THE GONNE FAMILY
William Gonne, c1720 - 178320 May 1748: marriage of William Gonne and Barbara Elston
12 Sep 1750: baptism of Catherine Gonne
[1 Nov 1755: the great Lisbon earthquake Spring 1756: John Williamson, the Anglican chaplain, returns to Britain on sick-leave. Richard Goddard, a visiting Anglican pastor whose name appears on a few register entries in 1756, apparently decides not to replace him. There are few baptisms and no burials recorded in 1756.]
10 Nov 1765: marriage of William Gonne, widower, and Ann Harding, spinster [remember her surname for 25 years or so] [Note the absence of a burial entry for Barbara. It is possible that when sick, she was moved to a more "healthy" location such as Sintra] London Gazette, 21 May 1782: LOST out of a Letter put into the Post-Office at Exeter, A Bill (the 1st) of Exchange, drawn by Gooch and Noble on Ann Graham, London, for 60 l. and payable to William Gonne, or Order, dated Lisbon, March 23, at Thirty Days Sight. Whoever has found the same, and will bring it to Mr. Wilson, No. 7, Aldermanbury, will be handsomely rewarded. Acceptance is stopt. Registers of the British Chaplaincy in Lisbon, Portugal: 27 Mar 1783 [incorrectly indexed as 11 Mar]: Burial of William Gonne snr., age 62 I have not yet found any records of this William's business in Portugal, but I see no reason to doubt that he was, like his son and like most of Portugal's British and Irish population, an import-export merchant. | |||||
William Gonne (II), c1756 - 1815Parish registers of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire: 6 Jan 1766: baptism of Mary, daughter of Robert and Mary Harding 9 Oct 1768: baptism of Mary, daughter of Robert and Mary Harding Marriage bonds, Hertfordshire: 21 Feb 1790: William Gonne and Mary Harding [with a good specimen of his signature] Parish registers of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire: 31 May 1790: marriage of William Gonne (bachelor, of Ware, Herts.) and Mary Harding (spinster, of this parish) Registers of the British Chaplaincy in Lisbon, Portugal [London Metropolitan Archives, ref. CLC/036/MS/10446]: 28 Dec 1791: baptism of Aurelia Margaret Gonne (born 27 Nov), daughter of William and Mary [also parents of the following]
18 Sep 1797: baptism of William Gonne (born 18 Aug) 3 Mar 1799: baptism of Henry Gonne (born 26 Jan)
12 May 1795: burial of Aurelia Margaret Gonne 2 Jan 1799: burial of Matilda Gonne London Evening Post, 4-6 Dec 1792: Passengers aboard the Expedition packet-boat, sailed from Falmouth for Lisbon, 2 Dec, include Mr Gonne. True Briton (London), 18 Mar 1793: Passengers aboard the Hanover packet-boat, arrived at Falmouth from Lisbon (nine days passage), 13 Mar, include Mr Gonne. [Note that these voyagers, though probably the same Mr Gonne, are not necessarily William] In early issues of the "Correio Mercantil e Economico de Portugal" from 1794 onward, we find the the Lisbon firm of Gonne, Harrison & Lupton associated with imports of foodstuffs- notably codfish from "Terra Nova" (Newfoundland, where the fish, "bacalhau" in Portuguese, would be preserved by drying before being sent across the Atlantic), timber from the Baltic, and grain from wherever in Europe it happened to be coming to ripeness. The firm of Holford Gonne & Co., on the other hand, was mostly involved with general imports, including coal and general goods ("fazendas") from Hull, barrel staves ("aduelas") from New York, and by 1798, most intriguingly, arms and ammunition destined for Gibraltar. According to Arthur Hamilton Norway's "History of the Post-office Packet Service Between the Years 1793-1815" (1895), in the spring of 1798, during the Napoleonic War, Mr Gonne, in his capacity as Lisbon agent for the Royal Mail, was involved in a curious episode of misfortune and pragmatism. A French privateer captured the British vessel "Prince Adolphus" on its way to Lisbon carrying mail, and took away its captain, leaving the ship's surgeon on board with the French prize crew. The surgeon persuaded the prize-master that he could pay a ransom of around £4,000 if they sailed to Lisbon, so they did, only to be informed by Mr Gonne that a new Act of Parliament made payment of money "to persons owing obedient to the French Government" an act of treason, punishable by death. Gonne sensibly decided to advise the Postmaster General of the situation, and discussions in London led to an amendment to the law. The ransom was paid, and the "Prince Adolphus" was released. Furthermore, when the French government was informed of the payment, the captain was also set free. Lloyd's Evening Post (London) 19-21 Sep 1798: VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS.- The British Factory at Lisbon, in testimony of their loyalty and attachment to their King and Country, have remitted, by their Treasurer, William Gonne, Esq. the sum of 2,964L. 15s. 7d. which has been paid into the hands of the Committee at the Mansion-House, by Mr. Holford, of Finsbury-square. Budock, Cornwall, parish register (per Cornwall Online Parish Clerks): 13 Jan 1800: burial of William Gonne, age 2, “of Lisbon,” son of William & Mary. 30 Apr 1801: burial of Henry Gonne, age 2, “of Lisbon,” son of William & Mary. [No Gonnes listed around the towns of Falmouth and Penryn, Cornwall, in directories from the 1780s and 1790s] A letter sent from Faro, Portugal, by Robert Southey, 17 Apr 1801, is addressed to his wife Edith at the house of "Senhor Guilerme Gonne" in "Rua da Assemblea, Lisboa" In the Gazeta de Lisboa, 9 Feb 1802, the Lisbon business address of Holford, Gonne & Co. is given as "rua do Alecrim" Jackson's Oxford Journal 18 Jul 1801 Lisbon, June 29. … On the 9th of this month the news arrived here of the peace being signed. Don Rodrigues communicated it to the Corps Diplomatique; he was questioned as to the terms, and his reply was, "He did not know." This produced a strong note from Mr. Frere to the Portuguese Minister, remonstrating against the conclusion of Peace till England was consulted … Immediately after