. This was an exciting period for the Heysham family and their fortunes rose to a peak in wealth and social position in these generations.
There was a John Heysham who was the churchwarden of St. Mary's in 1693 - from "Remains, Historical and Literary, Connected with the Palatine Counties of . . ."
Angela Heysham notes a will proved for John Heysham in 1687, though, as above, I think he lived until 1717, or about the age of 79. I do have a John Heisham who was buried on 4 June 1687 in Halton, Lancashire. As I hold it, he was part of the Highfield family, the son of Daniel Hishame.
The reign of William and Mary, who had usurped the throne of Mary's father, James II, in 1688, was troubled by plots in favor of the exiled monarch. In 1696 William made a dramatic announcement before Parliament that a plot against his life had been discovered. Amongst other precautions, Parliament passed an act requiring all citizens to take an oath of loyalty to King William III. Below is the record of the oath taken by John and William Heysham of Lancashire.
"John TownsnThe X may signify a signature or may be a mark of illiteracy, the text is not clear. William Heeysam may be John's son, who would have been 22 years old at the time. It wasn't his brother's son. That William had been in Barbados since at least 1687 and did not return to England until after 1703.
John Heysham X
William Heeysam
Peter Pachett X
- from the "Lancashire Association Oath Rolls, A.D. 1696"
John Heysham of Lancashire died and was buried on 14 September 1717 - from "England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991" at FamilySearch.org.
The following were the children of John Heysham.
(19) Edward Heesham (c1660), his line died out within a few generations
(19) Jane Heighsam (1665), she died at the age of 18
(19) Ann Heesham (1667)
(19) Margritt Heesham (1668)
(19) Ellen Heesham (1672)
(19) Robert Hesam (1673)
(19) William Hesam (1674), the surviving line
(19) Mary Heisham (1676), died young
(19) Richard Hesam (1677)
(19) Alice Heesham (1680)
(19) Sarah Hesam (1681)
(19) Mary Heighsome (1683), died young
(19) Grace Heighsome (1684), died young
Of Lancaster; a wealthy butcher and innkeeper. I don't have baptismal records for Edward like I do for the rest of John's children, but I think he may have been one of John's sons.
Edward was probably born in about 1660 in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. Edward Heesham married Judith Yates [or Yeats] on 8 [16] November 1690 in Lancaster - International Genealogical Index. She was born in about 1669 in Lancaster. He was also listed in the Borough of Lancaster marriage rolls for 1689-90.
In an undated citation Edward Heysham was the Bondsman for the marriage of Bryan Yeats of Lancaster, gent., and Margaret Carleton of Cartmel, spinster. I'm thinking Bryan was the brother of Judith. Note that Edward sold a property to Bryan Yeats in 1726, see below.
This may be our Edward, below, perambulating the boundaries in 1682 with the mayor and all of the "best" citizens of the town. By the way, the list of perambulators is very long so it is not extraordinary that a butcher, especially a successful one, should be included in it. Think of the butcher in "Fiddler on the Roof," shown as a rich man in an admittedly poor village.
"Ad perambulationem Bundar Burgi sive ville Lanc. sexto die June ando R. Rs. Caroli Secdi Aug. &c. xxxiiii. Ano. dni 1682.Note here that Edward was shown to be the son of John Heysham. Included on the list are other tradesmen, including a webster, a carpenter, a shoemaker, a mason, two clerks, and a trumpeter.
Henry Johnes, Gent. Maior
Thomas Medcalfe, Ball.
Robt. Parkinson, Ball.
. . .
Chr. Carus, Esq.
Thos. Carus, Gen
. . .
Robt. Blackeburne [see Thomas Blackburn, above]
John Soothworth, Gen. [they owned Highfield in Lancaster]
. . .
Edw. Heysham, sone of John
. . ."
- from "Remain, Historical and Literary, Connected with the Palantine Counties of Lancaster and Chester."
"Heysham, Edward" - from "The Rolls of Freemen of the Borough of Lancaster 1688 to 1840." See his son, Edward, below, also listed as a freeman of the borough.
Below is a sale of property on St. Mary's, or Church, street. This was the street that led down from St. Mary's church past the town hall. Properties on the north side of the street backed on to te Mill stream.
"Quitclaim relating to property on St Mary street, Lancaster
1 May 1697
Parties:
Nicholas Eccleston of Lancaster, yeoman
Edward Heysham of Lancaster, butcher
Property: house, outbuildings and garden
Consideration: L3 6s
Witnesses: Charles Jackson, Andrew Partington, John Kirkham"
- from the Lancashire Record Office
The list of churchwardens for Lancaster names a number of Heyshams. Note that the family members I've listed on the Merchants of Lancaster page, that is the up & coming side of the family, were also churchwardens, which brings the tradesmen & merchant sides of the family closer together. The span of years, 1693 to 1715, appears to be only one-generation wide and was when the merchant side of the family spent most of their time in London and Barbados. Were these all brothers/cousins?
"Churchwardens for Lancaster
. . .
1693 John Heysham [Edward's father?]
. . .
1698 Edwd. Heysham [our Edward?]
. . .
1708 Thos. Postlethwait [see Dorothy Postlethwait, below] . . .
1710 Rd. [Richard] Heysham [Edward's younger brother?]
. . .
1715 Wm. Heysham [Edward's brother? Also for Bulk/Aldcliffe for the same year, below]
. . .
Churchwardens for Bulk and Aldcliffe
. . .
1713 Edw. Heysham
. . .
1715 Wm. Heysham"
- from "Remains, Historical and Literary, Connected with the Palatine Counties"
The UK Archives have a number of references to Edward Heysham of Lancaster, butcher or yeoman. He was clearly a prosperous man, on the rise.
"Evidences of Title:
Bolton le Sands (and Allithwaite)
22 March 1704/5 - "(1) Christopher Butterfield, Edward Heysham and Mary Walker, plaintiffs
(2) James Sharpe and wife, Martha and Richard Turner and wife, Ellen, deforciants
Final concord when (2) acknowledged 2 messuages, 4 messuages, an orchard, 3 gardens, 33a. land, 6a. meadow, 6a. pasture and 4a. moss in Bolton le Sands and Allithwaite to be the right of (1)"
13 June 1705 - "(1) James Sharpe of Lancaster, glazier, and wife, Martha, a daughter of Thomas Hale late of Bolton le Sands and wife, Ellen
(2) Christopher Butterfield of Lancaster, apothecary, Edward Heysham of Lancaster, butcher, and Mary Walker of Allithwaite, widow
Deed to declare the uses of a fine (see RCHY 2/2/2) levied at the previous Assizes and conveying from (1) to (2) to the use of (1) and his heirs a messuage, lands and tenement in Bolton le Sands and Allithwaite; reciting feoffment of 25 Jul. 1655"
2/3 February 1714/15 - "(1) James Sharpe of Lancaster, husbandman, son and heir of James Sharpe of Lancaster, glazier, deceased, James Hadwen of Liverpool, joiner and wife, Elizabeth, and Margaret Platt of Liverpool, widow, the last two mentioned being the daughters of James Sharpe, deceased, Christopher Butterfield of Lancaster, apothecary, and Edward Heysham of Lancaster, butcher, trustees for the sale of the estate of James Sharpe, deceased."
Bulk and NewtonBulk, pronounced /book/, and Newton, or Neuton, are two small villages that lie just northeast of Lancaster, on the road to Caton.
29 January 1706/7 - "(1) Elizabeth Wilson of Caton, widow, and Thomas Jackson of Caton, tanner
(2) Edward Heysham of Lancaster, butcher
Lease for 9 years of a messuage called Bulks-bottom in Bulk late in the occupation of Richard Dickson, excepting a close called Newton Field, containing 50a.
Rent: 16 10s."
16 May 1711 - "(1) Thomas Jackson of Caton, tanner
(2) Edward Heysham of Lancaster, butcher
Assignment of lease of 4 Dec. 1706 (RCHY 2/2/13); reciting (i) lease of 24 Apr. 1681 (RCHY 2/2/12) and (ii) assignment of that lease 4 Dec. 1706 (RCHY 2/2/13)
Consideration: 135
Rents and boons: one half of those recited in lease of 24 Apr. 1681"
17 December 1715 - "(1) Elizabeth Wilson of Caton, widow
(2) Anthony Helme of Lancaster, yeoman
Lease for 7 years of a messuage in Bulk called Bulks Bottome late in the occupation of Richard Dickson and now Edward Heysham and Peers Patchett containing 53a., excepting all the property (details) specified in the assignment of lease to Thomas Jackson 4 Dec. 1706 (RCHY 2/2/13)
Rent: L20"
17 January 1717 - "(1) Elizabeth Wilson of Caton; widow
(2) Edward Heysham of Lancaster, butcher
Assignment of lease of 24 Apr. 1681 (RCHY 2/2/12) excepting the term for 7 years granted to Anthony Helme 17 Dec. 1715 (RCHY 2/2/16) and excepting that part already assigned to Thomas Jackson and subsequently by him to Edward Heysham, i.e. half of the said messuage; reciting (i) lease of 24 Apr. 1681 (RCHY 2/2/12); (ii) assignment of lease 16 May 1711 (RCHY 2/2/15); (iii) lease 17 Dec. 1715 (RCHY 2/2/16)
Consideration: L100
Rents and boons: half of those recited in lease of 24 Apr. 1681 (RCHY 2/2/12)" - from "Hornby Catholic Mission Papers (St Mary's Church)" of Lancaster.
24 August 1718 - "(1) Edward Heysham of Lancaster, yeoman
(2) John Ashton of Rawcliffe, yeoman
Articles of agreement that (1) assigns to (2) all his right title, etc., to a messuage in Bulk containing 52a. now in the possession of ?Edward Jackson of Bulk for the annual rent of L50 determinable from 2 Feb. 1709 (excepting the remainder of Edward Jackson's term) to hold to (2) for the remainder of the term cited in lease of 24 Apr. 1681 (RCHY 2/2/12) Consideration: L300"
1 December 1730 - "(1) Edward Heysham of Lancaster, yeoman
(2) William Elletson of Lancaster, esq.
Assignment of lease of 24 Apr. 1681 (RCHY 2/2/12) with yearly rents and boons therein contained; reciting (i) lease of 24 Apr. 1681 (RCHY 2/2/12); (ii) lease (of first moiety) 4 Dec. 1706 (RCHY 2/2/13); (iii) assignment of lease 16 May 1711 (RCHY 2/2/15); (iv) assignment of lease 17 Jan. 1716/17 (RCHY 2/2/17)
Consideration: L300" - from the papers of the Hornby Catholic Mission of St Mary's Church, Lancaster
Edward Heysham married Alice Topham as his second wife on 8 July 1716.
Edward (Ned) Heysham appears, in the diary entries below, to be a publican - "Went to dine . . . att Ned Heyshame's" - and a butcher, of Lancaster. I suppose it would make sense that if you had all that meat you would open a restaurant or inn as well.
1717. "October 15. Ahnoming [all morning] in the house ; affter non [noon] went to my gard** [garden]; in the eivening spent 7d. att Ned Heysham's, with John Turton, cloths- [cloth salesman?]"The Tyldesley family, supporters of Charles I, lost much of their wealth during the Civil War.
"October 18. Went early to meet Brors [brothers] Dalton and ffrost att Cockshutt's; after killing a hare, without sporte, wee went to Gaugath, Josua Tounson with us, who lent mee his bald mare; we spent 1s. 6d., us 8 each; thenoe to PeniBtrete [Penny-street, in Lancaster], where, with honest Carles, of Wire side [Wyreside], and Ned Pedder, att door, and spend 1d.; soe home ; seeing Ned Heysham had mach beaffe [much beef] on his hands, I bought 84 pounds pro 5s.; soe home."
[footnote]
"Gaugath," or Galgate, is situated on the Lancaster and Preston high road, 4 miles S. of the former town."
1718. "April 23. Went to dine with the commission pro Quarmore sut [suit], att Ned Heyshame's, viz. Mr. Harison and Mr. Chambers pro Smith, and Mr. Husband and Mr. Lanckton pro Mrs. Standish; I gave evidence pro Smith, &c.; thence home; Ben. Comey alnight with mee."
"June 11. Alday in the house; accounted with Hen. Wayles, and pd him all due; accounted lickwise with Ned Heysham; went to beed at seven, in ord to hunt fox, att Ellal Milles."
"August 31. Pd to John Bracon 2s. ffor my black mare's trespass; then went with Mayr [mayor], Record [recorder], and Alderman, to meet Mr. Will Hey'm [Heysham] and his son; spent with lawyr Rigby, Dunlop, and old Catchall 6d., att y' Sim; soe to Mr. Beardsworth's, where John Hathortwaite pd 2s. 6d. on old Tho. Baines's business; soe to beed."
[footnote]
The Mayor of Lancaster this year was Br. John Bryer. William Heysham was born at Lancaster, and, with his brother Robert, became an eminent merchant in London. He represented Lancaster from 1705 until his death in 1727. Robert served for the same borough from 1701 to 1714. In the Parish Church of Lancaster there is a marble tablet bearing the following inscription: "Sacred to the memory of William Heysham, Esq., formerly M.P. for the borough, ob. 7 July, 1726. He gave an estate near this town called The Greaves to the Mayor, Recorder, and three senior Aldermen, in trust, to divide the rent annually amongst eight poor ancient men of this borough. To commemorate the name and munificence of the donor this monument is erected by the trustees." . . .
"September primo. Alday in the toun ; after din' younge Mr. Hey m [William Heysham Jr.] call' with other and drank a bottle of wine. In the evening went to Mr. Will Hey'm, and stayd with him, the mayr' and others, till ten; Soe to beed."
"September 2. Alday in the tonn; gave Mrs. halfe a ginney to pay Margt Brown pro piges; gave her 6s. to pay Richd Stirzacr ffor house and garden stoffe; then went to dine with Mr. Hey--m's, who treated us well, and a boull off punch affter dinr; spend 6d. at Mr. Beard--th in ye eivening; soe to beed."
1719. "April 7. Alday in the house, accounted with Ned Heysham, and am 2Q 9s. Od. in his debt, but gave him a bill pro L15 on Dick Kellet. Gave Ned lLy: Is. to bye inryes. Gave Mrs. 7s. 6d. to bye apples, corkes, and mif' pd Is. pro hopes. "B' Margery Pick part of her wages, 14s. 6d. Soe to beed."
"May 29. Almoming in the house till eleven; then went into the market; bought a calve's head, a quarts of lambe, a necke and brest of mutton, of Ned Heysham, and, in the same shop, bought a young fox for 2s.; and then about 8, went Mr. B dsworth, ffirst to y' More colpitts, thence to y' Grage colepitts, and affter some stay there, thence home and too beed."
- from "The Tyldesley Diary: Personal Records of Thomas Tyldesley (grandson of Sir Thomas Tyldesley, the Royalist) During the years 1713-1814"
"Sometimes Tyldesley could not pay his tradesmen. Edward Heysham, a butcher had sold him meat and there had to be some accounting between them the total bill came to L23 9s. 0d., but Tyldesley had no funds and gave in lieu a bill of L15 on Richard Kellet. The overall impression of the diary is one of acute shortage of cash; what appears to be the ample revenue of the Tyldesley estates is in fact being drained off in many ways and no effort seems to have been evolved to remedy the black state of affairs." - from " The Tyldesleys of Lancashire: The Rise and Fall of a Great Patrician Family" by John Lunn
Here's a business deal not mentioned in the list above.
"By indentures of lease and release, bearing date 2d February 1726, between Bryan Yeates, of the first part; Edward Heysham, and Margaret Smith, widow, of the second part; and Anthony Hehne, of the third part; reciting, a mortgage, by demise, for 500 years, from the said Bryan Yeates to the said Edward Heysham and Margaret Smith, and that the said Anthony Helme had agreed for the purchase of the premises, thereinafter mentioned, called Orange Wood and Langridge, for 78l.; the said premises were conveyed to the said Anthony Helme and his heirs, . . ." - from "Parliamentary Papers" of 1903Langridge may be west of Lancaster, towards Morecombe, just north of Oxcliffe road. Note that an Arthur Helme was involved in the affairs of Edward's nephew, merchant ship captain William Heysham, while in New York City.
Here's a later transaction:
30 July 1746. "William Harrison, William Walton, John Townson and John Lawson, gents, plaintiffs; Edward Heysham and Alice his wife, Thomas Rowlandson and Alice is wife, Thomas Fletcher and John Fletcher, deforciants: final concord concerning a moiety of a messuage and burgage plot and two other messuages and land and woodlands in Lancaster and Quernmore and Highfield in HaltonNote that this reference refers to Edward's second wife, Alice, assumably Alice Topham.
Consideration: L266 13s 4d"
Edward died and was buried on 11 January 1746 [1747 in the new calendar, most likely] in Lancaster. I also have "Heysham, Edward, of Lancaster, A[dministration of Will] . . . 1747." - from "Lancashire Wills in the Archdeaconry of Richmond." Another version of this record has "Will, Edward Heysham, Innkeeper, of Lancaster, 15 Mar 1747." That was probably the date his will was probated.
Alice, the widow of Edwd. Heysham, died and was buried on 1 November 1766 [1767?] in Lancashire. Her will: "Alice Heysham, Widow, Item 9 Dec 1767." - from Probate Records, Archdeaconry of Richmond Wills, Inventories, Administration and Tuition Bonds.
Edward's children with Judith Yates were,
(20) John Heysham (1691), who died young
(20) Grace Heysam (1693), who died young
(20) Robert Heysam (1694)
(20) William Heesham (1696), who had a family
(20) Judith Hesham (1698)
(20) Anne Heysham (1700)
(20) Edward Heysham Jr. (1702), who reached adulthood
(20) Richard Heysham (1703/4), who had a family
(20) John Heysham (1706/7)
(20) Thomas Heysham (1709), who died young
(20) Gyles Heysham (1710)
(20) Christopher Heysham (1713), who died young
His children with Alice Topham were,
(20) Grace Heysham (1717)
(20) Christopher Heysham (1718)
(20) Ellen Heysham (1720)
(20) James Heysham (1722)
(20) Joshua Heysham (1725)
(20) Elizabeth Heysham (1730)
John Heysham, the son of Edward heysham, was christened on 8 [6] October 1691 in Saint Mary, Lancaster - International Genealogical Index. "Jno s. of Edwd Heysam of Lancaster" was buried on 13 February 1692.
(20) Grace Heysam (1693)Grace Heysam, the daughter of Edward Heysam, was christened on 14 March 1692/3 in Saint Mary, Lancaster - International Genealogical Index. Grace, the daughter of Edward Heysam of Lancaster was buried on 18 March 1692/3.
(20) Robert Heysam (1694)Robert Heysam, the son of Edward Heysam, was christened on 1 July 1694 in Saint Mary, Lancaster - from the International Genealogical Index.
Robert was a yeoman. He was married in 1718/19 in Lancaster.
Robt. Heysham, the son of Edwd. Heysham, died and was buried on 13 May 1728 in Lancashire. This was just two months after his younger brother, Edward Jr., died. His brother William, and William's daughter, Jane, also died in 1728. Was there something going around? The answer appears to be yes. In a normal year Lancaster had 95 deaths per year. In 1728 it had 243. This, apparently, was due to a fever or ague; in modern terms, typhus.
"In the third decade of th eighteenth century the condition of the lower classes, urban as well as rural, was very poor. Prices were high and wages low, and the resulting starvation diet had its effect on the health of the people. There came a period of several years of damp and sunless weather, and this further lowered resistance to disease.
An infectious fever broke out and spread rapidly, the death-rate rising considerably. The following account was published by a contemporary medical man:
"Ancient and weak hysterical people had nervous twitchings and catchings, and were comatose and delirious: some were very languid, sick, and faint, and had tremors: the young and robust, who had more full pulses, were generally delirious, unless it was prevented or taken off by proper evacuations [blood letting, induced vomiting, enemas] and cooling medicines. I found blistering to be of very great service in this fever . . ."This above description, together with a note in a parish register that it was a fever in some respects resembling the plague, suggest that the outbreak was of malignant spotted fever, or typhus."- from "A History of Plague in Lancashire" by R. Sharpe France
I don't have any record of children.
(20) William Heesham (1696)William Heesham, the son of Edward Heesham, was baptized on 29 April 1696 at St. Mary's, in Lancaster - International Genealogical Index. William Heysham of Lancaster, butcher, was married in 1715/6 in the borough of Lancaster. Our William would have been only twenty years old at this time. As Edward's son it would be expected that he would take his father's trade.
It looks like William died in 1728, aged just 32. As with his brother, above, this was perhaps due to the typhus epidemic afflicting Lancashire at this time. The following is a record of the probate of his will.
"Full Record W/R/W/R49B/19 William Heysham Butcher Item 10Jul1728" - from the Probate Records of the Archdeaconry of Richmond "Wills, Inventories, Administration and Tuition Bonds"
| William Heysham Strays
I have two other William Heyshams that I haven't been able to place. (20) Will Heysham (c1690-1695)A Will Heysham married Agnes Hudson of Holm Lyc on 1 January 1716 in Bolton Le Sands, Lancashire. A citation for the same marriage has William as a woolworker, of Lancaster. 1716-17Holm is near Huddersfield, which is in the West Riding of Yorkshire. (20) Wm. Heysham (c1700-1710) A Wm. Heysham married Margt. Bleasdale on 15 September 1730 at St. Marys, Lancaster. |
William Heesham's children were,
(21) William Heysham (after 1715), perhaps
(21) Edward Heysham (1718)
(21) Thomas Heysham (1720), a butcher
(21) Judith Heysham (1723), who died young
(21) Jane Heysham (1727), who died young
(21) Jane Heysham (1732), who may have married Joseph Overend
(22) Robert Heysham (c1745)
I have a Robert Heysham who was married in 1767/8. He was a carpenter, living in Liverpool, Lancashire, the son of William Heysham. He is too old to be the son of William Heysham and Dorothy Postelthwaite, below, and I have no other place to put him.
(21) Edward Heysham (1718)Edward Heysham, the son of William Heysham, of Lancaster, was born on 6 April 1718.
(21) Thomas Heysham (1720)A butcher. "Tho: s. of Willm Heysham Junr of Lancr 27 Mar 1720" - from the Lancashire Parish Register of Baptisms. "Thomas Heysham married Ann Statter on 11 June 1747 in St. Mary's, Lancaster, England - from the Lancaster Parish Register of Marriages. This marriage was also recorded as "Heysham, Thomas, butcher & Ann Statter, both Lancaster 10 Jun 1747" from "Marriage Bonds" in the records of the Archdeaconry of Richmond. Thomas died before 1767. His son William's marriage of that date lists his father as "Thomas, late of Lancaster, a butcher." Again, I would expect any butcher of Lancaster to be in Edward's line.
Some researchers have conjectured that he was the Thomas Heysham who lived in Northampton county, Pennsylvania at the time of the 1790 census. I think I can show that the Thomas Heysham listed here died in Lancaster, having never emigrated. He had two children,
(22) Edward Heysham (1748)
(22) William Heysham (1750)
"Edward s. of Thos Heysham of L: 11 Sep 1748" - from the Lancashire Parish Register of Baptisms. I suspect he died young.
(22) William Heysham (1750)William Heysham, the son of Thomas Heysham, was christened in April 1750 at St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England.
"1767-8 Heysham, Wm., of Lancaster, fflaxman, son of Thos., late of Lancaster, butcher" - from "Marriages" as recorded in the "Freemen of the Borough of Lancaster, 1688-1840." So . . . the son of a butcher doesn't have to become a butcher himself. A flaxman may be a grower or weaver of flax, or a merchant who dealt in wool.
Wm. Heysham, who was born in 1750, died and was buried on 8 June 1791 in Lancashire, aged 41. I do not know of any children.
(21) Judith Heysham (1723)She was the daughter of William Jr. of Lancaster. She was born on 17 November 1723. She died and was buried on 5 October 1725.
(21) Jane Heysham (1727)She was the daughter of William Jr. of Lancaster. She was born on 26 March 1727. She was later listed as a daughter of William of Lancaster, buried on 24 May 1728.
(21) Jane Heysham (1732)Jane Heysham, the daughter of Willm. Heysham, was baptized on 24 September 1732 at St. Mary's, Lancaster. She may have married Joseph Overend, below.
(20) Judith Hesham (1698)Judith Hesham, whose father was Edward, was baptized on 13 January 1698 in Lancaster - International Genealogical Index/Lancaster Parish Register of Baptisms.
(20) Anne Heysham (1700)Anne Heysham, whose father was Edward, was christened on 12 May 1700 in Saint Mary, Lancaster - International Genealogical Index.
On 28 July 1729 a marriage was performed between "Matthew Rawlinson, of Cartmel, husbandman, and Ann Heysham, of Lancaster, spinster." The bondsman was "John Dawson (Danson), of Lancaster, inn keeper. At Lancaster p. church. Witnesses: J. Fenton, John Brown." - from "Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire."
Cartmel is a small town and parish in the Ulverstone district of Lancashire. It is in a section of old Lancashire, across Morecombe Bay, near Furness. It is now part of Cumbria. Furness was at the center of the early iron trade. A flourishing coastal shipping grew up there to service Lancaster and Liverpool.
A husbandmen was the lowest of the orders, which were gentleman, yeoman and husbandmen. As such, Matthew may have been a more distant relation of the merchant Rawlinson's of Lancaster or the attorney Rawlinson's of Cartmel, both described below. There was a large Rawlinson family in Lancaster, including innkeepers, woolen drapers, merchants, husbandmen, ship carpenters, butchers, mariners, laborers and gentlemen. Since Matthew's marriage bondsman was an innkeeper, perhaps that's the side of the family we should look into.
| The Rawlinson Family
I haven't come to any conclusions about Matthew and his place in the Rawlinson family. For now I will leave these scattered references until I can make sense of them. William Rawlinson (c1580)He married Margaret Curwen on 24 April 1610. Robert Rawlinson Esq. (1610)He was born on 11 December 1610 and resided at Carke Hall. He became a barrister-at-law of Grays Inn and was Justice of the Peace for Lancashire and Chester. He was the nephew and heir of Robert Curwen of Carke in Cartmell, also an attorney. He was a loyalist during Charles I's troubles and suffered for it. However, after the restoration he was made Vice-Chamberlain of the City and County of Chester. He died in 1665 at the age of 55, leaving an extensive will. His wife, Jane Wilson, died in 1686 at the age of 66. He had two sons, Curwen and William, and five daughters. Curwen Rawlinson of Cartmel (1641)Robert Rawlinson (1610) He was born on 3 June 1641. He married Elizabeth, the daughter of Nicholas Monk Bishop of Hereford, on 13 June 1677. The Bishop was the brother of General Monk, the Duke of Albemarle. Curwen was M.P. for Lancaster in 1689, the year he died. His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1691 at the age of 43. His sons were Monk, who died in 1695 aged 21, and Christopher Rawlinson, the last of the line. Interestingly, Richard and Christopher Crakanthorpe of Newbiggin Hall were his cousins - Chrisopher married his sister Ann. See their relationship to the Heyshams on the Merchants of Lancaster page. William Rawlinson of Cartmel (c1650)Robert Rawlinson (1610) William Rawlinson of Cartmel, the son of Robert Rawlinson, esq., was born in Kendal, and graduated from St. John's College at Cambridge in 1667. Thomas Rawlinson of Cartmel (c1680)He was an early Quaker and industrialist. He went into the Scottish Highlands in the aftermath of the suppression of the Jacobite uprising of 1715 in order to establish an iron works. He is credited with inventing the modern kilt, based on the lower portion only of the great kilt, which was a large garment much like a toga. John Rawlinson of CartmelOne John Rawlinson was of Cartmel, a ship's carpenter, late of HMS WORCESTER, had his will administered in 1750. The WORCESTER was a 60-gun fourth rate launched in 1735 and broken up by 1765. Abraham Rawlinson of Caton Forge (c1680)An ironmaster of Rusland in Cumbria, he built a forge at Caton, near Lancaster, in 1727. The family's commercial interests had initially been confined to outfitting ships, but had later become all embracing, including the supplying of mahogany to the renowned cabinet-makers, Gillows of Lancaster. Abraham Rawlinson Jr. (1709)Abraham Rawlinson of Caton Forge
Abraham Rawlinson of Caton Forge By 1769 Thomas had amassed a fortune as a West Indies merchant amounting to almost £49,000. |
| The Sugar Warehouses of Lancaster
John Hodgson sold the first sugarhouse on St Leonardgate street, with its brewhouse and warehouse, to John Lawson, a local merchant and Quaker, probably some time before 1680. Lawson built a bridge over the mill stream, and in 1680 a wharf, Lawson's Quay, on the Green Ayre.  In February 1766, Robert Foxcroft of Lancaster leased his sugarhouse further along St Leonard Gate to five Lancaster gentlemen namely Robert Lawson, Abraham Rawlinson, Henry Hargreaves, Miles Birkett, and George Foxcroft, and Luke Astley a grocer of Preston. The whole, possibly known as the Sugarhouse Company, being divided equally into six shares. In 1769, Lawson, Rawlinson and Hargreaves bought out Birkett and Foxcroft, and in 1772 Rawlinson and Hargreaves bought the Astley share. From Lancaster Sugar Houses. |
(20) Edward Heysham Jr. (1702)
Edward, whose father was Edward Heysham, was christened on 29 March 1702 in Saint Mary, Lancaster. Edward was apprenticed to his uncle, Richard Heysham, a skinner.
"Richard Hoysham of Lancr Skinner . . . Edwd. Son of Edwd. Hoysham [sic] of Lancr Butcher . . . 15 March 1716" - from UK, Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures, 1710-1811
Edward Heysham married in 1726/27 per the International Genealogical Index, but I don't know to whom. He would have been about 24 years old.
I don't have a date for the following reference; I can only read a snippet.
"Robert Gornall, barber and Elizabeth Askew, spr., aged 24 years, both of Lancaster. Bndsman: Edwd. Heysham, junr. of Lancaster. At Lancaster. Witn: J. Fenton, John Brown." - from "Marriage Bonds for the Deaneries of Lonsdale, Kendal, Furnesss and . . ." by John BrownbillNote that Edward is denoted as junior, that is he was the son of Edward Heysham. J. Fenton was probably James Fenton, L.L.B., the Vicar of Lancaster from at least 1716 to his death in 1767. Note that Edward's sister, Ann, above, had J. Fenton as a witness to her wedding as well. A marriage bond was an intention to marry and the bondsman, usually a relative, stood as surety for the event. If an impediment was found the groom, through the bondsman, had to pay a penalty.
Edward was listed in the roll of Freemen of the borough.
"Heysham, Edward, of Lancaster, son of Edwd." - from "The Rolls of Freemen of the Borough of Lancaster 1688 to 1840"
"Edwd. Heysham," the son of "Edwd. Heysham, of Lancr.," died and was buried on 22 March 1728 in Lancashire. He would have been 26 years old. There was a typhus epidemic in Lancashire at this time and two of Edward's brothers also died, perhaps from the same cause. I don't know of any children.
(20) Richard Heysham (1704)Richard Heysham, the son of Edward, was christened on 12 March 1704 in Saint Mary, Lancaster - International Genealogical Index.
On 8 December 1719 Richd. Heysham, then 14 years old, became apprentice to Thos. Barrow.
"Thos. Barrow of Lancaster Mariner -- Richd. son of Edwd. Heysham of Lancr. Butcher"
I think that after his apprenticeship was over Richard moved to Liverpool, as so many other mariners began to do. On 26 August 1734 Richard Heysham, then 30, married Elizabeth Harrison.
"Richard Heysham of Liverpool, mariner and Elizabeth Harrison of Preston, single woman. Bndsmn.: John Harrison of Preston, gent. At p. church or chapel of Preston. Witn.: Saml. Peploe." - from "Marriage Bonds for the Deaneries of Lonsdale, Kendale, Furness and Copeland"John Harrison was probably Elizabeth's father.
Richard was a slaver, like his relations in London, Robert, Gyles and William Heysham, who became wealthy in the trade. I have a a couple of snippets for,
"Heysham, Capt. Richard" - from "Documents Illustrative of the History of the Slave Trade"of the WILLOUGHBY that was trading with Africa, apparently on behalf of Richard Morecroft. One of these is dated for 3 June 1737, when Richard was 33 years old. Morecroft was,
"deputy agent victualler for Barbados and the Leeward Islands; between March 1731 and June 1737 he also imported 3,214 slaves into the island. At his death in 1742, Morecroft was a wealthy man, reputedly worth upwards of L40,000 (currency) and well known in Liverpool as a leading West Indies slave dealer." - from "Slavery, Family, and Gentry Capitalism in the British Atlantic" by S.D. SmithI now have a list of references to the WILLOUGHBY in "The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade: A Database" by Ellis, et al.
"Willoughby (Capt: Heysham, Richard; Brig, Built in British plantations; 50 tons; 8 guns; Voyage: 1/12/1736 to 8/7/1737)These references seem to be to the same ship, having a varying load and armament and sailing from 1729 to 1739.
Willoughby (Capt: Heysham, Richard; Brig, Built in Great Britain; 60 tons; 12 guns; Voyage: 7/4/1738 to 9/18/1739)
Willoughby (Capt: Heysham, Richard; Brigantine, Built in British plantations; 60 tons; 6 guns; Voyage: 8/1/1733 to 8/8/1734)
Willoughby (Capt: Heysham, Richard; Brigantine, Built in Rhode Island, 1729; 50 tons)
Willoughby (Capt: Heysham, Richard; Brigantine, Built in Rhode Island, 1729; 50 tons; 10 guns)
Willoughby (Capt: Heysham, Richard; Ship, Built in British plantations; 50 tons; 6 guns; Voyage: 8/22/1734 to [?])"
Richard Heysham, of Liverpool, mariner, had his will proved in 1755 - from "List of the Wills Now Preserved in the Probate Registry, Chester, From the Year 1761 to 1780 Inclusive. List of "Infra" Wills (or Those in Which the Personalty Was Under L40) Now Preserved at The Probate Court, Chester. 1701-1720."
| Richard Heysham, Carpenter
I have a Richard Heysham who married in 1738/9. He was listed as a house carpenter, as was his son, below. I also have a Richd Heysham, house carpenter, who married Ann Whiteside on 8 October 1743 in Lancaster. This may be a different man or a second marriage. On 20 April 1752 "Richd. Heysham Lancaster Carpr." took Thos. Townley as an apprentice - from "UK Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices Indentures." Another reference, more difficult to decipher, is "Apr. 25 Richard Heysham, house carpenter, L." - from Publications of the Lancashire Parish Register Society. I think that may refer to his death. Richard Heysham of Lancaster, house carpenter, had his will probated on 7 June 1780 - from "A List of Lancashire WIlls, Proved Within the Archdeaconry of Richmond."
His children were,
Edward, the son of Richard, was born on 11 November 1740 and baptized on 25 November 1740 at St. Nicholas church, Liverpool, Lancashire. Edward died on 25 April 1741.  (21) William Heysham (1742) William, the son of Richard Heysham, was born on 15 February 1742 and baptized on 16 March 1742 at St. Nicholas church, Liverpool, Lancashire. The following is confusing, but I don't know where else to put it. This was a William, son of Richard, a house carpenter, but of Lancaster, not Liverpool. "Heysham, William, son of Richd., of Lancaster, house carpenter . . ." William, son of Richard, was married in 1766/7 in Lancaster. He seems a trifle young for that. He was listed as a house carpenter.(21) Elizabeth Heysham (1743) Elizabeth, the daughter of Richard Heysham, was born on 25 September 1743 and baptized on 20 October 1743 at St. Nicholas church, Liverpool, Lancashire. |
John Heysham, whose father was Edward, was christened on 2 February 1707 in Saint Mary, Lancaster - International Genealogical Index. He may have died and was buried on 20 September 1723 in Lancaster. Alternatively I have a John Heysham, butcher, who married in 1729-30.
(20) Thomas Heysham (1709)Thomas, son of Edwd Heysham of Lancaster, was christened on 2 October 1709 in Saint Mary, Lancaster - International Genealogical Index/Lancashire Parish Register of Baptisms. "Tho: s. of Edwd HeyshamL: 15 May 1710" - from the Lancashire Parish Register of Burials.
(20) Gyles Heysham (1710)Gyles Heysham, whose father was Edward, was christened on 10 December 1710 in Saint Mary, Lancaster - International Genealogical Index.
(20) Christopher Heysham (1713)Christopher Heysham, whose father was Edward, was baptized on 7 June 1713 in Lancaster - International Genealogical Index. He died and was buried on 17 June 1718.
(20) Grace Heysham (1717)She would have been the first child of Alice Topham. Grace Heysham, the daughter of Edward, was baptized on 14 July 1717 in Lancaster. She died and was buried on 31 July 1717 - International Genealogical Index.
(20) Christopher Heysham (1718)Christopher Heysham, the son of Edward, was baptized on 27 July 1718 in Lancaster - International Genealogical Index. Christopher Heysham married Mary Hunter on 22 January 1737 at Walton On the Hill, Lancashire.
Eliza., the daughter of Christopher Heysham, was born on 29 May 1740 and baptized on 10 June 1740 at St. Peter church, Liverpool.
(20) Ellen Heysham (1720)Ellen Heysham, the daughter of Edward, was baptized on 27 November 1720 in Lancaster - International Genealogical Index.
(20) James Heysham (1722)James Heysham, the son of Edward, was baptized on 7 October 1722 in Lancaster - International Genealogical Index.
(20) Joshua Heysham (1725)Joshua Heysham, the son of Edward, was baptized on 25 July 1725 in Lancaster - International Genealogical Index.
(20) Elizabeth Heysham (1730)Elizabeth Heysham, the daughter of Edward, was baptized on 28 June 1730 in Lancaster - International Genealogical Index.
An Elizabeth Heysham married James Barrow on 11 September 1746 at St. Nicholas church, Liverpool. She seems a bit young here, just 16 and a half, but perhaps there was a bit of confusion between Julian and Gregorian dates in order to give her another year. Note that a number of the family had moved to Liverpool by this time. Also, I don't have any other Elizabeth who fits any better, or even as well.
James Barrow of Liverpool was a merchant ship's captain, like so many of Elizabeth's relatives. On 30 October 1752 a list of ships operating out of Liverpool harbor, and their present commanders, was assembled. It included the names James Barrow, commanding the HAPPY, and Giles Heysham commanding the ELIZABETH. While I don't have any records to substantiate this, that may indicate that Elizabeth could be the daughter of William Heysham, Edward's younger brother, and therefore the sister of Gyles Heysham; both branches of the family were in the city - including William's other sons, Robert and Richard.
On 26 February 1757 James and John Barrow granted a deed to create a Quaker burial ground in Swarthmore to Joseph Goad, John Fell and five other Quakers. - from "Transactions of the Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaelogical . . ." I don't know that this was the same Barrow. Note that in the previous generation an Elizabeth Heysham married a Jeremiah Fell, "12 February 1711 Jeremiah Fell, junr & Elizabeth Heysham" married at St. Mary, Lancaster. Charles Rigby appears to have transferred a deed for property in Nether Kellet to Jeremiah Fell on 26 November 1716. I haven't been able to find a young Elizabeth yet, born 1680-1690, to be Jeremiah's wife. Edward son of Jeremiah Fell of Lancaster was born on 8 February 1684 at St. Mary, Lancaster. A son John was born on 26 June 1687; a daughter Judity on 7 December 1690.
In 1769 "The Brigantine FANNY, Capt. Barrow, from Liverpool, arrived at Pensacola the 2d instant." - from "Citizens and Immigrants - South Carolina" by Mary Bondurant Warren.
Under Bankruptcies in "The London Magazine, Or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer" by Isaac Kimber,
1785. "William Crofdale and James Barrow, both now or late of Liverpool, merchants and partners.""Crofdale, Barrow and Co., Merchants, Pownall-street" were included in a directory of principal merchants in Lancashire - from "A Topographical Survey of the Counties of Stafford, Chester, and Lancashire" of 1787. The only Pownall street I find in Lancashire is in the town of Leigh, near Manchester. James, as well as a John and William Barrow, merchants, were also included as individuals; Crofdale was not. I have another reference to William Crofdale, of Liverpool, as a fuftian-manufacturer. I believe that is a textile.
James may have continued his sea-going ways as late as 1798 (though this sounds like a descendent):
"Fancy and ambition painted, at the termination of a West Indian voyage, new forms of pleasure and of gain; and I embarked with delight on board the COMET, Captain Barrow, at Liverpool, on the 25th December, 1798. For many days after we left the Mersey I was much troubled by sea-sickness." - from "A Voyage to Demerary" by Henry Bolingbroke and Vincent Roth(19) Jane Heighsam (1665)
"Jane Heighsam fa. of John of Lanc: . . . [was baptized on] 11 October 1665," at Saint Mary, Lancaster. She died just 18 years later. "Jane d. of John Heighsome of Lancr . . . [was buried on] 9 June 1683," at Saint Mary, Lancaster - from Lancashire Parish Registers in "Lancashire Parish Register Society."
(19) Ann Heesham (1667)"Anne Heesham fa. John of Lanc: . . . 13 Janaury 1667," baptized at St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England.
I have an Anne Heysham, daughter of a John Heysham of Lancaster, who married Thomas Mackerall on 28 January 1693, in St. Marys, Lancaster - from the LDS database.
"Anne HeyshamThomas was the son of Robert and Alise Mackerell. Anne and Thomas had a son, William, born circa 1697.
Daughter of John. Christened 13 January 1667 St. Mary, Lancaster. Married Thomas Mackerell, the son of Robert and Alise Macherell. Buried 21 September 1751 St Mary, Lancaster. Her child was William Mackerell, born circa 1697. Did Anne also marry John Thorton, husbandman of Oxcliffe (535)?"
The Mackerall's [Mackerell, Macerell, Mackrell, Macharell, Machell] were an old merchant family Lancaster. A "Mr. Thomas Mackerall" was listed in 1683 as one of "24 Gent. of the Parish of Lancaster representative of ye Parish." - from "Remains, Historical and Literary, Connected with the Palantine Counties of Lancaster . . ." The association of the family's continued. Ann's brother, William, had a son, Christopher, whose daughter, Jane, married James Machell in 1775 in Lancaster.
Second Ann married John Thornton, a husbandman at Aldcliffe. Note that the Thorntons and Heyshams intermarried a number of times during this period. She was buried on 21 September 1751 at St. Mary's church, Lancaster.
(19) Margritt Heesham (1668)"Margritt Heesham fa. John of Lanc: . . . 6 September 1668," baptized at St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. "Lenard Jackson & Margret Heeshem, both of Lancaster by Lycenc: . . . 30 November 1690," married at St. Mary, Lancaster. Her elder brother, Edward, married just 8 days prior.
(19) Ellen Heesham (1672)"Ellen Heesham fa. John of Lanc: . . . 17 March 1672," baptized at St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England.
(19) Robert Hesam (1673)"Robart, f. John Hesam of this Towne [Lancaster] . . . 28 September 1673." - from Baptisms, "Lancaster Parish Registers." He may have married in about 1687/8 in Lancaster. More likely 1699/1700 based on his chidren's ages.
The following may be our Robert.
14 April 1703. "John Anyon as tidesman and porter at Lancaster loco [in place of] Robert Heysom dismissed. " - from "Calendar of Treasury Books"A tidesman, or tide-waiter, was a customs house officer who went onboard of merchant ship to secure payment of the duties. As a government job, with secure pay, it was a living that would have required political connections to attain. Robert's cousins, Robert and William Heysham, vastly wealthy merchants and Members of Parliament, had secured a similar job in the customs house for their brother-in-law, Robert Carter, as a land-waiter.
There was a Robert Hysham whose son, Jonathan, was born on 16 January 1704 and christened the next day at St. Nicholas, Liverpool, Lancashire. He died on 16 June 1704. Could our Robert have moved to Liverool?
There was a Robert Heysham who was an usher, or assistant school master, at the Lancaster Royal Grammar school from 1714 to 1717.
"Lancaster SchoolTwo teachers were employed during this period, one teaching elements of the old Latin Trivium, Greek & Latin, Rhetoric and Logic, and the other teaching Mathematics. A salary of about 20 pounds a year, or half of what the schoolmaster made, was included with this post.
. . .
Ushers
. . .
12 Aug., 1714. Robert Heysham.
19th Dec. 1717. Francis Ashton." - from "Remains, Historical and Literary . . . "
"Anno 1472, a Grammar School [was] Founded here by John Gardniner . . . The School-house was rebuilt in 1684 . . . The Sal.[ary] of [the] Under Master is 15l p.[er] an.[num;] 10l p.[er] an.[num] of wch is paid out of some houses in London, and 5l p.[er] an.[num is [the] Int.[erest] of money given by Mr. Heysham, and paid by ye Town." - from "Notitia Cestriensis" by Francis Gastrell and F.R. RainesWhile clearly not a highly paid position, it was a job for an educated man and I think appropriate to the son of a merchant gentleman. Would a school teacher have been given the title esquire?
In the year 1700 Giles Heysham, merchant, had provided L100 to fund the usher's pay. This was probably Robert's cousin, the merchant of London and brother to Robert & William Heysham, who died in 1703.
| Lancaster Grammar School
The school was endowed by John Gardyner, the mayor of Lancaster, as a "free school" in 1472. It subsequently entered a wide class of boys, including the sons of millers as well as gentlemen. The school was rebuilt in 1681. The headstone of the door, bearing the date 1682, now lies in the grounds of the present school [on East road]". - from "The Victoria History of Lancaster"Today it is a selective school of 900 boys (including 190 boarders) aged 11 - 18. In 2017 it entered its first class including girls. |
Or, Robert could be "Robert Heysham Mariner," of Lancaster whose will was probated on 18 May 1728 - from the Archdeaconry of Richmond. That man could fit as the Robert Hysham who had a son, Jon. Hysham, who was born on 16 January 1704 and christened the next day at St. Nicholas, Liverpool, Lancashire. Jon died on 16 June 1704. Liverpool was a mariner's town, then overtaking Lancaster as a commercial hub. Robert's brother, William, had a many sons, most of who were mariners. One of them, Robert, a merchant/ship's captain, moved to Liverpool, but that would have been around 1740.
(20) Ellen Heysham (1701)Ellen Heysham, the daughter of Robert, was christened on 16 March 1701 in Saint Mary, Lancaster.
(19) William Hesam (1674)
"Fo. [folio] 214a . . .
William f. John Hesam of Lancaster . . . 25 December 1674" - from Baptisms in "The Registers of the Parsh Church of Lancaster: 1599-1690."
The reign of William and Mary, who had usurped the throne of Mary's father, James II, in 1688, was troubled by plots in favor of the exiled monarch. In 1696 William made a dramatic announcement before Parliament that a plot against his life had been discovered. Amongst other precautions, Parliament passed an act requiring all citizens to take an oath of loyalty to King William III. Below is the record of the oath taken by John and William Heysham of Lancashire.
"John TownsnWilliam Heeysam may be our William, who would have been 22 years old at the time. It wasn't his uncle Giles son. That William had been in Barbados since at least 1687 and did not return to England until after 1703.
John Heysham X
William Heeysam
Peter Pachett X
- from the "Lancashire Association Oath Rolls, A.D. 1696"
"Wm. Heysham of Lancr." married "Dorothy Postlethwaite of Skirton," on 11 June 1709 in Saint Mary church, Lancaster. This man was, without a doubt, the father of William Heysham of Philadelphia, below, whose own son had the middle name Postelthwaite. Dorothy may be the daughter of Thomas Postlethwaite of Skerton. She was born in Skerton and christened on 31 August 1684 in Saint Mary church, Lancaster. William would have been 35 years old and Dorothy 25.
| The Postlethwaite's
(18) Thomas Postlethwaite (c1655) A Thomas Postlethwayte married Elizabeth Fell on 22 January 1677 in Pennington in Furness, Lancashire. I don't know if this was the right couple, but I think it is interesting that one of Thomas' heirs, Christopher Heysham had, for a second wife, a Jane Fell. Thomas Postelthwaite was buried on 21 December 1686. (19) Isabell Postelthwait (1676)(18) Thomas Postlethwaite (c1655) (19) Stephen Poselthwhait (1678) (18) Thomas Postlethwaite (c1655) (19) Thomas Postlethwait (1680) (18) Thomas Postlethwaite (c1655) "Thos: s. of Thos: Poslit of Scearton . . . 4 September 1680," baptized at St. Mary's, Lancaster. The Worshipful Thomas Postlethwaite, esquire, was mayor of Lancaster in 1738 and 1750. Richard Postlethwaite, a possible son, was mayor of Lancaster in 1799. (19) Dorothy Postlethwaite (1684)(18) Thomas Postlethwaite (c1655) Dorothy was christened on 31 August 1684 in Saint Mary, Lancaster, Lancashire. She was the daughter of Thomas Postlethwaite of Skerton. (19) John Postelthwaite (1687)(18) Thomas Postlethwaite (c1655) He was baptized on 20 February 1687 and was buried on 3 November 1687. (19) Ann Postelthwaite (1688)(18) Thomas Postlethwaite (c1655) "Ann d. of Tho: Poslit of Skearton . . . 21 October 1688," baptized. |
In the baptism of William's son, William Jr., he was referred to as a gentleman. William was also titled esquire, which, I think, is important because it marks him not only as the gentleman he was, but as the member of the most distinguished branch of the family and a descendent of the mayor of Lancaster.
| Esq. / Esquire
A title of respect normally used only in formal written correspondence. In the United States it is chiefly applied to lawyers, but in the United Kingdom it can be widely used as a courtesy title for a gentleman. An esquire is also a man belonging to the English gentry ranking directly below a knight. The word itself is derived from the Latin scutanus (shield bearer). Esquire used to mean a young man aspiring to the knighthood who would attend to a knight, carrying his shield and performing other duties. Today, we simply call such a man a squire. In an hierarchial society such as England, where a common man could rise only so far, such distinctions in rank were important, encapsulating as they did all the striving of a man and his family to rise to respectability. While the aristocracy might sniff at the difference between a common peddler and a gentleman merchant, for the man himself the distinction was central. He would be careful to include the title esquire or gentleman in all his correspondence and take offense when others left it off documents addressed to him. |
"Bdsm.: John Brown, of Lancaster, yeo. At Lancaster. Witn.: Willm. Heysham, Jas. Thompson." - from "Marriage Bonds for the Deaneries of Lonsdale, Kendal, Furness and Copeland."
William may have been a merchant and a ship-captain, as were his father and his sons.
In "1715 Wm. Heysham" was a churchwarden for Lancaster - from "Remains, Historical and Literary, Connected with the Palantine Counties of . . ." Edward and Richard Heysham, sons, like William, of John Heysham, had been Churchwardens in 1698 and 1710. John himself was Churchwarden in 1693.
William died and was buried on 21 March 1727 [or 24 March 1727]. He would have been 52 year old. Was this due to typhus that afflicted Lancashire in 1727-1728? This left Dorothy to raise a numerous family, aged 2 to 16 with another on the way. Note that William's youngest child, Benjamin, was noted at his christening to be William's posthumous son. I suspect Dorothy had the help of William's many siblings. I have a "Heysham, William, of Lancaster, A . . . Admon 1728" - from "Lancashire Wills in the Archdeaconry of Richmond."
Dorothy, the widow of Willm. Heysham, died and was buried on 11 February 1760 in Lancashire, England. She would have been 76 years old.
The following were the children of William Heysham. Note that if we discount the first Thomas, who died young, we are left with the nine sons of Lonsdale's biography.
(20) Edward Heysham (1711), who died young
(20) John Heysham (1712), who probably died young
(20) Ann Heysham (1713)
(20) Thomas Heysham (1715), who probably died young
(20) Robert Heysham (1717)
(20) Richard Heysham (1719)
(20) Thomas Heysham (1720)
(20) William Heysham (1721)
(20) Gyles Heysham (1722)
(20) Christopher Heysham (1724/5)
(20) Benjamin Heysham (1728), who died young
Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings
1727-1760 George II
The Seven Years War in Europe, called the French & Indian War in America. 1745 - Second Jacobite rebellion. James II's grandson, Charles Edward Stuart, known as the "Young Pretender" or "Bonnie Prince Charlie", leads an attempt to overthrow Protestant rule. In 1750 the population of England and Wales has grown to 6.5 million. |
| City of Lancaster
In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie, at the head of a rebel army, briefly occupied Lancaster during the Jacobite rebellion. The Vicarage was sacked. |
Edward Heysham, the son of William Heysham, was christened on 24 February 1711 (1710 in the old reckoning) in Saint Mary church, Lancaster. Edwd. Heysham, the son of Wm. Heysham, died and was buried on 24 February 1711 in Saint Mary's.
(20) John Heysham (1712)John Heysham, the son of William Heysham of Lancaster, was christened on 2 March 1712 in St. Mary's church, Lancaster, Lancashire, England.
(20) Ann Heysham (1713)Ann Heysham, the daughter of William Heysham of Lancaster, was christened on 11 October 1713 in St. Mary's church, Lancaster, Lancashire, England.
On "18 Apr 1734 William Goad, sailor and Ann Heysham, spr. both of Lanc. Bndsmn.: Thos. Gibson of Lanc. Cooper. At p. church, Lanc. Witn.: J. Fenton." - from the "Marriage Bonds" recorded in the Archdeaconry of Richmond.
William Goad of Lancaster was baptized at Aldingham on 2 March 1702. He was the son of William Goad, a ship carpenter from Furness, north of Lancaster.
"The Goad family of Furness was very numerous and one of the oldest in the district. The first local reference to the name is fund at Aldingham in 1390." - footnote from "The Household Account Book of Sarah Fell"Many of Goad family of Furness were early Quakers.
"Fell's Early Iron Industry in Furness has a tantalizing reference to 'William Goad, a Furness ship carpenter' employed in Scotland about 1728 . . .William Goad Sr. was also referred to as a "Master Boat-builder" and received a salary of 50s. a month while in Scotland. The Goad's also appear to have been partners with the Machell family of Liverpool, with whom the John Heysham family intermarried.
. . . was not unusual for the sons of William Goad to go to sea or be involved in trades connected with the sea. The names of James, William, John and Richard can all be found as masters of vessels in the shipping documents of their time . . .
. . . The will of James, the eldest son of William, was signed on 6 April 1751, and he was described as of Grange in the parish of Cartmel, mariner. 'Captain' James Goad was . . .
. . . the death of James Goad in 1751 had not yet caused the alteration of the register, as the law directed; the vessel is given as owned by 'Richard Goad and Co.', and the register date of 1746."
. . . In 1733 William Goad of Lancaster [our William], ship's carpenter, was a bondsman in the marriage of Thomas Gibson of Lancaster, cooper [who was bondsman to the Goad-Heysham marriage above]. In 1734 William swore a bond for his own [marriage] . . .
