MURRAY -TOLLMACHE - PARKE
WILLIAM MURRAY, a cadet of the House of Murray of Athol,
was Whipping Boy to Charles I and created Earl of Dysart with remainder
in favour of female line as he had no son. His title was given by James
I after William Murray had been tutor to his sons, and afterwards Secretary
to Charles I. His daughter ELIZABETH married Sir Lionel Talmach of Helmington
Hall and Bentley Park in Suffolk. They had two daughters and three sons:
LIONEL THOMAS who died of wounds after the Battle of Brest, and WILLIAM
who had a son called NICHOLAS who was great-grandfather to William Parke
whose daughter, Sarah Shrieve married a Dare.
CAPTAIN WILLIAM TOLLEMACHE was born 1663 the youngest
son of the Duchess of Lauderdale by her first husband Sir Lionel Tollemache
of Helmington, Suffolk.
When in Paris in 1681 he had a duel with the Hon. William Carnegie and
wounded him mortally with his sword. Arrested by the French authorities,
he was tried at the Castalet leger and only escaped by a fine of £2,000
paid by his mother. He was outlawed and seems to have made his way to
Genoa, and after a couple of years joined the Fleet at Tangiers, which
had gone to take away the Garrison and hand the place over to the Sultan.
His outlawry having been reversed, he was pardoned by the House of Lords
and came home.
On January 4th 1685 he deposed (c.f. Colonial s.p. . 20. Vol. IV 33.1.11)
before Governor William Stapleton, that a month past he went with others
from Barbados on private enterprise in trade, and in sight of “Saltertudas”
(a French sloop) ordered them to strike and plundered the vessel - after
a few days discharged.
On August 20th 1685 Stede the Deputy Governor of Barbados wrote:
“Mr. Tollemache, son of the Duchess of Lauderdale , who killed
the purser of H.M.S. Diamond, is here on bail and begs to be brought
to trial as soon as possible. I therefore granted a special commission
and summoned two jurys. With due respect to his quality and to the justice
of the cause. He was found guilty of manslaughter only. He was allowed
benefit of clergy and he chose to be burnt in the hand to save him from
being appealed to England.” Colonial State Papers, letters
to Lords of Trade and Plantations.
The King granted him a commission as Lieutenant of the “Woolwich”
on October 5th 1688. He became Captain of the "Lark” the following
December, and of the “Berkeley Castle" in 1689. As Captain
of H.M.S. Jersey -48 guns -he went to the - West Indies in November 1690.
On May 16th 1691 he accompanied the expedition under Admiral Laurence
Wright against Guadaloupe. He seems to have been attacked by yellow fever
on the way back, and died on May 25th at the age of' 28 either at sea
or at Antigun. The arrears of pay were paid to Mr. Cox by letter of the
Duchess of Lauderdale 1693.
A well supported and interesting tradition is handed down in certain families
in South Africa, England and Manitoba, that they are descended from a
son of his named NICHOLAS by a secret marriage of William Tollemache of
Coddenham, to Suzan Bloomfield of Coddenham on 25th March 1686. The secret
marriage took place while he was outlawed and his elder brother looked-
after his wife and children.
The father (or grandfather) of SARAH PARKE -GEORGE DARE
had obtained all proofs of the legitimacy of the secret marriage, and
all other descendants, and was on his way to London to put it in the hands
of a lawyer with every chance of being given his lawful inheritance of
both property and money. When on the way back by coach, he and his wife
were taken ill with smallpox at Saffron Walden, and both died. The Landlord
of the inn, fearing infection, had all their luggage burnt, and with it
all the unreplaceable legal documents.
His son was so disgusted that he would no longer remain in England and
went to South Africa and settled on a farm with his wife, nee Bush. But
he had to leave as Kafirs rose and killed everyone and destroyed the whole
place. In escaping he was thrown out of a cart and badly injured from
which he never properly recovered.
*******
HAM HOUSE One of the properties of the Tollemaches, was Ham House. Built
by James I’s eldest son who died and left it to William. NOTE: Amy is referring to William MURRAY - not William TOLLEMACHE.
|
