Richard Edwards -Part Two

Richard and Eliza moved from Ramsgate right after they were married in 1855.

http://www.picturesofengland.com

Ramsgate, what a History! You can take an online walking tour with http://www.bbc.co.uk. I did and found it interesting, informative with lots of pictures and great stories.

The Belgic people arrived there 100 BC. Followed by the Romans, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons.  During the Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815) Ramsgate became a Garrison Town.  Tens of thousands of troops embarked and disembarked through it's Harbor.

King George the  Fourth declared Ramsgate the only Royal Harbor in the United Kingdom instead of Dover.  Reason being that he hated his wife Caroline and Dover had given her a very big Welcome at one time when she visited.  They lived apart   after the birth of their only child Charlotte.

After King George's death William the Fourth was King until 1837  when the throne passed to Princess Victoria who ruled until 1901.  In 1840 Victoria married her cousin Albert and they had nine children.

In the sixty one years of her reign she had two Prime Ministers. Benjamin Disraeli whom she loved for his Conservative Views.

Next was four time Prime Minister William Ewert Gladstone who was famously at odds with the Queen for most of his life.   She once complained "He always addresses me as if I was a public meeting"  One of my links to him is that one of my fourth cousins Rosamund Anne Hambro married one of his great grand sons. Rosamund was the daughter of Sir Cecil Beaton's  sister Barbara Jessica Hardy Beaton known as "Baba."

 

Anyway back to Richard, he left Whitehaven for Picton , Queensland Australia during the reign of Queen Victoria after 1881.  The ship below was built in 1883 in Whitehaven, I hope the voyage was not as rough as this one appears to be.  Richard and his family could have travelled by early steamship.

The "Australia Run" could take up to 3 months, many emigrant ships did not make it or be one day out from harbor to be smashed on the rocks.  It is recorded that in Victorian times almost fifteen million people left the British Isles for a better life. Most ships sailed from Liverpool and emigrants would often have to wait in lodging houses nine or ten days before the actual departure.  Generally only first and second- class passengers names were recorded by initial and surname the rest of the passengers were not listed.

Family History has been compared to eating an elephant.  You do it one bite at a time.  Looks like Richard Edwards is going to take at least one more bite.  This Is all can handle today I keep stopping to read huge amounts of history.