- from "Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire."
William Goad Jr. was a mariner, like his brothers and the men of his wife's family. "William Goad, of Lancaster, mariner" became one of the Freemen of the Borough of Lancaster on 21 January 1757. On 18 November 1760 John Russel of Lancaster, yeoman, and Jane his wife, sold "a dwelling house with the brewhouse upon St. John's Quay, Lancaster -- to be sold in order to pay debts of L80 to William Goad of Lancaster, mariner." - from British History Online. This reference is the only one I find to a St. John's Quay. The author's may have meant St. George's Quay.
Ann died and was buried at St. Mary, Lancaster on 25 December 1771. The only William Goad in the St. Mary burial ground was marked "died a lunatic," and was buried on 16 May 1778. No will or letters of adminstration have been found.
By the way, John Goad, Wiliam's younger brother and a captain in the West Indies trade, was one of the first to move his operations to the burgeoning port of Liverpool. In 1752 he took out his first share in a Liverpool slave ship, the FERRET. He took part in 45 ventures until his death in 1777. - from "Liverpool and Transatlantic Slavery" by David Richardson, Anthony Tibbles and Suzanne Schwarz.
(20) Thomas Heysham (1715)Thomas Heysham, the son of William Heysham of Lancaster, was christened on 3 July 1715 in St. Mary's church, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. He died before 1720, if we assume the Thomas Heysham (1720), below, is correct.
(20) Robert Heysham (1717)Robert, the son of William Heysham Sr. of Lancaster, was christened on 14 April 1717 in St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. I suspect just as William's sons Thomas, William and Christopher became mariners and moved, first, to Hull, and then on to New York, Robert and Richard, below, also became mariners and moved south to the increasingly more prosperous port of Liverpool. Note that Liverpool overtook Lancaster as the chief port of northwestern England around this time as Lancaster silted up. Robert's younger brother, Gyles, operated out of Liverpool while captain of the ELIZABETH, though I'm under the impression that he lived in Lancaster.
Robert Heysham, of Liverpool, intended marriage with Margarett Brittain, spinster, of Liverpool, on 17 April 1745 - from the "England, Cheshire, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, 1606-1900" database at familysearch.org.
Robert may have died soon after, in 1748; see the citation of 1785, below.
However, Robert Heysham was in the Gore Liverpool Directory of 1766 as "Heysham, Robert, coal merchant, Old Churchyard." The 1773 Gore Directory of Liverpool lists him as, "Heysham, Robert, merchant, Old Church Yard." This might be for the Robert Heysham, born circa 1746, below, but I already have a will for him dated 1792.
Robert Heysham of Liverpool was a mariner whose will was proved in 1773 - from "List of the Wills Now Preserved in the Probate Registry, Chester, From the Year 1761 to 1780 Inclusive. List of "Infra" Wills (or Those in Which the Personalty Was Under L40) Now Preserved at The Probate Court, Chester. 1701-1720."
Margaret, widow of Robert Heysham, died after 1788.
c1785. "Further sales of property in Tower Gardens were made by the Rev. John Clayton to Margaret, widow of Robert Heysham (died in 1748), and to Thomas Staniforth, merchant." - from "Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire"Tower Gardens were part of the Tower of Liverpool, a fortified house originally belonging to the Stanley family. It stood on the bank of the Mersey river on Water street. In the drawing to the right it is on the left side of the scene. The customs house is in the center with the castle in the background. In the 18th century the tower was bought by the town and turned into a prison. It was pulled down in 1819. The gardens were on the north and east sides of the Tower. The parenthetical, (died in 1748), was in the original document.
I haven't found any documentation of children for Robert and Margaret, but the following would fit well.
(21) Robert Heysham Jr. (c1746)This Robert Heysham of Liverpool, probably the son of Robert, was also a mariner. His will was proved in 1782 [sic] - from "List of the Wills Now Preserved in the Probate Registry, Chester. From the Year 1791 to 1800 Inclusive." However, there is also a "Heysham, Robert, of Liverpool, mariner" whose will was "admon." in 1792. Based on the title of the document above, I think the typo was for 1782, with the correct date being 1792.
An Anne Heysham, who was perhaps Robert Jr.'s wife, died in 1801 - from "Part 1 Monumental Inscriptions. Holford v. Holford Re Holford Estates (S.C.P., Henry 8th, Bundle 21, No. 40; and Bundles 24, No. 337, and 26, No. 82)," Cheshire, England. A Richard Yerwood, gent, is mentioned in connection with this monument.
| Holford Estate
The Holford family estate in Gloucestershire, is located south of Cheshire. It was bequethed to the state in lieu of death duties, and included an extensive arboretum founded by Captain Robert Holford in 1828. |
Peter Heysham, no parent's names given, was baptized on 14 April 1803 at St. Peter's church, Liverpool. He was 13 years old at the time.
(20) Richard Heysham (1719)Richard, the son of William Heysham of Lancaster, was christened on 1 March 1719 in St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England.
(21) Betty Heysham (1744)She was baptized on 9 September 1744 in Lancaster.
(21) Ann & Dorothy Heysham (1746)Two daughters of Richard baptized on 4 August 1746. Dorothy died and was buried on 21 November 1747 in Lancaster. I don't know what became of Ann.
(21) William Heysham (1752)William, the son of Richard Heysham, was christened on 14 June 1752 in St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England.
From the records of the Archdeanery of Richmond is the name William Heysham associated with the date 30 January 1796. I assume that was the date of the probate of his will.
PROBATE RECORDS(20) Thomas Heysham (1720)
Archdeaconry of Richmond
Wills, Inventories, Administration and Tuition Bonds
Full Record WRW/R117a/32 WILLIAM HEYSHAM, YEOMAN Item 30 JAN 1796
Thomas Heysham, the son of William, was christened on 27 March 1720 in Saint Mary, Lancaster. He emigrated to America with his brothers, William & Christopher, in the 1740's. See "The William Heysham Line" for more information.
(20) William Heysham (1721)"Willm. son of Willm. Heysham of Lancr, gent." was christened on 26 February 1721 (1720) in Saint Mary, Lancaster. He emigrated to America with his brothers, Thomas & Christopher, in the 1740's. See "The William Heysham Line" for more information.
(20) Gyles Heysham (1722)Or Giles. "Gyles son of Willm. Heysham senr. of Lancr" was christened on 25 March 1722 in St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. Documents referenced below indicate that he was 65 years old at his death in 1787, confirming his birth in about 1722.
A mariner and a merchant, like his brothers, he "shared in the prosperity that attended Lancaster in her extensive sugar trade and other commercial relations." Lonsdale's biography of his son said of him that "like other men of bold enterprise, he was not uniformly successful in his commercial undertakings." Does this imply a bankruptcy? His lack of success may have spurred his son John into medicine vice trade.
I have a reference for a Guy Heysham which I think may be for Giles.
"Bill of exchange - Guy Heysham on Richard Birkett & Company for William Fry, Cape Fear, April 17, 1744, p. 220." - from "Public Notary and Land Records" of Rhode IslandGiles, however, appears somewhat young at 22. However, I have no other guess at who Guy might be. Was Rickard Birkett related to Myles and James Birket who owned an interest in Giles' later ships? Cape Fear is in North Carolina. The nearby town of Wilmington was a major port in its day.
Giles Heysham commanded the merchant ship LARK. He lost it to privateers, perhaps in December 1746, or as late as April 1747 depending on the source.
"Ships taken by the French and Spaniards, December 1746Another source, "The History of Antigua," says this was April 1747. Martinico, or Martinique, is an island in the Caribbean, a colony of France at the time.
1747
. . .
April. . . The Lark, Heysham, from Lancaster for Antigua, car. [carried] into Martinico." - from "The Gentleman's Magazine" for 1746, Volume XVI.
"Captures, &c. by the French and SpanishThe citation below may be a new commission to replace the LARK, using the same name, or the owners obtained the release of the ship that had been carried into Martinique.
. . .
The Elizabeth, Shepherd, from Cork, the Mary and Sarah, Atwell, from North Carolina, the James, Kite, from New England, and the Lark, Heysham, from Lancaster, all four for Antigua, carried into Martinico." - from "The Scots Magazine" volume 8 by James Boswell
1747. "July 6; Vessel: Snow Lark; Master: Giles Heysham; Owners: Giles Heysham/Miles Berket/Abraham Rollinson [Rawlinson]/all of Lancaster, Great Britain; Where built: Philadelphia; Tons: 70" - from "Ship Registers for the Port of Philadelphia, 1726-1775" in "The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography"A snow is a type of brig. Note that Myles Birket and Abraham Rawlinson were also part owners of Giles' later ship, ELIZABETH, below.
| Shipbuilding in Philadelphia
As early as 1676 James West had a ship-building yard in Philadelphia at the foot of Vine street, next to the public landing. This was in the Northern Liberties, beyond the city limit. James' son, Charles, inherited the yard and achieved renown as a shipwright in the construction of vessels weighing around 150 tons - from "The Buried Past" by John L. Cotter, Daniel G. Roberts and Michael Parrington. |
The following are records of voyages taken by Captain Heysham in the LARK in 1747 and 1748.
"Antigua--------------------Arrived fromI haven't found either Loughenball or Lough-bearn, but they sound vaguely Scottish.
3 May. Hap, Grieve, Chapman London
Who parted from the Fleet four
Days after they came out
Lark, Heysham Lancaster"
"Loughenball----------------arrived from
Lark, Heysham Virginia"
"Lough-bearn---------------arrived from
Lark, Heysham Antigua"
- from "Lloyd's List" of 1747 & 1748
The following reference is from America early in 1747:
"1747 [First month] . . . 30th. A Lovely day. Waited upon the Governor* in the morning with a Register for our new Snow Prince William, wth he readily sign'd, & wish'd us Good Success with her. Then I went to my plantation. In the afternnon saw Comp go to Sam Parr's, so I walk'd over to see them, & after drinking Tea there, they came & spent some time with me, vis. Jn Kinsey, Jacob Giles, Is Pemberton, Junr, Capt Heysham, & I. Greenleafe" - from "Hannah Logan's Courtship, A True Narrative: The Wooing of the Daughter of James Logan, Colonial . . ." by John Smith.Hannah Logan was the daughter of James Logan. I assume this is Captain Giles Heysham from his association with Israel Pemberton, who you'll meet below.
| Israel Pemberton
Israel Pemberton Sr. (1684) An extremely successful merchant and leader of Philadelphia. Like his father he was president of the Legislature and Presiding Officer of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends. He was dubbed 'King of the Quakers.' Israel's sons, Israel Pemberton Jr., James Pemberton and John Pemberton carried on in Israel's footsteps and played prominent roles in Philadelphia. Israel Jr. and James were among the merchants who were negotiating with the liberal members of Parliament associated with Edmund Burke, trying to preserve peace and head off the American Revolution in the period 1770-1775. When the time for revolution came Israel Pemberton Jr. (1715-1779) was a patriot and printed a remonstrance demanding freedom for the people. Many of Israel's letters are available, mainly dealing with the question of peacedul relations with the Indians, but none dealing with Giles Heysham. |
 A Snow
Pronounced snoo or snaw, and often rendered as snow-brig. The largest of the two-masted ships in the 18th century, the Snow was known for being 'extremely convenient for navigation' (Culver 1935: 235). The sails and rigging on its two masts are similar to those of the main and fore-masts of a ship-rigged (three-masted) vessel. However, unlike a Brig, a third, smaller mast was stepped onto the deck and held a trysail (similar to a mizzen sail on a ship-rigged vessel). The Snow was very similar in rigging to the Brig, and some vessels (known as hermaphrodites) could be changed from Brig to Snow and vice-versa with minor modifications. |
From The Philadelphia Gazette of 30 April 1747,
"For Liverpool directly, The Snow JANE, Giles Heysham, Commander; Will sail about the first of July. For Freight or Passage apply with Israel Pemberton, junior, or the said Commander."Giles operated out of Liverpool, like his brothers, Robert and Richard, while Thomas, though based in New York City, had his English terminus at Newcastle. Christopher, likewise, centered his voyages out of New York on Dublin. William appears to have been in the coastal trade between New York, and later Philadelphia, and the West Indies. Note also, it is probable that Israel Pemberton, a rich Philadelphia merchant, owned the JANE and that Giles skippered her. Note also that both Giles and Christopher lived in Lancaster, but sailed out of Liverpool and Dublin, respectively. This scenario reminds me of "dead-heading" by airlines pilots in which they fly the airlines, sometimes for great distances, just to get to their embarkation points.
Giles Heysham married Ann Cummings, daughter of a well-to-do yeoman or statesman [estate-owning man], at Burton In Kendal, Westmorland. Another reference indicates this may be Anne Commins, whom a Giles Heysham, mariner, married on 7 February 1753 in Burton in Kendal (which is in Westmorland). I also have a reference, in the Freemen of the Borough of Lancaster, to a Giles Heysham of Lancaster, mariner, who married in 1752/3. This fits because his first child was born in 1753 and the last one I know of in 1764. A comment is made in the Dr. Heysham biography about the doctor inheriting his father's handsome personality and perseverance, and his mother's thrift. Does this again imply that Giles was not thrifty, i.e. a bankrupt?
The following is a 1750 listing for Giles Heysham commanding the snow ELIZABETH. It is from a list of every vessel that cleared customs at Annapolis between 1748 and 1775.
"Vessel: Elizabeth, Rig: Snow, Tonnage: 60, Stern: Lute, Built: New York, 1750, Documented: New York, 22 Dec, 1750, Master: Giles Heysham, Owners: Giles Heysham" - from "Shipping in the Port of Annapolis 1748-1775" by Vaughan W. Brown
A lute stern has a transom stern having an open after extension. This is created to help break up seas coming from astern. Lute appears to mean curved, as this stern is, bending back over the water. See at right.
In the pages on the family in America there are several references to ships captained by a Geyles Heysham arriving in port. Considering the connection between Dr. John Heysham of Carlisle and Robert Heysham of Philadelphia, discussed later, it makes sense that a connection within the family remained. As a seafaring family they would have had an easier task than most in keeping the trans-Atlantic connection open. Note also that Giles and his brothers Thomas, William & Christopher had all been born in close proximity, between 1720 and 1724, and, losing their father in 1727, would have been forced to rely greatly on each other very early in life.
James Birket, the younger brother of Miles Birket of Lancaster, made a trip to North American in 1750-1751 and kept a diary. From his commentary he was a merchant ship's captain of Antigua. He appears to have been in frequent communications with the merchants of the Northern Colonies and perhaps acted as a correspondent or factor for them in their dealings with Antigua. He began his voyage on 26 July 1750 from St. John's Harbor, Antigua. He came ashore in New Hampshire and traveled overland to New York City. From there he returned to Antigua on 3 April 1751.
"16 October 1750. "I dined with John Fell [the name Fell comes up three times on this page], & Supp'd w'th T: Heysham."Birket was in New York City. After visiting Long Island, he returned to Manhattan.
24 October 1750. He "Dined at Thomas Heyshams."
29 October 1750. He "rode out to Harlem and Several other Country Seats in the Neighborhood along with John Fell Samuel Burling Giles Heysham . . . "This must be Giles Heysham, ship's captain of Lancaster, England, visiting his brother.
16 March 1751. "This morning took leave of my friends in N York (viz) Wm Coventry Is: Latouch Jos. Haynes Nat. Marsten Ra Hilton Tho: Duncan, Ia Burling, Sam Burling John Hell &C &Ca Had a Bowl of Hot Arrack and went Immediately aboard the Snow Elizabeth Giles Heysham. On Board the Eliz'a Giles Heysham Mas't for Antigua w'th John Willett Esq Cha's Duncan And my Self Passengers Also Yorkshire & the Two Horses, Wind N W And a fine gale We turn'd off our fast from the Wharfe at 10 o'Clock A.M. and at One o'Clock we Passed by Sandy hook." - from "Some Cursory Remarks Made by James Birket in His Voyages to North America, 1750-1751" by James Birket.The ELIZABETH entered harbor at Antigua on 3 April 1751. Giles Heysham was listed as the Master of the ELIZABETH, of Liverpool - from "Liverpool as it was During the Last Quarter of the Eighteenth Century: 1775 to 1800" by Richard Brooke. Did Giles skipper the ELIZABETH from 1751 to, at least, 1775?
The ELIZABETH was owned, in part, by "Myles Birket, a Quaker merchant, freeman of Lancaster, 1724-25, . . . and in 1757 owned a share in a vessel with Capt. Giles Heysham and Abraham and Hutton Rawlinson. His younger brother James Birket was a merchant of Antigua."
"Snow Elizabeth, Giles Heysham, from Lancastger. Gazette, Dec. 25, 1755. Capt. Giles Heysham (1722-1787) became a freeman of Lancaster in 1752-1753 as a mariner. He was master and part owner (with Myles Birket and Abraham and Hutton Rawlinson) of the Elizabeth which made several voyages to South Carolina in the 1750's."- from the "Papers of Henry Laurens" by Henry Laurens.
Below is a snow-rigged brig with a lute stern, like the ELIZABETH. It is a Swedish vessel, the TROFAST, or FAITHFUL.
"Liverpool
Elizabeth, Heysham [arrived from] Virginia" - from Lloyd's List, 7 October 1757
The following, drawn from the Virginia archives, probably also refers to Giles Heysham.
Admiralty Miscellanea, Registers of 1755 - 1758
Registers of Protections from being pressed, Coasting trade, 1755-1758
"Heysham, _____ -- master of ship: ELIZABETH" 17 March 1757, SR 05659, p. 4).
| Impressment
The British practice of manning naval ships with "pressed" men who were forcibly placed into service was a common one in English history dating back to medieval times. Some individuals, however, were protected from the press, including seamen and others associated with maritime trade who were considered essential to the economic well-being of the empire. Simply identifying oneself as a member of a protected segment of British society was, however, not enough to guarantee one's freedom. Each "protected man" was required to carry with him a document called a protection that identified him and his trade. If he could not produce his protection on demand by the press gang, he could be pressed without further question.  |
The following, from the "Papers of Henry Laurens," recounts a voyage by Giles Heysham in the ELIZABETH from Charleston, South Carolina to Lisbon, Portugal. Henry Laurens was a Charleston merchant, the junior member of the partnership with George Austin.
"[Charles Town] 22nd December 1755From two other footnotes, "Myles Birket, a Quaker merchant, freeman of Lancaster, . . His younger brother James Birket was a merchant of Antigua." "Abraham Rawlinson (1709-1780) and Thomas Hutton Rawlinson (1712-1769) [also Quakers] were brothers and the most important Lancaster merchants from 1740 to their deaths. Each had a son sit in Parliament."
. . . [P.S.] Capt. Heysham is just now arriv'd in six weeks from your City [Charleston, South Carolina] by whom we have the pleasure of hearing of the welfare of our friends there."
Footnote:
"Snow Elizabeth, Giles Heysham, from Lancaster. Gazette, Dec. 25, 1755. Capt. Giles Heysham (1722-1787) became a freeman of Lancaster in 1752-1753 as a mariner. He was master and part owner (with Myles Birket and Abraham and Hutton Rawlinson) of the Elizabeth which made several voyages to South Carolina in the 1750's. He was elected port commissioner of Lancaster, 1773-1776, 1779-1780, and ended his career as "merchant" and "gentleman." Schofield, "Lancaster Notes.""
"To Thomas HindeAlso,
[Charles Town] 23rd December 1755
Sir,
"Your kind favour of the 4th November per Capt. Heysham reach'd us yesterday & agreeable to your directions we will meet Capt. Sandys with Letters at Antigua with our candid opinion what we judge a Cargo of Slaves may produce at this Market."
"To Myles BirketRice was the major export of South Carolina at this time.
[Charles Town] 23rd December 1755
Sir,
"Your favour of the 7th Ulto. was handed to us yesterday per Capt. Heysham in your Snow Elizabeth who has had a short & fine passage. We shall agreeable to your directions get the best Freight for her we possibly can for Lisbon or Holland, & that with all dispatch."
"To Myles Birket
[Charles Town] 12th January 1756
Sir,
"We have already advis'd your & Messrs. Rawlinsons by four differ[ent] Vessells of the safe arrival of your Snow the Elizabeth, Capt. Heysham, with us. [We] have been doing what we could to procure for her the best Freight & could get none to offer us more than L4 till two days ago Mr. Mayne was prevail'd upon to give L4.10/ for 350 Barrels for Lisbon & to have it on board in three Weeks which we have accepted of. Capt. Heysham purposes to ship 50 Barrels & we the remainder on your Accounts if it shall not be practible to get it on Freight for which our best endeavours shall be used, but least we should fail it might be prudent to insure 100 Barrels valued as 30/ per Ct., the price now given, the Premium to be return'd if we get it on Freight. Our People have no spirits to do any thing from the present uncertain situation of Affairs. If advice should reach us of War being declar'd Freight must undoubtedly rise but on the other hand if matters should be accomodated as surely fall, therefore being urged by Capt. Heysham to get the Vessell away with dispatch we were induced to agree & one motive to it was that several other Vessells would gladly accept the same offer & more Ships drop in upon us daily. We hope the Elizabeth may get away in less than three Weeks, which we mention as a government to you to meet her with orders, Who are most respectfully--"
"To Miles BirketOn 1 November 1755 Lisbon famously suffered a catastrophic earthquake. Its loss as a market was as ruinous as Henry Laurens imagined. Oporto/Porto is another port city in Portugal, and where the fortified wine, port, originally came from.
[Charles Town] 11 February 1756.
Sir"Our last trouble was under the 26th Ulto., a Copy of which we shall give you at foot thereof. We thought it necessary to give you repeated Copys of that Letter as Capt. Heysham told us he should write you by several opportunitys to the same effect.
Capt. Heysham is now under Sail with a fair Wind bound to the place, if reports be true, where Lisbon once stood. Should that City be destroy'd as is represented we are of opinion there will be very little demand for Rice & there is a great deal gone for the Market already, a good deal gone & going for Oporto. Now we immagine Capt. Heysham may be order'd for some other port of discharge & we think it most likely Cowes will be that place, presuming the early Vessells that went for Lisbon would all go round for Porto untill they become so clog'd with it that the Market must be quite ruin'd, for the Rice that is carry'd in there cannot be reship'd without leaving the full dutys . . . Inclos'd please to receive Capt. Heyshams Receipt for moneys disbus'd being L76.2.4. Currency . . . "
| The Lisbon Earthquake
The epicenter of the quake was 200 miles west of the city and is estimated to have registered 9 on the Richter scale. Survivors, who congregated in the open space of the dockyards around the harbor, were subsequently engulfed in the resultant tsunami that struck 40 minutes after the quake. Fires raged in those parts of the city not engulfed by the tidal waves. |
"To Giles HeyshamThe Seven Years War or the French & Indian War as it is known in America, ran from 1756 to 1763.
[Charles Town] 17th August 1756
Sir
We were duly faviour'd with your acceptable Letter of the 31st of March from Lisbon. We dare Say that Once Superb City Lay in a more Shocking Condition than pen could well describe. Many must be the unhappy Sufferers amongst the English, that were reduced from very Easy Circumstances to a State worse than nothing . . . We Ourselves had Extream good fortune in that unhappy Catastrophy that a Cargo of Rice was Saved without the loss of One Barrel in which we were One third Concern'd . . . The Account of War being declar'd reach'd us so Early as the 2d of last month but the Pacquet [Packet] has not yet reach'd our Governor to enable him to Publish it here . . . Your Brother [William Heysham] the Other day had the misfortune to Loose his Vessel Loaden with Logwood on the Coast of Florida. He & his People came here in the boat and we prevail'd on a Capt. of a Guinea Man tho with great difficulty to Carry them to Rhode Island for which they have Sail'd upwards of a month . . . Be pleas'd to make Our Compliments to Messrs. Rawlinson & Mr. Birket and inform them with any thing that may be usefull in this Letter . . ."
There are 25 listings for the name Heysham in the South Carolina Gazette newspaper for publication years 1732 through 1775, the Gazette of South Carolina for publication years 1777 thru 1780, and the South Carolina & American General Gazette for publication years 1764 thru 1767. I imagine these listings, unseen by me, are each the notice of the arrival of a ship in Charleston harbor captained by a man named Heysham, probably Giles.
"He [Giles Heysham] was elected port commissioner of Lancaster, 1773-1776, 1779-1780, and ended his career as "merchant" and "gentleman." Schofield, "Lancaster Notes."" - from the "Papers of Henry Laurens."
Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings
1760-1820 George III
The American & French Revolutions. Napoleanic Wars. During the King's fits of madness the Prince of Wales ruled as Regent (the Regency period). Also Elector, later King, of Hanover. By 1800 the population of England and Wales had exploded to 16.3 million. |
The following also appears to fit here. From the UK Archives, Deeds in the village of Pilling:
- 13 February 1775 "Lease and Release: by way of a mortgage: for L250: Henry Whiteside of Lancaster, innkeeper to Giles Heysham of Lancaster, merchant: -- 1/3rd part of a messuage in Pilling with the Harr Close, The Parracke, the Field at Barnend (in two parts), the Acre, the Longpitts, the Croft, 6 small closes, the Great Moss Field, (in two parts), the Long Acre, the Lane from the House, the Barn Field with the road enclosed (21ac. 3r. 26p. in all) --: recites previous deeds. Witn. George Fletcher. Jno. Webster."
- 13/14 February 1784 "Lease and Release: for L262.10.0: to Giles Heysham and L78.10.0 to Robert & Richard Whiteside by George Dickinson: (i) G.H. [Giles Heysham] of Lancaster, merchant, (ii) Robert W. of the same, grocer and Richard W. of Pilling, yeoman (trustees and devisees of Henry W. of Lancaster, inn-keeper, dec'd.) (iii) G.D. of Pilling, inn-keeper: -- 1/3rd part of a messuage in Pilling with the Harr Close, The Parracke, the Field at Barnend (in two parts), the Acre, the Longpitts, the Croft, 6 small closes, the Great Moss Field, (in two parts), the Long Acre, the Lane from the House, the Barn Field with the road enclosed (21ac. 3r. 26p. in all), in settlement of a mortgage --: recites previous deeds & will of H.W. Witn. Edmd. Bryer, Jas. Tomlinson.
Giles Heysham of Lancaster, gent., died on 18 November 1787. His will was proved on 21 December 1787 - from the records of the Archdeanery of Richmond. Ann, widow of Giles Heysham, was buried in Lancashire on 19 June 1796 at the age of 74. The memorial tablet below says she died in 1801 (?).
At St. Mary's is a memorial tablet to Giles:
"In memory of Giles Heysham of Lancaster who died in 1787 aged 65 years; and of Anne his Wife who died 15th June 1801 aged 79 years, also of the following, their Issue. John Heysham M.D. who died at Carlisle 23rd. March 1834 aged 81 Years. Dorothy Heysham who died at Carlisle 15th June 1837 aged 79 Years. Mary Wife of Thos. Milne of Manchester who died 24th Feb. 1805 aged 40 years." - from "Remains, Historical and Literary, Connected with the Palantine Counties of Lancaster and Cheshire" by the Chetham SocietyNote that two presumed children of Giles and Anne Heysham, William and Thomas, were not listed. That would make sense for William since, based on the paucity of subsequent citations, he probably died young. However, Thomas, "son of Gyles [of Lancaster], merchant," appears to have married circa 1785.
This part of the family did not emigrate to America, but, in the 1800's some members removed to India. The first went as part of the British Army, but later family members where employed in the Civil Service. The children of Giles Heysham were,
(21) Dr. John Heysham (1753)
(21) William Heysham (1755)
(21) Dorothy Heysham (1757)
(21) Jane & Anne Heysham (1759), baptized 21 October 1759 at St. Mary, Lancaster. Jane died on 10 April 1761.
(21) Mary Heysham (1762)
(21) Thomas Heysham (1764)
(21) Dr. John Heysham (1753)John was born on 22 November 1753, the son of Gyles Heysham, shipowner, at St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England - from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography by Henry Colin Matthew and Brian Howard Harrison. The parish records differ, saying John was baptized on 19 November. A biography of his life, "Life of John Heysham, M.D.," by a Dr. Lonsdale, a long-time friend of Dr. Heysham, has been used throughout this genealogy. In the "Dictionary of National Biography" he was called "the son of John [sic] Heysham, shipowner, by Anne Cumming, the daughter of a Westmoreland 'statesman.'"
He was taught at a school run by the Messrs. Jenkinson [John Jenkinson being the primary], Quakers and schoolmasters of considerable repute in the region. The school was located in Yealand [Conyers], near Burton, in Westmorland, now part of Lancashire county. This was what became known as a 'Dissenting Academy.' Quakers were considered to be outstanding schoolmasters because they inculcated self-denial, industry, and order. John would have acquired a good English education and the rudiments of Classical knowledge.
| Yealand School
During the mid 17th century the villages became associated with the then persecuted Quaker movement whose leader, George Fox, preached in Yealand Conyers in 1652. The tiny meeting house built in 1692 can still be seen in Yealand Conyers, as can the peaceful old burial ground and the nearby Quaker school, right, which was still taking pupils up until 1920. Dissenting AcademiesAny Christian who was not Church of England was a Dissenter or a Roman Catholic and was barred from admission to Cambridge or Oxford University and from holding any office under the crown. Dissenting congregations, including the Quakers, felt the weight of official displeasure. The Dissenters sought to demystify the Christian faith by considering its principles in accordance with human reason. This emphasis inclined them towards the spirit of scientific inquiry. With the passage of the Toleration Act in 1689, 'Dissenting Academies' were formed to provide education to the children of Dissenters. These schools held a belief in human progress and were not afraid of social change. The curricula generally included the study of science, English literature and belles lettres, modern languages, history, political theory and economics. In this manner, they kept in close touch with the development of thought abroad, with the result that much which was neglected at Cambridge, and which never reached Oxford, had a sympathetic reception in the dissenting academies. Their intellectual freedom attracted the best tutors who trained a generation of brilliant scholars. The Dissenters became more politically aware in the 1760's and, cognizant of their own inequality, became champions of the American Revolution. |
Following his schooling at the Yealand school, John was apprenticed to Mr. Parkinson, a surgeon in Burton, for five years. This was probably Roger Parkinson, a surgeon of Burton-in-Kendal around 1790. As an apprentice John had to suffer the drudgery of a village practice, from mixing pills to rubbing down the master's horse. The indenture set forth that he was to learn the 'art and mystery' of an apothecary, or the preparation and compounding of drugs; this included the collecting of plants, the making of decoctions, and the preparation of draughts. Under the art of surgery he was to learn bleeding, tooth-drawing and cupping, or amputations. He was also expected to learn anatomy and the elements of chemsitry. It was a good education, but not a genteel one.
| Surgeon's Apprentice
Surgeons had their origins in the sixteenth-century town guild of Barber Surgeons. These were practical men who had served an apprenticeship in blood-letting, limb-setting, etc. At a very early date, probably the late-18th century, students of surgery had become divided into 3 distinct categories:
|
| A Heysham in the French Revolution?
"To record all the massacres which must for ever stigmatise the French Revolution would fill a large volume, and a long recital of horrid murders would become disgusting, and shock the feeling mind; notwithstanding, I must beg leave to relate a circumstance which occurred at this period, if for no other reason, at least for the honour of the English character;--M. Planter, a deputy of the commune at Paris, who had been sent by the magistrates to purchase corn, was seized at Vernon by the mob, and, after a mock trial, the fatal cord was fixed round his neck:--At this moment, a young Englishman, of the name of Hesham, who happened to be in the town, very courageously opposed himself to the fury of the populace, and succeeded, at the risk of his life, in rescuing an innocent man, and a good member of society, from instant death. For this generous and noble action Mr. Hesham was honored with the first civic crown ever decreed in France; and, at the same time, the magistrates of Paris presented him with an elegant sword on which was engraven the flattering but well merited testimony of saving save the life of a French citizen." - from "An Impartial History of Europe" by Thomas Burgeland Johnson This was probably not a Heysham relative, but rather Midshipman Christopher John Williams Nesham, of the Royal Navy, who later retired as a Rear-Admiral. |
In addition to his work as an apprentice, John studied the classics and mathematics with the Reverend Dr. John Hutton, vicar of Burton.
Perhaps having savored too much of a country practice, John determined to finish his studies and become a licensed practioner. In 1774, he entered medical school at the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland. He studied under Professors Alexander Monro, William Cullen, Joseph Black and others of like fame for three years. Professor Monro was an early proponent of inoculation against smallpox, undoubtedly influencing Dr. Heysham's later actions. He graduated as a Medical Doctor in June, 1777. His dissertation was upon rabies and was dedicated to the son of Professor Cullen.
| University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh was founded in 1583 by the Town Council of Edinburgh as the first civic university in Britain. Although the Medical School can trace its origins back to the barber surgeons of Edinburgh in the early part of the 16th century, the Faculty of Medicine did not gain formal recognition within the University until 1726. The success of the Edinburgh Medical School by the middle of the eighteenth century came from teaching both Medicine and Surgery in a university setting, but with a clinical base in a teaching hospital. Physicians were at that period well educated gentlemen with elegant Latin and extensive theoretical knowledge. Edinburgh's fame was enhanced later in the eighteenth century by a succession of brilliant teachers, such as William Cullen, James Gregory and Joseph Black (discoverer of carbon dioxide and of latent heat). Medical students benefited from the opportunity to hear and present dissertations at the Medical Society from 1737, the Royal Medical Society from 1777, which grew to have its own premises and a fine library. |
Immediately after completing his studies Dr. Heysham sailed from Leith for Rotterdam and made a tour through Holland, improving his medical knowledge under various Dutch professors, probably including at the famed medical school at Leyden. Upon his return to England he spent time in London and, later, visited with his family in Lancaster. In 1778 Dr. Heysham settled into practice in the town of Carlisle, in Cumberland, bringing with him introductions to the best families in the city. He would remain there for the rest of his life. His biographer indicates that he had determined to locate his practice outside of Lancaster even before he left for school in Edinburgh, and selected Carlisle for its natural beauty. I suspect he made his choices for more basic, economic reasons. There is only so much room in any town for doctors, especially one as small as 18th century Lancaster. I believe John determined to leave home because he could not procure a practice there and could in Carlisle.
| Carlisle
For centuries Carlisle was the center of border conflicts between England and Scotland. Even in antiquity it marked the border of the Roman empire and the Celtic realms. Its ancient British name is supposed to have been Llugyda-gwal, which meant the Army by the Wall. The Romans called it Luguvallum, which signifies forts on the water. This name was afterwards abbreviated by the Saxons to "Luell," which, added to the Saxon word Caer, (city) became Caer-Luell, from which it derived its present name. In the Dark Ages the Scots tried repeatedly to take the city. In reaction the Norman King William II had the locality so strongly fortified that Carlisle was not taken again until the 17th century. During the Civil War the city was captured and plundered by a Scottish army under General Leslie after a bitter nine-month siege. One hundred years later the Scots were once more at the gates, this time lead by Bonnie Prince Charlie who took the castle without firing a shot. From at least 1322 to 1522 the governor of Carlisle was the Lord Dacre. Mary Queen of Scots, fleeing her own country, sought Carlisle as a refuge, but its castle became her first prison on her inevitable course to execution. The ancient city forms the Borough of Carlisle, which is divided into two parishes, Saint Cuthbert and Saint Mary. Saint Cuthbert comprises the Southern part of the city and contains nine townships. Saint Mary comprises the northern and western parts of the city and contains seven Townships, of which four, Abbey-street Quarter, Castle-street Quarter, Fisher-street Quarter, and Scotch-street Quarter, are within the Liberties of the City. On the map below, the castle is at the top. The streets are, from left to right, West Walls, Abbey, ending at the cathedral, Castle, which bisects the town, and Fisher. Entering from the eastern gate on an angle is Scotch street. Where Scotch meets Fisher and Castle streets is the Marketplace with its market cross in the center. St. Cuthberts lane runs due west from the Marketplace, ending at St. Cuthbert's church.  |
Dr. Heysham took lodgings in St. Cuthbert's Lane, near the center of the city, a narrow street that formed the approach to St. Cuthbert's church. He liked this area so much that, after marrying, he bought a home there where he remained until his death. At this time most of the city was still within the medieval walls. The gates of the city were shut at sunset and armed sentinels kept watch and ward over them. Houses with gabled fronts, three stories high, crowded the great thoroughfares. Windows were haphazardly placed and few in number to evade the window tax. Upon the northeast side of the city, near the eastern walls, was a poorer area with many narrow confined lanes. The Town Hall was located on the north side of the Market Place, not far from the Doctor's lodgings.
The town's character reflected a Puritan discipline typical of both the Scots to the north and the dour men of Yorkshire and Lancashire to the south. There were no playhouses or 'singing' saloons. The first theater did not open until 1792. It is interesting to note that the letters of Doctor Heysham's son, Thomas Coulthard, are used to illustrate the development of leasure activities in England.
Almost immediately upon his arrival the Doctor began the contemplation of his most famous work, a medical survey of Carlisle to include the births, marriages, deaths and all that pertained to the health and disease of the population. He recognized that this would be of value not only to the medical profession, but to politicians and those who calculated annuities. This work was begun early in 1779 and was terminated in 1787.
He published his findings in the "Carlisle Bills of Mortality." This work is cited in a review of 'Experimental Medicine's Beginning in the 17th Century' for its importance in the gathering of demographics / statistics to improve health care. It was also valuable in the field of life insurance. The Carlisle actuarial tables of Joshua A. Milne were founded on the published observations and private correspondence of Dr. John Heysham of Carlisle and started a new era in life assurance. Though its results were slightly more favourable, the Carlisle Table does not differ greatly from the English Tables, which are based on the observations of thirty years, and on materials drawn from the whole of England." (Palgrave II, 764). "Milne was the first to compute with accuracy, though unnecessary complexity, the value of fines, and his notation for the expression of life contingencies suggested that aftewards adopted by Augustus De Morgan in his 'Essay on Probabilities.'"
This work earned Dr. Heysham a place amongst the early statisticians. His picture and a reference to his observations in the town of Carlisle are listed on web sites for both UCLA and the University of York.
Dr. Heysham was a great proponent of inoculation against the threat of smallpox and complained of the prejudice against it. He founded a free care clinic in Carlisle, called the Dispensary, and led the Dispensary committee, using it to establish strict measures against the disease and to provide free inoculation to the children of the poor. The incidence of death from small pox dropped to zero under his care.
In 1782, under the name John Heisham, he published an essay, "An Account of the Jail-Fever or Typhus Carcerum, as it appeared at Carlisle in the year 1781," in which he described a more effective treatment he had devised using cinchona bark and port wine. See "Medical Commentaries for the Years 1781-82" by Andres Duncan M.D.
John's father, Giles Heysham, died in 1787 at the age of 65.
On 4 May 1789 John married Elizabeth Mary Coulthard [or Mary Elizabeth?] in Saint Bride's Church, Fleet Street, London, England. She was born on 16 April 1766 at St. Mary's, Carlisle and died on 30 May 1803. She was the only daughter and heiress of Alderman Thomas Coulthard, a rich tanner, who was twice mayor of Carlisle, and Mary Borriskill who married on 28 August 1762 in St. Mary's, Carlisle. John was in his 36th year and she in her 24th. Why were John and Elizabeth married in London?
| Saint Bride's
|
Upon his marriage the Doctor bought a three-story house immediately opposite his old lodgings on St. Cuthbert's Lane where he remained for the rest of his life.
The Doctor was a leading citizen, and friend of the powerful Lowther family, and was made Justice of the Peace, a Magistrate, and Deputy-Lieutenant of the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. In his magisterial capacity he sat along with Dr. Grisdale and, later, Dr. Lowry, at the Globe Inn on Scotch street on market days to adminster the justice. The two justices sat at arm-chairs by the side of the fire to listen to the arguments. Dr. Heysham's son, T.C. Heysham, officiated as clerk at these sessions, sitting at a table covered in green baize.
John's mother, Anne Heysham, died on 15 June 1801. John's Wife, Elizabeth Mary, died soon after on 30 May 1803.
I have recently heard from a correspondent that Dr. Heysham had a liaison with an Anne Hornsby which resulted in an illegitimate daughter, circa 1805.
"Dear Steve,Dana continues,I saw the website you put together on the Hesham family and it is impressive. I was very interested to read about Dr. John Heysham son of Giles Heysham and Ann Cummings. Were you aware John Heysham fathered an illegitimate child with Ann Hornsby in 1806? I descend from the child of that union.
The entry for the illegitimate birth is for Jane Hornsby who was born 17 Nov 1806 in Manchester, Lancashire, England and baptized on 15 March 1807 in the Manchester Cathedral (Collegiate Church) in Manchester, Lancashire, England entry #541. I can send you the image if you are interested. It reads, "#541, Jane, Dau of Ann Hornsby & J. Heysham Carlile illegitimate (noted above)"
For years we thought his last name was Carlisle or Carlile; only recently we have discovered his name was John Heysham the doctor and Carlisle referred to his residence. We believe Ann Hornsby (who was the mother of the illegitimate child with John Heysham) was the daughter of Richard Hornsby and Mary Routledge, and was baptized 31 Aug 1782 in Farlam, Cumberland, England. We are uncertain how John and Ann became acquainted, but Ann moved to Manchester to conceal the pregnancy. Many relatives wonder if Ann was employed in the Heysham household. John Heysham's wife, Elizabeth died in 1803 just two years prior to his relationship with Ann. The illegitimate child was raised by Josiah Hoyle and Deborah Grisdale. It's uncertain if they were related to Ann or not. I don't know if Ann ever told John Heysham he fathered a child with her. Ann Hornsby married a widower, Thomas Brougham, on 8 Aug 1812 in Manchester Cathedral. She had six more children with Thomas before dying on 13 June 1853 in Willow Cottage in Bowden, Cheshire, England. Let me know if you want a copy of the birth entry for Jane, the illegitimate child.
FYI--Jane Hornsby the illegitimate daughter of John Heysham and Ann Hornsby is my 3rd great grandmother. She was raised by Josiah Hoyle and Deborah Grisdale. She married William Mitchell on 7 Aug 1833 at St. John's Church in Manchester. Her mother, Ann Brougham was one of the witnesses at the wedding. William and Jane became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) while they lived in England. For whatever reason, William was excommunicated before his death on 12 Oct 1862 in Chorlton upon Medlock, Lancashire, England. William and Jane had 7 children. The four children of theirs that lived to adulthood emigrated to the United States. Widowed Jane (Hornsby) Mitchell emigrated with one of her sons in 1863. Jane died on 4 Oct 1882 in Enterprise, Morgan, Utah (USA). She has a nice tombstone memorial. I have more details if you are interested.
I'd love to hear from you and see if you have any more details on how John and Ann may have become acquainted." - from Dana Palmer
"It is believed her mother, Ann Hornsby was born 31 August 1782 at Farlan, Cumberland, England to Richard Hornsby and Mary Routledge. It is believed Ann was employed in the Heysham household possibly helping with John Heysham's children in the nursery prior to his wife's death. I don't have anything that documents her employment though. After John's wife died, we believe Ann continued to work in the home and she became pregnant with John's child. It is not known whether or not he knew about this child. Ann Hornsby moved to Manchester prior to giving birth to my ancestor, Jane in 1806. We are unsure if she fled after finding out she was pregnant or if John sent her there to hide her pregnancy and the shame that would come from fathering a child out of wedlock and a different social class."
Some reports from the Carlisle Journal (CJ) and Carlisle Patriot (CP) newspapers:
- July 20th 1816 CP: On Saturday last, James Bell and Robert Paislow were committed to Carlisle Gaol by the Rev. Dr Lowery and Dr. Heysham for unlawfully killing a hare on Sunday 16th June in the parish of Kirkandrews upon Esk.
- October 11th 1816 CP: To the Editor of the Carlisle Patriot. "Sir - the Lovers of Boxing must of course have been much obliged to you for the very full account you gave in last week's paper, of the dreadful, bloody and inhuman battle which took place in Scotland between Carter and Oliver. But it ought to be publicly known (a thing which I was surprised to find omitted by you) why this battle was fought in Scotland, and not in the neighbourhood of Carlisle, as was generally expected. Pray then, Sir, inform your numerous readers that it was put a stop to by the interference of three magistrates, viz. George Blamire Esq. our present Mayor, the Rev Dr Lowry, and Dr Heysham. To the above, I have no doubt, might have been added others (I know of one) who would not have been remiss, had matters proceeded to an extremity."
- November 29th 1817 CP: Intelligence having been received that an illegal still had some time been working near Luckens near Stapleton, three officers of the excise repaired to the spot, late on Monday night or early on Tuesday morning, made a seizure of the still and a considerable quantity of spirits. The smugglers, however, having obtained immediate assistance, the still and spirits were recaptured, and in the contest, one of the officers was severely wounded and one of the smugglers wounded by a pistol ball which entered his mouth and passed through his cheek. About one o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, Thomas Waugh of Glebelands, Thomas Blaylock of Luckens and an Irishman whose name is unknown, came up to John Moscrop, who had been searching for a pistol which had been lost by one of the officers near Luckens, violently seized him, dragged him across the river Lyne, and conveyed him to the house of Thomas Armstrong of Scilly Luckens, where he was detained a prisoner several hours. Information of these transactions having been laid before Dr Heysham on Thursday night, he issued a warrant for the apprehension of the offenders, and dispatched several Peace-Officers and a Sergeant and fifteen Privates of the Scotch Greys, who left Carlisle early yesterday morning, and it is hoped they will secure this desparate gang. L100 was subsequently offered for the capture of the men involved.
- July 4th 1818 CP: On Thursday last James Deerham was committed by Dr Heysham to our Gaol, charged with feloniously stealing a horse, the property of Mr Teather of the Graham's Arms Inn, Longtown.
- December 12th 1818 CP: On Monday last, John, Robert and James Graham of Blackdyke and John Forster of Tewits Green, labourers, were severally convicted before John Heysham Esq MD, one of the Magistrates and Commissioners for Assessed Taxes for this county, in the penalty of L10 each, for being in the search and pursuit of game, without taking out Game Licenses.
- July 14th 1827 CP: A Calendar of the Prisoners in the Gaol and House of Correction at Carlisle at the General Quarter Sessions. Elizabeth Chambers, 25, committed May 7th 1827 by John Heysham, charged with having maliciously taken and carried away the infant son of Thomas Holliday of Rockliff.
- April 14th 1832 CJ: On Tuesday last, Mr Wm Johnston, keeper of Sark Bridge Toll Bar and Mr Anthony Yeoman, SnabToll Bar, were brought before Dr Heysham, charged by James Pattinson, an Irish Labourer, with having robbed him of a pocket book containing a L5 note and two crown pieces... 30 or 40 of the most respectable gentlemen and yeomen neighbours of the accused, voluntarily attended to speak to their respectability. Charge dismissed, it being decided that Pattinson had probably never owned the money he claimed had been stolen.
Living, as he did, during the Napoleanic Wars, the Doctor took a keen interest in the progress of British forces and would often ride south to intercept the mails so he would be the first to know of the latest developments. He was, for instance, the first to proclaim the peace in 1814. At a later date he was dining with his friends, the Mounsey's of Castletown, when the news of Waterloo arrived. He read aloud the whole story of the victory to the assembled guests, and as he read he cried and sobbed throughout.
As a doctor, he was a member of the intellectual set, a very small crowd in Carlisle. There were, however, about a dozen gentleman of this sort, led supposedly by Doctor Heysham, who dined at each others houses, partaking of rich foods and strong vintages until late in the evening.
Despite his many virtues, it was said that he had no ear for music, not being able to distinguish 'Rule Britannia' from 'God Save the King.' He could, however, easily tell the difference in the songs of birds.
The Doctor was interested in all forms of progress and invested in new industries. In 1811 there was a cotton twist mill, making cotton thread, in Currock, near Botchergate, a suburb of Carlisle, operated by Cowen, Heysham & Co. In a description of Carlisle the following is stated: "we come into Water Lane, where Mr. Haugh's brewery and the Carlisle Cotton Twist Company's mill, and the one belonging to Messrs. Cowen, Heysham, & Co. attract attention." Jacob Cowen was the manager and the Doctor's partner in the Currock cotton-mill. The firm of Jacob Cowen & Sons Ltd, a specialist in natural and synthetic fibers, was founded in 1821 and is still in operation in Carlisle today. The Doctor also owned an iron foundry for a period.
A well-rounded man of many interests, Dr. Heysham early evidenced an interest in Natural History, and expecially ornithology, though his expertise spanned both the birds and fish of Cumberland and even today his name is referenced on web sites dealing with these subjects. He was elected an Associate of the Linnaean Society of London at their second meeting at the Marlborough Coffe House in March 1788.
| The Linnaean Society of London
The Society, the world's premier association for the study of taxonomy, was founded in 1788, not long after the death of the Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus. He had developed a naming system using a binomial nomenclature of genus and species names that is still in use today. |
The Doctor's local fame led to his writing a "Catalogue of Cumberland Animals," part of William Hutchinson's book, the "History of Cumberland." In it he covered not only birds and fish, but mammals as well. He was also supposed to have been an excellent archer. It is claimed that his son, Thomas Coulthard, whose interest in Natural History was a great as his father's, destroyed many of the Doctor's papers upon his death, for reasons unknown.
There is a court case in 1829 involving "Heysham, Esq."
"Heysham, Esq. v. John Forster, the Treasurer of the Commissioners appointed for putting in execution a certain Act of Parliament, passed in the Forty-fourth Year of the Reign of his late Majesty King Geo. 3, intituled, "An Act for Lighting the Streets, Lanes, and other public Passages and Places, within the City of Carlisle . . . " - from "Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Court of King's Bench: During Michaelmas Term . . . a messuage, situated in a certain street, called Watergate Lane, on the south side of the said street, in the parish of St. Cuthbert, Carlisle, in the county of Cumberland, was in the possession and occupation of Isaac Bell, as tenant thereof to the plaintiff . . . [defendant] raised a certain footpath in and upon the said street . . . that the aforesaid door and passage of the said messuage or dwelling house, from the ground floor thereof into the said street, became and was and still is greatly blocked up and obstructed . . . "The injury was proved and, after an appeal of mind-numbing legal gymnastics, the Doctor won his point.
The history of the town of Raffles in Cumbria states that
"In 1834 the distinguished physician Dr. John Heysham [upon his death] left 1000 pounds to the city to provide additional leisure facilities. As we shall see later, this money came to Raffles and it is the fortunate combination of unsuitable land and Dr Heysham's generosity that gives Raffles such uniqueness . . . Dr Heysham's 1000 pounds had by this time grown to 2800 pounds and the Flower Park it paid for Heysham Park and the new Community Center were officially opened in 1934. The Flower Park is of great importance. Once the Parham had been cleaned out, its banks were built up using concrete blocks taken from streets where tramlines had been uplifted. Residents talk fondly of the "Flowie" (Flower Park) and the "Swingy" (Swing Park) playing on the Witch's Hat and in the paddling pool."
There is a similar reference to a bequest for a "people's park."
"The late James Heysham, Esq., of Borran's hill [the doctor's youngest son], in addition to a bust of his father, Dr. Heysham, bequethed to the corportation of Carlisle the sume of 2000 pounds, for the purose of providing a people's park. Owing to legal difficulties, only 890 pounds, 13 shillings was received in discharge of this legacy: no use has yet been made of this bequest; the interest has yearly been added to the corpus, and it now abouts to about 1,500 pounds." - from "History, Topography and Directory of East Cumberland"There is a Heysham Park located to the west of the City of Carlisle and is a linear park starting at Raffles Avenue and finishing at the edge of the old City boundary. There is also a Heysham Park avenue.
A Dr. Heysham of Carlisle and a Miss Heysham of Lancaster are listed as subscribers to a book, "Poems, On Various Subjects" by Eliza Daye, published in Liverpool in 1798. Printed BY J. M'Creery; and Published for the Author, at the Subscription Library, Lancaster. Price Seven Shillings in Boards; Hot-pressed, Seven and Six-pence. 1798.
The doctor also had subscriptions to the following books & magazines:
- Miscellaneous Poems, By Mr. Ewan Clark, 1779, Clark, Ewan. Whitehaven;
- A Course of Physico-Theological Lectures upon the state of the world, from the Creation to the Deluge, 1786, MILN, Robert. Carlisle (a subscription to this book was also had by a Giles Heysham, of Lancaster, and a Thomas Heysham, esq., of London. I don't know who this was but he also had a subscription to the Gentlemen's Magazine in January 1769. He was married to Elizabeth Page and lived at Upper Grosvnor square. In 1770 they still had the subscription, but lived on Queen Anne street.);
- Letters from America, historical and descriptive; comprising occurences from 1769 to 1777, inclusive, 1792, EDDIS, William. London;
- A treatise on spherical geometry, containing its fundamental properties; the doctrine of its loci; the maxima and minima of spherical lines and areas; with an application of these elements to a variety of problems, 1798, HOWARD, John. Newcastle;
- Miscellaneous Poems., 1790, STAGG, John. Carlisle
Printed by M. Dennison and son, at Shakepeare's-Head;
- Epistles in Verse between Cynthio and Leonora, in three cantos, descriptive of a voyage to and from the East Indies. With several occasional pieces. By George Marshall, late a chief officer in the Honorable East India Company's sea service., 1812, MARSHALL, George. Newcastle Printed for the author, by Preston & Heaton;
An astonishing revelation: On the web site for the papers of George Clymer of Philadelphia, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, is the name of John Heysham (1753-1834) listed as a contributor. Also on the page, under a listing of documents, is a transfer of title of some land to Robert Heysham, probably the son of William Heysham of Philadelphia. How did Dr. Heysham come to be so closely associated with the American Heyshams? My guess is that it was through Christopher Heysham, the uncle of both Robert and the Doctor, who returned to England at the beginning of the American Revolution. There is also evidence that Christopher spent his last years in Carlisle, perhaps living out the last year of his life with the good Doctor.
The dictionary of National Biography has this to say of John Heysham:
"John Heysham, M.D. (1753-1834) physician, born at Lancaster on 22 November 1753, was the son of John [sic] Heysham, shipowner, by Anne Cumming, the daughter of a Westmorland "statesman." He was educated at a school kept by Quakers at Yealand, near Burton, Westmorland, and then apprenticed for five years to a surgeon at Burton. In 1774 he joined the medical classes at Edinburgh and graduated M.D. in 1777. His thesis was "De rabie canina," a disease of which no case in man or dog ever occurred in his own experience. In 1778 he settled in practice at Carlisle and resided there until his death on 23 March 1834. He was buried in St. Mary's Church and a memorial window has been placed at the east end of the south aisle of the cathedral. His practice at no time exceeded L400 a year."
