The Douglas/Douglas-Willan/Willan connection

[William Douglas]

I am seeking help with the following story about the connections between the Douglas and Willan family, and would be grateful for corrections and contributions:

A few days before he died, John Willan (wife Elizabeth) of How Hatch, South Weald, (died 11 Aug 1792), changed his will, which led to a court case Willan Vs Willan which contested his mental state at the time of signing. His nephew, John Willan disputed the will as the land was being left to ‘Uncle’ John’s great nephew, William Willan (presumably not John’s (the nephew) son).

John Willan (the nephew) was, in 1745, a hostler at the Lion Inn, Barnet. Described at the time of his death as a ‘great horse-contractor, late occupier of the Bull and Mouth’, he had by then accumulated £200,000 from the acquisition of horses for the artillery at the request of the Duke of Cumberland ‘on his return from Scotland’. John died at Hatton Garden about 17 July 1822.

The Bull and Mouth Inn was a famous coaching Inn, from where stage coaches travelled to and from various towns and cities, including Brighton. Two stagecoach operators on the Brighton Road were J Willan and JJ Willan, about whom it was said in court (not the Willan Vs Willan case above) that there was ‘no connection’. I am not sure of J Willan is one and the same as John Willan (the nephew).

JJ Willan was John James Willan, ‘a Hampshire man, formerly lived at Preston Candover’.

John Willan, of the Bull and Mouth, had a son, John Henning (died 1826), one of whose sons served in the Opium Wars c 1841, Henry, who was an assistant surgeon in the Royal Navy. It is to be noted that there are several Willans who became surgeons.

William Willan (died before 22 Apr 1823), a merchant, of How Hatch, South Weald, presumably the great nephew above, had a son, John James (died 1869), and three daughters, including Frances, who married Rev CA Belli, vicar of South Weald. This John James may, or may not be the John James, stagecoach operator and ‘Hampshire man’.
John James Wilan (died 1869) married Jane, daughter of Rev. George Walton Onslow (1768–1844), himself the son of George Onslow (28 April 1731 – 12 November 1792), a British politician and army officer, the eldest son of Richard Onslow and his second wife Pooley, and the nephew of Arthur Onslow, Speaker of the House of Commons. John James Willan (born 1799 in England; died 15 September 1869 at Whitchurch, Hampshire) was an English amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1819 to 1830. He was mainly associated with Hampshire and with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), of which he was a member. He made 13 known appearances in first-class matches. He (they?) lived at Thomas Bank House, Whitchurch, Oxon (sic).

John James was father of Col Frank Willan, CMG, DSO.

Frank Willan (born 1846) was Colonel of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry, a DL, JP and Alderman for County of Hants. He was a heavily involved in rowing including captaining ‘the Oxford Four, which had beaten Harvard on the tideway’. He lived at both Burley Manor, Ringwood and Thorne Park, Bitterne, Southampton (also described as Thornhill Park, Hampshire). He married Louisa Marguerita Douglas, daughter of Captain Charles Robert George Douglas, late 32nd Bengal Light Infantry (Killed Dehli, 1847) and Louisa nee Robinson, both grandchildren of Major General Robert Douglas.

Frank and Louisa had two sons, Brigadier Frank Godfrey (1878-1957) and Brigadier Robert Hugh. There was also a daughter.

I have been unable to link Thomas Willan (died 12 may 1828, aged 78), of Marylebone Park and Twyford Abbey to the Willans detailed above, but apart from his dairy farm in Marylebone (now Regents Park), he was also a ‘London stagecoach proprietor’ operating from the Bull and Mouth. It is possible he was father or grandfather, to William Willan, and nephew or brother to the elder John Willan.

Thomas Willan had two (at least) daughters. His eldest, Isabella Maria (died 1862, aged 73) married John Kearsley Douglas, son of Lt General Robert Douglas, Royal Artillery. His youngest daughter, Jane, married, at Twyford, Captain Henry Seymour, a grandson of the 1st Marquess of Hertford.

John Kearsley took his wife’s name, thus becoming Douglas-Willan. His death in 1833, aged 48, was preceded by a long and painful illness, the effect of a severe wound received in Holland at an early age in the service of his king and country.

Isabella and John’s son, William Moffat Douglas-Willan sold Twyford Abbey in 1890 (or 1887?). Robert D-W, their 2nd son was a captain in the Scots Fusilier Guards. He died 26 Aug 1863. Their youngest son, Captain Stanhope Leonard D-W of the Queens Regiment married at Hove, Brighton, 7 Jan 1862, Georgiana Christina, daughter of F Burnett, Esq., of Cliftonville. His youngest daughter, Isabella Maria married Robert Douglas of HM Buffs.
There is apparently a family vault at Twyford Abbey. Mrs Margaret A. Douglas-Willan is interred there.

