George Becher
(1780-1837)
Col George Becher, the 9th child of Richard Becher and Ann Haselby, was born on 1st September 1780 at home at Rook's Nest, Godstone and baptised 10th October 1780 in the village at the church of St Nicholas. His Godparents were Thomas Pattle junior, Charles Hutchinson Purling and Mrs Ann Golding.
Not long after his birth Rook's Nest was sold and his father, Richard Becher, went back to India where he died. George was then only two years old.
Aged fourteen in 1794, George began life as an HEIC Cadet and his commissions were: Cornet - 6th November 1795; Lieutenant - 29th May 1800; Capt-Lt - 11th March 1805; Captain 27th February 1812; Major - 1st September 1818; Lt Col. - 1st May 1824; Colonel - 5th June 1829.
On 29th July 1802 he was appointed to do duty with the Governor General's Bodyguard which he did until 12th March 1807. From 14th December 1805 he was also Aide de Camp (ADC) to the Governor General and on 1807, after his duty with the Bodyguard, he became Deputy Agent for Camels and Grain. On 1st February 1810 he was appointed Sub-Assistant Commissary-General.
In 1813 he and his wife and three children left Calcutta and sailed to the Cape on the Mornington arriving there on 26th November. They returned to India on 29th June 1815 aboard the Union but he and his wife decided to sail to Table Bay once more, this time with six servants, arriving on 7th February 1818 and stayed for six days before sailing for England. On 27th October 1832 he was posted to the 2nd Light Cavalry and afterwards served in the 5th, 7th and 4th Light Cavalry regiments until he died.
He married Harriet Geldart Barclay on 10th August 1807 at Dinapore. She was born in 1784 and baptized 14th July 1784 at Tain and Ross, Cromarty the daughter of John Barclay and Margaret Reid.
In 1813, while he was a Captain in the 5th Native Infantry, he sailed to the Cape aboard the Mornington embarking at Calcutta with his wife and son George.
Before they sailed, he auction his house contents the list of which allows one a glimpse of their lifestyle:
THE TRULY VALUABLE PROPERTY of CAPT. GEORGE BECHER
Proceeding to the Cape of Good Hope
Consisting of:
BOOKS – Plate – Plates Ware – Superb Colebrook-dale Ware – Dessert Glass, richly cut – An elegant set of Wine Glasses, with Tumblers to match – Sporting and other Engravings, in neat burnished Gold Frames – Bronze and white Wall Shades, with pans, drops and handsome gilt projecting Wall Brackets – A handsome Plateau – An Epergue, with four Branches and Glasses complete – A handsome Grecian Lustre, with four Shades – Elegant Transparancies, &c. A capital double Barrel Fowling Piece, in a Mahogany Case, complete. A capital eight day Table Clock.
ELEGANT HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE chiefly made by Mr. WATSON.
A set of Mahogany Dining Tabls, on fashionable Pillar and Claws – Sofa and other Tables – Neat well finished Mahogany Almirahs – oon and Teak ditto – Mahogany Card Tables – a large Mahogany Cot, with two hair Mattresses, complete – A smaller ditto – Children’s Toon Cots – A Library or Bed-room Chair, to form a set of Steps at pleasure. Settee and Cleopatra Couches, the very best – Neat varnished and plain Chairs – A Salamander wood table, inlaid for chess, &c. – Two Mehannah Palankeens, made by Mr. Watson. LIKEWISE, A three wheeled Garden Chair, A Tonjohn.
AND His stock of Excellent wines and Liquors. Particulars of which will be fully detailed in Catalogues, and circulated on the Day of Sale, when all orders will be met with every attention.
A volume about Old St Pancras records that he lived at 22 Chester Terrace, Regent's Park, between 1829 and 1832. His older brother, John Becher, of Chancellor House, died there on 23rd March 1830. In the years before his death he also lived at 20 Upper Montague Street, Montague Square, London.
In 1834 he and his wife, daughters and son, Samuel John, sailed from Falmouth aboard the Eliza D. Sutton on 2nd July arriving at Madras on 30th November; a Miss E. Becher died at sea on 15th October. (Calcutta Christian Observer)
George Becher died on 15th November 1837 at sea aboard the Reliance whilst on his way home on furlough.
