Richard Champion & Elizabeth
Cowley
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Surname:
CHAMPION Birth Details Death Details Immigration Details |
Surname:
COWLEY
Immigration Details |
| Family Stories Life in Australia: Richard and Elizabeth emigrated in 1850. Sadly Elizabeth died of apoplexy, aged 44 and pregnant just five years later. Elizabeth's mother wrote Richard a letter of condolence, however by the time the letter arrived in Australia, Richard had remarried!"Lambourne, Woodlands July 31st 1856 My Dear Richard You very well know you had the very darling of my heart and you was always the same to me. May the Almighty bless you in this time of need, under this heavy trial, oh that we may be prepared if death should come. May it not find us unprepared, for we know not a day or a single hour but we may hear the summons, to obey. Remember our life it's only a vapour which appeareth for a little while and we are gone no more to return. My dear Margaret and all the dear children, this comes with my very kind love unto you. Oh my dear children it's heartbreaking to know as your dear mother is gone. Be kind and good to your dear father, my dear Margaret, while you are with him. Grieve not for her, my dear Richard, your loss is her gain, she is landed safe above, she has traveled her journey through, she is gone from a world of care and sorrow, and sin unknown to her, while you are struggling on to gain and fight on as a good soldier of the Cross of Christ until the day when it shall be ended. My dear Richard, my very dear Richard, I canot tell your feelings, may the Almighty grant that you may send and tell me the very feelings of your heart and that the Almighty may bless your tender offspring now He has been pleased to take from me and you my beloved child and your beloved wife. He has promised to be a Friend to the Fatherless and the Widow, why should we not rely on him who is our all in all. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever-more and changes not. My dear Richard do not forget me, no never forget an aged mother, send often to me and I will return the same to you if it is the Lord's will and we may meet in a better country, meet to part no more is the sincere prayer of yours in the Lord. My dear friends, your dear uncle and Aunt Stephen and Mary and three children send their kindest love unto you. Oh what a mercy that they were not in the same case as you are, as she was confined on Christmas Day with a son but it was dead, a mercy of mercies that it was not the mother that was taken, but thank God that she is getting on nicely now. Thanks be to God for all mercies that we do receive, unworthy creatures as we are. But I must conclude with kindest love from all to you. Wishing you every blessing this world can afford and peace at last. So good-bye my dear Richard, and all my dear grandchildren, Alfred, Hannah, Margaret and all. From your ever affectionate Grandfather, Grandmother, Uncle and Aunt William H Chad". Richard had eight children by Elizabeth and married secondly, Sarah Musson with issue five children born between 1857 and 1868. I'm told he also had a "penchant for late night band practice", leaving Sarah at home while he was out on the town! An asthmatic, Richard has been blamed for passing on this condition to many of his descendants. You and Your Family: At the time of writing (1999), Keith is operating a business, Dodd & Young Human Resource Consultants. He is keenly interested in military history, and together with our son, Kane, trekked the Kokoda trail, Papua New Guinea, last August. Hayley and Kane are studying at university and I am working part-time as a school secretary and devoting most of my spare time to family history research. Life Before Australia: Richard was the son of William
Champion and Margaret Brown who married in 1796 at Lambourn, Berkshire
and grandson of Richard Champion and Martha Beckingham who also married
in Lambourn in 1765. Elizabeth Gould Cowley was one of two illegitimate
children born to Hannah Cowley, born 1789 at Lambourn. Family history
tells that a girl, presumably Hannah Cowley, worked for the squire.
She became pregnant to his son, who couldn't or wouldn't marry her.
So Hannah gave his surname, Gould, as a second Christian name to the
child, who we believe was Elizabeth Gould Cowley. Hannah later married
William Chandler.It was in the time of a vicar called Robert Milman.
His sister wrote in his biography that Lambourn was "one of the
wildest and most neglected parishes in the diocese of Oxford".
He did a great deal to reform the parish helping to build schools
and starting eveningclasses.Lambourn is now, together with Newmarket,
the centre for horse racing in England and many famous trainers live
there. It is a small town set in a green valley now, but was an important
market town long ago. King Alfred (about 800 AD) might have been born
there (it is mentioned in his will). Lambourn has a fine impressive
old church and there is a village cross where the market was. Stocks
that stood in the village to deter petty crime are now stored in the
church. |
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Contacts Surname: DODD Given Name(s): Gail Email: dodd@iinet.net.au Related URL: http://www.iinet.net.au/~dodd/gail/ Phone: Address: 36 Stefanelli Close WANDI W A 6167 Library: |
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Descendants Grandchildren Great Grandchildren Great Great Grandchildren Great Great Great Grandchildren Great Great Great Great
Grandchildren NB: Superscript
behind each descendant name represents the lineage number of that
descendant. |
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Webmaster: Sirrah Computing
Date : March 1999
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