Stephen and Maria
Just imagine - it is 1808; a war is raging in your country; the French army has
swept over the Spanish border and the English army has come to your country's defence.
An English regiment is based in your village to help fight off the French .........................
This is how we think Stephen PALMER met Maria De Silva in Portugal during the
Peninsular War.
Maria was born abt 1794 in a village close to the Portuguese/Spanish border,
possibly Elvas or Evera, about 6 miles from Badajoz just over the border into
Spain.
Stephen & Maria must have married in about 1811 as their first child, Stephen,
was born in abt 1812 when Maria was just 17 or 18 years old.
[Source - 1851 UK Census - Stephen PALMER, bn Portugal is living in Ramsey, Hunts
with his wife, Elizabeth & family. He is a Millwright.]
Stephen was discharged from the army in August 1814; by that time he and Maria
were back in Burwell - and despite his war injuries, managed to father 9 more children!
Stephen
baptised
April 27th 1815 - born abt 1812 in Portugal
.
Henry
baptised
April 27th 1815 - born in Burwell
.
Mary
baptised
May 25th 1817
.
Honor
baptised
September 13th 1818
Buried March 5th 1819 @ Burwell
Emmanuel**
baptised
June 4th 1820
.
Honor
baptised
March 24th 1822
.
William
baptised
May 2th 1824
Buried January 25th 1825 @ Burwell
William
baptised
January 8th 1826
.
Louis
born abt 1828
.
Phylldelfina
baptised
23 May 1831
died 1838 of Scarlett Fever - Buried 23 Aug 1838
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the 1839 Pigot's Directory of Cambridgeshire
Under "CARRIERS" in 1839 we find:
To CAMBRIDGE, Stephen PALMER, from Burwell every Wednesday & Saturday.
This is my Gt Gt Gt Grandfather! the Peninsular War veteran.
He would have been living on North Street, as that is where I found him and his family
on the 1841 & 1861 U.K. Census [courtesey of the CFHS census transcriptions.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both Stephen & Maria died in 1865; their headstone is next to the path leading to the main door
of St Mary's, Burwell.
The inscription reads:
"Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of Life"
[This is around a cross at the top of the headstone]
To the memory of
STEPHEN PALMER
Who departed this life February 18 1865
Aged 83 years
Also of
MAREAR DE SILVA his wife
a Native of Portugal
Who died April 13 1865
Aged 71 years
"The Holy Church throughout all
the world
Doth in knowledge lie"
Stephen was buried on 22 February & Maria/Marear was buried on 17 April, 1865.
Unfortunately the headstone is covered with lichen and in poor condition -
as you can see from my photograph taken 29 June 2001.
To see more detail from Stephen & Maria's headstone, go here
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More will be added to this page as time permits!
Stephen's brother - Neal PALMER
Stephen & Maria's children:
Stephen
Henry
Mary
Emmanuel** & Susannah
Honor
William & Burwell PALMERs in Lancashire
Louis
Phylldelfina
PALMER Home Page
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This page created 29 August 2001
& amended/updated 19:04 30/01/2005
