Sir Lambert; Robert Ormsby's Knighted Nephew

Sir Lambert William Hepenstal Ormsby

                                                              Written by David Bell

I  can' believe it! I never knew we had such an illustrious Ormsby ancestor. Obviously others in our extended family, especially those on his direct family line, would be familiar with him, but I never heard him mentioned throughout my entire life. I discovered him while reading about his father, George Owen Ormsby.

Lambert William was born in Onehunga, Auckland, to George Owen Ormsby and Selina Hepenstal 19th July 1849 and baptized in St. Peters Anglican Church, 2nd September of the same year. He was only twelve years old when his father died.

His life story is a great example of someone from a humble colonial settlement making it big in the world through the determination and will to excel and succeed. He also was incredibly intelligent with a most impressive list of accomplishments as can be seen from the following death notice. 

SIR LAMBERT HEPENSTAL ORMSBY, M.D., F.R.C.S.I., Senior Surgeon, Meath Hospital, Dublin. 

WE regret to announce that Sir Lambert Ormsby died at his residence in Dublin on December 21st. He had been in failing health for some time, but, notwithstanding this, had been out of doors as recently as a week before his death. Lambert Hepenstal Ormsby was born at Onehunga Lodge, Auckland, New Zealand, in 1849, the only son of Mr. George Owen Ormsby, C.E.; his mother was a daughter of the Rev. Lambert Hepenstal, of Altadon, Delgany, County Wicklow. 

In his boyhood it was his ambition to enter the Royal Navy. Indeed, after an early education at the Commercial School, Auckland, the Lyceum, and the Grammar School, he left Auckland for London in 1864 with that end in view, but instead he went to the Royal School, Dungannon. He studied medicine, was apprenticed to Mr. George Porter, later Sir George Porter, and at the age of 19 was a surgeon and physician. He had put in three years as a student at the Royal College and the Meath Hospital, where he was resident surgical pupil. 

He began to read for the Army Medical Service in 1869, but at this stage an accident determined his career. In a casual conversation with the late Dr. John Morgan, professor of anatomy in the Royal College of Surgeons, he was offered the position of Anatomical Demonstrator at that institution, and, accepting it, in two years became a skilled practical teacher. In 1872 he became surgeon to the Meath Hospital. He entered Trinity College, Dublin, and graduated in arts in 1875; in the same year he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, and in 1879 took the degree of M.D. 

Especially interested from an early period of his career in orthopedic surgery and in the diseases of children requiring surgical treatment, he published two important volumes, the result of much study and practical experience: The Deformities of the Human Body and Diseases Peculiar to Children. In 1876 he founded the National Orthopedic and Children's Hospital (now the National Children's Hospital), a humane and much needed enterprise with the energetic promotion of which his memory will always be associated. This was by no means the only philanthropic movement which Surgeon Ormsby instituted and in which he took a lifelong interest. He acted as chairman of the Association for the Housing of the Very Poor in Dublin, and the occasions were many upon which his broad-minded sympathies found practical expression. 

From the year 1880 until his death, Sir Lambert Ormsby devoted himself exclusively to surgical practice. He founded in 1885 the Dublin Red Cross Nursing Sisters' Home and Training School for Nurses, and watched over its development with assiduous care. He acted as senior surgeon to the National Children's Hospital, consulting surgeon to the Drummond Military School, Chapelizod, and Honorary Consulting Surgeon to the Dublin branch of the Institute of Journalists. He was, besides, a member of the Board of Superintendence of Dublin Hospitals and Governor of the Lock Government Hospital. He was a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Medicine, Ireland, and a Fellow of the Royal Medico-Liturgical Society of London. From 1902 to 1904 he was President of the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland, and it was during that term in 1903 that the honour of knighthood was conferred upon him. 

