Deaths of BJM’s Aunts and Uncles

1. Uncle Robert MACLEAN died in March 1888. The Herald carried the following tribute in its 26 March 1888 edition:

“Amongst our obituary notices will be found intimation of the death of Mr Robert McLean (sic), of Bleak House, Howick. Deceased belonged to a well-known family, being a brother of Mr Benjamin McLean (sic), who for many years was provincial auditor, and of Mr Every McLean (sic), of Fen Court, Cambridge. Mr Robert McLean was a farmer, and never took any active part in public affairs. He was 75 years of age. The funeral took place on March 4 at Howick, and was attended by nearly the whole of the inhabitants, men, women, and children, and large numbers on horseback and in vehicles from surrounding districts, also a large number of old settlers from Auckland.”

[This notice shows an occupational hazard of being a Maclean; most people get the spelling wrong, the most common being ‘McLean’ and MacLean’. Others have included ‘MaClean’ and ‘MacLane’]

I also found the above funeral report on a web search, which included the following additional information:

“It is estimated that there were over 500 people present – the largest funeral yet held in Howick. The Church was far too small to accommodate the friends. The coffin was carried by hand, and many had the melancholy gratification of bearing their friend from his late home to the cemetery. The Rev. Samuel Fox conducted the funeral service. Suitable hymns were sung, and at the grave the 264^th hymn (Ancient and Modern) was feelingly sung by all present. The chief mourners were his brother, Mr Every Maclean; his son in law, Mr Bailey, C.B., and his three sons, (the grandsons of the deceased); [and] Messrs. John [Benjamin John Maclean] and Geoffrey Maclean [son of Thomas Every Maclean], his nephews. The general remarks amongst the crowd were that Howick had lost a good man, a friend to the aged, sick, and needy, and, a large employer of labour.”

Uncle Robert’s wife died in 1891: “Maclean – On May 28, at Bleak House, Howick of heart disease, Mary Evans Maclean, aged 75 years, beloved wife of the late Robert Maclean. Deeply regretted. The funeral will leave Bleak House at half-past twelve to-morrow (Sunday)”. From The Herald, 29 May 1891.

Uncle Robert’s son-in-law, James Bailey, died aged 67 at Penrose on the 23^rd of April, 1893. James Bailey was married to BJMc’s cousin, Ellen Jane Bailey nee Maclean. Ellen died at Penrose on the 16^th of January, 1926 aged 88 years.

2. Uncle Thomas Every Maclean died at Howick NZ on the 11^th day of August 1901 aged 83 years. His Death Certificate shows he never married and had no children. Every Maclean’s, ‘natural son’, Geoffrey St Every Maclean died in a Blenheim NZ hospital on the 18^th of November, 1932 aged 82 years.

A web search turned up the following eulogy for Uncle Every:

“MACLEAN Mr Every Maclean, whose death occurred recently at his residence, Bleak House, near Auckland, was a fine sample of the pioneers who have helped materially to make this country what it is. Mr Maclean came to this colony some 50 years ago. On landing Mr Maclean and his brother Robert had one great advantage over many who came to New Zealand to follow farming pursuits. They had a thorough knowledge of stock-breeding and agricultural work generally. It had been bred in them in their native County of Devon, where their progenitors had been noted stockbreeders for many years.

“The two bothers secured land in the East Tamaki District, and imported the first pedigree stock from the Old Country. Their fine Shorthorns and Herefords, as well as Leicester, Southdown, and Shropshire sheep took many prizes at the Agricultural Shows in the Auckland Province, and did much to make the stock in the district what they are. Mr Maclean naturally always took an interest in Agricultural Shows, and was himself a most energetic worker in the cause. He did good work in the foundation and management of the Auckland Agricultural Society.

“And with his brother he assisted materially in the establishment of the New Zealand Stud and Pedigree Stock Company [see following Every Maclean history]. And in the development of the Waikato as a farming district. But it is not only as a stock-breeder that Mr Maclean served his country, he was at one time in the Provincial Council, and during the unsettled period of the Maori War his energetic temperament and admirable horsemanship fitted him for the position he held as an efficient Captain of a troop of volunteer cavalry.”

No doubt BJMc attended many, if not all, of the New Zealand funerals that took place before 1900. He certainly attended Uncle Robert’s.

I find it interesting that the brothers Robert and Every Maclean are described in Every’s eulogy as being from “their native County of Devon”. So much for good old Blisland, Cornwell!

While not central to the BJMc history the agricultural and stock breeding pursuits of the Macleans are of interest, especially in relation to a race horse called Musket.

A Wikipedia search on the horse Musket (1867 – 1885) reveals the following:

“Musket was an English-bred thoroughbred racehorse and a leading sire in Australia and New Zealand. … In England Musket won nine races including the Ascot Stakes before retiring to stud where he only had limited patronage. …In December 1878 Musket was imported into Victoria by the Auckland Stud Company and then sent to Auckland, New Zealand … initially to cover ‘half-bred’ mares to breed coach horses.”

“He sired 28 stakeswinners which had 107 stakes wins. … Musket is best remembered for siring the famous Carbine … Carbine in his day was considered one of the greatest horses in the world, whose feats included winning the 1890 Melbourne Cup. … The bloodlines of Musket including Carbine … are still evident in many horses racing today.”

