Bowyer-Smyth Baronets
Encyclopedia
The Smith, later Smyth, later Smijth, later Bowyer-Smijth, later Bowyer-Smyth Baronetcy, of Hill Hall in the County of Essex, was created on 28 November 1661 for Thomas Smith, High Sheriff
of Essex
in 1663. He was the great grandson of John Smith of Saffron Walden, Essex.
According to tradition John Smith was a descendant of Sir Roger de Clarendon, a natural son of Edward, the Black Prince. He was granted arms in 1545, and the original family crest of an eagle holding an ostrich feather was used to denote descent from Sir Roger de Clarendon. It was later substituted for a salamander in flames to commemorate the escape of Sir Thomas Smith from 'Bloody Mary's' fires. The original family crest of an eagle holding an ostrich feather is still in use today by the Smijth-Windham, later Windham, branch of the family. He married in 1508 Agnes Charnock and had four sons and four daughters.
The second son, Sir Thomas Smith
was born in 1514. He was Secretary of State during the reigns of King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I. He was Ambassador to France three times during the reign of Elizabeth I and was created Chancellor of the Order of the Garter. In 1570 he obtained a patent and indenture from Elizabeth I to establish an English colony on the Ards peninsula in Ireland. His illegitimate son was also involved in the establishment of the colony and was later to be killed in a skirmish with the Irish.
Sir Thomas Smiths brother George was a draper in London. Upon the death of Thomas Smith in 1577 he inherited his estates, which he made over to his son in 1581 in return for the settlement of all his debts. His son Sir William Smith, born in 1550, was a Colonel in the Army in Ireland. He returned from Ireland in 1581 and was later sent by King James I to Spain with the Ambassador. He later unsuccessfully petitioned the King for the return of the Ards colony. He married in 1590 Bridget, the daughter of Thomas Fleetwood, Master of the Mint.
His son Thomas Smith was created a baronet 28 Nov. 1661. A supporter of Charles I, he also unsuccessfully petition King Charles II after the restoration for the colony in Ireland.
His son Edward, the second Baronet, was High Sheriff of Essex from 1680 to 1681. He changed the spelling of the family surname to Smyth.
His son, the third Baronet, died in 1774. Three of his sons, the fourth, fifth (who was High Sheriff of Essex from 1760 to 1761) and sixth Baronets, all succeeded in the title.
The latter was succeeded by his son, William, the seventh Baronet. He married Anne, daughter of John Windham-Bowyer and sister and heir of John Windham. Her mother Mary was the daughter and heir of Sir Joseph Ashe, 2nd and last Baronet Ashe, by Catherine, daughter and co-heir of Sir Edmund Bowyer. Sometime between 1779 and 1799 the seventh Baronet changed the spelling of the family surname to Smijth to distinguish descent from Edward, the Black Prince. Two of his sons, the eighth and ninth Baronets, both died childless. On the latter's death in 1838 the title passed to his third brother, Edward, the tenth Baronet. He was Chaplain to King George IV
.
His mother Anne was heiress of both the Windham and Bowyer families. She devised the Bowyer estates to her son Edward, who assumed by Royal license in 1839 the surname of Bowyer-Smijth.
The Windham estates were devised to her fifth son Joseph, who assumed by Royal license in 1823 the surname Smijth-Windham. He had served in the Peninsular War and was a captain in the 10th Hussars and 17th lancers
He was succeeded by his eldest son, William, the eleventh Baronet. He sat as Member of Parliament
for South Essex
. He married twice and had 15 children by his second marriage.
He was succeeded by his only surviving son from his first marriage, William, the twelfth Baronet. He was in the Diplomatic Service and also served as Sheriff of Essex in 1889. He died childless in 1916, and the baronetcy reverted to the late Baronet's first cousin, Alfred, the thirteenth Baronet. He was the eldest son of Reverend Alfred John Edward Bowyer-Smijth, younger son of the tenth Baronet. In 1916 he resumed the former spelling of the surname Bowyer-Smyth in lieu of Bowyer-Smijth. He died childless in 1927 and was succeeded by his nephew, Philip, the son of Clement Weyland Bowyer-Smijth.