Another announcement gives a few additional bits of information on his many accomplishments:

Following is a list of Sir Lambert's various posts and achievements as mentioned in the above two articles: 

• Educated at the Auckland Commercial School, the Lyceum, Auckland Grammar, Royal School Dungannon (Ireland), Royal College, Meath Hospital and trinity Hospital.
• Anatomical Demonstrator, Royal College of Surgeons.
• Qualified physician and surgeon at 19 years old.
• Surgeon at Meath Hospital.
• Appointed as a Fellow on at least three medical institutions.
• M.D. degree 1879.
• Published three acclaimed medical books: Deformities of the Human Body, Lectures on the Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Varicose Veins, and Diseases Peculiar to Children.
• Founded a children's hospital in Dublin.
• Chairman of a housing organisation for Dublin's poor.
• Founded the Dublin Red Cross Nursing Home.
• Founded a training school for nurses.
• Senior Surgeon at the National Children's Hospital.
• Surgeon to the  Royal Longford Rifles. 
• Served on several hospital boards.
• President of the Royal College of Surgeons.
• Knighthood, 1903.
• 1915 Colonel and honorary surgeon to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
• Honorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
• Invented the Ormsby Ether Inhaler, a pile clamp, aseptic glass, an improved drainage tube and a new type of chest bandage.

As can be seen from the above list, Sir Lambert was dedicated to his work and to his fellow humans; especially the poor, the children and the soldiers. I see in him a tireless worker for all who suffer and well deserving of the knighthood bestowed upon him. I for one feel quite proud that such a caring person is part of my family history.

I am not alone in such sentiments. The Evening Post, 22 June 1918, wrote: Returned officers and men who have come in contact with Sir Lambert Ormsby in the Old Country and in Ireland, speak in the highest terms of his hospitality and consideration of each and every case which comes under his notice. 

Sir Lambert Ormsby was twice married, and had four children (two sons and two daughters) by his first wife. His second wife was Geraldine Matthews, R.R.C. (Royal Red Cross), O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire), whom he married in 1921.

His first wife was named Anastia Tatto who died 20 January 1911 when Sir Lambert was sixty two and is buried in plot 1601 at the Mount Jerome cemetery in Ireland. At seventy two years old he married Geraldine Matthews in 1921, just two years before he passed away on 21 December 1923 aged seventy four. Geraldine was also a woman of great interest, having both R.R.C. and O.B.E. honours to her name. She died 28 October, 1932, nine years after Sir Lambert.

The wedding announcement in the British Journal of  Nursing, February 1921

Sources used:

1. Papers Past: Evening Post Personal Matters vol. xcv, issue 148, 22 June 1918, p.8.

2. Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin (Part XI family plots 1599-1601)

3. Papers Past: The Dominion, vol 8, issue 2458, 11 May 1915, p.7.

4. NZ-Auckland-L Archives.

5. Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday 25 December 1923, p.7.
6. British Journal of Nursing, February 12, 1921, volume 66, page 94.

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The Brothers of Robert Ormsby

Robert's Brothers George and Arthur

By David Bell

George Owen Ormsby 1814 ~ 1861

Whilst Robert, our New Zealand Ormsby ancestor, is familiar to us, not many know he had two remarkable brothers; George Owen and Arthur Sydney. In fact, it is quite possibly because of his older brother George that Robert came to these shores. Let's discuss George first then look at Arthur Sydney.

George Owen Ormsby was born to Reverend Owen Ormsby (1782-1834) and Ann Phibbs (1800-1852) of County Louth, Ireland. Some New Zealand records give his father the title of Bishop, but this appears to be an error. There is no official record of him being a Bishop, rather, he was known as Reverend Owen Ormsby, Rector of Balymascanlon, County Louth. In the later obituary of his youngest son, Arthur, he is also referred to as Reverend Owen Ormsby, this time of Kilmore and Grange, County Roscommon.

George Owen had five siblings: Anne, Harry, Isabel, Robert and Arthur. 

George trained as a surveyor and as a young man left Ireland on board HMS Buffalo as an assistant surveyor to one Colonel Light, the Surveyor-General bound for South Australia with the commission to survey land for a settlement town which is today's Adelaide.

