Madeleine Heather P Lang

Madeleine was the eldest of the Lang children and was born on the 6th September 1913 (Emily must have been pregnant with Madeline on her voyage to India as Percy and she were married in November 1912)

She married Albert Waghorn but had no children. They lived in Seaford, Sussex

Bird family line

I have been fascinated researching where the name BIRD came from and thought I would share some of the information on here (thank you the Internet).

ORIGINS OF THE NAME BIRD

The main areas to find the name Bird is in the East of England (South of the Wash especially Norfolk) and does, like so many of our Surnames originate from occupations - such as Bird Catcher! Some of the Bird Family moved to Ireland (I need to find out when but it does follow with what happened to William Bird who originally came from Essex. 

The name is of Anglo-Saxon descent (spreading to Ireland, Scotland and Wales) and Johannes Bridde  in the Poll Tax rolls of 1379 can be found in 1273 with variations BIRD, BYRD, BYRDE, BRID, BURD. Bird and Byrd can also be found as variants of the names Heaney, Heneghan and McEneany.

In Ireland, people with the surname Bird (and its' variants) came over in the 17th Century being introduced into Ulster Provinces by settlers.

EMILY LANG (NEE BIRD)

Emily Lang, our Grandmother, was born Emily Mary (or May) Bird in 1886 in Dublin, Ireland to William and Kate Bird (her maiden name was Irwin). Having looked at records, I think William and Kate were her parents (as they were both at her Baptism), William then died and Kate married again to a man called Reilly as I have found her on a Census record in 1911 with Rose and two half brothers, Willie and Joseph - but I need to confirm when she got married (I assume it must have been in about 1900 as the boys are 3 and 2 respectively.

I have created a Bird Family Tree on Ancestry - you can find it here

There is still a lot more information still to find on both sides, but at least I have now found out why Emily Robson looked after the Bird and Lang children later on!  

I have possibly found out where William is buried but it is a Common Grave and it would cost money to find out more. 

Evelyn Lang 1915-2014

Evelyn Lang was born on the 11th October 1915 and baptised on the 26/11/1915  in India. 

She married Stonehewer Abbot Stanynought on the 11^th March 1949 (Westminster 5c 793). He was born on the 7^th November 1915 again in India.

She went to school  at the Stella Mary Convent at Nieuport in Belgium (was this where Aunty Molly was) and then to St Philomena’s Convent on the 13^th January 1921 and left in December 1925 – where did she go to school after that as she was only 10?

She and Stoney lived in Wimbledon and Merton Park, London – 6 Mansell Road (just off Wimbledon Hill Road) and also 50 Kingswood Road, Merton Park which was very near to where we lived in Dorset Road – I remember going there when I was younger. They also had flats in Alwyne Road, Wimbledon. 

She and Stoney moved to Australia to be nearer to Stoney's relations and both died there at very good ages... (see below) for her Obituary.

STANYNOUGHT, Evelyn Mary Bernadette Late of Wooloowin, formerly Ascot, Passed away peacefully, 5th June, 2014. Aged 98 Years. Beloved Wife of Stoney (dec'd) and much loved Aunt. Family and Friends are invited to a Graveside Service at Albany Creek Memorial Gardens, 400 Albany Creek Road, Bridgeman Downs, on Thursday, 12th June, 2014, commencing at 10:30 a.m. Funerals Published in The Courier-Mail on 10/06/2014

Marie Naome Lang

She was born on the 10^th October 1923 in Iran (Consular Birth Indices Bushire 17 685)

She also went to St Philomena’s School starting on the 19^th September 1933 and left on the 21^st September 1939.

She married first of all to Andrius Berentemfel (part of the Phillips electrical company and was of Dutch origin I think).Jan-Mar 1943 (Surrey Mid-E 2a 825) - I have noticed that he uses both Berentemfel and Phillips names to get married.

She married for the 2^nd time to Leslie Sheerman-Chase (he was a draughtsman and was designer of part of Victorian Coach Station on the 7^th October 1952 -  who had 2 children by his previous marriage – Joy and Raye. His first wife was Jocelyn E M White and they got married in January 1940 (so when did they get divorced).

She died on the 18^th April 1990 at the War Memorial Hospital in Carshalton unfortunately of cirrhosis of the liver and lung cancer (she smoked like a chimney too). Bernard (her brother was the informant)  and was registered on the 20^th April 1990.

She lived in Chaucer Gardens, Sutton Surrey but her flat burned down on the 30^th June 1986.

Emily Lang (nee Bird)

Facts (to be confirmed)

Emily Bird was born in Dublin, Ireland on the 3^rd May I886 or 2nd May 1887 (I don't think a lot of people actually knew their real birth date according to research I have done)  to William Bird (who lived possibly in Kanturk, Watergate Lane Parish Comfort, Cork) and Kate (Kathleen or Katherine) Irwin and was one of 4 children I think (Emily, Roseanna (Rose), Kathleen and Eleanor). I think William and Kate were their parents but William died in 1898 when Emily would have only been about 12 or 13. Kate then remarried (need to confirm dates) and after some time Emily was sent to be with her Aunt and Uncle, Emily Robson (nee Bird) and Bartholomew Robson (Swinyard).

