Maria Jane (Davis) Rivett-Carnac (1801 - 1882)

Born 1801 in India [uncertain]

Ancestors

Wife of John Edward Rivett-Carnac — married 15 Mar 1826 in All Souls Church, St. Marylebone, London, England

Descendants

Died 23 Nov 1882 at about age 81 in Berrryfield House, Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire, England

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Elizabeth Trace [send private message] and Kate Rivett-Carnac [send private message]

Biography

I can find no history about Maria Jane Davis apart from the bare skeleton below and the 'Notes on the Family Rivett-Carnac’ by John Henry Rivett-Carnac.

Her father was Samuel Davis (1760-1819) and Her mother Henrietta Boileau (1773-1853) Noted events: Census 1861. 46 Devonshire St, Cavendish Square, Marylebone, London Census 1881. Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire.

Further information taken from my G.G.Great Uncle's "Notes on the Family Rivett-Carnac” states :- 'My father married Maria Jane daughter of Samuel Davis R.E., F.R.S., Chairman of the East India Company, formerly an Officer of the Royal Engineers and an Aide de Camp to the Governor General of India, who defended with a spear the staircase of the house at Benares on the occasion of the massacre of the Europeans by Vizier Ali in 1797. And by his wife, daughter of S. Boileau Esq. of the noble French family, Barons of St Croix de Boric and Castlenau, Languedoc. She was baptised Jan 24, 1805 in Calcutta.'

Maria and John had seven children who my grandfather remembered as they were his uncles and aunts. The eldest John died aged two years, the next two girls Henrietta (Missy) and Anna Maria (Nana) did not marry and lived together in London where, according to my Grandfather "their Pug ruled the roost." The next daughter Elisa Mary (Poppy) married William Tilghman-Huskisson but had no children. Their son John Henry - known to the family as 'Lord Harry', wrote "Notes on the family of Rivett-Carnac" (from which the quote above comes, as well as much other interesting information.) He was also ADC to Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, married Annie Durant, wrote many books, but had no issue. The last child was Arthur Boileu who became a Roman Catholic priest and died aged 41. So, the only one of their children to have any offspring was their sixth child and third son, Edward Stirling. He had five children, three of whom had children, two of his daughters, and one of his sons, Arthur Temple, our grandfather, who had numerous descendants most of whom live in South Africa.

My grandfather wrote in his biography that his mother, Sophia, was left with no money when her husband died, "despite my Grandmother (Maria Jane) being very rich, she did nothing to help her daughter-in-law." This changed when Maria Jane died, at which time Sophia inherited sufficient funds to enable her to live comfortably until her death in 1931.

Sources

• The PeerageThe Peerage.com (F, #559518)
  
  

LDS marriage record

• Ancestry.com. India, Select Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: India, Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

• Rootsweb[1]

• Ancestry.com. England, Select Marriages, 1538–1973 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: England, Marriages, 1538–1973. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

• Ancestry.com. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England. London, England © Crown copyright.

Census

1881 census for Berrryfield House, Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire, England :
Maria Carnac : Head : Widow : Age 74  : Gentlewoman : Birth place India.
Arthur Carnac : Son : Single : Age 38  : R C Priest : Birth Place City of London, Middlesex, England.
Henrietta Carnac : Daughter  : Single : Age 42 : Gentlewoman : Birth place City of London, Middlesex, England.
Anna R Carnac : Daughter : Single : Age 40 : Gentlewoman : Birth place City of London, Middlesex, England.