In the UK National Archives at Kew there exists a perplexing record suggesting Harriet had some sort of mental breakdown in 1866. On the 14th August, after affidavits had been presented to the authorities by Samuel Martin, Edward Tripp, Henry Murray Becher (her eldest son) and Harriet herself, the “Masters of Lunacy” held an enquiry at her then residence at 39 Hampton Park, Cotham, Bristol and they duly concluded that she was of 'unsound mind' though the very lengthy and hard-to-decipher documents do not go into details nor do they indicate what happened thereafter.
It is interesting to note, in passing, that on 12th February 2003 'an early 19th century oval watercolour portrait of Col. George Becher, Bengal Cavalry, 4 x 3.25', and an oval watercolour portrait of his daughter, Harriet Louisa Ann Hutchinson, née Becher (mother of the artist George William Caudwell Hutchinson, 1849-1930), both within ebonised and silvered running vine decorated frames, together with a heightened print of Col. Becher (biographies on reverse).' The three items together sold for £120 at Drewitts of Eastbourne.
Harriet died on 9th July 1870 at Brougham Villa, Hampton Park, near Bath and was buried at Smallcombe Cemetery, Bathwick, Bath.
There were eleven children between 1809 and 1828 of whom ten survived and of those four of them rose to the rank of General. All have their own biographical pages to click on except Charles Thomas Becher and Edward Rocke Becher who both died young.
George Richard Prendergast Becher (1808-1846)
Charles Thomas Becher was born 18th September 1809 at Cawnpore and died 7th September 1811 at Benares and was buried there in the Christian Cemetery at St Mary's Cathedral.
Henry Murray Becher (1810-1884)
Sullivan James Becher (1812-1877)
Edward Rocke Becher was born 7th October 1814 at Cape Town. He attended Bruce Castle School from 1818 and had private tuition under J.F. Taylor at 29 Albany Street, Regent's Park, London in 1830. He then entered the Addiscombe Military Seminary at Croydon for the 1830-1831 season under a Surety Bond of £200 from his father. He died on 31st March 1831 aged just sixteen at the family home at 22 Chester Terrace, Regent's Park, London.
Arthur Mitford Becher (1816-1887)
Septimus Harding Becher (1817-1908)
John Reid Becher (1819-1884)
Harriet Louisa Ann Becher (1821-1903)
Andrew Alamath Becher (1823-1857)
Decimus William Becher (1828-1901)
Not long after his birth Rook's Nest was sold and his father, Richard Becher, went back to India where he died. George was then only two years old.
Aged fourteen in 1794, George began life as an HEIC Cadet and his commissions were: Cornet - 6th November 1795; Lieutenant - 29th May 1800; Capt-Lt - 11th March 1805; Captain 27th February 1812; Major - 1st September 1818; Lt Col. - 1st May 1824; Colonel - 5th June 1829.
On 29th July 1802 he was appointed to do duty with the Governor General's Bodyguard which he did until 12th March 1807. From 14th December 1805 he was also Aide de Camp (ADC) to the Governor General and on 1807, after his duty with the Bodyguard, he became Deputy Agent for Camels and Grain. On 1st February 1810 he was appointed Sub-Assistant Commissary-General.
In 1813 he and his wife and three children left Calcutta and sailed to the Cape on the Mornington arriving there on 26th November. They returned to India on 29th June 1815 aboard the Union but he and his wife decided to sail to Table Bay once more, this time with six servants, arriving on 7th February 1818 and stayed for six days before sailing for England. On 27th October 1832 he was posted to the 2nd Light Cavalry and afterwards served in the 5th, 7th and 4th Light Cavalry regiments until he died.
He married Harriet Geldart Barclay on 10th August 1807 at Dinapore. She was born in 1784 and baptized 14th July 1784 at Tain and Ross, Cromarty the daughter of John Barclay and Margaret Reid.
In 1813, while he was a Captain in the 5th Native Infantry, he sailed to the Cape aboard the Mornington embarking at Calcutta with his wife and son George.
