Pierre Richier with Prince William V in Kew 1795?

[pavane]

In January 1795, when the French invaded the Netherlands, Prince William V of Orange fled from the Hague to England, and was temporarily housed in Kew by the Royal Family. According to Dutch sources, Pierre Richier was his private secretary, and fled with him. We have lost track of Pierre, does anyone know how we can search for him (He was my ancestor) Prince William later left for Hanover, where he died in 1806.

[pavane]

Pierre's daughter gave birth to two sons (one was my ancestor) in Hanover between 1797 and 1799. So maybe he moved there? Surely there must have been some official documentation when he arrived in England, and again when he left?

[Watson]

In that era, measures were taken from time to time requiring "aliens" to be registered, but I doubt whether they would apply to a private secretary of a foreign royal person.  William's visit seems likely to have been handled by the Foreign Office.

Could you perhaps let us have details about what the "Dutch sources" are, and what they say?

[pavane]

The main Dutch source was Henry Surie's diary - hardly an official document! However, Pierre Richier was his maternal great grandfather.

Henry's father Johann had married, in London, Elisabeth Wilhelmina Sievers, daughter of Petronella Richier and therefore Pierre's grand daughter.

From Henry Surie (Translated from Dutch)
"My mother's grandfather was a Frenchman by birth [this was not true. he was born in the Hague, of French ancestry via his grandfather Charles Richier, born in Celle, Germany].

Since he was the Baron Richier, and belonged to the French high nobility, he obtained a post of trust at the Holland Court, as private secretary of the Prince of Orange. My maternal grandfather fled from Scheveningen to England with Prince William V. "
and
"My father requested from the  Dutch Government a pension for the daughter of the late Secretary of Prince William V.   As the daughter of Baron Richier, and because of her late spouse, she   (Petronella) also obtained a pension from the British government ,"

She was certainly recorded in 1836 in Amsterdam "of independent means"

We have been unable to confirm any Barony, and the diary is certainly unreliable in other places!
Henry says that the family property in France had been given to "relatives of Guichot, the minister of home affairs" and his father spent all his money trying to retrieve it.

[Watson]

Thanks for the gen.  I want to digest this, so I will post again in the next day or two.

One small encouraging sign so far:  I think I may have found the death registration of Pierre's daughter in London on the G.R.O.'s website:

        1849, June qtr., Petronela Sievers, Shoreditch, volume 2, page 279 (age 73).

[pavane]

Thanks, but I already knew that. I found it many years ago. In the official deaths list, she was listed as Pebronella, but you could see in the image that the b had been overtyped by a t. She died at the Dutch Alms houses.

[Watson]

I think you should take a look at the will of Pierre Giles Joseph Richir, proved in London on 30 September 1815 (National Archives, PROB 11/1573/223).

He said he was a native of the Low Countries (which perhaps fits the bill), and had been in service with various people including Prince Loffowitz [sic], the Duke of Kent, and the Duke of Cumberland.  There are various circumstances which do not match the story from the diary, and this may be a complete red herring.  On the other hand, it seems surprising that Petronella died in an almshouse if her father was a Baron.

[pavane]

Thank you for the research, but I don't think this is our man. We have never believed the Baron story anyway. However, I will check it out if I can. In 1815, Petronella and her husband Herman Sievers were living in London, and Pierre Richier also had several daughters living in the Nethelands.
Do any of his family get a mention?

[pavane]

No, I can see the index but don't have access to the will itself.