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Genealogical Extractions from the book,
The Autobiography of Sir John Martin-Harvey1933 London Sampson Low, Marston & Co., LTD |
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This is the Autobiography of the English Stage Actor, Sir John Martin-Harvey. The first Chapter deals with the Harvey name, it's origins, etc. and I reproduce portions of it here. page 1, 2 & 4 The Autobiography of Sir John Martin-Harvey - Chapter I
Houerf, Herbe, Hervé, Hervey, Harvey - that is the genesis of the name. My old friend, the late Alfred Rodway, a distinguished genealogist, has written: "One of the most picturesque fables of Brittany, is that of Hervé the Blind, whose deeds have been sung by seigneur and peasant for the past twelve hundred years. The legend states that HYVERNION, a British Bard, warned by an angel in a dream to visit Armorica in quest of a wife met a maiden, near the fountain of Rivannon and, perceiving she was the damsel of his dream, married her forthwith. They had one child, who was born blind and was named Houerf or Hervé, meaning 'bitter'. Although unrecognized formally by the Church of Rome, Hervé is venerated in Brittany as a Saint, and is the patron of Bards. His worm-eaten cradle is preserved in the Church of Treflaouenan, which takes its name from the heraldic symbol associated with his name Treflé, the trefoil or herb, oerva, herbe - the letter 'B' being interchangeable with 'V' in the days of old." All the branches of this family who have the right to bear arms carry the trefoil upon their shield. We seem to be a prolific lot. The Hon. and Rev. Sydenham Hervey, in that amazing book The Dictionary of Herveys, [Anyone heard of this book, and where can I find a copy? - aml] which contains particulars of over three thousand members of the family, from the Conqueror's time to the end of the fifteenth century, tells us that, though no person of that name appears in England till the coming of the Conqueror, now, "there is scarce a town in all England in which the Directory, or the Churchyard, or a shop-window, or a brass-plate will not keep calling out ' Here is one, there is another'." East Anglia swarms with them! My own forebears belonged to the Essex lot - one may trace generations of them in the quaint little village of Wivenhoe on the river Colne where I was born. Says Rodway: "The Harveys of Wivenhoe are a branch of an ancient Essex family of that name. For many years they occupied the estate of Riddles or Riddeltes, which had been in the possession of the Gibberd family (tempo James II). The Harveys were associated with Captain Martin, R.N., of Wivenhoe Hall, in the privateering adventures of the early nineteenth century." The same friend found me many illustrious forebears, but I have a sly suspicion that certain gaps in the genealogical tree were filled up with worthies of his own imagination. The Harveys of whom I know mostly seem to have been engaged in the building of ships, or, in the case of the Martins, in sailing them. One, at least, lost his life as Captain of a Revenue Cutter in an affair with smugglers, and another, Captain Robert Martin, of H.M. Sloop Princess Mary, captured a Spanish privateer of Beachy Head in 1777 and brought the luckless crew of twenty-nine to Wivenhoe before they were interned in Colchester Castle. [here insues a discussion on Wivenhoe and it's history of ship-building, until...] There was, already, however, at Wivenhoe, a member of the Harvey family, who was associated with the place for over half a century and gained for it fame as a yacht-building station. This was my grandfather, Thomas Harvey. He had bought old Philip Sainty's yard and acquired another at Ipswich, where, between 1850 and 1862, he built, among others, the Avalon, Amazon, Volante, Aquiline, Thought, Kitten, and Watersprite. About 1857, my father, John Harvey, joined the firm, and by 1865 the management of the concern had passed entirely into his hands, "whose genius, " says Mr .Miller Christie, "as a designer of yachts brought the small village of Wivenhoe into greater prominence than ever as a yacht-building centre." His speciality was racing-schooners, of which he built many that became famous in their day for speed and beauty. The two most celebrated were Miranda and Sea-Belle.
End of extraction from, The Autobiography of Sir John Martin-Harvey. This book has 571 pages - an exhaustive rambling on the life & achievements of Sir John. The following HARVEYs are listed in the index:
Harvey, the Rev. Charles Woodroffe, 23 |