Nicholas Lechmere at Weston Turville Manor?

Post date: 01-Aug-2013 16:33:54

The 1833 will of Lucy Tompkins bequeathed the Manor House to Nicholas Lechmere, the reputed son of her elder brother, Nicholas Lechmere (1755-1817?1818?) who had been possibly Naval Storekeeper or Ordnance Storekeeper at Port Royal Jamaica and had died proprietor of Mount Atlas plantation in St Andrew Parish, Jamaica. She describes the legatee as serving in the East Indies in the Honourable East India Company's Artillery. I wonder if any member of your society might be able to tell me if Nicholas Lechmere ever came to inhabit it after his service in the East India Company Artillery?

Many thanks and best wishes James Brennan jsbrennan.125@gmail.com

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Margaret Cox makes no mention of Nick Lechmere in her history of the Manor House. Your correspondent may find this link interesting:

http://genforum.genealogy.com/lechmere/messages/26.html

It doesn't seem likely that he actually took up residence in WT.

Alan Maizels [alanmaizels@hotmail.co.uk]

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Many thanks - especially for the prompt reply. Two road guides (one for 1810 - Corby's I think) put the Manor house in the ocupation of Lucy Tomkins and ;' - Lechmere, Esq' (sic) - if it's the Nicholas Lechmere I have in mind, in 1810 he was all of six years old. But his sureties at Addiscombe when he became an HEIC Cadet in 1819 were Thomas Wentworth and Matthew Raper, both of whom seem to have had Wendover connections. If Lucy Tompkins or Tomkins had only a life interest in the Manor I wonder why she thought she could leave it to him - her will is precise, (and she seems to have spent money improving it, which you wouldn't normally do on a life interest) but the sale to the Duke of Buckingham certainly seems to have taken place. If it was in 1835 Nicholas Lechmere couldn't have come home.

Many thanks again Jim Brennan