Holland-Hayward Family
Holland Family Bible
George Holland brought a bible to New Zealand with him, and this records a variety of genealogical detail on his background. This reveals as follows:
George Potticary Holland
The gift of his Mother at his birth
Mary Ann Holland
8th Oct. 1858
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found.
Search the Scriptures in them ye have eternal life.
Parents
(Father) Joseph Holland born 4 October 1823.
(Mother) Mary Ann Sutton born 9 June 1822.
Marriage
Joseph Holland - Mary Ann Sutton, married Nov. (?) 15th 1846 at Gravesend Old Church.
Births
Royal Holland - born 23 Nov. 1847 at Peir (?) Parade, Baskerville Trust. Baptised January 1848 at St. Peters, Walworth
Ann Holland - born 5th Dec. 1949 at Manor House, Manor Place, Walworth. Baptised Dec. 30th 1849 at St. Peters, Walworth.
Sarah Elizabeth Holland - born 31 January 1852 at Brandon St. Walworth. Baptised 29 February 1852 at Trinity Church, Newington.
Lydia Maria Holland - born 15th May 1854 at Calker (or Calher) St., Deptford. Baptised 22 April 1855 at St. Peters, Walworth.
Mary Alice Holland - born 16 Sept. 1856 at Calker (or Calher) St., Deptford. Baptised in the summer of 1857 at St. Peters, Walworth.
George Potticary Holland - born 8th Oct. 1858 at 2 Stanhope St., Deptford. Baptised March 27th 1859 at St. Peters, Walworth.
Henry Edmund Holland - born 9th June 1861 at 3 Stanhope St. Baptised 30th June 1861 at St. Pauls, Deptford.
Joseph Holland - born 18th Oct. 1863 at 3 Stanhope St. Baptised Feb. 1866 at St. Pauls, Deptford.
Edith Holland - born 2 Dec. 1865. Baptised with Joseph.
Deaths
Sarah Elizabeth Holland - died 26 December 1855. Buried 6 January 1856 St. Mary Haggerstur (?) or Haggerstein (?). [Almost certainly this should be St. Mary's Church, Lewisham]
Lydia Maria Holland - died 10 Sept. 1859 at 2 Stanhope St., aged 5 years, 4 months ... days. Also Mary Alice Holland - died 16 Sept. 1859 at 2 Stanhope St., Deptford aged 3 years. Both buried on 20 Sept. 1859 at Deptford Cemetery.
Edith Holland - died 21 April 1866. Buried at Deptford Cemetery.
The Cemeteries
The four known Holland family burials - children aged between five months and five years - occurred between 1855 and 1866. This timing coincided with a change in cemetery policy.
The municipal cemeteries within the Lewisham area where the Hollands' lived, were founded after the Burial of the Dead in the Metropolis Act 1852. This led to the old churchyards being closed for burials. Click here for further information.
The first child appears to have been buried - in January 1856 - in St. Mary's Churchyard, Lewisham. This cemetery closed to burials in 1856 under the aforementioned Act. The church's website has a number of pages devoted to the old cemetery, including family history sources, a headstone data base, and the churchyard
The other three children were buried at Deptford Cemetery, which is now called Brockley Cemetery. It is located in Brockley Road, Lewisham, SE4, and appears to have been in use from 1858 to date. Its burials are presently indexed from 1920.
In all probability none of these children would now have a headstone or grave marker.
Click here for chronology of this district's history during the 1800s
Other Notes
The couple had nine children, being six girls and three boys, the latter not appearing until late in the family's births. Of the six girls, evidently only the oldest two (Royal and Ann) lived beyond childhood.
An epidemic must have hit the family in September 1859, claiming two of the girls, the younger of the two dying on her third birthday. The length of time between death and burial is very lengthy, in Sarah's case suggesting that the winter conditions might have been very harsh that year. Why it took so long to bury Lydia and Mary is less obvious unless a severe epidemic was keeping people home.
The family appear to have moved from 2 Stanhope Street to 3 Stanhope Street about 1860. For further information on Walworth and the area the Hollands lived in, visit the Southwark Borough website for its history.