Dr. Heysham was a well respected man, but not an avaricious one. He was never a 'fashionable doctor' and his practice never exceeded 400 pounds per year. He died in his sleep on 23 March 1834 in St. Cuthbert's Lane, Carlisle where he had lived most of his adult life. He was 81 years old. He is interned in the burial grounds of St. Mary's in Carlisle. A small pyramid of granite marks the spot. There is also a memorial window in the cathedral in the eastern termination of one of the side aisles. Carlisle's Richardson St Cemetery has a memorial stone for the family. On a single stone is listed the following:
HEYSHAM, Anna d 28.09.1881
HEYSHAM, Elizabeth Mary d 30.05.1803
HEYSHAM, Isabella d 14.05.1848
HEYSHAM, James d 10.05.1870
HEYSHAM, John d 23.03.1834
HEYSHAM, John Coulthard d 22.07.1790 died in infancy
HEYSHAM, Mary d 28.05.1808 aged 14
HEYSHAM, Thomas Coulthard d 06.04.1857
HEYSHAM, William d 13.10.1825
John and Mary had four sons and three daughters who lived to adulthood. In an almost comic fashion the doctor followed the standard inheritance practice of the time. The first son was heir, and the rest went into the priesthood, the army and the navy. A court document dealing with the case of Grant vs. Heysham said,
"John Heysham died in 1834, having had eight children, all of whom died in the lifetime of the testator [T.C. Milne], and, with the exception of one daughter, Isabella Heysham, without having been married." - from "The Law Times Report"However, we know that John's son, William Heysham, married, in India, and had a family. Perhaps news of this event didn't make it back to England. Or, more likely it now seems, William married a native woman and his three half-caste children were not recognized by his father. Note that per the following, Doctor Heysham knew his son had children, but chose to leave them in an orphanage upon his son's death in 1825. The military did correspond with the doctor, but he made no effort to bring his grandchildren home to be raised by himself or one of his children.
"Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William, in BengalDoctor Heysham's grandchildren were put into the Upper Orphan school, in Calcutta.
. . . Net Balances remaining in the Administrator's Account have been paid over to those who appeared entitled to the same since the last Report on the 1st day of March 1827.
. . .
[Intestates' Names] Estate of Lieutenant William Heysham, late of the 53d reg, of N.I. deceased
[Amount of each Estate in Company's Paper] - 8000
[Amount of each Estate in Cash.] [blank] -
[To whom paid] - Delivered over to the Military Orphan Society, upon indemnity, for the benefit of the children of the said Lieutenant William Haysham [sic], deceased, according to the instructions of the father of the said deceased." - from "The London Gazette, Jan. 1 - June 27 1828"
"The Upper Orphan School is intended for the sons of officers by native women." - from "The Calcutta Review" of 1883See also,
"The background of the boys from the Lower Orphan School was approximately 25% European and 75% Eurasian (or East Indian or from 1911 Anglo Indian), with a European soldier father and Indian or Eurasian mother. The percentage of Eurasians in the Upper Orphan School was higher, as orphans with European parents were returned to England, provided they had family there who could care for them." - from the "Families in British India Society" webpage.
In a law review article about a bequest by T.J. Milne, who married John's sister Mary, to the children of Dr. John Heysham, the following comment is made.
"John Heysham, the testator's uncle named in the will, died in the year 1834, having had eight children, all of whom died in the lifetime of the testator, and, with the exception of one named Isabella [who married a Mounsey], without having been married." - from "The Law Journal Reports" of 1887I only count 7 children for the doctor, but I think there was one early decease that I haven't captured.
His children were,
(22) Thomas Coulthard Heysham (1791)
(22) John Coulthard Heysham (c1792), died in infancy
(22) John Heysham (1793)
(22) Mary Heysham (1794)
(22) Anna Heysham (1795)
(22) William Heysham (1796)
(22) James Coulthard Heysham (1799)
(22) Isabella Heysham (1800)
| (22) Jane Hornsby [Heysham] (1806)
The illegitimate daughter of Ann Hornsby and John Heysham, she was born on 17 November 1806 in Manchester, England and baptized on 15 March 1807 in the Manchester Cathedral church. Jane was placed in Josiah Hoyle & Deborah (Grisdale) Hoyle's household sometime after her birth in 1806 but before 1812 when her mother married. It is unknown whether or not the Hoyle family was related to Ann Hornsby or if it was a family that John Heysham knew and made arrangements with to raise Jane. It is believed that Ann went to work for the Thomas Brougham family probably helping in the nursery and taking care of their children like a nanny. Thomas and his first wife, Elizabeth had six children together before her death on 4 June 1810 in Manchester. Ann Hornsby married the widowed Thomas Brougham on 8 Aug 1812 in Manchester at the Manchester Cathedral. They ended up having 6 children together. Thomas Brougham was employed as a joiner and builder. Thomas & Ann Brougham were enumerated on Hardman Street in Manchester, Lancashire, England during the 1841 census with three of their children. Thomas Brougham died on 9 Jan 1845 on Hardman Street in Manchester. Thomas had been born 6 Nov 1770 in Lanercost, Cumberland, England. It's possible that Thomas and Ann knew each other from living in Cumberland County prior to moving to Manchester. Ann Brougham was enumerated in the 1851 census as a widow on Stamford Road in Bowdon, Cheshire, England with three of her daughters. Her occupation was listed as annuitant. She died on 13 June 1853 at Willow Cottage in Bowdon, Chesire, England. One of Jane's children immigrated to America and settled in Utah. Jane lived in Utah near her children. The preceding is based on research by Dana Palmer. |
Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings
1820-1830 George IV
He secretly married a Roman Catholic, Mrs. Maria Anne Fitzherbert, in 1785. The marriage was declared illegal 2 years later. He then married his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick. This was an unhappy marriage. During his Regency and as King, George IV was known for his 'foppery.' His main concerns seemed to be gambling, women, his dress, and others' manners. His great friend, Beau Brummel, set the satorial stage for an ascendant empire. While George dallied, Parliament wielded the true power. 
1830-1837 William IV
Younger brother of George IV. Known as the Sailor King. His was a popular King, appreciated for his simple ways after the flamboyance of George. However, he came to the throne already an old man and had a short reign. |
| A Stray Heysham of Carlisle
The followinng, taken from the autobiography of a handloom weaver of Carlisle, circa 1829, talks of a "young Heyshem" attending school. "All this time my longing for more education still lingered about me, which was not lessened by seeing Hy. Lonsdale (afterwards Dr. and author), young Heyshem, and other boys, passing to and from to Rev. J. Wilson's school at Coaldale [sic] Hall. While I did not positively envy them their comfortable clothing, and plump, well-fed persons, I was sometimes. . ." - from "The Autobiography of William Farish: The Struggles of a Hand-Loom Weaver"William Farish was born in Carlisle in 1818. Henry Lonsdale, born in 1816, was an English physician and author of a Biography of Dr. John Heysham. Coledale Hall, shown below, had been built in 1810 for Henry Fawcett, MP for Carlisle. In 1819 the house was put up for sale. The Reverend Jonathan Wilson had a gentleman's boarding school there from 1829 to, perhaps, 1834. Who could this Heyshem be? It is too late for the sons of Dr. John Heysham, who were born between 1791 and 1799. "Young Heyshem" would have been at least 19 years old when Farish was born.  |
He was christened on 19 October 1791 in Saint Mary's, Carlisle, Cumberland, England. Called "a shy and scholarly recluse, [he] was a gifted all-round naturalist. 'A man of active habits, enjoying ample leisure, . . . " - from "The Dotterel" by Desmond Nethersole-Thompson. A Thomas C. Heysham Esq. was a Justice of the Peace. From the national archives: Carlisle Quarter Sessions - Commission of the Peace - Letters patent of William IV granting a commission of the peace for the borough of Carlisle, date 7 January 1836 to Robert Mounsey of Carlisle and Castletown, mayor, Charles James Graham of Anns Hill, Thomas Coulthard Heysham of Carlisle, etc.
1811. "Carlisle Local Militia
. . .
Ensigns. T.C. Heysham, John Studholm." - from "Jollie's Cumberland Guide & Directory" by Francis Jollie.
In the 1841 census of St. Mary, Carlisle, Cumberland as Thomas Heysham, 45 years old, residing on Fisher Street. His occupation is hard to make out. It looks like Isall [?]. Living with him was Dorothy Armstrong, 45, and Abigail Sterling [?], 30. Both were listed as "F. S." which I suppose means female servant.
In 1847 he was residing at 45 Fisher St., Carlisle. A Miss A. Heysham also resided at 45 Fisher St. This was probably his spinster sister, Anna.
| Saint Mary's Church, Carlisle
There followed a period of decline and neglect, and then the destruction of much of the nave and many of the Priory buildings in the Cromwellian period. It was only in the 19th century that the long process of decline was finally reversed. Carlisle originally consisted of two parishes - St. Cuthbert and St. Mary. The church of the latter was originally the nave of the cathedral, but a separate church was built in 1870. The parish was joined with that of St. Paul's in 1932, and St. Mary's church was demolished in 1954. |
In the 1851 census of Fisher street, Carlise, Cumberland as Thomas C. Heysham, a 59 year old magistrate for the county of Cumberland, of Carlisle. He was unmarried.
In 1852 "Heysham, Thos. Coulthard, Borrans hill, esq." was listed as a shareholder in the Carlisle and Cumberland Banking Company.
A distinguished naturalist like his father, his papers are in the collection of the Hammond family of Carlisle, now located in the Cumbria Record Office. His work is also cited in Tullie House Museum of Carlisle. In the Life of John Heysham, MD, he is accused of having destroyed many of the papers of his father, as well as of his own.
From the Biographical Dictionary of British Coleopterists: HEYSHAM, Thomas Coulthard (1792 - 6 April 1857):
"Often confused with his father Dr John Heysham another well known Cumberland naturalist. Thomas Coulthard was born in Carlisle and devoted the greater part of his life to the study of natural history particularly ornithology, conchology, entomology and botany. He moved to Carlisle where he set up as an ornithological taxidermist. Subsequently he moved to Preston and WarringtoN where he was Curator of the Museum. As an entomologist Heysham was interested in both the Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and other orders. James Murray, in an interesting memoir of Heysham as 'A Byegone Cumberland Naturalist' in Trans. Carlisle Nat. Hist. Soc., 1, 1909, pp. 1-12 quotes correspondemce between Heysham and Rev. W. Little, John Walton, the elder Dale, Sir W. Jardine and others, much of which refers to his interest in Coleoptera and to specific captures. Frank Day in his 'The Coleoptera of Cumberland' which appeared in ibid., 1, p. 909 - 5, 1933 also includes a detailed account of Heysham's interest in Coleoptera."
| Warrington Museum
|
Heysham's collection was auctioned by Stevens in 1859 when the NHM purchased 225 coleoptera and other insects (1859/42). Heysham is referred to by Stevens (1828) pp. 65,177-178; (1829) p. 22, and by Dawson (1854) pp. 55,62. (MD 3/03).
T.C. Heysham was present for the opening of the Lancaster and Carlisle railroad in 1846. He appears to have been a minor dignitary. Unfortunately, the train derailed at one point, though it was moving at such a slow pace that the occupants were not injured.
In August 1930
"...the Golden Lion Hotel stands on a parcel ground called Spittal Dub, otherwise known as Fiddlers Close, situated at the foot of Botchergate, on the corner of Princess Street with St. Nicholas Street, which formed part of an enclosure of land belonging to Mr Robert Mounsey of the Parish of Rockcliffe [Robert Mounsey, see below, was justice of the peace at the same time as Thomas Coulthard and did take the lead on enclosing the marsh land]. The land was conveyed to Mr Thomas Coulthard Heysham and Mrs Dorothy Heysham in August 1930....." - from the Cumbria Records Office.I think the only explanation of the above, taken from a web site for the Golden Lion Pub, is a typo. August 1930 should be August 1830. The extract goes on to say,
"...Together with the right of way for all manor of horse carts, carriages and passengers over Princess Street to and from said parcel of ground...By 1846, three dwelling houses stood on the site."If this is true, then who was Mrs. Dorothy Heysham? I think this must have been his aunt who lived for many years in Carlisle, an old maid.
I suspect the following got Thomas' middle name wrong because it was unexpected.
"List of Shareholders of Suspended Joint-Stock Banks. The following lists of shareholders of the Royal Bank of Liverpool and of the Liverpool Banking Company are reprinted from the last official returns . . . Heysham, T. Christopher, Gentleman, Carlisle." - from "The Bankers' Magazine" of April 1847The Royal Bank of Liverpool failed on 18 October during the Crisis of 1847. The crisis was immediately due to bad harvests, especially of the potato crop in Ireland. The large import of foreign grains resulted in a strain on the supply of gold. However, the crisis had its roots in rampant speculation, especially in a mania for railroads.
The Letters of Thomas C. Heysham, 1829-1891 [?], are in the collection of the University of Carlisle. They are included in the suggested reading list for a lecture series, "A History of Recreation and Leisure in Britain, 1700-2000."
Seminar Four: Rationalisation and reform
"How accelerating economic change from the later eighteenth century affected patterns of recreation. The impact of industrialisation and urbanisation on leisure time and the ways in which it was used. Utilitarian and new moral ideologies of popular leisure. Notions of common culture, cultural hegemony and social control. Recreation as the "third front" for working-class 'improvement'. The relationship with Victorian religion. Cultural continuities from artisanal and autodidactic traditions; whose values anyway? Mechanics' Institutes, natural history societies and other 'rational' recreational associations."
Thomas died in Carlisle in 6 April 1857 at the age of 66. The Civil Register shows June 1857. I have not been able to find any evidence of either a marriage or of children.
"Heysham Thomas Coulthard Esq. 8 September. Administration of the Personal Estate of Thomas Coulthard Heysham late of Fisher-street of Carlisle Esquire a Bachelor who died 6 April 1857 at Fisher-street left unadminstered by the Reverend John Heysham Clerk James Heysham Esquire and Anna Heysham Spinster the Brothers and Sister and only Next of Kin was granted at the Principal Registry to John Giles Mounsey of the said City Esquire the Nephew and one of the Persons entitled in Distribution . . ."(22) John Heysham (1793)
There was an earlier child named John Coulthard Heysham who died young. John Jr. was the second surviving son of Dr. John Heysham of Carlisle. He was born on 9 January 1793 in St. Mary, Carlisle, Cumberland, England. He attended school in Carlisle and Sedbergh.
| The Sedbergh School
Many chantries were dissolved and their assets seized under a Commission appointed for the purpose by Henry VIII; Sedbergh was saved by the pleadings of St John's College, and in particular, by an impassioned sermon from its Master, Dr Lever, before the King, claiming that the School "was most needed in the north country amongst the rude people in knowledge"[sic]. In 1551 Sedbergh was re-established and re-endowed as a Grammar School by Letters Patent. The connection with St John's was maintained, the College having the right to appoint the Master and oversee the income. In the period when John would have attended, 1799-1819, William Stevens was Headmaster. He had been a Chaplain in the Royal Navy and was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent [Note: at this time the men of the Royal Navy held their Chaplain's in very low regard]. The school was in a general decline at this time, though it recovered under subsequent leadership. The school is still in operation today. |
John was admitted to St. John's College, Cambridge, left, on 26 September 1810. He received his B.A. in 1815 and his M.A. in 1818. He was ordained a deacon in 1816 and, in 1817, as a priest.
P.C. [Priest Chaplain, i.e. a priest who ministers in his own chapel] of Hayton, Cumberland from 1819 to 1820. Hayton is about 10 miles east of Carlisle.
P.C. of Sebergham, Cumberland from 1820 to 1846. The village of Sebergham, on the river Caldew, is about 10 miles southwest of Carlisle. The name can be deciphered as sea=south, berg=hill, ham=village. During this time The Reverend Mr. Heysham resided at Sebergham Hall, "a good building, a little north of the church." The benefice was worth upwards of L140 per annum. He was Hon. Secretary and Treasurer to the Clergy Widows and Orphans Relief Society in 1823.
From a listing of burials at St. Mary's Church of England in Carlisle, on 1 May 1824, John Hesham, minister, officiated at the burial of Frederick Story of Caldewgate, aged 3 1/2 years. Mis-spellings of the name continue.
In the 1841 census of Sebergham, Cumberland as John Heysham, a 45 year old curate, residing at Sebergham Hall. Living with him were his brother, James Heysham, a 45 year old Navy H.R. [?], and a number of servants. John was unmarried.
Vicar of Lazonby, right, from 1846 to 1877. In the 1851 census of Great Salkeld, Cumberland as John Heysham [Hersham in Ancestry.com], the 58 year old vicar of Lazonby, of Carlisle. He lived alone with a household of servants.
In the 1861 census of Lazonby, Cumberland, as John Heysham, the 68 year old Vicar of Lazonby and a Justice of the Peace. He was unmarried. From the UK Archives, Minute book, The Association for the Improvement of Church Music in the District around Penrith (until 1870 The Association for the Improvement of Church Choirs in the District around Penrith) - dated 1870 - 1893,
-"Rules pasted to flyleaf. Press-cuttings included in book. Quarto volume, full. Printed label pasted to front cover [c.1870] - President, Rev. J Heysham, Lazonby; Secretary, Mr James Ainsworth, Lowther; letter from Bishop Harvey Goodwin - accepting the office of Patron of the Association, March 1871 (pasted to inner flyleaf)"
In the 1871 census . . .
John died in Penrith, Cumbria on 12 February 1877 after a protracted illness. Emmeline Heysham, of India, wrote of him: "The respected clergyman, who died this week has held the living of Lazonby for thirty years. While his strength remained he was assiduous in his attention to his magisterial and other duties, he being rarely absent from the weekly meetings of the Penrith Bench, and at quarter Sessions he was always to be seen beside his venerated friend, the late Mr. Hassell." An obituary:"Rev John HEYSHAMThe administration of his estate makes clear that John was a bachelor. Robert Heysham Mounsey was his nephew. George William Mounsey Heysham was granted his estate.DEATH OF THE REV JOHN HEYSHAM. -- We have this week lost another venerable gentleman, whose connection with an eminent local family and with the county life of a bygone generation makes the event one of more than passing interest.
The Reverend John HEYSHAM, Vicar of Lazonby, died on Monday last, after a protracted illness, at the age of 84. The family is one of the most ancient in the North of England. They had been long planted in the district of Lancashire from which their names is derived, and which derived its name from HESSA a Saxon chief.
After the Conquest the manor appears in the rolls as HESSAM, and its proprietor, one of the followers of William of Normandy, assumed the name "de Hessam." In the reign of Henry III, Roger de HESHAM was Lord of the Manor of Heysham. In the early part of the seventeenth century a member of the family was a citizen of Lancaster.
He had two sons, Gyles and John, the former of whom attained distinction among the merchants of London, while the latter remained in Lancashire, where he had a large family. One of his sons, Gyles, married the daughter of a Westmorland "statesman," Mr. CUMMING, and by her had a son who afterwards became a leading citizen of Carlisle. We of course refer to Dr. John HEYSHAM, whose memoir by Dr LONSDALE is the most interesting and valuable of all the latter's literary works. The doctor graduated in Edinburgh, and after a period of study in Holland, he settled in Carlisle in 1778. It is not requisite that we should recount the course of a life which filled so large a space in local history, and which has been dealt with so fully in an accessible form; but we may say that his laborious and careful record of the deaths in Carlisle, extended over nine years, formed for more than a generation the basis of the soundest actuarial tables of mortality, and was generally adopted, not only by assurance societies in this country, but in France, Germany, and the United States. His observations on the comparative mortality of different diseases were also as valuable as they were minute. There is even now among us a class who may be benefited by the knowledge that in the nine years of Dr. HEYSHAM'S observations 241 persons died of smallpox in Carlisle; but after vaccination was introduced, in 1880, twelve years elapsed without a single death from that disease!
In 1789 the doctor married Mary Elizabeth, the daughter of Alderman COULTHARD, who was twice Mayor of Carlisle. They had four sons and three daughters. Of the sons, John Coulthard HEYSHAM died in infancy; William, adjutant of the 53rd Bengal Native Infantry, died in 1825, aged 29; Thomas Coulthard HEYSHAM, an eminent naturalist, died in Carlisle in 1857, aged 66; James HEYSHAM, a lieutenant in the Navy, died at Borrans Hill, in 1870; and John HEYSHAM, Vicar of Lazonby, died last Monday, aged 84. Of the daughters, Mary HEYSHAM, died in 1808; and Isabella, wife of the late G. G. MOUNSEY, Esq., died in 1848. The only survivor of the family of this distinguished "local worthy" is Miss Anna HEYSHAM of Castle Street, Carlisle.
The respected clergyman who died this week has held the living of Lazonby for thirty years. While his strength remained he was assiduous in his attention to his magisterial and other duties, he being rarely absent from the weekly meetings of the Penrith Bench, and at Quarter Sessions he was always to be seen beside his venerated friend, the late Mr. HASELL." - from the Carlisle Patriot of 16 February 1877
| Lazonby Parish
Located on the westbank of the Eden river in Cumbria, this parish includes the two townships of Lazonby and Plumpton Wall. It is bisected by a great Roman road, a military route heading north to Hadrian's wall. The bishop of Carlisle was the patron and the Reverend John Heysham was the incumbent during the 19th century. |
She was born in 1794. She died on 28 May 1808, at the age of 14.
(22) Anna Heysham (1795)She was christened on 29 August 1795 in Saint Mary, Carlisle, Cumberland, England. In the 1847 census as Miss A. Heysham, she was residing with her big brother, Thomas Coulthard, at 45 Fisher St., Carlisle.
In the 1851 census of Cumberland as Anna Heysham, a visitor at Rockcliffe, her sister's residence in Castletown. In the 1861 census she was again a visitor, aged 65, at the home of George Gill Mounsey.
In the 1871 census of Castletown and Rockcliffe, Cumberland as Anna Heysham, an unmarried 75 year old woman. She was living with her brother-in-law, George Gill Mounsey.
In the 1881 census she was listed as born in 1796 in Carlisle, now 85 years old and unmarried. She was living at 17 Castle street, St Mary Within, Cumberland, England. Upon the death of her brother, the reverend John Heysham, she became the sole remaining member of that generation of the family. She died in July-September 1881 in Carlisle.
The Heyshams In IndiaFrom this line of the family springs, I believe, the only true Heyshams left in England. All the other lines are extinct and the Mounsey-Heyshams are really Gubbins. The Heesoms of Yorkshire and Cheshire may be related, but so far back in history as to be untraceable.
(22) William Heysham (1796)William Heysham, the son of Dr. John Heysham and Elizabeth Mary Coulthard, was born on 27 September 1796 and christened on 27 October 1796 in Saint Mary church, Carlisle, Cumberland, England. I don't know anything about his youth or early education, but it probably included a local grammar school, like Reverend J. Wilson's school at Coledale Hall, see above.
While William's eldest brother was raised as the heir, the other children of Dr. Heysham were trained for the church, the army and the navy. William chose the army route, but rather than in the British army he went with the East India Company's army in India. Below is a recruiting poster for the Company army circa 1810. If William saw it, he would have been 14 years old, just the right time to prepare for entry.
All East India Company cadets were required to fill out an application form, explain the type of education they had received, and supply letters of recommendation regarding their character. How hard was it to get into the company's army? Did you need influence to get a commission as an officer? William's father, Dr. Heysham, was intimate with the Earl of Lonsdale which would have helped. Unlike the British army, a commission in the Company army did not have to be purchased.
After receiving approval to enter the company's army William attended the East India Company's Military Seminary at Addiscombe House as a cadet. At this time this school trained prospective artillery and engineering officers. If William had been assigned to the infantry I suspect he would have been shipped east at once.
| The East India Company
The Honourable East India Company (HEIC) held the Charter to represent the British Crown's merchant interests in India and to establish trade east of the Cape of Good Hope. Army of the Honorable East India Company From 1668 until 1858 the Company maintained its own armed forces in India. The three administrative areas were the Presidencies of Bombay, Madras and Bengal, each having their own army with its own commander-in-chief with Bengal regarded as the senior officer of the three. These armies were paid for entirely out of the East India Company's Indian revenues and together were larger than the British Army itself. All the officers were British and trained at the Company's military academy in England. There were a number of regiments of European infantry but the vast majority of the Company's soldiers were native troops. These Sepoys, as they were called, were mostly high caste Hindus and a great many of them, especially in the Bengal army, came from Oudh in what is now Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The army was organized in numbered regiments and drilled British style. The Sepoy regiments were officered by Europeans, with a stiffening of European Non-Commissioned Officers. Addiscombe Initially officers of the East India Company's army had been trained at the Royal Army school at Woolwich, but in 1809 the Company established their own school at Addiscombe, near Croydon, with a class of 60. By 1813 that number was increased to 90. Cadets were admitted between the ages of 14 and 18 years. They were required to have a fair knowledge of arithmetic, write a good hand, and possess a competent knowledge of English and Latin grammar. The cadets had to pay L30 per annum (a small part of the cost) and to provide their initial outfitting, including a military great-coat, caps, jackets, shirts, trousers, gloves, socks and shoes. The Company supplied them with everything else, including pocket-money. The cadets were taught mathematics, fortification, surveying, and military plan drawing, the classics, French, Latin and Hindustani. - from "Addiscombe: Its Heroes and Men of Note" by Henry Meredith Vibart  |
Addiscombe was a 2-year resident school and there were two terms per year, February to mid June and August to mid December. Each term closed with a public examination. Cadets were grouped by intake and were called 'Greens' in term 1, 'Browns' in 2, 'Young Cadets' in 3 and 'Old Cadets' in their last term. There were obligations according to seniority, so the rules were strictest for the Greens. Graduations occurred twice each year.
The contents of William's cadet file cover five years, 1811 to 1815.
"Cadet Papers: William Heysham 1811-1815" - from archives of the "India Office"Why is would William's file cover five years when Addiscombe was a two year school? Note that later members of the family who attended Addiscombe, Barrington and Robert Thornton Heysham, had cadet files that did cover just two years. To explain, first William may have attended the academy's 6-month preparatory school in 1811. If he then began with the February 1812 term, when he was 15 years old, similar to the starting age of other cadets I've looked at, he would have "passed out" in December 1813. A reference, cited below, lists William as "[Cadet] 1813." I believe that meant that he had passed into his third term in that year, when he would, for the first time, be referred to as a "Young Cadet." This makes sense since William arrived in Calcutta, India in August 1814 after a six-month voyage. He was commissioned an Ensign on 16 December 1814. Perhaps 1815 covers the school's receipt of the notice of this advancement.
I don't know what school was being described below, but it might refer to our William at Addiscombe. It wouldn't fit any of Dr. Heysham's other sons. Most were too old and James was already in the Navy; a far harsher school. I don't have any other Heyshams that would be attending school with a gentleman's son.
"Not even schools offered respite for the bullied child. Schoolmasters, even at elite public schools, thrashed for the most trivial infractions. The gentleman's son Henry Ricketts jotted in his diary in 1813: 'Jones got a flogging for New Testament. Heysham flogged for lessons. Jessel got a flogging for not marking the ablative case in his verbs.' Gratuitous violence in public schools was self-perpetuating." - from "The Real Oliver Twist: Robert Blincoe: A life that illuminates an age" by John WallerWhile I wonder if it makes sense for a headmaster to attempt to thrash a 17 year old, I do remember that this occurred in the movie "Goodbye Mr. Chips," so there is precedence of a sort.
A Cadet's typical day,
"Our mode of life had a great deal of regularity. At 6am the bugle call of reveille forced us from our beds and we had to be on parade at 6.30 when we were marched into chapel for prayers. Immediately after we went into study and remained till 8.00 when we partook of breakfast. This was soon over and we were allowed leisure till 9.00 when came study again. At 11.00 we had a few minutes breathing time and again went to study till 1pm when we marched to the dining-hall for dinner. After this we were allowed till 2.00 for football or any other recreation, when again followed study. At 4pm we were free, except twice a week when drill was the order of the day. From 4.00 to 6.00 we were allowed to do as we pleased. At 6.00 came tea and after this sometimes study again, but occasionally we had 'library'. At 9pm we were marched into chapel for prayers and by 10.00 we were supposed to be in bed." - from "Addiscombe, Its Heroes and Men of Note" by Colonel Henry Meredith Vibart
Examinations were held twice-yearly in June and December: they lasted about three weeks, and culminated in a Public Examination, a day-long affair of some ceremony before a distinguished audience, which included orchestrated demonstrations of book-learning and of swordsmanship, pontoon-building, and other military exercises; an exhibition of drawings and models; a formal inspection; and the distribution of prizes. The Public Examiner, who presided, was an eminent general, while the audience usually included some of the Directors of the East India Company, and often the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had a residence nearby at Addington Palace.
Upon graduating, called passing out, the new officers would be presented with a 'passing out certificate.'
The Addiscombe academy's initial classes, through 1816, were exclusively for Artillery and Engineering officers. I will assume that William was commissioned an Officer of Engineers since there is no indication in his records of assignment to artillery units. Surveying would have been one of William's primary duties.
William was then posted to the Company army in Bengal, India.
There was a difference between belonging to the British Army in India and the HEIC army. While both were commanded by British-born officers and served the interests of the Empire, the British Army was considered to be socially superior. However, a commission in that Army had to be bought, sometimes at great cost, and its officers could expect to be "genteely poor" for much of their junior careers. For that reason, most of them depended on a family income to allow them to live in style. In the HEIC Army, on the contrary, costs were low and a family back home in England could expect to be subsidized by their colonial sons. As might be expected, the relative wealth of officers of the HEIC, obtained through prize money and plunder, offended the delicacy of their brother officers in the British Army.
Note that this period was the height of the Napoleonic Wars and the height of the fame of the Duke of Wellington. He had made his name initially in India and, perhaps, this influenced William's career decision.
| Britain in India
The British Empire in India was established by the Honorable East India Company (HEIC), a private trading firm which had been granted monopoly trading rights in the East Indies. Starting in 1608, their trade expanded rapidly. In 1690 they got permission from the Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb to build a settlement on a muddy flatland in Bengal that eventually became the city of Calcutta. The Company saw a rise of its fortunes, and its transformation from a trading venture to a ruling enterprise, when one of its military officials, Robert Clive, defeated the forces of the Nawab of Bengal at the Battle of Plassey in 1757. By the mid-19th century the company controlled more than three-fifths of India with the remaining two-fifths being run by 562 local princes who were clearly subordinate to British authority. |
The voyage from England, out of London or Southampton, to India via the Cape of Good Hope aboard a Company ship took at least six months. Every season, the company's fleet of ships, known as East Indiamen, sailed in a large convoy between London and the East, laden with merchandise and passengers. These ships were both larger and better armed than the usual merchant vessels, often being mistaken for men-of-war. These large ships, however, had little to worry about. French national warships, operating out of Mauritius, had been a problem for company ships, but their base had been taken in 1810. Privateers and local pirates might attack smaller ships operating alone, but a company convoy was too well protected.
William arrived in India in August 1814, at the port of Calcutta. I'll assume the ship left England in February, giving him time to go home to Carlisle to visit his parents and gather his things after the end of his last term at Addiscombe, in December 1813.
"ArrivalsThere were a number of other cadets onboard.
Date: Aug 1814
Ship: Astell
Type: HC ship
Captain: W.H. Hardyman
Passenger: Mr. William Hysham
Occupation: Cadet
Origin: England
Destination: Calcutta"
- from Arrivals from The Bengal and Calcutta Directories 1812-1814, 1816
| HEIC ASTELL
The ASTELL was an East India Company ship, built in London by Peter Mestaers, shipbuilder, in 1809. The ship's name probably stems from William Astell, chairman of the HEIC. It served until 1831. It was an 820 ton vessel, ship-rigged, with a crew of 100 and 26 guns. On its third voyage to India, in 1814, it was captained by William Henry Hardyman. During its life it made 10 such voyages. The ship had a letter of marque which indicated that, for this voyage at least, she carried 22 18-pound carriage guns and 10 18-pound carronades. ASTELL was part of a 3-ship East India convoy in July 1810 when it was attacked by a French frigate squadron, under the command of Guy-Victor Duperre, off the Comoros islands. The French ships were the BELLONE, MINVERVE, and VICTOR. Readers of Patrick O'Brien will recognize these ships. Two HEIC ships, the WINDHAM and the CEYLON, were forced to surrender, but ASTELL was able to escape. This was the last successful French assault on a British merchant convoy during the Napleonic Wars. |
Calcutta was the capital of the Bengal Presidency, a military district controlling all of northern India along the route of the Ganges river. It was the wealthiest of the three Presidencies, the others being Madras and Bombay.
William was commissioned an Ensign in the Honorable East India Company (HEIC) army on 16 December 1814. This was probably tied to his arrival date in India.
| Ensign
The lowest commissioned officer rank in the infantry from the 18th century until 1871 when the rank was abolished and replaced by that of Second Lieutenant. Ensigns were named for the Ensign or Colour which they carried. The equivalent rank in the cavalry was Coronet. |
The new Ensigns, known as "Griffs," short for Griffons, a military slang of the day, would have smelled the port of Calcutta before they could see it. The smell was a combination of the pervasive aroma of curry and the sour stink of untreated sewage. The shock of coming upon an Asian slum is profound, as I can testify - see the movie "The Year of Living Dangerously" for some insight. William would have met squalor unlike anything he had seen before, even in the worst parts of Carlisle or London. It was, however, exciting as well; exotic, and erotic, in ways he had never experienced.
| The Griffon
An Anglo-Indian sportive term for a newcomer, a strange 'animal' neither English or Indian, as a griffon is neither lion nor eagle. He makes ludicrous mistakes, but from lack of Indian experience, not from lack of intellect. His companions will take advantage of this and play pranks on him, causing him to fall into blunders. A novice or greenhorn. - from "The American Encyclopedic Dictionary" of 1896 |
The great East Indiaman merchant ship that brought William and his compatriots to Calcutta may have tied up at the jetty in front of Fort William, below. The fort would have been their home until they got assigned to their regiments.
| Fort William
The original fort was built on the east bank of the Hooghly river by the East India Compnay in 1696 and named for King William III. It was temporarily conquered in 1756 by the Nawab of Bengal. A new fort was built in 1758, being completed in 1781. The area around the fort had been cleared and a large park, called the Maidan, was built. This provided both clear areas of fire around the fort and a comfortable, European-style park for the officers to relax in. The headquarters of the Indian Ordnance Factories was established at the fort in 1775.  
A view of Calcutta from Fort William in 1781 and the Maidan |
William would have had a lot of time to explore the city and this new way of life. He would be assigned a munshi, a native teacher to polish the language skills he had supposedly gained at Addiscombe.
In Calcutta William was appointed to the 27th Bengal Native Infantry of the Company Army. While officered by the British, the Company's army was, in the main, made up of native soldiers. Those of the Bengal army were recruited not from Bengal itself, but from the warrior castes of northern India, especially from Awadh [Oudh]. To be a soldier, or sepoy, in the Bengal army was an occupation to which high status was attached and the sepoys saw themselves as an elite.
| The 27th Bengal Native Infantry Regiment
In September 1804 the East India company added four new native regiments of infantry to the army; the 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th. The 26th and 27th were raised at Fueehgurh [Fategarh]. This was a cantonment town, or military base, in the Farrukhabad district of the modern state of Uttar Pradesh, or anciently Awadh. By 1815 there were 30 native infantry regiments. The number had increased to 69 by 1857. Elements of the 27th BNI served in Java in 1811, under Colonel George Wood, and in Nepal in 1814, under the overall command of Major General Gillespie, who was killed in the first stages of the campaign, and replaced by General Martindell. The regiment's uniforms had yellow facings and silver lace. |
Upon getting his regimental assignment, William headed upriver to his new post. Unfortunately, at this point I don't know where the 27th was quartered, though this was the period of the Gurkha, or Anglo-Nepalese, War, 1814-1816. Based on the paragraph below, I believe they were fairly far up the Ganges, perhaps in Hansi, Haryana province when the war with Nepal began. The East India Company had established its authority over Hansi in 1803. There is a famous fort here, see below. William Heysham appears to have been in the 1st battalion of the 27th NI.
The Gurkha, or Ango-Nepalese, War began in 1814. The Shah of Nepal had been on a campaign of enlargement of his kingdom as great as that of the Company as they worked their way up the Ganges. Nepal felt that they were destined to rule a kingdom from the Ganges north. The Company differed and from that war began.
The Company had four generals, three of which, and a replacement, proved useless and a fourth who won the war. Marley and Wood were reluctant to take risks. Gillespie died early and his replacement, Martindell, got his nose bloodied early and became cautious. Ochterlony was the fourth. However, the war, as far as war aims go, was over with the fall of the fortress at Almora, which severed the two western provinces from Nepal. A second campaign in 1816, centered on the capture of Katmandu, was launched, but a peace was reached before that eventuality was effected. Nepal lost territory in both the east and west, but maintained its independence. Its Gurkha warriors became an integral part of the British army, and are so to this day. Watch "The Two Fat Ladies" cook for them on BBC television.
Apparently the British accepted a speedy conclusion to their campaign because of widespread dysentery amongst their troops and the approach of the fever season.
I know the following about the 27th Bengal NI's movements during this period.
- In December 1814 four companies of the 1st battalion of the 27th were provided to General Martindell. They were to march to Nahun from Hansi, by the way of Jhind [Jind] and Kurnoul [Karnal]. Hansi is in Haryana province, northwest of Delhi. Nahun was in western Nepal, circa 1814. The army joined at Karnal and occuppied Nahan on 20 December 1814. The companies were part of the attack on Fort Jytak, located on a mountain above Nahun. The effort failed, but not due to the 27th's actions, who were part of a flanking movement.
- Lieutenant Tapley of the 27th NI received a mortal wound in the defense of an advanced post at the assault on Almora, in Kumaun province, on 26 April 1815. The fall of Almora caused the capitulation of Nepal's western provinces. This was a separate component of the 27th under a different commanding general.
- Lieutenant John Welsh of the 27th NI died in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, about 80 miles north of Delhi, on 29 April 1815. This death doesn't appear to be battle related.
- On 30 April 1815 the Grenadier companies of the Second battalion of the 27th, "who are now at the Head-Quarters of the corps at Nahun, will be ordered to join the companies in Kamaon."
- 16 April 1816 270 men of the 2nd battalion of the 27th NI under Captain Boscawen were posted to keep the Mufti [in Bareilly] and his adherents in check." Insurrection due to the imposition of a house tax. Bareilly is about 100 miles east of Delhi in Uttar Pradesh.
- In August 1816 one company of the 27th NI marched from Almora, marked on the map above, just northwest of Nepal, to Choupukyah. The move apparently was due to the withdrawal of a Gurkha force that had been threatening.
Almora had been taken from Nepal on 27 April 1815 causing the fall of Kumaun province soon after. Saharanpur was just outside the limits of Nepal, circa 1814.
Would William have been sent straight to the front in Nepal? I suspect not, assuming that he would need to be trained and groomed before he was allowed to lead the sepoys under his command.
Upon checking into his regiment William would have been introduced to its officers at the Regimental Mess. This dining hall/officer's club would have been a welcome relief. A long cool hall, fanned by punkahs, its tables set with clean linen, a servant behind the chair of each officer, it was quite a contrast to the noisy, squalid Indian cities beyond the cantonment's walls. The officers themselves were cocky and confident. Richard Burton, the adventurer and officer in the HEIC, said of his messmates "there was not a subaltern in the 18th regiment who did no consider himself capable of governing a million Hindus."
As a bachelor William would have been set-up in a small bungalow of his own and he would have had a large staff of servants. I don't know anything about William's proclivities, but it was usual for the hawaldar, the regimental sergeant, to find the new officers a bubu or bibi, termed a "black wife." That is, a common law wife. This would usually be a Hindu. European women were not often seen in early India, especially around remote cantonments. When the regiment moved these women were normally left behind, though, as in the case of William, not always. Much of the native language a man learned came from conversations with his "black wife" and it was for this reason that they often learned only the feminine version of words, to the great amusement of the locals.
The liaisons between the British and native women were not officially recorded as marriages; this was restricted to compacts between two Christians. However, the baptism of their offspring was usually recorded. I don't know what the attitude of British society in India was to these arrangements at this moment. Early on it had been rather open-minded, but as time went on it became more rigidly hostile, especially after European women became more common on the continent.
Life in the cantonment started early, the men rising before dawn to get as much accomplished in the cool of the day as possible. The 27th BNI had to be relentlessly drilled, both in the march and in rifle drill, to achieve the level of training that allowed the small Company armies to overawe the native levees. During the torrential rains of the monsoon season little training could be accomplished.
If William was an Engineer, as I suspect, then he would have spent much of his time in the field with a small surveying team. The job of mapping the huge subcontinent would take the Company decades to accomplish. To the right is a photo of such a team later in the century.
Soon after arriving in India William was promoted from Ensign to Lieutenant.
"Ensign William Heysham [Heyshun in Google Books] to be Lieutenant" - from "Asiatic Intelligence - Calcutta" of February 1817The following provides a more complete list of William's promotions.
"Heysham, William . . . [Cadet] 1813 . [Cornet, Ensign or Second Lietenant] Dec. 16, 1814 . [Lieutenant] Oct. 1, 1815 . [Captain] . . . " - from "Alphabetical List of the Officers of the Bengal Army" by Edward Dodwell and James Samuel Miles, 1838
In 1816 the war with the Gurkha of Nepal had been brought to a close and the Governor General of India, Lord Hastings, gave attention to the situation in Rajputana. Pindari bandits, based in that region, were raiding Company territories and threatening commerce. There was also concern that, while the Gurkha war had been won, early defeats had revived the hopes of some of the native princes in the Rajput. There were even rumors of a grand confederacy of Marathas, Pindaris, and Patans, under Amir Khan, against the company.
| Rajputana
|
Following a ruinous series of Pindari raids in 1816 the Governor General of India, Francis Rawdon-Hastings, was given authority to confront the situation in the Rajput. Units from the armies of all three Presidencies were called out to create together the largest force ever massed by the company, over 116,000 infantry and cavalry, as well as 300 guns. This was all out of proportion with the task of extinquishing bands of maruaders and clearly Hastings knew that in pursuing the Pindaris he would ignite a war throughout the Rajput.
Hastings formed two armies, taking personal command of the northern Army which assembled at Cawnpore in four divisions, each of two infantry and a cavalry brigades. The 27th Bengal Native Infantry of William Heysham was part of this force. General Sir Thomas Hislop commanded the southern Army, of seven divisions. These armies coming out of the northwest provinces and the Deccan would converge on the Rajput hoping to keep the Pindari from scattering and setting their banditry somewhere else. A number of princes rebelled at this invasion and the expected war broke, to be known as the Third Anglo-Maratha War.
The company army took the field on 16 October 1817, crossed the Jumna river on a bridge of boats, and marched upon Gwalior. Gwalior, a Maratha state, was ruled by the Sindhia dynasty. It was located about 75 miles south of Agra. The other states of the Maratha confederacy were Indore, Nagpore, and Baroda.
Hastings' left was covered by units under General Donkin. On 5 November, with company armies within 5 miles of his captial at Gwalior, Sindia signed a treaty of peace with the British.
While in the vicinity of Gwalior, Hasting's camp was hit by an epidemic of cholera. It began on 13 November and the 1st Battaltion of the 27th N.I. was also affected. For a time the army was paralysed.
"To the same account may be placed, the progressive march of the disorder from one part of an infected place to another; as in the Centre and Hansi Divisions; and more particularly the Rajpootana Force, in which the virus seemed be be regularly propagated from Corps to Corps.*Another footnote says,
Footnote: *The line of this Force faced nearly North and by East. The troops were arranged in the following order, commecing from the left. The 1st Battalion 28th Native Infantry; 6th and 7th Companies Pioneers; Goolundas and Gun Lascars; the Park in the Centre; 5 Companies 1st Battalion European Artillery; 1st Battalion 27th Native Infantry; Squadron 2d Regiment Cavalry; 2d Local Cavalry . . . The 1st Battalion 28th and Goolundas were attacked on the 14th September; on the 15th a few cases occurred amongst the Pioneers and Lascars . . . on the 20th the Local Cavalry, and 1st Battalion 27th N. I. [were attacked by cholera] . . ." - from "Report of the Epidemic Cholera Morbus, as it Visited the Territories Subject to the Presidency of Bengal, in the Years 1817, 1818 and 1819"
"In the Rajpootana Force, which in fighting men and followers amounted perhaps to 15,000, the mortality was greater. The armed force consisted of 96 Europeans, (Officers not included) and 4,100 Natives . . . of 5 Companies 1st Battalion 27th Regiment, 18, of whom 7 died . . . Here Europeans were slightly affected, and the lower classes suffered most."While cholera was an ever-present scourge in India, it was said to be especially virulent in 1817 and the dense confines of a military camp were a perfect environment for its spread.
The affect on the army was great, even though most of the deaths were amongst camp followers, and Lord Hastings was worried that reports might reach Sindia causing him to violate the recently signed treaty. However, once the position of the camp was shifted to the banks of the Betwa river the virulence of the disease subsided.
There were only a few battles in this short war, all won decisively by company armies. In fact the military campaign lasted just four months. Most of the action was undertaken by Hastings' left wing under General Donkin and the Deccan army of Hislip. Bajee Rao of the Peshwa declared war on 5 November; the Raja of Nagpore on the 26th; and Holkar on 16 December.
Hastings was able to remove the Patan army from the field through diplomacy, promising Amir Khan company lands. The defeat of Bajee Rao and of the Raja of Nagpore was also convincing, and a treaty of alliance was signed. As the tide thus turned, the company offered treaties to the numerous minor Rajput rulers to protect them from the Pindaris and Maratha.
The Rajputana Force of Lord Hastings, and the 27th BNI, took the role of a "force in being," affecting the tide of events through their presense before Gwalior.
The war resulted in the breakup of the Maratha Empire and eclipse of Maratha influence. Under Company rule the region was organized as the Rajputana Agency, made up of a number of princely states, including Jaipur, Jodhpur and Bikaner, under the political charge of an agent to the Governor General of India.
On 4 August 1818 William was made Adjutant of the regiment. The adjutant is an administrative assistant to the commanding officer, in charge of all the organisation, administration and discipline of the regiment. He usually accompanies the Colonel, including in battle.
In June 1819 disease again hit the army.
"The disease next re-appeared in the Rajpootana Force. . . . But the 1st Battalion 28th Native Infantry, and 5 companies of the 1st Battalion 27th Native Infantry, both of which had suffered severely in the preceding September, now wholly escaped; and only a few cases, all terminating favorably, occurred in the 2nd Battalion 19th Native Infantry, which lost many men at Mundessore, in August. In one division of the 27th Native Infantry, there were 7 admissions, and 5 deaths ; but all these took place in persons who had been absent from the corps during the sickly period of September." - from "Treatise on the Epidemic Cholera as has Prevailed in India" by Frederick Corbyn, 1832
In 1819 a muster of the regiment was recorded:
"Twenty-Seventh Regiment Native Infantry.William would have been up for Captain in about 1827, or 12 years after commissioning. I don't know why a date of rank to Lieutenant is shown as 1817 when the reference above had 1815. Note the name Leadbeater, above. In 1821 William would assume his duties as interpretor and quartermaster while Leadbeater was on leave.
Rank . . . Names . . . Rank in the Regiment/Army . . . Remarks
Colonel . . . Sir George Wood, KCB . . . 27 Sept 1807 . . . 4 June 1811 . . . On furlough [probably in England]
Lt.Cols . . . Robt Stevenson . . . 14 June 1813 . . . Dep com. gen.
Lt.Cols . . . Sir T. Ramsay, bt. . . . 1 June 1818 . . . On furlough
Majors . . . H.A. Boscawen . . . 14 May 1816
Majors . . . John Tuscott . . . 9 Dec 1818 . . . Can.adj. & barr.
. . .
Lieut . . . Wm Heysham . . . 1 Oct 1817 . . .
. . .
Adjutants . . . Wm. Heysham 1st battalion [none listed for 2nd]
Inter. and qr.masters . . . W.E.B. Leadbeater 1st battalion . . ." - from the "East-India Register and Directory" of 1819
The 27th regiment's commander in 1819 was 'Colonel' Sir George Wood, KCB. He was known as "Tiger Wood" for his fierce disposition. He led the Bengal Division in the conquest of Java in 1811 and was brought in to replace the faltering General Marley of the 4th Division during the recent Gurkha War. George Wood held the rank of brevet Major General, one step above Colonel, which was his normal rank. There were a scandalously large number of brevet-Generals in company service. In 1837 there were only five division commands, but the brevet of 1837 added 29 Major Generals; 6 of them got command of a division at some point, 2 died, 3 were on the general staff, and 18 were on furlough in England. The brevet was in many cases simply an honor. Officer's were paid on their regimental rank, not their brevet rank. Wood returned from India in 1820 and died in 1824. Note that of the Lieutenant Colonels of the regiment, Robert Stevenson was shown to be the deputy commanding general, and T. Ramsay was both knighted and a baronet.
In 1819 elements of the regiment were at spread out across India, including at the following:
- Ghazepore, capital of Berar, won in the 2nd Maratha War
- Lucknow, capital of Awadh
- Moorshedabad, or Murshidabad, ancient capital of Bengal (in modern-day Bangladesh)
- Allahabad, in Awadh
- Muttra, or Mathura, in the Agra division, on the Jumna river
- Cuttack, the cultural and commercial capital of Orissa, in eastern India, won in the 2nd Maratha War
- Delhi
According to Angela Heysham, a descendent, Lieutenant William Heysham married Elizabeth, the daughter of a Colonel Atkin. This probably occured in about 1820. However, I don't have any documentation for this. I suspect, however, that William's wife was a native-born woman. I base this on several things.
- Upon William's death his children were put into an orphanage in Calcutta that was normally reserved for the children of British officers and their native born wives.
- The Company provided free passage back to England for the legitimate children of British couples, yet William's father, Dr. John Heysham, allowed his grandchildren to be put into a orphanage. I would be surprised if the Doctor let his British grandchildren languish in Calcutta, but less so if they were Eurasian.
- According to the Law Journal Reports of 1887, "[Dr.] John Heysham . . . died in the year 1834, having had eight children, all of whom died in the lifetime of the testator, and, with the exception of one named Isabella, without having been married." Why would they say that if William had married the daughter of a British Colonel?
- A bequest of T.J. Milne, brother-in-law to Dr. John Heysham, to Dr. Heysham's children and lawful heirs left William's children with nothing. Probate of the will referred to William and his siblings, with the exception of Isabella, as having died "without having been married."
- William's son, William Jr., held a number of positions in the Bengal civil service that were normally held by Indians or Eurasians.
- Two of William's grandsons attended Doveton College in Calcutta, a school founded for Eurasian students.
Why might William have married a native woman? First, marriageable women of European extraction were in extremely short supply in India at this time.
"A common theme running thrugh most contemporary acounts of cantonment life in India is just how few eligible European women there were." - from "The Military and the Matrimonial Market in Colonial India" in "Discipline and the Other Body: Correction, Corporeality, Colonialism"In 1810 it was estimated that there were only 250 European women in all of Bengal, while there were 10,000 European troops in that province. It was also true that Indian women were in some ways preferred, being considered less troublesome than European women. I should note that by 1820 there were women born of European and Indian parents available for marriage. These Eurasian women often had the advantage of being Protestant.
Second, while there was a prejudice against such marriages, it was greatest amongst officers in the British army. It was less so in the Company army. Additionally, having less social status than their Royal army compatriots, Company officers had fewer opportunities to successfully court the few European women available.
I have a reference to William in the 27th Regiment in 1821,
"27th Regt.--Feb. 9. Lieut. and Adj. Heysham, 1st bat, is appointed to act as Interp. and Quar.mast. to that bat. during the absence, on leave, of Lieut. Interp. and Quart.mast. Leadbeater." - from "The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany" of 1821
For a little feeling of the life in the Indian Army, the following are Standing Orders of the Bengal Army taken from the "Bengal Almanac & Appendix for the year 1841."
Under the heading XXV - BAGGAGE:
"1. Every man on march is to carry the following articles neatly packed in his knapsack; an ungea [a jacket], one pair of white trowsers, the fatigue or cloth pair being in wear (according to the season), a dotee [loincloth], a tawa [a griddle for making chappatis or bread], a small duree or carpet, for sleeping on, about 9 feet long by 3 feet broad; and also, a piece of pipe-clay [for cleaning your webbing]; this will leave room for a chudder [a cloth], should the man wish to carry one. A lota [a brass or copper pot], not larger than what will contain a seer [about 2 pounds], is to be strapped on the top of the knapsack, with the string for drawing water rolled up inside the lota; and this is to be called light marching order."
In 1821 William's first son was born in Patna, in Bihar province, several hundred miles up the Ganges from Calcutta. William was probably stationed at Dinapur [Danapur] at the time, a military cantonment just west of Patna, up the Ganges river.
| Patna
Bihar has a long history. It was the home state of the Mauryan emperors. Under Ashoka the great, Magadha and its capital Patliputra became famous all over the world. With the death of Ashoka, its fortunes declined. However, under the Gupta emperors, it regained its lost glory. Under the sultans of Delhi, and later under the Mogul emperors, Bihar was reduced to the status of a province. Its only claim was that it lay on the route from Bengal to Delhi. When Sher Shah, a Behari himself, drove out Humayun and occupied the throne of Delhi, Bihar once again shot into limelight. Sher Shah founded the city of Patna, on the site of the ancient capital Patliputra and gave the country an efficient administration. Bihar enjoyed a period of peace and stability under Akbar the Great and the later Moghuls. With the decline of the Mogul empire, Bihar passed into the hands of Nawabs of Bengal. The British wrested the country from the Nawab of Bengal in the decisive battle at Buxar in Bihar (1764). As early as 1765 the Company had acquired the right to collect revenues on behalf of the Mughul Empereor in Bihar. Under the British, Bihar was part of the Bengal Presidency and governed from Calcutta. It was the most important commerical center in the Presidency after Calcutta. Dinapur was a town and military station of British India in the Patna district. It was the largest military cantonment in Bengal with accommodations for two batteries of artillery, and a European and a native infantry regiment. In 1857 the sepoy garrison of the place initiated the mutiny of that year in Patna district, but after a conflict with the European troops were forced to retire from the town, and subsequently laid siege to Arrah. |
Two more children were born to William; Eliza in 1822 and Henry in 1824, but all three of this children were christened at the same time on 4 May 1825 at Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. Meerut is upriver from Patna. This implies that a baptism wasn't practical from 1821 to 1824 when the children were born. Were they on the campaign trail with their father or simply living at outlying posts with no religious facilities?
| Meerut
St. John's Church in the Meerut Cantonment was completed in 1822. Set up by Chaplain, the Reverend Henry Fisher on behalf of the East India Company, this Church was dedicated to the people by Bishop Wilson. The church has a seating capacity of 10,000 people. During the 1857 uprising, this church was the scene of heavy fighting between the rebels and the British forces. The church also has the honour of being the oldest church in North India. |
Reforms instituted in 1824 resulted in the 1st Battalion of the 27th Bengal Native Infantry becoming the 53rd Regiment - from the wiki.fibis.org website. Note that William Heysham is now found in the 53rd reinforcing the opinion that he had always been in the 1st Battalion.