According the birth records, she was baptised on the 17^th May 1886 at St Andrew’s Church (All Hallows') RC Chapel*, Dublin and lived at 5 Mead Cottages, Dublin.

According to the 1901 census

Kate Irwin (her mother) was a widow aged 33 (so born 1867 approx) and a cleaner at the Civil Service Office in Dublin. The residence address was 31.3.1901 and the address was listed as 43.6 Denzille Street, Trinity, Dublin and was a Roman Catholic. She could also read and write.

There were 4 children - all girls (definitely a trait in the Lang family I think...) - Emily (14), Eleanor (13), Rose (9) and Kathleen (6).

There definitely is a link to a Dunne family - I have a photo of a Mattie Dunne who was she? I also found a record on the National Archives of Ireland that a John Dunne lived at Mead Cottages who apparently made a claim against the Wynn’s Hotel, Abbey Street, Lower Mead’s Cottages, Wentworth Place – asked for £2.2.6 for destruction of clothing – payment of £3.15s was recommended by the Committee. PLIC/1/6031.

I have looked up Denzille Street and have also found that a William Dunne (relation to Mattie and John?) was an inhabitant or Ratepayer and lived in the drawing room and the back parlour.

Time in India, Karachi and the Persian Gulf

I have found a Passenger List which contains 

Memories

She was always known to us as Grandma Lang and I remember going with my dad to collect her on a Sunday and also remember her lovely apple pie. She was also responsible for my learning and loving crafts – she taught me crocheting and knitting.

I do have a very very old photo of her when she was young – she went to France in the early 1900’s to become a governess to a Count’s children in Arcachon and one story is that she had to leave because both the Count and his son fell in love with her! She then met Percy when he was over in Croydon on furlough and eventually married him in 1912.

From the many stories I heard from my mother, she was a very very strange woman – taking out a lot of her frustrations at having so many children out on them. But thinking about it it must have been so tough for a widow (without any real income)  being responsible for 7 children when Percy died in 1930. All of the children had been sent to boarding school in England (apparently to prevent them being kidnapped by bandits in the Khyber Pass, India.

She and Percy (see previous blog post) moved around the Middle and Far East several times as he worked for the Indo-European Telegraph Department (there were a couple of times when he was demoted for various reasons (of which I need to find out more).

There are so many myths and legends surrounding her (some of her own making to be honest) and some of the things that she came out with were just plain silly – like she remembered traffic lights in the desert!!

Here is a colourised version of the above photo:-

To start with, I think Emily looks very thoughtful – probably thinking of all the children she had or was going to have, how hot it was out there and so on…She also appears to be wearing very fashionable clothes (how they wore them out in the Persian Gulf, India etc when the heat must have been horrendous I don’t know…). She was only 4ft 11in and to wear a corset/cummerbund and heavy clothes etc must have been so tough.

I am not sure how long into the marriage this photo was taken (she and Percival Wilfred Lang married in November 1912 in Croydon) but she did have her first child in 1913 and then went on to have 7 others over the next few years including a set of twins, one of which was my mother.

I wonder what part of the house this was taken in? I have photos of what is called “their bungalow” but am not sure if it was theirs or James Matthew’s (Percy’s grandfather).

She died on the 3^rd August 1979, 17 Overton Road, Sutton, Surrey – I remember my mum going to visit her as often as she could when she moved into the nursing home – I think she would have loved to have stayed at home but just couldn’t cope. She died of old age but the official report on her death certificate states cerebral thrombosis /cerebral arteriosclerosis.

According to another record in 1951(Royal Warrant Pension) India Office Pension to the National Bank of India, 26 Bishopsgate, London EC2 of £35.00

In her will ( 9.3.1969) – beneficiaries included Rose Frances Hall (sister) £250.00, David Hall (her grand nephew) £100.00, Catherine Hoy (her granddaughter £100.00 and Grant Fuller (my brother) £100.00 – think they were all her godchildren.

Langholme as it was called recoloured from black and white photo

I can often remember going to her place in Alma Road, Carshalton and was always spooked out by the house as it was always so dark. It was an incredible house – with an Anderson or Morrison shelter in the garden – it was always full to the brim of stuff and there were several rooms downstairs (including a small passageway at the back of the house. There were 2 bedrooms on the first floor and a bathroom (where my mum apparently cut and scarred the bottom of her back when a chamber pot broke and cut her! Grandma Lang’s bedroom was in the front of the house and she had a really large box full of presents that she used to receive but never open and then give them to other people when they had birthdays etc. There were then 2 other smaller bedrooms up a short flight of stairs.

