Hannah Lightfoot - The Fair Quaker

[Sheila Mitchell]

Searching for Hannah Lightfoot the fair Quake who some believe married George III when he was Prince of Wales. Whatever the truth she disappeared in December 1753 and was never seen by her family again. Her portrait was painted by Joshua Reynolds in about 1755/56. Trying to locate her time and place of death and where she is buried?

[bumblebee]

Hi Sheila

Not sure how possible that will be as from several books I have read in the past about her, no one has yet discovered her resting place (although there have been theories) or what happened to her.

Will be interesting to see if anyone come up with anything.

Bumblebee

[Sheila Mitchell]

I've been researching her story for over 30 years and have amassed a fair bit of interesting information about her and those connected with her story. I am sure that the information that will lead to her grave is out there somewhere in a dusty attic. Whatever the truth of her story she is still a missing person from the 18th century who, if the stories are not true, has been badly maligned.

[Toffee]

I AM DECENDED FROM HANNAH LIGHTFOOT THROUGH MARRIAGE

MILFORD_LASS

[Sheila Mitchell]

I would be interested to hear more about your line of descent. I have gathered a great deal of information about Hannah and her alleged descendants so might be able to fill in some gaps.

[Toffee]

ISSAC AXFORD WUD BE MY 5X GRANDFATHER, i have only just heard about hannah and george the third and the wedding of hannah with issac and as my new found cousin was telling me about her son george rex who is buried in south africa it came up on the screen to verify he was hannah and georges son.

toffeee

[Sheila Mitchell]

Hi,
I was interested to read that you are descended from Isaac Axford. Is this through his second wife, Mary Bartlett who he married in 1759?
Some years ago a television company did DNA testing on male line descendants of George Rex of Knysna and John Mackelcan and compared them with known DNA from a male descendant of George III. There was no match and therefore it is unlikely that George Rex is descended from George III and Hannah. Professor Christie has also found a bona fide family tree for George Rex which does not include them.
One complication regarding children of Hannah is that some children from the Thomas Coram Foundling Hospital were told that their ancestors were Hannah and the Prince. This has undoubtedly complicated matters. I would be fascinated to hear more about your Axford line as I am in contact with various members of the Axford family.

[Izzycat]

The tv program was broadcast again a few weeks ago - they also did DNA tests on a family in Australia & their tests did not match with George's either. Wasn't there a 3rd family tested too?

[Toffee]

i have just found out about ISSAC AXford i wud presume the connection is with his second wife, a family member told me of the relationship with issac and hannah and that their marriage was not consimated, she was told issac was a minister, oh my i have so many axford relations on my mothers side, and if my great great grandfer did not come to pembroekshire with the royal navy i wouldnt here and there would be no axford in my county because still today my family are the only axfords in the county, quite proud of this fact

toffeee

[Toffee]

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME THE TITILE OF THE MOVIE PLEASE?? i have sent off for the book

thank you
shirl

[Sheila Mitchell]

The three families who were tested for the programme The Real King and Queen were the Rex family from S. Africa, the Rex family from Tasmania and the Mackelcan family from America.
Today, is the anniversary of Hannah Lightfoot's birth. I have a great affection for her and hope that someday she can be 'found'.
Toffee - Isaac Axford's second wife was Mary Bartlett and they had a number of children.

[Mike Newman]

Hi Sheila
I suppose the American line of George Rex is all that stuff you see on the Mormon family history site? Presumably all the DNA results were negative (I did not see the program). Anyway, of relevance is the supposed daughter of Hannah Lightfoot, [Catherine] Augusta Ritso (aka Sarah). She was born supposedly in India. Her husband James Dalton (originally from Carmarthenshire) worked for the East India Company. The Dalton's and Ritso's seem all mixed up in this. My family, the Prytherch's also seem quite involved. Daniel Prytherch (ex mayor of Carmarthen) married Augusta's daughter Caroline Georgina Catherin Dalton somewhere around 1825 (I will have to check the date). She was also born in India (Madras 1807). The dates are all a bit odd which I need to work out. This research is new and all on going. One final thing of interest (for the moment), when Augusta's sister-in-law Margaret Dalton married Daniel Prytherch's father (also named Daniel Prytherch - the Dalton's really like to keep it in the family, check their website) at Carmarthen parish church in December 1795, George III donated the church organ that was going to be installed at Windsor Castle to the church instead (in 1796). It is a fact that George III donated to the church but no one knew why. Anyway, I will keep you informed of any developments if you like. I bet the East India Company have a few records on the subject.
Cheers
Mike Newman

