Clough family - South Africa

[Sabretoothtiger]

Looking for any siblings/parents of my GG Grandmother, Charlotte Priscilla Clough (she may have been known as "Jane").  She was born in Africa about 1855 according to later census entries.  All I know about her family is that her father was an E. B. Clough. She married Brooke Greville in 1879 and appeared to have been living in Natal at that time.  Her elder children were born in Pietermaritzburg.  Her husband was in the British army and the family later settled in England.

[rutti tutti]

Hi there,
Shelagh Spencers book British Settlers in Natal, South Africa; 1824 - 1857
 gives a Mrs Priscilla Buerdsell Clough as an emigrant - these books are freely available in the libraries in South Africa - if you dont have access to these I could try and find some deatils for you.
If you look in the archives you will see that there are a number of redernces to a Edward Buersdall Clough who died in 1912 - his wife was Charlotte Elizabeth born Smith.
Most of the Clough references are in the Natal area - I would suggest writing to the Pietermaritzburg archives as EB certainlt seemed to be in the news a lot!
Ruth

[Sabretoothtiger]

Thank you so much for the information it seems likely this is the family, Charlotte and Priscilla were popular names in earlier generations of my family.  I was unaware of the books as I live in England; my husband is a librarian, he may be able to track copies down.  I thought this branch would be almost impossible to track down because Clough is a common name and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help!
Anoushka

[rutti tutti]

Hi again,
What really interested me was the Buersdell middle name asit is very uncommon - maybe worth investigating in the UK. A lot of the Natal settlers came from the Yorkshire area ( East and North)
You can also search through these lists which may give their entry into Natal although there were Cloughs living in the Cape at the time.

http://www.genealogyworld.net/rose/natal.html

My guess is that EB and family were from the UK though. To be born in PMB( Pietermaritzburg) in 1856 means they must have been early settlers. Rosemary aka Mole on this forum is a real expert on Natal history. She has transcribed lots of  the records on the Genealogyworld.net site and is based here in Durban. I will send her an email and see if I can get any info - my friend also works in the local FHS library.
Right now I need to go to school..........
Ruth

[Mole]

I did some research on the family of Edward Buerdsell (the name is a variant of Birdsall/Birdsell) CLOUGH for another descendant a while ago.  There are numerous references to him on the NAAIRS index, as rutti tutti says.  Perhaps in an attempt to confuse succeeding generations  Edward arrived in Natal under the name BUERDSELL, using Clough as his middle name. If you would like to discuss further, preferably contact me
Regards,
Mole

[guyholmes]

Hi, just googled my cousin in SA (Brooke) and stumbled across your posts. Brooke Greville is my great great great grandfather he and Granny Pris (if I have it all correctly) came back to the UK. Brooke served as a brigadier in the Army and was also a kings messenger etc. I had better not post my mothers email (Priscilla Greville, nor my aunt Charlotte's) but will get in touch with them as they know all of the family connections. I think my mother pronounces 'Buerdsell'  as 'Bussel'.
Generally though we are easy to find in Burke's Peerage or Debrettes. Look at the collateral branch of the Earls of Warwick. You will get all of the Cloughs linked in there too.
Hope this is handy cousin,
best wishes, Guy

[Sabretoothtiger]

Thank you.  I am aware of the Grevilles as my GG was Brooke's daughter.   As I recall our last Greville ancestor to be Earl of Warwick died about 300 years ago.  I have several thousand direct ancestors in my family tree - mainly from those connections but am trying to sweep up the more obscure ones.

I am interested in EB who appears to be step son of a Beer Seller from Salford, which must have been one of the most awful places on Earth in the mid 19th century.  Also in his Mum who seems a real character! The mother and son combination are absolutely intriguing. 

[Patkzn]

For reasons that have yet to be determined, a transcript of Edward Buerdsell Clough's marriage record is at the Mooi River Museum amongst papers relating to one of my great granduncles, William Smith (born 1837, Yorkshire; died 1911, Orpington,Kent, England).

The transcript reads "Edward Buerdsell Clough of Pmb born Stonehouse by Devonshire, aged 27 years, Bachelor; Charlotte Elizabeth Smith of Pmb born Uxbridge in Middlesex, England, aged 17 years, Spinster.  James Hendry, Guardian consents."

The relationship, if any, between William Smith and Charlotte Elizabeth Smith is unknown.  I also do not have any information about James Hendry.

Pat

[allanpeter]

I am interested in the Greville connection, paticularly with the family of a Capt. B.S. Greville whose family were in Pietermaritzberg in 1909-10