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Becher Family of Kent, Co Cork, Bristol, Southwell, India and Australia.
I became interested in my family tree as a small girl, when my grandfather Michael Henry Geoffrey Becher showed me a bookplate with the Becher family crest. It seemed to me amazing that our family had one. In my late teens, a great Aunt from interstate briefly lent a family tree chart that she had drawn up to my mother’s sister. One look at that chart with all its little coloured crests and dates going back to the 1500’s and earlier and I was hooked. [especially as there were a few Scottish princesses there, Way back!] I wasn’t sure if that part was true, but I hoped so! I spent the entire lunch visit frantically scribbling on sheets of art paper. The next day I bought a large piece of cardboard and tried to reassemble the chart. Not all of it made sense, and not all of it was spelt correctly, but it was a lot better than nothing!
I went to the University of Sydney library and looked up the Becher family in Burke’s Irish family records, and the princesses in a Scottish history book and was amazed to see that it was at the very least essentially correct.
That was over 20 years ago, and I have been adding to my tree in fits and starts ever since. I did find one major error [a descent from the “wrong “ Michael Becher, one who died young and unmarried,] but otherwise it has been very reliable. Several years ago, one of my nieces Chloe wanted a family photo album and tree for her birthday. To make sure what I was giving her was accurate, I started looking up a few facts on the internet and in the library…and never stopped.
I have found relatives and copied their photo collection…and I plan to make a Heritage scrapbook. I have “met” members of my family on the web… some distantly connected, some closely, all willing to collaborate. Some such as Eileen and Alistair have patiently received and answered a torrent of email, and generously shared their research, along with Julie O’Neill, Elizabeth, Jo Watson, Josephine, Julian, Harry and many others.
My Great Great Grandfather's Becher Arms
Becher Arms from a pedigree chart.
Bookplates.
These were printed in the 1860's.
The "sinister" side is the arms of his wife,
Susan Vowell.
The earliest documented member of “my” Becher family is John Becher of Penshurst, Kent. He owned Powndrowen House in Penshurst. According to the “Herald’s Visitation of Bedfordshire in 1634” He was reputed to have had eleven sons, who all died without issue, except the youngest Henry. This can easily be shown to be incorrect as Henry left money to his brother’s sons in his own will! It is unnerving to find that even near contemporary accounts can be inaccurate. John Becher had other sons called James, Edmund, Richard of Shorne and William. He also had at least one daughter Joan who married John Campe, a baker of Shorehame, Kent. Henry Becher is the ancestor of my family line. One of his sons went to Bedforshire, with a branch in India, another son was granted land in County Cork Ireland by Queen Elizabeth. Some of his descendants went to Bristol, India and Australia.
John Becher of Penshurst, Kent
Wife unknown, had issue including,
1. James Becher, Husbandman of Penshurst
d. 1567, buried 1 Dec 1567 [Ffolliott]
Married to Elizabeth and had issue; Richard [of Bletchingley, married Elizabeth Barber], John [married Margaret Waters], James [married Elizabeth Streatfield] , Edward [married Agnes Pullinger] and Henry
2. Edmund Becher
3. Richard Becher of Shorne
d. 1563, buried 25 May 1563 [Ffolliott]
Married and had issue including Rector James Becher
who died at Chadwell in 1590.
4. William Becher of Winchelsea, Chichester
d. 1543-4
5. Joan Becher
d. before 1568
married to John Campe of Shoreham, Kent [a baker]. They had issue.
6. Henry Becher
b. Abt 1511
d. 15th January 1570/71 London, England
He married Alice Heron [born in 1520, the daughter of Thomas Heron and Elizabeth Bond]
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