[Toffee]

Thank You Sheila for that information as i said i only just found out about this story after finding a cousin thru my research with the family tree. Mike there are Prythechs in carmarthen today, rob and i run a dairy farm and they are are agri auctioneers based in haverfordwest but main office is in carmarthen they are known as BJ PRYTHERCH.

Toffeee|wave|

[Sheila Mitchell]

Hi Mike,
There is an American line of George Rex but the most 'famous' one came from Knysna in South Africa and the one in Tasmania is even less well known.
Regarding Catherine Augusta Ritso and her family. Catherine was born in 1781 when Hannah would have been 51 - not unusual today but it would have been quite unusual in the 18th century. The Ritso family had strong connections at Court. Catherine's grandfather was librarian to Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales and his 'son' George, who was brought up with the royal children was believed, by some to be the illegitimate son of the aforementioned Prince - thus the royal connection.
All the children of Catherine and James Dalton were born in India and were all baptised on the 20th October 1813 in Madras.
When the tomb of Charlotte Augusta Catherine Dalton and her nine year old niece, Margaret Prytherch - the second daughter of Daniel Prytherch, one time Mayor of Carmarthen were discovered in a prime location under the floor of St. Peter's Church, Carmarthen a few years ago there was great excitement in the Press and speculation that the prominence of the grave's position must indicate some preferment. Only limited access was allowed and no DNA testing could be carried out.
The fact that the organ was donated by George III to the church is surely not linked in any way with this family and this burial. Catherine Ritso did not marry James Dalton until 1801 and therefore at the time of the donation no family link would have existed. It is much more likely that the organ was donated due to the influence of the architect John Nash who had strong connections with both the Georgian Court and Carmarthen.
It is true to say that there are many descendants of the Prytherch family alive today who are interested in the intriguing question of a link with George III and Hannah Lightfoot.

[Toffee]

so sheila this link is irrelevant

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/916965.stm

toffee|computer|

[Mike Newman]

Hi Shelia
I thought there was something dodgy in the dates as everyone seemed so old! I had rather assumed there was a missing generation between "Sarah Lightfoot" and Catherine Ritso. These Dalton's and Prytherch's really did keep things in the family. Catherine Ritso's husband's (James Dalton) sister, Margaret Dalton married Daniel Prytherch (b. 1765). Their son Daniel Prytherch (b. 1797 - the ex mayor of Carmarthen) then went and married James and daughter Caroline Georgina Catherine Dalton! In fact, if you follow the Dalton family tree you have a lot of Dalton's marrying Dalton's. In regard to the organ question, you would have thought there would be something in the Royal correspondence? May be the Dalton's were already well known to the Royal family to make the marriage of Daniel Prytherch and Margaret Dalton in 1795 in Carmarthen relevant? Perhaps they already had Catherine Ritso lined up to marry James Dalton? Probably not. Where did Catherine Ritso get married and where was she born? There are living descendents of Daniel Prytherch and Caroline Dalton living in Australia. They are mentioned on the Dalton family history website, so no problems with relevant DNA for this line. I am from the Rees Prytherch (b. 1770) line. The most famous person from this line is the artist Thomas Prytherch, who can be googled. We are still looking to see if there is a link between Rees and Daniel.

In answer to Toffee's question, I was aware of the Prytherch name in both Pembrokeshire (I actually work in Haverfordwest!) and Carmarthenshire. I know some of them are descended from Rees (I don't know if that is you)?

[Izzycat]

I have no research interests in this thread but find it absolutely fascinating. Toffee, I remember when they found the graves in St Peter's, the Carmarthen Journal covered it in depth. Where about in Carmarthenshire are you? I am in Cwmffrwd.

