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Morrice Family of Betteshanger

Captain William Morrice (buried in Stepney 12 March 1679/80) married Jane Salmon (b. 1654), and started the Kent branch of the Morrice family.^[1]

Children of Captain William Morrice & Jane Salmon

1. - Captain William Morrice (b.1670) died unmarried 1711. William Morrice went out to work for the East India Company, with his brother Bezaleel,^[2] both arriving at Fort St George (Madras) on 3 February, 1693/94. William left the Company on 2 December, 1698, and is recorded as being captain of two ships, the Nonsuch and the Friendship, possibly Company ships. Bezaleel left the Company on 18 June, 1700, when his brother William was in port and about to sail for Surat. William was captured and imprisoned with his crew at Muscat in present day Oman. In spite of letters from William's mother to the government, and mention of his capture in the Company records, no attempt was made to rescue them and William died in captivity in 1711.

2. - Vice-Admiral Salmon Morrice, of Betteshanger (1672-1740/41), married Elizabeth Wright (1685-1733) daughter of William Wright, one of the commissioners of his Majesty's Navy, she died the 22 September 1733. They had two sons, Wright and William,  and four daughters, Sarah, Elizabeth, Jane and Maria:^[3]

i - Sarah Morrice (1702-1766) who married Thomas Dawes, a Lieutenant of the Marines.
ii - Wright Morrice, (1703-1732) who married Sarah, daughter of Thomas Peke.
iii - William Morrice, (1708-1758) who was settled by his father at Betteshanger, but later resided at Canterbury. In the family he was ironically called Wrong Morrice. William Boteler writing in 1793 said: 'Wrong Morrice, was by far the cleverest fellow of the two and greatest favourite with his father, but never understood that Wright was upon very ill terms with him [his father].'^[4] He married Mary (1714/15-1813) eldest daughter of Robert Chadwick of Northfleet, a Captain in the Royal Navy, and had four sons - William, Robert, James and Thomas.
iv - Elizabeth Morrice (1710-1775) married Thomas Boteler of Brook Street in Eastry. Monument in St Mary the Virgin Church, Eastry (see below).
v - Jane (b. 1720).^[5]
vi - Maria Susanna (b. 1721).^[6]

According to Hasted in Betteshanger church:

Against the north wall of the chancel are three hatchments, the first having - Gules, a lion rampant regardant or, Morrice; impaling azure, two bars argent, in chief 3 leopard's heads or, for Wright - the 2d, Wright as above, impaling argent, a bend between 6 letters T sable - the 3d, Morrice, impaling gules, an escutheon within 8 martlets in orle argent, for Chadwick.^[7]

None of the three hatchments described by Hasted seem to exist today.

A wall tablet in Eastry church states:

In Memory
of Thomas Boteler,
late of this Parish, Gentⁿ, who died
the 24 Sept^r 1768, aged 54 Years.
Also of Richard Son of the above said
Thomas Boteler by Elizabeth his Wife
who died the 29^th of Jan^y. 1773,
aged 33 Years.
Also of 7 other Children,
5 of Whom lie buried at Eythorn, who all
Died in their Infancy.

Also of Elizabeth Wife of the abovesaid
Mr. Thomas Boteler,
and Daughter of Salmon Morrice, Efq^r.
of great Betshanger.
She died the 6^th of August 1775,
aged 65 Years.
This Monument was erected in the Year
1774 by their surviving children (viz)
Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary, & Catherine.

A wall tablet in Betteshanger church states:

Near this place
Lie the remains of William Morrice Esq.^re
Late of Betshanger. A magistrate and
Deputy Lieutenant of this county
Who died on the 3^rd of October 1758
Aged 50 Years

Also those of Mary Morrice.
Relict of the above, daughter and heiress
of Robert Chadwick Esq.^re
Captain in the Royal Navy.
Of the antient family of Chadwick
Of Chadwick in Lancashire
She died on the 29^th August 1813
Aged 91 Years.

Also those of William Morrice Esq.^re
Their eldest son, late of Betshanger
and Lieut^t Colonel of
His Majestys Tenth Reg^t of Dragoons
He died on the 22^nd of September 1787
Aged 49 Years.

3. - Mary (b.1676).

4. - Captain Bezaliel/Bezaleel Morrice (1678-1749) his widow d.1790. No issue; he was author of the poem 'All is Fish that Comes to Net', 'A voyage from the East-Indies' (1716) and other works.

5. - Jane Morrice, married Captain Michael Martin, Royal Navy.