Colonel Light, George, and two or three other assistants set to work and surveyed a site carefully chosen by Colonel Light on account of its nearby mountains which he reasoned would encourage greater chances of rainfall than some of the other sites that were recommended. It also had a substantial river (the Torrens) running through it. He was not without his detractors but he persevered with his choice and set George and the other assistants to work.

George might possibly have set roots in Adelaide if not for a dispute between Colonel Light and his superiors back in the Old Country on account of the bosses deciding to implement some new surveying methods. What these methods involved I can't say but they were so unpopular with the Colonel and his crew that Light resigned his post as Surveyor-General. George, in turn, refused to work under Colonel Light's replacement and also resigned. With the whole project thrown into array the replacement Surveyor-General was compelled to resign and the new methods were dropped. George was asked to take charge until the arrival of  Charles Sturt, the new Surveyor-General. One month later George resigned a second time and in May, 1839, went back to Ireland.

Nevertheless, George left his mark in South Australia. In the South Australian Gazette he was complemented as: an active and efficient officer, one of the best, if not the very best, on the staff of Colonel Light. In addition, one of the rivulets that feed into the Torrens bears his name, presumably compliments of Colonel Light as George did much of his surveying in that area.

 About 1842-43 George Left Ireland for Auckland New Zealand where he married Selina Hepenstal in 1843. In Auckland he did contract work surveying Crown land and a big job with the Church Mission Society in relation to its claims before the Land Claims Commission. The land he surveyed later became today's Tauranga. He also held the government post of Marine Supervisor at 200 pounds a year and surveyed and charted the Manukau Harbor. He was later promoted to Assistant Surveyor-General at 300 pounds a year. Other appointments included Commissioner of both the Provincial Wastelands and the Board of Works. he was also appointed the Provincial Road Surveyor. I don't know what these fine-sounding responsibilities involved, but it certainly demonstrates his surveying skills and community spirit.

In 1944, soon after arriving in Auckland, George took advantage of the Government's relaxing of the monopoly it held on purchasing Maori land and obtained some of his own. Up until then only the Crown was allowed to purchase land from the Maoris, a situation that became increasingly annoying to the immigrants and settlers. By 1844 the pressure on the government had become strong enough to force Governor Robert Fitzroy to pass two land acts relinquishing its stranglehold.  The following is the document deeding George the land he purchased.

MAORI DEEDS OF OLD PRIVATE LAND PURCHASES IN NEW ZEALAND, FROM THE YEAR 1815 TO 1840, WITH PRE-EMPTIVE AND OTHER CLAIMS

DEEDS—NO. 98

Deeds—No. 98.

Te Onepi Block, Onehunga, Manukau District.

1844. 26 September.Manukau District.TE ONEPI. Know all men by these presents, that we the undersigned agree to make over, barter, alienate and sell to George Owen Ormsby, his executors and assigns for ever that spot of land G. O. Ormsby.named Onehunga situated on the North side of the Manukau River. 

We also PAGE 503 agree that all tapued places, Woods, Water, Minerals, Mines, &c. &c., shall be at the disposal of the said George Owen Ormsby his heirs, executors and assigns, now, henceforth, and for ever. 

The said land Onehunga is bounded as follows. On the North by Boundaries. [20 acres.]Crown land, on the East by land belonging to Forbes and the road from Epsom to Manukau, on the South the Manukau River, and on the West by land lately purchased by Mr. Beveridge from the undersigned. We agree to accept the undermentioned Articles as payment for the said land Onehunga, namely Two double-barreled Guns, Two Pounds sterling cash, Seven Blankets, One Cloak and One Gown piece. We collectively and individually agree to settle said land Onehunga upon said George Owen Ormsby his heirs, executors and assigns for ever. The above considerations in token whereof we affix our hands and seals this 26th day of September in the year of our Lord One thousand Eight hundred and forty-four.