[Mike Newman]

Hi Sheila
The Ritso's were an interesting lot. The christening robe worn by George III was given to Captain George Frederick Ritso RE, a playmate of the king. Furthermore, his brother-in-law, Dr. John Frederick Charles Grimm, was court physician to the Duke of Saxe-Gotha, grandfather of Prince Albert. Back to the Prytherch's, if you google Daniel Prytherch you can get interesting information on the Brechfa village site. I must try and get a photograph of the memorial stone in the church! This "supposed" George III link is new to me. I heard that my great grandfather Tudor James was linked to royalty, but he always said it was the Tudor's?
Cheers
Mike

[Sheila Mitchell]

I had heard the story of the Christening robe but not about the possible connection with the Tudor's. Robin Prytherch from Bristol has done a lot of research into the Prytherch story. Sadly, I do not think he has email.

[Mike Newman]

I know of Robin Prytherch through Marjorie Downward, who is researching the artist Thomas Prytherch. I had thought it was possible that the Llandovery Prytherch's might be related to the Carmarthen Prytherch's. I thought that Rees Prytherch (b. 1770 - not sure where in Carmarthenshire, but children born in Llandovery) might be the brother of Daniel Prytherch (b. 1765), husband of Margaret Dalton and father of Daniel Prytherch (b. 1797) the ex mayor of Carmarthen. However, I got hold of the will abstract of Daniel (they do lack imagination) Prytherch (b. 1730s), the father of Daniel (b. 1765) and discovered he was the only son. To add to the confusion, Daniel's (b. 1730's) father was named Rees Prytherch. Perhaps there is a link here. I will soldier on, but little revelation to the Hannah question I'm afraid.

[daniel123]

Hi Mike.
The following might interest you. I have only today found a hand written Prytherch Pedigree (I think it was written by my aunt). I'll start from the bottom:
Daniel Prytherch 1892 - 1981 (my Grandfather)
Evan Prytherch Ystrad Farm 1859 - 1938
Rhys Prytherch 1778 - 1862
James Prytherch Glynmoch (1751 - 1809) - Steward of Glanbrydan Estate
Daniel Prytherch (? - 1756)
Rees Prytherch (1605 - 1699) of Ystrad Walter- Apparently educated at Oxford and gained an M.A..
Descendants of the ap Rhydderch family - the ap before surname discontinued in 1600,s thus becoming Prytherch by keeping the 'p'p from ap. Rees Prytherch further anglicised his name by replacing 'dd' with 'th'.
The line dates back further to include Rhdderch Llwyd, Lord Rhys, Cadell and Rhodri Fawr. How accurate it is is up for debate.

[Mike Newman]

Hi Daniel
I'll have a closer look at this when I am off work tomorrow. I think I have worked out where you fit in. Rees (sometime Rhys) Prytherch 1605-1699 seems to have had two (at least) sons, one being your great (X4) grandfather Daniel ?-1756. The other son was another Rees, who I know nothing about (yet) except he was the father of Daniel (this lot really do lack imagination) ~1732-1760 who first married into the Dalton's. His son, also Daniel 1796-1854 was mayor of Carmarthen and married into the Dalton line associated with Hannah Lightfoot. This lot all seem to be located around the Carmarthen area. I have yet to find how my lot in Llandovery, starting with Rees b. 1770 are linked up. The rest of your aunt's pedigree might be useful, as where I work in Haverfordwest they have the abstracts of the wills for Carmarthenshire going right back.
Cheers
Mike

[daniel123]

Rees Prytherch 1605 - 1699 was based at Ystradwalter which is in LLandovery region. There is a possibility that his son that you mention, also Rees, moved to the Carmarthen area and his other son, which I know as Daniel ? 1756, stayed in the LLandovery area thus linking Carmarthen lot with LLandovery lot.
I'll have to speak to my aunt for further information as I know she has made a fair amount of research and also met Robin Prytherch of Bristol.
By the way my name is Aled living in Llandeilo. The Daniel 123 bit is due to my eldest son aged 3 being the third Daniel I knew of in the family. I gather now that there are a lot more - we do lack imagination!