I have now found this wonderful photo of Percy and Emily (which I have digitally colourised) on their wedding day – it does look to be quite a grand affair as they had the reception at Bartholomew and Emily Robson’s house, Lifford Lodge in Croydon (well it would make sense as it is mentioned on the marriage certificate and I recognise the ivy surrounding the house behind them…. She has such thick hair (something I only remember as being white – I wonder what colour it was to start with? Percy does look a kindly man too – not too tall though as Emily was only about 5' tall

   

Kate Irwin – Emily’s mother

William Dunne (relation to Mattie) https://databases.dublincity.ie/burgesses/viewdoc.php?burgessid=126858&djvupath=imagefiles&orderby=007030&imagefile=BR.1910.1549.jpg

James Matthew Lang - Photos

Funeral Card of our Great Grandparents- this card was kept by my mother 

A Centenary Brochure of the company that James Matthew worked for

A Brochure showing the tea planting

Wallace St, Bombay, Headquarters of Bombay Company, as noted in Thacker's, 1929 when I visited the British Library

Office inside Wallace St Bombay where James Matthew would  have visited and stayed.

James Matthew Lang 1856 - 1920

James Matthew Lang was born on 20 November 1856, in Belgaum, Presidency of Bombay, India.  I had always been intrigued by him and his wife Mary Ellen (Crowley) because my mother had a funeral ‘card’ with photos of them both. This little card was slipped under the protective glass of her dressing table in her bedroom all her life for as long as I could remember. In my childish way, I thought to myself, they appeared very good looking and well to do. Who were they? My mum said they were her grandfather and grandmother. They were part of the puzzle of my mother’s family background. Where she had got the card from I never found out, but I realised that this photo was very significant and I had to find out more.

So on one of my many visits to the India Office records, British Library, I was on the hunt, to find out as much as I could about James Matthew and Mary Ellen. As it happened, I was flying into Bombay the very next day. My plan was to trace the very steps that they would have trodden. 

The researcher at the British Library directed me to Thackers 1919, the year before James Matthew’s death.  I searched for the Bombay Company Ltd. The entry for 1919 was as follows: 3, Wallace St., merchants. MANG DIRS, - S.J. Gillum, R.H.R. Goodall, H.F. Hearson, Bombay; F.S. Kerr, Calcutta; and H.P.M. Rae, Madras; ASSTS. A.W. Oliver, A.D. Clarke and H.F. Bush. Calcutta Asst H.S.Bul?  J.M. Lang and G.N.R. Morgan. Madras assts. G.R.L. Goffe and B. May. London Correspdts.- Wallace Bros & Co. Ltd.Tel ad Phone No. 15 P.O. Box No 201.

On my visit to Bombay, I tracked down the Bombay Company which in 1994 merged to become the Bombay Burmah Company. I was very lucky, because I met an old retainer at the company; an 85 year old man who had actually worked in the Karachi Office in the 1940’s. He was able to tell me about the office which then had about 100 employees. The company he said, dealt in exporting raw cotton, wool and importing piece goods and metal. It was also an insurance and shipping agency. It had ginning and pressing cotton factories in the Punjab, Sind Province. He told me that the Karachi office of the Bombay Company was much more important than the Bombay office. 

YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS OLD FILM. https://www.facebook.com/OldKarachi/videos/1247638668676589/?t=13 It's taken in Karachi in  1929 and shows the hustle and bustle of the place. On a personal note our great grandfather, James had his house in Karachi, and was the Karachi Manager of the Bombay Company which as a major trading company, shipped raw cotton out to Manchester and brought back the small goods eg. the processed cotton, to Karachi. Many of the children were baptised at St Patricks Church, Karachi, went to school at St Joseph's, Karachi, and were buried at the church there too. One of the cars he had bore a number plate with the letters KAR on it!

LOOK AT THE CAMELS - IS THAT THE RAW COTTON ON THEM? 

It was with this company that James Matthew seems to have made a substantial income, (sending his children to private schooling in England, running a motor car, and living in a large house: Hornichi Hall) by importing  and exporting goods. 

James met an untimely death in December 1930 of pneumonia; he was 64. He is buried in St Patrick’s Church, Karachi. 

I have seen his probate which is held at the India Office and amounted to 159,100 -00 rupees.

Note

On my visit to the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation Limited, Wallace Street, (named after the founders of the Bombay Company) Bombay I was given some very interesting Booklets. If you’ve read The Glass Palace, by Amitav Ghosh it was this very company which traded in teak, in Burma. Then tea, coffee, cardamon…you name it, this company did it and is still trading strongly today.

It’s interesting to note that in 1918 three on the Board of Directors were Indian: 

Chairman : R. W. Harter Esq.

And the following board members were: Leslie Crawford, Esq. The Hon’ble Mr. S.J. Gillum and F. R. Wadia Esq, and Mathuradas Vissanji Esq.