Ann Raymond Heath (nee Dunbar) (1787-1842), England.

Ann Raymond Heath (nee Dunbar)

1787-1842

We know about Ann from an entry in the book "Records of the Heath Family" by George Heath, 1913. This mentions that her God Father was her distant cousin Lieut General Sir John Moore and that he gave her away at her wedding. While the book does not say much about Ann, it does give a long list of her Dunbar ancestors going back to King Alfred the Great. She was also a decendant of Sir John Napier the inventor of logarithms.

Anne Raymond Dunbar, elder daughter of William Dunbar, Notary Public, and Jean Morthland, his wife, was born at Walworth, August 5th, 1787, and died in London, August 22nd, 1842.

Details as to the nature and qualities of this lady are very few. She certainly brought a fine pedigree into the Heath family, besides the mathematics deriving from the Simsons and the Napiers. Julia Moore had little to say about her, except that she used to get annoyed by the habits of French visitors in whose entertainment Serjt. Heath found pleasure. J.C. Moore wrote to me - "She was all compact of simple and natural virtues," so different to her sister Mrs Sneyd, "who thought there was no existence, except among Rt. Honourables." Sir John Moore gave her away at her wedding, besides sending her a present of £100 with the following letter:

MISS DUNBAR Tuesday, 22nd April, 1806.
MY DEAR COUSIN,
As previous to your marriage, you may want various trifles, which it may not be convenient to your mother to give you, will you forgive me for offering the enclosed, and for begging your acceptance of it.
Believe me always, with every wish for your happiness.
Your affectionate Cousin,
JOHN MOORE.

A white and gold tea service was bought with part of this present, of which Mrs H.E. Malden has the remains, with the original letter.

I, Matthew Charles Dunbar, Lieut. and Capt. in the Bengal Army, at present in a sound state of mind, do hereby make my last Will and Testament.
First. - I do will and bequeath whatever sums of money may be found of mine invested in the hands of my agents, Messers. Macintosh & Co., of Calcutta, in the East Indies, to the children of my beloved brother and sister, George and Anne Raymond Heath, of London, and I do direct that the money so bequeathed, be equally divided amongst the aforesaid children (five in number), and by name as follows:- Julia Heath, John Moore Heath. Douglas Heath, Dunbar Heath and Leopold Heath.
Second. - I do will and bequeath whatever profit or advantage may be forthcoming on my death, from the share which I now possess, in the Laudable Society, to the children above named, and which is to be equally divided among them.
Third. - I do will and bequeath the amount of my property of every description to the children aforesaid, to be equally divided without favour or affection.
Fourth. - I do will and direct that all my private letters be placed under seal, and made over to one of my exors.
Fifth. - I do will and direct that Jas. Moore, Esquire, of London, conjointly with Edward Cairncross Sneyd, Lieut. in the Bengal Army, be exors. to this my last Will, and I do hereby revoke any former Will.
Given under my hand and seal on this 12th day of June. 1819.
Witness my hand and seal in presence of the undermentioned,
M.C. DUNBAR, Lieut. Brev. Capt.,
Bengal Army.
Witness.
Signed -
CHAS. RENNY,
Asst. Surgeon, R.A.
CHAS RAY,
Asst. Surgeon, R.A.
A true and faithful copy
E SNEYD, Exor.

Our cousin, Mrs. H.E. Malden, to whom the family owe so much for her researches in our past history, is the possessor of some interesting relics of our grandparents.

1. A small gold locket, 1-in. in diameter, with an outer and inner circle of black enamel and gold for mourning. M.C.D. in the centre on one face, and a small glass centre showing hair, on the other. Inside, an open gold cover of fine workmanship, protecting a glass, under which some black hair is arranged.
Inscription inside. The hair of my adored brother M.C. Dunbar. Obt. 19 June, 1819, Obt. 30 years.

3. A few ornaments, ring, watch chain, prayer book and work box, formally belonging to our grandmother.

4. The silver teapot and cream jug presented to Serjt. Heath by his clients on his retirement.

5. Urn, two decanters and remains of the white and gold tea set purchased with Sir John Moore's wedding present.

6. A whole tea set, a wedding present from Miss Jane Moore to our grandmother, and always kept for best.

Anne Raymond Dunbar, elder daughter of William Dunbar, married in1806 George Heath, Esq., of Kitlands, near Dorking, Surrey, Serjeant-at-law and J.P. for Surrey, who was born 27th June, 1779, and died 22nd January, 1852. She died 22nd August, 1842, leaving four sons and two daughter (1) Rev. John Moore Heath; (2) Douglas Denon Heath, of Kitlands, Surrey; (3) Rev. Dunbar Isidore Heath;(4) Admiral Sir Leopold George Heath, K.C.B. Daughters - (1) Julia Anna; and (2) Emma Jane, For marriages and issues of whom see Heath Pedigree.