[Mike Newman]

I had a conversation with both Robin and Peter Prytherch (who is watching this site). There appear to be three main branches of Prytherch's in Carmarthenshire. The Carmarthen ones (who moved from the Llandovery area), The Llandovery James Prytherch line and the Llandovery Rees Prytherch line (my line). The problem is quite how they are related. Progress is being made though. One thing I have noticed is that my Rees is said to come from Rhandir Ganol. I'm not sure if this is correct. I need to have a look at the parish records again to be sure (I have time in December and so will have a good look around then), but his marriage record in the Llandingat register has both him and his wife (Mary Harries) as being from the hamlet of Goylan (at least this is how I read it). Furthermore, his last son (that I know of) Rees (not another one!) was christened at Llandingat on the 17/12/1812 and was said to have been born in the hamlet of Goylan in the parish of Llandingat. Now, Goylan no longer exists (at least I could not see it on the modern map or Goggle Earth), but it does on the 1831 1st series map (all these old series maps are available to download or buy at cassinimaps.com) which is the first decent scale map. Another thing I have noticed is that a number people of both my line and the James Prytherch line were christened in the Salem Chapel in Queen Street, Llandovery at about the same time. They must have known one another. It is worth checking out the graveyard at this chapel (they do have one - I have checked), which I will do in December.

[Toffee]

tonight on sky channel sky 3, there was a programme on about hannah and king george, i did not know the programme was on and my mother phoned me when the programme had finished and the programme was about 3 decendants of hannah's apparently hannah had written a diary which wa shanded down thru the generations, there are now 3 cousins alive, and mother said they had mentioned hannah ended up in a workhouse in coventry, that she had three children with george which we know about, and am not sure when the filming of the family took place but at that time the records of the marriage between hannah and george were not open for them to see

toffeee

[davidabbot]

any one done a family tree or found any more concret evidance
has any one read the trail manuscripts.
has any one read the origanal marrage certificate betwen george 111 and hannah lightfoot.
any links to the history about george 111 and hannah lightfoot royal conection.
his ilagitamet children any information and links to them.

[Sheila Mitchell]

Yes, I have seen the original documents that were impounded in 1866. Testing of the documents in 2002 showed that the paper was more recent than the documents they purported to be of. The paper was made after 1790 and the documents were from 1759 and 176?.
During the years that I have been researching Hannah's story I have accummulated information on over 50 putative children of Hannah and George. Clearly, they cannot all be the produce of this relationship - if such a relationship took place at all. Some of the stories concerning these children are fascinating and a recurring theme is that some were raised in the Thomas Coram Foundling Hospital.
The one tangible piece of evidence that shows Hannah wearing the kind of clothes that only someone wealthy could have afforded is the portrait by Joshua (later Sir) Reynolds that hangs at Knole House in Kent.

[Milesmac]

I have also been researching Hannah Lightfoot for some time but have only recently seen the Discovery Channel TV doc. 'The Real King & Queen' made in 2002 in which you feature. Was this the prog. that was shown last autumn on Sky3? Or was that a new one?
May I assume that you know about the second portrait of Hannah by Sir Josh R, now in a private gallery? And do you know anything about a third, mentioned in one of his notebooks?

[Craig Rex]

Hi Sheila,

I'm Craig and I was one of the Rex's in the TV documentary 'The Real King & Queen' that was filmed in SA in 2002.

My wife and I emigrated to the UK in 2006 and have set up home in Wootton, Woodstock, OXON.

Since the documentary, I have always wondered what and who was George Rex in England, before he left for SA i.e. where he was born, educated, biological parents, christening, etc, etc.

It will be great to talk to you and explore some of these facts, as you have so much experience in these matters i.e. Hannah Lighfoot.

