T.40 – Main Points

The writer discusses a dispute involving:

• succession to a military appointment or office,
• claims of service,
• seniority,
• recommendations made by superior officers,
• and whether a particular candidate had been unfairly passed over.

One passage appears to state that an individual:

“…served with distinction…”

and that recommendations had been made on that person’s behalf.

Another section discusses:

“…promotion…”

and whether proper procedures had been followed.

The overall tone is that of a formal petition setting out facts and arguments to support a claim.

T.41 – Chalklen Estate Papers

The envelope is particularly interesting.

The endorsement appears to read approximately:

“Letters found among Chalklen Estate Papers”

Addressed to:

E. M. Byrde Esq.

with an address that appears to include:

Saxon House

This is significant because it directly links the papers to the Chalklen family whose relationship to the Byrdes was described in the Huguenot memorandum.

Letter Found in the Envelope

The third image contains a personal handwritten letter.

The first paragraphs read approximately:

“…left the house at six o’clock…”

and refer to a journey involving:

• roads being blocked,
• difficulties travelling,
• delays,
• encounters with local people,
• and weather conditions.

Later sections mention:

“…the hill of late…”

and:

“…received by post…”

The letter appears personal rather than legal or military.

Several place names occur but are difficult to read from the current image quality.

Lugarches (?) 19th December 1815

and is addressed:

My Lord

It appears to be a formal statement concerning the military service and accounts of Colonel Bird.

Partial transcription

“I have taken the liberty of laying before your Lordship’s indulgence in a case the particulars of which are here stated…”

The letter continues:

“…after the battle of Vittoria, Brevet and Colonel Bird was left there on duty…”

This almost certainly refers to the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813) during the Peninsular War.

Further down:

“…his brother was paid by his brother for him, until it was ascertained that the former was going to England…”

The writer then discusses:

• settlement of accounts,
• public and private accounts,
• balances due,
• military administration after the campaign.

Another readable section states:

“…Captain Leech were authorized by him to settle his accounts both Public and Private…”

and:

“…The balances on the abstract to 24 September were up by £106 9s…”

The remainder becomes progressively harder to read because of the angle and focus.

Archival wrapper

The final image gives an important clue.

It is labelled:

Papers of “human interest”

with archive reference:

T 38-44

This suggests that somebody sorting the Byrde family archive separated a bundle of particularly interesting personal documents from the routine legal deeds.

T.39 – Henry Charles Bird

The second image appears to be titled:

Henry Charles Bird Esq.

and beneath:

The Hague Journal

The document reads like a financial or military account associated with Henry Charles Bird during his time abroad.

Items listed include:

• Allowance from army contingencies
• Remittances for charges from various sources
• Expenses incurred in Holland
• Payments received
• “Paid to Stamp and Parchment”
• “Four quires paper purchased”
• “Allowance in your capacity over and above your pay”

The entries are accompanied by columns of pounds, shillings and pence.

This is almost certainly a personal account statement rather than a legal deed.

Letter concerning Major Bird

The third image appears to be a draft or copy letter.

Several passages can be read reasonably confidently:

“The business of Lt. Lewis appears to think for a considerable time…”

Later:

“…the circumstances under which his Majesty ordered the payment of four shillings per day…”

and:

“…Major Bird…”

There are references to:

• army pay,
• allowances,
• warrants,
• travelling expenses,
• and repayment.

The letter appears to be discussing whether a military officer was entitled to a particular allowance.

At the end:

“I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient humble servant…”

which is typical official military correspondence.

The wrapper

The final wrapper is particularly revealing.

It reads:

Papers of “human interest”

Archive reference:

T.38-44

Which strongly suggests a later family archivist separated these papers from the mass of title deeds because they contained personal and family material rather than property records.

Why this matters

The deed index you shared earlier listed:

• Henry Bird’s commission
• Letters from Henry Byrde in Holland and Spain (1801-1813)
• Papers relating to the Bird family
• Military documents

These newly uploaded items look very much like some of those original papers.

In particular, the heading:

Henry Charles Bird Esq. — The Hague Journal

fits perfectly with the catalogue entry describing correspondence from Holland.

If that identification is correct, then these are not simply legal records. They are surviving papers created during the Napoleonic War period and may document:

• Henry Bird’s military service,
• his finances while abroad,
• travel in Holland,
• army allowances,
• and correspondence with government departments.

