George Frederick Tatham

1848 - 1908  (60 years)

• Photos » Slide Show		George Frederick Tatham (1848-1908)
  		George Frederick Tatham 1848-1908
  		George Frederick Tatham (1848-1908) at siege of Ladysmith

  
  

  Documents

  Walton & Tatham, Ladysmith Advert. from Natal Almanac, 1897

  
  

• Name	George Frederick Tatham  [1, 2, 3, 4]
  Birth	03 Jun 1848	Marylebone   [1, 3, 4]
  Residence	Sep 1848	3 Cochrane Terrace, Marylebone   [1]
  Baptism	03 Sep 1848	St Marylebone, Marylebone   [1]
  		George Frederick Tatham Baptism 03 Sep 1848
  Emigration	Mar 1850	Natal   [4]
  	Passengers arrived at Port Natal on the "Sovereign": Letitia Tatham, 33 years; Maria E Tatham, 8 years; Lillias [transcr as Silas] Tatham, 6 years; Edmund Tatham, 3 years; George Tatham, 2 years. [Edmund Tatham senior not transcribed]. [Natal Immigration Board, Passenger lists 1850, transcr GSSA] Passenger Arrivals: Edmund Tatham, Builder, + wife Letitia + children Marie E, Edmund, Lillias & George F; per "Sovereign" dep London/Plymouth 24 Nov 1849; arr Port Natal, Durban 24 Mar 1850. [Natal Witness]
  Marriage	12 Feb 1877	Umzinto, Natal
  	Dora Emma Barker,   b. 15 Jun 1857, Pietermaritzburg, Natal d. 06 Jan 1878, Ladysmith, Natal
  Military Service	1879	Natal ; Zulu War  [4]
  Occupation	1880 -	King St, Ladysmith, Natal ; Land Surveyor  [4, 5, 6]
  	Partner in Walton and Tatham, Conveyancers, Law, Land and Estate Agents and Surveyors.
  		Walton & Tatham - office in Ladysmith around 1890?
  Marriage	19 Sep 1880	St John, Ladysmith, Natal
  	Frances Wright,   b. 18 Aug 1843, Little Kelk d. 03 Jul 1922, Ladysmith, Natal
  Post/Rank/Title	1897	JP, Klip River County  [5]
  Post/Rank/Title	1897 - 1903	Member, Natal Legislative Assembly  [4]
  Military Service	Oct 1899 - Feb 1900	Ladysmith, Natal ; Siege  [4]
  	Listed as Lieutenant (seniority 06 Apr 1889), Natal Carbineers, as at 16 Oct 1896 [Natal Almanac, Directory and Yearly Register, 1897] The Roslin Castle left for England Nov. 1, with invalids. The following were listed: Natal Carbineers - Maj. G.F. Tatham. [The Times, 07 Nov 1901]
  		Natal Carbineers Group photo, Ladysmith, abt 1900
  Residence	bef 1908	Vine Lodge, Ladysmith, Natal   [4]
  Death	18 Aug 1908	Ladysmith, Natal ; Cause: Following a stroke in 1905  [3, 4, 7]
  Burial	19 Aug 1908	Main Cemetery, Ladysmith, Natal   [7, 8]
  		George Frederick Tatham (1848-1908) Gravestone, Ladysmith Main Cemetery
  		George Frederick Tatham (1848-1908) burial register, Ladysmith
  Notes	George Frederick was the second son of Edmund Tatham. Born in 1848 in England, he came to Natal with his parents when he was two years old. He was a Land Surveyor in Ladysmith, founder and senior partner in the firm Walton and Tatham, Conveyancers, Law, Land and Estate Agents and Surveyors. The name survives in Christopher, Walton & Tatham, Attorneys, of Ladysmith. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly 1897 to 1903. He served in the Zulu War 1879. He and his wife were in Ladysmith during the Siege, he serving as a Major in the Natal Carbineers, and his wife took in sick and wounded and nursed them at their residence, Vine Lodge, Ladysmith. He took a decisive part in the action of 6th January 1900 at the battle of Platrand, when General White sent him up several times in a reconnaissance balloon, using his knowledge of the area to direct the artillery and troops and to act as a guide. He also took part in the successful attack on Gun Hill on 8 December. He wrote a diary of every day of the siege which was published by the Ladysmith Historical Society. George Frederick Tatham died in Ladysmith in 1908, having had a stroke in 1905 He was noted far and wide for his kindness of heart, and never refused to help anyone in time of trouble. [TFSA, rev] Surveyor and founder of Waltham and Tatham Solrs., Agents and Surveyors. JP. Member of Natal Assembly 1897-1903. Major in the Natal Carabineers. Served with distinction in the Boer War and in particular during the Siege of Ladysmith. Took key part in the "Waggon Hill Fight" on 6.1.1900, saving key defensive position from being captured by the Boers. [Falconer tree; Kennedy tree] Positions in 1897: Vice-President, Ladysmith Railway Rifle Association; Vice-President, Klip River Rifle Association; President, Ladysmith Gymkhana Club. [Natal Almanac, Directory and Yearly Register]
  Person ID	I0801	Tatham | Heathcote branch | Descendant - male line
  Last Modified	12 Jul 2021

  
  