Before they sailed, he auction his house contents the list of which allows one a glimpse of their lifestyle:
THE TRULY VALUABLE PROPERTY of CAPT. GEORGE BECHER
Proceeding to the Cape of Good Hope
Consisting of:
BOOKS – Plate – Plates Ware – Superb Colebrook-dale Ware – Dessert Glass, richly cut – An elegant set of Wine Glasses, with Tumblers to match – Sporting and other Engravings, in neat burnished Gold Frames – Bronze and white Wall Shades, with pans, drops and handsome gilt projecting Wall Brackets – A handsome Plateau – An Epergue, with four Branches and Glasses complete – A handsome Grecian Lustre, with four Shades – Elegant Transparancies, &c. A capital double Barrel Fowling Piece, in a Mahogany Case, complete. A capital eight day Table Clock.
ELEGANT HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE chiefly made by Mr. WATSON.
A set of Mahogany Dining Tabls, on fashionable Pillar and Claws – Sofa and other Tables – Neat well finished Mahogany Almirahs – oon and Teak ditto – Mahogany Card Tables – a large Mahogany Cot, with two hair Mattresses, complete – A smaller ditto – Children’s Toon Cots – A Library or Bed-room Chair, to form a set of Steps at pleasure. Settee and Cleopatra Couches, the very best – Neat varnished and plain Chairs – A Salamander wood table, inlaid for chess, &c. – Two Mehannah Palankeens, made by Mr. Watson. LIKEWISE, A three wheeled Garden Chair, A Tonjohn.
AND His stock of Excellent wines and Liquors. Particulars of which will be fully detailed in Catalogues, and circulated on the Day of Sale, when all orders will be met with every attention.
A volume about Old St Pancras records that he lived at 22 Chester Terrace, Regent's Park, between 1829 and 1832. His older brother, John Becher, of Chancellor House, died there on 23rd March 1830. In the years before his death he also lived at 20 Upper Montague Street, Montague Square, London.
In 1834 he and his wife, daughters and son, Samuel John, sailed from Falmouth aboard the Eliza D. Sutton on 2nd July arriving at Madras on 30th November; a Miss E. Becher died at sea on 15th October. (Calcutta Christian Observer)
George Becher died on 15th November 1837 at sea aboard the Reliance whilst on his way home on furlough.
In the UK National Archives at Kew there exists a perplexing record suggesting Harriet had some sort of mental breakdown in 1866. On the 14th August, after affidavits had been presented to the authorities by Samuel Martin, Edward Tripp, Henry Murray Becher (her eldest son) and Harriet herself, the “Masters of Lunacy” held an enquiry at her then residence at 39 Hampton Park, Cotham, Bristol and they duly concluded that she was of 'unsound mind' though the very lengthy and hard-to-decipher documents do not go into details nor do they indicate what happened thereafter.
It is interesting to note, in passing, that on 12th February 2003 'an early 19th century oval watercolour portrait of Col. George Becher, Bengal Cavalry, 4 x 3.25', and an oval watercolour portrait of his daughter, Harriet Louisa Ann Hutchinson, née Becher (mother of the artist George William Caudwell Hutchinson, 1849-1930), both within ebonised and silvered running vine decorated frames, together with a heightened print of Col. Becher (biographies on reverse).' The three items together sold for £120 at Drewitts of Eastbourne.
Harriet died on 9th July 1870 at Brougham Villa, Hampton Park, near Bath and was buried at Smallcombe Cemetery, Bathwick, Bath.
There were eleven children between 1809 and 1828 of whom ten survived and of those four of them rose to the rank of General. All have their own biographical pages to click on except Charles Thomas Becher and Edward Rocke Becher who both died young.
George Richard Prendergast Becher (1808-1846)
Charles Thomas Becher was born 18th September 1809 at Cawnpore and died 7th September 1811 at Benares and was buried there in the Christian Cemetery at St Mary's Cathedral.
Henry Murray Becher (1810-1884)
Sullivan James Becher (1812-1877)
Edward Rocke Becher was born 7th October 1814 at Cape Town. He attended Bruce Castle School from 1818 and had private tuition under J.F. Taylor at 29 Albany Street, Regent's Park, London in 1830. He then entered the Addiscombe Military Seminary at Croydon for the 1830-1831 season under a Surety Bond of £200 from his father. He died on 31st March 1831 aged just sixteen at the family home at 22 Chester Terrace, Regent's Park, London.
Arthur Mitford Becher (1816-1887)
Septimus Harding Becher (1817-1908)
John Reid Becher (1819-1884)
Harriet Louisa Ann Becher (1821-1903)
Andrew Alamath Becher (1823-1857)
Decimus William Becher (1828-1901)