Scandal
Why was the ‘Irish Influence’ so strong in the family?
They were powerful people. Oh, yes. That influence was not only in Dad, and Uncle Albert, but also in Aunty Florrie. She was the ‘Maiden Aunt’. Never married. First born of Eliza and Old Phil, and extremely proud of her Irish Ancestry. Florrie was very proud. ‘My mother is an Alley’. It was a recognised name, strong people, from Ulster. Alley was her mother’s maiden name – the name was on Florrie’s birth certificate. Florrie actually didn’t like her second name, Emma. Florence EMMA Leyland. ‘It’s a Leyland family name!’ she’d say. It gave her the horrors all her life. From Yorkshire.
So Aunt Florrie liked talking about her ancestry — her family history?
Quite the opposite. She was a fine woman — a substitute mother in fact, when we were young — the ‘Universal Aunt’ to all — but she was very prone to clam up about our family history.
I recall when my grandfather, Old Phil, turned 100 — all fit and well — telegram from the Queen, and all that — and the reporters turned up again for information, like they had for years. All the usual comments.
‘Mr Leyland is well known for his roses — works in his garden — walks around a lot.’
They’d reported that for years. And the same old question, ‘To what do you attribute your long life?’
And the same old answer, ‘Hard work and plenty of it.’
But when he was 100 those reporters wanted more details. They fossicked for something new. It was a big occasion in those days, a 100-year-old man! Palmerston North’s oldest citizen.
They even followed him around for the day, with photographers. Photographs and all. They asked Aunt Florrie, prodded her for information. But she wouldn’t help.
‘Go and talk to Pete,’ she said. ‘He’ll tell you.’
She wouldn’t tell them a thing. She refused, ‘clammed up’ you might say. She got up and left the room — walked out on them. Gone! And I was left to face them. And where was Florrie? She up and went!
Why? Was there something to hide?
Now rumour may explain things. To me it wasn’t important at the time, but it set me to thinking.
You see, if someone doesn’t speak out when you think they would — then you get to make up theories. And I’ve formed a theory over the years, a theory which was to do with Old Phil. I’ve pieced things together you might say — bits and pieces.
See, Old Phil didn’t get anything from his father’s will. The other children did, all Phil’s brothers and sisters, they all got something. So I asked myself the question, ‘Why?’ There’s got to be a reason for these things.
And I came to suspect that Old Phil had displeased or embarrassed his father, old Edward Leyland. I’m sure Phil didn’t get left out of the will because his father had already given him money — some earlier handout — because there was no evidence of this — no evidence of such money — anyway nothing I heard about.
My theory is that Phil and his ‘wife’, Mrs Ramsay (who had three children already), were not married when they started a family. And maybe this displeased his father.
This Mrs Ramsay’s maiden name was Alley — I’ve told you that — an Irish name — from the family that produced Rewi Alley. Rewi was her cousin or some such.
But Florrie’s birth certificate also said her mother and Phil were married. Those olden-day certificates had a space for that information. When and where married. It had to be filled in.
So this Mrs Ramsay and Phil got to living together, and having children, and as a consequence — and here’s why Florrie went quiet when the reporters were poking around for facts — for a story — all the Leylands were BASTARDS. THE WHOLE FAMILY! BASTARDS. Every one of them! That’s where we came from. You and me!
You see it came to light much later that Old Phil and Eliza finally did get married — eventually — but it was in 1904, about the time Eliza and Florrie and Syd came to Palmerston North. But Old Phil had previously stated, clear as day, it’s on Florrie’s birth certificate, that he and Eliza Fanny Frances Alley were married in Napier in 1878! Seems like it was a lie. He made it up.
People have searched for a record of that marriage and none has ever been found. And anyway, why would a couple, already married, get formally married again in the Palmerston North Registry Office, long after all their family had been born?
You see, Aunt Florrie had a reputation of being a very moral woman — very upright — so my theory is that her silence was because of this family background — a sort of scandal you might say. A disgrace.
So she up and left the room.
If the reporters asked me now, I could tell them a thing or two.
………………
Transcript of Florence's birth certificate
CHILD. When and where born. January 21 1879. Te Aute.
Name of child and whether present. Florence Emma. Present.
