| Thomas-Chaloner Bisse-Challoner | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 11, 1788 |
| Died | July 26, 1872 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Militia Colonel and Magistrate |
Thomas-Chaloner Bisse-Challoner (11 December 1788-26 July 1872) was an English militia colonel, magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant.[1]
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He was the only son of the Rev. Thomas Bisse (c.1754- d.13 November 1828), of Portnall Park, Virginia Water, by Katherine (d.1815/16) (they married in 1787) daughter of John Townsend (of Clapham, merchant) by Ann a daughter of Robert Smith (died 1748, Mortlake), a London freeman and eminent merchant, of Thames Street, and Worcester place, St James Garlickhythe.
Young Chaloner Bisse was educated at Eton (c1802-1805) and Trinity College, Oxford, (he matriculated on 26 March 1806, aged 17). This was followed by service in the 1st Dragoon Guards, 1809 to 1812 (cornet: 9 March 1809; lieutenant: 1 August 1811). He married in Ireland in June 1812 and after the 1815 peace went abroad with his wife. He came back when his mother died in 1816 returning abroad in 1817. In 1827 hearing of his father's illness he came back alone from Naples, in 1828 he and his wife left Naples for good.
In 1829 he assumed the name of Challoner. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace (J.P.) of Berkshire (1831) and of Surrey, and a Deputy Lieutenant (D.L.) for Surrey. He was High Sheriff of Surrey in 1838. Colonel Challoner stood unsuccessfully for the West Surrey constituency in the 1852 general election. He came third (with 1385 votes) to William John Evelyn (1646 votes) and Henry Drummond (1610 votes) who both stood in the Conservative interest. (In 1852 West Surrey had a population of 102,856, of which 3,897 were registered electors).
He was Lt. Colonel commandant of the third Royal Regiment of Surrey Local Militia (No.118) from 26 March 1853 to 2 November 1867, when he became an honorary colonel. Its headquarters were at Croydon and then Kingston upon Thames. He was Chairman of the Bagshot and Bedfont Turnpike Trust (a stretch of 2008's A30 between Hounslow to Basingstoke); Trustee of the Western District Turnpike; Trustee of United Roads; Trustee of Hampton to Staines Turnpike Trust; and a commissioner for Staines Bridge from 1836 to 1871.
Potnalls, Potenall, or Portnall Park, Virginia Water, Egham, Staines was built c1770. In 1804, Rev. Thomas Bisse exchanged it for some land elsewhere at Tite Hill, Egham, near Staines (possibly land that had belonged to his maternal great-aunt Lydia Challoner) with David Jebb, the brother of John Jebb, FRS, and younger son of Dr. John Jebb (c1706-1787), Dean of Cashel, Tipperary. Rev. Thomas Bisse extended or re-built the mansion. His son in turn extended it after 1828.
In 1872 Portnall was staffed by three men in the house; two in the stables; six or seven in the garden; nine or 10 maids in the house; and four or five men on the farm, which was, including rented land, c600 acres (2.4 km2) (De Salis, 1939).
When sold to golf course pioneer and property developer W.G. Tarrant of Wentworth Estate, for £15,000 in 1923, the mansion and estate comprised 196 acres (0.79 km2) with a 2,400 foot (just under half a mile) frontage to the main road (the A30). The house had 27 or 30 bedrooms and dressing rooms. There was a 'large square block of stabling' (for 15 horses); a six booth coach house; barn; cowsheds; bailiff's cottage; bothy; potting sheds; 'good' greenhouses; two walled gardens; five pairs of freehold cottages (three at Shrubs Hill and two at Knowle Hill); two lodge cottages; and a gardener's cottage.
From the 1830s through 1841 Col. Challoner was resident at 29 Portman Square. In January 1842, Boyle's Court Guide listed him at 169 New Bond Street (aka The Clarendon Hotel), and from 1843 till his death in 1872 he was at 11 Charles Street, Berkeley Square.
He had two renters shares in Drury Lane Theatre and was a member of both Brooks's and the Garrick Club, of which he was an original member.
When Challoner died on 26 July 1872 he left effects valued under £120,000. Viscount Bridport and John Gooch Spicer of Spye Park, Wiltshire were his executors.
Challoner had inherited various stocks, messuages, and residues from divers sources: from his maternal-great aunt (including ten shares in Trent Navigation) Lydia Challoner of Egham (died 1803), via his father (died 1828), by which time they were referred to as: the twenty canal shares now recently made forty; from his aunt Mary Barnard of Fulham (and Dorset?) (died 1842); and from his mother's first cousin Valentina Aynscombe of Mortlake (died 1841). They in turn had derived their fortunes, variously and principally, from William Chew of Dunstable (died 1713) (property in St. John Street, Smithfield, (this originally included several (famous) coaching inns in Dunstable and 14 farms around Dunstable and Luton), inherited via his nephew Thomas Aynscombe of Charter House Yard (died 1740); from Valentina (died 1745) grand-daughter of Daniel Wight the younger (d.1705), of Southwark, distiller, and owner of, amongst other things in Holborn and Borough, The George Inn, Southwark), wife to Philip Aynscombe (died 1737, aged c30); presumedly from George Challoner of Hales Hall, Cheadle, Staffordshire (died 1770); and from Robert Smith (died 1748). Robert Smith had acquired a large share of the Sun Fire Office on 24 August 1720 (Dickson page 271). He left his son Lillie 50 shares.
