Ann Scrace

Meet the Relative

Actually, there is no photo of this relative that I have. But who knows, putting her on this blog might just bring one to me.

Ann Scrace was a cousin three times removed. That means her grandfather was my great great great grandfather. She’s a cousin, but three generations older than me.

Ann was born in about 1837 in the parish of Frant in Sussex. It is her 1861 occupation that fascinates me. Her address was given as Bayham Abbey. She was housekeeper for the Marquis Camden but where he was in 1861 I don’t know. It seems that 24 year old Ann was in charge of Bayham Abbey. She had a housemaid with her and they were the only occupants.

I have tried to gather together postcards and images of places where family lived. Postcards are obviously much more recent so they don’t show an 1861 version of the abbey. Here is the Bayham Abbey card I have.

Now I rather like these artist created cards but was Ann really housekeeper of these ruins?

Probably not for there is also a Bayham Abbey House. A grand country pile and Ann was the singularly youthful housekeeper there.

Ann married John Batemen in 1865. They had two sons, William and Charles. By 1891 Ann was widowed and was living with her very aged parents back on the Bayham estate.

I think she died in 1898.

Tags: 1861, 19th century, family history, Frant, Genealogy, Sussex