Genealogy Chat

In 1820 Joseph Bodycott of H M 17th Regiment of Foot, later the Leicestershire Regiment, married Elizabeth Beckwith at St John’s Cathedral in Calcutta. Both parties signed their marriage entry, although their witnesses simply made their marks. Elizabeth is said to have been born in Madras about 1803, but I haven’t been able to find a birth entry for her.

Joseph was born in 1799 in Leicester and it looks as if he returned to England at some point with Elizabeth. I haven’t sorted that bit out yet, but I know that Elizabeth was in Leicester as a widow in 1861, 71 and 81 and that she died there in 1884, aged 81. She always gave her place of birth as Madras.

I knew nothing about Elizabeth until I heard from a distant cousin some years ago. This lady said that the story in her branch of the family was that Elizabeth was actually Indian and the daughter of someone quite high ranking in society. I am a bit sceptical about this as we have no proof and this leads me to the following questions:

Would an army private be in a position to marry someone quite high up in Indian society?

Would marriages like that be ‘allowed’ by the British authorities and was a private allowed to marry anyway?

If she was Indian, why does she have an English name and surname?

Was it usual at this time (mid 19th century) for soldiers to marry foreign women and then bring them back to England?

I’d appreciate anybody’s thoughts on this.

S

The programme on Alastair McGowan covered some of this ground - have a look at

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/wdytya_s4_celeb_gallery_05.shtml

Thanks

I saw the Alistair McGowan programme, but I'm particularly interested in the situation re the Army. From what I've seen Indian women may have been given English first names, but Elizabeth has a surname as well and that makes me think she may have been the daughter of another soldier...

S

Perhaps it was only Elizabeth's mother who was Indian.

Didn't the marriage entry give her fathers name and occupation?

No info on the marriage entry other than his name and regiment and her name, place and date of marriage, officiants, their names and the names of their witnesses...

S

Did you get the marrige "cert" from the India Office, and have you searched India Office records for her birth?

Yes I got the marriage entry from the India Office records and no, (frustratingly) there is no sign of her birth)

It occurred to me last night that the British census entries for her children give the place of birth (either Bengal or West Indies) and then say - British Subject. I can't remember if hers do or not, so will check and post if there is any suggestion that she may not have been a British Subject.

S

Have checked the censuses:

1861 East India
1871 Madras - Nat Brit Subj
1881 Madras East India

Does this suggest she was a naturalised British subject and therefore originally of another nationality - possibly Indian?

I wish I knew!

S

If there is a possibility that she is the daughter of British army personnel, are there are any Beckwith births/marriages in the British overseas BMDs? They do start earlier than 1837.

Hi Ivy

I've looked in the India Office records and found nothing. Any other ideas anyone?

S

I' m trying to trace Greenham family in India how do I access Indian census information?

Chris, the census above are in England.

In our family there are branches which came from India.You may find that Indians that were christians had English first and surnames.Also our branch have no birth certs only baptism certs.