The Twickenham Museum
People : Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen

Lorenzo Moore
Soldier and MP
1744 - 1798

Lorenzo Moore was of an Anglo-Irish family from Co Wexford, Ireland. Although a visitor to Twickenham over a period of 20 years, no definite record of where he stayed, or lived has been established. It is possible that he leased Twickenham Lodge in the Hampton Road from John Davenport, for a time. The earliest connection yet seen is for the baptism of his daughter Henrietta Catherine on 12 September 1776 at St Mary's Church. Later his son was baptised here on 30 April 1786. The register describes the son as 'Charles William Soulégre, son of Lorenzo Moore, Col. of the Battle Axe Guards in Ireland, and Henrietta, daughter of Sir Steph. Theodore Janssen, bart' who, In December 1750, had married Catherine, daughter of Colonel Soulégre of Antigua, which explains one of the Christian names of the infant. The Moores appear to have made further visits to Twickenham. Horace Walpole recorded a visit to Strawberry Hill of 'Colonel Moore of Twickenham and 2' on 1 September 1788, and on 1 September 1792, 'Mrs Moore, Twickenham'. Lorenzo and Henrietta were married at St Anne's Soho, London on 1 October 1774, he being described as Captain in the 3rd Regiment of Horse (an index to the marriages in Walker's Hibernian magazine 1771 to 1812 by Henry Farrar; London; 1890). He appears to have been the son of William (b1716) and Frances (née Hodson) of Tinraheen, some miles north of Wexford, Ireland, perhaps born there in 1744. He became MP for Dungannon, Co Tyrone (Burke's Genealogical & Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 1838), living probably in Merrion Square in Dublin and dying in 1798. Henrietta Moore died at Twickenham on 29 July 1840, aged 87 (as noted in The Gentleman's Magazine). She had been living at the house known as Riverside at least since 1833 and perhaps somewhere else in Twickenham from an earlier date. Henrietta's father, Sir Stephen Theodore Janssen (d.8 April 1777) was Lord Mayor of London for 1754/5 and subsequently Chamberlain of the City. His family came originally from Holland. His father, Sir Theodore Janssen (1654-1748) had been a director of the South Sea Company, so losing a great deal of his fortune.

John Robert Budgen

There were two other daughters of the union, of whom only Williamza Caroline Mary has been identified. She married, on 13 June 1823, John Robert Budgen (1791-1866), eldest son of Thomas of Ballindoney, Ireland. In 1862 John was described as of “Richmond House, Twickenham, Ballindoney, Co. Wexford and Beaulieu, Jersey, late Captain in the Rifle Brigade, JP and DL for Surrey and JP for Wexford” (Sir Bernard Burke, p175, Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary).

John Budgen was of an ancient Surrey family (see Manning & Bray, The History and Antiquities of the County of Surrey, 1804). A Thomas Budgen MP of Dorking, is stated by Ironside have been living in Grosvenor House, Holly Road, Twickenham in 1765. It may have been his son, John Smith Budgen who moved into South End House, Montpelier Row in 1791 where he died in 1805. The latter was noted as “of Twickenham” as a subscriber to Manning and Bray's History. Their exact relationship has not been established, but ownership of property at Blechingley, near Nutfield suggests a connction.

In 1825 the Budgens were living at Ridge Green, Nutfield, near Redhill in Surrey. John's connection with Richmond House probably came after 1848, when it was bequeathed to his wife by her Godmother, Mrs Lionel Dawson Damer (1798-1848), born Mary Georgiana Seymour, cousin of Anne Seymour Damer. She had bought the property in 1816 at the age of 18 in order, according to R S Cobbett, to be near her great friend Mrs Henrietta Moore.

The Battle-Axe GuardsLorenzo became Colonel of the Battle Axe Guards in 1784, possibly in succession to General Henry Seymour Conway, who had been appointed in 1766 “for life”, though he actually lived until 1795. Conway's political career ended in 1784, which probably accounts for his resignation from that office.