"LieutenantsWilliam was also listed under the regiment's page.
. . .
1815
. . .
William Heysham 53 Inf 1 Oct" - from "The Bengal Directory" of 1824
"53th Regiment Native Infantry.
Castor ka-pultan, Late 1 Bn. 27 Regt. Raised in 1804.
Saugor
Lieutenannt Colonel W. H. Perkins May 1, 24
. . .
Lieutenants
. . .
William Heysham October 1, 15
. . .
Staff
Wm Heysham. . .Adjt 4 August 1818
. . .
Facings Yellow Lace Silver." - from "The Bengal Directory" of 1824
The following is a muster of the 53rd BNI in 1825.
"Fifty-Third Regiment Native Infantry.I think the 818 means 1818.
Colonel Henry De Castro 21Sep.804 19July821 On furlough
. . .
Lieuts Wm. Heysham 1Oct.815
. . .
Facings Yellow Lace Silver.
Adjutant . . . Wm. Heysham 4Aug.818
Inter. and qr.-mas . . . W.E.B. Leadbeater 2Oct.824
Surgeon . . . Alex. Scott (assist.) 2Mar.821" - from "The India Office and Burma Office List" of 1825
The duties of the 53rd were protection of the border with Punjab (the independent Sikh's were excellent warriors and were not above raiding), the suppression of local banditry, and holding down the native population. The Company's main concern was trade and taxes. The army's job was to create a peaceful climate in which the economy could thrive. Note that Haryana province was also known as "greenland" by those who lived in the more arid tracts that surrond it, so the usual image of the dry and dusty frontier Indian life, think of "Gunga Din" or "Wee Willie Winkie," are not appropriate here. Its cattle were famous and that would have drawn cattle thieves.
The 53rd Bengal Native Infantry Regiment
- In 1804 the unit was raised as the 1st Battalion of the 27th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry following a reorginazation in 1796 when the previous 27th Regiment was absorbed by the 3rd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry. - In 1824 the 1st Battalion became the 53rd Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry under Major J Canning. - In 1857 the Regiment mutinied at Cawnpore. |
By 1825 William was in Karnal, in the province of Haryana. The Punjab, the region of the Sikhs to the northwest of Karnal, was not conquered until 1849, making this a frontier region. Of Karnal a European woman wrote in 1838,
"We arrived here yesterday; a great ugly scattered cantonment, all barracks, and dust, and guns, and soldiers." - from "The Annals of Karnal" by Major C. H. Buck, Deputy CommmissionerIt is interesting that on 4 May 1825 all three of William's children were finally baptized. This may have been because this was the first cantonment that had adequate religious facilities. However, it is interesting to consider that William may have had intimations of his coming death and, beseeched by his Indian wife, had finally made the ulitimate acknowledgement of his children. As you'll read below, William's father, Dr. John Heysham, did not acknowledge these children as "English," denying that his son ever married or had any progeny.
| Karnal
In 1739, the Persian King Nadir Shah defeated the Mughal ruler Muhammad Shah in the Battle of Karnal. Raja Gopal Singh of Jind then seized Karnal in 1763. It was taken from him by the Marhatta's and a mercenary army led by George Thomas, in 1797. It was then captured by the British in 1805 and gave it to Muhamdi Khan, a prince in the employ of the East India Company. The Company later took back the province and established a cantonment in 1811. They abandoned this in 1841 due to a massive outbreak of malaria in the cantonment in 1840. From "The History of the Bengal European Regiment" by P.R. Innes: ". . . Kurnaul [Karnal], a new station built on a scale of grandeur hitherto unknown in India. Kurnaul had been selected as a suitable site for a cantonment, and barracks had been erected for the accomodation of a strong frontier force, but the situation at the station was soon found to be unhealthy, on account of its close proximity to the irrigation canals, which, from their having been constructed at a higher level than the cantonment, produced a destructive epidemic of fever among the troops. The station was in consequence abandoned, and most of the Regiments were removed to Umballa [Ambala], which henceforth was the principle frontier station. Notwithstanding that some compensation was granted by the government, sad losses fell upon the Officers of the Regiments stationed at Kurnal, as they all had expended very large sums on the erection of houses, etc."The army moved to a new cantonment established at Ambala in 1843. The Space Shuttle astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who died in the Columbia disaster, was from Karnal. |
William died on 13 October 1825 at the age of 29 at Karnal, Haryana, India.
"[Deaths] Abroad.--Oct. 13, 1825. At Kurnald [sic], Bengal, Lieut. and Adj. W. Heysham, 53d Reg. N.I. third son of John Heysham, esq., of Carlisle." - from "The Gentleman's Magazine" by Goerge G. Whittaker
William may have died of malaria which was rife in the neighborhoods where the 27th and 53rd BNIs were located.
Of course, life went on in the Regiment.
- "[October] 13. At Kurnaul, Lieut. W. Heysham, 53d N.I.",
- "Fort William, Oct. 20.--53d N.I. Ens. G. Tylee to be lieut. from 13th Oct. v. Heysham dec.",
- "53d N.I. Lieut. C.H. Wintour to be adj. v. Heysham dec." - from "The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany"
William was buried in the Old Cemetery on Station road in Karnal. There is a tombstone with the inscription,
"Lieut William Heysham, died 13 October 1825"I believe this was what was known as the "Christian cemetary" at St. James church, in Karnal. The church was built around 1806, located between the infantry parade and the race course. It was dismantled and moved to Ambala when the cantonment was abandoned due to an epidemic. The main tower of the church was left, however, because it had been built with public funds and it still marks the spot.
St. James Cantonment Church Cemetery at Karnal
This cemetery still exists and is "[m]aintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, which has saved these graves from pillage and desecration . . . The southern part of the cemetery is still in use. The Northern part, which has 19th C graves is protected and well maintained." "In 1808 a regular cemetery (No. 55 near the Government High School) was prepared and, being unfortunately much required, was entirely filled up during the next thirty-three years. It was left in an utterly neglected state after the cantonment was abandoned in 1843 until 1875, when it was put in thorough repair and laid out with walks. Thereafter it was again allowed to get into disorder and was not repaired until 1909. This cemetery contains a number of fine monuments, but several of these and the greater number of the grave stones has lost their inscriptions through neglect. There are here 585 graves, and a list is maintained in the office of the Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, Ambala, a copy being in the office of the Deputy Commissioner, who is primarily responsible for the upkeep of the cemeteries." "Lieutenant William A. H. Heysham, Adjutant, 53 Regiment N.I. 13-10-1825 29 years"- from "The Annals of Karnal" by Cecil Henry Buck What did A. H. stand for? |
William's descendents continued to live in India for many generations to come. William's wife may have died as well for his children were sent to an orphanage.
"Supreme Court of Judicature at Fort William, in BengalCompany paper probably refers to the currency issued by the East India company, in Rupees. Each Presidency, in Madras, Bombay and Bengal, had its own currency until 1835. I don't know if 8,000 rupees is a lot of money, though many of the other entries are for much less. According to the Military Encyclopedia, circa 1850 an Infantry Lieutenant in Company service made Rs. 225 12 per month. Another source says Rs. 257; the pay did differ depending on whether they were in the field or in cantonment. An Adjutant made a little more. Rs. 8000 then was about 2.5-3 years pay. That's pretty good. Given that William had living expenses, and a family to support, what was the source of this legacy? Probably prize money. At the end of a successful campaign Company soldiers were given a share of whatever the Company had been able to scoop up as "prizes of war." As with the Royal Navy, prize money was apportioned by rank; Generals got a big percentage, privates got little.
. . . Net Balances remaining in the Administrator's Account have been paid over to those who appeared entitled to the same since the last Report on the 1st day of March 1827.
. . .
[Intestates' Names] Estate of Lieutenant William Heysham, late of the 53d reg, of N.I. deceased
[Amount of each Estate in Company's Paper] - 8000
[Amount of each Estate in Cash.] [blank] -
[To whom paid] - Delivered over to the Military Orphan Society, upon indemnity, for the benefit of the children of the said Lieutenant William Haysham [sic], deceased, according to the instructions of the father of the said deceased." - from "The London Gazette, Jan. 1 - June 27 1828"
It looks like William's father, Dr. John Heysham, was not interested in bringing the children back to England to raise; it seems kind of harsh to consign your grandchildren to an orphanage, especially to an orphanage of that Dickensian era. I wonder if this is an indication of some bad blood between William and his father? William's children were put into the Upper Orphan school, in Calcutta.
"The Upper Orphan School is intended for the sons of officers by native women." - from "The Calcutta Review" of 1883So, did Dr. Heysham not want mixed-blood children? That would have been typical of the feeling in England at the time. The Military Orphan Society saw things the same way. The society provided passage money to Britain for those orphans born of European parents on both sides, but kept the Eurasian children in India.
"Its rules insisted, "Children born in wedlock only are sent home by the Society, and alone participate in the benefits of an English education." It goes on to declare, "Illegitimate orphans will be taken care of in India--girls will be sent to Kidderpore House [the Upper Orphan school] and the boys placed in an appropriate school." - from "The Military and the Matrimonial Market in Colonial India" in "Discipline and the Other Body: Correction, Corporeality, Colonialism"Generally, 'born in wedlock' meant between two Christians. A marriage with a native woman was not recognized by the church or the Company.
"Only those children who were legitimate and wholly British - a minority - were returned to England. The vast majority, Eurasian and illegitimate, stayed in India and were educated at the Upper Male and Female Orphanage at Calcutta." - from "Poor Relations: The Making of a Eurasian Community in British India, 1773-1833" by Christopher J. Hawes
"The separation between officers' children and non-officers' children was built on the assumption that the orphans of the Upper School were more likely to be legitimate and by extension of this logic, of pure European extraction. In fact this was not so: more likely than not, the children of the Upper School were officers' children but mixed race." - from "Sex and the Family in Colonial India" by Durba GhoshThat also leaves open the question whether William's wife, if native born, had died. It would also have been typical of the bureaucracy to think it kinder to put the children in an orphanage rather than allow them to be raised in an Indian, read "squalid," home.
"Many of these so-called orphans would not be considered orphans today, as a number of them still had living parents. Being an orphan in colonial India did not mean that one's parents were dead. Instead, it meant that the child had no legitimate living parents . . . to be declared an orphan in India only required proof that the father was dead; the mother, who would most often be either Eurasian or Indian, was irrelevant in the eyes of the law . . . The company clearly intended that children born to a European officer and an Indian mother would remain in India . . ." - from "The Military and the Matrimonial Market in Colonial India" in "Discipline and the Other Body: Correction, Corporeality, Colonialism"But what then of Elizabeth Atkin? Was she an invention of a family that wanted to bury evidence of their past? If she was real I have a big problem because I can't explain the lives of William's sons and grandsons if she did.
We find William Heysham's descendants living hereafter in Calcutta. There is a Heysham street in Calcutta today, named for William's cartographer/civil service son, below.
William's children were,
(23) William Heysham (1821)
(23) Eliza Heysham (1822)
(23) Henry Heysham (1824)
Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings
1837-1901 Victoria
Victoria was the daughter of Victoria Mary Louisa, daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of George III. The throne of Hanover was inherited by William IV's brother Ernest Augustus. She married Alfred of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the Prince Consort. In 1861 Prince Albert died. In 1877 Victoria was made Empress of India. |
| The Plight of Anglo-Indians
"Fearing a revolt by Indians in the 18th Century, led by British-trained East Indians (as Anglo-Indians were then called), inspired by mulattos-led revolts in Haiti and San Doming, the English East India Company passed several restrictive orders.
|
William, the son of William Heysham, was born on 23 February 1821 in Patna, Bihar province, India. No mother's name was listed. He was not christened until 4 May 1825 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. William and his siblings may have been baptized there, while his father tried to recuperate at Karnal, because of the presence of St. John's church. Not finished until 1822, it was the first church in northern India, and probably still the only one in 1825.
| Meerut
St. John's Church in the Meerut Cantonment was completed in 1822. Set up by Chaplain, the Reverend Henry Fisher on behalf of the East India Company, this Church was dedicated to the people by Bishop Wilson. The church has a seating capacity of 10,000 people. During the 1857 uprising, this church was the scene of heavy fighting between the rebels and the British forces. The church also has the honour of being the oldest church in North India. |
[1825] After his father's death in 1825, William Jr., aged 4, was put into an orphanage, the Upper Orphan school in Kidderpore, near Calcutta.
"The Upper Orphan School is a private Institution, and is intended as an Asylum for the destitute orphans of officers until a favorable opportunity offers for setting them eligibly in life, as well as a Seminary for their preliminary education. No child whether male or female, is allowed to quit the Institution until the age of puberty, or such other age as may be deemed fit, by the general management. Male wards are apprenticed, upon reaching the age of fifteen, and female orphans are allowed to marry on reaching a proper age . . ." - from "The Bengal and Agra Annual Guide and Gazeteer for 1842"William's sister, Elizabeth, was married out of the school. William may have received an apprenticeship as a surveyor while there.
| The Upper Orphan School of Calcutta
At right is a view of Upper Orphan school. I've seen a map of 1832 that shows the Upper Orphan school in Calcutta located southwest of Fort William, just across the Adi Ganga creek (or Tully's Nalla in those days) from the race ground. This district was known as 24 Parganahs. The Orphanage road passes by here today.  The school was divided into two departments; one for boys and one for girls. The education imparted at the Lower School was of a practical nature; trades for the boys and domestic skills for the girls. The Upper school, however, apparently provided a superior education, being used as a benchmark for other schools in the city. Its purpose was to provide an "English education" to allow those children to settle back in England. Because European women were so scarce, the orphanage became "a sort of harbour of refuge for bachelors in want of wives . . . Between 1800 and 1818 380 women left the Orphan school in Bengal through marriage." The school was transferred from the society to the government in 1863. - from "The Good Old Days of Honorable John Company" and "Discipline and the Other Body: Correction, Corporeality, Colonialism." |
[1839] As in "Jane Eyre," William appears to have stayed on after finishing his education at the Orphan school, becoming 2nd Assistant Master. There was at the school a Head Master, 1st Assistant Master, and 2nd Assistant Master. That looks like a teaching position.
The comments here speak to the delicate, easily offended sensibilities of the "half-caste" Eurasians, who feel English, but are treated as natives. The district of Cuttack was part of the province of Orissa, which was only conquered in 1803. A survey of the district was requested to support the work of the Revenue Collectors. Lieutenant John W. Fraser, of the Corps of Engineers, was, at the time, superintendent of the Cuttack survey. William would have been just 18 years old when he was discharged. Was he spoken to in a disrespectful fashion because he was Eurasian or simply because he was so young?". . . His Lordship will postpone, for the present, the...question of establishing a practical school for surveyors, & of appointing a Superintendent of Revenue Surveys.
It was agreed however to start a register of surveyors, and five young men were nominated for training and were distributed, one to Chittagong, and four to Orissa. They were allowed travelling expenses of Rs. 15 a month in addition to salary Rs. 50. For Egerton's survey in Monghyr an older man, Page, was appointed on Rs. 100. which the Board considered moderate. Heysham, the only one of these to remain long, writes in 1844,
- from "Historical Records of the Survey of India" by Reginald Henry PhilllimoreBefore entering the Department, I gave up my situation of 2nd assistant master at the Military Orphan school at Kidderpore [III, 360 n.4], where I was not only educated, but had many friends, which yielded me 100 Ra. per month. ...
My promotion [being] refused solely on the ground that I had not been sufficiently long in the Department...convinced me that I had sacrificed substance for shadow, and (my former position how superlatively more comfortable than even my present one!)...damped my spirits. I was spoken to by my superior in language I thought I did not deserve. I answered him in a disrespectful tone, ...and received my discharge in April 1839. ... I was again appointed to the Cuttack survey about 5 months after my dismissal."
[1844] William Heysham, 23, the son of William Heysham, married Harriet Milner, 16, the daughter of William Milner, on 23 May 1844 at Fort William, Calcutta, Bengal, India - from "India Marriages, 1792-1948" at Familysearch.org. I have another record that indicates the marriage took place in 1846 in Patna [Bihar province], West Bengal. Harriet Milner, the daughter of William and Anne Milner, was born on 5 August 1827 and baptized on 17 January 1828 in Arum Ghar, Bengal - from "India Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947" in Familysearch.org. William Milner had married Annne Treblehousen on 24 May 1824 in Dinapore, Bengal.
[1845] In 1845 William was in Saran, Behar (today's Bihar province) where his daughter, Harriet, was born. This was about 500 miles up the Ganges river from Calcutta, just above Patna.
[1846] In 1846 William was in Dinapore, Bengal where his son, William junior, was born. Dinapore was an army garrison town with three Native Infantry Regiments and two artillery companies. Dinapore was also in Behar province, but much closer to Patna.
[1847] William's daughter Anne was born in Patna itself, while Eliza Sophia was born in Calcutta in 1848. All the rest of his children were born in Calcutta or its suburbs.
[1848] "Revenue Surveyor's Office.
W. Heysham . . . Senior Sub-Assistant . . . 200 0 0 [Salary per Mensem]" - from "Scott nd Co.'s Bengal Directory" of 1848
[1849-1865] I'm not certain what William did for the next period of time, though working as a surveyor is a good guess. He lived in Bihar province from 1845 to 1847 at Saran, Dingapore, and Patna, where his first three children were born. Bihar is upriver from Bengal. However, Eliza Sophia and the rest of William's children were christened in Calcutta, in Bengal, from 1848 through 1865.
For the rest of his life William worked in the Bengal Civil Service.
"Two main attractions made a career in Government service particularly attractive to the Eurasian elite, for all that the capacity assigned to them was subordinate. Firstly, it afforded reasonable security (despite the recurrent attempts at retrenchment in Government expenditures from the late eighteenth century on) and the prospect of an ex gratia pension on retirement. Secondly, Government service carried status. Even though a clear social distinction was made between convenanted and uncovenanted servants the latter were at the centre of Government affairs, and Eurasians in the service were at the least junior members of the governing elite which rated itself at the forefront of British society . . . though they lived on narrow salaries in British terms, they enjoyed a comfortable European lifestyle." - from "Poor Relations: The Making of a Eurasian Community in British India" by Christopher J. HawesI think it interesting that while William was early on made Deputy Collector of Calcutta, an uncovenanted post, he was never raised to the covenanted position of Collector. Uncovenanted referred to locally appointed administrative staff, as opposed to convenanted staff who were appointed out of London. Eurasians were debarred from convenanted posts. In a reference to the David Lean film "A Passage to India," based on the E.M. Forster novel, the Collector, Mr. Turton, is referred to as the chief administrative officer of the district, a man greatly revered by the British born elite.
| The Collector
The office of the Collector during the British Raj held multiple responsibilities as Collector, he was the head of the revenue organization, charged with registration, alteration, and partition of holdings; the settlement of disputes; the management of indebted estates; loans to agriculturists, and famine relief. As District Magistrate, he exercised general supervision over the inferior courts and in particular, directed the police work. The office was meant to achieve the "peculiar purpose" of collecting revenue and of keeping the peace. The Superintendent of Police, Inspector General of Jails, the Surgeon General, the Divisional Forest Officer and the Chief Engineer had to inform the Collector of every activity in their Departments. Until the later part of the nineteenth century, no native was eligible to become a District Collector. But with the introduction of open competitive examinations for the Indian Civil Services, the office was opened to natives. - from Wikipedia |
[1851] From 1851 to 1856 a William Heysham created a "Folding Map of Calcutta showing the latest improvements as existing in 1856 (Folio) by W. Heysham Presented by Mrs. George Lyell, 1933." - from "Calcutta, 1690-1930: A Catalgue of Objects on Calcutta in the Collection of the Victoria memorial."
"New Survey of Calcutta.--This much needed want is shortly to be undertaken. The last survey was made by Mr. Simms, C.E., in the years 1847-49. It was purely topographical, and not only was no register of owners or occupiers prepared, but no demarcation of the Government holdings was attempted, and nothing was then done to ascertain the parties responsible to Government for the revenue. This was subsequently done by Mr. Heysham in 1851, and took five years to accomplish . . ." - from "Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London"The reference to Government revenues, I think, explains why William was involved in this mapping, as well as his past training as a surveyor. The origin of modern cartography in India lies in the city of Calcutta. The two major cartographic institutions of the country, the Survey of India and the National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO), were established there. However, it did not receive much attention by cartographers. William Heysham's map was part of these earliest attempts to create modern charts.
[August 1855] I believe William was a revenue collector of some lower station before 1856. The following is from a letter to the brother of Grish Chunder Ghose. The very personal tone of rancor against William seems to me out of place if he was a European, in which case he would have been far above such petty comments.
"I really have not heard the particulars of the quarrel between Koylas Dutt and Heysham. But the latter, you know, is a very unruly fellow not quite amenable to superior authority. Hence Koylas' hatred for him. Their wars are however now restrained by an armistice pending Mr. Bidwell's return from the Sonthal expedition. What does Mr. Heysham mean by serving people with notices signed by himself, calling upon people to deposit their ground rents at the Treasury of the Calcutta Collectorate within a stated time and signifying to them the consequences of their refusal to meet his call? I hear he has succeeded in frightening all Calcutta and even we have hastened to make the necessary payment at the earnest request of Trilochun Mittre. Now I question Mr. Heysham's authority for frightening Her Majesty's lieges this way, and were it not that the Calcutta Collectorate is at Calcutta and not at Alipore, many would have raised the question and contested the Collector's right to impose a fresh tax upon landholders in the shape of carriage hire and other items to the advantage of the Government purse."
Mr. Heysham has at last got a Deputyship. He is very lucky in having been posted to Calcutta and the 24 Pergunnahs [a district in Bengal]. I hear that Govind Persaud Pundit has been charged with the Calcutta and 24 Pergunnahs collections [i.e. taxes]--in which case I don't see what work there is for Mr. Heysham. Our office has been removed to the Commercial Buildings, otherwise I would have called at the Board's Office to learn tiding of your arrest brother, . . ." (pg 169) - from "The Life of Grish Chunder Ghose" by Manmathanatha Ghosha.Ghose (1829-1869) was the founder and first editor of "The Hindu Patriot" and "The Bengali" newspapers. The Santhal expedition was a military campaign in 1855.
[1856] In 1856 William became the Deputy Collector of Calcutta. That is, he was a tax collector. There is a Heysham Road and a Heysham Row in Calcutta, "probably named after William Heysham, Deputy Collector of Calcutta, from 1856 to 1860." - from "A History of Calcutta's Streets" by P. Thankappan Nair. This post, however, was not one normally held by a European.
"By the 1840s many more appointments as Deputy Collectors and Sadr Amins were available in Bengal, and most were occupied by Indians." - from "Poor Relations: The Making of a Eurasian Community in British India" by Christopher J. Hawes
[1856] The following is a history of the Collection Office.
I haven't yet been able to connect the citations on pages 28 and 29, so it is not clear that we're talking about the same post and William's numerical successors on the second page. If we are, then it seems odd that all of these men appear to be Indian by birth while we've assumed William was English. Could it be, as addressed above, that William was a Eurasian?It was in 1850, during the incumbency of Mr. Young, that Act XXIII was passed "for securing the land revenue of Calcutta." It appears, however, that the main object of this Act was to declare, the Calcutta ground rents to be revenue within the meaning of section 8, Statute 21, George III. cap. 7O, so as to oust the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Mr. J. H. Young was succeeded by Mr. Achibald Roberts Young, Officiating Collector, in 1853, and by Mr. Frederick Astell Lushington, who held office from April 1853 to May 1855, when he took furlough to Europe, and again an uncovenated officer, Baboo Koylash Chunder Dutt, was appointed to officiate as Collector of Calcutta the first time in the history of the office that a native officer was placed in charge. In December Mr. Lushington returned from England and resumed charge of his office but only to make it over again, as appears from the Gazette of the 21st December 1855.
"Mr. F. A. Lushington to officiate as Collector and Salt Agent of the 24-Pergunnahs, making over charge of the Collectorship of Calcutta to Baboo Koylash Chunder Dutt, who will conduct the duties of that office until further orders. "In the following year, February 1856, Mr. Eduaril Taylor Trevor, the Collector and Salt Agent of the 24-Pergunnahs, was appointed to be also Collector of Calcutta, but continued to officiate as Junior Secretary to the Board of Revenue. "Mr. F. A. Lushington, Officiating Collector and Salt Agent of the 24-Pergunnahs, being appointed to officiate also as Collector of Calcutta."
Mr. Lushington was also appointed to be Collector of Nuddea, but continued to officiate as above.
The Calcutta Collectorship therefore while remaining a separate and distinct office was at this period apparently not considered to be of sufficient importance to require a separate officer having no other charge, but was attached for adminstrative purposes to the officer holding the Collectorate of the 24-Pergunnahs; and for the collection of the ground rents only a Deputy Collector was appointed under the absentee Collector in what was called the Land Revenue Department.
"The first Deputy Collector so appointed was that well known and greatly respected servant of the Government, Mr. William Heysham, who still survives and only recently retired from the service. He held office at intervals from February 28." [pg 28]
. . .
[Top of Page]
". . . retired from the service. He held office at intervals from February 1856 to September 1860.Other incumbents were Baboo Koilash Chunder Dutt in 1857, Shib Chunder Dutt September 1860 to November 1861.
Obhoy Churn Mullick in December 1862.
These Deputy Collectors' duties, however, were exclusively confined to the collection of the ground rents and the registration of titles to holdings and issue of pottahs [pattahs]. There were other officers appointed as Collector of Stamp Revenue and as . . ." [pg 29]
- from "An Historical Account of "The Calcutta Collectorate", "Collector's Cutcherry, Or Calcutta Pottah" by Reginald Craufuird Sterndale.
[January 1857]
[30 January 1857] "CivilLower and higher standard exams were in language, i.e. Hindustani and Urdu. With the large number of languages in India even a native would need to show profiency in other languages.
Appointments, &c.
. . .
Heysham, W. passed lower stand. exam. Dec. 1. [1856]" - from "Allen's Indian Mail" of 1857
[March 1857] The following regards the valuation of one of the holdings required for the Presidency College at Calcutta, a bazar called Madhub Dutt's bazar.
"From E.T. Trevor, Esq., Secretary to the Board of Revenue, Lower Provinces, to A.R. Young, Esq., Secretary to the Government of Bengal, No. 123, dated the 18th March 1857.William Heysham was overridden.
. . . The owner asks eight lacs of rupees for it. Mr. Heysham, Deputy Collector, estimates the value at not quite one-half that amount . . . Mr. Heysham, with a view to avoid the payment of such a demand as that made by the owner of the bazar, or even of his own estimate, and to meet at the same time the wants of a very large portion of the community of Calcutta, has proposed to make over to the owner, in lieu of the present land and bazar, some other land in the immediate vicinity, and to build a bazar upon it for him . . .
The Collector of Calcutta and the Commissioner of Nuddea disapprove of Mr. Heysham's proposition, and recommend that the bazar be purchased outright.
The Collector of Calcutta and the Commissioner of Nuddea disapprove of Mr. Heysham's proposition . . ." - from "Accounts and Papers of the House of Commons" of 1851
In May 1857 William's world would have been threatened by the outbreak of the Sepoy Mutiny.
| The Indian Rebellion of 1857
This rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the garrison of Meerut, 40 miles north of Old Delhi. It was caused by resentment that had emerged against elements of British rule, including invasive British-style social reforms, harsh land taxes, summary treatment of some rich landowners and princes, and broader scepticism about the improvements brought about by British rule. Most of the outbreak occurred in central and northern India. The rebellion was finally ended on 20 June 1858 with the British vicotry at Gwalior. The Mutiny in Calcutta The uprising actually began in Calcutta on 29 March at the Barrackpore cantonment, but it was a 'damp squib.' A soldier announced he was going to rebel and shot at his superior officers. His unit, the 34th Bengal Native Infantry, was ordered to arrest the man, but they refused and this uprising failed. The unit was, however, disbanded for failing to follow orders. The Results of the Mutiny The rebellion led to the dissolution of the East India Company and forced the British to reorganize the army, the financial system, and the administration in India. India was thereafter administered directly by the British government in the new British Raj. On 1 November 1858, Queen Victoria issued a proclamation to Indians which promised rights similar to those of other British subjects. One result of the rebellion was that Indians were drawn into government at a local level. Though this was on a limited scale a crucial precedent had been set, with the creation of a new 'white collar' Indian elite, further stimulated by the opening of universities at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, a result of the Indian Universities Act. |
[1858] "14th April.-- Mr. W. Heysham, dep. coll. of the 24 pergunnahs, to be also dep. mag., and to exercise the powers of a covenanted assist. to a magistrate in that dist." - from "The Indian News and Chronicles of Eastern Affaires: 1858."
[1860] Early in 1860 a Native Surveyor, Abdon Ruheem, embezzled 2,672 rupees from the Board of Revenue. Because Ruheem was employed by William Heysham, the Deputy Collector of Calcutta, the Collector and Commissioner recommended that William be relieved of his office. The Board of Revenue and the Lieutenant Governor did not concur. In a document dated 17 May 1861, while they admitted that
"Mr. Heysham did not personally take sufficient precautions to prevent this fraud, nor to secure the Office from loss on account of it, and on this ground it was right to hold him responsible for the amount. But, on consideration of paragraph 10 of Mr. Grote's Report, I feel bound to express my disapprobation of the practice of burthening any man, however zealous and efficient he may be, with more duties than he can personally discharge; and, if the assertions of Mr. Grote be correct, that this was the case with Mr. Heysham, and that his "most efficient" discharge of the very numerous duties imposed upon him left him no time to give close personal inspection to the duties of collection, I shall not object to your releasing that officer, in consideration of the meritorious nature of his services generally, from a portion, or even all, of the liability which he has incurred on account of this defalcation." - from "Selections from Despatches Addressed to the Several Governments in India" by the India OfficeAgain, the opinion of the Collector, a convenanted European, against William seems overally harsh if William was also a European. Even though he was absolved of responsibility, it seems that William left the Deputy post for a period, perhaps to avoid the current Collector.
[1863] In 1863 William was again made Deputy Collector of Calcutta.
"Events of the Quarter. India. --
. . . Mr. W. Heysham, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector of the twenty-four Pergunnahs, to be also Deputy Collector of Calcutta; . . ." - from "The Law Magazine and Law Review, Or, Quarterly Journal of Jurisprudence" February to May, 1863, by William S. Hein & Company
[11 January 1867] "Mr. W. Heyham, junior, to officiate as dep. coll., Upper Assam, and to be employed under the superint. of survey in demarcation operations." - from "Allen's Indian Mail and Register of Intelligence for British and Foreign India" of 1867. I believe this included appointment as Deputy Magistrate - from "Proceedings of the Government of Bengal" B. 36-37, Dec. 1866.
[1872] William had been sued back in 1857 for his role in the purchase of a bazaar. An appeal of the original case was heard on 14 February 1872.
"The Justices had ordered certain land to be taken for the purpose of making a municipal market, and the Collector Mr. Heysham issued a notice under s[ection] 9 of the Land Acquisition Act, to all the persons claiming compensation in respect of the land proposed to be taken. Six claimants appeared, and of them four accepted the amount of compensation tendered them. The other two claimants, of whom Bholanath Mullick was one, refused to accept the amount offered, and their claims were referred by the Collector, under s. 15 of the Act, for the detemination of the Court.
The amount of compensation tendered by the Collector was Rs. [Rupees] 71,512-6-4.
The following was the substance of the Assessors' opinion:--
Mr. Clarke considered the mode adopted by the Collector in valuing the land, supposing it to be fairly occupied, and yielding as much as under ordinary circumstances it could be expected to yield, viz., by awarding a sum which invested in Government securities would yield equal revenue, was a method of awarding compensation to the owner, not only just but liberal . . . awarded the claimant a sum of Rs. 70,048.
Baboo Jodoolall Mullick estimated the value of the land . . . Rs. 1,47,000 as the market value of the land.
Mr. Thomson [N.H. Thomson, Esq., one of the Judges of the Small Cause Court, Calcutta from which this appeal sprung] . . . The Judge's total award was Rs. 1,08,301, with interest as provided by s. 42 at 6 per cent. per annum from the date when possession of the land was taken. He allowed Rs. 1,492-2-5 to the claimant for costs, and Rs. 300 to each of the Assessors for their services." [the award on appeal was Rs. 1,09,845-9-7, plus costs]
- from "The Bengal Law Reports"
Mr. W. Heysham "vested with the powers of a Collector." - from " Appt., Genl., Sec. B., Br. 1, Coll. 3, File 3. "Proceedings of the Government of Bengal" B. 6-7, June 1873. Perhaps this was during the absence of the Collector.
[1872] "Civil Furloughs.-- The undermentioned gentlemen have obtained in December leave of absence on furlough to Europe, on medicall certificate under the rules of 1868, unless otherwise specified:-- . . . Mr. W.. Heysham, deputy magistrate and collector, 24 Pergunnahs, for three months." - from "Allen's Indian Mail and Register" of 27 January 1873.
[1874] "Municipal Commissioners for the Suburb of Calcutta
Office at Alpore.
. . .
W. Heysham" - from "Calcutta Directory for 1874.
[1877]
"Bengal
The Subordinate Executive Service
Deputy Magistrates
First Grade [3]
. . .
William Heysham Calcutta" - from "The India Office List" of 1877.
[1881]
"Bengal
Land Revenue, &c.
Deputy Magistrates and Deputy Collectors.
First Grade [5]
. . .
William Heysham Calcutta" - from "The India Office and Burma Office List" of 1881
[15 April 1882] ". . . Against these cases it is to be noted that Mr. Warde-Jones has acquired lands in Shahabad during the past year at Rs. 57 an acre and Mr. Heysham lately acquired 55 acres at Sara for Rs. 69 an acre. These, however, are exceptionally low prices." - from "Papers Relating to the Orissa Canals, 1869-1877 and 1881 to 1883"
Harriet Heysham, the wife of W. Heysham, died on 13 April 1885, aged 55, at Calcutta - from the Times of India. She was buried on 14 April 1885, in Calcutta. According to another source, "India Deaths and Burials, 1719-1948," she was 53 years old. Based on her stated age on marriage, above, she should have been 57.
William Heysham moved to Bhowanipu, a southern suburb of Calcutta, after his tour as Deputy Collector of Calcutta. Per the directory below, he lived on Elgin road, a posh neighborhood. Was this a retirement?
[1895] The following were listed in an 1895 directory of Calcutta. These are William and his sons, and those of his brother, Henry: Charles Burton (1856), Henry Ricketts (1858), Henry Shearman, Thomas Bird (1861), and William (1821).
"Heysham, C.B., clk, reve. and agri. of India; res., 57, Ripon street [Charles Burton]
Heysham, H.R., postmr. [postmaster], Rangoon. [Henry Ricketts]
Heyshem [sic], H.S. clk., reve. and agri. dept., govt. of India; res. 57, Ripon st. [Henry Sherman]
Heysham, T.B., clk., p.w. dept., govt. of India. [Thomas Bird]
Heysham, W., govt., pensr., 40, Elgin road. [Elgin road is in Bhowanipore]" [William]- from "Thacker's Indian Directory" of 1895
William Heysham died on 16 December 1900, aged 79 years, at 40 Elgin road, Calcutta - from the Times of India.
William's children were,
(24) Harriet Heysham (1845)
(24) William Heysham (1846)
(24) Anne Heysham (1847)
(24) Eliza Sophia Heysham (1848)
(24) Julia Matilda Heysham (1850)
(24) Ruth Hanna Heysham (1854)
(24) Henry Ricketts Heysham (1858)
(24) Charles Samuel Heysham (1860)
(24) Edward Walters Heysham (1861)
(24) John Heysham (1866)
Harriet Heysham, the daughter of William and Harriet Heysham, was born on 19 April 1845 in Saran, Behar - from the India Office, Ecclesiastical Returns for the Bengal Presidency, India. She was baptized on 21 July 1845 in Dinapore, Bengal.
If the photograph attached to this article was accurate, Harriet was a big, somewhat mannish, girl, not liable to matrimony."The Late Miss Harriet Heysham
By the Rev. A. Paton Begg, M.A., of CalcuttaMiss Heysham devoted thirty-four years of her life to the superintendence of L.M.S. schools for Hindu girls in Bhowanipur . . . She was born in Saran in Behar, on April 19th, 1845, and died in Bhowanipur, Calcutta, on January 30th, 1900.
In 1860 her father, then a deputy magistrate, came to reside in Bhowanipur . . . In 1866 Miss Heysham, at the suggestion of the late Rev. J. E. Payne, undertook as a labour of love the superintendence of the L.M.S. girls' school near her home-the Cassia Bagan School-(originally established by Mrs. Mullens in the Bhowanipur Bazar) . . . Two of her sisters [Annie and Julia] were led by her enthusiasm and example to help in this work as much as their time and strenght would permit.
William Heysham moved to Bhowanipu, a suburb of southern Calcutta, after his tour as Deputy Collector of Calcutta. The Bhawanipur Gujarati Education Society school is on Heysham Road. So, was the road named after the Deputy Collector, or his daughter, the missionary teacher?
"One of my little girls," said Miss Heysham, "who was married, and was leaving the district in all probability never to return,sent for me to say good-bye. I went, and in course of conversation said to her, "I should like to give you some little token to keep in rememberance of me. What would you like best?" She replied, "There is no need to give me anything, for I shall never forget you." On being pressed she said, "Give me an English Bible, and write your name in it." "But you cannot read English well enough to understand it," I remarked. She said, "I will ask my husband to read and explain it to me." That girl loved the Holy Scriptures. May they make her wise unto salvation!" - from "The Land of Idols: Or, Talks with Young People about India" by John J. PoolHarriet composed a composition book for her girls, "Bangala Adarsha Lipi: Model Bengali Writing." It was comprised of 24 blank pages with only one line of specimen writing at the top of each page to serve as a model for the student of Bengali caligraphy. - from "Selections from the Records of the Government of India."
Harriet Heysham, eldest daughter of William Heysham, died on 30 January 1900 in Bhowanipur, Calcutta - from the Times of India. She was buried the next day, on 31 January 1900. It's a hot climate, you've got to work fast.
(24) William Heysham (1846)William Heysham, the son of William Heysham and Harriet Milner, was born on 31 May 1846 and baptized on 26 July 1846 in Dinapore, Bengal. This is today's Danapur [Dinapur]. I suspect that it was renamed because, just as Singapore means city of lions, Dingapore meant city of beggars. It was an army garrison town with three Native Infantry Regiments and two artillery companies. I see, looking at an old map, that it was just upriver from Patna, on the south side of the Ganges river, in Bihar province. Bengal, I suppose, referred to the over-arching authority of the Bengal Presidency.
| Danapur
Located on the Southern Banks of the River Sone, 10 km North West of Patna, Danapur is the second oldest Cantonment in India It was established in the early Nineteenth Century by the East India Company as Dinapore, to maintain a garrison for protection of the river route from Calcutta to Allahabad. A large stock of grain was stored at the Golghar. - from Danapurians Forum. |
[1867] The following seems early for our man, he would have been just 21, but I don't see his father being called junior with his father having been dead for over 40 years. I'm going to assume that all references to William Heysham Jr. are this man.
"BengalColonial Assam was in the Bengal Presidency, northeast of today's Bangladesh.
By the Lieut. Governor
Appointmens:--
. . .
Mr. W. Heysham, junior, to officiate as a dep. coll., Upper Assam, and to be employed under the superint. of survey in demarcation operations." - from "Allen's Indian Mail" of 11 January 1867.
I believe the following is also for William Heysham Jr. who, as you'll read below, worked for the railways.
"Central Railway Station at Calcutta. - In obedience to instructions from the Government of India, the Bengal Government have appointed a fresh committee, composed of the undermentioned gentlemen, to consider and report on the question of the central railway station at Calcutta . . . Mr. W. Heysham, deputy-collector; . . . Mr. Heysham also acts as secretary to the committee." - from the "Railway Times" of 1882
William apparently worked for the Indian Railways as Deputy Collector for Land Acquistions.
August 1883. "Acquistion of land forThe purpose of these funds I cannot deduce from the reference unless it's simply for land acquisition as the title says.
Railway. Dacca-Mymensingh State
. . .
Funds placed at credit of Mr. Heysham (Junior) in Dacca Treasury for--." - from "Directorate of State Archives, Kolkata, West Bengal"
[1887] ". . . railway line is now being further extended to Kakdwip and there is a scheme to take it down to Narnkhana. Narayantala in Mechlenberg Island on the sea-side by the south of the Kakdwip was selected for a sea-resort in 1903 and the reclamation started in 1904-5. The place was named Freserganj after Lt. Governor Sir Andrew Freser. Lot 14 in Kakdwip P.S. was leased out to W. Heysham (Jr.) in 1887, but Heysham's attempt to develop a Heyshamabad failed. The area was taken over by the Govt. in 1905." - from page 273 of "Changing Environmental Scenario of the Indian Subcontinent."
William Heysham Jr. died in 1904.
"William Heysham, eldest son of the late W. Heysham Deputy Collector for Railways, died on 4 December 1904, aged 58 years, at Calcutta" - from the Times of IndiaThe citation is confusing, but I believe that it was William Jr. who was the Deputy Collector for Railways. The duties of this officer appear to be land acquisition. (24) Anne Heysham (1847)
Anne Heysham, the daughter of William and Harriet Heysham, was born on 26 July 1847 and christened on 12 November 1847 in Patna, West Bengal, India.
Annie Heysham married Samuel William Wyatt on 7 May 1874 in Calcutta, Bengal.
"May 7th at Calcutta by the Rev BT Atley Samuel William eldest son of the late Mr SG Wyatt to Annie second daughter of Mr W Heysham Deputy Collector" - from the Times of IndiaSamuel William Wyatt, the son of Samuel Gregory and Sarah Wyatt, was born on 7 June 1840 in Calcutta.
Mr. S. G. Wyatt had married Miss S. Gallagher at the Circular Road chapel, of which he was a deacon, in Calcutta on 14 June 1839. Circa 1859 S.G. Wyatt was 3rd Assistant to the Accountant General of the Government of India. The Accountant General was head of the audit team. Samuel Gregory Wyatt Esq., of Calcutta, had a fourth son, Frederic, who was a lawyer who practiced before the High Court of Bengal.
Their children were Winifred Annie Wyatt (1875), Millicent Dora Wyatt (1877), and Gladys Muriel Wyatt (1887).
Millicent Dora Wyatt, 16, the daughter of Samuel William Wyatt and Anne Heysham, married John Hefferan, 35, the son of John Edmund Hefferan, on 1 February 1894 in Calcutta. John Hefferan's sister was Ellen, who married Anne's brother, Henry Ricketts Heysham.
Samuel William Wyatt died on 17 February 1891,
"Wyatt - Feb. 17, at 46, Lansdowne Row, Calcutta, Samuel William, eldest son of the late S.G.Wyatt, Deputy Accountant-General, aged 50." - from "Allen's Indian Mail" of 1891Annie Wyatt, 53, died on 18 June 1891 in Calcutta. (24) Eliza Sophia Heysham (1848)
Eliza Sophia Heysham, the daughter of William and Harriet Heysham, was born on 21 August 1848 and christened on 1 October 1848 in Calcutta, India.
Eliza married John Arthur Price on 30 May 1882.
"Price---Heysham--May 30, John Arthur Price, Executive Engineer, Public Works Department, to Eliza Sophia, daughter of W. Heysham." - from "Allen's Indian Mail" of 1882Also,
"May 30th at Calcutta John Arthur Price Executive Engineer PWD to Eliza Sophia third daughter of W Heysham esq." - from The Times of India of 1882John Arthur Price, the son of John Edward and Ann Price, was born on 4 September 1848 in Madras, India.
The children of John Arthur and Eliza Sophia Price were William Arthur Price (1884) and Archibald Milner Price (1887), both born in Calcutta. Archibald Milner Price was the forebear of the Price-Heysham family.
Eliza Sophia Price died on 10 October 1912.
"Oct 10 at her residence No .. Elgin Road Calcutta, Eliza Sophia the dearly loved wife of John Arthur Price Executive Engineer PWD Bengal and Burma [retired] aged 64 years." - from "The Times of India" of 1912John Arthur Price died on 22 March 1918 in Madras.
"March 22nd at Madras John Arthur Executive Engineer PWD (Bengal and Burma) Retired elder surviving son of the late John Edward Price Treasurer HM's Mint Madras in his 70th year." - from "The Times of India" of 1918(24) Julia Matilda Heysham (1850)
Julia Matilda Heysham, the daughter of William and Harriet Heysham, was born on 1 May 1850 in Dum Dum, Bengal. She was baptized on 23 June 1850 in Agra, Bengal. Yes, there really is a place called Dum Dum, on the north side of Calcutta. There was a British arsenal located there. It was here that the hollow-point bullet was developed, commonly known as a Dum Dum.
Julia Matilda Heysham, 82, died on 14 December 1932 and was buried the following day in Calcutta. She apparently never married.
(24) Ruth Hanna Heysham (1854)Hannah Ruth Heyshum, the daughter of William and Harriet Heyshum, was born on 4 July 1854 and christened on 17 September 1854 in St. James Church, Calcutta, West Bengal, India. It is interesting that the Henry Heysham line worshipped at St. John's church, while William's did so at St. James. Why?
| St James Church
The current building was constructed in 1862. |
Hannah Ruth Heysham, 38, married John Gunn, 67 [1830], a widower, of Aberdeen, Scotland, on 25 May 1897 at St. Andrew's, Calcutta
"May 25th at St Andrew's Kirk Calcutta J Gunn of Aberdeen Scotland to Hannah Ruth youngest daughter of William Heysham." - from the Times of India o 1897John Gunn, a Private in the 34th Foot (Cumberland), the son of John Gunn, had first married Hannah Wilson, the daughter of John Wilson, in 1856 in Calcutta, Bengal.
John Gunn died on 21 August 1897 and was buried two days later in Calcutta.
(24) Henry Ricketts Heysham (1858)Henry Ricketts Heysham, the son of William and Harriet Heysham, was born on 29 June 1858 in Calcutta, Bengal and christened on 26 October 1858 in St. James Church, Calcutta. I wonder what significance his middle name had? Note that the founder of a Eurasian college in 1823, later named Doveton in honor of a benefactor, was a John William Ricketts, himself the son of a British Engineering officer in the Company's army and an Indian woman who was "brought up at the Upper Military Orphanage, Calcutta together with the other Eurasian sons of the Company's military officers." - from "Poor Relations: The Making of a Eurasian Community in British India" by Christopher J. Hawes.
"The Doveton girls' and boys' colleges were founded [sic] on the very large bequest of £50,000 from Captain John Doveton in 1853. These colleges were the direct result of the education activism of Doveton, along with fellow Eurasians John Ricketts and Louis Derozio, and were in response to the raj's antagonistic attitude towards Eurasians before 1850 as described in chapter two. As abandoned Eurasian children, Doveton and his allies had been recipients of what little charitiy education was available to them in India in the 1810s." - from "Learning Femininity in Colonial India, 1820-1932" by Tim Allender
More significantly, Sir Henry Ricketts was a major figure in the Bengal Civil Service.
"In 1856 Ricketts was appointed commissioner for the revision of civil salaries and establishments throughout India, a very laborious and invidious duty which occupied him until September 1858."Perhaps William was 'greasing' the great man by this naming?
Henry Ricketts Heysham entered Calcutta University in 1875. He would have been 17 years old.
"Under-Graduates Entrance.
. . .
C.B. [Charles Burton] Heysham . . . Entrance Examination 1873 . . . Doveton College
. . .
H.S. [Henry Sherman] Heysham . . . Entrance Examination 1873 . . . Doveton College
. . .
H.R. [Henry Ricketts] Heysham . . . Entrance Examination 1874 . . . St. Xavier's College" - from the "Calcutta University Calendar, 1875-76".
| Calcutta University
Originally called the Parental Academic Institution, this college was founded by John William Ricketts in 1823 for the education of Eurasian students. In the reference following Eurasians are often referred to as the East Indian community. "Amongst all the educational institutions in existence in India the only distinctively Eurasian College is the Doveton . . . The Doveton College, which has played a most important part in the educational and intellectual progress of the Eurasian community, owes its origin to the son of the English ensign who left his boy a ward of the Orphan School in Kidderpore [The Upper Orphan School], and its most liberal donor, whose name it bears, was a member of the same community, abandoned by his nearest relatives, picked out of a charity school in Madras, and educated by his uncle to serve with distinction in the Nizam's dominions." - from "Eursasians and Poor Europeans in India" in "The Calcutta Review" of 1881 of the University of CalcuttaSt. Xavier's College St. Xavier’s was founded in 1860 by the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, and was affiliated to the University of Calcutta in 1862. It was attended by Europeans and Eurasians. |
Henry Ricketts Heysham, the 23 year old Superintendant of the Money Order Office and son of William Heysham, married Ellen Heffernan, aged 25, the only daughter of John Edmund Hefferan, on 17 November 1881 in Calcutta - from the Times of India and "India Marriages, 1792-1948." Ellen was born in 1856. I have a birth annoucement that may be her,
"Hefferan, wife of J. E. d. [daughter] at Calcutta Aug. 22." - from "Allen's Indian Mail" of 1856
J. E. Hefferan, Ellen's father, married Matilda L. Donnelley at Fort William on 19 April 1855. - from "Allen's Indian Mail" of 1855. John Edmund Hefferan, the son of James Hefferan, married Matilda Letitia Downelly, 16, the daughter of Edward Donnelly, on 19 April 1855 at Fort William - from familysearch.org. John Heffernan, Asst. Board of Revenue, died on 13 June 1859 at Fort William, Calcutta. His wife was Matilda. These are undoubtedly the right parents because Millicent Dora Wyatt, 16, the daughter of Samuel William Wyatt, who married Henry's sister, Anne Heysham, married John Edmund Hefferan's son, John, 35, on 1 February 1894 in Calcutta.
In 1887 Henry was the Deputy Postmaster at Calcutta.
"Post-Master,
Calcutta E. Hutton.
Deputy ditto H. R. Heysham" - from "The India List and India Office List" of 1887
In 1895 Henry was postmaster in Rangoon, Burma.
"Heysham, H.R., postmr. [postmaster], Rangoon" - from "Thacker's Indian Directory" of 1895
By 1898 Henry was postmaster in Allahabad.
"Postmaster (Allahabad) - H.R. Heysham" - from "The India List and India Office List" of 1898 and 1900
Henry Ricketts Heysham died on 26 June 1900.
"June 26th at Allahabad Henry Ricketts Heysham Postal Department aged 42 years." - from "The Time of India" of 1900
Ellen Heysham, aged 61, died,
"December 31st [1917] at her residence No 19 Ballygunge Circular Road Calcutta Ellen widow of the late Henry Ricketts Heysham aged 61 years." - from the Times of IndiaThe Ballygunge Circular road was an upscale part of south Calcutta.
Their children were,
(25) Frank Lionel Coulthard Heysham (1882)
(25) Percival Evan Heysham (1884)
(25) Ashley Ernest Heysham (1885)
(25) Unnamed Daughter (1887), still-born on 31 January 1887
(25) Muriel Enid Heysham (1888)
Frank Lionel Coulthard Heysham, the son of Henry Ricketts Heysham and Ellen Hefferan, was born on 15 August 1882 and baptized on 20 November 1882 in Calcutta, Bengal, India. His middle name, Coulthard, clearly shows his descent from Dr. Heysham who married a Coulthard.
According to Verity Usher Stocker, a descendent, Frank married Vera Usher in India. I show that Vera Helen Usher, 25, the daughter of John Usher, married Frank Lional Coulthard Haysham, 29, the son of Henry Ricketts Haysham, on 3 July 1912 in Rangoon, Bengal. Vera was born in 1887. She had a sister, Winifred, who married Gustav Leon Aubert, in Burma. During World War II Winifred moved her children back to England [Liverpool?]. Vera also left with Frank and settled in England.
On 18 March 1929 Mrs. V.H. Heysham, 41, of India, arrived in London, from Calcutta, onboard the CITY OF YORK. With her were her daughters, P.N., 13, and M.J., 6. They were to stay in St. Agnes, Cornwall.
On 29 April 1931 Frank Heysham, a 48 year old railway official, arrived in Plymouth, England from Bombay, India onboard the MOLDAVIA. He was going to reside at Tre-Bow, St Agnes, Bayswater W.2., a tourist. The same year, on 4 August 1931, a Frank L. C. Heysham, 48, arrived in London from Kobe, Japan (stopping at Shang Hai and Suez] onboard the KASHIMA MARU. With him was his wife, Vera H., 44. They were to reside at Lloyd's Bank House, Cornwall, England. Their country of last residence was France.
On 2 April 1932 Frank Lionel Coulthard Heysham, a 49 year old Supt R.M.S. [Railway Mail Service], of India arrived in Plymouth, England from Calcutta, India onboard the MORVADA. He was to reside at Presingol House, St. Agnes, Cornwall.
The Usher family tree:
"My grandfather Thomas Nicholas Joseph Usher was born in Wellington India in 1884, one of 5 children. His father John Usher was married to Mary Isabella Usher (nee Canny). John died in 1887 in Madras whilst serving with the 77th Regiment of Foot, as had his father Thomas Usher and two of his brothers. Of the children born to him and Mary were John Berchmans, Winifred, May, Thomas Nicholas Joseph and Vera. We have found living relatives of all the children except Vera. All that we know of her is that she married a Haysham, nothing else. Whilst searching Ancestry I found Emigration and Passenger lists giving the name of a Mrs. V. Haysham leaving Calcutta in 1929 together with two children, P N (age 13) and M J aged 6. Again I found another passenger list for Mr. Frank L C Haysham and Mrs. V Haysham leaving Marseilles in 1931. At that time Mrs. V. Haysham was 44 which ties up with the age that our Vera would have been when born in India."
Vera died on 9 May 1953.
"Heysham Vera Helen of Moldera 48 St. Stephens-road Saltash Cornwall (wife of Frank Lionel Coulthard Heysham) died 9 May 1953 Probate Bodmin 14 September to Lloyds Banks Limited. Effects L3049 10s. 9d." - from the National Probate Calendar
Moldera appears to be the name of the home - like Pemberly for you Austen fans. Saltash is a town in the southeast of Cornwall.