Most exciting clue

The combination of:

• the Huguenot booklet naming Lieut.-Colonel Henry Bird,
• the deed inventory mentioning letters from Henry Byrde in Holland and Spain, 1801-1813,
• and a document headed “Henry Charles Bird Esq. – The Hague Journal”

suggests that a substantial portion of the family’s military archive once survived alongside the Goytre estate

T.40 – “The complaint of a rejected successor of service”

The cover page clearly reads:

The complaint of a rejected successor of service
(or possibly “successor of service” / “successor of office”)

This appears to be a memorandum or legal argument concerning military promotion and succession.

The handwriting is difficult, but the opening paragraph can be broadly read as:

“Sir, I have the honour of placing before your notice the case of Captain [name], who has preferred certain claims…”

The document goes on to discuss:

• military rank,
• succession to a post,
• alleged irregularity,
• claims to promotion,
• military regulations,
• evidence submitted in support.

This looks very much like a formal petition or statement of grievance.

T.39 – Henry Charles Bird Esq.

The account headed:

Henry Charles Bird Esq.

appears to be a detailed financial statement.

A number of entries can be read:

• Allowance from contingencies
• Remittances of money received
• Travelling expenses
• Postage
• Stamp and parchment
• Four quires of paper purchased
• Various official charges

The account concludes with a balance calculation.

This suggests that Henry Charles Bird was keeping official or semi-official accounts while serving abroad.

The most important letter

The long letter is much clearer than in the earlier photographs.

It discusses events after the:

Battle of Vittoria

(now usually spelled Vitoria)

and concerns:

Colonel Bird

The key points appear to be:

1. Colonel Bird was left on duty after the battle

The writer states that after the battle:

Colonel Bird was left there on duty

while others returned.

2. Confusion over accounts and pay

The letter repeatedly discusses:

• public accounts,
• private accounts,
• balances due,
• settlement of expenses,
• authority delegated to others.

3. Captain Leech

A section states that:

Captain Leech was authorised to settle his accounts

while Bird remained on duty.

4. A balance due

The writer calculates sums due and discusses reconciliation of accounts.

Several references occur to:

• September returns,
• abstracts,
• balances,
• expenditure.

Why this matters for the Byrde story

Earlier documents established:

• Henry Bird served in the army.
• Family tradition said he served in the Peninsular War.
• The archive catalogue listed military commissions and letters from Holland and Spain.
• The Huguenot booklet described Lieut.-Colonel Henry Bird of the 87th and 5th Regiments.

These documents provide contemporary evidence supporting that tradition.

In particular, the reference to:

“after the battle of Vittoria”

places Henry Bird directly within the Peninsular War context.

Since the Battle of Vitoria took place on 21 June 1813, this letter appears to concern administrative matters arising from that campaign.

A particularly intriguing detail

The catalogue entry No. 48 referred to:

“Letters from Henry Byrde in Holland and Spain to his wife. 1801-1813.”

The combination of:

• The Hague financial accounts,
• references to Spain,
• references to Vitoria,
• and the military correspondence,

strongly suggests that these are surviving fragments from that very group of papers.

If so, they are not merely family papers but firsthand documents connected with a Byrde ancestor’s service during the Napoleonic Wars.

For a family historian, these military documents may be among the most valuable items in the entire archive because they move the story from family tradition into contemporary documentary evidence.

Extract from Ancient Deeds and Documents

The notes refer to:

• an “ancient enclosure and labourers’ allotment”,
• a document relating to allotments,
• various tenants and occupiers,
• references to farms and holdings,
• and what appears to be a summary rather than an original record.

A very interesting section reads approximately:

“…found in a packet of old papers…”

and refers to older family deeds being examined.

The page ends with a list of people connected with an allotment premium:

• Mrs B. Lewis
• George B.
• Charles Oliver
• William Davies
• William Lewis

followed by:

18th July 1917

This looks very much like a research memorandum or estate note made during the First World War period.

Second Page

This page is much clearer and concerns allotments in Goytre.

The writer records:

Ancient allotments and labourers’ allotments…

and then discusses forming a committee and the administration of allotment land.

Among the points that can be read are:

• references to common land,
• parish administration,
• allotments for labourers,
• local management,
• trustees,
• and rent collection.

The tone suggests the writer was trying to understand how the system had developed historically.

One passage appears to mention:

“…not specified in the original enclosure…”

which suggests the writer was consulting enclosure documents.

Third Page

This page continues the historical investigation.

Key phrases that can be read include:

“The old commission…”

“The old manor…”

“parish records…”

“Boundaries…”

The notes discuss:

• ancient parish boundaries,
• ownership of landed property,
• rights of occupation,
• allotments,
• and local administration.

The writer repeatedly cites earlier deeds and papers and appears to be assembling evidence from several sources.