Mr. Frere had presented his note, he wrote to Mr. Arbuthnot, the English Consul General here, desiring him to intimate to the British Merchants residing in Portugal, "That, in consequence of Peace being made between Spain, France, and Portugal, and in all probability prejudicial to the interest of Great Britain, and of Englishmen resident in this country, policy required that all British subjects should hold themselves ready to depart at a moment's notice." The substance of such a letter was communicated by the Consul to a Mr. Gonne, an English merchant of this city, and which letter was handed about on 'Change. This produced a great sensation here in the public mind …. Morning Post and Gazetteer (London), 29 Sep 1801: Report from Falmouth, 26 Sep: passengers on the Prince Adolphus packet, arrived from Lisbon after a 12-day voyage, include Mr. Gonne. DISCOVERY DATABASE (per National Archives) Records of Sun Fire Office: Insured: John Josiah Holford and William Gonne, 22 Nicholas Lane, merchants Other property or occupiers: Mashiters Warehouses the corner of Cats Hole Little Tower Hill Date: 11 November 1802 Held by: London Metropolitan Archives: City of London Reference: MS 11936/426/740168 Insured: John Josiah Holford and William Gonne, 22 Nicholas Lane, merchants Other property or occupiers: Youngs Warehouses Brick Hill Lane Upper Thames Street Held by: London Metropolitan Archives: City of London Date: 05 March 1803 Reference: MS 11936/426/745435 Insured: John Josiah Holford and William Gonne, 22 Nicholas Lane, merchants Other property or occupiers: Youngs Warehouses Brickhill Lane Upper Thames Street Held by: London Metropolitan Archives: City of London Date: 17 September 1803 Reference: MS 11936/426/752403 Registers of St. Mary's Church, St. Marylebone, London: 31 Jan 1803: baptism of Theresa Harriet Gonne (born 7 Dec 1802), daughter of William and Mary 26 Sep 1804: baptism of Julia Gonne (born 25 Aug), daughter of William and Mary E. Johnson's British Gazette and Sunday Monitor (London), Sunday, 8 May 1803: FALMOUTH, MAY 4.- ....Sailed this evening .... the Prince of Wales packet, Todd, with mail of the 26th ult. for Lisbon. Passengers by her were Mr. Gonne ... Morning Chronicle (London), 21 Sep 1803: Contributions to the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd's Coffee-House [i.e. the forerunner of insurance market Lloyds of London] include £105 from Admiral Cornwallis, £105 from the Earl of Scarborough, £25 from Lady Peachy, £52/10/0 from Wm. Gonne, etc. Salisbury and Winchester Journal (Salisbury, Wiltshire), 14 Nov 1803: FALMOUTH, Nov. 10. ... The Prince of Wales packet arrived yesterday from Lisbon. This vessel brings melancholy news of the state of affairs there. ... it was expected that an embargo would very soon be laid on all British shipping in the ports of Portugal: and the Portuguese navy ... would be seized on for the use of the French. The Count de Chalup, a Lieutenant-General, and the Count de Lagondie, a Colonel in the Portuguese service (both natives of France) together with Mr. Lyne and Mr. Gonne, two eminent English merchants, who have been long resident in Lisbon, came in this packet, having thought proper to quit that place on account of the menacing aspect of affairs. Many others, it is said, are about to come away, and English property is shipping off with great expedition. Morning Post (London), 21 Mar 1805: W. Gonne, Esq., is a member of the committee of the Society for Educating the Children of Debtors In Confinement In and Near the Metropolis. Morning Chronicle (London), Monday 19 Aug 1805: Wm. Gonne, Esq., is among the directors elected the previous Friday for the Albion Fire and Life Insurance Office. In the 1805 edition of the "Almanach du commerce de Paris [etc.]" Gonne, Harrison & Lupton and Holford, Gonne & Co. are listed among Lisbon merchants. Registers of St. Giles parish, Camberwell, Surrey: 24 Apr 1806: baptism of Emma Gonne (born 19 Feb), daughter of William & Mary Gonne [also parents of the following]
6 Jan 1807: burial of John Gonne, "a child" 24 Jan 1807: burial of Fraser [sic, for Theresa] Harriet Gonne, "a child" Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c., 3 Jun 1809 Report from Liverpool, 1 Jun: cargo for various merchants aboard the Principe Atalante, arrived there from Maranham [Maranhāo] in Brazil, includes 106 bags of cotton and 1,000 cow & ox hides for Holford & Gonne. Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c., 1 Jul 1809 Report from Liverpool, 26 Jun: cargo for various merchants aboard the Razario, arrived there from Maranham [Maranhāo] in Brazil, includes 436 hides for Holford & Gonne. Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c., 8 Jul 1809 Report from Liverpool, 6 Jul: cargo for various merchants aboard the St. Anna Rein Feliz, arrived there from Maranham [Maranhāo] in Brazil, includes 660 bags of rice for Holford & Gonne. Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c., 22 Jul 1809 Report from Liverpool, 20 Jul: cargo for various merchants aboard the Druid, arrived there from Maranham [Maranhāo] in Brazil, includes 80 bags of cotton for Holford & Gonne. Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c., 5 Aug 1809 Report from Liverpool, 3 Aug: cargo for various merchants aboard the Lucy, arrived there from Pernambucco [Recife] in Brazil, includes 40 bags of cotton for T. Gonne. Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c., 16 Dec 1809 Report from Liverpool, 14 Dec: cargo for various merchants aboard the Caledonia, arrived there from Maranham [Maranhāo] in Brazil, includes 581 bags of cotton and 1,500 "couros" [hides] for Holford & Gonne. Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c., 27 Apr 1811 Report from Liverpool, 25 Apr: cargo for various merchants aboard the Bellona, arrived there from Bahia [Salvador] in Brazil, includes 513 bags of cotton for Holford & Gonne. Chester Chronicle, 3 May 1811 Contributors to a fund to recognise "the uniform, good, and patriotic conduct of the Portuguese Nation, during the French Invasion, and the consequent sufferings of a great proportion of that brave and loyal people", organised at a meeting in the City of London Tavern, London, on 24 April, include £100 from Holford, Gonne and Co. (among scores of others at the same amount). Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser, for Lancashire, Westmorland, &c., 11 May 1811 Report from Liverpool, 9 May: cargo for various merchants aboard the Aurora, arrived there from Pernambucco [Recife] in Brazil, includes 50 bags of cotton for Holford & Gonne. Liverpool Mercury, 10 Jan 1812 Cargo for various merchants aboard the Harriett, arrived here from Pernambucco [Recife] in Brazil, includes 111 bags of cotton for Holford, Gonne and co. Reports of cargoes arriving from ports in Brazil for Holford, Gonne and Co. continue in both the Liverpool Mercury and the Lancaster Gazette DISCOVERY DATABASE (per NATIONAL ARCHIVES) Home Office: Judges' Reports on Criminals. Reports on criminals: correspondence. (Described at item level). of dollars belonging to Messrs Holford, Gonne and others from the vessel Maria while on the high seas [piracy]. There is a covering letter from H C Litchfield of Lincolns Inn to the statement of a case. 6 individual petitions (the prisoner [x 4]; W John Law [counsel] and W M Russell)... Held by: The National Archives - Home Office Date: 1812 Reference: HO 47/49/31 On 28 February 1812, William Jemott was tried at the Old Bailey in London for Piracy [transcript published in 1812 by W. Hughes of London as "Report of the Trial in the Case of the King v William Jemott (etc.)"]: having, on the first day of August, in the fiftieth year of his Majesty's reign [=1 Aug 1810], upon the high seas, and within the jurisdiction of the Admiralty of England, in a certain place distant about two leagues from the town of St. Jago, in the island of Cuba, feloniously stolen, taken and carried away, 36,000 dollars (stated to be of the value of 8000 l.) of the proper goods, chattels, and monies of John Josiah Holford and William Gonne; and other 4000 dollars (stated to be of the value of 1000 l.) of the proper goods, chattels, and monies of Antonio Martus Pedra and Francisco Alvez de Carvalho Vianna. There were other counts in the indictment, alleging the property to belong to persons unknown, and varying the description of the place where the offence was charged to have been committed. [This was not "shiver me timbers" piracy, but a complex fraud, by which Lemott, one of the owners of the ship Maria, of London, arranged for the vessel's name and appearance to be changed in mid-Atlantic, on the way to Pernambuco in Brazil, so that the ship Columbia, of New York, arrived at the very different destination of Porto Rico, where complications ensued ... He was found guilty and sentenced to death, but in the end he seems instead to have been transported to Australia.] Parish registers of Sidmouth, Devon: 26 Feb 1812: burial of William Augustus Gonne, “an infant” Registers of St. Giles parish, Camberwell, Surrey: 29 Mar 1813: burial of Emma Gonne of Camberwell (died age 7) Liverpool Mercury, 25 Mar 1814: Cargo for various merchants aboard the George, arrived here from Maranham [Maranhāo] in Brazil, includes 26 bags of cotton for Holford, Gonne and co. London Gazette, 13 Aug 1814: London, August 8, 1814. Notice is hereby given, that the Partnership between us the undersigned, John Josiah Holford, William Gonne, and Jacob Frederick Vogeler, carried on by us at Marunhum, in the Brazils, under the firm of Holford and Gonne, has been by our mutual consent dissolved; and that the concerns of the said late Partnership will be liquidated by the said John Josiah Holford and William Gonne; and that all the debts owing by the said Partnership will be paid by them; and that all debts owing to the said Partnership are to be paid to them. Witness our hands, John J. Holford. Wm. Gonne. Jacob Fred. Vogeler. Letters of Robert Southey 11 Nov 1814, to Neville White: I hope you will see my brother Harry frequently, now you have been fellow-travellers among the mountains. He has a thoroughly good heart of his own, an admirable temper, and, with very considerable talents, a larger portion of practical good sense than has fallen to my lot, – one of those men whom you love and respect the more the better you know him. You will be glad to hear that he is likely to give me a new sister, – a very interesting woman, whose mother I have known nineteen years, and always considered as the model of whatever is most lovely and excellent in womankind. They were a Lisbon family, but for some years past have lived at Champion Hill. The father has long been lingering in a slow consumption, from which there is little or no hope of his recovery. In point of fortune the connection, on Harry’s part, is exactly what I should wish it to be – neither ambitious nor imprudent.
Registers of St. Giles parish, Camberwell, Surrey: 13 Jan 1815: burial of William Gonne, age 58 DISCOVERY DATABASE (NATIONAL ARCHIVES) Will of William Gonne of Camberwell, Surrey Held by: The National Archives - Prerogative Court of Canterbury Date: 06 April 1815 Reference: PROB 11/1567/84 Summary of the will: Wm Gonne of Champion Hill, Camberwell: £2,000 to wife Mary £12,000 to eldest son Charles £12,000 to youngest son Thomas George £6,000 to daughter Mary Ann £6,000 to daughter Louisa (interest from the 2x12,000 legacies to go into residue until they are 21, unless a good business opportunity arises after they turn 20) LEGACIES TO FRIENDS: 20 gns to "long and worthy partner" John Josiah Holford Esq. 20 gns to "worthy partner" Robert Lucas Esq. 20 gns to "worthy partner" John Baker Gribble Esq. 20 gns to Thomas ?Robert Marsh [recte March] ANNUITIES: £100 pa for life to "my dear sister" Sarah Gonne £100 pa for life to "my dear aunt" Amelia Elstone of Penryn, Cornwall and "my dear brother" Christopher Gonne "and the survivor of them" £50 pa for life to Catherine Harding "sister to my dear wife" Interest of £24,000 for maintenance of wife Mary for life [amendable if she remarries] EXECUTORS wife Mary, friend J.J. Holford, brother Thomas (latter 2 also to be trustees) Dated 25 Nov 1814 MEMORANDUM £40 pa to wife's father Robert Harding (& after his death, to his sister Rebecca ?Clark) £20? pa to Mr John Gooch, formerly of Lisbon, merchant, for life 1,200 Reais per month to Maria Rosa, former nurse (variable to 1,600 Reais) Funeral "to be as plain and with the smallest expense possible" 10 guineas each to three named servants Dated 25 Nov 1814 "In continuation": To "old ffriend & ffaithful servant's Widow" Sra ?Marialina ?Jouguirado, 72 Milrous To "old and faithfully attached ffriend and Servant" Snr Ffrancisco Do Oliva Ffragon, 72 Milrous To Aaron Trump, "my ffootman" 10 gns To William Bird, "Table servt." 