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Archiver > ESSEX-UK > 2002-11 > 1037413981


From: "Noel Clark" <>
Subject: FW: Berechurch Hall, Colchester
Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2002 13:33:25 +1100


In the 1851 census index for the Braintree district I find, film Ho
107/1785, page 145: living in Wethersfield:

Thomas WHITE, aged 45, born unnamed place, Middlesex;
Edith Alice WHITE, 07, bn. Wethersfield;
Constance Amy WHITE, 09, bn. Berechurch;
Minna Ann WHITE, 12, bn. Berechurch.

A look at this film would confirm whether Thomas was a widower; no adult
female WHITE is shown on page 145.

This looks a promising family.

Going on to 1861, I find the following, film RG9/1113, page 109: living
Wethersfield: (the 1861 census index does not give birthplaces)

Constance A. WHITE, 19;
Edith A.S. WHITE, 17;
Minnie A WHITE, 22;
Thomas WHITE, 58;
Thomas G.G. WHITE, 27.

This appears to be the same family as found in 1851.

Hope this is helpful to you Debra.

Regards,
Noel



-----Original Message-----
From: David Lamb [mailto:]
Sent: Friday, 15 November 2002 18:16
To:
Subject: Re: Berechurch Hall, Colchester

Hello,

I have a book of old photos of Colchester, which shows Berechurch Hall
(which is no longer standing), but the caption says that the Hall was
rebuilt in 1881, so it isn't a photo of the Hall as it was in 1852.
(The
person responsible for the rebuilding was a brewer, Octavius COOPE, who
I
imagine was the "COOPE" part of the brewing firm, Inde, Coope and
Alsopp).

If you go to: www.russellgrant.fsnet.co.uk/history/mhopkirk.rtf you can
download the text of a book written in 1934, The Story of Layer de la
Haye,
by Mary Hopkirk. Here is a sample which is about Berechurch Hall:

"In 1802 Sir George Henry Smythe, 6th and last baronet, succeeded his
liberal-minded father. He was only eighteen; and had been sent down
from
Cambridge on account of "a row with a tradesman called Hiron." A
typical
Regency young man, a keen sportsman and devotee of the ring, he
eventually
settled down into great respectability, and was many times Member for
Colchester. Unlike his father he was an extreme Conservative and a
bigoted
Protestant, but was, however, very popular locally.

It is related that at an election meeting a yokel called out: "Sir
Henry,
you're a fool, and we don't want a fool to represent us;" whereupon Sir
Henry replied, "But, my dear sir, the fools want someone to represent
them!"

His portrait in the Mayor's Parlour at the Town Hall (of Colchester)
shows
an eminently respectable Early Victorian old gentleman. By his wife Eva
Elmore he had an only child Charlotte, for whom he built the bathing
shelter
by the lake at Berechurch. Charlotte married Thomas White, of
Wethersfield,
and died in 1845. Her marble memorial stands beside the altar in
Berechurch, where she is buried. When Sir Henry died seven years later
his
property passed to Thomas White, with whose death the Berechurch estate
entered upon the last chequered fifty years of its existence as such.
It
passed first to the Formby family and then to O. E. Coope, M.P., who
re-built the house. Its last owner was Mrs. Hetherington; and after the
War
it was broken up, the Layer manors and farms being sold separately to
their
present (1934) owners."

It seems to me that it is at least possible that Thomas WHITE and his
wife
were related to the Charlotte Debra asked about.

Anyway, I hope this is of some help.

Regards,
David Lamb (Paignton, Devon, UK)
Interests (Essex): BAXTER, BERRY, EREY, GOLDSTONE, LAMB, MOTT,
PARTRIDGE,
SARGENT, TICHBORNE, WEBB, WILLSHER
(Suffolk): BRYNGLOVE, CRISPE, FINCH, PARTRIDGE, PORTER, PRATT


----- Original Message -----
From: "Debra Emmett" <>
To: <>
Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 8:20 PM
Subject: Berechurch Hall, Colchester


> Hi All,
>
> I'm a new member of this list and I'm hoping that some kind soul can
point
> me towards the right direction to find out some more information about
my
> family links in Essex.
>
> My interests in Essex focus on my great-great grandmother Charlotte
Mary
> WHITE, who was born on the 19th March 1852 and said to have been
raised at
> Berechurch Hall, Colchester, Essex. I've found her christening record
from
> 30th Nov 1852 at the Church of St Lawrence, Winchester, Hampshire,
which
> gives her parents names as Charlotte Eva WHITE and Frederick
VILLEBOIS.
>
> The general information that I have comes from tales passed down
through
> another branch of the family, so I'm trying to piece together what is
true
> and what is just family stories. Supposedly, Charlotte Eva was not
married
> to Frederick, and she died not long after the birth, but I haven't
been
able
> to verify this yet. Frederick went on to marry Mary Ann WATSON and
raise a
> family in London. This left young Charlotte Mary being raised at
Berechurch
> by other family members.
>
> As I'm based in New Zealand, I don't have easy access to many of the
> relevant data sources, so I'm hoping that some kind person could help
me
out
> by checking the 1851 census and telling me who was living at
Berechurch
Hall
> at the time. I'm hoping that either a WHITE or VILLEBOIS might have
been
> living there.
>
> If anyone has any other information about the WHITE family or
Berechurch
> Hall, I'd love to hear from you. I would also be interested in hearing
from
> anyone who knows about the ghost story "Charlotte in the White Robe"
which
I
> discovered while doing a web search. Supposedly, Berechurch Hall had a
ghost
> called Charlotte haunting it, and I'd obviously like to find out more
as
it
> could make a great addition to the family story.
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Debra Emmett
> New Zealand
> Email:
>
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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