Allan Hughan's Grave

Above: The iron enclosure that surrounds the grave of Allan Hughan.

Above: The mysterious second grave on the hill with that of Allan Hughan...old stories suggest that it was the place of burial of a "Chinaman".

Above: The final resting place of Allan Ramsay Cunningham Hughan.

Above: The second smaller grave that lies alongside Allan Hughan's.

Above: The two graves together.

Thanks to the perseverance and dedication of Max Shekleton, who followed up on the stories and rumours about an Englishman's grave in the wilderness of a local property, 2011 saw the rediscovery of Allan Hughan's final resting place.

His will, written not long before his death on November 16, 1883, at the age of 46, stated quite firmly his wishes regarding the final fate of his body after death:

"My great desire is that my body be buried at sea outside the reef, or at Tembea in some quiet remote corner, in the plainest coffin possible, the same to be filled with quicklime, Nature's slow corruption is horrible to think of. Would that my remains could be burnt."

It seems that his wish was granted in the form of a remote grave site at Tembea(now called Timbia, but referred to by Allan in various documents as 'Tembea') that overlooks a lagoon and reef.

Mysteriously, there is another small grave on the hill with Allan's. Could it be that of his daughter, Ruth Hughan Holworthy, who died just months before her father in May 1883, aged only 22 years? Or is there truth in the story that a Chinaman was buried on the hill beside "The Englishman"?

You would not think that Ruth would be buried in such a remote part of the property...her husband and later her small son would have surely wanted to visit her grave, so you would imagine that she was buried somewhere that was 'easy access' and not requiring a hike up a mountain!

The photos above, taken by a friend of Max's who most kindly made the trek to locate and photograph the graves, display both the large and small burial enclosures. There is no headstone or inscription on either grave, but it is most probable that the larger of the two is Allan Hughan's.

Maybe one day family of Allan's can visit this most beautiful, serene place and pay their respects to a most interesting and complex character.

Whooo Hoo...I found Malvina!!!

I just can't express the utter joy that I am feeling at the moment...only other passionate researchers would have any chance of sharing the exhilaration that I am experiencing after finding a piece of information that I have been seeking for years.

My great-great grandmother's eldest sister, Malvina Hughan, was an incredible woman who was deeply religious. She was also very intelligent, and could speak several languages. I knew that she married John Octavus Lord in late 1845 somewhere near Beirut, had two children who died, and died herself in the latter part of the 1840s. I could never find the details of her death, no matter what avenue I tried, and have always hated the fact that Malvina's story could not be finished until I discovered when and where she died.

Well....just minutes ago the big breakthrough was made, and all thanks to the brilliant British Newspaper Archive website. I have spent the weekend working on lookups for other lines of my family, and using the very last of my credits I decided to search for "John Octavus Lord" as I had not looked for him or Malvina since last year.

Only two hits came up...the Reading Mercury from March 25, 1848, carried the following report:

" DIED: On the 23rd of February, 1848, at Salonica, Turkey, in Europe, of consumption, Maloina (sic), the beloved wife of Mr John Octavus Lord. Her end was perfect peace."

Whoooo hooo!!!! That's my girl!!! Incorrect spelling, but my ggg Aunt, never the less. And not only did I discover that the gentle soul died just after her 26th birthday, but that it was consumption that claimed her young life, not typhoid fever as was the family story.

The death notice from the Berkshire Chronicle spelled her name correctly:-

 

My sense of relief is enormous...I feel as though the last piece of the vast Hughan puzzle has finally dropped into place. There are plenty more mysteries to be solved with this complicated bunch - enough to keep this researcher rolling along for years- but it was the last piece of crucial 'birth, death and marriage' information that I had to find for the nine Hughan siblings.

Aahhhhh (sigh of complete contentment) Although...I really wish that I could find out what happened to Malvina's paternal grandparents, Alexander Hughan and Agnes Herries.....it never ends!!!!