Moana.l.s.
Thos. Walker his x mark l.s.
Reweti his x mark. l.s.
Keene x. l.s.

Witnesses—

C. Davis. J. Dilworth.

[Sketch of the land inserted here.]

Signed by the undermentioned parties in the presence of James Dilworth of Auckland and Charles Davis of same place this deed having been first read over and explained to the said parties by the said Charles Davis—

James Dilworth, Aut., Auckland.

C. Davis, Interpreter, Auckland.

Received the articles and money mentioned in this deed, namely Two double barreled guns, two pounds sterling cash seven blankets, one gown piece, and one cloak.

Moana x.
Reweti his x mark.

A True Copy of Original Deed.No. 60.P.C.

H. Hanson Turton. 
Wellington, 17th July, 1880.

However, not long after, the Fitzroy government did an about-turn and restored its monopoly and George's ownership was immediately subjected to an investigation by the Land Claims Commission who seized it for a Royal Fencibles Military settlement. By then he had built his Onehunga Lodge on the land. He was offered compensation but he believed it was inadequate and refused to accept. He felt he was being treated unjustly and unfairly by the government and ended up in a long and protracted dispute. His case was by no means unique; many others had lands and properties seized unjustly with poor compensation offers. it appears that the colonial government's land grabbing tendencies were not restricted to Maori only.

Unfortunately, George died in 1861 after succumbing to illness at the relatively young age of forty seven. His battle with the government had lasted until his passing; a struggle of seventeen years. It's not clear what happened to his land but it appears that upon his death the government got it.


Sources used:
1. Pioneer Land Surveyors of New Zealand, part iv, page 444.
2. From Sextants to Satellites: A Cartographic  Timeline for New Zealand by Brian Marshall, 2005.
3. New Zealand - Auckland - L Archives.
4. Information given by Debbie Lee Robinson, an Ormsby relative , Adelaide, Australia.



Arthur Sydney Ormsby 1825 ~ 1887 

Born in Ireland in February of 1825, Arthur Sydney was another of Reverend Owen Ormsby's sons, He was also the uncle after whom our own Arthur Sydney Ormsby of Puketotara was named.

He trained as a civil engineer specializing in railroads where he did a lot of work throughout Ireland and England. In 1849 he set his sights further abroad and went to America where he worked on various jobs including the Hoosac tunnel which was the longest tunnel in the U.S. at the time.

In 1852 he sailed to Australia in Melbourne for a brief period as Assistant Colonial Engineer before heading for New Zealand where he worked as a civil engineer and surveyor around the Auckland region. He obviously came to New Zealand because of his family connections here, it being the country his brothers Robert and George had chosen to call home. Of course, older brother George had long ago died but his family remained, and Robert, by now, had begun to set himself up permanently in the colony. However, Arthur seemed to possess a more restless spirit and around 1857 he went to Mauritius and India where he rose to the position of executive engineer of the Public Works department for the Indian Government. He held that post from 1858 to 1861 when he was suddenly made redundant. He believed he had been badly treated and disgruntled and bitter, returned to England and worked on other projects including the promotion of a tunnel between Scotland and the North of Ireland. 

He never finished that project because he died on the 24th of February, 1887 aged sixty-two.

Jersey Island 2015

Jersey Island 2015 ~ the Land of our Ancestors Lempriere and Aubin

Written by David Bell

The Township of Saint Aubin at dusk.

During our 2015 May-June trip to Europe to visit Winnie's brother and his family in Holland, we took a two day detour to Jersey Island, the ancestral land on my father's side. And as it turned out we were very glad we did so.

Jersey was not like I imagined; probably because everything I had learned about it was old history. I was not prepared for the bustling, modern Jersey that greeted us. I knew it would not be as primitive as when our ancestors lived there, but I still sort of half imagined it to be a quaint, quiet place; a lot slower than France and Britain, the two mainlands it shares. Instead, we immediately discovered a favorite holiday spot and prosperous business center. 

