William Samuel Price II and Charlotte Eleanor Mabbott

Charlotte Eleanor Mabbott was born in Ahmednuggar on 27th August 1831, so she was 19 years younger than her new husband and was only about 18 years of age at their wedding. Her parents were Jeremiah and Mary Sabina (or Salina ?) Mabbott nee Maitland, who married in Belgaum, Madras, on 31st December 1827. At the time of her birth her father worked for the army as a conductor – a warrant officer in the Army Commissariat. He had been appointed on 1st March 1829. Her mother had died in 1844 and Jeremiah remarried on 10th June 1845. Charlotte’s new step-mother was Margaret Macqueen, daughter of John Macqueen and the record of the wedding shows that Jeremiah’s father was Phillip Mabbott. Ahmednuggar lies in East of Bombay Presidency on the border of the Princely State of Hyderabad.

After his third marriage, William Samuel Price II was soon siring more children. The first, Charles Mabbott Price, had a short life, being born at Hongul, Belgaum on 30th May 1848 and dying on 9th January 1849 at Kulladgee. Later that year a daughter was born at Dharwar, where the family was to live for some years. She was Julia Charlotte Price, born on 18th November 1849. On 30th March 1851 a census of the European population of Bombay Presidency took place and the records have survived of part of this. William Samuel Price II is recorded as living in Belgaum and his occupation is given as Assistant Superintendent of the Revenue Survey. It mentions that he was born in Bombay, was aged 39 and was married. There is no surviving information on his family in the census.

Tragedy struck the Price family again when on 3rd May 1851, Margaret Louisa Price died in Dharwar, aged 6. This must have been doubly difficult as Charlotte Eleanor Price was heavily pregnant at the time and she gave birth to a daughter on 12th June 1851. This child was named Caroline Jane Price and she too was destined to have a short life. A son, James Wright Price was born in Dharwar on 14th June 1852. Surprisingly there is no further information on this son anywhere, so he may have died soon after birth. Caroline Jane Price died in Dharwar on 6th July 1852, so the family had buried two or three children in little over a year, depending on the fate of James Wright Price.

In 1848 a Marathi translation of 'The Indian Pilgrim' by Mrs Sherwood was published in Bombay, the translator being 'W. S. Price, N. Indian Civil Service'. A proof edition of this work of 400 pages interspersed with blank pages bearing the translators' corrections was offered for sale, in 2013, by an Edinburgh bookseller for £2,500.

The Indian climate and disease continued to take their toll of the Price family over the rest of their time in the country. Between 1853 and 1864 Charlotte brought forth five more children and although three of them lived to adulthood two more died young. Joseph Dodds Price was born on 13th May 1853 and probably died soon after as there is no further mention of him. William Henry Price arrived on 1st July 1854, Elizabeth Margaret Price on 21 June 1856, Alexander Dodds Price on 2nd May 1858 and Arthur Edward Price on 3rd May 1863. All were born in Dharwar apart from the last who was born in Daportie and baptised in Christ Church, Byculla, Bombay on 29th January 1864. At this time the family were on their way to embark to England as William Samuel Price II had now retired from the Civil Service and was described in the Baptismal register as a “Pensioner”.

The family lived through the Indian Mutiny of 1857, but the main outbreaks of fighting were in the Bengal Presidency in the North of India. Although there were little or no disturbances in the Bombay Presidency this must have been a worrying time for the Price family with their young children. After the collapse of the Mutiny the East India Company was wound up and the British Crown took over the running of India in 1858. So for the last few years of his career William Samuel Price would have had a new contract with the British Government.

Of the children mentioned above Alexander Dodds Price died in England on 26th March 1860, whilst in the care of Richard Trousdale, a schoolmaster at Streatham, South London. He was buried in a public (unmarked) grave in West Norwood Cemetery. Just after this event, the 1861 census was held in England and it shows that Charlotte Eleanor Price was staying at the Indies School, New Park Road, Lambeth, South London. She was accompanying William Henry, aged 6, and Elizabeth Margaret, aged 4, on a visit to see Julia Charlotte, aged 13, who was attending the school.