5 gns Dated 1 Jan 1815 British burying ground, Oporto, Portugal: 1 Nov 1825: burial of Mary Gonne, aged about 55 DISCOVERY DATABASE (NATIONAL ARCHIVES) Will of Mary Gonne, Widow of Oporto , Portugal Held by: The National Archives - Prerogative Court of Canterbury Date: 26 March 1826 Reference: PROB 11/1710/343 From the will (or testamentary letter): 18 Aug 1825, ?Bryanstone Square "I am about to embark on a dangerous element, and life at all times and in all circumstances is very uncertain ..." Funeral to be "plain and decent and not exceed fifty pounds, if I die in or very near London lay me by the side of my dear and ever regretted husband" ... "Of the 2000 £ left at my own disposal I have now only 1700 remaining. It is in the new four per cents. I calculate on receiving 550 Guineas due to me on the 30th of Novr. of the present year. This with 522 £ the balance in my favour when you settled the account in Feby. last will I hope enable me to continue the allowance of one Guinea per Week to my aged aunt Mrs Sarah Sharpe of Stansted, Herts., for her life, with the addition of 15 £ more pr. annum to pay her rent. To my dear sister Catherine Harding I bequeath 50 £ pr. annum till the decease of Mrs Sarah Sharpe, then I wish to increase the annuity to my dear sister Catherine Harding to 60 £ per annum. I hope my meaning will be clearly understood." [further clarification given] "To my old and faithful servant Aaron Trump and to his wife Judith Trump I bequeath to each the sum of fifty pounds free of legacy duty, and on the decease of Mrs Sarah Sharpe I bequeath to my dear little neice Louisa Bower 100 £ to be paid to her when she attains the age of twenty one with any interest that may have accumulated thereon from the period of the decease of Sarah Sharpe. To my dear neice Christiana Bower I bequeath 20 £. To my dear neice Mary Ann Harding 20 £ and to my dear neice Elizabeth Harding 20 £. To my dear neice Harriot ?Smithson 20 £ and to my dear neice Jane ?Smithson 20 £. All of these legacies to be paid after the death of Mrs Sarah Sharpe, then the principal of the remaining property to be equally divided between my two dear daughters Mary Ann March and Louisa Southey, and on the death of my sister Catherine Harding, the principal of her annuity to be also equally divided between my two most dear daughters and to be at their own disposal. To my dear son ["Thomas Gonne" crossed through] Charles I bequeath my silver ?vouissio dish and large silver waiter and my new gilt female figures. To my dear son Thomas George Gonne I give my silver salad forks, my best mother of pearl ?counters and the set of china left me by my nephew Henry ?Tom March and my diamond ring. To my dear sister in law Sarah Gonne for a ring as a memorial of the affection and love I bear her. I also further bequeath to my beloved daughter Mary Ann March my topaza bracelet and two ?cigaclios with my wedding ring and the mourning one I always wear. To my beloved daughter Louisa Southey my set of ??thyets, my winged wardrobe, my pearl and diamond earrings and bracelets, my set of plated dinner dish covers, my best epergne and pair of bronze figures, the cheval looking glass in my bedroom in York Place. To my dear sister Catherine Harding I give my coral necklace set, the little mahogany bookcase given me by Mrs Sharpe, the little cabinet in the drawing room at Stansted, the chairs of ditto and chair bed, a chest of drawers, a carpet and any other article of furniture to furnish a lodging for her. To my dear neice Maria Ann March my gold purse, to my dear neice Harriet March my gold bracelet and emerald broach, these little tokens merely as a proof of my affection. I have nothing better to give them. I have written this hastily and I fear incorrectly. My meaning will, I hope, be understood. Should I live to return I will have it executed better." Verified by Thomas Gonne & William March. Proved 20 Mar 1826 |
Returning briefly to the Irish branch of the family:
Morning Post (London), 31 Jul 1810
DUBLIN, JULY 24.- Pursuant to the Resolutions of the Common Council, entered into at the Quarter Assembly last Friday, the Committee, then appointed, met this day at the Exhibition House, William-street, in order to forward such measures as may be considered most conducive to effect the repeal of the Union. A requisition to call an aggregate Meeting has in consequence been resolved on.
Members of this Committee for Repealing the Union [i.e. of Great Britain and Ireland] include a Mr. Gonne.
Also probably belonging to the Irish branch of the family was Arthur J. Gonne, gent., who became an Ensign in the 4th West Indian Regiment (not by purchase) on 9 Sep 1813, following the resignation of an officer named Stewart. On 23 Oct 1814, he was promoted to Lieutenant (again without purchase). In 1818, with the Napoleonic Wars firmly over, the process of disbanding the regiment began; Gonne was placed on half-pay on 25 June 1819, and subsequently made exactly as much impression on the surviving historical records as he had before joining the regiment.
More mysterious still was Ann Gonne, born about 1736, who was buried on 8 Apr 1815 at Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire. Was she the sister of William Gonne snr?
