teresa
THE DEMISE OF TERESA COLLEY

TERESA COLLEY was born 1811 in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire, daughter of Robert COLLEY and Sarah (nee LAMBOURNE). Her father was an agricultural labourer but by 1851 was a pauper and a charge on the Parish of Maids Moreton. He had moved there about 1790 from Fritwell in Oxfordshire where his forebears had been farmers for several generations, often tenants of the Catholic Fermor family.

Teresa's grandmother was Tresha. I have not discovered her surname but it is clear that the clerks were having a great deal of difficulty with the name and grandmother and granddaughter are variously recorded as Terry, Triesia, Trisha, Tresha. Theresa and Theresia were names popular with some Continental Roman Catholics and although there is no evidence that the Colley's of Fritwell were Catholics, it is a reasonable assumption that Teresa owed her name to some influence of the Fermor family.

Teresa's fate was sealed by her marriage to Henry MOORE, a shoemaker born Buckingham 1817. It was not a good start. Banns were read on only two Sundays in March 1836, instead of three and then again on the 11, 18 and 25 September 1836. At this distance in time we can only guess why this happened. The marriage was then solemnised on the Monday following, 26 September, but not before the christening of their first child Sarah (my great great grandmother) which took place the same day. The vicar recorded his disdainful comment "before marriage". Sarah years later gave 1839 as her birth year.

Henry and Teresa proceeded to Chelsea, London by 1841, living at various addresses until 1851 when they were at Groves Cottages, Yeomans Row. In the "Survey of London" the writer says of Yeomans Row that of 68 little cottages in 1851, they contained a population of 1020 persons, an average of 15 souls per tiny cottage and the residents were reported to be a "very ignorant and dirty crowd".

That year the Moore's emigrated to New Zealand on the barque "Bangalore" from Gravesend. It was the 10th ship in the Canterbury Association arrivals. The embarkation list includes Henry and Tresha and children. The arrival list records Henry and Theresa and against her name "died on voyage". This is what happened -

The Bangalore left London on 9 May 1851. By 18 May, the Surgeon's Log (abstracted) begins to record the demise of Teresa Moore - "Extreme exhaustion attendant on sea sickness. From the commencement she suffered very much. She was also nursing (ie child) which she could not be prevailed on to give up, the consequence is that being a woman of naturally delicate constitution, she is now reduced to the greatest state of exhaustion. Her family appeared to have come on board in the most abject poverty; in fact they had not a second change of  clothing. As her bowels have not been open for some days, I ordered a "enema communis static". I am endeavouring to keep her strength with broths, arrowroot and port wine".

Through 19 May to 27 May he records no change but on that day she was brought up on deck and had at last been persuaded to give up nursing her child Emma.

On the 29th she declined and two days later the surgeon wrote - "She is entirely kept alive with brandy and wine".

12 June "She appears to be sinking rapidly. She had a repetition of the fit this morning".

14 June "Complained of great pain in the region of the bladder. Immediately I ordered her to be well stuped and gave her an "aromatic mixture".

15 June "She will not go into hospital - in fact if you mention it she gets into a fearful state of excitement".

16 June "Much worse today. She now refuses everything. I find it necessary to have a person with her, to feed her with a teaspoonful at a time. She cannot possibly hold out long".

20 June "She is getting quite insensible to everything".

23 June "She is reduced to a perfect skeleton. Everything passes from her without her knowledge so that we are obliged to keep her constantly changed. It is astonishing she holds out so long".

24 June "Continues in the same deplorable state. Her own family seem to neglect her altogether. Were it not for the kindness of some of the women I don't know what she would do.

1 July "She can't possibly hold out much longer. She is a fearful spectacle".

2 July "Died at 3 pm. Dead. Teresa Moore, aged 44, the effect of seasickness - her constitution had been previously impaired. At what place: 38.34S.L5.3.30 East Long". (Off Cape of Good Hope).

The "Bangalore" arrived at Lyttelton 21 August. The surgeon who attended Teresa was Thomas McCheane MD aged 31. He stayed and became a doctor at Lyttleton but died in 1859, after falling down stairs.

The Moore's - Henry and children, stayed in the Immigration Barracks at Lyttelton on arrival. The two year old Teresa was nursing was buried at Lyttelton in November 1851. Death was caused by atrophy, a casualty of her mother's illness no doubt. Indeed, nursing the child for some two years, no doubt contributed to Teresa's illness. The death was registered by Henry and Teresa's eldest child Sarah, aged 15 years, not by Henry. Was he neglectful or grieving? The record is silent. He eventually went to work as a shoemaker at Kaiapoi, but later moved to Petone and married secondly Amelia Elizabeth Hart at St Paul's, Wellington in 1860 and by her had further children.

Of his first children, some letters of his son Robert have survived. Robert moved to Inverell, NSW and his letters are pleading for someone to write to him. His pleas seem to have been ignored.

Sarah married Jospeh William PAPPRILL when she was aged 15. (Papprill has been researched but not on site yet) (e-mail).

Henry was active in the Petone Brass Band. His father William (MOORES) had been a musician in the Royal Bucks. Militia and his bugle (or was it a cornet?) was brought to New Zealand. William's life with the Militia, from age 12 is documented. Henry's brother John and wife Amy (WALLER) arrived on the "Steadfast" in 1851. One of his sons was Richard, Member of the Legislative Council, so at least one member of this sad family went on to make his mark in the political life of the Colony.

Considerable research has been done on the New Zealand descendants of Henry and Teresa, Henry and his second wife and the Papprill connection. Main surnames are PAPPRILL, PAYNE, ORME, BIRDLING, CHILLINGWORTH, HEBBEND, KERSHAW, INNES and VERRY - the latter two are on this site. The COLLEY's of Fritwell have also been documented. (e-mail).
 

Teresa's demise was not typical. The surgeon undoubtedly did his very best using the primitive medications available to him. But perhaps this family should never have been allowed on board. Had the Surgeon's Log not survived, her fate could never have been known. Her demise went unregistered in New Zealand and in England.