Houchen family living near Auckland

[ChrisWd]

The reverend Edward Houchen born 1829 in Norfolk married Anne Gilham in 1865 and had nine children between 1866 and 1881.  In 1883 or thereabouts the family emigrated to New Zealand.  They built a house which they called Porthcurnow in Takapuna near Auckland.  Anne died there in 1891, Edward died 1902.

One of their sons Henry Houchen married Eliza Katherine Owen in 1906 at St Barnabas, Mount Eden.  She was the daughter of George Burgoyne Owen who was a prominent Auckland merchant and his wife Selina (nee Osbourn).  Henry & Eliza had at least one child, Harry Owen Houchen born 1907 in Auckland.  Harry Owen Houchen married Beatrix Elizabeth Ellett in 1935 in Westminster, London.

I would appreciate any further information on any of the above.

Best regards,
Chris

[trish1120]

Not sure if you want to go back or forward?

EDWARD Houchen Baptised 15 November 1829, St Margaret, Wereham, Norfolk
Parents JOHN/SUSANNA
Fathers Occp Gentleman
Siblings;
SUSAN (HouchIn), 30 March 1817
JOHN, 20 March 1818
THOMAS WILLIAM, 08 Sept 1819
BIRCHAM, 15 Jan 1821
GEORGE AUGUSTUS FREDERICK, 30 Jan 1823
HENRY, 27 June 1827
ARTHUR, 15 June 1833
(Source FreeREG)

1841 Census
Turnpike Street,
Wereham, Norfolk
HO107/755/15/Wereham
John HOUCHEN, 50, Independant
Susan, 55
Susan Jnr, 20
Bircham, 20
George, 15
All born in County

John HOUCHEN Married Susanna Buttingham BIRCHAM,   18 May 1816,
Saint James, Westminster, London, England
(Source Familysearch.Org)

I saw a Tree with Susanna as Susanna BRETTINGHAM which looks incorrect to me, Buttingham/Brettingham is a christian name of hers, not Surname.

Trish

[trish1120]

Susanna Brettingham BIRCHAM Baptised 18 January 1795, St Nicholas, Wells-next-to-the-Sea, Norfolk
Birth 12 Jan 1795
Parents;
Thomas BIRCHAM and SARAH nee MOOR or Moore
Siblings Baptisms;
ANN (Burcham), 20 Nov 1785
WILLIAM, 07 Nov 1789
SARAH, 18 Nov 1791
(FreeeREG)

Thomas BIRCHAM, Single Man of Holt Parish Married Sarah MOORE, Single Woman of Holt Parish, 06 January 1785, St Andrew, Holt, Norfolk
Witnesses Judith and Ann Chaplin
(FreeREG)

Susanna is with her Sister Sarah in Middlesex in 1851. As you now Edward is there also.
Sarah BIRCHAM Married William AGER, 29 July 1819, Saint James, Westminster, London.(F/S.Org)

1841 Census Sarah Bircham age 80, nee Moore is with the Agers in Middlesex.

[trish1120]

Sorry if you already have all of this Chris but have gotten carried away with it (must be my NZ upbringing!)

I would say this is Thomas Birchams Parents Marriage;

William BIRCHAM Married Ann BRETINGHAM, 03 Sept 1759, Kelling, Norfolk
(F/S.Org)

Possible Baptism 01 Jan 1760, St Margaret, Cley next to the Sea for THOMAS Bircham to WILLIAM/ANNE
(FreeREG)

I will leave this now to the NZ Experts

[ChrisWd]

Thanks Trish,

I have all the John & Susanna Houchen children plus one other....William born 1825.  I believe they were all born in the old Wereham Hall and baptised at St Margaret of Antioch in the village.  I've seen the memorial inscriptions to the Houchens in the church many times and it's one of the reasons I'm interested in tracing the family.

Interestingly David Cameron the Prime Minister is the 4th great grandson of John & Susanna Houchen.

I had Susanna Bircham's parents but not their marriage details.  Thank you for this information.

John and Susanna's youngest son Arthur was killed in October 1854 or thereabouts when he was on active duty in the 1st Royal Dragoons in the Crimea.  He was obviously involved in the Battle of Balaclava but I've been trying to find out if he was one of the casualties of the famous Charge. 

John Houchen built a new Hall in Wereham village in 1832 and I think the family moved from the old Hall to occupy the new residence soon thereafter.  John's father, also called John Houchen, had been born in the old Hall in 1742.  The ownership of the old Hall is quite convoluted.  John Dethick, a London merchant had been Lord of Wereham Manor up until 1751 when he conveyed the manor and demeaned lands to a John Heaton of the Plas Heaton estate in Denbighshire.  This transfer did not, however, include Wereham Hall.  John Heaton had previously married Martha Adamson daughter of another Wereham gentry Christopher Adamson in 1734.  It's not clear to me if John Houchen senior acquired old Wereham Hall when the manor changed hands in 1751 or whether the family remained as tenants until the new Hall was built mant years later.

I'm not sure when the old Hall disappeared but the 'new' Wereham hall was probably demolished in 1962 after it had fallen into disrepair.  It was described as a neat three storey mansion made of brick and slate roof with large gardens and pleasure grounds.  John Houchen (younger) who commissioned the new Hall was a conveyancer, i.e. a legal specialist in aspects of buying and selling real estate.

Edward Houchen, John and Susanna's son, attended North Walsham school in Norfolk and was admitted to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge  in 1849, obtaining a B.A. in 1854 and his M.A. in 1857.  He was ordained in 1856 and became a priest in Norwich and subsequently took up several curacies between 1858-71.  He was the vicar of Playford in Suffolk from 1871 until 1874, then became the curate of St Sampson, Porthcurnow near Penzance in Cornwall from 1877 until he emigrated in 1883. 

Edward Houchen's eldest son, Edward Charles married a woman called Laura Margaret Vernon in 1897 in Te Mata, Waikato. They  seemed to have had 6 children.  In 1922 Edward Charles acquired some land on the outskirts on Hamilton and settled some of his family in a farmhouse there.  The property was gradually expanded and I think it is now known as Houchen House Retreat. 

Sorry for the ramble but I find this history quite fascinating.

Regards,
Chris

[trish1120]

No need to apologise. I too find my and others Ancestors fascinating

I await others replies to you query with interest.

[Janette]

Hi Chris

Edward and Anne are buried in O'neill's Point Cemetery

Clement and Henry are there also

http://www.northshorecity.govt.nz/Services/OnlineServices/pages/IFCemetry.aspx

Cheers Janette

[Janette]

Clement married
1928/3013 Grace Chalklin  Hedges to Clement  Houchen 

There is a Grace is buried in Purewa cemetery

http://purewa.need.co.nz/details.asp?id=29507&type=Burial

This may be the daughter Grace

Cheers Janette

[kiwihalfpint]

Hi,

From the NZ Gazette Entries, page 1156, in 1908 looks like Clement Houchen was an Officiating Minister.   There is another mention of Clement in the NZ Gazette 1922, page 187.

School records show that on the 25 February 1884 Clement was admitted to the Sumner School.  The birthdate given was 4 July 1878 (these are always taken with a pinch of salt), by 1886 he was attending Devonport School, this time the birthday was 2 July 1878.   Apparently his last school was Mt Hobson,

Cheers
KHP