Guppy Family History Collection

The Guppy family in Trinidad

• August 15, 1836: birth of their eldest son, Robert John Lechmere Guppy, who ran away from his grandfather's home at Kinnersley Castle, Herefordshire, England at the age of 18 because he did not want to own the castle.

• About 1856: Lechmere Guppy, as he was known, was shipwrecked on the northern coast of New Zealand two years later and spent two years amongst the Maoris. While in New Zealand he studied the local flora and fauna and explored the region, drawing maps of the area.
  • Map of Taupo by R. J. L. Guppy dated 1857
  • Remarks on the Map of Taupo by R. J. L. Guppy, page 1 and page 2

• About 1858: Lechmere Guppy left New Zealand and went to Trinidad where his parents lived, and where he eventually became Superintendent of Schools.

• He married Alice Mary Rostant (born January 11, 1853), the daughter of a plantation owner of French descent.

• Lechmere and Alice had nine children: had nine children:
  • April 16, 1871: birth of Plantagenet (Jim) Lechmere Guppy
    • photo of Jim Guppy with his wife Margaret Lenegan
  • May 24, 1873: birth of Percy (Fitz) Hugurnot Fitzsimmons Lechmere Guppy
  • September 20, 1874: birth of Gareth Everard Lechmere Guppy
  • February 25, 1876: Enid Rostant Lechmere Guppy
    • May 25, 1897: married Alec Fraser
  • September 6, 1877: birth of Robert Lyell "Hereward" Lechmere Guppy (died in infancy)
  • February 11, 1880: birth of Ruth Wilhelmina Anna Lechmere Guppy
  • April 25, 1882: birth of Robert "Florian" Bernard Lechmere Guppy
    • Photo at age 1 with an unkown woman
  • April 2, 1885: birth of Eric "John" Fanning Lechmere Guppy
  • April 20, 1888: birth of Yseult Alice Mary Lechmere Guppy. Yseult became an author and, while she became known for true-crime stories, she also wrote about her childhood in Trinidad. Her memories were published after her death as "Child of the Tropics" by Yseult Bridges, edited by Nicholas Guppy, Collins and Harvill Press, London, 1980. Secondhand copies of this book are available through online book sellers. It contains a lot of information about the Guppy and Rostant families of her parent's generation as well as being a snapshot of Trinidad society in the late 1800s.

• February 2, 1917: Death of Alice Rostant Guppy. Her obituary lists the following:

  Dr. Inskip Read Dr. Arthur Reid Leonard Rostant (father) Mr. Percy Lechmere Guppy (mining engineer in the United States (son) Mrs. Alec Fraser (daughter) Mr. Florian Lechmere Guppy (Magistrate, Indian Civil Service) (son) Mrs. Alfred Low Dr. Andre Rostant (England) (brother) Mrs. Harry B. Lee (England) (sister) Mr. L. Rostant (bearer) Mr. Spencer Kirton (bearer) Hon'ble Alec Fraser (bearer) and Mrs. Fraser, and Miss Fraser Hon'ble R. G. Bushe, C. M. G. Hon'ble Arthur Wight Hon'ble Adam Smith, C. M. G. Major G. Bruce Austin Mr. D. G. Miller Mr. Leonard Smith Mr. C. Boos Mr. C. Regault Dr. J. A. Perez Mr. A. V. N. Thavenot Mr. C. S. Rogers Mr. J. Cadiz Mr. J. Penrich Mr. E. F. Aanensen Mrs. Eckel Mrs. Stoer (sp?) Mrs. Van Buren Mrs. Wight Mrs. Preau

  Dr. L. Seheult Rev. Father Dominic Mucklan Mr. P. Lechmere Guppy (Assistant Inspecter of Schools) (son) Mr. Gareth Lechmere Guppy (of the Colonial Secretary's Office) (son) Mrs. Patrick Jones (England) (daughter) Mr. John Lechmere Guppy (Engineer, Trinidad Leaseholds Limited) (son) Mr. Leonard Rostant (of the West India Estates Company Ltd.) (brother) Miss Eugenie Rostant (sister) Mr. Andre Maingot (bearer) and Miss Maingot Mr. F. C. Marriott (bearer) Mr. A. M. Low (bearer) Hon'ble W. M. Gordon Hon'ble W. Kay Mr. Justice Russell Mr. A. F. Mathison Mr. R. Miller Mr. H. L. Knaggs (sp?) Mr. F. Vincentini and Mrs. Vincentini Mr. B. Rust and Mrs. Rust Mr. T. Boyd Mr. and Mrs. T. Geddes Grant Mr. D. S. Webster Mr. H. L. Smith Mr. George Wight Mrs. C. Hobson and Miss Hobson Two Mrs. Johnstones Mrs. E. Agostini Mrs. Boyack Miss Zipero Miss Fuller

• Robert's younger brother Henry "Francis" Jeune Guppy moved to South America. We have an obituary of Frank Robert Guppy whom we suspect was his son.

Contact us:

Don and Jeanne Ross Duncan, BC Canada

phone: 250-715-1857