William and Elizabeth Piggott

 

The Piggotts of Bombay

This story begins with Solomon James Pigott and Lucy New who married in the Parish Chapel, St Pancras, Camden, England on 16th January 1838.  Eventually, Solomon and Lucy had a son, William and William married Elizabeth Parsons. The are my great great great grandparents and two of the original settlers to Bombay south of Auckland.

The above marriage register reads Piggott, Solomon, James & New, Lucy 16 January 1838.

St Pancras Parish Chapel c. 1840

St Pancras Chapel, Camden, London - modern times.

In 1851, the family is noted as living in Sevenhampton Gloucestershire. Parents Lucy and James, with children William, James, Lucy and Reuben.

Their eldest child, William Charles Piggott is my maternal great great great grandfather.

On the 4th May 1839, James and Lucy gave birth to their eldest child, a son, William Charles Piggott who was baptised on 14th June 1839. 

William Charles Piggott and Elizabeth Parson's

Marriage Certificate of William Charles Piggott to Elizabeth Parsons.

On the 18th August 1860 at St James Church in the Parish of Shoreditch in the County of Middlesex, William married Elizabeth.

The 1861 census shows the newly wedded couple living with the Parson's family at 18 Chapel Place, Finsbury, Middlesex. John Parsons - father, is noted as a widowed bootmaker, Margt (Margaret)  Parsons am unmarried daughter 19 years, Emma Parsons daughter 15 years and John Routane Parsons son 9 years, William Piggott and Elizabeth Piggott 21 years.

Modern Day - Outside 9 Chapel Place, Finsbury - London

The journey to New Zealand

A 25 year old William Charles Piggott (b.1839 - d. 1911 aged 72 years) and his wife 24 year old Elizabeth Piggott (nee Parsons) (b. c 1840 d.1926 aged 86 years) arrived into New Zealand on board the ship Bombay on 18th March 1865 with their two children, three year old William and six month old Elizabeth.  Following a three and a half month journey from London, the family settled in the Bombay area, South of Auckland.  The daughter Elizabeth is my great great grandmother who became Granny Griffiths.

Records below show the birth of William Jnr and Elizabeth in London in 1861 and 1864.

William and Elizabeth Snr had a further six children born in New Zealand - Amy, Hilda, Lucy, Harry, Agnes and Sue.

William's siblings also emigrated to New Zealand, they were James George Piggott, Lucy Piggott and Reuban Piggott.

Extracted from `They came by Ship' Centenary of Bombay 1865 - 1965. The Bombay, on her third voyage to NZ, sailed from London on 26 11 1864 and arrived in Auckland on 18 03 1865.

The Bombay was commanded by Captain Sellars. Bombay a 937-ton, fully rigged ship with dimensions of 186 feet (57 m) x 33 ft 4 in (10.16 m) x 20 feet (6.1 m). Built in Harwich, England by John Henry Vaux, and was the second ship owned by G. D. Tyser and his sons (company Tyser and Haviside). It was then chartered to Shaw Savill. It undertook several trips to New Zealand from London in the 1860s. That included taking emigrants from London to Auckland, who settled in the Bombay Hills region. In 1872, the ship was wrecked on a reef in the Balabac Strait, Philippines.

The ‘Herald’ of March 20, 1865, contains the following account of the arrival of the Bombay:

‘Considerable excitement prevailed in the town during the morning of Saturday, in consequence of the report which had been current that the Curacao had been signaled in sight with a ship dismasted in tow. On arrival in harbour the ship proved to be the Bombay, Captain SELLARS. The ship had been out 111 days from the Downs, with 400 passengers and general cargo. The Bombay had fallen in with the terrific gale which had been experienced along the coast of New Zealand. Much anxiety had been felt as to the condition of the ship and passengers. We are happy to say the passengers were in the best health and spirits and that the ship was a model of cleanliness, evincing the greatest care and attention on the part of her commander and officers. When the condition of the ship is considered, knocked about as she must have been in the gale of two days’ duration, terrific seas running, and freighted with passengers, who had never before been so situated, calm and presence of mind and other sailor-like high qualities were necessary to preserve discipline and prevent anything like disturbance, which in such circumstances might have been fatal. The passengers speak in the very highest terms of their captain.

On the ships list, the family are listed as: PEGOTT, W.C., Elizabeth, Wm & Elizabeth.

A relative, Fay Williams, told my mother that the family "walked from the Port of Auckland to their land when they first arrived".

Willilam and Elizabeth lived on what was called Williamson Clearing, later renamed Bombay, and farmed lots 127 and 129.

Elizabeth was born in London in the Saint Luke’s area in 1839 Elizabeth married William Piggott in 1860. Elizabeth voted in the 1893 General Election, making her one of the first women in the world to vote

The Bombay

The Ship BOMBAY! – The Story of the 1864 Voyage to New Zealand

The settlement of Bombay and hence the Bombay Hills are directly named after the ship Bombay, which landed in Auckland and brought settlers to the area, originally called Williamson's Clearing. 

In 1915, there is reference to the Bombay Jubilee. AUCKLAND WEEKLY NEWS - BOMBAY JUBILEE - MARCH 1915 (sooty.nz).

William Charles Piggott 1839 - 1911 (72 years)

Elizabeth Piggott 1840 - 1926 (86 years)

George Maxwell Memorial Cemetery in Avondale, Auckland. 

Their children and offspring

William Charles Piggott (Jnr)

William married Mary Ann Canham on 15th March 1893 and had three children, Lila Piggott, Dorothy Piggott and Harry Piggott. Mary Ann passed away in 1937 aged 66.

Elizabeth Annadine Piggott

Elizabeth Annadine Piggott (Elizabeth Annie Dynes Piggott) married William Charles Griffiths in1885 and they had five children. Mary Elizabeth Griffiths, Alfred Harold Griffiths, Ivy Lucy Griffiths, Sydney William Spencer Griffiths, Hazeldine Agnes Griffiths and Iris Griffiths.

Hazeldine Agnes is my great grandmother. Her daughter Kathleen Lavoni, my grandmother, married Jack Owens, the grandson of Patrick James and Mary Murphy.   

Elizabeth, known to my mother as Granny Griffiths, lived a long life passing away aged 96 in Epsom.  

Elizabeth Annedine Piggott - "Granny Griffiths"

1864 - 1962

William Charles Griffiths, 17th May 1953 aged 71 and Elizabeth Annedine Griffiths are buried at Avondale Cemetery.

GRIFFITHS. On "Wednesday, 17th, at his residence, 4 Ewington Avenue, Mount Eden, William Charles, dearly-beloved husband of Elizabeth Griffiths, and youngest son of the late Alfred Griffiths, aged 71 years.

Private interment. GRIFFITHS.

On Wednesday, May 17. at Jiia late residence, 4 Ewington Avenue, rJ>lount Eden. William Charles Griffiths, dearly-beloved father of Mesdames H. I. Blow, T. A. Maxwell, J. F. O'Connor, E. C. Whyte, and Syd. and Alf. Griffiths. 

Amy Piggott

Hilda Piggott

Lucy Piggott

Harry Piggott 

Agnes Piggott

Sue Piggott

The Piggotts on board the Bombay