Peach Genealogy - Newsletter, Issue 22
THE PEACH/PEACHEY PROJECT
The Electronic Peach Tree Issue 22
Editor: John Harding Peach Peachroot@aol.com
WEB PAGE: http://home1.gte.net/tpeach/Genealogy/Genealogy.htm
The H. M. S. Peachey tour is exceeding all expectations in 1999. In the first 36 days, 15 new subscribers have come aboard. This meant we had to find another bus to get our one big happy family from point A to point B. For the past two weeks, our caravan has been meandering through southern England from Kent to Dorset.
We wish to welcome all our new subscribers and to express our appreciation for all those who are contributing to the tour by sending in their emails. Since the first of the year, you have sent 90 emails to OneList. The more we communicate, the sooner we can put most of the pieces of the Peach heritage puzzle together.
Much of the info. shared in 1999 has been regarding the PEACHEY/ PEACHY surname, especially those who trace themselves back to Mildenhall, Suffolk. Lately, those from the Midlands area of England have got more involved. These include those from Derbyshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. We will be heading into this area after leaving the southwestern area of England. So, hang in there and be patient until that time comes.
ON THE ROAD TO THE WEST COUNTRY
As we journeyed from Lullingstone, Kent, to the county of Dorset, we have visited several sites along the way that relate to some of your heritage. Our tour group went through East and West Sussex, stopping at places such as Eartham, Shripney and Chichester in West Sussex.
OWEN and LISA GLANVILLE of England just joined us last month and have already got involved just as we were heading their way. They are from the Peachey lines and have been busy gathering info. on all Peacheys in Sussex (both West and East). They shared with us that the senior line of Peachey in these counties comes from Peachey of Eartham (in southern West Sussex). From there it seems that some Peacheys migrated even further south along the coast of the English Channel, primarily centered in Shripney.
However, I have located a number of Peacheys from Chichester, just west of this area. So, of course, we made a stop there along our journey. Truly, the Sussex counties are dominated by Peachey rather than Peach. We didn't run into the Peach surname until we headed further west to Hamp-shire, although there seems to be a preponderance of Peachey there too.
When we got to the county of Hampshire, we made a pit stop in Romsey. This is where DAVID L. PEACH lives. He has no internet access, but he found out about our Project from his cousin, MICHAEL S. PEACH, who is in our tour group. After Michael sent copies of all the electronic Peach Trees to David, David sent a letter of great value that provides a missing link in the Dorset Peach genealogies. So I quote his letter in part.
"I was so thrilled to hear of a De Peche being a Constable of Dover Castle...By Act of Parliament, the Constable of Dover Castle had total control and responsibility for the Castle's security, to the point that should the king or queen of England come knocking at the castle gate, the Constable had the right to bar them entrance if he was uncertain as to their identity due to poor light or no light. He could legally and without fear of recrimination bar the claimant entrance....
"Incidentally, there were two Peches who were Constables of Corfe Castle in Dorset: BARTHOLOMEW PECHE and JOHN PECHE in the 1700s, and their coat of arms are two red chevron separated by a red hroizontal bar on a white shield as I remember. They are on display in Corfe Museum." (Editor: I disagree with the 1700s date, as the castle was destroyed in 1646. And the only record I have of a John Peche ruling there was John Peche III in the 1300s. I have no record of a Bartholomew Peche holding Corfe, but hope to get this record if available).
>From Hampshire, we then traveled southwest to the Corfe Castle referred to above. On our 1990 Peach Heritage Tour, we visited the empty shell of remains from the destruction of this historic castle. As we stood on the hill inside the open air structure, what a majestic view of the English Channel we beheld. It was awesome.
In my latest book, THE PEACH/PEACHEY MIGRATIONS, 1066-1990, I refer to the significance of Corfe Castle in history and the part it played in Peach genealogy.
Two items of interest that came from DAVID PEACH's letter. One was that he said, "the Isle of Wight sub clan does stem from the Dorset clan." If that is true, then this would make the descendants of the Southern Maryland Branch (U.S.A.), whose ancestry comes from the Isle of Wight, directly related to the Marblehead, Mass. Branch (U.S.A.), which came from Dorset. I am certainly hoping that David can substantiate this idea.
Another significant truth he shared was that the coat of arms of the Peche of Corfe Castle was the original arms of the Peche of Bourn (having its beginnings ca. 1200). However, later the JOHN PECHE III who bore those arms married into the Beauchamp family and changed his arms to that of the the arms of the Peche of Wormleighton. He was at the same time Constable of Dover Castle, where he bore the arms of the Peche of Lullingstone described in the last newsletter.
When we get to the county of Dorset, we run out of Peachey country and end up in the land of Peach. My theory is that the Dorset Peaches came from the original lands of William de Peche I in Suffolk and Essex through the county of Cambridgeshire and then down to Dorset by way of Corfe Castle.
The first Peach we find on record in Dorset is that of JOHN PECCHE and his wife, Alianora Waleys in 1330. She received properties in counties Dorset, Devon, Hampshire and Lincoln as her dower. (See pp. 114 ff. in THE PEACH/PEACHEY MIGRATIONS for the early records of Dorset Peaches).
This leads right into the genealogy of the Marblehead Branch of Peaches, which began with JOHN PEACH, Jr. leaving Symondsbury, Dorset and landing in Marblehead, Massachusetts (U.S.A.) around 1630. He is the father of the oldest Peach family in America, now into its 14th generation, with its descendants spread throughout America.
My project for 1999 is to write my next book on THE MARBLEHEAD BRANCH. I now show how John Peach, Jr. is related directly to those in Dorset, going back to his great, great grandfather. Anyone who descends from this family who has records of their family up to the present generation needs to send them to me A.S.A.P. if you want them in the book.
I am planning to spend some time in Marblehead this August getting the latest updates for the book and meeting with anyone there who wants to contribute or just visit.
In our next issue, we will continue to explore what is known as the West Country of Dorset and Somerset before we head north to the Midlands. We have several on board, I believe, who descend from Somerset. If there is more you want to share about these counties before we depart, just let me have it.
Sincerely yours, Captain John H. Peach
Send e-mail to: Todd & Sharon