Sir Philip Bowyer-Smyth, the fourteenth Baronet, was born in Sydney, Australia in 1894. He joined the Royal Navy in 1906, five years before the creation of an Australian navy, and served in World War I and World War II. He was the Naval Attache at Rome from 1938 to 1940, and he commanded the Australian warship H.M.A.S Perth from 1940 to 1941. The Australian light cruiser saw action in the Mediterranean at the Battle of Matapan and the evacuation of Greece under Captain Bowyer-Smyth. The Perth was later sunk by Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of Sunda Strait in 1942. He was Director of radio equipment for the Admiralty from 1943 to 1944, and then Commodore of East Africa from 1945 until 1946 when he became Aide-de-Camp to King George VI. He was married in 1922 to Margaret McCall-McCowan of Sydney, Australia, but later divorced and in 1951 married secondly Veronica Bower. The baronetcy is currently held by his son.
Several other members of the family may also be mentioned.
The Venerable Charles Smith (d. 1678), younger son of the first Baronet, was Archdeacon
of Colchester
.
Sir Ralph Windham (1905–1980), son of Major Ashe Windham, eldest son of Ashe Windham (1839–1909) (who assumed the surname of Windham in lieu of Smijth-Windham by Royal license in 1888), second son of Captain Joseph Smijth-Windham (who assumed the additional surname of Windham by Royal license in 1823), youngest son of the seventh Baronet, was Chief Justice of Tanganyika.
Sir William Windham (1864–1961), third son of the aforementioned Ashe Windham (1839–1909), was Secretary of Native Affairs of the Transvaal and a Member of the Legislative Council of Natal
and also worked for the Ministry of Labour
.
William Russell Smijth-Windham (1907–1994), son of Arthur Russell Smijth-Windham who died when the ship Persia was torpedoed by a German U-Boat in 1915, son of Major George Smijth-Windham, fourth son of the aforementioned Captain Joseph Smijth-Windham, was a Brigadier
in the Royal Signals. William Smijth-Windham participated in the 1933 and 1936 Mount Everest expeditions. He served in World War II in the Middle East and North West Europe. He was Aide-de-Camp to Queen Elizabeth II in 1957.
Sir Walter Windham, son of George Smijth-Windham, and grandson of Joseph Smijth-Windham. He was the Kings Foreign Messenger from 1901 to 1909. He was also the founder of the worlds first official air mail, with the first mail to be flown sent from Allahabad to Naini, India, in February 1911. He organised the first official air mail in Great Britain in September 1911, which was flown from Hendon aerodrome, London, to Windsor Castle. A distance of approximately 20 miles (32 Kilometres).
In May 2008, a mass grave was located at Fromelles, France. This was the site of a World War I battle involving the Australian and British armies against a German army which included a young Adolf Hitler who served at Fromelles with the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry as a message runner.
Henry Bowyer-Smijth the grandson of Sir William Bowyer-Smijth, the 11th baronet, was killed at the battle of Fromelles on 19 July 1916 and his body was never recovered.
He had previously fought at Gallipoli, Turkey, as part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). After the evacuation of Gallipoli he was sent to Egypt and later to France with the Australian 60th battalion where he was killed. It is possible that he was buried by the Germans after the battle and is one of the Australian soldiers recently located in the mass grave at Fromelles.
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
in 1663. He was the great grandson of John Smith of Saffron Walden, Essex.
According to tradition John Smith was a descendant of Sir Roger de Clarendon, a natural son of Edward, the Black Prince. He was granted arms in 1545, and the original family crest of an eagle holding an ostrich feather was used to denote descent from Sir Roger de Clarendon. It was later substituted for a salamander in flames to commemorate the escape of Sir Thomas Smith from 'Bloody Mary's' fires. The original family crest of an eagle holding an ostrich feather is still in use today by the Smijth-Windham, later Windham, branch of the family. He married in 1508 Agnes Charnock and had four sons and four daughters.
The second son, Sir Thomas Smith
Thomas Smith (diplomat)
Sir Thomas Smith was an English scholar and diplomat.He was born at Saffron Walden in Essex. He was educated at Queens' College, Cambridge, where he became a fellow in 1530, and in 1533 was appointed a public reader or professor. He lectured in the schools on natural philosophy, and on Greek in...
was born in 1514. He was Secretary of State during the reigns of King Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth I. He was Ambassador to France three times during the reign of Elizabeth I and was created Chancellor of the Order of the Garter. In 1570 he obtained a patent and indenture from Elizabeth I to establish an English colony on the Ards peninsula in Ireland. His illegitimate son was also involved in the establishment of the colony and was later to be killed in a skirmish with the Irish.
