Charlotte MORLEY b. circa 1814-1816 Barenpore Bengal

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi, Everyone,
Not sure whether I'm posting on the right board here, but last week a very good friend of mine visited from Denmark, and was very curious about her IZZARD family from Hitchin.  She has always wondered as well where she might get her very dark skin colouring from...
So, when I came across a Charlotte MORLEY marrying her gt-gt-gt-grandfather George IZZARD in Hitchin in 1835, I was interested to see that she was born in "Barenpore", Bengal in 1816, according to the 1851 Census.  She also had a daughter previous to her marriage called Mathilda MORLEY born in Ireland in 1833, according to the 1841 Census.  So Charlotte certainly travelled about.
I remember one of the WDYTYA programmes featuring Alistair McGowan (was it?), in which the whole idea of Anglo-Indian parentage came to light.
I might be getting totally carried away here, but the Indian birthplace has got me thinking...
Is there anywhere I could look for a birth record for Charlotte MORLEY of 1814-1816 in Bengal - I do notice there are some later entries for individuals called Charlotte MORLEY in Bengal on the IGI.
Very many thanks,
keith

[jorose]

From the marriage, do you know if she was widowed? It sounds like there may have been a military connection in which she married a Mr Morley who was stationed in India and then the family were transferred to Ireland.

Or do you have confirmation from another source (marriage certificate of one of the children?) that her maiden name was Morley and Matilda was illegitimate?

It does appear that George had been married before, right? Because of the son Charles who is 11 in 1841.

I had a look on http://indiafamily.bl.uk/ and http://search.fibis.org/ and couldn't see anything, other than a reference to a Charlotte MacNeelance who married William Morley in 1834 - timing is a bit off to be yours, really.

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi again, Jorose,
And thanks very much for trying to help me out with this rather strange puzzle.  As you so rightly say, it would be a good idea to post on the Herts board and see whether anyone can have a look at that 1835 marriage entry at St Mary's Hitchin to see the status of both bride and groom - think I'll do that.
Then, in the 1841 Hitchin Census, where Charlotte appears for the first time, there is her husband George, children Charles aged 11, Richard aged 3, Alice aged 1, and Mathilda Morley aged 8.
George's baptism is in 1812, so I'd be surprised if he'd already been widowed himself, not at all sure where this Charles aged 11 fits in...
Then in the 1851 there is Charlotte IZZARD aged 35, living with Mathilda Morley daughter, aged 18(born Ireland).  No sign of husband George, or an Alfred, their son, born in 1842.  Charlotte's birthplace is given as "Baren pore" - Bengal (looks like it anyway)
Then in the 1861 Census, Charlotte has been widowed, and is living with her 19 year old son Alfred.  Her birthplace here is given as "East India Hindoostan".
There's a death entry for a Charlotte IZZARD in Sept 1861 thereafter.
Quite a conundrum, not at all sure how she managed to have a daughter in Ireland at the age of 17 or 18, possibly, having been born in India before that.
keith

[jorose]

Well, the son Charles b. about 1830 is before the marriage, which made me think George may have been married before. It wouldn't be unusual - I have one married at eighteen,  married again at 20 (her husband died, aged 19, shortly after the marriage from tuberculosis), and one French woman who was on her third husband by age 25.

You might find that she grew up in Ireland, her father having been only temporarily stationed in India with the army, or that she was only in Ireland briefly, having gone there with her husband.

I do see a possible 1831 baptism for a Charles son of George - in Ippollitts, Hertford, to George and Mary Ann Izzard.  There's also a Harris Izzard in 1833 in Hitchin to the same parents, then nothing further.  The marriage of George Izzard to Mary Ann Balls took place in 1830 in Hitchin.

I would suspect that Harris Izzard died as an infant, as I can't find anything else about him, and Mary Ann probably around the same time, leaving George with Charles.

A Matilda Morley married 1856 in Hitchin, to William French - this is confirmed by the IGI/freebmd. She may have then remarried in 1870 to Joseph Farmer (freebmd) - 1871 census shows in Hitchin, Joseph Farmer, 36, and wife Matilda, 36, b. Ireland. In 1881 she gives her birthplace as "At Sea". They do not appear to have had children, or at least there are none with them in the census.

In 1901 she gives her birthplace as 'Born On Sea On Voyage From India'!

[Keith Sherwood]

Jorose,
You've done incredibly well with this, obviously spent a great deal of time poring over it.  Thanks so much!  I hadn't thought of following Mathilda through like this, and that entry about being born aboard ship while on her way from India adds to the drama and speculation.
I did start a thread on the Herts boards about possible details on that 1835 marriage between George IZZARD and Charlotte, but although I've had a great deal of help there, no-one so far has been able to give me a glimpse of that marriage entry...
keith

[Keith Sherwood]

Jorose,
Somebody has very kindly now come up with details of that 1835 Hitchin marriage, and yes, both bride and groom had indeed been married before.
And now I'm more than a little curious to know whether there is a precise date for that 1834 Indian marriage you mentioned earlier in this thread, between Charlotte MacNeelance and William MORLEY.
Must have a look at ALL the references to age regarding both Charlotte and her daughter Mathilda in the subsequent Censuses, to see whether this marriage might still fit (squeeze) into this particular fascinating jigsaw...
Regards, keith

[RichardK]

http://indiafamily.bl.uk/UI/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=014-000189738

This may be Charlotte McNeelance's early life in India.

http://indiafamily.bl.uk/UI/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=014-000189739

And this looks like a sister Amelia McNeelance.

http://indiafamily.bl.uk/UI/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=014-000189740

And a sister Maria too.

[RichardK]

http://indiafamily.bl.uk/UI/FullDisplay.aspx?RecordId=014-000177246

...and the death of their father Galbraith McNeelance

[jorose]

Marriage date is given, if you look on http://indiafamily.bl.uk/, as 11 Jun 1834.

On the IGI there is a daughter born to a William Morley and a Charlotte listed in Calcutta in 1843/44, so this may be a red herring.

Matilda Morley's marriage certificate might be the way forward, as hopefully it will give her father's name and occupation.