[Sheila Mitchell]

Firstly, to Craig, I would love to speak to you about George Rex of Knysna. Have you read the articles about him by Professor Christie? He was the source of much of the research in Patricia Storrar's book 'George Rex, The Death of a Legend'. I can be contacted on 01793 873062

[Sheila Mitchell]

For Milesmac
The Knole House portrait is the best known however there have been others. A larger version of that portrait was sold at Christies in 1918. The purchaser was Sir Ratan Tata. He died later that year and his widow returned to India but it is not known what happened to the picture. A second three quarter length version was part of the Cowie collection sold in 1951 to a dealer, Mr. Barnard. The current whereabouts are unknown.
Another painting by S. Gilpin, B. Wilson and G. Barret was owned by the Lechmere family. It showed Hannah bidding farewell to the Duke of Cumberland and was the subject of a query in Notes and Queries in 1893. Three years later the home of the Lechmere's was destroyed by fire. It is not known if the painting was destroyed in the conflagration but current members of the family have no knowledge of it.

[Milesmac]

How interesting! One of these portraits (by Sir Josh and just like the Knole one) is in the possession of John Brandler of the Brandler Gallery in Edmonton, Essex. (Asking price £175,000!) He is checking which one from your provenance notes.
Can you please provide me with a more detailed source for the Notes & Queries item? (Vol, date etc.)
And why should Hannah be saying goodbye to the Duke of Cumberland? Which one I wonder. Any more details would be wonderful. (And why three artists?????) Milesmac.

[Sheila Mitchell]

Hi Craig,
Sorry about last night. I had only just arrived home and it was really not a good time. If you let me have your phone number or email address I will contact you.
all the best
Sheila

[Sheila Mitchell]

Dear Miles,
I think I have seen the picture you mention. If I am correct the portrait shows a lady wearing a blue dress whereas the Knole portrait shows Hannah wearing a pink dress.
I will have to search through my files to find the reference for the N&Q article. I have been in touch with one of the major art galleries in London who confirmed that it was quite commonplace for more than one artist to work on a picture. Sawrey Gilpin was a painter of horses and incidentally, had connections with the Duke of Cumberland as he was the painter of his horses. One of the other artists was a landscape painter. The art world have no knowledge of the work described but if it did survive it would be quite a coop to find it. However, I believe that it was probably destroyed in the fire of 1896.

[daravino]

Hi Sheila,

My name is Darryn Rex and I was on the SKY3 program, "So You Think You're Royal?", which I believe was replayed last week.

I was fortunate to be in the UK at the time so whilst Craig had already been involved with the Real King and Queen, they managed to get hold of another family member of the George Rex geneology to swab and question.

My question to you is where can I find Professor Christie's work?
Particularly the family tree for George Rex which does not include the Prince of Wales and Hannah Lightfoot.

Just to say, been a huge admirer of the fact that you have put countless years into finding Hannah. I hope we can find that attic with her whereabouts some day.

Chat soon
Darryn

[Craig Rex]

I totally understand - you can phone me on 01993811253(H) or 07841501749(M) and my email is craigrex(AT)rocketmail.com.
If you would like to contact me this afternoon after 3pm, I will be home.
We stay in an old 16th Century farmhouse in Wooton, just outside Woodstock, so my mobile connection is not good inside. Finding this apartment has also been a story on it's own - the property is part of the Blenheim Estate.
I look forward to our chat.

[Sheila Mitchell]