Sir Thomas Smiths brother George was a draper in London. Upon the death of Thomas Smith in 1577 he inherited his estates, which he made over to his son in 1581 in return for the settlement of all his debts. His son Sir William Smith, born in 1550, was a Colonel in the Army in Ireland. He returned from Ireland in 1581 and was later sent by King James I to Spain with the Ambassador. He later unsuccessfully petitioned the King for the return of the Ards colony. He married in 1590 Bridget, the daughter of Thomas Fleetwood, Master of the Mint.
His son Thomas Smith was created a baronet 28 Nov. 1661. A supporter of Charles I, he also unsuccessfully petition King Charles II after the restoration for the colony in Ireland.
His son Edward, the second Baronet, was High Sheriff of Essex from 1680 to 1681. He changed the spelling of the family surname to Smyth.
His son, the third Baronet, died in 1774. Three of his sons, the fourth, fifth (who was High Sheriff of Essex from 1760 to 1761) and sixth Baronets, all succeeded in the title.
The latter was succeeded by his son, William, the seventh Baronet. He married Anne, daughter of John Windham-Bowyer and sister and heir of John Windham. Her mother Mary was the daughter and heir of Sir Joseph Ashe, 2nd and last Baronet Ashe, by Catherine, daughter and co-heir of Sir Edmund Bowyer. Sometime between 1779 and 1799 the seventh Baronet changed the spelling of the family surname to Smijth to distinguish descent from Edward, the Black Prince. Two of his sons, the eighth and ninth Baronets, both died childless. On the latter's death in 1838 the title passed to his third brother, Edward, the tenth Baronet. He was Chaplain to King George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
.
His mother Anne was heiress of both the Windham and Bowyer families. She devised the Bowyer estates to her son Edward, who assumed by Royal license in 1839 the surname of Bowyer-Smijth.
The Windham estates were devised to her fifth son Joseph, who assumed by Royal license in 1823 the surname Smijth-Windham. He had served in the Peninsular War and was a captain in the 10th Hussars and 17th lancers
He was succeeded by his eldest son, William, the eleventh Baronet. He sat as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for South Essex
Essex South (UK Parliament constituency)
South Essex was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1885. It elected two Members of Parliament using the bloc vote system....
. He married twice and had 15 children by his second marriage.
He was succeeded by his only surviving son from his first marriage, William, the twelfth Baronet. He was in the Diplomatic Service and also served as Sheriff of Essex in 1889. He died childless in 1916, and the baronetcy reverted to the late Baronet's first cousin, Alfred, the thirteenth Baronet. He was the eldest son of Reverend Alfred John Edward Bowyer-Smijth, younger son of the tenth Baronet. In 1916 he resumed the former spelling of the surname Bowyer-Smyth in lieu of Bowyer-Smijth. He died childless in 1927 and was succeeded by his nephew, Philip, the son of Clement Weyland Bowyer-Smijth.
Sir Philip Bowyer-Smyth, the fourteenth Baronet, was born in Sydney, Australia in 1894. He joined the Royal Navy in 1906, five years before the creation of an Australian navy, and served in World War I and World War II. He was the Naval Attache at Rome from 1938 to 1940, and he commanded the Australian warship H.M.A.S Perth from 1940 to 1941. The Australian light cruiser saw action in the Mediterranean at the Battle of Matapan and the evacuation of Greece under Captain Bowyer-Smyth. The Perth was later sunk by Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of Sunda Strait in 1942. He was Director of radio equipment for the Admiralty from 1943 to 1944, and then Commodore of East Africa from 1945 until 1946 when he became Aide-de-Camp to King George VI. He was married in 1922 to Margaret McCall-McCowan of Sydney, Australia, but later divorced and in 1951 married secondly Veronica Bower. The baronetcy is currently held by his son.
Several other members of the family may also be mentioned.
The Venerable Charles Smith (d. 1678), younger son of the first Baronet, was Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
.
Sir Ralph Windham (1905–1980), son of Major Ashe Windham, eldest son of Ashe Windham (1839–1909) (who assumed the surname of Windham in lieu of Smijth-Windham by Royal license in 1888), second son of Captain Joseph Smijth-Windham (who assumed the additional surname of Windham by Royal license in 1823), youngest son of the seventh Baronet, was Chief Justice of Tanganyika.
Sir William Windham (1864–1961), third son of the aforementioned Ashe Windham (1839–1909), was Secretary of Native Affairs of the Transvaal and a Member of the Legislative Council of Natal
Colony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its...
and also worked for the Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Labour
The Ministry of Labour was a British civil service department established by the New Ministries and Secretaries Act 1916. It was renamed the Employment Department in 1988, and finally abolished in 1995...
.