Frank L.C. Heysham died the 2nd quarter 1955 in Plymouth, England.
"Heysham Frank Lionel Coulthard of Moldera 48 St. Stephen-road Saltash Cornwall died 22 April 1955 at South Devon and East Cornwall Hospital Albert-road Devonport Probate (limited to settled land) Bodmin 28 February to Lloyds Bank Limited. Effects L1550."Also,
". . . (save and except settled land) . . . Effects L1701." - from the National Probate Calendar
"Heysham, Frank Lionel Coulthard. "Moldera," 48, St. Stephens Road, Saltash, Cornwall, Retired Indian Civil Servant, 22nd April 1955. Lloyds Bank Limited Executor and Trustee Department, or Mahany & Heath, 109, Fore Street, Saltash, Cornwall, Solicitors. 31st August 1955" - from "The Gazette" of LondonHis children were,
Marjorie Helen Heysham, 14, the daughter of Frank Lionel Coultram [sic] Heysham, died on 25 January 1928 in Assam, Bengal. Amy Arrison-Coffman writes,
"I believe Frank and Vera had a third daughter [but their first born]. She was older than my grandmother, Phyllis, but died of 'parrot fever' at a young age in India."She was buried the next day. Parrot fever is a rare infection caused by Chlamydia psittaci, a type of bacteria. The infection is also known as psittacosis. As the name suggests, the disease is acquired from birds, most often caged birds. (26) Phyllis Naldera Heysham (1915)
Phyllis Naldera Heysham, the daughter of Frank Lionel Coulthard and Vera Helen Heysham, was born on 8 April 1915 and baptized on 20 June 1915 in Moulmein, Bengal, India.
Phyllis N. Heysham married Richard Elwin Baker on 26 February 1938 in St. Germans, Cornwall, England [or Plymouth, Devon]. Later she married an Arrison. She died in 2012. Naldera is a resort near Simla, in India. Perhaps Frank and Vera carried away good memories of the place.
A member of the family writes,
"Hello, My grandmother was, Phyllis Naldera Heysham (Arrison), the daughter of Frank and Vera Heysham and sister of Molly. She was actually born in 1915, not 1916, and lived until 2012. At the age of 97, her mind was still very sharp. She was an employee of the United Nations beginning in its charter year, just the second female ever employed by the UN. At the time her name was Phyllis N. Baker (first husband was Richard Baker). Her work with the UN brought her to the United States. Here she met my grandfather. She then married my grandfather and became Phyllis Arrison. I enjoyed reading your family history. I hope this helps! Sincerely, Amy Arrison-Coffman"(26) Molly Joyce Heysham (c1923)
Molly Joyce Heysham, the daughter of Frank Lionel Coulthard and Vera Helen Heysham, was born on 27 November 1922 and baptized on 5 February 1923 at St. Pauls cathedral in Calcutta, Bengal, India. Molly J. Heysham married Heinz B. Reichelt in St. Germans, Cornwall in May/June 1948.
(25) Percival Evan Heysham (1884)Percival Evan Heysham, the son of Henry Ricketts and Ellen Heysham, was born on 28 January 1884 and baptized at St. Pauls cathedral on 24 May 1884 in Calcutta, Bengal, India.
Evan Percival Heysham died on 19 March 1945 in Tollygunge, West Bengal, India, at the age of 64. He was buried the next day. Tollygunge is a community in south Calcutta. I don't know anything about his life or family.
(25) Ashley Ernest Heysham (1885)Ashley Ernest Heysham, the son of Henry Ricketts Heysham and Ellen Hefferan, was born on 26 December 1885 and baptized at St. Pauls cathedral on 16 May 1886 in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. - from Parish register transcripts from the Presidency of Bengal, 1713-1948 India, Office of the Registrar General. The gothic-styled cathedral was finished in 1847 and "is said" to be the largest church in Calcutta and the first Anglican cathedral in Asia. It replaced St. John's church.
Ashely married Winifred Irene Mabel Hodges. Ancestry.com also lists a Winifred McMullen and their daughter, Cynthia, below, was shown on the Social Security as the daughter of Ashley E. Heysham and Winifred McMullen. Does this indicate a previous marriage for Winifred?
On 23 February 1935 Mr. A.E. Heysham, a 49 year old Government pensionor, of India, arrived in London, from Calcutta, on the CITY OF YORK. With him were his wife, W.I.M., 46, and children, Miss C.E., 14, and Master L.R., 9. According to Justin Heysham, below, this move was due to the unrest in Bengal, which was primarily between the Hindus and Moslems. Apprently Lawrence's house was burned down.
| City of York 1904
7,844 gross tons, length 485ft x beam 56.3ft, one funnel, two masts, single screw, speed 12 knots, accommodation for 137-1st and 28-2nd class passengers. Built by Workman. Clark & Co, Belfast and launched for Ellerman City Line on 17th Dec.1903. Her usual route was Glasgow - Liverpool - Port Said - Suez - Bombay - Karachi - Kathiawar ports - various routes homeward including East and South Africa - Continent - UK ports - Glasgow. 1921 transferred to the New York - India service. 1936 sold and renamed CITY for voyage to the breakers in Japan. - from "Merchant Fleets" vol.16 by Duncan Haws.  |
Not long after, Ashley Ernest Heysham, aged 49, died on 29 May 1935 and was buried in the Holbeck cemetery in Leeds, Yorkshire.
"Heysham, Ashley Ernest of 27 Stratford-street Beeston, Leeds died 29 May 1935 at the General Infirmary Leeds Probate Wakefield 28 August to Winifred Irene Mabel Hodges widow. Effects L64 2s. 1d." - from the "National Probate Calendar"He was only 49 years old.
His children were,
(26) Ashley Eden Heysham (1920)
(26) Cynthia Ellen Heysham (1920)
(26) Lawrence Ricketts Heysham (1925)
Ashley Eden Heysham was born on 14 January 1920, the son of Ashley Ernest and Winifred Heysham. He was baptized on 18 January 1920 at St. James church, Calcutta, Bengal. Built in 1862, this church was built to replace an older one of the same name which was situated in Nebutolla Lane, near Amherst Street. Ashley died on 2 March 1924 and buried the day after in Assam, Bengal.
(26) Cynthia Ellen Heysham (1920)Cynthia Ellen Heysham, the daughter of Ashley Ernest Heysham and Winifred McMullen, was born on 11 October 1920 [that's a quick turnaround for poor Winifred] and baptized on 24 April 1921 at St. Thomas church, Calcutta, West Bengal, India. St. Thomas's Church is a Roman Catholic, Latin Rite church [!]. It is one of the colonial style buildings of the city. It is located in Middleton Row, Park Street.
On 23 February 1935 Mr. A.E. Heysham, a 49 year old Government pensionor, of India, arrived in London, from Calcutta, on the CITY OF YORK. With him were his wife, W.I.M., 46, and children, Miss C.E., 14, and Master L.R., 9.
Cynthia married a Sexton and moved to Gambrills, Anne Arundel county, Maryland.
I have a Cynthia Sexton, 25, born in India, sailing from Calcutta and arriving in San Francisco on 29 July 1946 on the SS MARINE LYNX. Her last permanent address was listed as Calcutta. Had she married a Sexton while in India and then sailed to America? If so, she sailed without her husband.
She died 18 June 2000.
(26) Lawrence Ricketts Heysham (1925)Lawrie Ricketts Heysham, the son of Ashley Ernest and Winifred Irene Mabel Heysham, was born on 26 July 1925 and baptized on 13 December 1925 at St. Pauls cathedral in Calcutta, Bengal, India - from "India Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947."
On 23 February 1935 Mr. A.E. Heysham, a 49 year old Government pensionor, of India, arrived in London, from Calcutta, on the CITY OF YORK. With him were his wife, W.I.M., 46, and children, Miss C.E., 14, and Master L.R., 9.
Lawrie Ricketts Heysham married Rita Avis [surname unknown].
"Heysham, Lawrie Ricketts . . . 29 Wanda-road, North Caulfield, Victoria . . . 11.9.57" - from the "Commonwealth of Australia Gazette" of 1958.
In the Australian Electoral Rolls, with Rita, for Victoria state for 1967/8 [Higgins], 1972 [Flinders], 1977 [Chelsea] and 1980 [Isaacs] - these towns and electoral divisions are all in or just south of Melbourne. In the latter year we also have a Roy Alan Heysham listed, perhaps a son.
Lawrie Heysham is a parent associated with Blairlogie Living and Learning Center for the (intellectually) disabled in Cranbourne, Victoria. Lawrence died on 4 March 2006 and was buried in the Bunurong Memorial Park in Bangholme, Victoria, Australia.
His children include,
(27) Roy Alan Heysham (c1955)
(27) Karen Heysham (c1956)
Of Isaacs, Victoria, Australia. His wife is Sheila P. His children are,
(28) Justin Rick Heysham (c1988)
(28) Jessie Heysham (c1990)
(28) Stacey Heysham (c1992)
A business owner at First Choice, a construction firm in Melbourne. Member of the Pearedale and Somerville Cricket Clubs. Along with Andrew William Heysham of Doncaster, below, the last of the male line of the Heysham family of Lancaster, England. I wish he'd take a Y-DNA test.
Justin wrote to me recently and provided this update.
"Hi Steve,(28) Jessie Heysham (c1990)
Gave some pages a bit of a read today, very interesting.
Both my nan and pa [I think he means grandpa] grew up in Calcutta, this is where they met. They were both jockeys and nans father was a general in the army, Lawrey Heysham was my Grandfather and Roys Father. They fled india when the riots happened as there house got burnt to the ground by the rebel locals, from nans stories they lived very wealthy over there with servants and maids etc. This would match up with your pages on india and Calcutta. My middle name was also suppose to be Ricketts but my mum and dad refused to name me after a disease so they shortened it to Rick.
Karen Heysham is my aunty and dads sister, I also have a sister named Stacey Heysham."
She is a property development lawyer at Maddocks Foundation in Melbourne. She got her BA and LLB at Victoria University.
(28) Stacey Heysham (c1992)(27) Karen Heysham (c1956)
A client residing at Blairlogie center.
(25) Muriel Enid Heysham (1888)Muriel Enid Heysham, the daughter of Henry Ricketts and Ellen Heysham, was born on 2 October 1888 and baptized on 26 November 1888 in Calcutta.
Muriel Enid Heysham, 28, the daughter of H.R. Heysham, married Arthur Victor Fuller Campbell, 29, the son of A. C. Campbell, on 7 October 1916 in Calcutta, Bengal.
(24) Charles Samuel Heysham (1860)Charles Samuel Heyshaam, the son of William and Harriet Heysham, was born on 15 August 1860 and died on 28 November 1860. He was buried the next day, in Calcutta.
(24) Edward Walters Heysham (1861)Edward Walters Heysham, the son of William and Harriet Heysham, was born on 17 December 1861 and christened on 4 May 1862 in St. James church, Calcutta, West Bengal, India.
Edward Walter Heysham died in 1920, at the age of 59, and was buried at Ranchi in Bihar province - from the cemetery book. Ranchi is the capital of the state of Jharkhand in eastern India. I know nothing about his life or any family he may have had.
(24) John Heysham (1866)John Heysham, the son of William and Harriet Heysham, was born in 1866 and christened on 7 July 1866 in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. This was also the date of his death. It is a sad picture; his parents rushing the dying child to the church to ensure he was baptized, and ensured a place in heaven, even as he expired.
(23) Eliza Heysham (1822)She was born on 16 April 1822, place unknown, but not christened until 4 May 1825 in Meerut, with her two brothers, William and Henry. After her father's death in 1825 she was put into the Upper Orphan school in Kidderpore, near Calcutta. This school was for the children of British officers.
"The Upper Orphan School is intended for the sons of officers by native women." - from "The Calcutta Review" of 1883Might Eliza have been a teacher at the school, sort of like Jane Eyre? Many men attended the balls given at the school to find brides.
Elizabeth married Thomas Augustus Madge on 20 February 1839.
"At Calcutta, at Saint James' Church, by the Reverend R.B. Boswell, Master Thomas Augustus Madge, to Miss Eliza Heysham, of the Upper Orphans School." - from the "Calcutta Monthly Journal" of 1840.Thomas Augustus Madge, the son of James and Harriet Madge, was born on 7 September 1817 in Calcutta, Bengal. He held a position in the Military Accounts Department and was a deputy magistrate.
Eliza Heysham Madge, 29, died on 20 January 1853 in Calcutta and was buried at The Mission Burial Ground, Park Street, Calcutta, in tomb 39. Thomas then married Sophia Lydia Nyss on 12 February 1857. Thomas died in 1890 in Calcutta.
"Nov 25 at Madge's Lane, Calcutta, Thomas Augustus Madge, aged 74 years." - from "The Times of India"He was also buried in tomb 39. Thomas and Eliza had a numerous family. (23) Henry Heysham (1824)
Henry Heysham, the son of Lieutenant William Heysham, was born 29 January 1824, place unknown, but not christened until on 04 May 1825 in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. After his father's death in 1825 Henry was put into an orphanage, probably the Upper Orphan school in Kidderpore, near Calcutta. His sister, Elizabeth, was married out of this school. This establishment was for the children of British officers. The Lower Orphan school was for those of enlisted men. As you can read above, the legitimate children of English officers who had English wives were offered free transport back to England. Note too that Henry's grandfather, Dr. John Heysham, when informed of Lt. William Heysham's death, concurred with putting the children in an orphanage vice bringing them back to England. I think this argues that Henry's mother was a native Indian.
[1853]
Assistants in Government Offices.
at the Presidency.
(The figures denote the Salary in Rupees per Mensem.)
. . .
Military Department.
2, Council House-street, facing North
Gate of the Old Cathedral.
W. McDermott, .. Register 500 0 0
. . .
H. Heysham .... Assistant 145 0 0" - from "Robertson & Co.'s Bengal Almanac."
Henry Heysham, the son of William Heysham [mother not named], married Anna Emma Wood, the daughter of Robert Wood, on 24 August 1854 in the Old Cathedral, Calcutta, India.
"Heysham, Henry, to Miss Anne E. Wood, at Calcutta, Aug. 24." - from "Allen's Indian Mail"Anne was born in 1831. I believe Anne's parents were Robert Wood and Elizabeth Clayton. Note that a son of Henry and Anne was William Clayton Heysham. Robert and Elizabeth were married on 3 October 1821 in Calcutta - from the "Calcutta Annual Register."
[1874] "Heysham, H, Registar, Legislative Council, Govt. of India, 28, Elliott road." - from the "Calcutta Directory of 1874.
[1881] "For the latter purpose [separating from the laws applicable to the whole country the local laws of British India and arranging those laws according to their local application] he, with the assistance of Mr. Heysham, the zealous and efficient Registrar in the Legislative Department, had already prepared and passed through the Press three volumes of the general Acts . . ." - from "Proceedings - Volume 19" of the India Imperial Legislative Council of 1881
Anne Emma Wood Heysham died in 1884.
"Anne Emma Heysham, wife of Henry Heysham, late of the Legislative Department, died on 25 October 1884 in Calcutta." - from the Times of IndiaHenry Heysham died in 1885.
"Heysham - March 9, at Calcutta, Henry Heysham, late Registrar Legislative Department, India, aged 61 years." - from the Times of India
I show that Henry and Ann had eight children, 4 daughters and 4 sons. Angela Heysham shows only seven children, 5 sons and two daughters. Unfortunately she does not name them. I believe Henry's children were,
(24) Margaret Harriet Heysham (1854)
(24) Henry Sherman Heysham (1855)
(24) Charles Burton Heysham (1856)
(24) William Clayton Heysham (1857)
(24) Isabella Anna Heysham (1859)
(24) Elizabeth Emmeline Heysham (1860)
(24) Thomas Bird Heysham (1861)
(24) Ella Aitken Heysham (1862)
Margaret Harriet Heysham, the daughter of Henry and Anne Emma Heysham, was born on 6 November 1854 and christened on 28 January 1855 in Fort William, Calcutta, West Bengal, India.
Margaret Harriet Heysham, the daughter of Henry Heysham, married Arthur Maugor, a widower, the son of Daniel Falla Maugor [Mangor in familysearch.org] on 23 December 1879 in St. Thomas Church, Calcutta, West Bengal, India. Arthur Mauger, the son of Daniel Mauger, had first married Louisa Maria Nicholas Dunbar, the daughter of Frederick Killegreen Dunbar, on 21 April 1874 in Fort William, Bengal.
H. Heysham, probably Margaret's brother, Henry Sherman Heysham, shared a place with an A. Maugur. I suspect this is the same man that Margaret married. They had a child soon after.
"Mauger Oct. 30 [1880], at Calcutta, the wife of Arthur Mauger, of a son." - from "Allen's Indian Mail"
Arthur's father, Daniel F. Mauger, married Jane Harcourt in 1861 in Bengal. Daniel Fall Mauger, 48, died of cholera on 24 February 1887 in Dhubri, Assam. He was buried in the Old cemetery. Falla and Mauger both appear to be surnames from the island of Guernsey.
I have an A. Mauger who, circa 1888, a Branch Pilot in the Pilot Service of the Marine Department of the Government of Bengal. Circa 1898, he was a Master Pilot.
Margaret Harriette Mauger, 52, the wife of Arthur Mauger, died on 17 November 1906 and buried the next day in Calcutta, Bengal. Arthur may have died in 1905.
(24) Henry Sherman Heysham (1855)Henry Shearman Heysham, the son of Henry and Anne Emma Heysham, was born on 8 September 1855 and christened on 14 October 1855 in St. Thomas Church, Free School road, Calcutta, India. This church was built by families of the Military personnel in the mid 1800s. Today it is a Catholic church.
Henry Sherman Heysham entered Doveton College, Calcutta University, in 1874. He would have been 19 years old.
"Under-Graduates Entrance.Doveton was a college for Eurasian students.
. . .
C.B. [Charles Burton] Heysham . . . Entrance Examination 1873 . . . Doveton College
. . .
H.S. [Henry Sherman] Heysham . . . Entrance Examination 1873 . . . Doveton College
. . .
H.R. [Henry Ricketts] Heysham . . . Entrance Examination 1874 . . . St. Xavier's College." - from the "Calcutta University Calendar, 1875-76".
I have an H. Heysham living at a small close (a kind of Indian apartment) off Chowringhee Road, on Humayoon Place, in Calcutta in 1881. He appears to have shared this space with a J D Bennett & A Maugur. This may be Henry Sherman Heysham, who would have been 26 at the time. Note that Henry's sister, Margaret, married an Arthur Maugur.
Henry Shearman Heysham, the son of Henry Heysham, married Marian Gertrude Davis, the daughter of William Davis, on 26 January 1882 in Calcutta, Bengal. She was born in 1856.
Marian [Mirian] Gertrude Heysham, the wife of H.S. Heysham and youngest daughter of the late Mr. W. Davis, Wharf Controller Calcutta Customs, died on 6 February 1892 at Barrackpore, Bengal. I don't show any children from that marriage.
Henry S. Heysham then married Laura Matilda Leach on 11 February 1895 at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, India. They lived in Calcutta.
"Heyshem [sic], H.S. clk., reve. and agri. dept., govt. of India; res. 57, Ripon st." - from "Thacker's Indian Directory" of 1895I assume that's the Revenue and Agriculture, but I think those were separate departments.
"In the cold weather of 1918-19 we were accomodated in the same building [the old Legislative Council Chamber] through the kindness of Mr. H. S. Heysham." - from the "East India (Calcutta University Commission): Report of the Commission appointed by the government of India to enquire into the conditions and prospects of the University of Calcutta" of 1919The commission was appointed in 1917 to make recommendations on the reform of the university.
| Clement George Lissant
A friend who wrote a family history of Henry. George was an amateur genealogist and was elected a member of the Huguenot Society of London in May 1887. Its opening page reads, "Clement George Lissant, Esq., of Simla, India was a friend of Henry Sherman Heysham and, as a gift, prepared the following genealogy for him. Clement George Lissant, the son of John Hiram and Mary Lissant, was born in the 4th quarter, 1853 in Islington, London, England. He was baptized on 22 February 1854 at Canonbury St. Paul, Middlesex. Clement George, the son of John Hiram Lissant, married Ellen Horatia, the daughter of Horace Bolton Girdlestone on 6 February 1878 at Fort William, Bengal, India. A daughter, Ella, was born on 8 August 1878 [too soon for propriety] in Calcutta, Bengal. Another daughter, Edith Mary, was born on 11 February 1882 in Calcutta. In 1902, in the Proceedings of the Huguenot Society of London, he was noted to be "Lissant, Clement George, Supt. Revenue Dept., Govt, of India. River View, Simla, India. (Lissant or Le Sunt.)." It was undoubtedly in his role as a civil servant in Simla that he became acquainted with Henry Sherman Heysham. Ellen died in Simla, Bengal, India on 12 December 1885. I suspect Clement became involved with genealogy at this point, having much time on his hands. Clement, of 54 Roseneath-road, Battersea, Surrey, died on 19 March 1925 at the age of 71. His estate, on L17 10s, went to Ella, his eldest daughter, then wife of William Pritchard Watkins.71. |
Henry S. Heysham died on 5 February 1941. Henry's children were,
(25) Eric Henry Berkeley Heysham (1896)
(25) Terence Ernest Berkeley Heysham (1897)
(25) George Clifford Berkeley Heysham (1898)
(25) Rene Maisie Berkeley Heysham (1903)
Eric Henry Berkeley Heysham, the son of Henry Shearman Heysham and Laura Matilda Leach, was born on 2 March 1896 and christened on 25 April 1896 in Simla, Himachal Pradesh, India. Simla is one of India's most spectacular hill stations at 2,130 meters above sea level. Its been described as the one place in India cool enough for the British to gather their senses. Its green valleys and beautiful weather in summer time may have drawn Eric's mother north for her lying-in, as it did for that of Terrence and Maisie, below. Or, more simply that was where Henry Shearman's job was located.
| Hill Stations
The origins of hill stations lay in the British desire "to establish sanitoria within the subcontinent where European invalids could recover from the heat and disease of the tropics." However, it also became a seat of power in line with theories that posited that living in hot, humid tropical lands 'caused' laziness and licentiousnous, while chillier realms created energetic, world conquerors, like the British. To rule, then, they must do so from the chilly heights. The hill stations were also safe places where women and children could be segregated from uncouth and often dangerous natives. The sense of family was strong and most elite schools were built there. |
I have an Eric H. B. Heysham, a member of the Old Cottonian Association, class of 1911. So also were his brothers, Terence E. Heysham and George C. Heysham. In the class of 1909 was Frank G. Heysham, the eldest son of Thomas Bird Heysham, below.
| The Bishop Cotton School
"Bishop Cotton (1813-1866) laid the foundation stone at Simla for the first Bishop Cotton school in India. The school was modeled after Rugby of Arnold and offered entry to Anglo-Indian and Eurasian children. It was funded by public subscription." - from "The History of British India" by John F. Riddick The OCA was officially started on 13 May 1910 when 17 Old Cottonians assembled in the Freemason's Hall in Simla. |
At some point Eric Henry Berkeley Heysham attended Dulwich College, below. This is a boarding and day school in southeastern London for boys 7-18 years old.
Eric then attended the Universtiy of London in 1914 - from the "Calendar of the University of London." With the war starting that year I don't know how much of his degree Eric finished.
He served in World War I as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers and received a campaign medal. A Sapper is a military engineer who does field fortification work, or who lays, detects, and disarms mines. Dangerous work. However, I've also seen where the engineers are, as a body, known as the sappers.
At the end of the war, in 1918, Eric Henry Heysham was living in London.
"Lancaster Road-Contd.Younger brother Terence lived at this address in 1921.
. . .
1859 [Polling number] Heysham, Eric Henry Berkeley 44 Lancaster Road, Croyden, Greater London, England - from the London, England Electoral Registers
On 28 November 1919 E. H. B. Heysham, A.M. Inst. T., was appointed Assistant Superintendent (Junior Scale) to the Operating-Howrah Division of the East Indian Railway - from the "List of State Railway Establishment and Distribution Return of All Railways" of 1926. From another reference, "Indian Railways UK Contracted Staff," it appears this appointment, now specified as Asst. Traffic Supdt., was contracted while Eric was still in England, living at West Norwood, London SE27.
| The East India Railway
The East Indian Railway (EIR), introduced railways to eastern and northern India. In 1925 the British Indian government took over the management of the EIR and divided it into six divisions: Howrah, Asansol, Danapur, Allahabad, Lucknow and Moradabad. Howrah DivisionHowrah Junction railway station (station code HWH) is the oldest station and largest railway complex in India. It serves Calcutta. |
Eric was a member of the East Indian Railway Regiment of the Indian Army Auxilary after the war. The EIR made this service a condition of employment.
"Lieutenants76 meant Qualified in Light Automatic; 77 meant Qualified in Machine Gun.
. . .
[First commision] 21 June [19]24. Heysham, Eric Henry Berkeley (76, 77) [Date of rank] 21 Sep. [19]26. [Note] Officer serving with Auxiliary and Indian Territorial Forces, who had service in any of the several theatres of war" - from "The Indian Army List" of 1932 and 1933.
Eric married Winifred Horniman.
I have a snippet reference to,
"Deputy Ch. Opertg. Supdt. (Coaching) - E.H.B. Haysham" - from "The Indian Railway Gazette"That is, he was the Deputy Chief Operating Superintendent for Coaching Stock, that is the coaches for the train. I don't have a date reference. In another reference he was,
"EHB Heysham, Deputy Chief Operating Superintendent (Coal)." - from "Statutory Rules and Orders Other Than Those of a Local, Personal, Or Temporary Character"
Eric traveled to England frequently, presumably on business.
- On 28 April 1927 Eric H.B. Heysham, a 31 year old Rly Supt., of India, arrived in London, from Bombay, on the RANCHI.
- Mr. E.H.B. Heysham, a 36 year old Railway Official, and W.M. Heysham [could this be a mistranscription for Rene Maisie?], 28, arrived arrived in London, England from Calcutta, India on the CITY OF YORK on 5 April 1932.
- On 3 April 1937 Eric Heysham, a 41 year old Rly Official, of India, and his family, Winifred, 33, Antoinette, 1/2, and nurse, and his sister, Renne Heysham, 33, arrived in Liverpool, England on the BRITANNIA from Bombay, India. The country of intended permanent residence was India.
An "EHB Heysham, RWM 1127" was "Asst. Grand Dir. of Music." of some organization, perhaps the Masons. His brother, GCB Heysham, was "Asst. Grand Secretary." - from The Times of India of 1941.
A short biography for Eric was provided in 1945,
"Heysham, Eric Henry Berkeley, Indian State Rlys (dep. ch. opt. supt.) (b. 2nd March, 1896).--Joined the service, 28th Nov., 1919 as asst. supt. E.I. rly.; transptn. supt (traffic comml.), May, 1935 ; dep. ch. optg. supt. provl., Aug., 1941." - from the "India Office and Burma Office List Advertiser" of 1945
Eric continued to travel to England after the war.
- On 30 July 1949 Eric Henry Berkeley Heysham, 53, Railway H.D., arrived in London, from Bombay, on the STRATHEDEN.
- On 9 April 1951 Eric Heysham, Railway Superintendent, of India, arrived in England from Bombay on the STRATHAIRD.
Eric finally left India and settled in England.
- On 20 May 1954 Eric Henry B. Heysham, 58, retired, of India, arrived in Liverpool from Bombay on the CILICIA.
In 1956 Eric H.B. Heysham lived in Middlesex, England.
Eric H. B. Heysham died on 25 January 1962 in Wandsworth, Greater London. I wonder what the significance of the name Berkeley is for Eric, Terence and their sister Rene?
"Heysham Eric Henry Berkeley of 69 Downton Avenue London S.E.2 died 25 January 1962 at Tooting Bec Hospital London Probate London 16 April to Antoinette Lorna Inward married woman. Effects L1714 6s. 9d." - from the National Probate CalendarAntoinette was his daughter. (26) Antoinette Lorna Heysham
She married Captain Terence Inward, R.A., in September 1957 in Wandsworth, Surrey.
(25) Sir Terence Ernest Berkeley Heysham (1897)Terence Ernest Berkeley Heysham, the son of Henry Shearman Heysham and Laura Matilda Leach, was born on 9 March 1897 and was christened on 22 May 1897 in Simla, Himachal Pradesh, Bengal, India.
Terence E. Heysham was a member of the Old Cottonian Association, attending the Bishop Cotton school in 1911.
On 9 July 1920 Terence Heysham, 24, of India, arrived in Southampton, England from Bombay, India onboard the CAP POLONIO. He would stay in England for the rest of his life.
| The British Leave India
By 1948 it was all over. With partition of the country between a Hindu India and a Moslem Pakistan, the role of the British was complete. Their Army and the Civil Service departed. |
In 1921 Terence was living at 44 Lancaster Road, Croyden, Greater London, England - from London, England Electoral Registers. This is the same place his elder brother, Eric, lived in in 1918. Terence remained at this address through 1925.
Terence became established as an architect in 1921.
"Heysham : Terence Ernest [Special War Examination], 44 Lancaster Road, West Norwood, SE Proposed by T. Edwin Cooper, D. Barclay Niven, Herbert Wigglesworth." - from the "Journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects", volume 29 of 1921Sir Edwin Cooper was the lead architect at the firm where Terence was employed, and for whom he later acted as assistant. While, as you'll see below, Terence designed Lloyd's of London "1958" building, Edwin had designed the earlier "1928" facility.
Terence E. B. Heysham married Elizabeth Margaret Louise Hutton on 8 September 1928 in Lambeth, Surrey, London, England. At their marriage he was 31 and she 30. In 1929-1933 they were living at 127 King's Avenue, S.W. 4, Wandsworth, Greater London. This is in the borough of Clapham. They had a child, who died, in 1929.
In 1945-1946 Terence Ernest Heysham was at 4 Verulam Buildings, WC1, Holburn and St. Pancras, Greater London. This is a professional building, below.
An architect. From the British Archives:
- 24 April 1945: Report on preliminary plans for alterations and additions to Royal College of Physicians Pall Mall East, by T. E. Heysham.
In the Surveyor's Department for the Corporation of London are the following plans for which T.E. Heysham was architect. From Seething Lane / Mark Lane (No 52): Corn Exchange Chambers, Restaurants,
- Removal of kitchen from 4th floor to basement. Basement, lower ground, ground & 4th floors as existing. Basement as proposed, & amended & completed. Scales 1/48. T.E. Heysham, arch. Jan - Jun 1950. Before Bench Apr 1950, referred back re toilets. Amended plans approved 23 May 1950. Plan as complete approved & work reported complete 6 Feb 1957. * See also Plans: Mark Lane (No. 58), Albany, formerly New Com Exch Rest.
- Replanning of Members' Luncheon Room, Cornfactors' Coffee House. Ground floor as existing & proposed. Scale 1/24. T.E. Heysham, arch. Apr - Nov 1957. Approved 11 Dec 1957. Reported complete 14 Jan 1957.
- Alterations, Corn Exchange Restaurant. Lower Ground floor as proposed, with sections. Scale 1/48. E. William Palmer & Partners in collaboration with T.E. Heysham, archs. May 1965. Approved 21 Jul 1966. Reported complete Jan 1967.
From Seething Lane (No 2): Subscription Room Club
- Licensing plans. Ground & mezzanine floors, scale 1/48, Richard Ellis & Sons, survs., Aug 1972. Ground floor plan of Com Exchange adjacent, outlining available toilets, scale 1/96, T.E. Heysham, arch., 20 Dec 1956. Plan of Mandy's Restaurant shewing staff toilets for use by Subscription Room staff, scale 1/48, Richard Ellis, surv., 19 Jun 1973. All the above approved 5 Jul 1973, reported complete 20 Jul 1973. Ground & 1st floor plans of Corn Exchange, scale 1/96, Richard Ellis & Son, 11 May - 9 Jun 1971, submitted to Justices in Jul 1973 to shew other toilet facilities available.
Two jobs on the Lloyd's of London building on Lime street are also included.
In 1958 Terence Heysham designed the new Lloyd's of London building at 51 Lime street, in London, right. A model of this building was displayed in the Illustrated London News of 15 November 1952. In this building Terence recreated the "Adam Great Room" in its entirety.
| The Adam Room
The room used by the Council of Lloyd's was an adaptation of the original dining room of Bowood House in Wiltshire. Designed in 1763 for the first Earl ofShelbourne, this was considered to be an important early work by Robert Adam. The famous Scottish architect had just returned from Rome and was full of enthusiasm for re-establishing the architecture of classical antiquity. Bowood faced massive repair costs in 1956 and it was decided to demolish a sizeable part, including the Adam Great Room. This coincided with the building of the new Lloyd's premises in Lime Street. So the architect, Terence Heysham, conceived the idea of recreating the Great Room in its entirety in the new building. Having been purchased at auction, the room was moved from Wiltshire and installed in Lime Street under the direction of George Jackson and Sons. This was the same company that had installed the room at Bowood almost two centuries earlier. Plaster work which could not be incorporated in the committee room in the Lloyd's 1958 building was preserved in an adjoining vestibule. So in 1986, when it was moved to the present Lloyd's building, it was possible for the room to be restored to its original proportions. Today the room provides a striking contrast between the classical interior design of Adam and the post-modern architecture of Lord Rogers, who designed the present Lloyd's building. |
There are two Lloyd's buildings on Lime street. Edwin Cooper designed and built Lloyds headquarters in 1928. When the firm outgrew that space they bought an adjacent building, the old Royal Mail House, and joined the two together. Terence designed and built a building across the street in the 1950's that became tied, via a bridge, to the 1928 facility. This explains why in some commentaries Terence is said to have "enlarged" the 1928 building. The 1928 structure was torn down, except for its facade, for Richard Rogers extraordinary new Lloyd's tower in the 1980's. Terence's building was torn down to support construction of the Willis building in 2005.
In the application to level the 1958 building supporting documents noted that, "The application site is one of Lloyd's of London's major sites in the City known as the 1958 building designed by Terrence Heysham. It is characterized by its curved convex facade facing Lime Street. It is face in Portland stone with steel windows. Though high quality in construction terms, it is rathered mannered and an unashamedly trade piece. Lloyd's new 1986 office building, designed by the Richard Roger's Partnership, is adjacent across Lime Street in start contrast [one reason for the condescending tone is that this statement is in support of a proposal to dismantle the 1958 building, so its architectural significance must be downplayed].
It goes on to say, "Terrence Heysham's 1958 building is described by Nikolaus Pevsner as being 'unashamedly backward looking'. Mostly Neo-Georgian, it was a safe architectural investment despite being of the highest quality materials and methods of construction. Of its style and period, it is one of the City's better buildings. It was not however at the cutting edge of technical innovation and design. At the time of its construction, contemporary designers had produced buildings such as the Royal Festival Hall (LCC Department/Peter Moro 1948 -65); Congress House (David Du Rieu Aberdeen, constructed 1957); Milbank Tower, (Ronald Ward & Partners, 1959) and the Centrepoint Tower, (Richard Siefert, 1961-1962). All of these are innovative in one way or another and have subsequently been listed in recognition of their technical and aesthetic qualities . . . Buildings of this period which are listed for their architectural quality are judged against national rather than local criteria and so the fact that that it is one of the City of London's better Neo-Georgian buildings would not support its statutory protection."
More adverse comment about Terence's design: "Opposite the very large extension to Lloyd's by Terence Heysham, 1950-7, connected by a bridge. This building is almost unbelievable for its date, with its giant arched windows on the ground floor and its imitation Georgian portal. The Bank of England did no better with its new building at the . . . " - from "London: The cities of London and Westminster" by Nikolaus Pevsner. Everyone has an opinion. However, Terence did have his day in the sun: "Lloyd's new building, whose architect was Mr Terence Heysham, was opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, accompanied by Princess Margaret . . ." - from "The Face of London" by Harold Philip Clunn.
"The architect of the building is Mr. Terence Heysham, who was for many years assistant to the late Sir Edwin Cooper, designer of the 1928 building." - from "Shipping World" of 1958. Another source says, "His chief assistant, Terence Heysham, continued the practice . . ."
Permission to destroy the building was received in the spring of 2002. A new 25-story office tower is planned for completion in 2005. There is a photo of Terence's original building at Brookes.ac.uk.
When was Terence knighted?
Terence died on 8 August 1967 in Paddington, Greater London, England, at the age of 70. His biography is included in "Biography Index," a cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines, Volume 8, September, 1967-August, 1970, New York, H.W. Wilson Co., 1971. I have not seen this document. His obituary:
"The recent death of Mr. Terence E. Heysham [F], the architect of the 'new' Lloyds' Underwriters' headquarters in the City of London which was opened in 1957 is a great loss to our profession . . . Thus, when the opportunity came for him to design one of the most important commercial buildings in the world, he was well equipped not only to give an appropriate degree of dignitiy but at the same time to satisfy an unusual multiplicity of functional requirements.(26) Male Heysham (1929)Mr TE Heysham was for many years senior partner in the firm of Sir Edwin Cooper and Partners. His more recent work includes the Corn Exchange Restaurant, the Star and Garter Home for Disabled Sailors. Soldiers and Airmen and St Mary's Hospital Medical School. All that he did architecturally was of a consistently high standard, and he well earned the reputation of a very distinguished member of the profession.
A. Trystram Edwards" - from the RIBA Journal, volume 74
A child, the son of Terence Ernest Heysham and Elizabeth Margaret Louise Hutton, was born and died on 26 September 1929 at Wandsworth, London, England.
(25) George Clifford Berkeley Heysham (1898)George Clifford Berkeley Heysham, the son of Henry Shearman Heysham and Laura Matilda Leach, was born on 27 July 1898 and baptized on 17 September 1898 in Simla, Bengal, India. George C. Heysham was a member of the Old Cottonian Association, attending the Bishop Cotton school of Simla in 1911, along with brothers Terence and Eric H. B. Heysham, and cousin Frank G. Heysham.
George married Louise Mabel Coleman on 6 September 1922 in Calcutta, Bengal. She was born in 1897. A GCB Heysham was "Asst. Grand Secretary" of some organization, perhaps the Masons. His brother, EHB Heysham, RWM 1127 as "Asst. Grand Dir. of Music." - from The Times of India of 1941.
They left India with the partition in 1945. They may have arrived back in England as late as 1 July 1955. A G.C.B. Heysham, 56, arrived in London, from Calcutta, on that date. - from the UK Incoming Passenger Lists. George lived in Popesgrove, Middlesex in 1957. They then lived with their older son Leslie in Anglesey, North Wales until their deaths. George died in December 1981 in Aberconwy, Gwynedd, Wales and Louise in 1982. They had two sons,
(26) Leslie George Coulthard Heysham (1923)
(26) Arthur Oswald Heysham (1926)
Leslie George Coulthard Heysham, the son of George Clifford Berkeley and Louis Mable Heysham, was born on 8 August 1923 and baptized a month later on 8 September 1923 in Calcutta, Bengal, India. He fought in Burma during World War II. He was known as a great horse rider and was Master of the Angelsey Drag Hounds, a small pack located on the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales. Drag hunting replaces the fox with an artificially laid scent.
Leslie had two wives. First,
[1952] "Heysham-Priestley-Smith.--On Dec. 9, at Clun, Salop, Leslie George, elder son of Mr. and Mrs. G. C. B. Heysham, of Calcutta, to Gwyneth, elder daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. Priestley-Smith, of Festiniog, Merioneth." - from Andrews Newspaper Index CardsGwyneth was born on 3 November 1918 and died in October 1992, at the age of 73, in Bridport, Dorset, England.
George second married Mable Linsey "Lin" Chapman in 1972. She was born on 29 April 1935 and died in July 2000 at Ynys Mon, Gwynedd. He had no surviving children.
Leslie George Heysham died on 22 August 1992, at the age of 69, at Caernarvon, Gwynedd, Wales.
(26) Arthur Oswald Heysham (1926)Arthur Oswald Heysham, the son of George Clifford Berkeley and Louise Mabel Heysham, was born on 12 April 1926 and baptized on 29 May 1926 in Bengal, India. Arthur O. Heysham married Daphne A. Hawes in 1st quarter 1956 in Willesden, Middlesex, but had no surviving children. He is still living in London with his wife, Daphne.
(25) Rene Maisie Berkeley Heysham (1903)She was born on 17 August 1903 and christened on 30 September 1903 in Simla, Himachal Pradesh [West Bengal?], India. She died on 29 November 1945, aged just 42.
"Heysham Renee Maisie Berkeley otherwise Renee of 67 Mulgrove-road Sutton Surrey spinster died 29 November 1945 Administration (with Will) (limited) London 15 August to Terence Ernest Heysham chartered architect and William Percy Webb solicitor attorneys of Eric Henry Berkeley Heysham. Effects L588 13s. 1d." - from the National Probate CalendarRene never married. (24) Charles Burton Heysham (1856)
Charles Burton Heysham, the son of Henry Heysham and Anne Emma Wood, was born on 17 September 1856 and christened on 19 October 1856 in St. John's church, Calcutta, West Bengal, India.
| St John's Church
|
Charles Burton entered Doveton College, Calcutta University, in 1874. He would have been 18 years old.
"Under-Graduates Entrance.Doveton was a college for Eurasian students.
. . .
C.B. [Charles Burton] Heysham . . . Entrance Examination 1873 . . . Doveton College
. . .
H.S. [Henry Sherman] Heysham . . . Entrance Examination 1873 . . . Doveton College
. . .
H.R. [Henry Ricketts] Heysham . . . Entrance Examination 1874 . . . St. Xavier's College." - from the "Calcutta University Calendar, 1875-76".
Mr. C. B. Heysham, "applies for the appointment of Sub-Deputy Collector and Customs Officer at Chandballi which has become vacant." - from "Proceedings of the Government of Bengal" B. 970, Aug. 1886.
"Heysham, C.B., clk, reve. and agri. of India; res., 57, Ripon street" - from "Thacker's Indian Directory" of 1895. There is, in the Judicial and Public Annual Files of the India Office, a memorial from Charles Burton Heysham, Assistant in the Patents Branch, Department of Revenue and Agriculture, Government of India, protesting against supersession [that is, being replaced], dated 24 August 1899.
Charles was an executor for the will of a Sophia Julia Wood.
"Sophia Julia Wood, Deceased.(24) William Clayton Heysham (1857)
Pursuant to the Statute 22nd and 23rd Victoria, cap. 35.
Notice is hereby given, that all persons having any claims against the estate of Sophia Julia Wood, late of 34 Godolphin-road, Shepherd's Bush, in the county of Middlesex formerly of 10/2, Marquis-street, Calcutta, in India, Widow, deceased (who died on the 12th day of March, 1915, and to whose estate letters of administration, with the will annexed, were granted in the Principal Registry of the Probate Division of the High Court of Justice, on the 19th day of July, 1916, to Rowland Percy Walters, the lawful attorney of Harry Collins, Richard Ridge Lloyd and Charles Burton Heysham, the executors appointed by the said Will), are hereby required to send the particulars, in writing, of their claims to us, the under-signed, the Solicitors to the said Rowland Percy Walters . . ." - from the London Gazette of 25 July 1916
William Clayton Heysham, the son of Henry Heysham and Anne Emma Wood, was born on 5 December 1857 and christened 31 January 1858 in St. John's Church, Calcutta, Bengal.
William Clayton Heysham, a mechanicall engineer, the son of Henry Heysham, married Maria Elizabeth Kerr, the daughter of Robert Alexander Kerr, on 17 June 1882 in Calcutta, Bengal.
Manager of the Ena Colliery Jharia.
Marie Elizabeth Heysham, daughter of the late Robert Alexander Kerr, Head Assistant Comptroller Military Accounts Department, and wife of William Clayton Heysham, Manager Ena Colliery Jheria, died on 3 March 1916 at her residence at 53 Elliott Road, Calcutta - from the Times of India.
Their children were,
(25) Robert Kerr Heysham (1883)
(25) William Kerr Heysham (1884)
(25) Cyril Kerr Heysham (1888)
(25) Constance Heysham (c1890), who married Henry Wood and had one son and three daughers
Robert Kerr Heysham, the son of William Clayton Heysham and Marie Elizabeth Kerr, was born on 6 April 1883 and baptized on 5 June 1883 in Calcutta, Bengal. He attended the St. Joseph's School, North Point, in Darjeeling. North Point was a day and boarding school managed by the Jesuits. It first opened on 23 February 1888.
Mr. R. K. Heysham, "Application from--for an appointment in the Excise or Salt Department." - from "Proceedings of the Government of Bengal" B. 679-81, April 1907. "Application from--for a Deputy Collectorship for--." - from "Proceedings of the Government of Bengal" B. 164-65, Aug. 1907.
Robert K. Heysham married Frances Mabel Clark. She was born in 1887.
Robert worked for a banking firm, Messrs. Grindlay & Co. of Calcutta. He was also a member of the local zoological socity.
"1917 Heysham, Robert Kerr, Esq., Care of Messrs. Grindlay & CO., Simla, India (Dormant 1920.)" - from "A List of the Fellows & Honorary, Foreign, & Corresponding Members of the Zoological Society of London," 1922
The following is a list of "North Pointers who have done their bit in this war of the nations."
"Heysham, Robert K. Aero-Inspection Department, Hendon, Middlesex"- from "The North Point Annual," 1917 & 1918 of St. Joseph's School, North Point, Darjeeling, India"The RAF's Hendon aerodrome was a major center of flight training during World War I. It sounds like Robert was an aircraft mechanic.
The wife and children of Robert returned to England in 1919. They arrived in London, from Plymouth, on 17 Febraury 1919. However, their country of last permanent residence was listed as Simla, India.
17 February 1919, MANORA, British India Line:
"Port of Embarkation: Plymouth
Port at which Passengers have been landed: London
Names of Passengers: Mrs. Francis Mabel Heysham Wife [Not Accompanied by Husband]
Children between 1 and 12
Barrington Heysham Child
Elizabeth Heysham Child
Robert Heysham Child
Garth Heysham Child
Country of last Permanent Residence: Simla, India
Country of Intended Future Permanent Residence: England" - from "UK Incoming Passenger Lists 1878-1960"
Frances may have returned to England because she was ill. Frances Mabel Heysham died in 1919, at the age of 33, and was buried in the Kirkley cemetery in Lowestoft, Suffolk [Mutford, Sussex?]. Robert then married Gertrude Beatrice.
In 1935 Robert Kerr and Gertrude Beatrice Heysham lived at 26 Whitworth road, SE 18, in Woolwich, Greater London. In 1945 Robert K. Heysham lived at 54 Parliament street, London. Gertrude died before 1941, when her daughter, Shirley, was married.
Robert K. Heysham, who was born in about 1884, died in the 4th quarter 1963 in Aldershot, Hampshire, at the age of 79. Aldershot is about 35 miles southwest of London. I think that it's interesting that Barrington was a Thornton-Heysham name, but a descendent of the William Heysham line appropriated their more famous relatives. Their children were,
(26) Allingham Lewis Barrington Heysham (1907)
(26) Shirley Elizabeth Barrington Heysham (c1909)
(26) Robert W. K. Heysham (c1911)
(26) Garth Mevill K. Heysham (1914)
I also have a Gerard and Sheila Heysham living in London in 1954 at 45 St. Georges Square.
Allingham Lewis Barrington Heysham, the son of Robert Kerr and Frances Mabel Heysham, was born on 7 April 1907 and baptized on 9 June 1907 in Kalimpore, Bengal. He arrived in England, with his parents, from Simla, India, in 1919.
Allingham L.B. Heysham married Geraldine A. Wiles in 2nd quarter 1929 in Chelsea, Middlesex. In 1930 Barrington Allingham Lewis and Geraldine Annette Heysham were living at 48 Sydenham Hill road, Lewisham, Greater London. In 1934-1935 they had moved to Twickenham. Allingham L. and Maria Heysham were living at 26 Pembridge road, Kensington, Greater London in 1953-1954.
Second, Allingham married Maria G. Baier in 4th quarter 1980 in N E Hampshire.
Allingham Lewis B. Heysham died in the 1st quarter 1981 in Surrey, England, at the age of 73. I don't know of any chidren.
(26) Shirley Elizabeth Barrington Heysham (c1909)She arrived in England, with his parents, from Simla, India, in 1919. Oddly, I have a birth registration for a Shirley E. Barrington-Heysham in Jul-Sep 1931 in Bingham, Nottinghamshire, mother's maiden name Barrington-Heysham.
In about 14 November 1941:
"Wheelook Barrington-Heysham. The marriage arranged between Major G.H. Wheelock, The Worcestershire Regt., attached to a parachute battalion, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Wheelock, of Kingsland, Herefordshire, and Shirley Elizabeth Barrington-Heysham, WAAF, only daughter of Mr. Robert Kerr-Heysham and the late Mrs. Heysham. will take place on Dec. 26." - from "The Aeroplane" volume 61 of 1941Where does the Barrington Heysham name come from? Harry Wheelock may have been "of Moor Hall."
| The Parachute Battalion
I believe the battalion was captured by the Germans at Arnheim during Operation Market Garden, the "Bridge Too Far." |
Shirley E. Heysham married Royston C. W. Nutt in the 3rd quarter 1954 in Gosport, Hampshire. Is this the same woman?
(27) Daryll R. Heysham-Nutt (c1955)I've tried to trace this man's roots for many years, misled by his residence in Pennsylvania and New York. However, it turns out he's not a Heysham at all, but a Nutt. I had seen him under the name Daryll R. Heysham-Nutt, but I hadn't understood what it meant. Darryll R. Nutt was born in 1955 in Gosport, Hampshire, England. His mother's maiden name was Heysham. He had two brothers, Gary A. Nutt (1959) and Andrew R. Nutt (1961). I suspect that Daryll decided that, as an actor, Heysham would look better on a marquee than Nutt.
A 1973 graduate of Penncrest High School in Media, Pennsylvania. Media is about 12 miles west of Philadelphia. He graduated from Ohio State University and Boston College. I recently saw a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posting that said of him that "England-born Darryl Heysham channeled his inner blue-collar worker by thinking of his grandfather, a pipe-fitter for a gas company starting in the 1930s."
Resident Professional Teaching Associate, The Cornell Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, Ithaca, New York. Ithaca is about 35 miles northwest of Woodhull. Heysham has appeared at the Schwartz Center in Equus, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet and. in his favorite role, Biff, in Death of a Salesman opposite Harold Gould. Heysham recently played Leonato in an Off-Broadway production of Much Ado About Nothing. He toured nationally as Philip in The Lion in Winter starring George Peppard. For the past three years, Heysham has taught voice and speech at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. Member Actors Equity.
I have a Daryll R. Heysham living in Philadelphia and Media, Pennsylvania in the 1980-1993. He was in Ithaca, New York in the late 1990's, and in New York City in the 2000's. That sounds like the progress of a successul actor.
He married Christine Vanacore on 11 November 2000.
(26) Robert William Kerr Heysham (c1911)Robert William Kerr Heysham, the son of Robert Kerr and Francis Mabel Heysham, was born circa 1911 in India.
He arrived in England, with his parents, from Simla, India, in 1919.
Robert W. K. Heysham married Gertrude B. Baker in the 1st quarter 1934 in Woolwich, Kent. Second he married Ida M. New in 4th quarter 1962 in Aldershot, Hampshire.
Robert died in the 1st quarter 1968 in Aldershot, Hampshire at the age of 57. Ida Heysham, who was born on 5 December 1915, died in 4th quarter 1981 in Berkshire, England. I know of three children.
(27) Maureen B. B. Heysham (1934)Her mother's maiden name was Baker, born Oct-Dec 1934 in Woolwich, London, England. She married Michael J. Richards in Aldershot, Hampshire in 1956.
(27) Gertrude B. Heysham (c1935)She married Edwin J. Fowler in Aldershot, Hampshire in 1957.
(27) Auriol F. K. Heysham (1937)Also as Auriel. Her mother's maiden name was Baker, born Oct-Dec 1937 in Surrey, England.
Auriel married Frederick J. Wild in 1957 in Aldershot, Hampshire. I assume she was the daughter of one of the Aldershot Heysham's, Allingham, Robert or Garth. Tim was, I think, their child. She also had a daughter, Nichola F. K. Wild (1958).
(28) Timothy G. Wild (1964)Tim was the son of Frederick J. Wild and a Heysham, who was I think Auriel, above. Timothy G. Wild married Sian A. Price in 1996 in Wiltshire. She appears to be a film or television producer in England.
(29) India Willow Heysham Wild (1998)She was born on 20 November 1998 - from the London Times, Births and Christenings, 1983-2003.
(29) Thomas Frederick Heysham Wild (2001)The son of Tim and Sian Price, he was born on 11 February 2001 - from the London Times, Births and Christenings, 1983-2003.
(26) Garth Mevill Kerr Heysham (1914)Garth Melvius Kerr Heysham, the son of Robert Kerr and Francis Mabel Heysham, was born on 28 November 1914 and baptized on 27 March 1915 in Rangoon, Bengal, India. This is, today, in Burma or Myanmar. He arrived in England, with his parents, from Simla, India, in 1919.
A G.M. Heysham, aged 14, arrived in England, from Bombay, India, onboard the MOOLTAN on 13 July 1929. He was alone, and I assume going to one of England's famous, and infamous, public schools.
In 1945 Garth M.K. Heysham lived at 45 Northumberland place, in Paddington, Greater London. In 1946, 1947, and 1948 Garth M. Heysham lived in London.
Garth M. K. Heysham married Patricia J. Williams in the 4th quarter 1960 in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Garth Melvill Kerr Heysham, of Roundstone Caravan Park, Worthing Road, Horsham, Sussex, a Clerical Officer, died on 15 February 1973 - from "The London Gazette" of 14 February 1974. He was 59 years old.
(27) Tania L. Heysham (1961)Her mother's maiden name was Williams, born Jul-Sep 1961 in Surrey.
(25) William Kerr Heysham (1884)William Kerr Heysham, the son of William Clayton and Maria Elizabeth Heysham, was born on 25 July 1884 and baptized on 30 January 1885 in Calcutta, according to the India Office Ecclesiastical Returns for the Bengal Presidency, India. He died young, s.p..
(25) Cyril Kerr Heysham (1888)Cyril Kerr Heyshum, the son of William Clayton and Marie Elizabeth Heyshum, was born on 1 October 1887 and baptized on 25 October 1887 in Calcutta, Bengal.
Cyril Kerr Heysham, 27, the son of William Clayton Heysham, married Dorothy Liebenthals, 20, the daughter of Charles Stewart Liebenthals, on 29 April 1915 in Calcutta. Dorothy, the wife of Cyril Ken [sic] Heysham, was born in 1894. Dorothy died on 1 September 1915 in Calcutta at the age of 21. She was buried on 2 September 1915 in Bengal.