  Father	Edmund Tatham,   b. 01 May 1822, Alpha Rd, Regents Park d. Jan 1880, Ladysmith, Natal (Age 57 years)
  Mother	Letitia Maria Roth,   b. abt Mar 1816, King St, St James, Westminster d. Oct 1900, Pietermaritzburg, Natal (Age ~ 84 years)
  Marriage	30 Dec 1841	St Mark, Whitechapel   [3, 9, 10]
  	Marriage solemnized at the District Church of St Mark's in the Parish of Whitechapel in the County of Middlesex. Page 5. No. 9. 1841. Dec 30th. Edmund Tatham, of full age, Bachelor, Clerk in Excise. Residence: Royal Mint. Father: Charles Heathcote Tatham, Gentleman. Letitia Maria Roth, of full age, Spinster. Father: Gaspard Roth, Gentleman. Married in the District Church of St Mark's, according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England, by Licence, by me, N Jones, Minister. This Marriage was solemnized between us, Edmd. Tatham, Letitia Maria Roth, in the presence of us, Richd. Moleson, Mary Ann Pearson.
  		Edmund Tatham & Letitia Roth Marriage 30 Dec 1841
  Notes	Possible connections * Edmund Tatham's father, Charles Heathcote Tatham, was commissioned to design and build the family mausoleum, for the Marquess of Stafford, later Duke of Sutherland. He was a friend of Marquess's wife Elizabeth, and along with his commission he constructed several buildings at the nearby Trentham Hall, including the orangery, entrance lodges and bridges. He remained friendly with the family for many years, and thanks to their influence was rescued from his financial difficulties in 1837 and appointed warden of Holy Trinity Hospital, Greenwich. * Letitia Roth's father, Gaspard Roth, is recorded in 1810 as residing at Trentham Hall, working as a servant to Earl Gower, George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, the eldest son and heir to the Marquess of Stafford. Between 1806 and 1808, Earl Gower had travelled in Prussia and Russia, and during the campaign against Napoleon he spent time at the Prussians' general headquarters. Gaspard Roth may be the Gaspar Roth who was granted a pension in 1811 for his 10 years service in the British army, with the King's German Legion and/or De Watteville's Regiment; so it is possible that a connection started during those years. In 1816 Gaspard was working in Westminster as a valet, living in King Street, St James, and in the 1820s in Stafford Place nearby. Whether the connection continued during those years is not known. Tatham, Mrs Edmund, born 1841 [sic]. Arrived in Natal by the "Sovereign", in 1850, with her husband and four children. Called at Tristan d'Acunha on the way out. Mr Tatham followed his profession of a Land Surveyor, and laid off grants and allotments for Byrne's immigrants near Verulam. He was one of the five surveyors who laid off. Acted as Magistrate of Richmond in 1854, and also of PMB in 1856. Was subsequently Coolie Emigration Agent at Durban after arrival of the first shipment of Coolies, Nov 1860. Was Clerk of Works for laying off the first line of Railway from the Port to Durban completed in June 1860, & was for some time Manager of the Railway Company. Was employed in several capacities as an Architect & Surveyor and on his retirement went to live at Ladysmith. Mrs Tatham refers to the flood of 1886 at Ladysmith which was a great adventure. Details are given of Mrs Tatham's family. Précis of document from Kit Bird Collection "Old Natal Colonists", in Natal Society Library, Pietermaritzburg. [Natal, South Africa Records, FamilySearch, image 433 of 1649. Natal Archives Depot, Kit Bird Collection. Microfilm by Genealogical Society, Salt Lake City, UT, 01 Jul 1982. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKG-1KCH : accessed 18 Jul 2021]
  Family ID	F0256	Family Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Dora Emma Barker,   b. 15 Jun 1857, Pietermaritzburg, Natal d. 06 Jan 1878, Ladysmith, Natal (Age 20 years)
  Marriage	12 Feb 1877	Umzinto, Natal   [11]
  Family ID	F0475	Family Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	02 Oct 2013

  
  

  Family 2	Frances Wright,   b. 18 Aug 1843, Little Kelk d. 03 Jul 1922, Ladysmith, Natal (Age 78 years)
  Marriage	19 Sep 1880	St John, Ladysmith, Natal   [12, 13]
  	Tatham-Anderson, 19-Sept-1880, at Ladysmith, by the Rev H E Carlyon Incumbent [his brother-in-law]: George Frederick Tatham to Frances Anderson [Natal Witness]
  Notes	Falconer tree lists also son William, b Ladysmith abt 1882. Kennedy tree lists also son Arthur, nd.
  Children	+ 1. Dora Emilie Tatham,   b. 28 Feb 1882, Ladysmith, Natal d. 27 Jun 1942, Evelyn Nursing Home, Cambridge (Age 60 years) + 2. George Edmund Tatham,   b. 03 Oct 1883, Ladysmith, Natal d. 03 May 1956, Durban, Natal (Age 72 years) + 3. Frances Tatham,   b. 16 Jun 1885, Ladysmith, Natal d. 1952, South Africa (Age 66 years)
  Family ID	F0257	Family Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	04 Dec 2013

  
  

• Sources

  [S06] Parish Registers, 03 Sep 1848, baptisms, St Marylebone Church. b 03 Jun 1848 [S03] Family Members, MRT. [S04] H Curtis: Notes for a Pedigree of the Tathams of Co. Durham. [S10] Tatham Family in South Africa. [S38] City & County Directories, 1897, Natal Almanac, Directory and Yearly Register. [S07] Other Sources, Ladysmith History website. [S23] Monumental Inscription, Ladysmith Main Cemetery. [S06] Parish Registers, 19 Aug 1908, burials, All Saints, Ladysmith. [S02] BMD Index, 4Q1841, marriage reg Whitechapel. [S06] Parish Registers, 30 Dec 1841, marriages, St Mark, Whitechapel. [S63] Gill Tatham. [S11] Newspaper, 07 Oct 1880, Natal Witness. [S06] Parish Registers, 19 Sep 1880, marriages, St John, Ladysmith (index).