In 1915, on the death of Rev. Henry de Salis, the Challoner Trust was worth £102,894 and still featured 4,300 Sun Insurance Company shares worth £61,812; 540 Sun Life Company shares worth £14,175 and the 900 North Staffordshire Trent & Mersey Navigation shares worth £21,431. (In 1931, on the death of the life tenant Rodolph, the trust was valued at £169,981).
Challoner's maternal great-grandfather Robert Smith (c1672-1748), a freeman of London, of Thames Street, London and Mortlake, was the common ancestor.
Smith had eight daughters and two sons by his wife Ann.
When Lillie died in 1791 The Scots Magazine, (vol. 53, p. 102), reported it thus:
He also left three daughters (all died sine prole (d.s.p.)):
William Chaloner Bisse (1822–1849) was the Rev. Thomas Bisse's son by his second wife, Charlotte, who he married in 1818, a daughter of Charles Price of Knightsbridge. His aunt Elizabeth Price married 24 June 1799 Jonathan Raine (1763–1831), of Lincoln's Inn and 33 Bedford Row, KC, a Yorkshire born, sometime MP for various Cornish constituencies, and eventually a Welsh judge. Charlotte was left £1,000 per annum, as fixed by my marriage settlement when Thomas Bisse died in 1828. At the same time William was left five shares in the Stafford and Worcester Canal.
He became an Ensign in the 73rd Regiment of Foot on 12 March 1841; was promoted to Lieutenant on 5 April 1844; and to Captain on 12 May 1848. However, he died in Ireland on 8 June 1849 aged 27 and lies buried at Templemore in Tipperary, where his 'brother officers' erected a marble tablet in the chancel of the New Church.
He married, firstly, Anne, eldest daughter of Nicholas-Loftus Tottenham, MP (1745-11 March 1823), in June 1812, in Ireland. She died in 3 December or November 1857, (according to Burke (1863) at the implausible age of 82. Her younger sister was recorded in Burke (1958) as having died December 1865 aged 83, thus Anne could have been born c1780 or 1784 if 73 when died). This Anne was niece of the Anne Tottenham (1744–1775) of the Loftus Hall ghost story. Nicholas Loftus-Tottenham was the second son of Charles Tottenham (1716–1795), MP for New Ross, surveyor-general of Leinster, by Anne (1718–1768), second daughter of the Rt. hon. Nicholas Loftus, 1st Viscount Loftus.
Nicholas Loftus-Tottenham was for 14 years the MP for Bannow 1776–1790 and the member for Clonmines from 1790-1797. He had married in May 1778 Mary (two sons, three daughters) daughter and co-heir of Sir James May, 1st Bt. Loftus-Tottenham was resident or associated with Loftus Hall, Fethard, co. Wexford; Duncannon, co. Waterford; Glenfarne, co. Leitrim; and Holles street, Dublin.
Col. Challoner married, secondly, on 6 January 1859, (Hadie) Henrietta Emma Helena De Salis (2 May 1824 - 16 August 1863) third surviving and youngest daughter of Count de Salis. There is a monumental inscription to them in Christ Church, Virginia Water (a church consecrated in 1838). In a book of memorandum he wrote:
Challoner left his estate to her youngest brother, the Rev. Henry Jerome de Salis, whose third son was Charles Fane de Salis, a Bishop of Taunton. When Rev. Henry de Salis died in 1915 his eldest son Rodolph became tenant for life of the Portnall property. However, after a minor struggle with his next brother, he alienated it in 1923. Rodolph, a civil engineer, had in the meantime been a director of the Staffordshire Railway, a Challoner interest.
Challoner's father the Rev. Thomas Bisse (‘’armigerous’’, according to Oxford) had matriculated at Wadham College, 1 July 1772, aged 18, and been awarded a BA, 19 April 1776, Battels Christmas 1783, and MA, 22 May 1783. He was the son Thomas Bisse of London (Thomae Bisse de Civ. Londin:), (‘’a gent.’’, according to Oxford University), possibly the Rev. Thomas Bisse, A.M., chaplain of New College (and All Souls) 1729 and 1732, (or Thomas Bisse (d.1766) drawing master of Christ's Hospital from 1754–1766, (successor to Alexander Cozens)), a nephew or son of the Rev. Dr. Thomas Bisse (1675–1731) preacher at the Rolls Chapel, London, author of The Beauties of Holiness, 1716 and prebend then chancellor of Hereford, and hence was also nephew or son of Philip Bisse, FRS (elected 13 June 1706), Bishop of Hereford.
Dr. and Bishop Bisse were sons of Rev. John Bisse, Rector of Oldbury from 1659/60, co. Gloucester (c1638-d.1686, buried 19 July), who had matriculated Wadham College 28 March 1655. He was son of Thomas Bisse of Lullington, Somerset, and grandson of Thomas Bisse, and great-grandson of Dr. Phillip Bisse (c.1540-October 1613) who had been Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford 1561-65, Archdeacon of Taunton, a benefactor of All Souls and had made the inaugural gift of 2,000 books to Wadham College Library. Their mother, Joyce Giles, died 8 September 1717, aged 80 (Historical Register Chronicle 1714-1738), via Musgrave).
A cousin, Philip Bisse (c.1611-1642, killed by Irish), a grandson of Dr. Philip Bisse, the Wadham benefactor, was Archdeacon of Cloyne, and possibly he for whom the Bisse arms were registered in Ireland, 25 May 1637.
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Alcock |
High Sheriff of Surrey 1838 |
Succeeded by Samuel Paynter |