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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Norfolk => Topic started by: StewartA on Monday 28 February 11 17:53 GMT (UK)
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Below is the story. I'm looking for any help on where I would be able to find pictures of the Petre family or heirlooms I have talked with the current owners of Westwick House and was told the house held no Petre heirlooms in it.
My Grandmother Laura Seymour (Petre) History Story b.1901 d.1983
John Berney Petre eloped to Gretna Green with Susannah Childs (aka Julia Doughty) b 1824 d 21 Jan 1906 and they were married on the anvil. The Petre family annulled the marriage because Susannah Childs was a commoner. He married a lady named Caroline Susan Stewart-Mackenzie later. However he still visited Susannah Childs and they had four children. One of them was my great grandfather Berney Seymour Petre, b. 15 January 1852, d. 4 June 1904. He married Eliza Jane Kett b. 24 July 1866, d. 29 September 1955, and they had nine children one of which was my grandmother, Laura Seymour b 16 Feb 1901 d 14 Aug 1983. A tenth child was born but was not the daughter of Berney Seymour Petre.
The other children of John Berney Petre were Fred, Arthur, and Julia. The Petre family supported the children of John Bernie's illicit relationship with Susannah Childs (aka Julia Doughty). John Berney Petre did settle as annual income with Julia Doughty as stated in the Norfolk Record Office Catalog Ref. MC 324/55 708X7.
Berney Seymour Petre, my great-grandfather was a sailor at first. He missed his train due to a train disaster and so also missed his ship. The ship was lost at sea and all hands were lost. The train disaster was known as the Thorpe Rail Disaster in 1874. It was said Berney Seymour Petre dropped the Petre part of his name and went on stage as Berney Seymour but I have not found and documentation he went on stage but he did drop the Petre last name. He later had a photography business where the family lived on Commercial Street, Aylsham, Norfolk, England. One day the sign over the shop fell striking him on the head and caused some brain damage. The accident happened in 1902 and did spend time in a hospital that was not the Norwich Asylum and he was later confined to Norwich Asylum on Thorpe Road in the sub-district of Blofield in the County of Norfolk. He died there of pneumonia and is buried in the cemetery with his 9-year-old son, Herbert. Visitors books SAH 162 visitors book - date: Jul 1853 - Dec 1905
The Petre family had a large estate in Norwich, England called Westwick House with an inheritable baronetry. This residence, three miles from North Walshani, is deservedly esteemed one of the most delightful spills in this county. There is a handsome lodge at the entrance of the park, and the turnpike-road from Norwich to North Walsham, runs through it for upwards of two miles, at the termination of which are two lodges, one of them serving for a toll-house. They Petre family continued to support Eliza Kett Seymour and her nine children of which my grandmother was the second youngest. The hackney carriage, with driver, used to come every month with their allowance.
Lady Mary Petre grew tired of the expense and began to get rid of the children. The boys were the first to come to Canada through the program known as Bernardo Boy's Home. They left for Canada in June 1912 .The boys were placed on farms in hopes that they would not find each other, however they were re-united by Gertrude, their eldest sister, and John Seymour, their eldest brother.
My grandmother, Laura, was the next to go but refused and it’s said my great grandmother Eliza signed away all of her own and her children's rights to the Petre estate in exchange for passage for herself, Alex, and my grandmother Laura along with an illegitimate daughter named Florence who migrated to live in Del Rio, Texas. They came to Canada June of 1912
My grandmother's oldest sister Gertrude was trained as a cook in London England, and had arranged with the Anglican Church in Norwich to immigrate to Canada using the Servitude Plan and also came in the same year of 1912. The whole family travelled by ship to Canada within 6 months of the boys first leaving.
My grandmother was lucky to have left in June of 1912 as this was the same summer on August 26th 1912 more than seven inches of rain fell in a day to bring terror, chaos and death to the streets of Norfolk.
The oldest son, John Berney, later returned to Bristol, England, after serving in WWI, in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. He married in Bristol--had one child named Anne. My grandmother's other sisters all made their homes in London, Ontario, Canada where they married and lived 'til their deaths.
Administrative history:
There is a family tree of the Petre family in Norfolk Genealogy vol. 8. Westwick Hall came into the Petre family on the marriage of William Petre (d.1772) to Elizabeth, co-heir of John Berney of Westwick Hall. William's son, John Berney Petre (1741-1819) died unmarried and the property was bequeathed to his nephew, Jack Varlo (1773-1854), an army captain, who changed his name to Petre. His son, John Berney Petre (1805-1882) had no issue and Westwick Hall was passed to his niece, Mary Laura Duff (nee Dawkins) and then to her son, Captain Bernard James Duff. Both mother and son changed their names to Petre in 1882.
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Sorry this will be of little help - apart from moving your interesting story up to the top of the board - but I was struck by the line about Jack Varlo changing his name to Petre. (I asked about Captain Varlo on here in March 2008, unfortunately without any response.)
My g-g-g-grandfather, William Eagle, once a watchmaker in Norfolk, was "a Non-commissioned Officer in Capt Varlo's company of the Northfolk Light Dragoons" according to the record of his marriage, which took place on 2nd June 1798. This was in Leith, near Edinburgh, Scotland.
I've always been curious about what Capt Varlo and his Norfolk Light Dragoons were doing up in Scotland in 1798.
William Eagle remained in Edinburgh, where at least one of his descendants (me) still lives.
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Some info I have on my ggg grandfather..AS I ststed in my posts there has to photos somewhere of this family
Jack Petre Sheriff for the yrs 1836-1837
http://books.google.ca/books?id=UAOpq9ZBFWsC&pg=RA2-PA138&dq=Jack+petre#PRA2-PA138,M1
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=153-mc324&cid=0&kw=westwick%20petre%20Norfolk%20Record%20Office#0
Reference MC 324
Covering dates 1535-1907
Held by Norfolk Record Office
Extent 70 files
Source of acquisition Received by Norfolk Record Office on 3 May 1991 (MS 23108)
Creators Petre family of Westwick, Norfolk
Arrangement Numbers in brackets on the left refer to the original bundle numbers.
Administrative history:
There is a family tree of the Petre family in Norfolk Genealogy vol. 8. Westwick Hall came into the Petre family on the marriage of William Petre (d.1772) to Elizabeth, co-heir of John Berney of Westwick Hall. William's son, John Berney Petre (1741-1819) died unmarried and the property was bequeathed to his nephew, Jack Varlo (1773-1854), an army captain, who changed his name to Petre. His son, John Berney Petre (1805-1882) had no issue and Westwick Hall was passed to his niece, Mary Laura Duff (nee Dawkins) and then to her son, Captain Bernard James Duff. Both mother and son changed their names to Petre in 1882.
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StewartA -
That's very interesting. Now understand why Capt. Varlo simply disappears from view.
I had wondered if "Varlo" might have been a mistake, and that the clerk had maybe misheard the name, perhaps spoken by Wm Eagle in a Norfolk accent, which might well have been unfamiliar to him, up in Edinburgh.
One small puzzle sorted. Many thanks!
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Interesting stuff! My great, great Grandfather Granville John Berney Duff was the son of Mary Laura Dawkins Petre and James Duff. I have put pieces together to understand how Mary and Bernard had to change their name to Petre in order to inherit Westwick, but I don't know much more than that. I am looking for Petre descendants as I am interested in getting in touch. Any info is much appreciated.
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Interesting Family.
I presume Jack Varlo was the Son of William VARLO and Elizabeth PETRE who married 11 Aug 1763 Westwick.