Darryn,
Thank you for your kind words. Hannah has certainly been a labour of love for a huge chunk of my adult life.
The article "The Family Origins of George Rex of Knysna" by Professor Ian Christie who, at the time was at University College London can be found in the January 1975 edition of 'Notes and Queries'. As I mentioned in an earlier message his research was a large contribution to the book "George Rex, The Death of a Legend" written by Patricia Storrar.
I haven't seen the re-run of 'So You Think You Are Royal?' but it might explain why I sometimes get odd looks when I am in the supermarket and sometimes people do come up to me and tell me that they had seen a programme that I took part in.
The pedigree of George Rex is interesting but as with so many there are still many unanswered questions.
There was a book written by a descendant of George Rex called Sanni Metellerkamp. I believe that this book was published after her death and before the person who had it published had found further material within Sanni's papers which cast doubt on George's royal pedigree. The book became the authority upon which many in the family took their beliefs.
One of the reasons why, apart from the obvious surname, the stories might have begun in South Africa is because in the same year that George Rex arrived in South Africa a putative son of George IV also arrived in South Africa. In fact, their arrivals were but three months apart. There are many similarities between the stories relating to George III and Hannah and also those of his son, George IV and it is more than likely that some of the sins of the son have been visited upon the father and vice versa.
Without wishing to throw a spanner in the works I would just like to make a comment regarding the DNA testing that took place for the programme "The Real King and Queen".
From my limited knowledge of DNA testing I do know that care must be taken when obtaining the sample so that contamination from other souces does not take place. It is also preferable when doing a comparison of this kind to have samples from different people. It is known that despite the number of legitimate children that George III had there are very few male line descendants. William IV was one of the few who produced and acknowledged his illegitimate issue and the late Earl of Munster was descended from the eldest of the acknowledged children of William by the actress Dorothy Jordan. Another possible source would have been Prince Ernst of Hanover - husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco or any of his male siblings who were descended from Ernest, Duke of Cumberland. I believe that this line was approached but declined to become involved. Thus, there was only one 'Control'. Another added problem when dealing with male line descent and without wishing to cast any aspersions upon the morality of the mothers concerned is that only a mother knows the identity of the father of her child and it is not unknown for fathers to acknowledge and rear children who are not genetically theirs.
The DNA sample used for comparison came from the late Earl of Munster - his widow had agreed that material removed from the Earl during an operation could be used. This material was removed for a purpose that did not, at the time, include the prospect of forensic DNA testing and thus the likelihood of contamination is very real. For all these reasons I would therefore have preferred and have had more faith in the results if more than one control could have been found and used.
I hope this helps.

[daravino]

Hi Sheila,
You made a few interesting comments in your reply. Thank you for the direction to the professor's work which I will be getting hold of soon enough. I have the books you've mentioned and yes, many scripts move towards showing no proved relation between George Rex of Knysna and his royal heritage. In saying that, I like to believe that there is no proof that he is not their decendant. So the story lives on. :) Bless, I am a huge dreamer with a sense of adventure. I am very much on a path to finding out who this George Rex was and WHERE DID HE COME FROM?

[Deredith]

Hi, Sheila,

I was born in Truro, Nova Scotia and I think you might be interested in what I have to share with you. Our(English) family bible is 400 years old, having been printed in 1611, and has been passed down in our family from the "youngest son to the youngest son" ever since. In it are handwritten entries of people in my family and their dates of birth. HANNAH LIGHTFOOT is written by hand in very old script, and following her name are listed her descendents(listed in many different hands), including my mother, grandmother, etc., going all the way back. The story has always been that we are descended from Hannah Lightfoot who was married to George III at Whitechapel (with William Pitt as a wittness). Hannah had 3 children and took them with her to Nova Scotia, Canada in the 1750's. Her daughter (also named Hannah) married a man named Thomas Gotobed. Their last child was Rebekah Gotobed who married a man named Hugh McMullen. One of their children was Thomas Gotobed McMullen (who became a well known lumber baron from Nova Scotia who was responsible for the building of the railroad ). My grandfather, John McMullen (1885-1951) was his youngest son.
All of this was researched in the 1920's and newspaper articles are kept with the bible to verify the facts. My brother is currently the steward of the bible, but I have photocopies of the entries and other information. I can only believe what I see written in this very old historical bible and at times quite awed by it all! Please let me know if you are aware of any of these facts as I have presented to you.

Thank you,
Deredith

[Ian Neville]

Hello to those with an interest in Hannah Lighfoot,

I have recently started researching my ancestry and in particular am trying to verify my connection to Hannah Lightfoot.

I am General John Mackelcan's 3rd Great Grandson through his daughter Jane Mackelcan who married Alfred Ella Neville, son of General Charles Neville, who was son of Edmund Rolfe of Heacham.

I would like to trace John Mackelcan's forebears, supposedly the son of George III, when Prince of Wales, and Hannah Lightfoot. I am in possession of a number of artefacts from that period which hint at a possible link.