Jersey is not part of the United kingdom, even though closely allied both ideologically and culturally. It is, instead, a Crown dependency which is like having a monarch who reigns but does not rule. Under such a system Jersey is a self-governing possession of the crown with its own parliament and its own laws. Being a Crown dependency excludes it from membership in the Commonwealth but it is part of the European Union with the Euro as currency.

We also found out that it's some kind of tax haven that attracts a lot of wealthy people from England. An elderly local lady we chatted to on some steps leading down to the pebbly sand of Gorey Bay informed us she was waiting for her son to moor his small yacht; he had a successful business in England and kept a holiday yacht in the bay. He flew over frequently, even if just for the weekend, the flight being a mere 30-40 minutes and cheap. Looking at the hundreds of boats moored in the bay and all the other bays across the island, it appeared there were many others like him. I don't know how but apparently there are some financial benefits to be exploited by having Jersey residency.

Above:Looking out over the wing of our plane to catch our first glimpse of Jersey Island

Below: A closer aerial view.

We stayed in a small hotel in St Heliers, the island's capital. The island is not huge so it was a good base for the couple of days, the bus terminal being within walking distance. The bus system was excellent which was good because it was by bus we planned to do all our sight seeing and family history things. The buses were clean and comfortable and we were struck by how friendly and courteous the drivers were. More than once we found ourselves well short of the bus stop and seeing us hurrying the drivers pulled over and picked us up. I mention all this because Jersey just has the feel of a nice place to live. The climate is mild, the land very fertile, small well kept parks abound, and the houses have that neatly painted look of prosperity and wealth about them. Nearly all the homes are of stone or some permanent material and keep a modern but 'old' look; no doubt a deliberate effort to maintain an historical kind of charm. It worked because we were impressed with how nice everything looked and how well the buildings blended with their surroundings. Also, the streets are immaculate; quite narrow in parts but well maintained, many with trees or stonework walls running alongside. I learned later that Jersey has an abundance of its own unique pinkish rock which has been used since old times for buildings, roads and dry-walls, which explained why, to my eye, everything had a sort of uniform look about it. 

Our accommodation was the Staffordshire Hotel, three floors and old in style. It was classified two star but clean and comfortable enough and well located for our two day stay. The big bonus was its restaurant which was very reasonably priced with excellent food.

The lamb shanks were the best I've ever had. The desserts were good too. We didn't need to look elsewhere for a nice dinner.

Above: Some of the many parks and gardens across the island. Notice the New Zealand cabbage trees which suggests a climate similar to ours. Our cabbage trees were everywhere.

Above: We saw a lot of small farms and gardens all over Jersey, like this potato field with its neat stone wall.

Castles and big stone forts are common sites; some in better repair than others. Throughout their history the Channel Islands have been regularly fought over by the English and the French, with England finally gaining the upper hand. Consequently, Jersey and the other islands are now British. This old squabbling explains the numerous castle-like forts all around the Jersey coastline; the largest and best preserved being Elizabeth Castle at St Heliers and Mont Orgueil at Gorey Bay. Both are tourist attractions and for a price we could have taken a tour through one of them but we chose instead to be satisfied to walk around the outside. 

Above: The Elizabeth Castle at St. Heliers has a long path leading to it which is exposed at low       tide.

  

                                           Above: A closer view of Elizabeth Castle.

                                          Above: Gorey Bay and Mont Orgueil Castle.

Above: Gorey Bay is a popular tourist spot boasting a delightful township with cafes, restaurants and other tourist businesses. It also sports a sheltered, scenic bay where boats are moored, and a grand old castle watching over it like a giant stone sentinel.

One of the family history tasks we set ourselves was to visit at least a couple of cemeteries in search of some old ancestors. I knew the Aubins and Lemprieres were buried in several different cemeteries across Jersey, but from my records the names Grouville, St. Martins and Trinity came up as the parish graveyards where most were laid to rest. We caught buses to St Martins and Grouville to see who we could find. Luckily, the two were not too far apart so we were able to spend a few interesting hours searching out familiar names. It was a buzz each time we discovered an Aubin or Lempriere. 