more of William II's generation… Mrs. Gonne, York-street, Portman-square. … [one of a very large number of Governors] Boyle's Court Guide for January 1821: Gonne, Mrs. 16, York-place, Portman-sq. Census 1821: 16 York Place, London: Gonne family (male: 1-u5; 2-20+; 1-30+; 1-60+. Female: 1-u5; 1-15+; 2-20+; 2-30+; 1-50+; 1-70+) not in trade/mfr/craft Boyle's Court Guide for January 1823 [also in April 1824 edition]: Gonne, Mrs. 16, York-place, Portman-sq. Register of St. Giles parish, Camberwell, Surrey: 17 Sep 1842: burial of Sarah Gonne, of Upper Gloster Place [sic- a common variant spelling], Marylebone (died age 93) Royal Cornwall Gazette, Falmouth Packet & Plymouth Journal (Truro, England), Saturday, January 19, 1833 DIED At Penryn, on Saturday last, Mr. C. Gonne, aged 75. Cornwall Record Office Will of Christopher Gonne, gent., of Penryn borough, 1833 Ref: SO/W/396 Register of St. Giles parish, Camberwell, Surrey 20 Jun 1838: burial of Thomas Gonne, of Richmond, Surrey (died age 87) DISCOVERY DATABASE (NATIONAL ARCHIVES) Will of Thomas Gonne of Stanstead, Hertfordshire Held by: The National Archives - Prerogative Court of Canterbury Date: 03 July 1838 Reference: PROB 11/1898/2 Summary of the will: Dated 26 Jan 1828 1/4 of property in trust for niece Mary Ann March, wife of Thomas March of Bryanstone Square; another 1/4 in trust for niece Louisa Southey (wife of H.H. Southey); another 1/4 direct to nephew Charles Gonne; another 1/4 direct to nephew Thomas George Gonne. Executors: Charles Gonne, and friend Robert Cotesworth. Also mentions sister Sarah and brother Christopher. Testator born Lisbon, 30 Jan 1752 (and formerly resided there). Proved 3 Jul 1838 |
minor offspring of William II21 Aug 1815: Louisa Gonne married Henry Herbert Southey 1830: death of Louisa Gonne, wife of Henry Herbert Southey Monthly Magazine, vol 41. Issue of 1 Jul 1816: MARRIED Thomas March, esq. of Montagu-place, to Miss Mary Anne Gonne, of Champion-hill The Harrow School Register (Third edition, 1911) Entrances 1820-21 Gonne, Thomas George, son of W. Gonne, Esq., Stanstead, Herts. Left 1825-6. Trin. Coll. Camb., B.A. 1831. Admissions to Trinity College, Cambridge, vol. IV (1911) Gonne, Thomas George. Son of William Gonne. Born at Stanstead, Hertfordshire. School, Harrow (Dr Butler). Age 20. Pensioner, June 23, 1826. Tutor, Mr Higman. [Matriculated 1826. Re-admitted as a Pensioner, October 22, 1828. B.A. 1831.] Sydney Morning Herald, 15 Feb 1836 [similar in Bristol Mercury, 26 Sep 1835, etc.] Married On the 7th of September, at Haverfordwest, Thomas George Gonne, Esq., of Stile-park, Pembrokeshire, to Mary, youngest daughter of the late Robert B. Prust, Esq. Westmorland Gazette, 10 Oct 1835 [report of marriage has verse, copied from The Age, mis-spelling her surname:] Curious doings at Haverford West ! Where is the bride who lately was Prest ? "Presto, pass !" said the Reverend Don. And, heigh cockolorum, she's here and Gonne ! [Thomas George Gonne, of Vaynor, was a Land Tax Commissioner for Pembrokeshire, 6 & 7 William IV] Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Volume 1 (1839) LIST OF MEMBERS Gonne, Thomas George: Great Vaynor, Narbeth, Pembrokeshire The Welshman, 12 Mar 1841 Lent Assizes, Pembrokeshire: Grand Jury inc. Thomas George Gonne, Esq., of Vaynor Tithe Award, 1843 Great Vaynor owned Abraham Leach; occ. Thomas George Gonne Tenby Observer, 23 Jan 1868: DIED On the 20th inst., at Heywood Lodge, Tenby, Thomas George Gonne, Esq. Probate Register: Thomas George Gonne, formerly of Bath, later of London, then of Tenby (died there 20 Jan 1868). Proved by wife Mary, sole executor, 2 Mar 1866: effects under £6,000. [He had also been a shareholder in the Great Western Railway, according to its 1868 probate list] The Cambrian, 8 Mar 1872 MARRIAGES On the 29th ult., at Notre Dame de Lorette, paris, and afterwards at the English Embassy (by the Rev. E. Forbes), Le Comte Monier de la Sizeranne, Ancien Sénateur, to Mary, widow of Thomas George Gonne, late of Heywood Lodge, Tenby, Pembrokeshire. ["Annuaire de la noblesse de France" says she is daughter of Robert-Benteman Prust of Tenby. In "Romantic Ireland: From Tone to Gonne" as Maud Gonne's "Great Aunt Mary" (Thomas's fraternal aunt) she is said to have been born at Porto in 1817, and by the time Maud met her in 1882, she was again widowed] |
Charles Gonne, 1800 - 187727 Aug 1800: baptism of Charles Gonne (born 3 Aug) Gentleman's Magazine, Jul 1824, p80, Marriages: June ... 10. At St. Pancras, Charles Gonne, esq. of York-place, Portman-square, to Susanna, dau. of D. Beale, esq. of Fitzroy-square [in “The European Magazine and London Review,” given as “second daughter of Daniel Beale, Esq.”] British Factory Chaplaincy, Lisbon, Portugal 5 Nov 1825: baptism of William son of Charles & Susanna Gonne British Burying Ground, Portugal 16 Nov 1825: burial of William Gonne, aged 11 days 20 Aug 1827: burial of Mary Gonne, aged 1 day (abode: St. Johns) London Gazette, 13 Apr 1827: NOTICE is hereby given, that the Partnerships heretofore subsisting between us, under the several firms of Holford, Gribble, Gonne, and Co. in London, and Holford, Lucas, Gonne, and Co. in Lisbon, were this day dissolved by mutual consent, so far relates to the undersigned George Charles Holford, who retires: As witness our hands this 7th day of February 1827. George C. Holford. John B. Gribble. Charles Gonne. Robt. Lucas.