I am aware that there has been much discussion in this forum, in documentaries, publications and elsewhere disproving or otherwise any connection between George III and Hannah Lightfoot but I would be grateful for any leads that can authenticate John Mackelcan's heritage.

For info I have started my family tree in Ancestry under the user name of IanHastingsRolfeNeville

I hope you can help.

Thank you in anticipation of a positive outcome, authenticating his predecessors is proving elusive!

[Sheila Mitchell]

In reply to the message about the forbears of General John Mackelcan. The earliest record of the family relates to John Mackelcan on the 24th December 1684. Then on the 3 November 1709 there is another reference to a Herman Mackelcan. In Naturalization papers dated 20 May 1738 we find an entry for John Mackelcan, son of Henry born Bremen. Thus it seems that the Mackelcan family were Hanoverian craftsmen. During the making of the TV programme The Real King and Queen some years ago DNA was taken from male line descendants of the Mackelcan family now living in America. This was compared with the DNA taken from the late Earl of Munster a direct male descendant of George III. Had there been a match it would have proved a genetic link with the family however no link was found and therefore it was concluded that the Mackelcan family were not descended from George III.

[Ian Neville]

Dear Sheila,

Thank you for your information. It is all quite intriguing. I did hear a rumour that the DNA test may have been contaminated! Do the records of the Mackelcans you refer to above unequivocally link them to General John Mackelcan and if so could you tell me where these records are held and if so am I able to have sight of them. We still have some unanswered questions as we hold a number of items relating to General John Mackelcan and his family and which in some cases match those held by his descendants in Canada and which imply a connection to George III. I am waiting to hear from them.

Regards

Ian Neville

[TRex]

Hi there, I am Thomas Henry Isleand George Rex great grandson of Hanna Lighfoot
This is what i found out so far?
I am busy conducting a international movie regarding.
When Hannah was 5 years old, she was taken to live with her mother's brother, Henry Wheeler. Henry kept a draper's shop on the corner of St. James Market, now Regent Street.

When the Royal Family would travel through St. James Market on their way to the Theatre Royal, the linens would be removed from the Wheeler's window so Hannah could watch the Royal procession. Hannah's beauty caught the eye of His Royal Highness Prince George, the 11 year old son of the Prince of Wales, and the grandson of King George II. The young Prince was so infatuated that he begged a court lady, Elizabeth Chudleigh, to arrange an introduction.

In 1751, the Prince of Wales died, and Prince George became heir to the throne. There were many rumours about his affair with Hannah Lightfoot. George's mother, fearful of a scandal, instructed the 3rd Earl of Bute to negotiate with Henry Wheeler and arrange a marriage for his niece Hannah. So on 11 December 1753 at Keith's Chapel, Curzon Street, Mayfair, Hannah was to marry a 19 year old Quaker grocer, Isaac Axford. The question is, did she really marry him?
It is said that Hannah was abducted in a coach from the door of the chapel by emissaries of Prince George, while others say the abduction took place six weeks after the wedding. Regardless, if Hannah did marry Axford, it must have been annulled because in 1759 Axford married a Miss Bartlett. Meanwhile, the Quakers expelled Hannah from the Society of Friends for being married to one "not of our society." Axford was a Quaker, so who were they referring to?

Evidence shows that Prince George and Hannah Lightfoot were married at Kew Chapel on 17th April 1759. The marriage records at Kew later disappeared when a chest containing the registers was mysteriously stolen from the church But a series of documents were produced during a celebrated case in the Chancery Court in London in 1866, which many believe were the genuine marriage certificates of Hannah Lightfoot and the Prince.

One document read: "May 1759. This is to certify that the marriage of these parties, George, Prince of Wales, and Hannah Lightfoot, was duly solemnised this day, according to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England." One of the witnesses to the marriage was William Pitt, the Prime Minister. A renowned handwriting expert at the time declared under oath that the document and signatures were genuine.

Another document states: "This is to solemnly sertify that I married George Prince of Wales to Hannah Lightfoot, his first consort, on April17 1759 and that the true princes and princess were the issue of that marriage. J. Wilmott."
The older of the "two princes" was George Rex, who was given a Royal Warrant, and sailed as a grown man into Cape Town, South Africa in 1797.Some believe he was sent to the colony to save the monarchy from scandal.

