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Richard and Lucy Brandon (nee Ballard)

From Rev. Brian Brandon

Richard was born in Rotherhithe, England, in 1842, the third child of Samuel and Jane Brandon. He was brought up on his father's market garden at Rotherhithe.

At the time of the 1851 census, they were living at 2 Paradise Row, Rotherhithe, which was where the market garden was. He married Lucy Ballard, daughter of James, a hotel keeper, and Alice, and grand- daughter of Isaac Ballard, on the 5th of September 1865, in the Parish church at Broadstairs, Kent, by the Rev Fred Newell. At the time Richard's address was Saint John Machline, Middlesex, and his occupation was stated as a market gardener.

Richard and Lucy must have moved a lot. Up until about 1870 they lived at Lower Clapton, then at Plaistow, London until about 1876. In 1877 they were living at 11 Cemetery Road, Peckham, Surrey, and Richard was then a clerk at a basket factory. Clearly, Richard, for some reason, decided to leave the market gardening business. He may have been moving to where he could find work.

Richard, at some stage travelled quite widely, and must have had some means to do this, although using it up in the process. He could speak French quite well, and it is said that he had a mistress in France. Richard came out by himself to New Zealand in 1878, on the `Otaki', leaving Gravesend on the 11th of September, and arriving in Wellington on the 10th of December, a passage of 90 days. The ship was considered one of the fastest to make the trip, making 17 altogether to NZ. There were 53 passengers on board.

He must have thought NZ a suitable place to live, because he returned home to bring out his wife Lucy and his family who arrived at Wellington on the 29th October, 1881 on the sailing ship `Pleione'. The voyage lasted 103 days. There were 37 passengers. The Pleione was later (in 1887) stranded at Waikanae Beach because of a navigational error at night.

Richard and Lucy had ten children born to them in England: Edward, Grace, Herbert, Frederick, James, Edith, Adolphus, Alice, James and Richard. The first James, and Alice died in infancy. Edith did not come to NZ, so she must have been left with another member of the family in England. They settled in Wanganui, living first in Sydney Place and then in Riverbank Road in a house built by Herbert Brandon. They had a further two children born to them in Wanganui, Kitty and Lionel. Richard died of a heart attack in Wanganui on the 5th of February, 1898, aged 56, and was buried in Wanganui Old Cemetery. He had suffered from heart trouble for many years.

Lucy had many talents, one which was producing lovely needlework, and this was one of her pleasures right to the end of her life. She was a delightful, witty and cheerful person. After her family left her, Lucy moved to live in Wellington with her daughter, Grace Ewart, and then when her daughter died, she went to Tinakori Road and lived with an old friend, Mrs Rickson. Her faculties were with her till the last. She spent her last afternoon with a friend and seemed her best. She died from angina in 1926, aged 85. Her funeral service was held in St. Paul's church with only relatives and very close friends present, and she was buried in the Karori Cemetery.

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