DISCOVERY DATABASE (NATIONAL ARCHIVES) Insured: Charles Gonne 19 Gloucester Place Portman Square esq Records of Sun Fire Office. Policy register. Insured: Charles Gonne 19 Gloucester Place Portman Square esq Held by: London Metropolitan Archives: City of London Date: 08 February 1831 Reference: MS 11936/523/1119874 Census 1831: 19 Gloucester Place, London, Gonne family (4m, 6f) inc 1m wholesale merchant, banker or other professional; 1 male servant over 20; 5 female servants
Gentleman's Magazine, June 1843, p665: DEATHS ... April 18. In Gloucester-place, Susanna, wife of Charles Gonne, esq. TWI GLOBAL Tenants of Abington Hall inc: 1845-55 - Charles Gonne of Gloucester Place, Portman Square, Middlesex. (The rent for this last lease was £375 per annum) Rugby School Register. Volume II
The Bankers' Magazine, volume 1 (1846-47): Lucas, Gonne & Gribble are listed as bankers in Lisbon Almanak Estatistico de Lisboa (1848 edition) Lucas, Gonne & Gribble: 39 rua do Alecrim Register of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India: 14 Jan 1811: baptism of Charlotte Maria Cotton, daughter of John Cotton and Sophia Charlotte Cotton Census 1841: Charlotte M Cotton / age 30 / not born in Middlesex / living at 30 Upper Harley Street, Marylebone, with father John Cotton, sister Sophia L Cotton, half-sister Penelope Cotton, 7 servants. Cambridge Chronicle and Journal Cambridgeshire, England, 18 Sep 1847 MARRIAGES On the 9th inst., at Brighton, (by the Rev. J. S. M. Anderson,) Charles Gonne, Esq., of Abington-hall, in this county, to Charlotte Maria, third daughter of John Cotton, Esq., of Upper Harley-street. Little Warley, Essex, England 24 Jan 1851: birth of John son of Charles Gonne Census 1851: Little Warley, Essex: Charles Gonne / Head / married / age 50 / occupation Merchant / birthplace Portugal (British Subject) / living at Warley Lodge, Little Warley, with wife Charlotte Gonne, daughters Elizabeth and Mary Gonne, sons Edward and John Gonne, visitor sister-in-law Helen M Cotton, 10 servants Herts Guardian, Agricultural Journal, and General Advertiser Hertfordshire, England, 27 Jun 1854: DEATHS On tbe 13th inst., at Warley Lodge, Essex, Mary, youngest daughter of Charles Gonne, Esq., aged 16 Census 1861: Little Warley, Essex: Charles Gonne / Head / married / age 60 / occupation Merchant / birthplace Portugal British Subject / living at Little Warley, with wife Charlotte M Gonne, sons William (age 31, merchant, born Portugal) and John (age 10, born Little Warley) Gonne, 8 servants Hastings, Sussex, England 17 May 1867: death of John, son of Charles Gonne Census 1871: 12 Robertson Terrace, Hastings Holy Trinity, Sussex: Charles Gonne / Head Visitor / married / age 70 / occupation Retired Merchant / birthplace Portugal British Subject, with wife Charlotte M Gonne, 7 servants. The Times, 2 September 1876, p. 1, Deaths: On the 30th Aug., suddenly, of heart disease, at The Lawn, Tunbridge Wells, CHARLOTTE MARIA, wife of CHARLES GONNE, Esq., of Hastings and Tunbridge Wells. National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1861-1941 (ancestry.com): 1876. GONNE Charlotte Maria. / Effects under £3,000. / 26 September. / The Will of Charlotte Maria Gonne (Wife of Charles Gonne, Esquire) late of Robertson-terrace Hastings in the County of Sussex and of the Lawn Tunbridge Wells in the County of Kent who died 30 August 1876 at the Lawn was proved at the Principal Registry by the said Charles Gonne of 12 Robertson-terrace the sole Executor. Probate being granted under certain Limitations. The Times, 20 September 1877, p. 1, Deaths: On the 17th inst., at The Lawn, Sandrock-road, Tunbridge-Wells, CHARLES GONNE, Esq., in his 78th year. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1861-1941 (ancestry.com): 1877. GONNE Charles Esq. / Effects under £90,000. / 15 October. / The Will of Charles Gonne late of Robertson-terrace Hastings in the County of Sussex and of the Lawn Tunbridge Wells in the County of Kent Esquire who died 17 September 1877 at the Lawn was proved at the Principal Registry by William Gonne and Edward Gonne both of 11 St. Helen's-place in the City of London Merchants the Sons the Executors. |
Henry Gonne, 1831-1857GONNE Henry Records of East India College. Records of the East India College, Haileybury. East India Company: writers' petitions, and Haileybury petitions, certificates, and papers concerning students.... GONNE Henry Held by: British Library: Asian and African Studies (previously Oriental and India Office Library) Date: 1848 Reference: IOR/J/1/76/191-99 British Library / findmypast.com, "The British in India Collection" (Writers' petitions and Haileybury records): Petition of Henry Gonne to be admitted to training for the Civil Service of the East India Company. The documents include: ~ a recommendation from his father, "Charles Gonne Esq. Merchant" of Abington Hall, Cambridge; ~ a nomination, dated 22 Dec 1848, from a director of the Company: John Cotton (who made it clear that "Mr Gonne is my Son in Law"); ~ a reference from his housemaster at Rugby School, Charles A. Anstey (giving his dates of attendance as Feb 1845 to Jun 1848); ~ a reference from from the Rev. G. Collinson of Swanbourne, near Leighton Buzzard, with whom Henry had been studying since 12 Aug 1848; ~ a copy of Henry's baptism entry at St. Mary's church, Marylebone, London, confirming that he was the son of Charles Gonne (Esq., of 19 Gloucester Place) and his wife Susanna, born 2 Apr 1831 and baptised 14 Jun; ~ other "standard form" documents such as a declaration from his father that he had never been expelled from the Army or Navy, or "any place of Public Education". Allen's Indian Mail, and Register of Intelligence ..., vol. 10 (1852): Henry Gonne admitted to the Bengal civil service, 25 Aug 1851, after 2 years' training. Qualified for public service & attached to N.W. province, 23 Sep 1852 (probably the Gonne who was taking language courses at Fort William College in late 1851- passed initial exam in Persian 29 Dec 1851). Allen's Indian Mail, and Register of Intelligence ..., 1856 edition H. Gonne as Assistant Commissioner 1st Class, C.S. (by 3 Apr) H. Gonne "placed at disp. of Govt. of India, foreign dep." (by 18 Apr) H. Gonne promoted from assistant commissioner 1st class, to deputy commissioner 3rd class (by 31 Jul) Adam