A Col Douglas-Willan is described as still being the ‘chief landowner’ (at Twyford) in 1908, and to be ‘still living at Andover’. He was the son of JC Douglas-Willan. This would be Colonel Henry Percy Douglas-Willan, ‘who fought with Lord Chelmsford during Zulu War’. He attended Victoria College, Jersey (entrance 2nd term 1863, left 1866). He entered the army (4th Hussars). Transferred to Kings Dragoon Guards 1879. Served in Zulu and Boer Wars. Retired 1899. C.B. 1902. Asst. Director of Remounts, Sn. Command 1905, placed on half pay dated 16/6/94. Lived at Andover. Died 1912. Who was JC D-W?

Henry Percy had a son, Major John Gordon D-W, and a grandson, Major Walter Gordon D-W of the Durham Light Infantry, who was killed 24 Mar 1918 at St Quentin, France

Questions arising:
1. Who was Lt General Robert Douglas, Royal Artillery, father of John Kearsley Douglas?
2. Who was Major General Robert Douglas, grandfather of Charles Douglas and Louisa Robinson?
3. Who was William Willan’s father?
4. How does Thomas Willan link into this Willan family?
5. Was J Willan John Willan?
6. Was John James, father of Col Frank Willan the son of William Willan?
7. How does JC Douglas-Willan relate to John Kearsley?
8. Who was Robert Douglas, of HM Buffs?

[David A.L. Baynham]

Melanie/Michael:

 

I believe I am through?????????

Otherwise, I checked and found the zip file I sent to William. If you download it and save it to a sub-directory you would be able to get and index of names and individual entries by navigating in the sub-directory. I draw your attention to the notes/citations which give back-up as to where the material came from. Reliable are the birth, marriage and death entries in the Bishop's Transcripts (or the Parish Registers). Unfortunately, this is not always true with PAF: there is an enormous quantity of garbage put on the internet.

 

Note: I do not have Michael's private E-mail address (recommend you ask William to send it to me privately if you want the zip file).

Regards,

David

 

 

[David A.L. Baynham]

Greetings William: re.: Douglas/ Douglas- Willan Connection

Hopefully, this finds you well and prospering!  I revisited your site after an absence of several years and offer the following as my genealogical swan song. 

If you remember the ascendancy of Lt. Gen. Robert Douglas, R.A., Col. Commandant of the Royal Artillery, who died in 1827 was presented in an alleged petition, by his sisters Christian and Jean Douglas, dated 1779. My efforts to trace the petition have been unsuccessful and it had occurred to me that an unscrupulous individual might have concocted the pedigree to favour his chances of being reimbursed by the family!  However, I have been able to conclusively validate the petition pedigree to the extent that the father of Lt. Gen. Robert Douglas, R.A. who died in 1827 was indeed Robert Douglas of the Chatham Marines who died on March 28, 1783 as Major, was promoted next day, and buried April 4, as Lt. Col- he was born about 1710. His wife was an unknown Mary. Note: Your archives (reproducing my raw notes) have the above Lt. General Robert Douglas as Sir [SIC] Robert Douglas- which is incorrect- he was not knighted. 

Per the pedigree, his father is said to have been a certain Lt. James Douglas of Albemarle’s who died young at Gibraltar. I have been able to validate that Katharine Douglass [SIC] of Edinburgh died March 26, 1773, was the widow of Lieutenant James Douglass of the 29th of Foot [Albemarles] that their daughter was Christian Douglass and that she was owed five pounds Sterling as a quarters pension due to her as an officer’s widow which sum is in the hands of {       } in Abbington Street London agent for the defunct. Note: Between 1731 and June 5, 1733 the colonelcy of the 29th of Foot was given to William Anne, Earl of Albemarle and that the regiment was at Gibraltar from 1727 to 1745. 

So the pedigree is accurate to the extent that Lt. James Douglas(s) of the 29th foot existed as did his daughter Christian but I have not been able to establish that he and his wife Katherine were the parents of Lt. Col. Robert Douglas of the Chatham Marines.

The key would be to find the petition; parenthetically, to what source might a pre- computer age early-20th. century genealogist have gone to establish the pedigree in the first place????

Kind regards and thank you for making your site available,

David

[William Douglas]

Genealogical swan song?  I hope not!

It is said that 'Old genealogists never die, they just fade away', but I hope that young genealogists may take over the mantle. And I am not young!

Thank you for these further insights.  I still have an unfinished bit of work on the Willan family on my desktop.  There always seems to be something more pressing. But I did enjoy exploring the family and the Douglas connections, and looking back through previous posts in the section remnded me how much work has been done..

As for General Robert, I will removed his knighthood!  

At this point, I have not checked whether I have all the other information recorded in other places, but will get onto that soon.

With best wishes, and thanks,

William

[Michael Synge]

William, would you please give David my email address.

Michael

[William Douglas]

Done