ELIZABETH HICKS WITHERS
(1827-1909)
This page has been created with kind permission
of Jacqueline Sanders (nee Peck) and Bob Sanders.
Visit Jacqueline's web
site at http://www.angelfire.com/ab5/jacquelinepeck/
Elizabeth
Hicks Withers, daughter of Samuel Hicks Withers and Martha Howell Lancashire
was born on 21st August 1827 in Bristol. On 28th March 1857 she became, at St
Mary's Marylebone, the second wife of William Bishop
Peck, a Wine Merchant of Bristol and
Freeman of the City. After their marriage the couple lived at 111 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol where they brought up 4 sons and 2 daughters. After the
death of William Bishop Peck, Elizabeth continued to
run the business. She died on 28th May 1909 at Porlock, Somerset and is buried there in the Cemetery.
Elizabeth and William’s eldest son Herbert
Withers Peck was educated at Clifton College and became involved in running the family business
for a short time before joining Pulleine's Irregulars, Indian Army, with a commission as
Lieutenant. He served in the Gaika and Galeka Wars and the South African War of 1877 -78. He then
went to Sarawak where he was Commandant of the Armed Forces to Rajah
Brooke from 1885 -1889. He resigned this post
in 1889, retaining the rank of Captain; he was then involved in the formation
of the Sarawak Civil Service, acting as the Rajah's representative in Labuan.
Resigning
from this position in 1901 Herbert Withers Peck returned to England to marry Mary Rebecca Weston-Stevens, daughter of
William John Yates Stevens and Rebecca Haddrill
Weston, niece and one of the co heirs of Sir Joseph Weston, late Mayor of Bristol, MP for Bristol and Ironmaster. Herbert and Mary lived at 12 College Road,
Clifton, Bristol and Burley, Porlock, Somerset, where
they brought up 4 sons. Captain Herbert
Withers Peck died at Tower House, Branksome Park, Poole. Dorset on 17th November 1916.
Mary and
Herbert's eldest son Herbert Arthur John Weston Peck (known as Captain Jack
Peck) was born on 29th September 1902 at Dorset House, Clifton,Bristol. He was educated at Clifton College and Wye
Agricultural College, Kent. After his marriage to Joan Tasker
Evans he went into farming and with a love and understanding of horses, became
a horse trainer. Jack and Joan had 1
son (John Derek) and 1 daughter (Susan Mary).
During WW11
Jack Peck joined the Army as a Lieutenant, RASC, retiring with war injures as Captain. On 22nd July 1944 he married his second wife, Doreen Amy Tregay
Scott, at Southend-on-Sea. Doreen was the eldest of three daughters of Herbert Henry
William Scott and Amy Florence
Scott (nee Hitchcock) of Plymouth, Devon.
With a life
long love of horses, after the war Captain Peck became proprietor of the White
Horse hunting stables in Exford, Somerset, where his second daughter (Doreen Jacqueline) and second son (Anthony Brian) were born. In
1953 the family moved back to Porlock where Captain Peck became Manager and then Managing
Director of PORLOCK VALE RIDING SCHOOL for Captain Tony Collings, at
that time the foremost training school
with an International reputation.
Jack
Peck died in Minehead Hospital on 9th April 1973; his children are living descendants of Elizabeth
Hicks Withers.
Visit the World Connect
family tree of the Pecks at:
http://worldconnect.genealogy.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=peck