Matthew Publications INDIA DURING THE RAJ: EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS [publisher's note to Part 2]: The diaries of Henry Gonne (1831-1857) of the Bengal Civil Service give us an insight into, not only the work of a civil servant of this period in Oudh, but also his personal thoughts, particularly on his own personality: “…. My temper is certainly better nor have I for a long time been tempted to strike my servants….” Many of his staff were enlisted at the outbreak of the Mutiny: “May 28th 1857 …. Orders for enlisting - discharged retainers 100 and sending in the military police to Lucknow. I am very glad of the movement and shall feel much safer without them. A crisis has indeed come over us in this country, what will India be in the year/57 surely the European forces must be doubled in India….” He died during the Mutiny in September 1857 and ends his diary by indicating that he intended to hand it over to his servant so that it could be passed on to a European and be sent on to England. [Biographical note:] Henry Gonne, 1831-1857 He served in the Bengal Civil Service from 1851-1857. The diary, dated 1856-1857 recounts his life in Oudh and his experiences of the early stages of the Indian Mutiny. DISCOVERY DATABASE (per NATIONAL ARCHIVES) Gonne, Henry (1831-1857) Bengal Civil Servant, diary Held by: British Library: Asian and African Studies (previously Oriental and India Office Library) Date: 1853 - 1857 Reference: MSS Eur D 821 Diary of Henry Gonne (1831-57), Bengal Civil Service 1851-57, describing his life and thoughts as... Private Papers. Diary of Henry Gonne (1831-57), Bengal Civil Service 1851-57, describing his life and thoughts as an assistant commissioner in Oudh, and giving some account of the early stages of the Mutiny. FORMER PUPILS OF THE HONOURABLE EAST INDIA COLLEGE "OLD HAILEYBURY" WHO DIED IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR COUNTRY [from the book "MEMORIALS OF OLD HAILEYBURY COLLEGE" (1894)] HENRY GONNE Haileybury 1849 - 1851 Deputy Commissioner at Mullapore in Oudh. This district soon caught the contagion of rebellion and anarchy, and Gonne with the rest of the officials were in a few days, after hoping against hope, compelled to leave. Thet attempted to make their way down the Sarju by boat, but finding all the regular landing-places occupied by the rebels, they left their boat and made the best of their way to the Fort of Mathiara, belonging to the Raja of Dharawa. Thence the party attempted to reach Lucknow, but failed. They were not allowed to remain at Matharia, so made for the Nepaul Terai, but were attacked on the way and murdered, after undergoing terrible privations and suffering. Further details of the last days of Henry Gonne can be found in a short narrative by his companion, Captain J.B. Hearsey, reprinted in various books including "The English Captives in Oudh" (edited by M. Wylie, 1858) |
Charles Gonne, 1832-1895Gonne, Charles, C.S.I. Haileybury, 1852-53. Classics, Prize (1st, 2d terms); Law, Prize (2d term); Hist. and Pol. Econ., Prize (2d term); Sansk., Prize (1st term). India, 1854-85. Secretary to Government, Political, Secret and Judicial Departments; Chief Secretary to Government, Revenue, Financial and General Departments. Annt. 1885. Allen's Indian Mail, and Register of Intelligence ..., 1854 edition C. Gonne passed exam in Guzerattee and Hindustani (by c21 Jul) Allen's Indian Mail, and Register of Intelligence ..., 1856 edition C. Gonne, "assist. to coll. and mag. of Tunnah, pl. in ch. of dist. of Bassein and Mahin, Nov. 14" i.e. 1855; announced Jan 1856) C. Gonne passed departmental exam to 2nd standard (10 Sep); to be 2nd asst. to coll. & mag. of Poone (20 Sep) DISCOVERY DATABASE (per NATIONAL ARCHIVES) GONNE Charles Records of East India College. Records of the East India College, Haileybury. East India Company: writers' petitions, and Haileybury petitions, certificates, and papers concerning students.... GONNE Charles Held by: British Library: Asian and African Studies (previously Oriental and India Office Library) Date: 1852 Reference: IOR/J/1/82/24-35 British Library / findmypast.com, "The British in India Collection" (Writers' petitions and Haileybury records): Petition of Charles Gonne to be admitted to training for the Civil Service of the East India Company. The documents include: ~ a recommendation from his father, Charles Gonne Esq. of Wailey Lodge, Brentwood; ~ a nomination, dated 23 Dec 1851, from a director of the Company: Charles snr's father-in-law John Cotton; ~ a reference (dated 20 Nov 1851) from his housemaster at Rugby School, Charles A. Anstey (giving his dates of attendance as Xmas 1847 to Midsummer 1850); ~ a reference from from John P. Sill, curate at Westhorpe, Stowmarket, with whom Charles had been studying from January to June 1851 ("I believe him perfectly incapable of acting in a manner unworthy of a man of principle or a gentleman"); ~ a reference from from Thomas P. Boultbee, M.A., curate at Cheltenham, with whom Charles had been studying since August 1851 ("he has uniformly behaved as a gentleman ... Intellectually speaking, I rate his talents as decidedly above the average"); ~ a copy of Charles's baptism entry at St. Mary's church, Marylebone, London, confirming that he was the son of Charles Gonne (Esq., of 19 Gloucester Place) and his wife Susanna, born 25 Sep 1832 and baptised 27 Feb 1833; ~ etc. Title: Melvill Papers Reference: 6408/16 Description: Letters, mostly relating to the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859), addressed to, or relating to, Major-General Sir Peter Melvill Melvill, Secretary to the Government of Bombay in the Military and Marine Departments 1840-1859, including correspondence from John, Lord Elphinstone (1807-1860), Governor of Bombay 1853-1860 Date: 1850-1865 Held by: National Army Museum Templer Study Centre, not available at The National Archives www.myheritage.com Charles Gonne (1832-1895) married Elizabeth Margaret Melvill (dau of Peter Melvill Melvill) in India, 1859 son Henry born India, 1859 (bap 1860) dau Catherine, 1861 son Charles Melvill, 1862 dau Mary Kimble born India, 1863 (later M.K. Bertie-Clay) son Arthur Edward findmypast.com: Charles Gonne (Bombay Civil Service) and Elizabeth Margaret Melvill (daughter of Peter Melvill