Page 20 - Jigsaw September 2019

Glance at the past.......................................................................................
The Eland Family – Eric Franklin explores their memories
photographs of many of the Thrapston branch of the Eland family. Elizabeth, named on the outside memorial is shown, the picture being a photograph of an 1825 miniature painting of her. I have the original negative glass plate, quite a rare survivor from nearly 150 years ago.
George and Elizabeth Eland, her parents, who had the plaque installed, are also represented in the collection as silhouettes and shown below.
Look around any parish church
and you will find numerous memorial plaques to past local “worthies”. Inside
St James’ Church
there are a number in
memory of members
of the Eland family,
whilst on the outside
of the church tower, facing the church hall, is a plaque which reads:
“Sacred to the memory of Elizabeth Eland, daughter of George and Elizabeth Eland born 17th December 1789 died 8th November 1845”. Some months ago I was fortunate to obtain a large number of Victorian cartes de visite and other early
George as well as working as a draper in Thrapston was, by 1812, also a banker, associated with the Stamford and Rutland Bank. George
died in 1833 and Elizabeth three years later. The bank passed to their son, also named George who was born
in 1798. He married Matilda Fowler
in 1822. She died in 1849 and is remembered on a memorial in the church. No picture of her exists as
far as I am aware. He married his second wife, Frances Blackburn,
in 1853. George and Frances were photographed by Joseph Mason in
his Bridge Street studio, these being shown opposite. On a plaque inside the church
are memorials commemorating various members of the family; also named is Maria, George and Elizabeth’s oldest daughter who married Samuel Judd and is described on a large brass memorial in the church as the “relict of Samuel Judd Esq” (relict is an
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