Wilmott Huxtable (Ann ) Tilke

   Other names for Wilmott were Willmet and Wilmett.

  General Notes:

Wilmott Huxtable Tilke was one of the first school teachers sent to Ireland from England when that country first came under English rule.
The small desk belonging to the Lawrance family went with her to Ireland and later to New Zealand and finally Australia. It is to be passed on to the eldest son in each Lawrance generation.
It appears that Wilmott & Joseph travelled on board the Adelaide, departing from Gravesend, England, 18th September 1839 & arriving in Port Nicholson 7th March 1840. She was however listed on the passenger manifest as Ann Tilke. Joseph Lawrance (spelt Laurance on the list) was also listed.
Ann is listed as the first school teacher in Wellington. The initial source for the information on Ann's early school is, in the main, from Ward's 'Early Wellington' but this has been confirmed from other sources as well. 'The first school in the Wellington area was opened and conducted by 30 year old Ann Tilke shortly after she arrived on the ship Adelaide. It was held in a long clay-built house with thatched roof, a little to the west of the corner of Mulgrave and Pipitea Streets. Her pupils were some of the children of the early Thorndon settlers. Shorly afterwards Charles Grace ,recently arrived from Sydney on the Lady Lilford (march 16th 1840), announced his intention to open a school which occupied the wooden buildings on Thorndon Flat owned by the New Zealand company.'
The name Ann comes from the original NZ company list and is confirmed by the transcription of the Adelaide list from the same source in 'Early Wellington'. This also points out that during her voyage she was under the care of Mrs Evans, wife of Dr G.S.Evans. Also in 'Early Wellington' is an entry for the marriage of a Lawrance (spelt Laurance on the passenger list in the same publication) to a Miss Tilke 'first schoolmistress at Weslyan Church, Te Aro'. Joseph's age on the original documents is given as 21.
Another source -: Miss Tilke, who arrived via the 'Adelaide' under the care of Dr Evans has the honour of being the first to conduct a regular school in the Port Nicholson district. A little to the west of Pipitea & Mulgrave Sts.
Thus, Ann Tilke is actually Wilmott Huxtable Tilke who married Joseph Lawrance. Perhaps she was more comfortable with the simpler name.
After Joseph's & Wilmott's marriage in Wellington in 1841 they moved to Australia and settled at Parramatta, N.S.W. near Sydney. Joseph was a surveyor and as such was away from the family a great deal. In January 1848 the whole family moved to the Adelaide area. Later in life she conducted a Ladies School as Glen Osmond and attended Zion Christian Church in Pulteney Street, Adelaide, South Australia, where a Mr Playford was the paster (an ancestor of Sir Thomas Playford who was premier of S.A. for many years).
Joseph is buried at the Old Cemetery at Mount Bambier & his Headstone reads 'JOSEPH LAWRANCE born in Cornwall Sept 1816, died Mount Gambier May 2nd 1869'

  Noted events in her life were:

• Occupation: Teacher (see sheet +): Ireland UK.

• connection. ³¹⁰ The link between Christine Cottrell & myself through Robert is as follows:
Christine Cottrell (1953) married Paul Holiday (1954)
Her father was Sydney Cottrell (1927) who married Beryl Vida Sunner (1928)
Her father was Napoleon Sunner (1886) who married Adelaide Vida Clark (1891)
Her father was David Clark (1864)
His father was Job Clark (1838) who married Elizabeth Lawrance (1843)
Her father was John Tilke (1766)
His father was William Tilke (c1720) & he also had Joel Tilke (c1755)
He had Mary Tilke (1796) who married William Tilke (1790)
His father was Simon Tilke (1764) & he also had Joel Tilke (1796)
He had Samuel Tilke (1833)
He had Samuel Tilke (1857)
He had Alban Tilke (1897) who married Eleanor Pickles (1912)
Her father was Ernest Pickles (1887) who married Eleanor Saunders (1888)
Her father was George Sanders (1849)
His father was William Sanders (c1817) who married Harriet Aldous (1791)
Her father was James Aldous (1755)
His father was Richard Aldous (c1731)
His father was Richard Aldous (c1705)
His father was William Aldous (1645)
His father was William Aldous (1610)
His father was Stephen the Third Aldous & he also had Stephen the Second Aldous (1607)
He had Stephen Aldous (1636)
He had John Aldous (1681)
He had William Aldous (1710)
He had William Aldous (1749)
He had Zephaniah Aldous (1778)
He had Amelia Aldous (1818) who married James Peck
They had Charlotte Peck (1843)
She had Annie Florence Dawes (1873) who married Arthur Augustus Bray
They had Albert Alan Bray (1896)
He had Robert Alfred Bray (1920)
He had Robert Arthur Bray (1947) who married me - Robyn Bray (nee Davies) (1950)

Wilmott married Joseph William Lawrance on 9 May 1841 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Joseph William Lawrance was born on 9 Sep 1816 in Truro or Feock, Cornwall England, christened on 20 Dec 1816 in Falmouth, Mylor, Cornwall England and died on 29 May 1869 in Mount Gambier, South Australia.)