Melvill) were married by licence at St. Thomas's Cathedral, Bombay, 20 Jan 1859 (witnesses included four Melvills, but no Gonnes). Henry, son of Charles Gonne (Bombay Civil Service) and his wife Elizabeth Margaret Gonne, was born 31 Dec 1859, and baptised at Poona, 14 Feb 1860. Catherine, daughter of Charles Gonne (Civil servant, of Poona) and his wife Elizabeth Margaret Gonne, was born 9 Jan 1861 and baptised at Poona, 23 Feb. Mary Kemble, daughter of Charles Gonne (Bombay Civil Service) and his wife Elizabeth Margaret Gonne, was baptised at Poona, 14 Jun 1863. Bombay University calendar (1869) Charles Gonne, C.S. was also a fellow of the University of Bombay, and a member of the Faculty of Law, in the 1860s List of Carthusians 1800 to 1879 (1879), p98: GONNE, Arthur Edward, 1878. Son of Charles Gonne. E.I. Civil Service. b. 1864. GONNE, Charles Melville, 1875. Brother of the above. Indian Army and Civil Service List, January 1871: Charles Gonne (appointed to C.S. 3rd class, 1854), Secretary to the Political, Secret, Educational and Judicial Departments, is on furlough. Alumni Cantabrigenses, volume 2 (2011): GONNE, HENRY. Adm. pens. (age 18) at TRINITY HALL, Jan. 31, 1878. S. (and h.) of Charles Esq., Secretary to the Government of Bombay. Matric. Michs. 1878. Adm. at the Inner Temple, Jan 13, 1883. Called to the Bar, Nov. 17, 1885 (Bombay). J.P. Died Mar 26, 1933. Buried at Ringwood, Hants. [see The Times, Mar 28, 1933] Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of London, November 24, 1881, to June 28, 1883: Charles Gonne has a shooting estate at Walton on the Hill Census 1891: Peter Melvill Melvill [father of Charles Gonne's late wife Elizabeth, 1836-89] lived at 27 Palmeira Square, Brighton. Also resident were some of his grandchildren [whose parents were probably serving in India]. He died in 1895, aged 92. The Morning Post (London, England), Friday, April 05, 1895: Mr. Charles Gonne, C.S.I., late of the Bombay Civil Service, has just died at Palmeira-square, Brighton, at the age of 62. From 1864 to 1879 he was Secretary to the Government of Bombay for the Judicial and Political Departments, and from 1879 to 1884 Chief Secretary. He was created a C.S.I. In 1884, and in that and the following year, when he retired from the Service, he was an additional member of the Council of the Governor of Bombay for making laws and regulations. The Colonies and India from London, 6 Apr 1895, p14: Mr. Charles Gonne, C.S.I., of the Bombay Civil Service, died at Brighton on April 1, aged 62. [C.S.I.= Companion of the Star of India] HOVE CEMETERY MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS GONNE – Sacred to the memory of Elizabeth Margaret Gonne the beloved wife of Charles Gonne CSI of the Bombay Civil Service who died September 29th 1889 aet. 53. And I heard a voice from heaven saying write blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. Also in loving memory of Charles Gonne CSI born 26th September 1832 died 1st April 1895. Thou has delivered my soul from death mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling. The Morning Post (London, England), Friday, June 07, 1895: The will of Mr. Charles Gonne, C.S.I., formerly of the Bombay Civil Service, and late of Ascot Lodge, Ascot, Berks, and 25 Ovington-square, who died on April 1 at Brighton, was proved on May 25 by Henry Gonne and Arthur Edward Gonne, the sons, two of the executors, the value of the personal estate amounting to £75,322. The testator leaves all his property upon trust, the income arising therefrom to be equally divided between his five children, Henry, Katharine, Charles Melvill, Mary Kemble, and Arthur Edward, and the capital to be preserved and passed on to the generation of his grand-children. London Gazette, 17 Dec 1895: Notice re debts payable by the estate of the late Sir Peter Melvill Melvill, of 27 Palmeira Square, Brighton, K.C.B., Major-General in Her Majesty's Indian Army (died 5 Nov 1895). Executors: Edric Bayley, Henry Gonne & Lionel Henry Planta de Hochepied-Larpent. DISCOVERY DATABASE (per NATIONAL ARCHIVES) House of Lords. Records of the Parliament Office, House of Lords. Records of the Private Bill Office, House of Lords. House of Lords: Private Bill... Private Act (Printed), 60 & 61 Victoria I, c. ii An Act for ascertaining and determining the Estates Rights and Interests of the several persons interested in the Residuary Real and Personal Estate of Charles Gonne Esquire deceased and for modifying certain possible Interests thereby given to unascertained and (at present) unascertainable Persons. (Gonne Estate.) Held by: Parliamentary Archives Date: 1897 Reference: HL/PO/PB/1/1897/60& 61V1n331 British Library / findmypast.com, "The British in India Collection" (Pension records): Miss Catherine Gonne and Miss Mary Kemble Gonne were each eligible, from 2 Apr 1895, for pensions of £100 per annum until marriage, then to a final donation of £1000. Catherine died unmarried, 22 Dec 1931; Mary married Major N.S. Bertie-Clay (Royal Artillery), 29 May 1902. DISCOVERY DATABASE (NATIONAL ARCHIVES) Major Charles Melvill GONNE. Royal Artillery. War Office: Officers' Services, First World War, personal files (alphabetical). Major Charles Melvill GONNE. Royal Artillery. Held by: The National Archives - War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General, and related bodies Date: 1896 - 1921 Reference: WO 374/27860 Genealogist's research on the descendants of Charles Gonne, with an emphasis on their roles in the First World War |
William Gonne (III), 1829-1892GONNE, WILLIAM. Adm. pens. (age 18) at TRINITY, Feb. 22, 1848. S. of Charles, Esq., of London [B. Aug. 30, 1829. School, Rugby) Matric. Michs. 1848; B.A. 1852; M.A. 1855. Of 32 Sussex Gardens, Hyde Park, London. Died there Oct 12, 1892. Census 1881: 32 Sussex Gardens, Paddington, London, England: William Gonne; Birth: abt 1830 - (British Subject), Portugal; Occ: Wine Merchant, MA Cantab. London Gazette, 22 Mar 1887: Partnership of William & Edward Gonne, general merchants of 11 St. Helen's-place, London (trading as Gonne & Co.) was dissolved from 31 Dec 1886 by mutual consent. Edward will carry on business with John Radcliffe Croft and Francis Edgar Croft (as Gonne, Croft, and Co.) Dated 18 Mar 1887. |
Thomas Gonne, 1835-1886 and his descendants need their own page: |