Children of William & Mary Morrice

1. - Colonel William Morrice a Lieutenant Colonel of the 10th Dragoons (1738-1787) unmarried, b.24 May 1739, he possessed the manor of Betteshanger but died at Putney in 1787 and was buried at Betteshanger.

2. - Robert, a twin of James, who died in infancy.

3. - Reverend James Morrice (1739-1815) d. 9 January 1815, married Countess Marie Coltée du Carel (1742-1834) at Lydbury North, Shropshire in 1778 - name anglicised to Ducarel - b. 13 Dec 1742, d. 13 Dec 1834. He was vicar of Flower (Flore) in Northamptonshire and inherited the manor of Betteshanger as well as being rector of the parish.

Wall tablet in Betteshanger church states:

In the vault beneath
Rest the mortal remains of the Rev James Morrice A. M.
late student of Christ Church Oxford rector of this parish
and vicar of Flower Northamptonshire
He died on the 9^th of January 1815
In the 77^th year of his age.

Also those of Mary Morrice
relict of the above
and daughter of Adrian Coltée Ducarel Esq.
who died on 12^th September 1834
Aged 92 years
Their affectionate and grateful son
Frederick Edward Morrice
caused this monument to be erected
to their memory

4. - Thomas Morrice (b.1742) Lieutenant in Royal Navy. Retired to Monmouthshire.

Children of Reverend James & Marie Morrice

1. - Frederick Edward (1778-1858) was born at Barford in Warwickshire and died in Hantswell House, Bath. He married Elizabeth Ellison (1786-1855) 6 June 1816. Before he married Elizabeth Ellison Frederick Edward had a liaison with Ann Bowmer (1790-1842), the wife of a naval captain, and by her had an illegitimate son whom they called John Frederick Edward Morrice Smith! In 1829 Betteshanger House, a fairly modest villa designed by Robert Lugar, was built for Frederick E. Morrice and later bought by Sir Walter James in 1850. Only child:

i. - Frederick Francis James (1820-1882), b. 12th February, 1820, at Newtown, Hants. d. 23 August, 1882, at Ditchingham Hall in Norfolk where he was buried. Educated at Harrow, married Georgina Elizabeth Brown (1818-1899) at Kelsale in Suffolk in 1848. Mrs. Morrice was the daughter and co-heiress of the Rev. Launcelot Brown of Fenstanton, Hunts, and the great granddaughter of Launcelot 'Capability' Brown. She was also buried at Ditchingham.

Wall tablet in Betteshanger church states:

In Memory of
ELIZABETH, Wife of
FREDERICK EDWARD MORRICE, Esq.^r
and Daughter of HENRY ELLISON, Esq.^r
of HEBBURN HALL in the County of DURHAM,
who died 2^d June 1855,
aged 69
In the world ye shall have tribulation,
but be of good cheer I have overcome the World.
John
Ch.16. V. 33.

Also of
FREDERICK EDWARD MORRICE, Esq.
Late of BETSHANGER.
who died 18^th February 1858
aged 80.

I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live.
St JOHN. Ch. 11. V.25

This memorial was inscribed by their son Frederick Francis James Morrice.

Wall tablet in Betteshanger church states:

In Memory of
FREDERICK FRANCIS JAMES MORRICE, Esq.^r
of DITCHINGHAM HALL. NORFOLK.
and formerly of BETSHANGER
who died 22^d August 1882.
aged 62
Also of
GEORGIANA ELIZABETH, Relict of the
above, Daughter and Co-heiress of
the REV: LANCELOT BROWN.
of FENSTANTON, HUNTINGDONSHIRE.
Rector of KELSALE, CARLTON, THORINGTON,
and SAXMUNDHAM, County of Suffolk.
She died 6^th March 1899.
aged 80.
Buried at DITCHINGHAM NORFOLK.
God is love.
1. John. Ch. 4 V 8.
This memorial was erected by their son
Frederick Lancelot Hamilton Morrice.

2. - Charlotte Elizabeth Morrice (1780-1882) married Henry Bonham, MP for Sandwich and had 9 children.