FATHER.Name and surname. Philip Leyland.
Rank or profession Bushman. Age. 22. Birthplace Halifax. Yorkshire.
WHEN AND WHERE PARENTS MARRIED. May 29 1878. Napier.
MOTHER. Name and maiden surname. Fanny Leyland formerly Alley Age 25 Birthplace. (illegible) county. Ireland.
INFORMANT. Signature. P Leyland Description Father. Residence Te Aute
When registered. April 19 1879
‘Go and talk to Pete,’ she said. ‘He’ll tell you.’
She wouldn’t tell them a thing. She refused, ‘clammed up’ you might say. She got up and left the room — walked out on them. Gone! And I was left to face them. And where was Florrie? She up and went!
Why? Was there something to hide?
Now rumour may explain things. To me it wasn’t important at the time, but it set me to thinking.
You see, if someone doesn’t speak out when you think they would — then you get to make up theories. And I’ve formed a theory over the years, a theory which was to do with Old Phil. I’ve pieced things together you might say — bits and pieces.
See, Old Phil didn’t get anything from his father’s will. The other children did, all Phil’s brothers and sisters, they all got something. So I asked myself the question, ‘Why?’ There’s got to be a reason for these things.
And I came to suspect that Old Phil had displeased or embarrassed his father, old Edward Leyland. I’m sure Phil didn’t get left out of the will because his father had already given him money — some earlier handout — because there was no evidence of this — no evidence of such money — anyway nothing I heard about.
My theory is that Phil and his ‘wife’, Mrs Ramsay (who had three children already), were not married when they started a family. And maybe this displeased his father.
This Mrs Ramsay’s maiden name was Alley — I’ve told you that — an Irish name — from the family that produced Rewi Alley. Rewi was her cousin or some such.
But Florrie’s birth certificate also said her mother and Phil were married. Those olden-day certificates had a space for that information. When and where married. It had to be filled in.
So this Mrs Ramsay and Phil got to living together, and having children, and as a consequence — and here’s why Florrie went quiet when the reporters were poking around for facts — for a story — all the Leylands were BASTARDS. THE WHOLE FAMILY! BASTARDS. Every one of them! That’s where we came from. You and me!
You see it came to light much later that Old Phil and Eliza finally did get married — eventually — but it was in 1904, about the time Eliza and Florrie and Syd came to Palmerston North. But Old Phil had previously stated, clear as day, it’s on Florrie’s birth certificate, that he and Eliza Fanny Frances Alley were married in Napier in 1878! Seems like it was a lie. He made it up.
People have searched for a record of that marriage and none has ever been found. And anyway, why would a couple, already married, get formally married again in the Palmerston North Registry Office, long after all their family had been born?
You see, Aunt Florrie had a reputation of being a very moral woman — very upright — so my theory is that her silence was because of this family background — a sort of scandal you might say. A disgrace.
So she up and left the room.
If the reporters asked me now, I could tell them a thing or two.
………………
Transcript of Florence's birth certificate
CHILD. When and where born. January 21 1879. Te Aute.
Name of child and whether present. Florence Emma. Present.
FATHER.Name and surname. Philip Leyland.
Rank or profession Bushman. Age. 22. Birthplace Halifax. Yorkshire.
WHEN AND WHERE PARENTS MARRIED. May 29 1878. Napier.
MOTHER. Name and maiden surname. Fanny Leyland formerly Alley Age 25 Birthplace. (illegible) county. Ireland.
INFORMANT. Signature. P Leyland Description Father. Residence Te Aute
When registered. April 19 1879
Note added by John Leyland. May 2016.
Old Phil actually took two liberties with the truth.
1. Fanny and Phillip weren't married at Napier in 1878. They were married in Palmerston North in 1904.
2. Phil's 'wife' Fanny (aka Francis Eliza) was not 25. This would have meant she was born around 1853, but she married her first husband, James Ramsay in 1866, when she was 12. Unlikely. She was more likely born around 1848, as she was reported as being 80 when she died in 1828. Her real age when Florence was born was likely to have been about 31.
Perhaps Old Phil didn't care about the details, or wanted to make her seem more like his age.
Not that it matters much.