Also lodged as evidence was the will of Hannah Lightfoot, made at Hapstead on 7th July 1762, which commended her 2 sons and daughter to the protection of their father, King George III.

In 1866 these documents caused consternation and were confiscated by the Lord Chief Justice. The documents are at last available for general inspection in the Public Record Office at Kew.

Eighteen months after allegedly marrying Hannah, George became King. A year later he married a German princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who was considered to be "suitable."

Hannah vanished, not only from history, but from the face of the earth.Seven years later she was still alive, but there is no record of where or when she died, merely the tradition that she was buried under an assumed name in the graveyard on Islington Church.


Have a seven rainbow day.
I am on facebook as Thomas Rex in Johannesburg and on skype as trex.sa my email is: rexitands AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk
hope we could chat? :)

[TRex]

A bit more on Hanna Lightfoot

Also buried in the chancel is Charlotte Augusta Catherine Dalton (died 1832 aged 27 years), grand-daughter of King George III and his first wife, Hannah Lightfoot, (married in 1759).

Sharing her tomb is her niece, Margaret Augusta Prytherch (died 1839 aged 8 years), great-grand-daughter of the king. The large brick vaulted tomb, with a domed roof, situated in the centre of the chancel and directly in front of the altar, was found by archaeologists in September 2000 during restoration work. It was clearly marked with a stone memorial slab giving the family connections and dates. It is not known whether the burial was a secret affair but, certainly, no record was kept and knowledge of the burial was not handed down through the generations. The tomb and memorial had lay hidden under a tiled floor since the 1870s.

The then Prince of Wales had fallen in love with Hannah Lightfoot, a London Quaker girl and daughter of a London linen-draper, and married her in complete secrecy at Kew on the outskirts of London on 17th April, 1759. They went on to have three children. Two years after their wedding, in 1761, now king, he married Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz who became his queen

[Sheila Mitchell]

Hi Thomas,
Have tried to find you onfacebook with no success. Perhaps you would like to contact me on facebook. I have set up a Hannah Lightfoot page or with me direct Sheila Mitchell living in Swindon.
Look forward to chatting but unavailable for the next two weeks.

[TRex]

Hi Sheila

Not sure how possible that will be as from several books I have read in the past about her, no one has yet discovered her resting place (although there have been theories) or what happened to her.

Will be interesting to see if anyone come up with anything.

Bumblebee

VERY IMPORTANT FINDS WITH ROYAL CONNECTIONS
Also buried in the chancel is Charlotte Augusta Catherine Dalton (died 1832 aged 27 years), grand-daughter of King George III and his first wife, Hannah Lightfoot, (married in 1759).

Sharing her tomb is her niece, Margaret Augusta Prytherch (died 1839 aged 8 years), great-grand-daughter of the king. The large brick vaulted tomb, with a domed roof, situated in the centre of the chancel and directly in front of the altar, was found by archaeologists in September 2000 during restoration work. It was clearly marked with a stone memorial slab giving the family connections and dates. It is not known whether the burial was a secret affair but, certainly, no record was kept and knowledge of the burial was not handed down through the generations. The tomb and memorial had lay hidden under a tiled floor since the 1870s.

The then Prince of Wales had fallen in love with Hannah Lightfoot, a London Quaker girl and daughter of a London linen-draper, and married her in complete secrecy at Kew on the outskirts of London on 17th April, 1759. They went on to have three children. Two years after their wedding, in 1761, now king, he married Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz who became his queen.

One of the king's daughters by Hannah, Catherine Augusta, married James Dalton of Carmarthen, a doctor and an officer of the East India Company in 1823. They had two sons and two daughters - Charlotte Augusta Catherine and Caroline (who was mother of Margaret Augusta).

Between the Chancel and the Consistory Court is the eighteenth century piped organ built by George Pike England on the orders of King George III. The king had originally planned that the organ should go to the Chapel Royal, Windsor. However, he changed his mind and it found its way to Saint Peter's.