This pedigree, which has been circulated in the Heath family on the authority of the Dunbars, is an interesting and undoubtedly authentic document, but its statements on the relation of the Earls of Dunbar to those of Northumberland, with consequent bearing on the royal descent of the family, are not altogether clear without a reference to further authorities. A comparison of them has, therefore, been made with others bearing on the matter in the contemporary Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the historical notes in Kingsley's romance "Hereward the Wake," J.R. Green's "Making of England: and "Conquest of England," and other standard works, and the result is that the circumstances may be state in the following order, which may, it is believed, be taken as substantially correct. From Alfred the Great, temp. 849-901, were descended, in direct line, the later kings, down to Ethelred the Unready, who died 1016. Ethelred had a daughter, Aelgifu, who married Uchtred, Earl of Northumberland, and had issue a daughter, Aldgitha, who married Maldred, son of Crinan the Thane, from which union sprang a son, Gospatric. Uchtred had, however, other children, Ealdred and Eadwulf, sons by a former wife. Uchtred held his earldom under the Saxon King Edmund, but when the Danish King Canute invaded England he made his submission to him, but was immediately afterwards murdered by an enemy in a private feud. Canute then gave the earldom to a friend of his own, Eric the Norseman, with whom, however, he afterwards quarrelled, and banished him from England circ.1023, restoring his possessions to the family which formerly held them. Ealdred, the eldest son, now ruled as earl, but on his death, which happened not long afterwards, Northumberland as by mutual consent divided, as it had been once before, into two earldoms, Bernicia and Deira, Eadwulf, Ealdred's brother, taking the one, and his daughter, or rather the Danish noble Siwad, who had married her, the other. Three years later, however, Siward raised a dispute with Eadwulf, killed him, and seized Bernicia, so the earldom of Northumberland became once more re-united. This Siward is a character in Shakespeare's "Macbeth," and was much concerned in the wars with Scotland. He himself died in 1055 at York, and the earldom was then given by Edward the Confessor, who was reigning at the time, to Tostig, brother of Harold, son of Earl Godwin. In 1065, however, the northern nobles rose against Tostig, and one of their leaders was Gospatric, who thus sought to establish himself in the earldom of his grandfather, Uchtred. The rebellion was at first successful, and Tostig fled to Flanders, but in 1066 it was quelled by Harold, who had become king. Gospatric retired to Scotland where, in 1070, he became father of a younger Gospatric. Gospatric, the elder, according to some authorities, subsequently returned to England and submitted to William the Conqueror, who restored to him his earldom of Northumberland, of which, however, he was again deprived in 1072, and finally died circ. 1100. Gospatric the younger, growing up in Scotland, married there, circ. 1103, Sibella, daughter of Patrick Dunbar, and was himself created Earl of Dunbar and March at some date previous to 1130. From him descended, in direct line, the later Earls of Dunbar and March down to Patrick, the 8th Earl, temp. 1284, whose son, John Dunbar, Earl of Moray, was great-grandfather of Sir Alexander Dunbar, temp. 1425-1497, from whom, through his son David, can be traced the later Dunbars, in direct line down to Robert Dunbar, temp. 1727, minister of Dyke, father of William Dunbar, 1740-1800, whose daughter, Anne Raymond Dunbar, married Serjt. Heath, from which union sprang all the later Heaths dealt with in this book it would appear, therefore, that they are lineally descended, in direct liine, from a Dunbar knight, the Earls of Dunbar, the Saxon Earls of Northumberland, and, ultimately, from Alfred the Great.

Lady Petre, of Hatchwoods, Winchfield, possesses five interesting old portraits in oil of

Robina Brisbane, his daughter, and two others, also miniatures of her maternal grandfather, W. Dunbar, 1740-1800, and his daughter Anne and Jane.

Whilst Mrs.Sneyd was in India, the portraits were in the keeping of Ann Hare, Mrs.J.Cotterill.

On the return of lady Petre's brother, John Thompson Sneyd, from India in 1855, these pictures, being part of Mrs. Sneyd's estate, were returned to Hatchwoods, where they still remain.

The inscription is to a great extent illegible, but the following copy is supplied by the Surveyor's Office, Guildhall, where all the old inscriptions are preserved in books.

In connection with the above, an old Prayer Book in my possession, dated 1770, proves an interesting link between the three families of Moores, Dunbars and Simsons.
On its title page appears the name James Simson.
On a fly-leaf-"Dear Mrs. Simson's Prayer Book."
"Given to Jane Henderson by Mrs. Dunbar, as a token of remembrance of her dear and valuable friend Mrs. Simson, whom Jane Henderson had the highest esteem and affection for."
Oct. 26th, 1810.
On the opposite page is the name of Harriet Jane Moore.
James Simson, 1729-1777,was brother to Mrs. Morthland, 1720-1802, and Mrs. J. Moore, 1735-1820.
Jane Figgins married John Henderson the actor. Both were buried in Poets Corner, Westminster Abbey. Their only child Harriet, married Jas. Carrick Moore.

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