Cyril Heysham, 29, a widower, the son of W. C. Heysham, married Dorothy Grace Presley, 21 the daughter of C. E. Presley, on 29 October 1917 in Calcutta, Bengal.
Cyril Kerr Heysham had a subsequent wife, Ann Teresa, who he married no later than 1937.
Cyril's children were,
(26) Cyril William Charles Heysham (1920)
(26) Barrington Stuart Heysham (1937), the son of Cyril Kerr and Ann Teresa Heysham, was born on 23 July 1937 and baptized on 5 August 1937 in Bengal, India.
"On 24 May 1920 at the Lady Dufferin Hospital in Calcutta, to Mr. and Mrs. Cyril K. Heysham, a son" - from the Times of India. He married Gwendoline Francis, born 1922, the elder daughter of Horace Marks.
Cyril joined the RAF, but I don't know whether from England or India.
"Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. General Duties Branch. Appointments to commission. Wt. Offs. [Warrant Officers]The volunteer reserve expanded hugely during the war such that over 95% of aircrew were RAFVR. The General Duties branch included aircrew.
. . .
77196 Cyril William Heysham (182172). 18th June 1944." - from the London Gazette of 19 September 1944
"War Substantive Flying Officer C W Heysham, General Duties Branch 1944" - from Forces War Records UKRanks in the Volunteer Reserve were Pilot Officer on Probation, Pilot Officer, War Substantive Flying Officer, and War Substanive Flight Lieutenant.
After the war Cyril Heysham became the Commercial Manager for KLM Airlines in Calcutta.
""GETTING READY FOR JETSC.W. Heysham lived in Elmbridge, England during the 1960's through 1980's.An interestingly bright and informal "house-warming" party was given on May 21, by K.L.M. Royal Dutch Airlines, Calcutta, on the occassion of the opening of their new office at 7, Chowringhee Road, after their move from Dalhousie Square.
The pleasing cream-and-light blue colour scheme of the interior, the enormous frontage of the five show windows, indubitably the largest in the city, the glass-topped booking and freight counters, the spacious lounge and the telephone kiosk struck a note of indiviudality, while the smiling life-size cut-out of the K.L.M. hostess standing near the entrance extended a warm welcome to the cosmopolitan gatering, which included representatives of the various domestic and international airlines, travel agencies and mercantile houses, members of the Press and high government officials. Attractive models of the latest types of luxurious aircraft such as Constellations, Convairs and DC-6's now operated by K.L.M. were displayed on the counter. Stands shaped like winged "clogs" (wooden shoes typical of Holland) holding . . .
K.L.M. celebrated the 31st anniversary of the oldest existing air connection between Amsterdam and London. On this historic day thirty-one years ago two passengers clad in heavy leather jackets and fur-lined boots were crowded into the uncomfortable seats of a single engined DH-16 "AIRCO", a converted military biplane, for a 3-hour chilly cross-channel flight. This was the first K.L.M. air service.
The opening ceremony itself synchronized with the first anniversary of K.L.M.'s trans-atlantic services, for it was on May 21, 1946 that this airline inaugurated a twice-weekly service between Amsterdam and New York.
Mr. O. Hansen, Regional Representative of K.L.M. in Calcutta, Mr. J. Buekers, Regional Representative of K.L.M. in Colombo, now in the city, Mr. C. W. Heysham, Commercial Manager, Mr. A. Van Bentum, Station Manager, Mr. A. B. Gupta, Secretary, Mr. Bibhu Mookerjee and Mr. Anil Das Gupta of Sales Promotion received the guests." - from "Asian and Indian Skyways" of 1951, pg 43
There was a Cyril W. and Gwendoline F. Heysham in the Electoral Register of Kingston Upon Thames in 1964.
Cyril W. C. Heysham died on 3 August 1998 at the age of 78, in Kingston upon Thames, in Greater London, Surrey. Cyril William Charles Heysham, 78, of 98 Beresford Avenue, Tolworth, was buried on 17 September 1998 in the Kingston cemetery. Gwendoline is still living. They had one child,
(27) Richard Charles Heysham (1945)
Richard Charles Heysham, the son of Cyril W. C. and Gwendoline F. Heysham, was born in Karachi in 1945. He attended the Aldenham school in Elstree, Hertfordshire. This school is for pupils aged 13 to 18. Founded in the late 16th century, it is one of the oldest schools in the world.
"Son of Cyril William Heysham, Airline Official, of Surbiton." - from "The History and Register of Aldenham School" by Robert Jocelyn Evans, John Kennedy Waddell, and Edmund Beevor
Richard C. Heysham married Angela Elizabeth Frow, the third daughter of A/Cdre Brian Frow RAF, in 1970, in Maidenhead, Berkshire. They have two children, both daughters, "the younger of whom Clare, married last year and decided to retain the name of Heysham with her husband Tom. She is now expecting a child and so the name of Heysham continues in Engand."
I have a Richard C. Heysham living in Wokingham, Berkshire and now Sherborne, Dorset. Richard Heysham, born in 1945, died in 2016 and was buried in the Corton Denham cemetery in Somerset, England.
(28) Natalie Anne Heysham (1973)She was born in Jul-Sep 1973 in Wokingham, Berkshire. Mother's maiden name Frow. She married Craig Butterworth. Their children are Archie James Butterworth (2004) and Alice Anne Butterworth (2006).
(28) Clare Elizabeth Heysham (1976)
She was born in Apr-Jun 1976 in Reading & Wokingham, Berkshire. Mother's maiden name Frow. She married Thomas Christian Bogstad, who took the Heysham name by deed poll in 2006. Their son is,
(29) Fraser Christian [Bogstad] Heysham (2007)
She was born on 24 Janaury 1859 and was christened on 17 April 1859 in St. John's church, Calcutta, West Bengal, India, the daughter of Henry Heysham and Anne Emma Wood.
(24) Elizabeth Emmeline Heysham (1860)She was born on 1 August 1860 and christened on 21 September 1860 at St. John's Church, Calcutta, India, the daughter of Henry Heysham and Anne Emma Wood. She married Sidney Ashley Collins in Calcutta, India on 26 February 1884. He was a clerk. Sidney A. Collins was born in 1858 in Bengal - from the Baptism Indexes. Elizabeth died on 8 June 1928.
Their children were:
(25) Montague Vivian Heysham Collins (1891)He was born in 1891.
(25) Maurice Keith Heysham Collins (1895)He was born on 16 December 1895 in Simla. He was christened on 16 January 1896 at Christ Church, Simla. He worked as a Chief Superintendent for the Public Services Commission for the Government of India and married Isabella Maud Franklin.
(25) Daisy Winnifred Heysham Collins (25) Bertram Clayton Heysham Collins (1897)He was born in 1897.
Historical Timeline: Reign of Kings, The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
1901-1910 Edward VII
Edward's father, Prince Albert, was from the small German state of Saxe-Coburg, giving the family this un-English surname. Edward came to the throne late in life, frustrated in being kept from any important role in government during the Queen's reign. She, cruelly, blamed Edward for his father's death and never truly forgave him. One of the most significant developments during his reign was a change of affection from the German states, recently transformed into an Empire by Prussia, to France. A full-blown alliance would not occur until 1914. The House of Windsor
1910-1936 George V
George V changed the name of the family during World War I in response to anti-German sentiment. The 'Great War' was the defining event of his generation and its cost in men and material beggared the empire, which never fully recovered its position. As a result, the 20th century became an American one. More significantly, the errors on the battlefield and those of state made the common man of England question anew the role of the aristocracy, whose rule he had until then accepted as in his best interests. |
Thomas Bird Heysham, the son of Henry Heysham and Anne Emma Wood, was born on 5 November 1861 and christened on 29 December 1861 in St. John's Church, Calcutta, India.
Thomas Bird Heysham, 34, the son of Henry Heysham, married Isoline Eugenie Smith, 21, the daughter of Charles Hugh Geddes Smith, in Calcutta, Bengal on 25 February 1895. Isoline was born on 16 March 1873 in Bengal. Her father, Charles Hugh Geddes Smith, paymaster with the IVS railway, married Annie Caroline Leicester on 29 January 1870 in Calcutta.
Thomas was a clerk in the public works department.
"Heysham, T.B., clk., p.w. dept., govt. of India" - from "Thacker's Indian Directory" of 1895Later Thomas was associated with the railway. "Heysham, T.B., India, Asia" was listed in the Univeral Directory of Railway Officials of 1914.
Thomas was a Mason and a member of the Himalayan Brotherhood, Freemason Lodge No. 459, in Simla. Lord Kitchener was also a member.
"Heysham, Thomas Bird, Clerk I. [initiated] 10-5-86 Rj. [rejoined] 10-4-11" - from membership list of "Lodge "Himalayan Brotherhood" No. 459"
If his daughters' rememberances were corrent, Thomas was a Colonel, perhaps in the militia or the railway regiment (see Doris and Irene Heysham, below). However, I've looked in the India Army Lists of 1895, 1905 and 1915, and haven't seen Thomas.
Thomas Bird Heysham, 71, died on 2 December 1932 and was buried on 3 December 1932 [need to bury them quick in a hot climate!] in Bangalore, Madras, India.
His children were ,
(25) Frank Geddes Heysham (1896)
(25) Horace Greville Heysham (1897), the son of Thomas Bird and Isoline Eugenie Heysham, was born on 29 March 1897. He died on 21 June 1897 in Simla, Bengal, India.
(25) Charles Darrell Heysham (1898)
(25) Daisy Irene and Doris Isolene Heysham (1905)
Frank Geddes Heysham, the son of Thomas Bird and Isoline Eugenie Heysham, was born on 13 January 1896 and baptized on 21 June 1896 in Simla, Bengal, India. His middle name comes from his grandfather, Charles Hugh Geddes Smith. I have a Frank G. Heysham who was a member of the Old Cotton Association in 1909. He must have attended the Bishop Cotton school in Simla. His cousins, the sons of Henry Sherman Heysham, were also "Old Cottonions."
Frank Heysham worked for the Indian Railways.
"Heysham, F. G. NWR 13 Jan. 96 215-15-275 2 Jan. 20 275 Sub-Storekeeper, Moghalpura" - from the "Classified List of Gazetted Establishment of Indian Railways" of 1924NWR was the North Western Railway. The first date was Frank's birth. The second date was probably when he was appointed. The other numbers are not an identity number, many others share the same series. Moghalpura is a suburb in Hyderabad in southern India. "The Combined Civil List for India and Burma" of 1936 and 1946 had F. G. Heysham in the Stores branch of the Headquarters Office of the NWR.
| The North Western State Railway
The railway was founded to serve the Punjab, Sind, Northwest territories, and Baluchistan, which are all in the west and northwest of India and today's Pakistan. However, in 1900 the line combined with the Jodhpur-Hyderabad Railway leading to connection with Hyderabad of Sindh Province. - from Wikipedia |
According to great-grandson Andrew Heysham, Frank was "stationed in India with the army." Note that the railways, where Frank was employed from at least 1920 to 1946, had military units made up of railway personnel. Frank's cousin, Eric H. B. Heysham, was a member of the East Indian Railway Regiment of the Indian Army Auxilary in the inter-war years. The EIR made this service a condition of employment. The NWR was probably the same.
| The Railway Regiment
The establishement of railway troops, made up of railway employees, was a Prussian innovation in the 1860's. The North-Western Railway Battalion were an auxiliary regiment established in the 1880's. They comprised staff of the North Western Railway. In 1920 they were redesignated the North-Western Railway Regiment. They regularly supported the regular forces during the troubles on the North West Frontier by manning armoured trains. Volunteer regiments were formed during the First World War for service in East Africa. |
Frank Geddes Heysham, 28, the son of Thomas Bird Heysham, married Freda Doris Glegg, 23, the daughter of Henry Glegg, on 17 December 1924 in Lahore, Bengal.
Frank's son, Peter David, below, had lived in Rhodesia. Had Frank resided in that colony on his way back to England or did Peter David emigrate as a young man?
Frank G. and Freda D. Heysham and "S[on]-Heysham Peter D." lived in Addiscombe, Croyden borough, England in the 1950's through 1980's. Freda Doris Heysham, born on 10 October 1901, died in the 2nd Quarter 1970 in Croyden, Surrey at the age of 68. Frank Geddes Heysham died in August 1995 in Croydon, in Greater London, Surrey, at the age of 99.
Frank's children were,
(26) Peter David Clement Heysham (1926)
(26) Barbara Rachel Clement Heysham (c1925), the daughter of Frank Giddes and Freda Doris Heysham, was born on 3 October 1928 and baptized on 3 November 1928 in Bengal, India. She married John A. Wright in Croyden, Surrey in 1953
Peter David Clement Heysham, the son of Frank Geddes Heysham and Freda Doris Glegg, was born on 4 January 1926 and baptized on 30 January 1926 in Lahore, Bengal, India. I wonder if the given name Clement was for Clement Lissant?
He served with the RAF in Rhodesia as an "air frame fitter, rank chief technician" during World War II.
| "Rover David"
There was a South African fighter-bomber pilot of World War II, Group Captain David Heysham, Wg Cdr (Wing Commander) Operations at HQ DAF (Desert Air Force) in Italy, who developed a mobile method for aircraft vectoring and control, called "Rover David," a method of forward aircraft control for the close-air support of ground troops. "These had been the brainchild of another young fighter commander, a South African, Group Captain David Heysham. The systems were simple. ..." - from "Italy's Sorrow: A Year of War, 1944-1945" by James HollandThe system was first used during the battles to cross the Trigno and Sangro rivers. These rivers, half-way between Naples and Rome, empty into the Adriatic. Another reference called David a "fighter-bomber pilot who was now Group Captain Operations at DAF HQ." He created the mobile observation post in a lorry, or jeep and trailer, situated with the forward troops at brigade HQ and in direct VHF communtications with aircraft. |
Peter David Clement Heysham, 26, married Sheana Vos, 20, on 3 June 1952 at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, Cape province, South Africa. Peter had been born in Africa. He was in the Royal Air Force, residing at the Union Jack Club, in Cape Town. "Husband domeciled in Rhodedia. Sheana had been born in Cape Town. She was a 'Sales Lady,' residing in Sunnyside Flats, Brooklyn. "Father's consent filed." Petronella Vos, Sheana's sister?, attended.
On 17 April 1953 Peter Heysham, a 27 year old RAF of South Rhodesia, and his wife, Sheana, 21, arrived in Southampton, England from Durban, South Africa onboard the ARUNDEL CASTLE. Their proposed address in England was Croyden, Surrey. They planned to make England their permanent address per the manifest.
In the 1963 and 1965 Electrol Registers of Croyden North East as "S-Heysham, Peter D." under Frank G. and Freda D. Heysham. I assume S refers to Son.
Peter David C. Heysham died in February 2003 at the age of 77, in Doncaster, Yorkshire. Sheana Heysham was born on 4 April 1932 and died in November 1999, at the age of 67, in Doncaster, Yorkshire.
Their children were,
(27) William L. Heysham (1953)
(27) Joyce J. R. Heysham (1955)
William L. Heysham was born in the 4th quarter 1953 in Croyden, Surrey, the son of Peter David Heysham and Sheana Vos. This would have been just after his parents arrived in England from Rhodesia.
William L. Heysham married Susan Rothwell in April 1985 in Doncaster, Yorkshire. Another reference calls her Susan Gregory. I suspect this was her second marriage. Note that William's parents, Peter and Sheana Heysham, died in Doncaster.
In 2008 I have a William L. Heysham, with a Susan and Andrew W. Heysham, living in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Also with them was a Gary Evans, David M. Batty and Kathryn Batty [?]. I think the latter were previous occupants at the same address, but not otherwise related.
In the Electoral Rolls I have "William L. Heysham of Hanbury Close, Doncaster." Susan is there as well.
Their children were,
(28) Andrew William Heysham (1986)
(28) Michelle Dawn Heysham (1989)
The son of William L. Heysham and Susan Rothwell, he was baptized in October 1986 in Doncaster, Yorkshire.
Andrew W. Heysham was on the electoral roll for 2008, living in Doncaster. Andrew William Heysham graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Popular Music Production from the School of Health and Social Sciences of the University of Huddersfield on 16 July 2009 - from the "Huddersfield Examiner."
He appears to have been a real estate agent in Doncaster for a period. He later was a Trainee Program Manager and CAD Administrator for Direct Federal Credit Union of Needham, Massachusetts. Is this right? Perhaps, his previous experience was shown to be with SportsDirect Inc. of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England.
Along with Justin Rick Heysham of Melbourne, Australia, above, the last of the male line of the Heysham family of Lancaster, England. I wish he'd take a Y-DNA test.
(28) Michelle Dawn Heysham (1989)The daughter of William L. Heysham and Susan Rothwell, she was baptized in June 1989 in Doncaster, Nottinghamshire. Michelle D. Heysham lives in Doncaster. She was on the electoral rolls for 2008-12 and 2013-15 for Doncaster.
I have a child, Connor-Reece Heysham, mother's maiden name Heysham, was born Apr-Jun 2006 in Doncaster.
(27) Joyce J. R. Heysham (1955)Joyce J. R. Heysham was born in Jann-Feb-Mar 1955 in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. Mother's maiden name Vos.
Joyce J. R. Heysham married Christopher R. Fortey in 1975 iin Doncaster, Yorkshire.
(25) Charles Darrel Heysham (1898)Charles Darrel Heysham, the son of Thomas Bird and Isoline Eugenie Heysham, was born on 22 August 1898 and christened on 15 October 1898 at "James' Own" in Simla, Bengal.
Charles Darrel Heysham, 25, the son of Thomas Bird Heysham, married Dorothy Douglas Crichton, 28, on 4 April 1921 in Calcutta, Bengal. Dorothy, the daughter of Charles Norman Macalister Crichton and Ellen Ingles, was born on 16 December 1891 in India.
I have a Dorothy Heysham, a 44 year old nurse, who sailed onboard the STRATHNAVER from Bombay, India to England, arriving on 21 August 1936 [1892]. Her proposed address was 66 Hood [sic] Villas, Hove. The STRATHNAVER, launched in 1931, operated on the Australian mail route. On 8 January 1937 Dorothy Heysham, a 44 year old Nursing Sister, of 68 Hove Villas, Hove, took ship from London on the MALOJA for Bombay, India. Had she visited her son, Harold, at school?
By 1947 Charles had died. I have a Dorothy Douglas Heysham, born on 16 December 1891, who died in 2nd quarter 1982 in Swale, Kent, England, at the age of 90. Charles and Dorothy's son was,
(26) Harold Clement Heysham (1925)
I don't have a birth announcement for Harold. His middle name was from his grandmother's brother, Charles Clement Leicester Smith. Harold C. Heysham, a 7 year old student, sailed onboard the STRATHNAVER from Bombay, India and arrived in London, England on 13 January 1933. While that seems a little young to send a kid off to boarding school, his parents did not accompany him. His proposed address was "Strathdeden Bonneygate Cupar Fife 139 Narboro' Road." This is in Scotland. Stratheden, Bonnygate and Cupar are three villages in close proximity to each other, in Fife. I was hoping to find a boys school here, but so far I have found only a psychiatric hospital.
Harold was a soldier during World War II. He died on 1 June 1947 and was buried in the Munster Heath War cemetery in Telgte, Nordheim-Westfalen, Germany. Rank: Private, of the Royal Army Service Corps. The Service Corps was responsible for transport and supply. Details:
"01/06/47 Age 22 3. A. 19. Son of Charles Darrel Heysham and Dorothy Douglas Heysham, of Hove, Sussex." - from "The War Graves Photographic Project."Another reference has,
"HEYSHAM, Private, HAROLD CLEMENT, S/14412908, Royal Army Service Corps. attd. H.Q. 13th Inf. Bde.; formerly of 1/5th Bn, The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) 1 June 1947. Age 22. Son of Charles Darrel Heysham and Dorothy Douglas Heysham, of Hove, Sussex. Grave Ref. 3. A. 19."Harold may have been in India at the start of the war. Note that the 1st Battalion of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was in India at the outbreak of the war and fought in the Burma campaign throughout. The 13th Infantry Brigade was part of the occupation forces, in the 5th Infantry Division. It was disbanded in March 1948.
Since his death occurred after the war I assume Harold was part of the occupation forces and died due to an accident, probably traffic.
"Heysham Harold Clement of 68 Hova Villas Hove Sussex died 1 June 1947 at The River Lippe near Munster Germany Administration (with Will) London 12 March to Dorothy Douglas Heysham [his father's] widow. Effects L366 3s. 11d." - from the National Probate Calendar(25) Daisy Irene (1905) and Doris Isolene Heysham (c1905)
Daisy Irene Heysham, the daughter of Thomas Bird and Isoline Eugenie Heysham, was born on 29 November 1905 and baptized on 14 January 1906 in Calcutta, Bengal. Daisy was named for her mother's sister, Daisy Estelle Smith. I haven't found an entry for her sister, Doris.
Two maiden ladies of Dunloe House, Simla. Doris is also referred to as Dorothy in some texts. Her middle name is from her mother, Isoline Eugenie Smith. The girls were "cousin sisters" of Enid Alice Lisbey. The daughter of Herbert Vyvyan Hollis Roberts and Emily Mary Leicester, Enid was the wife of Norman Douglas Lisbey. Norman was an "Old Cottonian," that is a student of the Bishop Cotton school, matriculating in 1904. Also Old Cottonians, though 5 to 7 years behind Norman, were Eric Heysham (1896), Terence Heysham (1897), and George Heysham (1898), the sons of Henry Sherman Heysham (1855), and Frank Heysham (1896), the son of Henry's brother, Thomas Bird Heysham (1861). BTW, Herbert C. Flashman was in Norman's class.
Undated. "Two maiden memsahibs, Irene and Dorothy Heysham ('we date back to William the Conqueror') are living on a hillside in Simla, 'hanging on' in a house called Dunloe with a kindly bearer who who cooks for them. They have high singsong voice, but remember putting flowers in their hair, drinking champagne and dancing at Viceroy's House. "In those days Queen Victoria had to approve a marriage," they add, as if explaining their single state." - from "Highness: The Maharajahs of India" by Ann Morrow LindberghI've found an article in the Spectator of 1 June 1990, The Colonel's Daughters, that deals with Simla and the Heysham sisters. The article is worth reading, but I won't quote it here other than to pull out some facts that may help place the sisters in the family. It indicates that Irene ane Doris were 78 years old and the daughters of a Colonel. Their aunt's husband was in the 23rd Punjabi's, and that their brothers were Charlie and Frank, "both dead now." I suspect these were Charles Darrel Heysham and Frank Geddes Heysham. Was their father, Thomas Bird Heysham, ever a Colonel? Also, Frank Geddes Heysham did not die until 1994, after the death of both Irene ane Doris. However they did have another brother, Harold. Charley and Harold were both dead by 1947. Nonetheless, Thomas Bird Heysham still looks like the best bet as their father, especially considering Doris' middle name.
Irene Heysham attended St. Mary's convent school in Cawnpore.
Irene HeyshamCould Thomas Bird Heysham be B. Heysham? There are Dufferin hospitals in a number of cities, all underwritten by the Countess of Dufferin Fund. The latter provided scholarships for women to be educated in the medical field as doctors, hospital assistants, nurses, and midwives. It also financed the construction of female hospitals, dispensaries, and female only wards in preexisting hospitals.
Kanpur
St. Mary's convent
1914
B. Heysham (parent)
Agent (occupation)
Calcutta
Irene Heysham
Kanpur
St. Mary's convent
1916
Mrs. Heysham (parent)
Dufferin Hospital (occupation)
Cawnpore
In 1931 we have a,
[no name]Of course I don't have a D.G. Heysham. Who could this be? La Martiniere was an exclusive college preferred by the landed aristocracy, according to Wikipedia. I also can't find Khaironghat.
Lucknow
La Martiniere College
1931
D.G. Heysham (parent)
Khaironghat pumping station (occupation)
Calcutta
From a petition of 14 January 1994 by Lt. Col. L.H.M. Gregory, executor, for the grant of letters of administration of the will of Enid Alice Lisbey, dated 22 June 1978. She had bequethed her property, Dunloe Estate, to Colonel Gregory. Dunloe Estate, near Deepak Project, Shimla, consisted of Dunloe House, Dunloe Lodge and associated property. Irene and Dorothy challenged the will and mentioned another Will which according to them was executed on 5-10-1980 by Ms. Lisbey in their favour. However, they failed to produce evidence of the fact during the trial.
"3. In the petition Ms. Irene Heysham and Ms. Doris Heysham were impleaded as party respondents 2 and 3 and it is stated in the petition that they claimed themselves to be relations of Ms. Lisbey, though this fact was not admitted by the petitioner. One Smt. Sundri Devi was also impleaded as party respondent No. 4 on the allegations that she as well as respondents 2 and 3 were interested to contest the claim of the petitioner, as to his information they had propounded another Will. Lastly, it is submitted that the estate duty on the estate of Ms. Lisbey would be paid as and when the letters of administration are ordered to be granted.
. . .
6. The reply filed on behalf of fourth respondent is also on the similar lines. According to her she and her husband had looked after Ms. Lisbey during her life time and for the services rendered, Ms. Lisbey had given to her the out houses consisting of four rooms, plot of land below Deepak Project and out houses above the Cart Road with gallery and various articles stored therein which were in unserviceable condition. She has propounded Will dated 5-10-1980, according to which Ms. Lisbey had appointed her cousin sisters Ms. Ireno Heysham and Ms. Doriss Heysham (respondents 2 and 3) as executors in case Lt. Col. Gregory was not to live in India. Rejoinders were also filed to the replies of respondents 2, 3 and 4."
Irene died circa 1992 and Doris on 12 September 1993 while the case was still pending, both were spinsters. The case was finally resolved in Lt. Col. Gregory's favor on 14 January 1994.
"18. Additional Issue No. 1 pertains to will dated 29-5-1974 which was propounded by original respondents 2 and 3 and additional issue No. 2 pertains to their right to inherit the property of Ms. Lisbey as her last surviving heirs in the absence of any will. Since both these original respondents 2 and 3 (Ms. Krene Heysham and Ms. Doris Heysham) have died during the pendency of the petition, as a result of which their names have been deleted from the array of respondents and their legal representatives have not come forward to participate in these proceedings, this Court needs not give findings on these Issues."
Another court case indicates that after Irene died Doris fell sick and was admitted to the hospital. This was in May 1993. She had suffered from a stroke of hemiplegia, which affected her right limbs. She was discharged two weeks later. Using her debility as an excuse, the manager of her bank and two accomplices, tenants on the Dunloe estate, hatched a plot to forge Doris' Will in their favor and have her sign it via a thumb imprint, she "being unable to sign due to the damage to her right hand."
(24) Ella Aitken Heysham (1862)Ella Aitken Heysham, the daughter of Henry Heysham and Anne Emma Wood, was born on 11 December 1862 and christened on 22 March 1863 in St. John's church, Calcutta, West Bengal, India. She died soon thereafter on 26 April 1863.
(22) James Coulthard Heysham (1799)James Heysham, the son of John Heysham and Elizabeth Mary Coulthard, was christened on 22 July 1799 in Saint Mary's church, Carlisle, Cumberland, England.
As a younger son, he went into the Navy, just as the next youngest son, William, went into the Indian Army. In 1812, at the tender age of 13, he went to sea with the Royal Navy. His father probably found him a place, perhaps using the influence of the Mounsey family with whom he was very friendly. Note that his daughter, Isabel, would marry into that family in 1827. In 1812 Captain William Mounsey, R.N., had just left the HMS FURIEUSE, a ship he had captured while captain of the HMS BONNE-CITOYENNE. Navy Captains usually provided spaces to the sons of those too powerful to refuse or to those of their friends. From the "British Naval Biographical Dictionary" of 1849:
"James Heysham entered the Navy on 17 May 1812, and was for 15 years employed as Fst.cl. Vol. [First Class Volunteer], . . .
| First Class Volunteer
Starting in 1794 this was the title given to boys who were entering upon their first step in the Naval Service. Beforehand they had been called "King's Letter Boys." In 1843 they became known as Naval Cadets. It was at about that time that personal patronage became no longer as essential for the would-be embryo Naval officer. Boys entered service between the ages 11 and 25. In 1849 the age limits of 12 to 14 were laid down and these continued, except for a short period at the end of the 19th Century when age limits of 14 to 15 were in force. |
| The Royal Navy in the Early 19th Century
From 1800 to 1815 Great Britain was at war with a succession of enemies, including the United States in 1812, some of whom later became her allies. "Many vessels spent their sea-time cruising or escorting convoys of merchant ships across miles of empty ocean. In this humdrum existence their only enemy was the violence of the sea and they rarely, if ever, encountered an enemy warship or privateer. They only became noteworthy when they were wrecked or foundered, a not uncommon occurence." "After the fall of Napoleon in 1815 most of the battle fleets were laid up "in ordinary" for the remainder of their days, but the navy was nevertheless involved in a number of small wars. In 1816 a fleet under Admiral Lord Exmouth was sent to take action against Algerian pirates, "The Barbary Corsairs." He was joined by a Dutch squadron off Gibraltar. The ships anchored off the city on 27 August and commenced a bombardment. The following day the Dey of Algiers agreed to the demands that he had previously rejected and released more than 1200 Christian slaves, repaid over $380,000 to Naples and Sicily and compensated the British consul for loss of property." |
| Ships in the Royal Navy of the 19th Century
Sailing warships were rated according to the number of their guns. Only 1st rates, of 100 or more guns, 2nd rates, of 90 to 94 guns, and 3rd rates, of 74 to 80 guns, were powerful enough to fight in the "line of battle." The 4th rates, of 50-64 guns, could be either small two-decker battleships, two-deckers cut down to a single deck, the razees, or over-large single-deck frigates. The 5th rates and 6th rates were frigates, of 28 to 44 guns mounted on a single gun deck. Carronades were not included in the gun-rating and in at least one case 20 additional carronades were carried on a vessel nominally rated as a 32-gun ship. Below the 6th rates came the sloops, brigs, gun-brigs, bombs, schooners and cutters which were commanded by either a commander or a lieutenant. HMS PRINCE OF WALESA 98 gun "2nd Rate" ship of the line. She was built in 1794. In 1811 she was under the command of Captain John Eskin Douglas, at Spithead. In 1814 she was in the Mediterranean, where she formed part of Lord Exmouth's fleet at the surrender of Genoa in April. Vice Admiral Pellew had sailed from Toulon with CALEDONIA, BOYNE, UNION, PRINCE OF WALES and PEMBROKE and they arrived off Genoa on the morning of the 17th as the army moved forward to attack the garrison in the town. She was put out of commission in 1815 and disposed of in 1822.  HMS BOMBAY A 74 gun "3rd Rate" ship of the line of the LEVIATHAN class. She was completed at Deptford on 28 March 1808. In 1812 she was under the command of Capt. Norborne Thompson in the Mediterranean. On 14 May 1814 he was relieved by Capt. Henry Bazeley. He brought home the British garrison from Madeira and was then stationed in the Downs. In the spring of 1815 he cruised off the Azores with CHATHAM, 74, and LARNE, 20, before entering the Mediterranean with Lord EXMOUTH. During August he carried the Queen of Sardinia, three Princesses and their suite from Cagliari to Genoa. At the beginning of 1816 she became the flagship of Sir Charles Penrose and joined the squadron under Lord Exmouth. BOMBAY was paid off at Portsmouth in July 1816, but continued serving in a non-combatant role, as the BLAKE, for many years. HMS BERWICKA 74 gun "3rd Rate" ship of the line. She was built in 1809. In 1812 she was under the command of Capt Edward Brace and he and commanded her in the Mediterranean for the rest of the war. On 16 May 1813 the boats of BERWICK under her first lieutenant, Henry Johnston Sweedland, with seamen and royal marines, attacked more than 20 enemy trading vessels which had collected in Cavalarie Bay near Toulon. They were protected by several land batteries which were carried twenty minutes after the attackers reached the beach, and the guns turned on the defenders. The xebeck [a type of frigate] FORTUNE, armed with ten long 9-pounders, attempted to escape but she was cut off by Capt. NAPIER in EURYALUS, who pushed in and cut her off. The crew of 95 abandoned her after firing a shot through the bottom and laying a train of powder to the magazine. A division of boats under Lieutenant White boarded her in time to stop her sinking or blowing up. There were 22 vessels of various descriptions in the harbour. EURYALUS salvaged the cargoes, mainly oil, corn and lemons, of those which had been scuttled and BERWICK's boats brought out thirteen. John Jones, marine of BERWICK was killed. In December Lieutenant Sweedland led another attack by BERWICK's boats. This time on a number of merchantmen lying under the protection of Fort Negaye near Frejus. They were surprised by the appearance of two enemy schooners but carried one of them and the fort and forced the French to scuttle the merchantmen. The second schooner put up a determined resistance and Lieutenant Sweedland, James Whitshed, midshipman, and several seamen were killed and others wounded in an attempt to capture her. She scuttled herself after coming under fire from the sailors in the captured fort. BERWICK was with Sir Josiah Rowley's squadron operating with the army to bring about the surrender of Genoa in April 1814. On 8 and 1O April her boats, with those of RAINBOW, assisted by two Sicilian gunboats, attacked enemy posts near the Pass of Rona to assist the advance of the British army. The enemy were driven from their positions leaving two 24-pounders and two mortars. Two men were killed and Lieutenant George Francis Lyon of BERWICK and four men were wounded. After the surrender of Genoa Capt. Brace served as naval commissioner ashore whilst the arsenal was cleared of its contents. He took BERWICK back to Portsmouth for a refit, and was then ordered to return to the Mediterranean. In the summer of 1815 BERWICK came under the orders of Capt. Fahie in MALTA cooperating with the Austrian General, Baron Laner, in the siege of Gaeta during the war with Murat. Capt. Brace was second in command of the flotilla. Following a proposal from the General a simultaneous bombardment to last three days by the Austrian batteries and the ships started on 17 July. The ships only stopped firing when they retired to re-ammunition but the batteries were badly knocked up on two occasions. The enemy fire from the sea face of the fortress was silenced. BERWICK had only one casualty, Anthony Pendville, landsman, who had to have his left arm amputated, very high up, after a gunshot wound. Since the operations against Gaeta were turning into a blockade and the people of BERWICK had been under fire for nearly two months, Capt. Fahie sent her to Lord Exmouth off Marseilles. Gaeta surrendered on 8 August. BERWICK returned to England to pay off in the summer of 1816. She was broken up in 1821. |
. . . Having passed his examination in 1818, he was at length, on 4 May, 1827, promoted to the rank of Lieutenant . . .
| The Lieutenat's Examination
"XIV. A Midshipman, when he shall have passed the Examination referred to in Article XII, must continue to serve in that rank for a further period of two years, and having completed such two years, he may, if he has attained the age of 19 years, present himself to pass his Examination for the rank of Lieutenant, in accordance with the Forms Nos. II., III., IV." "XV. The Examination for the rank of Lieutenant is to be conducted before three Captains or Commanders, by order of the Commander-in-Chief or Senior Officer of two or more ships present together; but a Midshipman having completed his term of service, and being 19 years of age who is serving in a ship or vessel so far separated from other ships that the foregoing Regulation cannot be complied with, may be provisionally examined ..................etc." Passing the Lieutenant's exam was difficult, but more difficult still was finding a position after that or, having done so, to get the attention required to advance to Captain. Without patronage, or a war, many men's careers stagnated at this point. |
James must have been employed on some other ship or ships, unnamed, after his service on HMS BERWICK. The latter was paid off in 1816 while James did not get to his next named ship, HMS PEARL according to the Biographical Encyclopedia, until 1831. One of those ships was HMS MAIDSTONE, which he had joined by March 1827 per the citation below.
1816-1827, "and other ships, on the North Sea, Mediterranean, Western Island, West India, English Channel, South American, and African stations." The latter source also notes that James was on Full Pay in 1817 and Half Pay in 1818. That probably means he was put ashore for a time after the BERWICK.
Half Pay for Mates: "2s 6d a day or L45 12s 6d per annum after 3 Years' actual Sea Service as Mates, and when unable to obtain employment in Her Majesty's Service, provided their conduct during service shall have been satisfactory, and provided they do not decline or avoid service when called upon."
Was James ashore for an extended period? While the following may be a mere honorific, it could indicate that James was back in Carlisle.
"1821-22. Heysham, James, of Carlisle, son of John, of same, M.D." - from "The Rolls of the Freemen of the Borough of Lancaaster" - from the Free Burgesses of Carlisle
The following snippets refer to an anti-slavery patrol in West Africa, dating from December 1825 to March 1827, in which James took a part in 1827; see the reference to him in the last paragraph. By the way, in response to British pressure the American's joined the anti-slavery patrol in 1820.
"[p. 279] West Coast of Africa Twenty Years SinceIn addition to HMS MAIDSTONE and the ELLEN, under Lieutenant Grey, was the BANN, under Captain Courtenay, the sloop-of-war ESK and REDWING, Captain D. Clavering, and a captured Dutch ship, renamed HOPE, under Lieutenant William Tucker. REDWING went down with all hands off Sierra Leone in 1827. Since we know that James did not officially get promoted to Lieutenant until May 1827, the reference to him as "Lieut." in March 1827 was probably because he was filling a lieutenant's billet.
Edited by Joseph Allen, esq.
Author of "Battles of the Bristish Navy."The following extracts, which need no preface, are from the rough diary of a very intelligent officer*, at the time belonging to the Maidstone, under Commodore Bullen [Sir Charles Bullen]. The diary commences on the 25th December, 1825, at which time, the writer having joined the schooner, Ellen, tender to the Maidstone, commanded by Lieut. Grey, sailed from Sierra Leone, under sealed orders.
"Dec. 26. Noon, observed the Isles de Loss [an island group lying off Conakry in Guinea, a British possession 1818-1904], 2 h, p.m., bore up round Factory Island [Kassa island]. Lieutenant Godwin, commanding at these islands, came on board. At 6, the flood tide having made and the breeze failing, came to an anchor about a mile . . ."
. . . had the pleasure of his acquaintance. If Mr. Williams furnishes the subjoined . . . , escaped by superior sailing; but she was known to be from Eustacia, also on a slaving voyage.
"On the 1st February, the Ellen chased and maintained a running fight with a brigantine, under Spanish colours; but the latter escaped by superior sailing. One . . ."
"At Cavally is the residence of Grand Debbly, or the Devil, who, they say, resides at the bottom of a large hole on the side of a small river which runs past . . . [p. 280] which they carry in their hands behind them, and walking backwards to the edge of the hole, drop them in; as they say, 'Suppose one man look at Grand Debbly, he lose him eye.' It is needless to say that this is a trick of the Fetish man, or priest, who is in the hole, and receives the things thrown in. The natives wear a piece of fur suspended round their necks, containing a 'Festish;' and also brass or silver rings . . . gold (valued at four pounds sterling), and one pound, or one fourth of the value of the gold, is charged for workmanship. They are unacquainted with the art of alloying, so that you are certain of getting the pure gold."
The Ellen proceeded down the coast to the eastward, passing the different places without communicating and falling in with the Redwing*, was sent in search of a piratical brig, but without success. After running down into the bight of Benin as far as the river Formosa or Benin, the following remarks from Dalzel are made : "From the river Sherbro to to the river Formosa, a distance of 1400 miles of sea coast, there is not one navigable river, bay, or harbour, into which a ship can enter nor is there one river or creek, Volta and Lagos excepted, into which a sailing boast can advance ten miles from the sea. Very few of the creeks will admit a boat, and not one on the gold coast except at Chama and Elmina. A small boat may row up the former about two miles, and the latter about a quarter of a mile."
[p. 281] Recent discoveries having proved beyond a doubt that the Benin river is one of the mouths of the Niger, the remarks in the diary which follow, will not be less interesting than illustrative of the blindness of the Commanders of the late unfortunate expedition. The particular portion of the diary, now referred to, is dated March 21st, 1827, when Mr. Williams went up the Benin in one of the frigate's boats.
"Accompanied the boats, viz., first and second pinnaces, and first cutter, to explore the Benin river. Passed the bar at 8 h. p.m. with flood tide, and proceeded up the river examining both banks. Came to an anchor about midnight. At daylight, found ourselves near Regis point. Got underway and proceeded up the river; and on arriving off New Town received information of two vessels being up a creek close by. After proceeding about seven miles further up the river, without meeting any vessels, Lieut. Thomas Lyell, in the second pinnace, resolved, thinking they had been hoaxed, to put back and go higher up the main river himself; while the first pinnace, with Lieut. (James) Heysham and myself, and the cutter should proceed about five miles further. Just after he left us we boarded a canoe; the man in which, confirmed the information previously received, and we determined to proceed.
About 3h. p.m., observed a schooner, boarded her, and found her to be a small schooner from St. Thomas's, trading. The cutter went on, and boarded a second schooner from the same place. This was about four miles below Gato, or Agatoa, a distance of fifty-seven miles from the entrance of the river, and thirty-seven from the mouth of the creek. The ebb tide having made, we returned down the river, and at 10 h. p.m. again anchored off Regis Point, where the second pinnance was already at anchor. The next morning, at 3h., weighed again, and having recrossed the bar in safety, returned to the ship at 11 h. a.m."
- from "The Naval and Military Sketch Book," of 1845, page 279-281.
"Naval Appointments during the last Quarter.The comment that James "who has lately arrived from the west coast of Africa" may refer to the fact that MAIDSTONE returned to Portsmouth on 29 August 1827, about the time the citation above was being written. MAIDSTONE departed Portsmouth to return to the African coast on 28 February 1828. Was James onboard?
. . .
Mr. E.B. Sutherland, of the Maidstone, has been promoted to the rank of Lieut. and appointed to the Esk, vice Batt invalided; Acting-Lieut. Jas. Heysham, who has lately arrived from the western coast of Africa, in the Maidstone, has been confirmed to that ship." - from "The Naval and Military Magazine" of 1827
| HMS MAIDSTONE
"His next sea duty came in 1824 when he broke his commodore's pennant in HMS Maidstone to take command of a squadron on the west coast of Africa until 1827." - from the "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships" |
See the Naval Database for details of HMS MAIDSTONE's voyages. In March/April 1827 alone,
"6 Mar 1827 Cape Coast Roads.Commodore Collier took over from Commodore Bullen at this time.
11 Mar 1827 weighed from Accra Roads, intending to run down the different anchorages in the Bight of Benin, in order to detect and detain those vessels carrying on the trade under the Brazilian flag, in direct opposition to the true intent and meaning of the treaty entered into with Portugal, and furnished with the irregular licenses to touch at the islands of St. Thomas and Princes.
13 Mar 1827, detained off Whydah (aka Ajuda) in lat. 6 14' N. the Brazilian slave brigantine Trajano, 218 tons, Joz da Silva Rios, Master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, and on 30 Apr 1827 sentenced to be condemned.
14 Mar 1827, detained off Ajudo, aka Judo, in lat. 5 19' N., the Brazilian slave Tentadora / Tenterdora, 207 tons, Inncencio dos Santos Lopez, Master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, and on 30 Apr 1827 sentenced to be condemned for being in breach of her imperial passport etc.
14 Mar 1827, detained off Badagry in lat. 6 12' N., the Brazilian slave brig Venturoso, 203 tons, J. P. de Susa, Master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone and sentenced to be condemned on 30 Apr 1827.
14 Mar 1827, detained off Badagry, in lat. 6 12' N., the Brazilian slave schooner Carlota / Carlotta, 176 tons, Joze Francisco de Costa, Master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, and sentenced to be condemned for being in breach of her imperial passport etc. on 30 Apr 1827.
16 Mar 1827, detained whilst at anchor off Lagos in lat. 6 23' N., the Brazilian slave vessel Providencia, 147 tons, Joao Pedro de Souza, Master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, and on 30 Apr 1827 sentenced to be condemned for being in breach of her imperial passport etc.
22 Mar 1827 the prizes having been manned and sent to Sierra Leone for adjudication in the Mixed Commissioned Court, being in need of water departed for Prince's Island.
22 Mar 1827, detained off the mouth of the River Benin, otherwise Formosa, in lat. 5 44' N., the Brazilian slave cutter or sloop Conceicao Paquete do Rio, 77 tons, Manoel F. de Silva Araujo, Master, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, and sentenced to be condemned for being in breach of her imperial passport etc.
3 Apr 1827 arrived West Bay, Prince's Island and the following day was joined by the North Star.
8 Apr 1827 the Commodore advised the Secretary of the Admiralty that he departed Prince's Island with the "intention of examining the rivers in the Bight of Biafra, before the expiration of my command".
10 Apr 1827 sent the pinnace and cutter, manned and armed, under command of Lieutenant Lyall to search the Old Calabar.
10-11 Apr 1827 in the afternoon a suspicious vessel was seen from the mast-head between the ship and the Island of Fernando Po, in lat. 4 6' N. We lost sight of her in the dark, but about 10 p.m. by aid of the moon, she was seen about seven or eight miles distant, but the wind being light there was little chance of coming up with her and Lieutenant Morton, first of the ship, volunteered to take the cutter and gig, to intercept her, and by midnight had detained the Brazilian slave brigantine Creola, 85 tons, M. J. de Suza Guimareas, Master, with 308 slaves on board, two days out from the Old Calabar River, which was sent for adjudication to the British and Portuguese Court of Mixed Commission, Sierra Leone, and on 9 Jun 1827 sentenced to be condemned for illicitly trading in slaves.
6 May 1827 departed Port Antonio, Prince's Island for Sierra Leone, with the last prize in tow. 22 May 1827 off the entrance to the Sierra Leone River, the Commodore preparing his final RoP to the Admiralty."
James' last appointments were:
-21 April, 1831, to the PEARL 20, Capts. Wm. Broughton and Robt. Gordon, at first employed in protecting the British interests in the Western Islands, during the disputes between Don Pedro and Don Miguel, . . .
| The War of the Two Brothers
The Western Islands were the Azores. There are a total of nine islands in the group, the largest and most important of which is St. Michael. It is about fifty miles in length, and its breadth varies from six to ten miles. Don Pedro resided there during the contest with Don Miguel. "In 1832 the Royal Navy became invoved in the 'War of the Two Brothers' or Miguelite War in Portugal. When his younger son Miguel led a revolt against the liberal constitution King Joao VI sent him into exile. On the death of the King in 1826 the elder son was made regent as Pedro IV but he abdicated in favour of his daughter, Maria, and Miguel was made Regent. Miguel abolished the constitution and proclaimed himself king. With the backing of liberals in Spain and England an expedition supporting Pedro IV landed near Oporto in 1832 were it was beseiged by Miguelite forces. To protect British interests a naval squadron under Cdr. William Glascock in ORESTES was stationed in the Douro where it came under fire from both sides. The Miguelite forces were eventually defeated by a Pedroist force which landed in the Algarve in 1833 under the protection of a naval squadron commanded by Charles Napier alias Calos de Ponza." |
HMS PEARL
A 20 gun sloop. She was completed on 17 March 1828. At left is a painting of HMS PEARL capturing the slaver OPPOSICAO in 1838. This was some time after Jame's service in this ship. She was disposed of in 1851. "Large numbers of vessels were employed on anti-slavery patrol around the African coast where small, fast vessels, brigantines and schooners, were needed to catch slavers. The older brigs were far too ponderous." |
James was listed in the company of PEARL in a compilation of the ships on the West India [West Indies] station.
"Pearl 20
Commander Robert Gordon
Lieut George Seaufoy
[Lieut] Jas Heysham
Master Fred S Fraser
Surgeon Alex Lane
Purser Francis Lean
Asst Surg Geo A Munro" - from "Belcher's Farmer's Almanck for the Year of Our Lord 1833"
"-and, 29 October 1832, to the WINCHESTER 52, Captain the Honorable William Wellesley, on the latter station. He invalided home 15 March, 1833.
| HMS WINCHESTER
The Honorable William Henry George Wellesley (1806-1875) was the second son of Henry Wellesley, 1st Baron Cowley, who was himself the youngest brother to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley. William's older brother, Henry, became the 1st Earl Cowley. William joined the Navy and was appointed Lieutenant on 3 October 1825, commander of the WEAZLE in Janaury 1828 and made Captain on 17 February 1829. He commanded the SAPPHIRE, 26, in the West Indies from 1830 to 1832, and later, perhaps, the CORNWALLIS. He resigned his commission at the beginning of the 1840's. Wellesley doesn't appear in the list of Captains of the WINCHESTER, though Captain Paget, below, had left WINCHESTER by September 1832. Those listed were:
|
Why was James invalided home? While the dangers of a naval life are well known, its also quite possible the answer was something as simple as the fever. Many European men died in the West Indies.
"On most stations casualties were high - from sickness not the violence of the enemy. Yellow fever, or Yellow Jack as it was called, would frequently kill three-quarters of a ship's company and leave the survivors too weak to work the sails."It always appears quite likely that James rode WINCHESTER back to England when she went out-of-commission at Chatham, the royal dockyards, probably for an overhaul.
James is also mentioned as an expert and a gentleman in a book about freshwater game fish, "A History of British Fishes," William Yarrell, 1836. Perhaps he gained his interest in nature from his father, as his brother Thomas did.
In 1837 attended a formal dinnner.
"Ingelwood Fox-Hunt.On the termination of the present hunting season, the members and subscribers of the Inglewood Fox-hunt invited their worthy master E.W. Hasell, Esq., to dine with them at the New Crown Hotel, Penrith, on Thursday, 13th April . . . Amongst the company were W.H. Parkin, Esq., the officers of the 52nd regiment from Carlisle, Jas. Heysham, Esq., . . ." - from "The New Sporting Magazine" of 1837
In the 1841 census of Sebergham, Cumbeland as James Heysham, a 45 year old Navy H.R. [Honorably Retired?]. He was living with his brother, John Heysham, the curate, at Sebergham Hall.
The next is anomolous. It is a reference to a James Heysham, circa 1841, in India. Our James obviously wasn't there in that year and his brother William, who died in 1825, while he left behind children in India, none of them were named James and, more importantly, none would have been old enough for the position described below.
"List of British Subjects Calcutta DirectoryThe Hindu College, today Presidency College, was founded by David Hare, Ram Mohan Roy and wealthy citizens of Calcutta in 1817. It was created for "the tuition of the sons of respectable Hindoos in the English and Indian languages, and in the literature and science of Europe and Asia." It is the oldest college in India. - from "A History of Christianity in India" by Stephen Neill.
. . .
Heysham, James, teacher Hindoo college, circular road." - from "The Bengal and Agra Annual Guide and Gazeteer" of 1841.
James was a Director of a local railroad.
"Maryport and Carlisle Railway.
Office, Maryport
Chairman.--F.L.B. Dykes, Esq., Dovenby Hall.
. . .
Directors.
Sir Wilfred Lawson, Bart., Brayton Hall.
J. Pocklington Senhouse, Esq., Borran House.
James Heysham, Esq., Sebugham, Carlisle.
George Cowen, Esq., Dalston, Carlisle
. . .
- from "The Railway Directory for 1845."
In the 1847 census James was residing at Burns Hill House in Burns Hill. From a directory of Cumberland dated 1847: "Burns-Hill House is a good mansion, in a pleasant situation, about half-a-mile from the church, overlooking the banks of the Caldew. It is the property and residence of James Heysham, Esq., and was erected about nine years ago [1838]." This is in Sebergham parish, the same where John Heysham, James elder brother, was the priest until 1846.
James Heysham was one of the Directors of the Carlisle City and District Bank. He eventually served there for 14 years as a Director and chairman of the board, resigning in 1851. In 1852 "Heysham, James, Borrans hill, esq." was listed as a shareholder in the bank.
In the 1851 census of Sebergham, Cumberland as James Heysham, 51, of Welton Borrans Hill, unmarried. His occupation was listed as Landed Proprietor, 1/2 pay [from the Navy]. He had two servants.
In the 1861 census of Sebergham Low, Cumberland, England as James Haysham [sic], of Borranshill, a 61 year old Landed Proprietor Banker. Also noted to be a Commander - Royal Navy Retired.
| Baron's Hill
This is a beautiful mansion, near Welton in the parish of Sebergham, in Cumbria, occupying a pleasant situation overlooking the banks of the Caldew river. Before the period of James' occupancy the land was held by Sir James Grant [whose solicitors were the Messrs Mounsey of Carlisle]. The Wybergh family owned this land at one point. |
Is Baron's, Borrans, Borrens and Burns-Hill all the same place? There is also a reference to Barron Wood.
Interestingly, the Navy List of 20 December 1868 lists "mJames Heysham." "m" means Retired. He was a Commander, with a date of rank of 1 October 1860, and a date of rank to Lieutenant of 4 May 1827." The title page of this section says "Commanders. Promoted from the Lieutenants' List, under Her Majesty's Orders in Council the 1st of August, 1860, 9th of July 1864, and 24th March 1866." The issue of the day appears to have been the need to forcibly retire a number of officers who remained on the active duty list, what we would call "dead-wood." Apparently the deal to induce these men to voluntarily retire, custom said they did not have to, included a one-step promotion to everyone on the retired list.
James Heysham d.s.p. at Borrens Hill (Wigton), Carlisle, Cumberland on 10 May 1870. He was buried in Carlisle on 27 May 1870. His will,
"The Will with a Codicil of James Heysham late of Borrans-hill in the Parish of Sebergham in the county of Cumberland Esquire deceased who died 10 May 1870 at Borrans-hill aforesaid was proved at Carlisle by the oaths of George William Mounsey [his nephew] of 14 Brunswick-gardens Kensington in the County of Middlesex Barrister-at-Law and John Giles Mounsey of the City of Carlisle Gentleman the Nephews the Executors."
The family clearly remembered/revered their Gernet ancestory. Note the crest described on the sun-dial, below.
"On one of the faces of a pillar-dial at Borranshill House, near Carlisle . . . The pillar was erected by a member of the Heysham family; it bears on the summit a vase ornamented with doves, and crowned by a lion passant regardant--the Heysham crest. The pillar is about 7 feet high. Borranshill now belongs to Colonel Wybergh." - from "The Book of Sun-dials" by Eleanor Lloyd, Horatia Katharine Frances Eden, Alfred Gatty
A marble statue, called "Ariel," was executed for James Heyshom [sic], Esq. - from "Exhibition of the Royal Academy." He also owned a statue, "The Dream of Io," by Musgrave Lewthwaite Watson. This artist was strongly supported by the Mounsey family, who made him a clerk in their law office to help underwrite his art. It was Watson who executed the bust of Dr. Heysham, mentioned above.
Apparently James' nephew, George William Mounsey, took over his home on Borran's Hill.
