When we looked around St.Martin's churchyard in Epsom last week we noticed that there were five tombs representing different generations of one family - the Garlands -and we wondered what their connection to the town was.After a little research we found out that one family member,Nathaniel, had played an important part in the community and had links,albeit ones he may have preferred not to have had,with France.
Here is an extract from an Epsom
history site
"Nathaniel married Anna Walter Cope on 3 March 1814 at Orleans in France
and thereby hangs a tale. After attending school at Eton, Nathaniel Garland had gone on to Christchurch, Oxford, as a gentleman commoner to
matriculate on 15 November 1793. Instead of waiting to take his degree, about
1797 he embarked upon the Grand Tour and was still travelling around Europe in 1803. Unfortunately for him, the Napoleonic War
broke out which resulted in him being 'detained' (detanu) - for the next 11
years! - during which time he is reported to have paid 136,000 francs in
'fines' extorted by his captors. Incarcerated about the same time had been the
Cope family including a 14 year old daughter, Anna Walter. They appear to have
been interned together at Valenciennes and, when the groom was 39 and bride 25,
were joined in matrimony by a fellow detenu (an attested copy of the official
translation of the marriage settlement between Nathaniel and 'Miss Anna Cope of
Paris', dated 26 February 1814, is held by Surrey History Centre under ref.
K90/21/1). It is unclear when the newly-weds gained their release but their son
Edgar Walter Garland, was born in England: he was delivered on 26 December 1814
and baptised at St Mary's, St Marylebone Road, London, on 20 January 1815.
Woodcote Grove is mentioned in Pownall's history of Epsom - "The next
seat worthy of notice in this place, is that described by Mr. Toland, as 'the
Grove', but now called Garland's, after the family in whose possession it has
been many years; and is now the residence of Nathaniel Garland, Esq., late high
sheriff of Essex. It is situated at the north-west end of Chalk Lane, and is a
handsome brick building, surrounded by about fifty acres of land, well
timbered, and finely undulating." The demise of the later Nathaniel
Garland was recorded at Upper
Berkeley Street West on 3 January 1845. Two years
later, the widowed Anna obtained a royal licence to resume her maiden name of
Cope, 'in obedience to the will of her grand-uncle', in order to inherit family
estates at Drummilly, Ireland:
she lived on until 1867, dying in Armagh aged
77."
