Lady Ann Hope Fleming

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1763 FLEMING Lady Ann Hope Burial Monmouth
1783 FLEMING Eziakiah Burial Monmouth

I am looking for the parents of William Gough's wife, Christiana Fleming.

The Parish Records give me the 2 burials in Monmouth which I believe are them. Eziakiah Fleming is usually given as Hezekiah Fleming, and was an army officer who eventually rose to the rank of Major General.

Lady Ann Hope Fleming, appears to have married Hezekiah Fleming in 1749. Given Christiana's probable age of 18 or so at her marriage in 1751, this would imply that she was the daughter of her mother from a previous marriage (I have a potential 1720 date of birth for Hezekiah, which mathematically would rule him out)

BUT I cannot find out who Lady Ann Hope Fleming was! Either her birth name, or her widowed name, was presumably Lady Ann Hope, implying she is either the daughter of a noble, or the widow of one, but I have gone through the entire Hope family at thepeerage.com and cannot find her.

I was wondering if anybody had any ideas how to help find out who she was?

Thanks
Jon

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1975 views

Z Fleming Will is listed on the National Archives and during lockdown can be read with no charge.

Will of Hezekiah FLEMING of Monmouth, Monmouthshire

Date: 3 March 1783

(also on Ancestry)

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1882 views

The Will mentions lots of names - and needs careful reading (it's a bit late now). He does talk about his Sister, Christina Gough

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1869 views

Wow, thank you!

I struggle to read 18th century handwriting but I am pretty certain it says "to my sister Christiana Gough" which means that I have been led astray!

I still do need to know who Lady Ann Hope Fleming is, but now she is sister-in-law of Christiana, and not her mother.

Of course, that means I have absolutely no clue who the parents of Christiana are at all now. They are also the parents of Hezekiah, and I think that will says he has a brother called Abraham, so of him too.

The will also mentions Elizabeth Gough and Harriet Gough, who were daughters of William and Christiana, and ought therefore to be referred to in the will as "niece" but I really cannot read the word he writes there?

Best Regards
Jon

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1906 views

It does talk about his nieces, Elizabeth and Harriet GOUGH.

Sorry, it is a bit late in the day,...

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1878 views

Ah, is that word before their name "niece"? I really couldn't make head or tail of it.

I guess at some point reading this style of handwriting must suddenly "click" and become clear? At the moment it feels like translating Greek!

Best Regards
Jon

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1913 views

Marriage at City of London St Andrew by the Wardrobe 21 Sep 1749

Hezekiah Fleming of the Parish of St Anne Blackfrys London, Batchelor and Anne Hope of the same Parish Spinster.

May be there could be a Newspaper article about them.

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1886 views

Ah spinster, thank you. Means Lady Ann Hope is her birth name, and she was not a Hope widow

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1888 views

I agree with the Newspaper suggestion.
I did a quick search of British Newspaper Archives and although i am not a member , could see a preview of articles.
One of them dated 12th of June 1863 and titled "Glamorgan Pedigrees" mentions William Gought marrying Hezekiah Fleming's daughter and then lists their children names.
Several of the other articles list his name and mention he was a member of a particular Regiment in the Army and his transfer or promotion.
Another records the Citizens of Londonderry presenting him with silver plate.
From the newspapers you should then be able to compile a list of the Regiments in which he served and his rank at that time.

I also read somewhere that the Duke of Wellington (different era, i know) thought highly of his officers who had written a history of their Regiment. Therefor there seem to be a lot of publications on Regiments during the Peninsular Wars and Waterloo period.
As well , there will be official Regimental history books.
I would imagine that the higher a persons rank, the more they will feature in any written record.

Finally, from my own Military Ancestor research, i found that sometimes an officer, after leaving service, would publish his memoirs. These can be very detailed and include obscure anecdotes or information about their service and the men with whom they served.

Hopefully the above will provide some leads to follow. At the least, all the reading should keep you out of trouble.

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1874 views

Forgot to mention that some of the Regiments include:-
The Earl of Effingham's Regiment of Foot (dated 1756)
The 70th Regiment of Foot
The 70th Regiment of Foot.

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1906 views

This is getting away from The Forest of Dean area but the following may prove interesting and give details of his early Military Career.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C16405033

I don't know whether i have the link displayed correctly but there is a record of a deposition dated24th January 1743 referring to a Lieutenant Hezekiah Fleming and a riot in Portsmouth. He was in Colonel Cholmondeley's Regiment of Foot.

A quick search (not crosschecked) indicates this Regiment fought during the Jacobite uprising battles in Europe. The Regiment also was present at the Battle of Culloden on 16th April 1746. ( An uprising which is still probably able to invoke fierce debate even today)

It is possible he was still in the Regiment.

As mentioned before, i have not checked the Regiments location during this period among other sources. These Regiments changed names and commanding officers frequently and it is sometimes hard to keep track of them.

Good luck

Sid Toomey

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1866 views

Oh thank you, I hadn't found that 1743 entry!

I did find today that he seems to have had a child in 1743, William Fleming, baptised 11th October 1743 at St Martin, Salisbury, where in the records only the father, Hezekiah Fleming, is given, and no mother.

Assuming it is the same person (how many Hezekiah Flemings do you get in the world?) then was he married, and the mother died? Or is it somehow illegitimate, but somehow only giving the father's name?

Best Regards
Jon

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1838 views

Of course, there is the calendar to consider! If the paper in the National Archives for January 1743 is DATED that then it would actually be January 1744, which would be a few months after a Hezekiah Fleming had a child baptised in Salisbury

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1744 views

Thank you for your replies!

I think I accidentally clicked not to email me with notifications of a reply, so please forgive the late response

I have located the will of Hezekiah Fleming at the National Archives Discovery website and it is clear from it that Christiana Fleming is his sister, not his daughter, which makes perfect sense given the apparent year of Hezekiah's birth, around 1720 I have been told.

I subscribed to the British Library newspaper website, but was not able to find detail of Hezekiah's marriage to Lady Ann Hope in any newspaper. I have emailed the Hope family archive at their estate, and they have promised to get back to me in time when they reopen and can access the papers.

I do intend to create a full biographical page for Hezekiah Fleming so the promotions of him, and his battles and campaigns will be important.

Best Regards
Jon

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