Notes on the Milman Family and Marsh Family Connection.
In a number of her letters Anne Marsh-Caldwell mentions the Milmans. A letter from her daughter Louisa Marsh to her brother Martin Marsh, dated in 1845, refers to a forthcoming dinner to meet 'Mrs and Mrs Alexander, the Milman's tenants.' In May 1846 we find Anne Marsh-Caldwell writing to her son Martin. In the letter there is a reference to a 'last print of Emilia from William and Mrs Milman.' Two letters dated 1857 written at Eastbury are signed by Anne Marsh and are to Mr and Mrs Milman respectively.
The Milman's were clearly neighbours, and subsequently friends, of Anne Marsh and her family. They were descended from Sir Francis Milman, Baronet (1746-1821) who was President of the Royal College of Physicians. He had lived at the Grove, at Pinner, a family residence which stayed in the Milman family for three generations until eventually being sold in the early 1860s.
Sir Francis Milman had been Physician Extraordinary to the Royal Household and then Physician to George III. It would seem that he performed some delicate services for Queen Charlotte-probably in connection with managing her difficult husband - and was created Baronet of Levaton in Woodland, Devon, at the turn of the century. He married Frances Hart in 1779 and they had seven children. Of these the most notable were:
Sir William George Milman, 2nd Baronet.(1781-1857)
Lt.-General Francis Miles Milman
Very Rev Henry Hart Milman, D.D.
Henry Hart Milman became Dean of St Paul's Cathedral. He was a noted figure in mid -Victorian London as the author of poetry, plays and a number of volumes of history.
Sir William George Milman married Elizabeth Hurry Alderson, daughter of Robert Alderson (Recorder of Ipswich and later, Norwich), and sister of Sir Edward Hall Alderson, a Baron of the Exchequer. A relation was the Quakeress Amelia Alderson, later Amelia Opie, who became famous as a writer and proponent of emancipation. Sir William George was governor of the Old Bailey and the chief family seat was at The Grove, Pinner. He died in 1857-the year in which Mrs Marsh is writing to his daughter-in-law asking, "How is dear Sir William?" He and Elizabeth had nine children. Of these the following may be worthy of note
Sir William Milman ( 1813-1885)
The Rt. Rev Robert Milman, D.D. (1816-1876)
Edward Augustus Milman (1817-1850)
Emily Matilda Milman (1820-?)
Frances Maria Milman (1825-1888)
George Alderson Milman (1830-1898)
Sir William Milman became the 3rd baronet and married Matilda Francis Pretyman. She was a member of a distinguished family who owned estates near Orford in Suffolk. Her grand uncle was the Rt Rev Sir George Tomline, D.D, Bt., who had been William Pitt's tutor and went on to be Bishop of Lincoln and then of Winchester. Sir William had been a barrister working on the Oxford Circuit. It is to Sir William that Mrs Marsh writes in 1857 begging for his company at dinner.
Robert Milman was a parish priest in Berkshire. He became Bishop of Calcutta and Metropolitan of India and Ceylon. He died in India. His sister Frances Maria Milman went to India with him and wrote his biography.
Edward Augustus Milman was a soldier. He wrote a novel "The Weyside Cross" - set in the Carlist Wars and another, "Arthur Conway", set in the West Indies.
Emily Matilda Milman married the Rev. Charles Augustus Fowler.
George Alderson Milman is referred to in Mrs Marsh's letter to Mrs Milman as having visited with his brother William. George was a colonel in the Royal Artillery. He had played first-class cricket for the MCC between 1863-1869 and retired from the army on half-pay in 1872 having served in the siege of Sabastopol. He married Frances Edith Chapman, a daughter of the Bishop of Colombo.
Sir William and Matilda Milman had eleven children including :
Major Sir Francis John Milman (1842-1922)
Hugh Miles Milman (1845-1911)
Isabella Francis Milman (1847-1922)
Walter Charles Gordon Milman (1853-1907)
Helen Rose Anne Milman (1857-1937)
Constance Angelena Milman (1859-1936)
Hugh Miles Milman was originally a midshipman in the Royal Navy. He was invalided out of the service and emigrated to Australia. He turned from cattle ranching to government service and was Chief Commissioner of Stamps for Queensland and then Government Resident of Thursday Island in the Torres States. He married Katherine Maule Jardine, grandaughter of Sir Alexander Jardine, 6th Baronet of Applegirth, Scotland.
Isabella Frances Milman married Alexander Anderdon Weston.
Walter Charles Gordon Milman became an HMI and married Edie Helen Blythe Radcliffe.
Helen Rose Anne Milman was the author of a number of books; "Boy", "From the Heart of the Rose", "My Kalendar of Country Delights", "Outside the Garden", "The Little Ladies", "Those Children" and "Uncle Bill's Children". Helen married Major Henry Caldwell Crofton (1856-1947) who was Anne Marsh-Caldwell's grandson.
Constance Angelena Milman married Sir Alexander John Arbuthnot of the Indian Civil Service. Like her sister Rose, Constance wrote children's books including "Aunt Sally" and "The Dolls Dramas".
It seems likely that some of these many children were the 'little jewels' about whom Mrs Marsh enquires in her letter To Mrs Milman of 1857.
The above information was supplied by Sir David Milman 26/1/03. Should you wish to contact David regarding any of the above, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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