3. - Reverend Andrew Ducarel of Betteshanger (1782-1866) b. 22 January 1782, married Emma Darby (1792-1840) from Worcestershire. He was educated at Rugby and Christchurch, Oxford, where he was a don. He took holy orders and held the rectory of Betteshanger from 1815 until his death in 1866, but he lived for twenty years at Great Brickhill, Bucks, also having charge of that parish. He removed to Aspley, Beds., from whence he removed to Eversholt, Beds, having charge of the united parishes of Battlesden and Potsgrone. In 1845 he removed to Heath House, near Leighton Buzzard (having charge of the parish of Grove, Bucks.), and was buried in the cemetery at Heath. They had ten children:

i - Emma b. 9 August 1813; buried at Eversholt.
ii - William (1815-1902) b. 9 February, married Sarah Charlotte Foyden of Arundal, Sussex in 1846. Buried at Seption Cemetery near Liverpool.
iii - Robert (1816-1903) b. 2 November, died unmarried in Australia.
iv - Andrew (1816-1816) b. 2 November, buried at Great Brickhill.
v - Edward (1818-1818) buried at Great Brickhill.
vi - James (1820-1820) buried at Aspley Beds.
vii - Adrian Ducarel (1822-  ) b. 9 March and shipwrecked: Mameluke from America.

'He was loved of all, yet none
O'er his low grave can weep.'

[This was probably the ship Mameluke wrecked by a storm which raged between 15 and 18 August 1847, at latitude 48° N, longitude 67° W. She was on her first voyage and was carrying a cargo of flour and provisions. 35 of the steerage passengers, and seven of the crew were swept overboard, 22 survived.]
viii - Mary Mariel (1823-1823) b. 24 November and buried at Eversholt.
viv - Charles Chadwick (1825-1825) b. 24 November, buried at Great Brickhill.
x - Henry Cobbett (1831 - ) b. 18 April, died in New York, buried at Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn.

4. - Maria Margaretta Morrice (1783-1869) born in Barford 17 June 1783, d. 18 Jan. 1869 and buried in Brompton cemetery, she married Thomas Halliday (1761-1840) a broker of Lloyd's. He was born in St Petersburg, Russia, and died in Nantes, France.

They had seven children, their eldest son, Sir Frederick James Halliday  KCB  (1806-1901) became the first Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal (1854-59). Born 25 December 1806 Ewell, Surrey died 22 October 1901 South Kensington and buried Brompton Cemetery, London. He married Eliza Macgregor in 1834 and had six children, she died in 1886.
Their second son Thomas Andrew Halliday (1808-1838) Lieutenant of the 45th Regiment Bengal Native Infantry, who died while serving with the force of Shah Shooja, Ool Moolk.

5. - Theodesia Frances was born at Flore (Flower) in Northamptonshire on 25 May, 1785, and died in Eckington, Worcestershire, on 5 November, 1875. She married Edward Vernon and by him had four children.^[8]

Children of Frederick Francis James & Georgina Morrice

1 - Georgeana Elizabeth Annie Morrice (1851–1899). Born in London, died 25 April 1899 at Ditchingham; unmarried.

2 – Henrietta Isabella Morrice (1853–1912). Buried at Ditchingham.

3 - Frederick Launcelot Hamilton Morrice (1855-1915) of Dichingham Hall, Norfolk, died in Aosta on 3 October 1915, during a trip to Italy. He married Emily Theresa Stapleton on 5 July, 1905, at St Mark's, North Audley Street, London. Two children were:

i - Humphrey Allan Walter (1906-1959) and married Margaret Alice Seaton in Edinburgh on 6 October, 1945. Margaret Alice was born Berkhampsted, Hertfordshire, on 26 September, 1897. Humphrey worked in the Sudan, and was responsible for calculating the Nile water flow so the series of dams could be sited yet leaving sufficient water flow for Egypt.
ii - James Ralph Malcolm (1910-1976) born at Brampton, (Ralph pronounced 'Rafe') He married Annie Millicent Cowley Woodman (Nancy) in 1937, at Bishopston Church, Bristol.

4 - Cuthbert Henry Morrice 7th Fusiliers (1858-1917) buried at Coggeshall; in 1889 married Nelly Maud, daughter of Sir Alonzo Money KCMG, CB. Only child:

i - William Kyrle Frederick Morrice b. 1900.

Children of William & Sarah Charlotte Morrice

1. - William Ducarel, b. 1848 New York, married Gertrude Priscilla, widow of Captain Price of Egremont, Cheshire.
2. - Charlotte Amelia (1850-1891) married Alfred Cain Watson of Hemel Hempstead. They had a son Montague Burgoyne Morrice Watson.
3. - Adrian Humphry b. New York, d. 1872
4. - Florence Cecilia b. 1853, married to Albert Martin Hübeck and had four children.
5. - Henry Andrew
6. - James Edward Coltée, married Lydia Cox  of Los Angelos, California. Two children were:

i - William Frederick
ii - Gladys Mary