T256
Marriage Certificate
St Peter’s Colombo 1837
No 289
Between Henry Charles Bird, Lieut. Ceylon Rifles Regiment bachelor and Rebecca Mais spinster.
Married in Church by Licence.
5th January 1837.
T256
Marriage Certificate
St Peter’s Colombo 1837
No 289
Between Henry Charles Bird, Lieut. Ceylon Rifles Regiment bachelor and Rebecca Mais spinster.
Married in Church by Licence.
5th January 1837.
T252
‘African’ Henry Bird
“African Henry”
Lieut General Henry Byrde ob. 1892
He was the son of Charles Elias Bird, Capt. 5th Foot, and Charlotte Crook of Kinsale. Married 1816.
Who with his elder brother Henry served all through the Peninsular War and in the Montevideo Buenos Aires expedition. Charles Elias wrote the diary.
These two were strong men of the army. When sent to forage they returned carrying an ox between them.
“African” Henry never married. His last appointment was that of governor of Cape Coast Castle.
ORA Byrde
Gt grandson of Henry Byrde department Comm. general Ceylon
In 1945 Florence Marriott wrote the following to someone:
This is “African Henry” given to me by aunt Louisa because I always admired him as a child although I never knew him.
He was my earliest hero, I love it, though mother said he looked like a “fat butcher.”
Cape Coast Castle.was the administrative centre for the Gold Coast (modern day Ghana), Henry was governor their from April 1858 – 20th April 1860.
T232
Fragmentary Diary of Charles Elias Bird, born 1783 service throughout the Penninsular War mainly in the fighting fifth.
He was at Waterloo and received the medal about 1846.
He and his elder brother Henry were accounted the two strongest men in the army.
Sent out to forage they returned carrying a cow between them.
Henry, the elder was not at Waterloo owing to the long war at Wellington with Lord Hill, most of the senior officers were owed pay after Elba? Leading the Duke to say ‘ I have an infamous army’.
Both Henry and Charles were the sons of Lt. Col. Hy. Bird who fought thro the American War of Independence, rescued Elizabeth Hicks who became his wife from Red Indians, and in 1800 died at sea on Sir R Abercromby expedition to Egypt.
He left 3 sons and 9 daughters
ORA Byrde
4 Cambray Court
Cheltenham
Fragmentary Diary of Chas Elias Bird b. About 1784.
(I think at Ty Cooke before the repairs to Goytre House were finished)
T239
Owen Byrde
Birth cert Rachel Olivia d/o Owen Richard Augustus Byrde and Lesley Weddell of Halifax
Birth cert for Lesley Weddell 3rd November 1881 – 18 Clayton Park Square USD Newcastle – d/o George Weddell and Isabella Jacques
Marriage cert Owen R Augustus Byrde and Lesley Weddell 15th October 1910
29 – School master – father Richard Augustus Byrde clk in holy orders
28 – Spinster – George Weddell – director
Death cert Owen R A Byrde – 6th February 1946 aged 64 years
4 Cambray Court Cheltenham – retired school master
Cirrhoses of the liver
Obesity
Varicose veins
Informant- son C G Byrde, 28 Thirloe S London SW7
Birth Cert ORAB
20th June 1881 – Islington
20th June 1881
Richard Owen Byrde s/o Richard Augustus Byrde – mother Alice Mary Leyburne Byrde formerly Burne
T240
I devise and bequeath all the residue of my real and personal estate whatsoever and wheresoever to which I shall be entitled at my death unto my Trustees UPON TRUST that my Trustees shall sell, call in and convert into money the same or such part thereof as shall not consist of money with power to postpone such sale calling in and conversion for such period as my Trustees shall judge expedient. (with particular reference to the shares held by me in Cerebos Ltd) and out of the money so produced and out of my ready money shall pay my funeral and testamentary expenses and debts and the legacies, bequests by this my will or any codicil hereto and all invest the residue of the said moneys in any authorised trust, investments with power from time to time to vary such investments for others of a like nature and shall stand possessed of the residue of such moneys and the investments for/the time being representing the same (herein called “my Residuary Fund”) upon the following trusts:
IN WITNESS whereof I have hereunto set my hand to this my WILL contained in this and the preceding sheet of paper this Twentieth day of November One Thousand Nine Hundred and Thirty Nine.
SIGNED by the said Owen Augustus Richard Byrde the testator as and for his last will in the presence of us both present at the same time who at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses.
Owen Richard Augustus Byrde
C Evans SRC Thomas Patson
The Old Bank House Park Avenue
Abergavenny Mon Abergavenny – Bank Clerk
– Bank Manager
T176
April 26th 1887
Letter to Miss H Chalklen
19 Richmond Crescent Barnsbury
The exact date is more than can be given (tho it might probably be ascertained) when Mary Martha, the pastor FW Durand wife woke in the middle of the night and distinctly saw the curtains of her bed drawn aside by the hand and beheld her beloved son Lieut Henry Durand stand by her and the figure one word he said – “Mother” she was not frightened but pleased to see him although he really was far distant – for he was on his return from the Mediterranean on board HMS Beller john for his Rgt., the 60th rifles had been engaged in some duty at Majorca or one of the adjacent islands.
In the morning Ms Durand began to think she must have had a dream – but sometime after sad news came that their lively young son officer, who have often said “he would like to have a short life and a merry one” was dead – and what estrayed of all was that at the very day and hour his mother had seen him at her bedside he had breathed his last with the word mother on his lips.
Lt. Henry Durand was younger than his sister Hester ja Coba afterwards Mrs de Fer, but probably older than Dr W Durands who died towards the close of the last century.
T172
Letter 1
From Lawford & Co., Solicitors
Court Gray’s Inn
London
To Major W Byrde
Red Lion House
Membury
Axminster asking him to collect a bust of Sam Byrde in a buff coloured coat with gold buttons signed and dated 1778. Also one half of the armorial porcelain from Bonham’s.
Signed
G L Meyrick
Letter 2
To dearest Petronella from daddy asking her to go to Bonham’s and collect the things.
Letter 3
29th September 1980
To Major WB Byrde from G L Meyrick
In which is stated Mr Charles Byrde has no objection to W B Byrde having the deeds etc., but would be interested in any references to the Peninsular war, also there is conveyance and deeds relating to the litigation over property in both Leicester Square and Oxford St. Suggests they meet at the solicitors and view the paper together.