William Russell Smijth-Windham (1907–1994), son of Arthur Russell Smijth-Windham who died when the ship Persia was torpedoed by a German U-Boat in 1915, son of Major George Smijth-Windham, fourth son of the aforementioned Captain Joseph Smijth-Windham, was a Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
in the Royal Signals. William Smijth-Windham participated in the 1933 and 1936 Mount Everest expeditions. He served in World War II in the Middle East and North West Europe. He was Aide-de-Camp to Queen Elizabeth II in 1957.
Sir Walter Windham, son of George Smijth-Windham, and grandson of Joseph Smijth-Windham. He was the Kings Foreign Messenger from 1901 to 1909. He was also the founder of the worlds first official air mail, with the first mail to be flown sent from Allahabad to Naini, India, in February 1911. He organised the first official air mail in Great Britain in September 1911, which was flown from Hendon aerodrome, London, to Windsor Castle. A distance of approximately 20 miles (32 Kilometres).
In May 2008, a mass grave was located at Fromelles, France. This was the site of a World War I battle involving the Australian and British armies against a German army which included a young Adolf Hitler who served at Fromelles with the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry as a message runner.
Henry Bowyer-Smijth the grandson of Sir William Bowyer-Smijth, the 11th baronet, was killed at the battle of Fromelles on 19 July 1916 and his body was never recovered.
He had previously fought at Gallipoli, Turkey, as part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). After the evacuation of Gallipoli he was sent to Egypt and later to France with the Australian 60th battalion where he was killed. It is possible that he was buried by the Germans after the battle and is one of the Australian soldiers recently located in the mass grave at Fromelles.
Smith, later Smyth, later Smijth, later Bowyer-Smijth, later Bowyer-Smyth Baronets, of Hill Hall (1661)
- Sir Thomas Smith, 1st Baronet (c. 1602–1668)
- Sir Edward Smyth, 2nd Baronet (1637–1713)
- Sir Edward Smyth, 3rd Baronet (1686–1744)
- Sir Edward Smyth, 4th Baronet (1710–1760)
- Sir Charles Smyth, 5th Baronet (1711–1773)
- Sir William Smyth, 6th Baronet (c. 1719–1777)
- Sir William Smijth, 7th Baronet (1746–1823)
- Sir Thomas Smijth, 8th Baronet (1781–1833)
- Sir John Smijth, 9th Baronet (1782–1838)
- Sir Edward Bowyer-Smijth, 10th Baronet (1 March 1785 – 15 August 1850). Bowyer-Smijth was a clergyman. Born in MaryleboneMaryleboneMarylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as Edward Smyth, he was a younger son of Sir William Smijth, 7th Baronet, and Anne Windham. In 1796, his name was changed to Smijth and on 10 June 1839 to Bowyer-Smijth. Educated at Eton CollegeEton CollegeEton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, he graduated from Trinity College, CambridgeTrinity College, CambridgeTrinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
with a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1807, and a Master of ArtsMaster of Arts (Oxbridge)In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
in 1811. Having been vicar in CamberwellCamberwellCamberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
, SurreySurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
in 1809, Bowyer-Smijth became chaplain to King George IV. From 1837 to 1838, he was rector in Theydon MountTheydon MountTheydon Mount is a village and a civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex, England, close to the M25 motorway.- Nearby settlements :...
and Stapleford TawneyStapleford TawneyStapleford Tawney a civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located approximately WSW of Ongar and north of Romford. It covers an area of 670 hectares and had a population of 103 in 2001, making it the least populated parish in the district...
in Essex. He succeeded to his older brother's baronetcy on 9 December 1838. Bowyer-Smijth died, aged 65 in Hill Hall in Theydon Mount. On 29 May 1813, he married Laetitia Cecily Weyland, daughter of John Weyland at St George's, Hanover Square, in London. They had six children, four daughters and two sons, including his heir Sir William Bowyer-Smijth, 11th Baronet. - Sir William Bowyer-Smijth, 11th BaronetSir William Bowyer-Smijth, 11th BaronetSir William Bowyer-Smijth, 11th Baronet DL, JP was a British cricketer, baronet and Conservative Party politician.-Background:...
(1814–1883) - Sir William Bowyer-Smijth, 12th Baronet (1840–1916)
- Sir Alfred John Bowyer-Smyth, 13th Baronet (1850–1927)
- Sir Philip Weyland Bowyer-Smyth, 14th Baronet (1894–1978)
- Sir Thomas Weyland Bowyer-Smyth, 15th Baronet