Cook's Officers And Crew And Contemporaries

James Ward - more about his family tomb
.

Spurred on by the reports of Brenda Paulding1 and John Robson2, my wife, Liz, and I ventured to see the Ward family tomb at St Michael's and All Saints Church, Berechurch Hall Road, Colchester, Essex.

We took the accompanying photos and transcribed the four sides of the tomb [see below], though some of the lettering was so unclear we were unable to read everything.

A leafy lane takes you to
A leafy lane takes you to
St Michael's Church
St Michael's Church
The Ward family tomb lies between
The Ward family tomb lies between
the church and some shrubbery
the church and some shrubbery
The inscriptions on the faces are hard to read
The inscriptions on the faces are hard to read
with the north face being the easiest
with the north face being the easiest

Transcription on the four faces of the family tomb

South Face:

Here lieth the body of
RALPH WARD esq
Who died on the 2nd day of February 1818
Aged 86 years
Also the remains of
Mrs ANN WARD
Wife of the aforesaid Ralph ward esq
Who departed this life on the 2nd day of November 1823

Aged 81 years
Here also rests the body of

MARIA CECELIA LANCE
........... .......... ........ .........
.......... ........ ......... ........
Aged 76 years
Also ADA CECELIA LANCE daughter of the above
Born 18 November 1866 died 4th October 1954
East Face: Here likewise are deposited the remains of
ELIZABETH daughter of the said Ralph and Ann Ward and wife of
Admiral Nicolas Tomlinson
Who departed this life July 19th 1839, age 54 years.
Here also is deposited the body of
NlCOLAS TOMLINSON ESQ
Vice Admiral of the White
Who died March 6th 1847, aged 82 years.
Here also lies the body of
The Rev JOHN PHILIP TOMLINSON
Third son of the above
Who died July 25th 1892, age 83 years.
And now Lord what is ...........
................................even in thee
North Face: Here lieth the body of
JAMES WARD esq
Lieutenant of His Majesties Navy
Who sailed round the world with Captain Cook.
Son of Ralph Ward esq, and Ann his wife,
And grandson of
Knox Ward esq,
Garter King of Arms.
He died on the 28th day of September 1806
Aged 45 years.
West Face: Here also lie the remains of
MARIA WARD Eldest daughter of the said Ralph and Ann Ward
Who died March 16th 1850 aged 88 years
Here also lie the remains of
ELIZABETH WARD TOMLINSON
Third daughter of
Admiral Nicolas Tomlinson and Elizabeth his wife
Who died on the 12 August 1894
There is therefore ..... ...... ......

 

Church visited, photographs and transcriptions made on Saturday 15th September 2007 by Liz & Ken Hermon.

Ken Hermon

References

  1. Cook's Log, page 14, vol. 30, no. 2 (2007)
  2. Cook's Log, page 24, vol. 29, no. 2 (2006)

Originally published in Cook's Log, page 22, volume 31, number 3 (2008).

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Previous Comments:
Chris Whitehall
My husband and I are buying a new bungalow in James Ward Close off Berechurch Hall Road in Colchester and so I researched who James Ward was. Thank you for providing this information in such great detail it is very interesting and I too shall venture to see his grave
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