"May 31 [1871]. George William Mounsey, of Brunswick Gardens, Kensington, co. Middlesex, Borran's Hill in the parish of Sebergham, Cumberland, and of Lincoln's Inn, esq. barrister-at-law, son of George Gill Mounsey, of Castletown House, in the parish of Rockcliffe, co. Cumberland, esq. by Isabella his wife, daughter of John Heysham of Carlisle, M.D., and sister of James Heysham of Borran's Hill, esq. (in compliance with the will of said James Heysham) to take the name of Heysham after Mounsey." - from "The Herald and Genealogist" of 1871
"In Chancery.
In the Matter of the Act 19th and 20th Victoria, chapter 120, intituled [sic] "An Act to facilitate Leases and Sales of Settled Estates;" and in the Matter of a Cotton Twist Mill, a Dwelling-house, Out-offices, and Buildings, and a Parcel of Land, containing about one acre one rood, situate in Currock-street, in the city of Carlisle, and called The Watergate Lane Mill, devised by the will of James Heysham, Esquire, Deceased.
Pursuant to the above-mentioned Act of Parliament, and the Consolidated General Order of this Court in that behalf, notice is hereby given, that on the 4th day of December, 1871, George William Mounsey Heysham, of Lincoln's-inn, in the county of Middlesex, Barrister-at-law, George Arthur Heysham Mounsey Heysham, Agnes Edith Mounsey Heysham, Robert Cecil Mounsey Heysham, and Millicent Mounsey Heysham, all of No. 14, Brunswick-gardens, Kensington, in the county of Middlesex and respectively infants under the age of 21 years, by George Gill Mounsey, of Castletown, in the county of Cumberland, their next friend, John Giles Mounsey, of the city of Carlisle, in the county of Cumberland, Esquire, Augustus Henry Mounsey, a Second Secretary in Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service attached to Her Majesty's Embassy at Vienna, Charles James Mounsey, a Major in Her Majesty's 71st Highland Light Infantry Regiment, now stationed at Gibraltar, Charles James Grant Mounsey, the son of the said Charles James Mounsey, an infant under the age of 21 years, by the said George Gill Mounsey, his next friend, Robert Henry John Heygate, of Southend, in the county of Essex, Esquire, and Isabella Dorothea, his wife, the Reverend John Heyshamm, Vicar of Lazonby, in the county of Cumberland, Anna Heysham, of No. 17, Castle-street, Carlisle, aforesaid, Spinster, [and others] . . . presented their petition to the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, to be heard before his Honour the Vice-Chancellor Sir Richard Malins, praying that the proposed sale of the above-mentioned hereditaments to Silas George Saul, of Carlisle aforesaid, may be confirmed and completed and carried into effect according to the agreement, dated the 16th day of November, 1871, therein set forth, and that the costs of and incident to the said petition may be provided for as therein mentioned. And notice is also hereby given, that the petitioners may be served with any Order of the Court, or of the Judge in Chambers, or notice relating to the subject of the said Petition, at the offices of Messrs. Gray, Johnston, and Mounsey, situate at No. 5, Raymond's-buildings, Gray's-inn, in the county of Middlesex.-Dated this 2nd day of January, 1872." - from The London Gazette of 5 January 1872
There is a reference to a bequest by James for a "people's park."
"The late James Heysham, Esq., of Borran's hill, in addition to a bust of his father, Dr. Heysham, bequethed to the corportation of Carlisle the sum of 2000 pounds, for the purpose of providing a people's park. Owing to legal difficulties, only 890 pounds, 13 shillings was received in discharge of this legacy: no use has yet been made of this bequest; the interest has yearly been added to the corpus, and it now abouts to about 1,500 pounds." - from "History, Topography and Directory of East Cumberland"(21) William Heysham (1755)
"William s. of Giles Heysham, L." was christened on 5 July 1755 in St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England - from "Lancashire Parish Register Society." The same is recorded in the Mormon database.
I believe that Willliam followed his father's lead, becoming a merchant in the trade with the West Indies. He may have been a ship's captain as well, or simply served aboard a merchant ship. The following refers to William's early death. It takes place in Lancashire between, I believe, Captain Gyles Heysham and Robert Foster.
1782. "Feb: 6th. Still continues frosty and clear. At 9 set out in company with Capt: Heysham, who has lately had an account of the death of his son Wm: in St. Kitts, a valuable young man; parted company at Bolton. Dined at Tho: Sills at Birkrigg Park. At 3 arrived at Kendal, but staid none." - from "Diaries of Robert Foster"Robert Foster of Hebblethwaite Hall, Sedbergh, Yorkshire, the son of Dodshon Foster and Elizabeth Birket, was born on 24 April 1754. Note Robert's connection with the Birket family. His grandfather and great-uncle were Myles and James Birket, who were both West Indies merchants. William Heysham's father and his uncles, Thomas, William and Christopher, had extensive commercial relations with members of that family, including Myles and James. William would have been 27 years old at the time of his death. See The Foster family of Cold Hesledon, Hawthorne, Lancaster, and Sedbergh for more about Robert Foster.
The following, which I cannot otherwise place, may be our William, under the surname Heesom.
"Burch, Copeland, father-in-law and exec. of will of William Heesom, mariner, Dv [Devonshire parish, Bermuda], 1781, April 5, 1789, Aug. 7, W10:316" - from Early Bermuda WillsI'm guessing the dates are when the will was probated and when some update was processed. That would be a 10-month delay from William's death to it being known in Lancashire and a diary entry made. (21) Dorothy Heysham (1757)
Dorothy Heesom, the daughter of Giles, was christened on 16 October 1757 at Saint Mary, Lancaster. She never married. At some point Dorothy moved north to Carlisle, in Cumberland to be near her big brother, Dr. John Heysham.
In 1828 Dorothy's nephew, Thomas Jones Milne, the son of her younger sister, Mary, left a life trust to her. See the subsequent case of Grant vs. Heysham for its adjudication after her death.
In the 1829 census of Carlisle as Dorothy Heysham, living on Castle Street, alone. In 1830,
"...the Golden Lion Hotel stands on a parcel ground called Spittal Dub, otherwise known as Fiddlers Close, situated at the foot of Botchergate, on the corner of Princess Street with St. Nicholas Street, which formed part of an enclosure of land belonging to Mr Robert Mounsey of the Parish of Rockcliffe. The land was conveyed to Mr Thomas Coulthard Heysham and Mrs Dorothy Heysham in August 1930 [sic] ....." - from the Cumbria Records Office.Robert Mounsey was justice of the peace at the same time as Thomas Coulthard and did take the lead on enclosing the marsh land. I think the only explanation of the date above, taken from a web site for the Golden Lion Pub, is a typo. August 1930 should be August 1830.
Botchergate is the township and road just below the south entrance to the citadel, at the English gate. Princess street and St. Nicholas meet on Botchergate road, creating a small open area or square. The Golden Lion is located at the site of the red circle below. The building is now known as Gallagher's Irish bar.
"...Together with the right of way for all manor of horse carts, carriages and passengers over Princess Street to and from said parcel of ground...By 1846, three dwelling houses stood on the site."I suppose the title of Mrs. was either a mistake or a courtesy.
Dorothy died on 15 June 1837, at the age of 79, in Carlisle. On the memorial tablet to her father, Giles Heysham, is the following notation,
". . . Dorothy Heysham who died at Carlisle 15th June 1837 aged 79 Years . . ." - from "Remains, Historical and Literary, Connected with the Palantine Counties of Lancaster and Cheshire" by the Chetham Society(21) Mary Heysham (1762)
I have a Mary Heysham, the daughter of Giles, who was christened on 18 April 1762 at St. John's church, Lancaster. This date is a few years earlier than expected, and the christening at St. John is not typical for this family. Note that the family memorial states that she died in 1805 at the age of 40 [1765], while the record of her marriage in 1800 says she was 25 at the time [1775].
| St. John's
|
"14 May 1800. Thomas Milne, 25, gentleman of Manchester and Mary Heysham, 25 [Did she lie about her age?], spinster of Lancaster" married - from the Archdeaconry of Richmond Marriage Bonds in the Lancashire Record Office. Thomas was born on 29 October 1764, the son of Richard Milne of Manchester, merchant, and Ann Jones. Thomas attended the Manchester School.
"Thomas Milne.He was an attorney.Thomas, the third son, and brother to John (see p. 163) and to Robert (see p. 178) married Miss Heysham of Carlisle, by whom he had a daughter, who died young, and one son, Thomas Jones Milne, now living. Thomas Milne died in 1810. For his son Thomas, see Register annno 1813." - from "The Admission Register of the Manchester School"
Mary died in 1805. From the memorial tablet of Giles Heysham:
". . . Mary Wife of Thos. Milne of Manchester who died 24th Feb. 1805 aged 40 years [1765]." - from "Remains, Historical and Literary, Connected with the Palantine Counties of Lancaster and Cheshire" by the Chetham SocietyThomas died and was buried at the Manchester Cathedral on 24 February 1810. They had two children, Thomas Jones and Dorothy, both of whom died unmarried - from "The History of the Parish of Rochdale in the County of Lancaster." Note that Joshua Milne (1776-1851), an actuary of the Sun Life Assurance Society, used Dr. Heysham's mortality tables for a classic treatise on the "Valuation of Annuities" in 1815. Was he related?
Their children were,
(22) Thomas Jones Milne
(22) Dorothea Heysham Milne
Thomas Jones Milne was an attorney, like his father, but did not practice - from "The Admission Register of the Manchester School." D.s.p. His will,
". . . and to pay the interest, dividends, and profits, as and when the same shall become due and be received, unto my dear aunt, Dorothy Heysham, for and during the term of her natural life, and from and after the decease of my said aunt upon trust as to the said net residue of my personal estate and the unpaid interest (if any) for all the children of my uncle, John Heysham [the doctor] . . ." - from "The Law Times Reports: Containing All the Cases Argued and Determined in the House of Lords."It appears that "TJ Milne, by his will, dated the 10th June 1828, gave and bequeathed all his personal estate to trustees upon trust to pay a legacy of 50l, and as to the residue after payment of his debts, funeral and testammentary expenses, upon the following trusts . . . " - from "The Law Times Report." This will caused some problems and its adjudication is referenced in the court case of Grant vs. Heysham.
8 November 1887. "Appeal from The Chancery Division(22) Dorothea Heysham MilneTestator [T.J. Milne] bequethed his residuary personal estate upon trust for his aunt [Dorothy Heysham] for life, and from and after her decease for all the children of his uncle [John Heysham, Esq], "and the lawful issue of such of them as may be then dead."
The aunt and all the children of the testator's uncle died in the testator's lifetime, but one of such children died after the tenant for life, leaving issue who survived the testator.
Held, that the word "then" referred to the death of the tenant for life, and not to the period of distribution, and that consequently there was an intestacy. " - from "The Law Times Reports"
Headstone: "Dorothea Heysham Milne, daughter of the late Thomas Milne, esquire, of Manchester, died 23 April 1828 aged 26." - from "West Wickham," Kent Archaelogical Society. D.s.p.
(21) Thomas Heysham (1764)Thos Heysham, the son of Giles Heysham, was christened on 29 March 1764 in St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. Gentleman. I have a snippet reference,
"1784-5. Heysham, Thos., of Lancaster, gentleman, son of Gyles of same, merchant." - from "The Rolls of the Freemen of the Borough of Lancaster 1688 to 1840" by W. B. Kendall and T. Cann HughesPer Ancestry.com, this referred to a marriage. Thomas would have been 20-21 years old at that time. Interestingly, he was not mentioned in the memorial tablet of his father, Giles, who died in 1787.
A possible explanation of Thomas' absence from the records in England after 1785 is the existence, in New York City, of a Thomas Heysham of about the right age, that is born circa 1765. Remember that Thomas' uncles, Thomas, William and Christopher, had been merchants in that city before the Revolution and that his father had visited there on his merchant voyages. If young Thomas were also a merchant or seaman that might close the loop.
Thomas Heysham's wife was Rhoda (if the theory above is right). They had a daughter, also named Rhoda, who was christened in New York City in 1798.
Contrarily, I've recently found reference to a Thomas Heysham who was buried in St. Mary church, Carlisle on 29 October 1792. I don't know how old he was or when born, but Carlisle was the residence of our Thomas' brother, Dr. John Heysham. This Thomas was not a son of Dr. Heysham; he already had a son, Thomas C. Heysham, born in 1791, who died in 1857 in Carlisle.
(22) Rhoda Heysham (1798)Rhoda Heysham, the daughter of Thomas and Rhoda Heysham, was born on 6 August 1798 and christened on 24 February 1799 in the Trinity Church, New York City - from the Trinity Church parish record of births and christenings, 1749-1809.
(20) Christopher Heysham (1724/5)Christopher Heysham, the son of William Heysham Sr., of Lancaster, was baptized on 9 February 1725 in St. Mary's church, Lancaster. According to his tombstone Christopher was born in 1724. He later lived to New York City, as did his brothers, Thomas and William, having arrived by 1748. He returned to England in the run-up to the American Revolution - though I suspect he kept a foot in Lancaster the entire time.
Much of the material on Christopher and William Heysham in America was derived from the account of their descendent, the Reverend Theodore Heysham, as recounted in a list of biographies published by Ellwood Roberts:
"Christopher and his older brother William, being amongst the youngest brothers and not having any inclination to serve his majesty in the church, army, or navy, became merchants at Hull, England."See Ellwood Roberts' Biographical Annals.
| Hull, England
"the buildings of Hull are very neat [it has] good streets. It's a good trading town by means of the great river Humber that ebbs and flows like the sea. We entered the town of Hull from the South over 2 drawbridges and gates. In the town there is a hospital that is called Trinity House for seamen's widows. There is a good, large church in Hull."In the 18th century Hull was, increasingly, an outlet for manufactured goods from the fast growing towns of Yorkshire. Goods like tools and cutlery were exported. Raw materials for the industrial towns were imported. Imports included iron from Sweden and Russia. Materials for shipbuilding such as timber, hemp, pitch and flax were also imported. The only large scale industry in the city was shipbuilding. |
"Christopher attended to the domestic [i.e. coastwise traffic] and William to foreign business. After a few voyages to Philadelphia and some of the southern ports, the brothers relinquished the business at Hull and emigrated to America." - Ellwood Roberts. However, they in fact originally settled in New York City with their brother, Thomas, in the early 1740's. Thomas and William made their homes in New York, and also married there, while Christopher seems to have kept homes in both New York and Lancaster, where he married. While Thomas died, and William moved to Philadelphia, I think Christopher remained in New York City, as did Thomas' widow, Catherine. A fourth brother, Giles, who was also a ships-captain, traded with New York City and Charleston, South Carolina, out of Liverpool while residing in Lancaster.
Christopher's brother, Thomas, was in New York City as early as 1743, and William by at least 1747. Christopher began to spend time in the city no later than 1749, at the age of 24 years. He was witness to a codicil to the New York will of Archibald Kennedy. The will was dated 1738 and this codicil was added on 19 December 1749. The will was proved on 16 December 1763.
"I, Archibald Kennedy, being in good health. When it shall please God to call me, I do willingly leave to my wife the whole fortune and estate, real and personal, which she brought me on our marriage or since, in as good plight and condition as when it came to me," during her life, and which she is to accept in full discharge of my obligations to her. I also leave to her 1/2 of my negroes and stock and utensils of husbandry, with the whole of that farm at Pavonia, which I received from David Daniels, with the buildings. To hold the said farm and negroes and stocks until my daughter Katharine is of age. And this for the education and bringing up of my son Thomas and daughter Katharine. I also leave to my wife the use of plate and furniture and chaise, boats, and canoes, with power to bequeath them to my children. I leave to my son Thomas all my books and apparell and my little negro "Sampe." I leave to my daughter Katharine "the apparell and everything else that did belong to the person of her mother." As to my other farm at Pavonia, and all the rest of my lands and residue of estate, my executors are to sell the same and divide the proceeds among my children. I give power to my executors to set a value upon the 500 acres of land in Evans Patent, which I purchased and had granted in the name of my son, James Kennedy, and I direct them to deliver to him so much of my estate, as with the value of the said land will make 1/5 of the residue of my estate. I also direct my executors to put a value on the 500 acres in Evans Patent, which I purchased and had granted to me in the name of my son, Robert Kennedy; and to deliver to him so much of my estate as with the said value will make 1/5 of my estate. My executors are to pay to my sons, Archibald and Thomas, each 1/5 of my estate when they are 21, and 1/5 to my daughter Katharine. I direct my executors to sell 1/2 of my negroes and stock and the farm at Pavonia which I recovered from David Daniels, and if my wife desires to purchase it she is to have the refusal. I make my wife and John Walter and James Alexander, Esq., executors. Dated (???) --, 1738. Witnesses, Charles Oncile, Abraham Marschalk, Walter Jones.Codicil.--I devise my two houses in Broadway, near the Fort, which I have lately purchased of the widow of Peter Bayard, and in one of which I now live, and in the other the Custom House is kept, with the lots, to my dear wife for life, and then to my daughter Katharine, but if she dies then to my sons, Archibald and Thomas. Dated March 13, 1745.
Codicil.--Confirms the above will. My sons, James and Robert, being dead, I leave their shares to my other children. The value of the 500 acres of land mentioned in my will, is to be part of the share of my son Archibald. Bedloe's Island I give to my son Archibald, with all the appurtenances and buildings, during his life, with remainder to Robert Ellison and heirs during my son's life to prevent contingent remainders, and after his death to his eldest son. Date Signed: December 10, 1749. Witnesses, John Jones, Christopher Heysham, Robert Ellison [Collector of the Customs at New York]. Proved, December 16, 1763. (Mary Kennedy was then the surviving executor)."
| Archibald Kennedy
The name Kennedy comes from the old Irish Gaelic, 'cinneidigh', literally meaning 'ugly headed'. Archibald was the son of Alexander Kennedy of Craigoch and Kilhenzie, Justice of the Peace of Ayrshire, and his second wife, Anna, daughter of William Crawford of Auchenames. Alexander was a lineal descendant of Thomas, second son of Gilbert, third Earl of Cassilis. Archibald must have been born about 1687. He came out to New York in 1714 (or 1722). He became Collector of the Customs for the Port and eventually Receiver-General of the Province of New York, and in 1725 he was recommended by Burnet to a seat in His Majesty's Council, which honour he received in 1727. He married as his second wife, in 1736, Maria, widow of Arent Schuyler and had several sons and daughters. He lived at No. 3 Broadway. His other property, No. 1 Broadway, was used as the Customs House. He died in New York on June 14, 1763. His son, Captain Archibald Kennedy, was an officer in the Royal Navy, famous for raising the seige of Lisbon, Portugaul. He held estates in Hoboken, New Jersey and became the greatest property owner in New York. In 1765 he was said to own more houses in New York than any one else. He married an American heiress and, in 1792, became the eleventh Earl of Cassillis, a position which the family had held since 1360. Captain Kennedy tried to be neutral during the American War of Independence and was accordingly mistrusted by both sides. Half of his New York properties were confiscated, including number 1, Broadway, which was appropriated by George Washington. He died in London on 30 December 1794. |
Christopher was the captain of the merchant vessel FOUR CANTONS.
"Custom House, New York, Inward Entries. Ship Four-Cantons, Chr. Heysham from New-Jersey.--The N.Y. Gazette Revived in the Weekly Post Boy, Dec. 11, 1749.He was a regular participant in the trade between New York City and Dublin in the employ of a large Dublin provisioner and linen exporter. Note that these vessels also carried passengers, emigres from Ireland.
"Ships Commanded by Irish-Named Captains, Sailing to and from the Port of New York.The FOUR CANTONS was also commanded by John Tasker in 1758.
1751. Dec. 9 Ship Four Cantons C. Heysham [Destination] Dublin & Swanzey
1752. Aug. 25 Heysham Dublin
1756. June 14 C. Heysham Dublin 1758. Snow Four Cantons C. Heysham Dublin
1758. Feb. 6 Snow Four Cantons C. Heysham Dublin
1758. Mar. 6 Snow Four Cantons C. Heysham Dublin" - from "The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society"
"28 November 1751. Ship FOUR CANTONS of Dublin; Christopher Heysham, master; 80 tons; 11 men; registered in New York City 1749; owned by Samuel Horner and Peter Chigneau [Chaigneau/Cragineau?] of Dublin; from Dublin and Swansea with 2 cases, 6 packs linen, and 52 chaldron cole [cauldrons of coal?]." - from the "New York Naval Office Shipping Lists" of 1751
| Samuel Horner
Of Dublin. Peter ChaigneauThe son of a French Huguenot merchant, Louis Chaigneau, who settled in Dublin. There was a small, but significant population of the persecuted French Calvinists living in Dublin. Their cemetary is near St. Stephen's Green. The Irish playwright Samuel Beckett was descended from Huguenots [Becquett]. FOUR CANTONSThe name of Christopher's ship, a snow, may refer to the lake of that name in Zurich, Switzerland or, more likely, to the four major counties around Dublin: Dublin, Meath, Kildare, and Louth. |
| A Snow
The largest of the two-masted ships in the 18th century, the Snow was known for being 'extremely convenient for navigation' (Culver 1935: 235). The sails and rigging on its two masts are similar to those of the main and fore-masts of a ship-rigged (three-masted) vessel. However, unlike a Brig, a third, smaller mast was stepped onto the deck and held a trysail (similar to a mizzen sail on a ship-rigged vessel). The Snow was very similar in rigging to the Brig, and some vessels (known as hermaphrodites) could be changed from Brig to Snow and vice-versa with minor modifications. |
"The Snow Four Cantons, Christopher Heysham, Sailor, arrived here on Saturday last from Dublin, but last from Barbados, in four Weeks, being blown off this coast . . . " - from "The Maryland Gazette"
"9 December 1751. Ship FOUR CANTONS, C. Heysham, master, Destination: Dublin & Swansey [Swansea]"
"Christopher Heysham of Dublin, master of the snow Four Cantons of Dublin, had family connections in New York City, including Catherine Heysham of Wall Street, possibly his mother [sic], and a brother, William Heysham, master of the brig Charming Sally of New York . . . "The Wall Street address was probably the home of Thomas' widow, Catherine.
"Shortly after the period of the Letterbook, Christopher Heysham set up as a merchant at an address on Wall Street where he sold Irish linen and a variety of dry goods (NYM, 16 June 1756 and 16 Apr. 1759; DJ, 30 July 1756; Abstracts of Wills, . . . " - from "Letterbook of Grey & Cunningham, 1756-1757: Merchants of New York and Belfast" by Thomas Truxes
I have a Christopher Heysham, mariner, who married in 1752-3, in Lancaster, England. This aligns well with a daughter, Jane Heysham Machell, we know Christopher had from his will, below. Based on a grandson by her that was also mentioned in the will, Jane must have been born in the 1750's.
From the Philadelphia Gazette of 11 February 1752.
"Custom House, New York, Inward Entries.
Sloop Mary Magdalene, Jonathan Lawrence from St. Augustine. Outwards. Sloop Mary, Willer Taylor for Virginia. Schooner Catharine, Moses Lilly, and Sloop R. Island, R. Bennet for Jamaica. Sloop Three Brothers, John Riven for Madeira. Cleared. Sloop Sparrows, James Riven for Madeira. Cleared. Sloop Sparrow, James Goelet to S. Carolina. Brig Charming Polly, John Keteltas to Amsterdam. Snow St. Andrew, Robert Donaldson to Belfast. Ship Four Cantons, C. Hesham to Dublin."
From "The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society," Sailings from the Port of Philadelphia:
"25 August 1752. Ship FOUR CANTONS, Heysham, captain, Destination: Dublin"
From The Pennsylvania Gazette of 16 February 1758, a New York item.
"NEW YORK, February 6. Captain Ker, who arrived here on Monday last, from Bristol, on the 4th of January, in Lat. 33, 32, Lon. 50, 35, spoke with the Snow Brantree, William Foster, from Whitehaven for Virginia, all well.
Next Day Captain Christopher Hysham arrived here from Dublin, but last from Londonderry in 9 Weeks and four Days: About ten Days before he came in, he spoke with a Philadelphia Privateer Sloop, about ten Leagues to the Westward of Bermuda, all well on board."
From the Halifax, Nova Scotia Gazette:
17 August 1754 - Port News: Captain Christopher Heysham, ship's captain, entered the port of Halifax from Dublin.
24 August 1754 - Port News: Captain Christopher Heysham, ship's captain, exited the port of Halifax for New York.
| The Seven Years War
1754-1763. Known in the American colonies as the French and Indian War, this was a global conflict between England and France. 1759. British defeat French on Plains of Abraham. Quebec surrenders to the British General, Wolf. |
Christopher continued to sail the FOUR CANTONS out of Dublin.
c1756. "[On a memorial from the Admiralty relating to the Embargo. Scarcity of seamen for the fleet, a general embargo is laid.]William and Robert Baker, and Christopher Kilby were partners in Baker, Kilby & Baker, which had the provisioning contract for the entire British army in 1756. They sublet provisioning of the regiments stationed in America to DeLancey and Watts of New York City. Richard Baker and Christopher Kilby managed the affairs of the house in America.
[p.80]12. Mar. [The embargo is taken off all neutral ships, and also off a number of English vessels, of which the following were bound to the plantations:--On the petition of William and Robert Baker and Christopher Kilby, the Four Cantons, Capt. Christopher Heysham, 120 tons, 12 men, now at Dublin; the James, Capt. William Gordon, 120 tons, 11 men, going to load at Cork; . . ."
- from "Acts of the Privy Council of England" by William Lawson Grant, James Munro, Almeric William FitzRoy
| Embargo of 1756
Speaking of the new war with France, "New ships of war were built, and daily put in commission; but it was found impractable to man them, without having recourse to the odious and illegal practice of impressing sailors, which must always be a reproach to every free people. Notwithstanding large bounties, granted by the government to volunteers, it was found necessary to lay an embargo upon all shipping, and impress all the seamen that could be found, without any regard to former protections; so that all the merchant ships were stripped of their hands, and foreign commerce for some time wholly suspended." - from "The History of England" by Tobias George Smollet and David Hume |
Christopher kept a New York City address at the home of his brother's widow, Catherine. From the "New York Mercury" newspaper of 14 June 1756:
"For Dublin, the Snow FOUR CANTONS, Christopher Heysham, Master; Will sail by the fifth of July next: For freight or passage, apply to said Master, at the Merchant's-Coffee-House. To be sold by said Heysham, at the house of the widow Heysham in Wall-Street, Irish linnen, checks, printed linnen, Spittlefield silk handkerchiefs, Cheshire cheese, and several other articles for ready cash or short credit."Christopher may have been acting as Catherine's "protector" while in New York and the stand-in father figure for his niece and nephew. This item implies that Catherine owned the house and that her brothers-in-law only had use of it. The will of Thomas Heysham, above, gave the house to Catherine during her life, then to his brothers. Does this imply as well that Christopher was here acting on his own, selling his own goods, not those of Horner and Chigneau? On 14 June 1756 Chrisopher left New York City for Dublin on the FOUR CANTONS.
| The Merchant's Coffee House
This popular gathering place of merchants and ship's captains was located at the southeast corner of Wall and Water streets in New York City. The American revolution was plotted, in large part, in such coffee houses and it was here that the Sons of Liberty planned their uprising. By the way, there was a New York Tea Party, similar to Boston's more famous event. It occurred when Captain Chambers of the LONDON tried to sneak into harbor with a load of tea. Stopped and inspected, the tea was brought on deck and thrown over the side by townspeople who would not wait for the Son the Liberty who were masquerading as Mohawks for the purpose. The coffee house became the headquarters for the new government at the beginning of the revolution. The building housing the original Merchants coffee house was a two-story structure, with a balcony on the roof, which was typical of the middle eighteenth century architecture in New York. On the first floor were the coffee bar and booths described in connection with the King's Arms coffee house. The second floor had the typical long room for public assembly.  Merchant's Coffee House (at the right) circa 1772 |
The following are messages carried by a Captain Hysham for the Beekman's, a wealthy merchant family of New York City. Note the Londonderry and Dublin addresses.
"To Adam Schoals, Londonderry, Nov. 25, 1757Note too that Catherine Heysham owed the Beekman's money.
Captain Hyshan Via London; Captain Caldwell via Liverpool.I have now the Pleasure to advise you that Captain Robert Miller in your snow the Salford arrived Two days Ago, who is no[w] Discharging his Ballast but will not meat [sic] with the dispatch you expect. If seed was as Pleanty as the Last Year. It might being [be in] my Power to git her away in 15 days, but our Cuntry this season will not Produce above half the Quantity. If I Can Procure her a good Frieght Agreable to your directions shall do it, Otherwise believe Shall be Obliged to Put on board for Your account 200 hhds. of seed and 100 for my own account, If I Can . . ."
"To Thomas Marshall, Londonderry, Nov. 28, 1757
via London per Captain Hysham; via Liverpool per Captain Caldwell.Your favours both of 20 and 26 September Came to hand and by the Contents Observe you Limmit me to 32/6 for seed, it will not be to be had for that this hyear, so shall not ship any for your account, but If I Can by more then What I have Orders for shall send you 50 hhds. on . . . "
"To William Benson, Dublin, March 9, 1758
. . . Mr. Franklin and myself shall put on board Captain Heysham 400 Barrels flour and a friend or two of ours Each 100 Barrels One half of which Will be Consigned to you and the Other half to Mr. Marsden but must beg the Proceeds be Remited Speedily, and your Compliance will much Oblige." "To John Marsden, Dublin, May 23, 1758
This Serves to Cover Invoice and Bill of Lading for 260 Barrels flour Amounting to L377.12.6 Shiped on Board the Snow Three [sic] Cantons Christian [Christopher] Heysham Master bound for Dublin and Consigned you on Our Accounts when she Arrives dispose thereof for our most Advantage and keep the net proceeds into Your Hands untill the first of October, and then If good Flour Can be Purchased for 12 or 13 per Cent you may Lay out the Whole amount . . ." "To William Benson, Dublin, May 23, 1758
. . . we did design to Ship per this Vessel, Captain Haysham 600 Barrels flour and to consign the One half to you and the Other half to your Late Partner Mr. Marsden but by Some way or other . . ." - from "The Beekman Mercantile Papers, 1746-1799: Gerard G. Beekman Letter Book" by Philip L. White, Gerard G. Beekman, James Beekman
As noted above in the discussion of the Embargo of 1756, Christopher was involved in military contracting during the Seven Years War. The following advertisement was from the "Pennsylvania Gazette" of 17 June 1756:
"New-York, June 14. Thursday last Capt. Heysham arrived here in a Snow, in 9 Weeks from Dublin, with Provisions for his Majesty's Troops now posted in this Province; He acquaints us, That two Ships, one the EARL OF HOLDERNESS of Philadelphia, was sailed from Dublin for Waterford and Corke, there to load Provisions for this Place also."The EARL OF HOLDERNESS was captained by William Simpson, out of Liverpool.
Christopher continued to captain the FOUR CANTONS into 1758/9. From "The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society," Sailings from the Port of New York:
6 February 1758, Vessel: Snow FOUR CANTONS, Master: C. Heysham, Where from: DublinNote that the FOUR CANTONS arrived in New York from Dublin again on 27 November 1758, but captained by a John Tasker. From the "New York Mercury" of 1 January 1759:
6 March 1758, Vessel: Snow FOUR CANTONS, Master: C. Heysham, Destination: Dublin
"For DUBLIN, The Snow FOUR CANTONS, Christopher Heysham, Master; Will sail with all Expedition: For Freight or Passage agree with said Master. Said Heysham has imported in the last Vessels from England and Ireland, Irish Linnen, Spittlefield Handkerchiefs, printed Cottons, Books, Men's Shoes and single channel Pumps, Women's Shoes and Golow shoes, to be sold at Mrs. Heysham's, in Wall Street."At left is Wall street in the latter 18th century. About this time Christopher's brother, William, was forced to flee the New York colony, accused by the governor of trading with the enemy during the on-going French & Indian war.
The following is about John Jauncey, a neighbor of Christopher Heysham's on Long Island.
"He was born in 1738. He married Ellizabeth Hicks in 1761 [John Jauncey married Elizabeth Hicks on 1 August 1761]. He was also a privateer, arriving in New York in 1757 in charge of a prize brig. He later commanded the SALLY and PHILIP. He lived on Long Island, just south of Christopher Heysham. In 1765 a John Jauncey was a witness to the will of Catherine Heysham's son, William, so there may have been a long-standing friendship. John Jr. died at sea near Grand Cayman, in the Bahamas, in 1767."John Jauncey was an owner of the CHARMING SALLY, one of the ships William Heysham commanded, and it was John's brother, James, a member of the General Assembly, who entered a bill in 1772 for the relief of Catherine Heysham's debt, above. John Jauncey Jr. attended King's College, just as Catherine Heysham's son, William Heysham, did. I suspect it was John Jr. who witnessed William's will.
The following is another arrival of THE FOUR CANTONS from Dublin, but one in which the ship was forced to travel via Barbados, far the south, due to adverse winds.
"March 7. The Snow Four Cantons, Christopher Heysham, Master, arrived here on Saturday last, from Dublin, but last from Barbados, in four Weeks, being blown off this Coast in the Winter: He informs us, That Capt. [Samuel] Bayard, in the Privateer Ship Hercules, of this Port, had taken and carried into that Island, a French Privateer Sloop, of 6 Carriage and 6 Swivel Guns, which he fitted out as a Tender . . ." - from "The Pennsylvania Gazette" of 10 March 1757
There is a snippet in "New York City Court Records, 1684-1760" by Kenneth Scott, "Heysham, Christopher - 6 Nov. 1759." This appears to refer to Christopher's service as a Grand Juror for the city of New York. Christopher's brother, William, has a similar notation for 1753.
At some point towards the end of the 1750's Christopher began to take on the role of merchant in addition to that of a ship's captain. From the Receipt Book of the Commissaries and Paymasters of the Province of New York - Cruger, Robinson & Livingston:
"1760, March 29 Bought of Christopher HeyshamChristopher's name was also on a petition signed by about 50 New York City merchants in May 1762. This was not something a ship's captain would have done unless he had taken on the attributes of an overseas merchant. The petition begged the forgiveness of the governor, Cadwallader Colden, who, along with the military, was finally cracking down on a the free-wheeling habits of their merchant fleet.
32 ps Linnen qt 704 yards @ 11 1/2 d. 33:14:8
Advance at 100 prCt 33:14:8 67:9:4"
"In their quest for markets for agricultural products and for products from non-British sources, smuggling by the colonial merchants became so widespread that little attempt was made to enforce the Navigation Acts before 1762. Lieutenant Governor Cadwallader Colden of New York even defended smuggling in a letter to William Pitt in 1760. Colden pointed out the advantage of the illegal trade of provisions and lumber with the Spanish islands . . . The thirteen colonies needed a means of paying for British imports, and they could obtain cash by selling provisions and lumber to the Spanish." - from "The New Imperial Economy: The British Army and the American Frontier, 1764-1768"Several New York City merchants were jailed in the spring of that year for trading with the enemy during the Seven Years War with France. Christopher's brother, William, had fled the city in 1759 when he was similarly accused. Christopher then, like his brother, may have been involved in illicit trade.
Christopher kept a slave, which was fairly common in the period. From the New York Gazetter of 9 September 1762,
"RAN away the 8th inst. a Negro Man named Jack, alias Salem, a short sett Fellow, a little lame on his right Foot, speaks good English, had on, when he went away, a blew Surtout Coat with yellow Buttons, black knit Breeches, black Stockings, and a Check-Shirt. Whoever brings said Negro to Christopher Heysham, in Kingstreet, shall have Two Dollars Reward if taken within the City, and Five Dollars if taken without, and all necessary Charges paid by said HEYSHAM. N.B. All Persons are forbid harboring or carrying off said Negro at their Peril." - from "Pretends to be Free: Runaway Slave Advertisements . . . " by Graham Russell HodgesIn the colonial period most of the land north of King Street was farmland.
Christopher also kept a servant. From a newspaper article of 1768,
"1768, Aug. 8. - Went away from Christopher Heysham, Flushing, by persuasion of some evil-minded person, a hired servant man, John Brown, a Swiss, who speaks French and broken English. He had on buckskin breeches, check shirt and an old hat with a brass button, and a piece of old hat [?] tied round the tops of his shoes. He is addicted to liquor and is, perhaps, ashamed to return. All person will please persuade him to his interst." - from "Queens County in Olden Times."So, at least two "employees" of Christopher chose to run away. Was he such a hard master?
From a lawsuit regarding a farm in Newburgh, Orange county, New York,
"Abel Belknap, the father of the respondent, being the owner of the property in question, on the 1st day of September, 1769, mortgaged it in fee, to one Christopher Heysham, to secure the payment of L300, with interest, on the 1st day of September, 1770 . . . Christopher Heysham having filed his bill in the Court of Chancery to obtain sale of the mortgaged premises for the payment of his debt, a decree was obtained, on the 18th day of January, 1787, for the sale of the property, in six months, by one of the masters, for the payment of the debt to Heysham. Belknap, being unable to pay the money due to Heysham, and wishing to prevent a sale of the property, under the decree, applied to Brush to pay the money, and take an assignment of the bond, mortgage and decree. Accordingly, in May, 1789, Brush paid Heysham L352 15s. 2d., being the principal and interest due to him, and Heysham assigned to Brush the bond and mortgage . . ." - from "Reports of Cases Adjudged and Determined in the Supreme Court of New York"
The citations above indicate that Christopher stayed in New York City until 1769 at least, well after his brother William had left. The following indicates that Christopher moved to Philadelphia at some point, but I find no independent verification of this. There are no records in the Pennsylvania Archives for Christopher. While, as a loyalist, he would not show up on the list of patriotic committee's, etc., he also does not show up on any tax lists or under any ship arrivals. The biography below, which perhaps unsurprisingly was ignorant of events in England, also has Christopher as a single man, so it is doubly problematic.
"In the early part of 1774 they [William and Christopher] were located on Water street, in Philadelphia, as merchants. William married an American women whom he met on one of his former visits, but Christopher remained single [sic]. The brothers prospered and worked harmoniously until the war broke out between England and America. Christopher held firm to his king, but William espoused the cause of liberty. Christopher sold out his share of the business to William and returned to England. William continued in business and became a respected citizen, beloved even by his Tory neighbors." From: Montgomery county Historical Society (Pennsylvania), the Compendium of American Genealogy, also Ellwood Roberts' "Biographical Annals, 1904: Montgomery Co, PA" Vol II - Part 2: pp. 24-49.Note also that William Heysham was not beloved of his Tory neighbors. I think that Christopher made homes in both New York City and Lancaster, but, since he had his family in the latter, was only a part time resident of the former. New York City was a loyalist refuge for most of the revolution so Christopher may have made return calls to the port into the 1790's.
Christopher married for a second time when he espoused Jane Fell on 14 January 1772 in St. Mary's church, Lancaster, England - from the LDS database.
"13 January 1772. Christopher Heysham, widower, merchant, of Lancaster and Jane Fell of Lancaster" married in Lancaster - from the Archdeaconry of Richmond Marriage Bonds in the Lancashire Record OfficeI also have:
"Jan 14. Christopher Heysham, pL [parish of Lancaster], merchant & Jane Fell, same p [place], sp [spinster], licElisabeth Postlethwaite was probably a cousin.Wit: Elisabeth Postlethwaite, Thos Wright" - from "The Registers of Colton, Lancaster Priory & Rusland" by Aiden C.J. Jones
Jane was the daughter of George and Mary Fell of Kirkland. George was a linen-draper, or tailor, who held tenement at Whinfield in the Manor of Pennington. Christopher's elder brother, William, was associated in New York City with a John Fell. Might Jane have been a sister or niece of this merchant?
John Fell (1721-1798) was born and educated in New York City. A wealthy merchant, he was the senior partner of John Fell & Company which by 1759 owned several sea-going, armed, merchant ships. He was a patriot during the revolution. - from "The Documentary History of the First Federal Elections" by Merrill Jensen and Gordon DenBoer
A deed was recorded in New York City on 20 May 1784 from Christopher & William Heysham etc, grantors, to John Mowatt, grantee - from "An Essay Towards an Improved Register of Deeds City and County of New York, to Dec. 31, 1799. Inc." John Mowatt was a merchant of New York City, a partner in Alexander & Mowatt, located at 230 Pearl street. Another deed was recorded on 18 May 1785 from Christopher Heysham, grantor, to Christian Shultz, grantee. My best guess is that when Christopher returned to England he left properties in New York City. He may have thought that he would return after the troubles to reclaim his business, or, because he owned them in tandem with his brother, William, he didn't feel at liberty to sell them. William wouldn't have been able to do anything with them during the war because the city was occuppied by the British. In 1784/5 the revolution was over and I suspect the brothers decided to clean up their holdings and split the proceeds. These New York properties may also have been those that Thomas Heysham willed to his wife, Catherine, which were to pass to his brothers upon Catherine's death.
From his will it is clear that Christopher lived in Lancaster, England, on the south side of St. Leonards Gate street. John Heysham, Christopher's grandfather, had lived on the north side of St. Leonards Gate. This is in the northeastern quadrant of the central city, close by the Lune river and the sugar quay on the Green Ayre. At left is an etching of Lancaster viewed from the northeast, showing this area of the town. There were a number of warehouses on this street and in the neighborhood to support the sugar trade. In the print, note the two ships just to the right of the bridge ready to unloadd at St. George's quay, next to the Customs House.
Christopher Heysham was listed on the Rolls of the Freemen of the Borough of Lancaster.
At right is the "Shakespeare," the "last survivor of a dozen inns and taverns that lined the ancient route of St Leonards Gate into the city of Lancaster. It serviced the shipyards and their associated maritime industries when Lancaster was a bustling sea port at the end of the 18th Century together with the travellers and coaching services moving up and down the country for whom a stop at Lancaster was essential until the advent of railways made a nights stop less of a necessity." On the south side of the street is the Grand Theater, built in 1782, the third oldest surviving theater in England.
In Christopher's will he left much of his property and assigned executorship to three friends who were Guildmen, that is members of a Guild. This probably meant Christopher was one as well. While we normally think of guilds as the provice of craftsmen, this may have been the guild of Merchant Adventurers.
Christopher made out his will on 22 December 1800 and then died on 11 May 1802. He was buried on 15 May 1802, in Lancaster [or maybe in Carlisle] - from "England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991."
The original will, for Christopher Heysham, Esq., was proved in Lancaster on 27 October 1802. It is contained in the records of the Archdeanery of Richmond, referenced as "Christopher Heysham 27 October 1802." A copy was proved in London on 7 June 1804. Note that it was written in a poor hand and is very hard to make out.
"This is the Last Will and Testament of Mr. Christopher Heysham of Lancaster in the County of Lancaster Esquire made whilst I am of sound and disposing mind memory and understanding in manner following that is to sayDoes this sound like he stiffed the old lady? Apparently Christopher had made a good settlement on his wife during the negotiations for their marriage and he felt that no more need be done for her. This implies, as do his twelve messuages, that he was relatively wealthy. The poor did not need Marriage Settlements, the pre-nups of their day.
all that my messauge or Dwelling house with the Back buildings Garden and other the appurtenances thereto belonging situate and being on the South Side of Saint Leonards Gate [street] in Lancaster aforesaid wherein I now reside unto John Webster of Croxteth Hall within West Derby in the said county of Lancaster Guildman Bryan Waller of Lancaster aforesaid Guildman and William Hall of that same place Guildman and their heirs [so listed?] the same unto and to the use of the said John Webster Bryan Waller and William Hall their heirs and assigns forever upon Trust that the said John Webster Bryan Waller and William Hall or the Survivors or Survivor of their or his heirs or assigns do and shall with all Convenient speed sell and absolutely dispose of the said Messuage or Dwelling house with the privileges and appurtenances thereto belonging either in or by public Sale or Private Contract at their or his Discretion for the most money that Can be obtained for the same and that they or he do receive and get in the money which shall become Due upon such Sale and do Convey and assure the same unto and to the use of such person or persons as shall become the purchaser or purchasers there of his her or their heirs and assigns for ever
and I will and order that the money to be raised by the Sale of the said messuage or Dwelling house and premises shall be Considered as part of the residum [residue?] of my personal Estate and be paid and divided as herein after mentioned
and it is my will and mind and I do hereby Declare that Mrs. Jane Heysham's [his widow] Marriage Settlement shall be and shall be accepted by her in [garbled] and full Satisfaction of all Dower or [garbled] at Common Law and in [equity?] or by Custom or otherwise which she can or may or could or might have Claim Challenge or Domain from or out of my real Estate of to which I now am or have been or shall be seized or [garbled] during my Interim [arragi] with her
I give devise and bequeth all those my twelve Leasehold Messuages or Dwelling houses with the respective rights privileges Land appurtenances thereto belonging situate and being in or near to Chapel Street on the Green drive in Lancaster aforesaid being Leasehold and hold under the Corportation of Lancaster and all my farm and Interest and right of Reversal of Leases held in and held of unto the said John Webster Bryan Waller and William Hall their executors administrators and assigns upon the Trusts and for the purposes here in after expressed and where and to [John?] as the Youngest Surviving Son of my said Daughter Jane Machill by her present husband shall have attained his age of twenty five years upon Trust that the said John Webster Bryan Waller and William Hall or the Survivors or Survivor of them his executors administrators or assigns shall and do so soon as they shall think most proper either in or by public or private Sale sell and absolutely dispose of my said twelve Leasehold Messuages or Dwelling houses with the Back buildings and other the rights privileges and appurtenances thereto belonging and all my Estate [garbled] and Interest therein and power and benefit of reversal of Leases thereof for the most money that Can Reasonably be had or obtained for the same and do receive and get in the money which shall become due upon such Sale and Convey assign and assure the said Messuages and premises last mentioned unto such person or persons as shall become the purchaser or purchasers thereof
and I will and order that the money to be raised and received from the Sale of the said Last mentioned messuages and premises shall be and be Considered as part of the residum of my personal Estate and be paid and divided as herein after is mentioned
and for [garbled] facilitating the Sales of all and Singular the freehold and leasehold Messuages and premises I do hereby order and declare that the receipt or receipts of the said John Webster Bryan Waller and William Hall or the Survivors or Survivor of their heirs Executors administrators and assigns for the purchased money for the same premises or any part thereof shall be good and sufficient [garbled] to the purchasers thereof and that after such Receipt or Receipts shall be given such purchaser or purchasers his her or their executors administrators or assigns shall not be obliged to see to the application of such purchase money nor answerable or accountable for any Loss Misapplication or Nonapllication of the same or any part thereof
and I order and direct that my [garbled] Goods and furniture plate Books [garbled] and China shall be disposed of at the discretion of my said Trustees or Suffer the same to [garbled] in the house during Mrs Jane Heysham's life and for her use [garbled] of Expense to her in the content of my siad Grant on or [Sous] which may be therein living and that the maoney thereof arising shall become part of the residum of my personal Estate
I give and bequeth unto my Grandson James Heysham Machall when and he soonest shall attin the age of twenty one years my Gold Watch and Silver hilted Sword but if he should happen to die under that age then I give and bequeth the same to such of his Brothers (the oldest always to be preferred) as shall have attained the age of twenty one years
and the rest residue and remainder of my Goods Chattles [garbled] funds Moneys Mortgages [insert: Estates granted [garbled] in mortgage] and and other [garbled] for money and also other money real and personal Esate and Effects whatsoever and wheresoever not by and otherwise herein Disposed of after and Subject to the payment of my just debts funeral and Testamentutary Expenses I give devise and bequeth unto the said John Webster Bryan Waller and William Hall their heirs executors administrators and assigns upon Trust that they or the Survivors or Survivor of them his heirs executors administrators or assigns shall and do put and place or continue my personal Estate and all the said trust moneys and all annualization or interest [garbled] out at Interest upon such Government or good real [garbled] as [garbled] in their discretion shall think most beneficial and proper and that they do pay and divide all such residue and remainder of my real and personal Estate unto and equally amongst all and every his said Child or Children of the Boddy of my said Daughter Jane lawfully begotten or to be begotten share and share alike when as they shall severally attain the age of twenty five years
and my Will is that the Interest of their respective shares shall accumulate for [garbled] several bought until their attainment to that age and in case any of such Children of my said Daughter Jane since die before he she or they shall attain the age of twenty five years and have lawful Issue then such Issue shall be intitled to their parent's share so dying equally amongst their [?]
And in case any of such Children of my said Daughter Jane shall die before she or they shall attain twenty five years of age without leaving lawful Issue (or leaving such Issue and they shall all die under twenty one years of age then that share of such Child or Children so dying shall go and be paid to his her or their Surviving Brothers and Sisters equally share and share alike at the time their Original Shares are payable
But in case no such Child or Children of the Body of my said Daughter shall live to attain twenty five years of age then I give the whole amount of my said real and personal Estates (Subject and Charged as aforesaid to and equally between my Nephew and nieces Robert Mary and Ann Heysham the Son_Daughter of my deceased Brother William Heysham late of Philadelphia who shall be living at the time if failure of Issue of the children of my said Daughter [William P. Heysham had died by this time]
and I do hereby name Constitute and appoint the said John Webster Bryan Waller and William Hall joint Executors of this my last Will and Testament and it is my will and I do hereby authorize and impower my said Trustees and Executors to Continue my money upon Government securities on [garbled] and to hold my shares in the Lancaster Canal or to sell and transfer the [garbled] or any parts or shares thereof and lend and invest the [garbled] at Interest upon other good real Securities from first to finish [?] as they in their discretion is in [garbled] most prudent and proper and I do hereby declare that they my said Trustees and executors or any of them shall not be Charged or Chargeable with or accountable for any more of the aforesaid trust moneys [garbled] and premises than they shall respectively [interlined: actually] receive nor with or for any Loss which may happen without their willful Default nor any of [garbled] for the other or others of them nor for the debts [garbled] receipts or Dispersal [garbled] of each other but either of them for his own acts deeds receipts and disbursements only and that it shall be Lawful for them my said Trustees and Executors and the Survivors or Survivor of them in his heirs executors and administrators in the first place out of the Said trust moneys and effects to deduct pay and reimburse themselves all such Costs Charges and Expenses as they shall sustain expend or be put unto for or by reason of the Execution and performance of the trusts aforesaid or in any wise relating thereto
and Lastly I do hereby revoke all former and other wills by me made and do Declare this only to be my Last Will and Testament in witness whereof I have to this my last Will and Testament and to a Duplicate thereof Contained on this and to the two preceeding sheets of paper set my hand and Seal that is to say my hand to the Bottom of the first two sheets thereof and my hand and Seal to this third and last sheet the twenty second day of December in the year of Our Lord Christ one thousand eight hundred
[signed]Christr. Heysham LS Signed Sealed Published and declared by the said Testator Christopher Heysham as and for his Last Will and Testament in the presence of us who at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other have hereto Subscribed our Names as Witnesses the Words [description of the interlining]
James Baynes Thomas Lawson John Dawson
The original will of which the before written contained upon this and the five preceding sheets of stamped paper [garbled] was proved in Common forum on the twenty seventh day of October One thousand eight hundred and two by John Webster Bryan Waller and William Hall the Executors therein named . . .
This Will was proved at London the seventh day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and four before the right . . . [etc.]
| John Webster & Croxteth Hall
Croxteth Hall was the country estate and ancestral home of the Molyneux family, the Earls of Sefton. The house itself is an extensive mansion in Croxteth Park. West Derby village is on the edge of Croxteth Park and is now a suburb in the north of Liverpool. There was a John Webster living in West Derby circa 1750. |
I have a Christopher Heysham with a gravestone in St. Mary's churchyard, Lancaster Priory, Lancaster. It indicates he was born in 1724, and aged 78 at the time of his death in 1802. He was buried on 15 May 1802. This was probably the Christopher who married Jane Fell. Below is a list of administrations of wills, including that for Christopher.
"Heysham, Catherine, Lancaster, widow, A. 1810I don't know who Catherine or William were.
Heysham, Christopher, Lancaster, esquire, A. 1802
Heysham, William, Preston, yeoman, A. 1796" - from "A List of Lancashire Wills Proved Within the Archdeaconry of Richmond"
Confusingly, in the churchyard attached to the Cathedral in Carlisle, in Cumbria, England, there is a tomb bearing the following inscription:
"Here lie the remains of Christopher Heysham, esq., late of Lancaster, who departed this life May XITH MDCCCII (1802) aged Lxxviii (78) years."Was he memorialized in two cities? It's not likely he was buried in both. Carlisle is the city in which Dr. John Heysham, the son of Gyles Heysham, settled and did most of the research that led to his fame. It is possible that Christopher lived out some of his last years in Carlisle with Dr. Heysham. This might also explain how Dr. John Heysham came to have papers of Robert Heysham, a nephew of Christopher Heysham, that he contributed to the George Clymer Collection in Philadelphia. This scenario would have Dr. Heysham, while sorting through the papers of his recently deceased uncle, coming upon legal documents with the name of the attorney involved, George Clymer, attached. Having no interest in the papers himself, he returned them to America where they found their way into this historically valuable collection. For a fuller account of this see the Robert Heysham page.
"Prepare to meet thy god in judgement."
Christopher died leaving a daughter, Jane, as his heir. As to Christopher's widow, she died in 1806.
1 July 1806. Died. "At Kirkland, near Kendal, Mrs. Heysham, relict of Christopher H. esq. of Lancaster. 80." - from "The Monthly Magazine"I also have the record of an inscription in the floor of a church in Kendal, Westmorland,
"(In S. floor). To m. Ann Corney, Widow of Peter Corney of Penrith who d. 1. November 25th 1805 Aged 78 y. This stone was placed here by desire of her Sister Jane Heysham. Also in m. Jane Heysham, Widow, who d. 1. May 23, 1806 Aged 81 y. both Daughters of George and Mary Fell of Kirkland." - from "Westmorland Church Notes" by Edward Bellasis(21) Jane Heysham (c1753)
The daughter of Christopher Heysham and the unknown woman he married in 1752-3.
Jane Heysham, 22, of Lancaster married James Machell, 21, merchant, of Lancaster on 27 September 1775 at Lancaster - from the Archdeaconry of Richmond Marriage Bonds in the Lancashire Record OfficeJames was probably the son of Richard Machell who was a partner in a firm of wine, rum and brandy importers with Thomas Standiforth and Thomas Burton. "Like the vast majority of the merchants of Liverpool, he [Standiforth] had shares in slavers . . ." - from "Liverpool Banks and Bankers, 1760-1837" by John Hughes. Did Richard as well?
