At the marriage in 1928...

[KiteRunner]

... of my third cousin twice removed, Eva Douglas Brown, the Times (Fri Apr 13 1928) reports that "Princess Victoria sent a gift of furniture to Major Beauchamp Seymour, late 60th Rifles, son of the late Colonel Leopold Seymour and Lady Falle, and Miss Eva Douglas Brown, daughter of the Rev. Herbert Brown and the late Mrs. Brown, of St. Lawrence Rectory, whose marriage took place yesterday at St. Lawrence's Church, near Southminster, Essex."

Blimey, this branch of the family were much more illustrious than the rest of my tree! This is the same branch that were connected with the Devenish-Meares family in Australia. I guess they changed their surname from Brown to Douglas-Brown to sound posher. So, anyway -

• Which Princess Victoria would that be?
• What was her connection - presumably with Major Beauchamp Seymour's family?
• Why is St Lawrence's Church always referred to as "near Southminster"? Is it actually in a village?

[Harrys mum]

Sorry can't help with this, but just pulled up this weeks Catholic Leader and who's in it???

Catholic Leader online

[KiteRunner]

Wow, that's funny, he's the spitting image of someone I used to know called Meares, but he didn't have the Devenish bit in his name (or if he did, he had dropped it).

[Pippa Doll]

George V's sister for Princess Victoria?

[Pippa Doll]

The Seymours appear to be related to the Spencers...

[KiteRunner]

Ooh, interesting. Maybe the first few guests listed will help too: Lady Falle, Major Sir Eric and Lady Bonham, General Sir W and Lady Campbell, ... (then it gets to Eva's family)

Wish I knew what the piece of furniture was she gave them, lol!

[Pippa Doll]

Window in memory of Leopold Seymour:

Brockham Village Today

[KiteRunner]

Thanks, Pippa. I must go to bed now and I'll get back to this in the morning! Goodnight.

[Little Nell]

Google maps seems to show St Lawrence as a village near Southminster.

[Mary from Italy]

Beauchamp Seymour had some rather illustrious ancestors:

thePeerage.com - Person Page 3723

[Mary from Italy]

Here's Lady Falle:

thePeerage.com - Person Page 5484

[Pippa Doll]

thePeerage.com - Person Page 5483

[Pippa Doll]

Oooh you are related to Tom and can put Henry VIII in your tree!

[KiteRunner]

Lol, Pippa. Not really, since it's only Eva who is my blood relative, not her husband.

But thanks for that, everyone - so if the Peerage website is right, her husband was descended from Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset who was Jane Seymour's brother. And one of Eva and Beauchamp's twin daughters was named Jane Seymour, though she had a few middle names as well.

So St Lawrence is a village - that explains it, thanks Nell. Makes sense now!

[KiteRunner]

Coincidentally enough, there is an article in today's Guardian by Miranda Seymour all about her late father George Fitzroy Seymour, who inherited Thrumpton Hall in Nottinghamshire from his uncle. Guess what? George Fitzroy Seymour was Beauchamp Seymour's nephew!" (Though obviously it was a different uncle who owned Thrumpton Hall.) And George's parents are listed among the guests at Beauchamp and Eva's wedding, so I should think George was there too (he would have been about 5).