In another Wikipedia there is the following Musket history:

“Musket, a winner at Royal Ascot prior to his export to New Zealand already features in the pedigrees of many of history’s greatest horses because Carbine (who still holds what is likely to be a permanent weight-carrying record for the Melbourne Cup) proved to be a hugely influential stallion, initially in Australia and …  in England … where he proved responsible for three generations of Derby winners … Among the horses descending from Musket via Carbine are Phar Lap, Tulloch, Kingston Town, Bernborough, Rising Fast and Sunline.”

Even a non-horse follower such as myself has heard of some of these horsies.

I guess my great-uncle Every MACLEAN and his fellow directors/shareholders shared in the stud fees, but probably not the winnings. Pity!

3. Uncle Sir John Maclean died at Glasbury House, Clifton UK on the 5^th of March, 1895 aged 83 years. His wife Mary Maclean nee Billing died on the 8^th of January, 1897 in the UK, also at the age of 83 years. BJMc’s sister, Blanche Maclean, who stayed in England when the rest of the family sailed to New Zealand, and who was adopted by Sir John and Mary, died in England on the 6^th of May 1928, aged 80 years. She never married.

Included in the earlier chapter “1845: Change of Surname from LEAN to MACLEAN” are extracts of 3 obituaries for Sir John.

Each of these refer to Sir John’s reason for adopting “MACLEAN” as the family surname, and to his knighthood for public service and his private life as a publisher of antiquarian research papers. The Times Obituary is reproduced below.

The Times/1895/Obituary/John MacLean

Sir John MacLean, F.S.A., died at his residence, Glasbury-house, Richmond-hill, Clifton, on Tuesday. He had been in very indifferent health for some time, and has been confined to his room with an attack of influenza. Sir John MacLean was a son of Mr. Robert Lean, of Trehudreth, Cornwall, where he was born in 1811. His mother was a daughter of Mr. Thomas Every, of Bodmin. His descent is traced from a branch of the Scotch Clan Lean, and in 1845, with his brothers, he resumed the original prefix of “Mac.” He married in 1835 Mary Billing, eldest sister and co-heiress of Mr. Thomas Billing, of Lanke, Cornwall. In 1837 he entered the Ordnance Department of the War Office, and became deputy auditor in April, 1865. He resigned this post on a pension, and received a knighthood in January, 1871. Sir John was the author of several historical works, including “Life and Times of Sir Peter Carew,” “Letters of Sir Robert Cecil to Sir George Carew,” and “Memoir of the Family of Poyntz.”

We know something of Sir John’s Clifton residence from the 1891 census below. Sounds like a very comfortable and gentile existence. By my estimate, the Maclean Family lived at Glasbury House in style for some 25 years.

Probate of Sir John’s Estate

Unfortunately, Sir John’s Death Certificate creates problems for the family researcher. The official ‘Certified Copy’ I have was transcribed by hand on the 7th of December 1979. It records that he died at 10 Richmond Hill (Road) Clifton.

The informant recorded on the Certificate was “S.E.P. Estridge, niece, (of) Minety House, Malmesbury, Wiltshire”. The word ‘niece’ is the problem. No Maclean family descendent has ever heard of this niece.

To recap, brothers John and Benjamin LEAN respectively married sisters Mary and Elizabeth Anne BILLING. The BILLING sisters had 1 brother and no other sisters. The brother is recorded in the BILLING pedigree as dying in 1848, unmarried and without issue.

Of the 3 brothers of Sir John Maclean, Robert had 1 daughter only (who in 1864 married James BAILEY, Assistant Commissary General, in New Zealand) while Thomas Every had 1 son only. Remaining brother, Benjamin, produced, with the able assistance of his wife, 4 daughters Mary, Edith, Blanche and Bertha, none of whom married an ESTRIDGE. Neither did any of the 7 sons of Benjamin or the son of Thomas Every MACLEAN.

So, in my considered opinion, the evidence is strong that Sir John did not have a niece with the surname ESTRIDGE from Minety House, Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

This gives rise to 2 options – that my certified copy of Sir John’s death certificate has the wrong Informant details in their entirety (unlikely?) or that Ms S.E.P. ESTRIDGE was in fact a NURSE and not a NIECE. I could go back and request another Death Certificate, but can I be bothered? No!

I think the ‘nurse’ theory can be supported on another ground. Included in the newspaper obituary for Sir John in the ‘Name Change’ chapter is the concluding sentence: “Lady Maclean lies seriously ill at the present time.”

Sir John’s death certificate states the cause of his death as:

1. Influenza 13 days, and

2. Bronchitis 5 days.

So, both John and Mary were seriously ill at the same time (with John being ‘confined to his room’ for some time, in fact to his death). It seems highly feasible that Sir John (and maybe wife Mary) needed full time professional nursing care – hence the presence of Nurse Estridge, leaving daughter Blanche free to manage the household.

Blanche MACLEAN

This Notice of Blanche’s death and fineral service was placed in the WEstern Daily Press, Wednesday 9th of May 1928. At almost 81 years of age Blanche had probably just outlived Bill the Builder and definitely outlived the 17 year old Dennis Ousley – hopefully Dennis’s death gave rise to a sucessful ‘Occupation, Health and Safety’ law suit, but probably not!

Unfortunately I have no information on where Blanche was buried. Details of her Probate follow.

All Saints Church (pre-WW2) Pembroke Road, Clifton.

In my humble view the Clifton All Saints church of Blanche’s day had a nice comfortable Christian look, but according to the aforementioned Dave, the Church was severely damaged by the usual suspects in WW2, to such an extent that it burnt down. And, even more unfortunately – one man’s opinion, was replaced in the 1960s by a modern monstrosity of the same name.