The old churches on Jersey, like St Martins (above), are over a hundred years old, superbly kept and judging by the notices outside the entrances, still well used for worship services.

The St. Peter La Rocque Church, Grouville parish where we found several Aubins.

A cluster of Lemprieres under the shade of an ancient tree.

Reginald Raol Lempriere. Seigneur of Rosel and his wife Clemintine Baroness von ? 1873 -  1935

William Lempriere, Seigneur of Rosel, died 31 January, 1895 aged 76. And his wife Julia Anne Wayne, died 18 January 1892 aged 72.

Francois Aubin, died 4 February 1892 and his wife Elizabeth De Quetteville, died 27 July 1903 aged 79.

This is an interesting one. George Aubin, died 20 March 1895 shares this grave with Jane (nee Stone) Aubin, Thomas Letto Le Quesne 1994, Alice Emily Aubin Le Quesne 2003, and Maurice Phillip Boots as recent as 2011. I think the later burials must be cremations. I can't see how so many coffins can fit in one plot.

 

Phillippe Aubin, died 9 March 1861 and his wife Marie Madeleine Caudin, died 13 January aged 69. Also, Elise Esther Aubin and Upton Edward Boots and other family names.

Josue Aubin, died 21 February 1885 aged 74 and his wife Susanne Queree 1882 aged 68. Also Eugene Aubin, Eugene Perredes, Susanne Aubin died 5 June 1883 aged 25. Other names listed on this head stone are: Eugene Perredes, Susanne Aubin, Josue Aubin, and Ann Queree. It appears that several generations share the same plot - as well as the same names.

Finally, I wish to conclude this article with our search for Rosel the old Lempriere estate which has been discussed in an earlier article.

Winnie and I considered it a 'must-do' while in Jersey. It just wouldn't be right to leave without setting foot on that piece of our family history soil. We had hopes of actually visiting the old Rosel manor which is still Lempriere owned. We had information that being a place of historical significance it was open to the public on certain days. But when we arrived in Jersey we were told that it was now closed to the public. This was confirmed when we struck up a conversation with an elderly lady sitting on the steps going down from the Gorey Bay township to the beach. She was waiting for her son to come in from his small yacht moored in the bay. As it happened she was a friend of the Lemprieres of Rosel. She said we could probably contact the Lemprieres and being relatives they might possibly let us have a look. But it was getting late and we were leaving the next day. 

We had been told that there was a public walking trail that went through the Rosel estate and at one point you could see across the fields and get a good view of the Manor, so we decided to take a bus and see if we could find Rosel before sunset. With the help of the bus driver we disembarked near the walkway. A lady walking her dog knew the trail and took us to where it began and gave instructions on how to find the field to view the Manor. The following pictures tell the rest of the story.  

The start of the walkway to the Rosel estate; It was a very nice track that wound its way past a few country homes that were obviously owned by wealthy locals, through a forest and up a walled country lane.

The walled lane which was obviously very old. I could easily imagine our old ancestors walking or riding horses along it. 

The end of the lane opened onto green paddocks with Jersey cows grazing in them. I looked across to my right and to my delight spotted the unmistakable outline of Rosel House. There was a small gate opening into the field so I quickly opened it and went into the paddock, just to prove I have trod the soil of our ancestors. We hung about for a little while and Winnie took some more photos of the cows.

The next day we left Jersey after a delightful two days in which we enjoyed near perfect weather, some great sightseeing, excellent food, a walk through the War Tunnels with it's fascinating history of Jersey during the German occupation of World War Two, and a bunch of family history. We found Jersey to be one of the nicest places we visited on our trip to Europe. Of course in two days we didn't see or do a tenth of what's there is to see and do. 

We made this visit thinking it to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but now I'm not so sure. If we ever again visit Winnie's folk in Holland I would be sorely tempted to go there once more.

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