The Battle-Axe Guards were the equivalent of the Beefeaters in the Tower of London, in Dublin Castle. A 19th century description gives an idea of the ceremonial duties of the Guards: The Lord Lieutenant holds a Court at the castle; where Levées are sometimes held; and his Excellency's State and Household is, in every respect, becoming a representative of Majesty. He is allowed a company of battle-axe men, under the command of a captain, who has the rank of colonel; and two subalterns, who have the rank of captains. The battle-axe-guards do duty in the public apartments of the Court. Besides this guard, the Lord Lieutenant has a body-guard, consisting of a subaltern's guard of horse, with a captain of infantry, two subalterns, and 60 men. This guard of honour is lodged in the Castle, and relieved every day by a detachment from the Royal Barracks. The form of relieving guard at the Castle, has always had attractions for the citizens of Dublin, who attend in great numbers every day, to witness this very interesting spectacle.

The wider family

Other members of the family were given the name Lorenzo, suggesting an Italian, or perhaps Spanish ancestor. Was this a connection with the Spanish Armada?

Another, otherwise untraced, Lorenzo is recorded as marrying at Dublin, in 1780, Henrietta Jackson. There was a son, Ogle Moore who may have emigrated to Nova Scotia.

A third Lorenzo Moore, probably an uncle, was born at Tinraheen in about 1722, son of a previous William born about 1696. This Lorenzo had three sisters, Maryann, who married a cousin, John Moore; Alicia who married William Clifford (b21 June 1722), and Elizabeth who married George Ogle (1742-1814), MP for Wexford 1769-1796, Governor of Wexford 1796 and MP for Dublin 1798-1802, where he has a statue in St Patrick's Cathedral. There were no children of this marriage. Maryann, the third daughter of William Moore married her cousin John. There were two sons, first, George Ogle Moore (1770-1847) who married Elizabeth Armstrong, and who, like his uncle, became MP for Dublin, and secondly, the next Lorenzo:

Major-General Sir Lorenzo Moore, CB (c1765-1837)

George's brother, the third Lorenzo Moore, son of John and Maryann, was born, perhaps, in about 1765 in Dublin; though sometimes stated to have been from Tinraheen. He entered the army as an Ensign in 1787 and rose to be a Major General after being Colonel of the 35th Royal Sussex Regiment of foot for 21 years from 1809. Governor of St Lucia (where he had seen service in 1795) from 1827-29, he was knighted in 1834, already CB. He is recorded as dying at Dresden on 18 March 1837. An obituary in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1837, pp658/9 notes his son Hildebrand, 2 daughters and his brother George Ogle [Moore], MP for Dublin.

Service life took him abroad for many years so that it was not until 1808 that he married, on 13 July at Barfreston, Kent, Eliza Sophia (c1779-1849), eldest daughter of the late Morley Wharrey Esq, of Selby, Yorkshire. There were two sons of the union: Jacinthius Antonio Lorenzo who died at Leghorn (Livorno) on 16 June 1816 and was buried in the Protestant cemetery in Florence, and John Hildebrand Oakes who died aged 38 at Oakfields, 18 September 1850, Major in the 4th Regiment (Gentleman's Magazine, 1850, p565). There were two daughters,. Eliza Sophia (or Sarah) Teresa Henrietta, his elder daughter who, on 1 January 1834 married the Rev Samuel Lysons (1806-77), of Hempsted in Gloucestershire. Samuel was the son of Daniel Lysons (1762-1834), antiquary and chaplain to Horace Walpole. She died in 1846. His second daughter Zacynthia (c1814-1907) married Charles John Courtenay-Boyle on 3 July 1849. A daughter of this marriage, Audrey Georgiana Florence, married Hallam Tennyson who had been baptised at St Mary's Church, Twickenham, son of Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Lady Moore died at Florence on 7 December 1849 aged 70 and was buried there on 10 December in the Protestant cemetery, her place of burial graced by a memorial designed by Francesco Mattei.

footnote

All passion was not spent in a life of military service. On 13 February 1832 General Moore fought a duel on Wimbledon Common with Mr Miles Stapleton of Richmond, Yorkshire, later Lord Beaumont, having challenged him for words used respecting his daughter. Stapleton was wounded but recovered and did not pursue the matter. The General had been arrested and confined at Kingston, being released against a recognisance of £4,000 provided by friends (John Gideon Millingen, The History of Duelling II, 1841, pp321/2 and other contemporary records).


further reading:

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (for Ogle)
Notes and Queries.1931; CLXI: 304, Major General Sir Lorenzo Moore, 35th Foot

back to top