Bagni de Lucca

[Peter Carpenter]

Thanks - and I see the image of Elizabeth Hanchett grave in Florence is online
My interest is principally the lunatic asylum and hte proprietors that came and went - it produced a handsome income for whoever owned it.  Elizabeth first husband eloped with her and married her in Scotland when she was 19-20.  He appears to have pinched the money set up for her in a trust fund by her grandfather, in 1841 to develop his lunatic asylum Longwood house by Bristol. His father Charles Cunningham Langworthy is famous for his sale of Metallic Tractors using Perkinean Electricity. Debunked by a Bath doctor in 1899 but they made him a fortune  and he bought into the Mad house trade I presume to make even more money.
 She married Hanchett in 1853 but we know not where. However ancestry website currently doing very misleading and inadequate searches of its records at present.  Its been interesting trying to find out how she met him (he uses a Cheltenham address to write about turning Crystal palace into a Reading room.) and how she was attracted at age 50 to a 70 year old twice married man - he must have had some personality.  She had an income form her fathers estate and John tries ot get money back from the estate of her grandfathers trustees. She declares she is a widow in the 1861 census even though he was not yet quite dead.  - its all quite intriguing.

[DeanneandTony]

Hi Peter
I've been reading up on Elizabeth, I had her name as Longworthy rather than Langworthy hence my having missed that information.  The asylum information is interesting. What a character she was.

To my knowledge, neither of Capt. Hanchett's first two wives had money.  Although I do know that the mother of his first wife Irene Bridgman left her possessions in a trust for her daughter allegedly so that JMH did not have access - I've yet to read the will but a descendant of Irene's brother has made that assertion.

Capt. Hanchett himself did very well when he was Comptroller of the Preventive Guard, however, after losing his position and his Naval pension wouldn't have had a  lot of money at all. 

I haven't been able to find the marriage of Elizabeth and JMH but from all accounts it was not a happy marriage and in later years certainly they lived apart.  This was according to the daughter of the home where JMH lived in Bagni until his death. 

He was certainly a character and I would say had a lot of personality.  In 1856 in a letter to his son John Justinian (in Tasmania) he says, "we are knee deep in a Chancellery Suit about my wife's property, which I fear she has falsely represented to me.  However, the middle of April will decide it."  so maybe he did marry her thinking that she had money.

Will let you know when the book is published.

Kind Regards
Deanne

[Peter Carpenter]

thank - happy to send you what i have on her and Robert Austen - it will be as word document - have not worked out how to  do this though. 

[DeanneandTony]

Peter

check your Private messages on Rootschat - I have sent you my email details.

Kind Regards
Deanne

[Malcolm419]

Hello Deanne  - I have just come across the fascinating Captain Hanchett and am looking forward to reading your book once it's published. Before then, I was hoping you wouldn't mind sharing what you know of the Captain's second wife, Anna Stuart.  In their marriage record, she is described as a widow and the daughter of a Jonathan McGhie or M'Ghie.  I'm very interested in the McGhie family, and - if Jonathan is who I think he is - I believe Anna may be the first cousin of one of the Captain's colleague in the Preventive Service, Captain James McGhie R.N., who was stationed in his latter years at Langton Herring, Dorset. I haven't found any records of Anna's marriage to a Mr Stuart, or of Mr Stuart's or Anna's death.  Again, if she is who I suspect, she was born in Canongate parish, Edinburgh on 6 Aug 1793 to Jonathan McGhie, West India Trader, and his spouse Isobel McLauchlan.    I have developed a fair amount of information on this particular McGhie family which may be of interest to you.  However, without more information my suggestions as to her identity are speculative, and from your research into Cap. Hanchett, you may have developed a more accurate identity for Anna.

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Malcolm

[Strangways]

Hello Everybody. I purchased a miniature painting, a watercolour, in Adelaide SA the other day because it reminded me of my brother as a young man. To my surprise there is a name on the back that says John Justinian Hanchette, and an inscription that I think reads aged 14 years and 10 months. There is also a faint swirly signature, maybe able to be seen under a better light.

After doing a bit of research, I found information about his diary in Tasmania so I telephoned the Tasmanian Maritime Museum about it last week in case they were interested to know of its existence, but they have not got back to me as yet. This is a very old thread so I do not know if anybody is watching it any more.

If anyone is interested I'm happy to send more details.

Liz

[DeanneandTony]

Blimey!! Liz we are in Adelaide as well.  I am the original poster of this and John Justinian Hanchette is my Ancestor.
We have just written a book on his father Capt. John Martin.
I will send you a message if I can.
Deanne

[SandyMal]

Hi Liz, My husband's great grandfather is John Justinian Hanchette and we have the family bible here with us. I will try to send you more information another day. This is amazing as Deanne has commented.
Cheers
Sandy