In Christopher Heysham's will of 1800, above, he refers to the youngest son of Jane, James Heysham Machall, when he "shall have attained his age of twenty one years," that is he was born after 1779. Note also that Ann Heesham, the daughter of John Heysham (c1638) of Lancaster, married Thomas Mackerell [or Mackrell/Machell] in January 1693. Thomas was the son of Robert and Alise Mackerell. They had a son, William, born circa 1697.
(22) James Heysham Machell (1779)James Heysham [Machel] was baptized on 20 May 1779 at St. Mary's, Lancaster. Was Jane's son named in honor of her father in recognition of the inheritance, or to invite it?
James married Jannett Welch [Welsh]. She was born in 1778 in Lancashire.
James was a merchant of Liverpool. His agent was Richard Moon.
1805. "Lancashire County Quarter Sessions Petitions: Ormskirk: Midsummer 1805 - Deposition: Information of Richard Moon of Liverpool, merchant, agent for James Heysham Machell of Liverpool, merchant, John Gwysher, clerk to John Blackburn, Esq., William Doble, Master of the Sloop 'Charles of Saint Ives,' and Joseph Williams, master of the said Sloop, re loss of cargo of salt, c1805."
1807. "Machell v Webster. Bill and answer. Plaintiffs: James Heysham Machell and another. Defendants: John Webster, Brian Waller, William Hall and George Machell (abroad)."
1810. "Memorandum of an indorsement on a grant made 29 Jul. 1799 by the Corporation of Liverpool, to H. Clay of the reversion in fee of certain lands in Church St. and Church Lane, concerning a conveyance made 16/17 Apr. 1810 by Henry Clay and H. Midgeley to James Heysham Machell, Richard Machell and Richard Moon of Liverpool, merchants, of a piece of land in Church Lane, Liverpool."
1812. "Ellice v Machell. Bill only. Plaintiffs: Edward Ellice and others. Defendants: James Heysham Machell, Richard Moon and George Welsh."The following reference makes Richard Moon the partner of James. Who was the bankrupt referred to?
Undated. "Moon Richard, Liverpool merchant (partner with James Heysham Machell) June 27, at 1, at the George Inn, Liverpool, respecting the interest of the bankrupt in his own or his wife i . . . " - from "The Law Advertiser"This may relate to the case of Machell v. Clarke. The formerly held precednet "that the estate of the grantee was void on the death of the tenant in tail" [?] was over-ruled.
James apparently had a brother who was also a merchant of Liverpool.
"Machell Richard, Liverpool, merchant and underwriter, (lately carrying on business with JH Machell, and Richard Moon, firm Machell and Moon) ; Feb . . ." - from "The Law Advertiser"Richard Machell went bankrupt in 1851. Perhaps he was the bankrupt mentioned above. By the way, Richard Machell, merchant, and Justina of Foy Street had a son, George Heysham Machell, baptized on 28 January 1816 - from the LiverpoolMaritime.org. George died on 3 March 1841 in Wirral, Cheshire.
| Richard Moon
Richard Moon of Liverpool, merchant, married Elizabeth, the daughter of William Bradley Frodsham of Liverpool. His daughter was Eliza Ann (1810). She married Ralph Brocklebank of Childwall Hall, Lancashire, J.P. and D.I. He was the son of John Brocklebank (1775) of Hazelhom, Whitehaven, Cumberland. His son was Sir Richard Moon (1814) of Copsewood Grange, Warwick, 1st Baronet, Chairman of the London and North Western Railway Company 1861-1892. He married Eleanor, the daughter of John Brocklebank (1775) of Hazelhom, Whitehaven, Cumberland. He also had sons, Ernest and Robert, both lawyers of the Inner Temple. |
James Heysham Machell and Jannett Welch had one child,
(23) Jane Machell (c1810)
Jane Machell, the daughter of James Heysham Machell, married James Beckett on 7 June 1831 at Walton-On-The-Hill, Lancashire; Hannah Yonge witnessed. James was born in 1810. Another source [based on what?] says James was born in 1794 and Jane in 1804.
The couple's children were,
(24) Francis Charles Beckett (1832)
(24) Thomas Heysham Beckett (1834)
(24) William Beckett (1838)
(24) Anna Beckett (1846)
Francis Charles Beckett, the son of James and Jane Beckett, was born on 1 May 1832 and baptised on 7 June 1832 at St. George's church, Everton, Lancashire.
Francis married Elizbaeth Mary Malvina (born Robinson) in circa 1855. She was baptized on 23 May 1833 at St Peter church, Liverpool, the daughter of George and Margaret Robinson.
In the 1851 census of Liverpool, Lancashire, England, living on Great Nelson street, as Francis C. Beckett, 18, born Kirkdale, occupation pilot. Living with him were his sister, Anna Beckett 5 b Kirkdale, his father, James Beckett 57 b Ireland, a Commercial Traveller, his mother, Jane 48 b Liverpool, and brothers, Thomas H [Hesham] 17 b Kirkdale Scholar, and William H 13 b Kirkdale Scholar.
In the 1861 census . . .
In the 1871 census, 284 Westminster Road, Kirkdale, Liverpool, as Francis C Beckett Head M, 38, Pilot, Lancashire Kirkdale. Living with him were his wife, Elizabeth MM, Wife M 36, Lancashire Liverpool, and children, George J, Son, 15, Timber Merchant Appren, Lancashire Everton, Reginald R, Son 8, Scholar, Cheshire Liscard, Elizabeth MM, Daur, 7 Scholar, Lancashire Kirkdale, Harriet A, Daur 7, " " ", Jame M, Daur 5, " " ", William H, Son 3, " ", and Thomas H, Son 1, " ".
Charles' wife, Elizabeth, died at the age of 42 in the June quarter of 1876 in West Derby.
In the 1881 census as Francis C. Beckett Head M Male 47 Lpool, Lancashire, England Pilot Of Liverpool. Living with was his new wife, Naomi J. Beckett Wife M Female 29 Lpool, Lancashire, England Pilot Of Liverpool Wife, and children, Elizabeth M. Beckett Daur U Female 17 Lpool, Lancashire, England, Jane M. Beckett Daur U Female 15 Liverpool, Lancashire, England, William Hy. Beckett Son Male 13 Liverpool, Lancashire, England, Thomas H. Beckett Son Male 11 Liverpool, Lancashire, England, and Maud M. Roberts Neice Female 3 London, Surrey, England.
In the census of 1891 . . .
In the 1901 census of Cheshire as Francis C. Beckett, 68, Retired Master Seas.
Francis Charles Beckett died in 1909 at the age of 77. The couple's children were,
(25) George J. Beckett (1856)
(25) Reginald R. Beckett (1863)
(25) Elizabeth Mary Malvina Beckett (1864)
(25) Harriet A. Beckett (1864), who may have died young
(25) Jane M. Beckett (1866)
(25) William Henry Beckett (1868), he was born on 16 October 1868, but not baptized until 24 January 1870 at St. Peters, Liverpool
(25) Thomas Heysham Beckett (1870)
Thomas H. Beckett, named for his uncle, below, was born in Kirkdale [baptized in Liverpool?] in the March quarter of [20 March] 1870. He emigrated between 1881 and 1891. He died in 1919 in Newtown, New South Wales, Australia. He was a photographer. His marriage transcription states that he was the son of Francis Charles Beckett (pilot) & Elizabeth Robinson. Married in 1892 in Macquarie Terrace Balmain, NSW Australia to Jessie Morrison Napier. She was born in about 1868 in Aukland, New Zealand, the daughter of John Napier, engineer, and Catharine Logan. Son Thomas Beckett born; 1899 Balmain South NSW married; 1924 (9514) Suydney, NSW to Germaine T Auldred.
"Thomas Heysham Beckett, an insurance agent, sued the Co-operative Assurance Company, Limited, to recover damages for alleged breach of agreement." - from The Sydney Morning Herald of 7 September 1912.
The couple had eight children, of whom I know of,
(26) Thomas Heysham Beckett (1899), born in Balmain NSW, married Germaine Auldred in 1924 and then Ivy Jane Cregg in 1964, he died in May 1968
(26) Amy Vera Beckett (1901), born on 3 November 1901 and died on 27 October 1989
(26) Ivy Phyllis C. Becket (1910), she died in 1998 at the aage of 88
(26) Ada Elizabeth M. Beckett
(26) Melly Harriet Isabel Beckett, she married a Schell and then Jones
Thomas Hesham Beckett, the son of James and Jane Beckett, was baptized on 27 May 1834 at St. Peter's church, Liverpool. He emigrated to Victoria, Australia. Thomas Heysham Beckett married Eliza in 1868 - from "English marriages 1844-1874 Victoria Australia."
Thomas H. Beckett, who was born in 1835, died on 30 May 1872 in Carlton North, Melbourne City, Victoria.
(20) Benjamin Heysham (1728)The son of William Sr. of Lancaster. He was christened on 11 May 1728 in St. Mary's, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. He was listed as William's posthumous son, which makes sense since William died in 1727.
Ben. Heysham, the son of 'William, late of Lancaster,' was buried on 22 May 1729. This comment also presupposes William's death.
(19) Mary Heisham (1676)"Maria fa. Jo: Heisham de Lancr . . . 19 January 1676," baptized in Saint Mary, Lancaster. "Mary d. of John Heesam of Lancr . . . 20 March 1682," buried at St. Mary, Lancaster.
(19) Richard Hesam (1677)"Richard, f. John Hesam of Lanc. . . . [baptized] 30 December 1677" at St. Mary's church, Lancaster - from Baptisms, "Lancashire Parish Registers."
A Richard Heysham married Alice Williamson of Skirton on 12 February 1707 at St. Mary's church, Lancaster. Note that "Alice, relict of Richd Heysham, late of Lancaster," was buried on 26 November 1728.
"1710 Rd. Heysham" was a churchwarden. The following may fit here if we presume Richard made a trip to London.
May 1719. "Stephen Clarke (a Boy) of St. Gregory's was indicted for Privately stealing a Silk Handkerchief from the Person of Richard Highsham on the 12th of April last. Mr. Highsham deposed he lost his Handkerchief in St. Paul's Church. The Constable deposed that he obserserv'd the Prisoner and another very busy about some Gentlemens Pockets and that he saw the Prisoner clap his Hat to the Prosecutor's Pocket, and take out the Handkerchief of Hat , and so convey it into See original his Bosom; whereupon he secur'd him. The Hand-kerchief was found upon him, and own'd by the Prosecutor. The Jury found him Guilty to the value of 10 d. Transportation." - from The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, London 1674 to 1834.
Richard appears to have been a skinner. The son of Edward Heysham, butcher, the elder brother of Richard, was apprenticed to Richard in 1716.
"Richard Hoysham of Lancr Skinner . . . Edwd. Son of Edwd. Hoysham of Lancr Butcher . . . 15 March 1716" - from UK, Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures, 1710-1811A skinner skins and treats animal hides, making leather and fur products. Their guild, the Worshipful Company of Skinners, protected their rights. Remember that his eldest brother, Edward, was a butcher.
Richard Heysham died and was buried on 18 March 1727 in Lancaster. I have a "Heysham, Richard, of Lancaster, A . . . Admon 1728" - from "Lancashire Wills in the Archdeaconry of Richmond." While many children appear to have been born to this couple, their mortality rate is staggering.
I have an Alice, relict [widow] of Richd Heysham, late of Lancaster, who was buried on 26 November 1728. Their children were,
(20) Elisabeth Heysham (1708), she married an Overend
(20) Grace Heysham (1710), she died young
(20) John Heysham (1711), he died young
(20) Thomas Heysham (1714), he probably married
(20) Jane Heysham (1715), she died a spinster
(20) Robert Heysham (1718), died young?
(20) Ann Heysham (1720), she died young
(20) John Heysham (1721), he died young
(20) Richard Heysham (1724), he died young
(20) Grace Heysham (1725), she died young
(20) Elisabeth Heysham (1708)She was baptized on 28 November 1708 in Lancaster, the daughter of Richard Heysham. Eliz. Heysham & Jas. Overend were married on 1 February 1728 at St Mary's, Lancaster - from Lancaster parish registers. Another source refers to "James Overend, skinner and Elizabeth Heysham, spr, both of Lancaster . . ." - from the "Marriage Bonds for the Deaneries of Lonsdale, Kendal, Furness and Copeland."
There are two James Overends who were baptized at about the right time to be "our" man.
James Overend, son of James, christened 21 July 1700 at St Marys, Lancaster
James Overand, son of James, christened 14 November 1703 at St Marys, Lancaster
The tombstone to the right, from the Priory church in Lancaster, is for a combination of Overends, Bradleys, and Jane Heysham. This may mean that the Elizabeth Overend, below, the relict of James Overend, was our Elizabeth Heysham. Note also that the Jane Heysham mentioned was born in about 1715 making it possible that she was the younger sister of Elizabeth. The inscription reads,
"Here Lieth the Body of Richd Son ofAllo is Latin, meaning "also." Note that Christopher Bradley married Jane Overend in 1772 in Lancaster.
Joseph [&] Jane Overend of Lancaster
Who died Aug 20 1765 Aged 18 Weeks
Allo Elizabeth Overend Relict of
James Overend of Lancaster who died
Sep 5 1766 Aged 58 Years [born 1708]
Allo Joseph Overend Father
of the above Child who died
Sep [blank day] 1766 Aged 33 Years
Allo Will Son of Chris[tophe]r [&] Jane
Bradley who died Mar 28 1776.
Allo Jane Heysham who died
Jan 24 1780 Aged 65 [born 1715]
Allo Will Son of Chrisr [&] Jane
Bradley who died [obscured] 1780"
| The Heysham-Overend Families
The Overend family of Lancaster intermarried with the Heysham family twice; James Overend with Elizabeth Heysham in 1728, and their son, Joseph Overend, with Jane Heysham in 1762. A grandson of the latter couple was named John Heysham Overend in 1794. He would later move to Durham. His grandson was the artist, William Heysham Overend. John's brother, James, also had two children using the Heysham Overend name. Hyphenated names became a big thing in England in the 19th century. It was rather like having a quartered coat of arms. (19) James Overend (c1670)(20) James Overend (1703) (19) James Overend (c1670) James Overend, son of James, christened christened 14 November 1703 at St Marys, Lancaster. He married Elizabeth Heysham on 1 February [or 31 January] 1728 at St Mary's, Lancaster. Elizabeth Heysham was born in 1708, the daughter of Richard Hesam, the son of John Heysham, above. [January] "+31 James Overend, skinner and Elizabeth Heysham, spr. , both of Lancaster. Bndsmn. : Thos. Dobson of Lane, husb. At Lancaster. Witn.: J. Fenton, Thos. Smoult. " - from "Marriage Bonds for the Deaneries of Lonsdale, Kendal, . . " by John Brownbill, pg. 227James died on 11 October 1750 in Lancaster. His widow, Elizabeth, died on 5 September 1766. Oddly, familysearch.org shows her to have been buried a day previous. Amongst their children were, (21) John Overend (1730) (21) Joseph Overend (1734), ancestor of the painter, William Heysham Overend (21) John Overend (c1730) (19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) John Overend, the son of James, was baptized on 7 June 1730 at St. Mary's, Lancaster. He died and was buried on 18 August 1811 in Lancaster. Joyce Gower, a descendant of James Overend and Elizabeth Heysham writes, "I will tell you what I know so far on the Heysham Line. My g-grandmother on my father's side, maiden name Procter, was a direct descendant of James Overend married Elizabeth Heysham. Their son, John Overend, married Esther Hunter in 1754.(21) Joseph Overend (1734) (19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) Joseph Overend, the son of James Overend, was baptized on 13 January 1733/1734 at St. Marys, Lancaster. Joseph Overend married Jane Heysham on 4 May 1762 at St. Marys, Lancaster. I don't know who this Jane Heysham was. She might be the daughter of William Heesham, the grandson of John Heysham, the title holder of this page. That would make her a second cousin to Joseph Overend; it was considered genteel to marry your cousin in this period [see Ashley Wilkes and Melanie Hamilton in "Gone With The Wind;" the Wilkes always marry their cousins]. This Jane was born in 1732, which also looks good. However, I've previously thought that this was the Jane Heysham of Lancaster, spinster, who had her will probated in 1789. Note that the latter citation doesn't show whose daughter she was, so this assumption may be in error. Joseph Overend died in September 1766, just 33 years old. (22) Thomas Overend (1763)(19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) He was born on 10 March 1763. A shipwright, plumber and glazier [all of those?]. (22) Richard Overend 1765(19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) He died on 20 August 1765 aged 18 weeks. (22) James Overend (1766)(19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) James Overend, the son of Joseph Overend, was baptized on 9 August 1766 at St. Marys, Lancaster. His father died the same year. James Overend married Eleanor Forrest on 28 August 1790 at St. Mary's, Lancaster. I believe he died on 11 August 1803 in Lancaster.
James and Eleanor had the following children,
(19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) (22) James Overend (1766) John Heysham, the son of James Overend and Eleanor, was baptized on 29 April 1794 at St. Mary's, Lancaster. John Overend married Elizabeth Parker, born in 1787, on 17 January 1818 at St. Cuthbert's, Darington, Durham. The will below mentions Elizabeth as a cousin, and heir, of Dorothy Parker. 1831 Dorothy Parker sp of Yealand Conyers will mentions friend executor and adopted sister Ann Wilson sp of Yealand Conyers, land in Yealand Conyers and Yealand Redmayne, cousin and executor Isaac Wilson of Kent Terrace Kendal L500, uncle Edward Parker of Haughton le Skerne L1200, cousin Ann Waithman widow of Anthony Waithman of Coventry L500, cousin Dorothy Wilson of Methley York L300, cousin (via Waithmans) John Kendrew of Manchester L600, cousin (via Waithmans) Mary Metcalfe of Macclesfield L400, cousin Edward Bayliffe of Kendal L500, cousin Rachel Long of Leeds L500, William Bayliffe son of William Bayliffe deceased and nephew of Edward Bayliffe, cousin Elizabeth wife of John Overend of Bentham L300, friend Anna Wilson of Rawden L100, friend Elizabeth Wilson of Rawden L100. John was a flax spinner, but in the marriage register of his son, James, was called a gentleman. Was that because John had done very well as a flax spinner? His wife was Elizabeth, of Bentham, Yorkshire. In the 1841 census of Bentham, Yorkshire as John Overend, a 45 year old Agent. No wife is shown. Living with him were his children, Margaret, 20, James, 15, Jane, 15, Edward, 15, Sarah, 10, and Lucy, 6. All but John had been born in the parish. In the 1851 census of Coatham Mundeville, Darlington borough, Durham as John Overend, a 57 year old flax spinner, of Lancaster, Lancashire. The movements of the family appear to match the vagaries of the weaving industry, first pulling John to the Bentham region, and then, as the industry moved away, his sons followed or left the field. Some members of the Overend family, see below, were factory owners in the region, but John's line doesn't appear to have been one of these. Living with him were his wife, Elizabeth, 54, of Bentham, his children, Edward, a 25 year old flax spinner, of Bentham, Elizabeth, 23, and sister-in-law, Margaret Overend , a 44 year old merchant's wife, of Liverpool. She was married and I suppose just visiting. Was her husband. Son James Overend was in Darlington, Durham at this time. Elizabeth Parker Overend died in 1860. (24) Edward Overend (1825)(19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) (22) James Overend (1766) (23) John Heysham Overend (1794) Edward, the son of John Overend and Elizabeth, was baptized on 11 September 1825 in Bentham, Yorkshire. In the 1841 census of Bentham, Yorkshire as Edward Overend, 15, of Bentham, living at home with his father, John Overend In the 1851 census of Coatham Mundeville, Durham as Edward Overend, a 25 year old flax spinner, of Bentham. He was living with his father, John Overend, a 57 year old flax spinner, his mother, Elizabeth, 54, sister, Elizabeth, 23, and aunt, Margaret Overend. I don't see him in the 1861 census . . . In the 1871 census of District 1, Stamford Hill, London as Edward Overend, a 46 year old [1825] unemployed Naval Engineer, of Bentham, Yorkshire. He was a boarder and living there also was his nephew [?], William A. [sic] Overend, a 19 year old artist (Painter), of Darlington, Durham. In 1881 he was an inmate in the Liverpool Workhouse, a 57 year old engineer, of Bendel [sic], North Riding, Yorkshire. (24) James Overend (1822)(19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) (22) James Overend (1766) (23) John Heysham Overend (1794) Of Bentham, Yorkshire. James was the son of a gentleman, though both he and his father were flax spinners. Bentham is in the West Riding, Yorkshire. There have been Overend's living there since at least the 16th century and in the 19th some of them owned flax mills, see below. In the 1841 census of Bentham, Yorkshire as James Overend, 15, living at home with his father, John, a 45 year old Agent. This seems young for our man, but two of his siblings, Jane and Edward, were also shown as 15 years old, so at least one of these is wrong. Since James is listed above the other two, I expect he was the oldest, perhaps 18-19? The sister listed above James was 20. The Overend family moved to Darlington, Durham. James Overend, the son of John, married Martha Hodgson of Hawkshead, Lancashire, on 12 May 1847 in Hawkshead, Lancashire. "Marriage: 12 May 1847 St Michael and All Angels, Hawkshead, Lancashire, EnglandMartha was christened on 6 May 1824 in Hawkshead, the daughter of Braithwaite Hodgson (1783), a landed proprietor of Claife, Lancashire, and Martha Forrest, of Hawkshead. The Hodgson's and Brathwaite's were both notable familys in Hawkshead. Hawkshead is in the Ulverston district of far northern Lancashire. The Hodgson's also go back a long way back in that district and intermarried with the Braithwaite family who owned Ferry Nab, Briers, Harrow Slack, and other properties in the Lakes District. However, Braithwaite's mother was an Atkinson. His grandparents were Christopher Hodgson and Elizabeth Braithwaite, of Hawkshead. So, no Heysham answers there. By the way, William Wordsworth went to school in Hawkshead, for what it's worth. In the 1851 census of Darlington, Durham as James Overend, a 29 year old Flax Spinner, of Bentham, Yorkshire. Living with him were his wife, Martha, 27, and children, James B. H., 1, and John, 1. An Elizabeth Hodgson, a 24 year old relative, was also living with them. James' parents, John and Elizabeth, and brother, Edward, were in the 1851 census of Coatham Mundeville, Durham. John and Edward were also flax spinners. James Overend's life took a big turn at this point, moving south to Middlesex county and becoming a railway contractor, responsible for the promotion, construction and operation of a railway line. He must have gathered some capital as a flax spinner. In the 1861 census of Hackney, Middlesex, London as James Overend, a 40 year old Railway Contractor, of Bentham, Yorkshire. Living with him were his wife, Martha, 37, and children, John B., 11, James, 11, and William, 10. A railway contractor would seem a big jump from flax spinnner. In 1866 James Overend, esq., was living at Buccleuch terrace, Clapton common. - from U.K. City Directories. This was a genteel area. In the 1871 census of Hackney, London as James Overend, a 49 year old Railway Contractor, of Bentham, Yorkshire. Living with him were his wife, Martha, 47. They were lodgers on Clapton road. I suspect this was Buccleuch Terrace. James Overend, born circa 1822, died in the 4th Quarter 1875 in Hackney, London, at the age of 53. (25) John B. Overend (1849)(19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) (22) James Overend (1766) (23) John Heysham Overend (1794) (24) James Overend (1822) Twin. John B. Overend, the son of James and Martha Overend, was baptized on 21 December 1849 at St. Cuthbert's, Darlington, Durham. James died in 1861. (25) James B. H. Overend (1849)(19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) (22) James Overend (1766) (23) John Heysham Overend (1794) (24) James Overend (1822) James B. H. Overend, the son of James and Martha Overend, was baptized on 21 December 1849 at St. Cuthbert's, Darlington, Durham. Does the initial "H" stand for Heysham or Hodgson? The "B" may stand for Braithwaite. In 1863 James entered the Charterhouse school, leaving the same year - from "List of Carthusians, 1800 to 1879." "Overend, James. b. 11 Dec. 1849, 1st s. of James Overend of Upper Clapton. Day Boy, Jun.-Aug. 1863. Engineer. Of Littlehampton. m. 1894, Clarence May, 2nd d. of James Smith of Wentworth. d. 8 Jul. 1902." - from "Charterhouse Register 1769-1872"A Day Boy did not live at the school. In 1871 James Overend, a 21 year old Mining Engineer, was living in Whitehaven, St. Bee, Cumberland. In 1881 he was living in Ardsley, Yorkshire - this is near Barnsley. He later had a mining office on Regent street in Barnsley. Sometime before 1894 he traveled to Mexico and subsequently authored a paper, "The Coal-Fields of Sonora, Mexico." He married Clarice May Smith in 1894 in Rotherham, Yorkshire. In 1901 James and Clarice were living in Ardsley, Yorkshire. In 1902 James Overend died. I am not aware of any children borne to the couple. (25) William Heysham Overend (1851)(19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) (22) James Overend (1766) (23) John Heysham Overend (1794) (24) James Overend (1822) In the 1861 census of Hackney, Middlesex, that is, in the vicinity of London, as William Overend, 10, born in Darlington, Durham. He was the son of James Overend (1821), a 40 year old railway contractor, originally of Bentham, Yorkshire, and his wife, Martha [Hoddson], 37, of Lancashire. The other children in the household were the twins, John B. and James, 11, also of Darlington. In 1863 William entered the Charterhouse school, leaving the same year - from "List of Carthusians, 1800 to 1879." Apparently he stayed just three months. "Overend, William Heysham. b. 5 Oct. 1851, 2nd s. of James Overend of Upper Clapton. Day Boy, Jun.-Aug. 1863. Later at Bruce Castle. A well-known artist and book-illustrator; painter of naval subjects; did much work for the illustrated London News. d. London 18 Mar. 1898." - from "Charterhouse Register 1769-1872"This reference shows that William's brother, John, had died by this time. William left the Charterhouse to become an artist. |
| The Charterhouse School
This prepatory school was founded in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian Monastery in Charterhouse Square, Smithfield. At the time William attended the school still used the old monastery buildings in the midst of the town. After this time Charterhouse moved out of the city, to Godalming, in Surrey, where ts present building was completed in 1872.  A View of the Charter House taken from the Green, 1813 |
|
William also attended Bruce Castle, a manor house in Tottenham, London. It served as a progressive school in the 19th century. |
| The Bruce Castle School
Rowland Hill and his brothers had taken over the management of their father's Hazelwood school in Birmingham in 1819. It so impressed Jeremy Bentham that a branch was opened at Bruce Castle in Totenham in 1827, with Rowland Hill as Headmaster. The school was run along radical lines inspired by Hill's friends Thomas Paine, Richard Price and Joseph Priestley; all teaching was on the principle that the teacher's role is to instill the desire to learn, not to impart facts, corporal punishment was abolished and alleged transgressions were tried by a court of pupils, while the school taught a radical (for the time) curriculum including foreign languages, science and engineering. Among other pupils, the school taught the sons of many London-based diplomats, particularly from the newly independent nations of South America, and the sons of computing pioneer Charles Babbage. Rowland Hill's brother, Arthur, became headmaster in 1839, holding the positionn until 1868. The school closed in 1891. See also Bruce Castle and Bruce Castle School at Wikiwand.  |
|
William left Bruce Castle in midsummer 1867 to pursue a profession in the arts. For the subsequent 3 years he apprenticed in the studio of Davis Cooper. - from "The Illustrated Naval and Military Magazine" of 1884. William afterwards taught himself. William went on to study art under the painter Alexander Davis Cooper, developing a particular interest in maritime subjects. In the 1871 census of District 1, Stamford Hill, Hackney, London as William A. [sic] Overend, a 19 year old artist (Painter), of Darlington, Durham. He was a single man and a boarder in the home of Anne Brown, at No. 14 Clapton Terrace. This is an area of row houses in East London. Living in the same house was Edward Overend, a 46 year old [1825] unmarried Naval Engineer (unemployed), of Bentham, Yorkshire. This was probably his uncle. William's father, James, lived nearby. In 1872 William exhibited at the Royal Academy, giving his address as 3 Buccleuch Terrace. This was probably his parent's address. "His career, as both an artist and illustrator, developed slowly throughout the second half of the 1870s. He exhibited with the Society of British Artists in 1875 and 1876, and at London's Dudley Gallery in the same years, and in Liverpool in 1877. In 1875 he began working for The Illustrated London News, a relationship which lasted until his death 23 years later. He also worked with The Penny Illustrated Paper and The Sunday Magazine. His earliest book illustrations appeared in Thomas Frost's "The North Pole", and "How Charlie Wilson Discovered It", in 1876." - from Bear AlleyWilliam's connection with the "Illustrated London News" began in the spring of 1875 with an illustration of Sir George Nares Arctic expedition. In the 1881 census of District 7, St George Bloomsbury, London as Wm. H. Overend, a 29 year old artist, living in a boarding house at 64 Guilford street. This is in central London. He was born in Coatham [probably Coatham Mundeville, 4 miles north of Darlington, where his father lived in 1851], Durham. Living with him was his wife, Sofia, aged 30, of St Martins, London. Sophia had been born circa 1851 in St. Martins, London, Middlesex. William and Sofia had no children. Overend also had a nearby studio at 39A Queen Square.
"His career really took off in 1880, when he contributed illustrations to Frederick Whymper's 4 volume book "The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventures, Peril and Heroism", published by Cassell, Petter & Galpin. He also began contributing to "The Boy's Own Paper" in 1880, continuing to do so until 1894; he also contributed to "London Society" and "St. Nicholas"." - from Bear Alley
SCYTHIA was built in 1875 and ran the North Atlantic route for Cunard until 1899.
"In January 1886 Overend was elected a Member of the Institute of Painters in Oil Colours, and later that year he exhibited at the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts. He also regularly painted in watercolours, and was a member of the Arts Club. In 1887, he painted one of his most famous pictures, "A Football Match: England v Scotland", portraying a scene from the international played in March the previous year. Two years later, he painted a picture of the 1890 FA Cup Final between Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn Rovers, simply called "The Football Match." Both pictures were subsequently engraved by Lionel Smythe, and prints, in both black and white and colour, were widely sold." - from Bear Alley  "At the time of the 1891 census he was living, as a boarder and with no wife, at 37 Fitzroy Square, St. Pancras, described as an engraver and sculptor, although in truth he was working full-time as an artist and illustrator." His work, "Victory!" The Prize Crew Taking Possession," was exhibited at the World`s Columbian Expedition, held in Chicago in 1893. William died in 18 May 1898 at home in the Pancras district of London. He was only 47 years old. "The death certificate gave the cause of death as Locomotor Ataxy (i.e. a nervous disorder caused by syphilis, which leads to a loss of control of bodily movements he had apparently suffered from this for 10 years, although it did not seem to affect his ability to work); Catarrh of the bowels; and Albuminuria (a kidney disease). He was buried in Tottenham Cemetery along with his father and mother (who had died in 1875 and 1886 respectively) and his brother John (who had died in 1861). He left an estate valued at L3,105 (around L330,000 in today's terms), with probate granted to his other brother James, a civil engineer (who himself died four years later)." - from Bear Alley. His biography may be found in "The Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists up to 1920," H.L. Mallalieu, Woodbridge, England, Antique Collectors' Club, 1976, the "Dictionary of Victorian Painters," Christopher Wood, Suffolk, England, Baron Publishing, 1971, and in "The Dictionary of Victorian Painters," Second Edition, Christopher Wood, Woodbridge, England, Antique Collectors' Club, 1978. An obituary: "W. H. Overend, the English painter of naval subjects and black and white artist, was born in 1851. He started as a marine painter, but soon became connected with "The Illustrated London News," which continued to the day of his death. He exhibited "Trafalgar" at the Royal Academy, 1898. He was a member of the Royal Institute of British Painters." - from "American Art Directory."See also Battle Painters of the XIXth Century for an extensive biography. Below is "Nelson on the Quarterdeck of the Victory," otherwise known as "The Hero of Trafalgar."  He also did engravings, usually about lives of adventure. He illustrated a number of boys books of the Empire period, including many by G. A. Henty with names like, "In the Irish Brigade" and "On the Irrawaddy." He also illstrated Sadler's "The Good Ship Barbara, a story of two brothers." Again, the title is typical of the genre. William's will left his goods to his brother, James. This implies that Sophia had died. "Overend William Heysham of 17 Southampton-street Fitzroy-square Middlesex artist died 18 March 1898 Probate London 4 June to James Overend engineer Effects L3104 13s. 5d." - from the National Probate CalendarL3100 is a lot of money for the period. (23) James Overend (1795) (19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) (22) James Overend (1766) James Overend, the son of James Overend and Eleanor, was baptized on 7 December 1795 at St. Marys, Lancaster. A merchant later living on Hope Street, in Liverpool. That is just inland of the Albert dock, on the Mersey river, directly across from Birkenhead. James Overend married Margaret Kiyzar on 17 September 1825 in Liverpool. The Trade Directory of Liverpool has, 1828 James OVEREND ~ Book keeper, Hope Street.I also have a J. Overend as 45 Hope street, Liverpool in the 1847. In the 1851 census of Liverpool, Lancashire as James Overend, a 55 year old Merchant's Clerk, of Lancaster, residing at 45 Hope street. Living with him were his daughter, Eleanor Margaret, 24, Lucy J., 23, James P., 18, Agnes E., 14, Harriet, 12, and Emily, 3. 45-55 Hope street is across from the Anglican Cathedral. This region is known to real estate agents as the "Georgian Quarter" for its almost uniformly residential Georgian architecture. Originally the area was wealthy but with the decline of Liverpool most of the wealthier elements moved out. It became extremely poor and many houses were derelict or demolished. At the same time, the presence of the College of Art on Hope Street and the Philharmonic Hall, together with the proximity of the university and polytechnic (John Moores University from 1992) gave rise to a Bohemian atmosphere. The cities two great cathredals, Anglican and Roman Catholic, anchor the two ends of the street. In the 1861 census of Liverpool, Lancashire as James Overend, a 65 year old General Agent, of Lancaster, residing at 554 Hope street. Living with him were his wife, Margaret, 54, and children, Eleanor M., 34, Lucy J., 33, Agnes E., 24, Harriet M., 22, Emily H. [Heysham], 13, all of Liverpool. In the 1871 census of Liverpool, Lancashire as James Overend, a 75 year old Agent (general), of Lancaster, residing at 55 Hope Street. Living with him were his wife, Margaret, 64, and children, Eleanor M., 44, Lucy J., 43, Agnes E., 34, Emily H., 23, and a grandson, Arthur D. Overend, 2, all of Liverpool. Jame Overend, born in about 1796, died in the 1st Quarter 1875 in Liverpool, at the age of 79. Their children were Eleanor Margaret Overend (1826), Lucy Jane Overend (1827), George Keyzar Overend (1829), Elizabeth Parlour Overend (1831), James Parlour Overend (1832), Agnes E. Overend (1837), Harriet M. Overend (1839), and Emily Heysham Overend (1848). (24) Unnamed Heysham Overend (1843)(19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) (22) James Overend (1766) (23) James Overend (1795) I've seen a reference to a Heysham Overend, the child of James and Margaret Overend, who was baptized on 20 January 1843 in Liverpool, Lancashire. This child died, with no further name, in Oct-Dec 1843. (24) Emily Heysham Overend (1848)(19) James Overend (c1670) (20) James Overend (1703) (21) Joseph Overend (1734) (22) James Overend (1766) (23) James Overend (1795) Emily Heysham Overend, the daughter of James and Margaret Overend, was baptized on 15 April 1848 in Toxteth Park, St James Church, Liverpool. Her father was a merchant living on Hope Street. Emily Heysham Overend, the daughter of James Overend, married Rodney Alexander William Boyce, the son of Rodney Taylor Boyce, on 14 April 1874 at St. Brides Chapel in the Toxteth district of Liverpool. Both were of "full age." Emily claimed to be 21, though she was really 26. She might of done this because the groom was just 21. Rodney was a cashier, his father of book keeper. Emily was a spinster, living at 55 Hope Street. Her father was an "Agent." An Agnes M. Overend was a witness. Was this Emily's sister? |
She was christened on 22 September 1710 in Lancaster. She died and was buried on 25 September 1710.
(20) John Heysham (1711)John, the son of Richard, was baptized on 26 August 1711 in Lancaster. He died and was buried on 9 March 1716 in Lancaster.
(20) Thomas Heysham (1714)"Tho: s. of Richd Heysham of L: 01 Jan 1713" - from the Lancaster Parish Register of Baptisms. The LDS database shows 1 January 1714, at St. Mary's, Lancaster, based on the Gregorian calendar I presume.
I have a record that shows a Thomas Heysham married in 1738/9 - from "Marriages" in the "Freemen of the Borough of Lancaster, 1688-1840."
I haven't found any children.
(20) Jane Heysham (1715)Jane Heysham, the daughter of Richard Heysham, was baptized on 22 November 1715 in Lancaster. I've found nothing else about her except the tombstone shared with her sister, Elizabeth Heysham Overend, above. If correct, she died in 1780, a spinster.
(20) Robert Heysham (1718)Robert, the son of Richard Heysham, was baptized on 6 April 1718 in Lancaster. I have found no other references for this child. Edward, the son of William Heysham Jr. of Lancaster, above, was baptized the same day. Was it a dual ceremony?
(20) Ann Heysham (1720)She was christened on 10 April 1720 in Lancaster. Ann Heysham, the daughter of Richd. Heysham, of Lancashire, was buried on 24 May 1721.
(20) John Heysham (1721)John, the son of Richard, was christened on 6 August 1721 in Lancaster. He died and was buried on 5 November 1730, the son of "Richard late of Lancaster." The father, Richard, had died in 1727.
(20) Richard Heysham (1724)He was christened on 9 February 1724 in Lancaster. Richard, the son of Richard, died and was buried on 16 February 1724.
(20) Grace Heysham (1725)She was baptized on 21 November 1725 in Lancaster. She died and was buried on 31 May 1726.
(19) Alice Heesham (1680)"Alice d. of John Hesam of Lancr . . . 4 July 1680," baptized in Saint Mary, Lancaster. I have an Allice Heysham who married William Walton on 5 November 1712 at St. Mary, Lancaster. He was, in a later document, referred to as a gentleman. He may have been part of the Walton-le-Dale family. Interestingly, in 1613 William Walton of Walton-le-Dale was a juror in the inquisition taken "after the death of John Hisam of Haulton, co. Lancaster, gentleman." However, by this date the Walton's no longer held the manor of Little Walton in Walton-le-Dale.
William is also noted in the following, as a plaintiff against Alice's brother, Edward Heysham, the butcher. This may, however, be simply a land sale.
30 July 1746. "William Harrison, William Walton, John Townson and John Lawson, gents, plaintiffs; Edward Heysham and Alice his wife, Thomas Rowlandson and Alice his wife, Thomas Fletcher and John Fletcher, deforciants: final concord concerning a moiety of a messuage and burgage plot and two other messuages and land and woodlands in Lancaster and Quernmore and Highfield in HaltonI have a William Walton, merchant of New York City, who was owner of a privateer, WILLIAM & MARY, of 10 guns under the command of William Heyer. Heyer was a compatriot of Captain William Heysham, also of New York City, the son of William Heysham and Dorothy Postelthwaite, above. The Letter of Marque was dated 17 December 1757.
Consideration: L266 13s 4d"
This William Walton however appears to have been the son of Jacob Walton and Maria Beekman. This William was the progenitor of a wealthy New York merchantile family. His sons, Jacob and William Walton, were ship captains.
(19) Sarah Hesam (1681)"Sarah d. of John Hesam of Lancr . . . 27 November 1681," baptized in Saint Mary, Lancaster. A Sarah Heysham, spinster, married John Brown, yeoman, on 3 December 1720 in Lancaster - from "Marriage Bans for the Deaneries of Lonsdale, Kendale, Furness . . ."
John Brown was associated with the Heysham family at least three other times. This was most likely because he was the parish clerk and acted as a witness on many church documents. On at least one occasion a John Brown was listed as "John Brown of Lanc., p clerk."
"Parish ClerksI assume the list above means that while John was the parish clerk, the records do not show when he began those duties. The best quess would be 1719, when the previous clerk died. The latest entry I have for John Brown in the parish register is 1757. Below is John Brown associated with Sarah's niece, Ann,
1622 circa. John Burton.
. . .
1691. John Horsfall.
John Smith, died 1719.
John Brown, died 1761." - from "Remains, Historical and Literary, Connected with the Palantine Counties of . . ."
On 28 July 1729 a marriage was performed between "Matthew Rawlinson, of Cartmel, husbandman, and Ann Heysham, of Lancaster, spinster." The bondsman was "John Dawson (Danson), of Lancaster, inn keeper. At Lancaster p. church. Witnesses: J. Fenton, John Brown."And with Sarah's nephew, Edward Jr.
"Robert Gornall, barber and Elizabeth Askew, spr., aged 24 years, both of Lancaster. Bndsman: Edwd. Heysham, junr. of Lancaster. At Lancaster. Witn: J. Fenton, John Brown." - from "Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire."And with her brother, William.
"Bdsm.: John Brown, of Lancaster, yeo. At Lancaster. Witn.: Willm. Heysham, Jas. Thompson." - from "Marriage Bonds for the Deaneries of Lonsdale, Kendal, Furness and Copeland."
J. Fenton was James Fenton, L.L.B., the Vicar of Lancaster from at least 1716 to his death in 1767.
(19) Mary Heighsome (1683)"Mary d. of John Heighsome of Lancaster . . . 4 July 1683," baptized in Saint Mary, Lancaster. She was probably named for her elder sister, Mary, who died in 1682. The practice of naming a child for a deceased sibling was common. "Mary d. of John Heysham of Lancr . . . 26 September 1687," buried at St. Mary, Lancaster.
(19) Grace Heighsome (1684)"Grace d. of John Heighsome of Lancaster . . . 11 October 1684," baptized in Saint Mary, Lancaster. "Grace d. of John Heighsom . . . 27 July 1687" - from Burials in Lancashire Parish Registers in "Lancashire Parish Register Society."
She was born on 20 March 1929 - per her death notice. In the Electoral Roll of 2002-2004 for Portsmouth, Hampshire as Joyce Heysham. There were numerous other occupants at the same address so this was probably an apartment complex. None of the others were surnamed Heysham. She died in March 2004 at the age of 75, in Portsmouth, Hampshire. Another source for unclaimed estates says she died on 3 September 2004. She may be part of the Haysom/Haysham family that lived in Portsmouth.
(28) Megan Elizabeth Heysham (1988)She was born in December 1988 in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Her mother's maiden name was Smith. I have a Leslie G. Heysham who married Gwyneth Priestly-Smith in 1952 in Clun, Shropshire. However, that's a generation too early. Gwyneth Heysham, who was born on 3 November 1918, died in October 1992 in Bridport, Dorset.
Mrs. HeyshamHere's a fun story, from the website of an artificial grass manufacturer.
"The "As Good As Grass" sales team were stunned this week after a customer requested a quote for removing her newly installed artificial grass lawn. The lady from Chipping Sodbury explained the lawn was purchased as a gift for her grandmother who was at first delighted with the garden makeover gift. However, A month after the installation the grandmother flew into a rage with her gardener as he refused to mow the lawn. Mrs Heysham was not aware that her new grass lawn is synthetic.Mrs. Heysham
In a bid to keep the peace, the Chipping Sodbury resident (who wishes to remain nameless) has commissioned a team to remove the artificial grass and replace it with real turf. Apparently Mrs Heysham refuses to talk to her granddaughter and stated, "I cannot believe she gave me fake grass! How can anybody be so cheap?" Clearly Mrs Heysham is unaware of our prices."
A Mrs. Heysham is a school teacher at the Westbury Park primary school in Bristol, England. I see that she had a child in 2008.
Strays from the Probate RecordsPROBATE RECORDS Archdeaconry of Richmond Wills, Inventories, Administration and Tuition Bonds
Full Record ELIZABETH HEYSHAM WIDOW Item 18Oct1716
Full Record W/R/W/R48B/9 GRACE HEYSHAM WIDOW Item 04Jun1720
Full Record W/R/W/R49B/17 JOHN HEYSHAM HUSBANDMAN, YEOMAN Item 13Sep1729
Full Record W/R/W/R49B/20 WILLIAM HEYSHAM SKINNER Item 21Dec1728
Full Record WRW/R103b/56 ELIZABETH HEYSHAM, WIDOW Item 3 APR 1761
Full Record WRW/R123c/65 CATHERINE HEYSHAM, WIDOW Item 1 JUN 1810
Full Record WRW/R498/85 WILLIAM HEYSHAM, HUSBAND OF MARY Item 13 AUG 176
"Heysham, Giles, of Lancaster, marriner
1694-5. Heysham, Robert . . .
Heysham, William, junior, esquire . . .
Heysham, Robt., of Liverpool, carpenter, son of William . . .
Heysham, Thos., of Lancaster, butcher . . .
Heysham, John, son of Giles, of Cockerham . . .
Heysham, John, of Lancaster, butcher
Heysham, John, . . . , of Lancaster, merchant" - from "The Rolls of the Freemen of the Borough of Lancaster. 1688 to 1840" by W. B. Kendall, T. Cann Hughes.
Abraham his brother, Thomas, were Quakers and the most important Lancaster merchants from 1740 to their deaths. The Rawlinsons dominated the West Indian trade at Lancaster. The family's level of influence in transatlantic commercial activities is well evidenced. In 1756, for example, at least 8 of the 17 vessels returning from the West Indian and mainland American colonies during that year were Rawlinson owned. Each brother had a son sit in Parliament. They were also part owners of Giles Heysham's ship, ELIZABETH. Giles was Ann's cousin. Abraham's interests in the "Africa Trade" were further consolidated in 1732 by a marriage to Mary, daughter of John Dilworth, an unashamed slave trader who had little interest in any other commodities in the West Indies.
The school was originally located on the western slope of Castle Hill, between the castle and priory. The earliest reference to it was in a deed of about 1235, witnessed by Thomas de Kirkham, who was described as "magistro scholarum de Lancastriae" or Headmaster of the Lancaster School. The school would have taught the Trivium: Latin grammar, Logic and Rhetoric.
This was one of the most destructive earthquakes in history, killing between 60,000 and 100,000 of the city's inhabitants. It shook the confidence of the faithful in a just God and figured in Voltaire's satire, Candide.
The name Yealand, mentioned in the Domesday Book as Jalant, derives from the Anglo-Saxon meaning 'high ground'. Originally a single township, one of whose overlords was Henry de Redmayne, it had passed by the early 13th century into the hands of Adam de Yealand, Sheriff of the County from 1228-1233. Adam's daughter, Alice, later married a Robert de Conyers, which gave rise to the distinction in nomenclature between the lower and upper villages as known today, Yealand Conyers & Yealand Redmayne. 
The major city of the county of Cumberland, now Cumbria. It is an ancient city and the seat of the diocese to which it gives its name. It is situated on a slight rise, in the Cumberland Ward, at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew, and Petteril on the Solway Firth, approximately 70 miles north of Lancaster. 
The church of St. Bride's has stood on the same plot of London soil for 1500 years. Named in honour of St. Bridget of Kildare, Ireland, the first known stone building was erected on the site in the sixth century, probably by a community of local Celts. By Norman times, St. Bride's had become a prominent city church. The present church was designed by Christopher Wren in 1675. Its steeple is the tallest he ever built. The whole idea of the multi-layered wedding cake supposedly began when an enterprising Fleet Street baker set out to copy Wren's tower in confectionary. The church enshrines a piece of American history. From this church and parish came the Pilgrim Fathers of New England, including Edward Winslow. The church was destroyed during the Blitz of World War II. All that remains is its famous steeple.
The city cathedral is located on Castle Street in the centre of Carlisle. King Henry I originally founded St. Mary's Priory as a House of Augustinian Canons in 1122. He established the Diocese of Carlisle and the Priory Church as its Cathedral in 1133. Succeeding centuries saw the enlargement and development of the original Norman Cathedral and Priory. Each major development was in the style of time - Early English in the 13th century, Decorated in the 14th and Perpendicular in the 15th century. By the time of the dissolution of the monastery in 1540, the Cathedral and Priory had reached a climax of expansion and decoration. In 1541 the Cathedral was rededicated to the Holy Trinity.
The museum, located in Cheshire, was founded in 1848 with the donation of 2,745 specimens from the local Natural History Society
Located in the Yorkshire Dales, the earliest school on this site was opened in 1525 by Robert Lupton, a Cambridge trained lawyer, as a Chantry [grammar] school. Very early a strong connection with St. John's College, Cambridge was established and scholarship's to that school funded. Sedbergh's Headmasters were appointed by the college. 
Or Rajpootana, the pre-1949 name of the present-day west Indian state of Rajathan, lying on the border with Pakistan. It had been ruled by the Rajputs for centuries, but their rule had decayed and the region had split into a plethora of petty states of Raja's and Nabobs. This power vacuum pulled in a variety of a bandits, raiders and conquerors. By the end of the 18th century nearly the whole of Rajputana had been conquered by the chief of these, the Marathas. The Second Anglo-Maratha War distracted the Marathas from 1807 to 1809, but afterwards Maratha domination of the independent states of Rajputana resumed. 
Patna is the capital of the province of Bihar, on the southern bank of the Ganges river well inland from Calcutta. Bihar is just south of Nepal, between West Bengal to the southeast and the state of Uttar Pradesh to the northwest. 
The district of Meerut forms a tract between the Ganges and the Jumna rivers. The largest garrison of the East India Company in Northern India was located in the cantonment there and it was the headquarters of the 7th division of the northern army, with accommodation for horse and field artillery, British and native cavalry and infantry. This was where the Sepoy Mutiny began in 1857. Uttar Pradesh is located amidst the sources of the Ganges, west of Bihar and east of Haryana provinces. Delhi is just to the west.
Karnal is the name both for a district and its capital in Haryana province. It is an ancient walled town 75 miles north of New Delhi, between the Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, on the Grand Trunk Road between Bengal and Delhi. It is a major producer of rice, wheat and dairy products.
An Orphan School was established in Calcutta by the Bengal Military Orphan Society in 1784 - the first of its kind in India. The children of NCO's and private soldiers went to the Lower school while the Upper Orphan School was reserved for the orphans of officers. Both schools were administered by the Military Board. In the beginning the children from both the Upper and the Lower schools were housed together in an old distillery at Howrah, on the west side of the Hooghly river. By the way, the names originated in the original orphanage where the officers' children were on the second, "upper" floor and those of the enlisted men were on the lower. Later the Upper Orphan School was moved to a mansion in Kidderpore in 1790, on the east side of the river. 
The university was founded in 1857 by Lord Canning. For a number of years classes met in a number of buildings, including the Calcutta town hall, but in 1873, a building of it's own was inaugurated, now known as Senate House. It was torn down in 1860.
Of all of the Indian hill stations, Simla, in the province of Himachal Pradesh, is the most well-known and the most-frequented. It was more than a vacation spot, it was a node of power and it was from Simla that the British government of India partly conducted its affairs. It was the summer residence of the Viceroy and staff of the supreme government, and also of the Punjab government. It is located amongst the southern outliers of the great central chain of the eastern Himalaya. These are the source waters of both the Indus and the Ganges rivers. It is a situation of great beauty.
The Old Cottonians Association (OCA) commemorates the students of the Bishop Cotton School, located in Simla, India. The school was founded on 28 July 1859 and is the oldest boarding school in Asia. Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton was the son of an Army Captain who died leading his Regiment in battle. A scholar of Westminster and a graduate of Cambridge, in 1836 he was appointed Assistant Master at Rugby by Doctor Thomas Arnold, one of the founders of the British Public School system. It was the young Mr. Cotton who was spoken of as the "the model young master" in Thomas Hughes' famous book "Tom Brown's School Days". He was consecrated Bishop at Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Queen Victoria personally selected Bishop Cotton as Bishop of Calcutta and Metropolitan Bishop of India, Burma and the Island of Ceylon in the wake of the Sepoy Mutiny. He founded the school using the same "house system" seen at Rugby. The houses were Curzon, Ibbetson, Lefroy, and Rivaz.
The Church dates from 1787. The overgrown graveyard here has a number of interesting monuments, including the octagonal mausoleum of Job Charnock, founder of Calcutta, who died in 1692. Admiral Watson, who supported Clive in retaking Calcutta from Siraj-ud-daula, is also buried here. The obelisk commemorating the black hole was moved to a corner of this graveyard. It was constructed between 1784 - 87, at a cost of Rs. 2 lakhs. Based on Greek architecture and designed by Lt. James Agg, the graceful Church is made entirely of stone. It is the earliest example of British masonry in India. Near the west wall is a replica of the Holwell Monument - originally erected at the site of the Black Hole of Calcutta. Inside the church there are the famous paintings of The Last Supper by John Zoffany, a marvellous stained glass window and memorial tablets of prominent citizens through the ages.
A 36-gun frigate, or fifth rate, built at Deptford and commissioned in 1811. It was made a hulk in 1839 and broken up in 1865. She was active the Long Island sound region during the War of 1812 as Admiral Cockburn's flagship. At left is HMS SYLPH with the HMS MAIDSTONE close behind, by B. J. Phillips - from the Southold Historical Society.
A 52 gun "4th Rate," JAVA-class frigate. She had 16 42 pound guns, 8 carronades and 36 24 pound guns. She weighed 1487 tons and had a full compliment of 450 men and boys. She was completed on 21 June 1822. In 1829 her Captain was Charles J. Austin and she was on the "Jamaica Station" in the West Indies. In 1831 her Captain was Lord William Paget. In 1833 she was out of commission at Chatham.
The church of St John the Evangelist, Lancaster, was begun in 1754, at a time of relative prosperity in the town. The port on the River Lune was thriving, and the church was required to meet the needs of the growing population. In 1784 the west tower, designed by Thomas Harrison, was added. 
Hull is a port on Yorkshire's North Sea coast, just southeast of the city of York, but well south of Newcastle. The main export from Hull was wool, much of which was exported to towns in what is now Holland and Belgium where it was woven and dyed. Some salt was also exported as well as grain and hides. The chief import was wine. In the late 17th century a travel writer called Celia Fiennes described Hull thus:
William was born on 5 October 1851 in Coatham, a small town near Middlesboro, in Durham. William Heysham Overend, the son of James Overend and Martha [Hodgson], was christened on 16 November 1851 at St. Cuthbert, Darlington, Durham. William's father left that textile manufacturing center and moved south to London, where he took up a job with the railroad. 
William H. Overend arrived in New York City on 4 October 1882 aboard the SCYTHIA, left. He had been commissioned to commemorate Admiral David Porter's naval conquest of New Orleans in 1862, during the American Civil War, and was visiting to learn as much as he could about the event and the ships involved. While there, Overend also painted "An August Morning with Farragut: The Battle of Mobile Bay," below, commemorating another Civil War engagement from 1864. This was a triumph.
