| 2. | Lieutenant Alexander Bisset, 1820 Settler was born in 1788; died on 12 Jul 1848 in Bathurst, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Other Events and Attributes:
- 1820 Lineage: Yes
- Settler ID: 89
- Name: Alexander (Lt) Bissett 1820
- Occupation: a Naval Officer
- Residence: Long Acre, London, England
- Settler: 12 Feb 1820, The Downs, Deal, Kent, England
- Occupation: 1 Jan 1825, Bathurst, Eastern Cape, South Africa; a Post Master
Notes:
Wilson's party on the S.Belle Alliance. The family lived at Fairfax near the Kowie, and the settler is buried at Bathurst. Alexander Bisset had joined the Royal Navy in 1796 at the age of 12 as a midshipman and took part in many engagements under Nelson and other Admirals. He was a Lt. when he retired.
Alexander BISSET, aged 32 (Lt. R.N.) was in Willson's party of the Belle Alliance with his wife Alicia (28), dau. of Admiral Edward Tyrrell SMITH, and their three children. They lived at Fairfax near the Kowie and Alexander is buried at Bathurst.
Died at his residence, Graham's Town, on Wednesday 12th July 1848, Alexander BISSET Esq, Commander Royal Navy, aged 61 years.
[Saturday 15 July 1848 Ght. Journal]
b1. Alexander Charles, b. 1816 m. Sarah, dau of Capt. LAMONT, n.f.
m2. 3 sons and 2 dau.
"However, on this site and on Ancestry I note that Alexander Bissett's wife is given as Alicia Tindal Smith born in London. From my own research I would suggest that the Alicia Smith who married Alexander Bissett in 1812 was not Alicia Tindal Smith and the marriage took place in London not in the Channel Islands. There is a marriage Licence allegation dated 26 August 1812 and Pallots Marriage Index shows Alicia Smith m Alexander Bisset 1812, St Pancras, Middlesex.
Alicia and her sisters, daughters of Admiral Edward Tyrrell Smith and Louisa Birkenhead, were born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire and baptised at St Chad's Church. [IGI and Parish record transcript fiche]
I am descended from one of Alicia's half brothers who settled in Chatham, Kent
Some of the Admiral's other children emigrated to Australia where there is quite a proliferation of descendants
Hope this is of interest and of use. Regards Linda "
From Some Frontier Families by Ivan Mitford-Barberton:
BISSETT
Arms: Azure, on a bend argent three mullets gules.
Crest: Out of a stump of a tree eradicated and erased a single branch proper.
Motto: REPULLULAT (I spring afresh.)
a. ALEXANDER BISSET, aged 32 (Lt. R.N.) was in Wilson's party of the S. Belle Alliance with his wife Alicia (28) daughter of Admiral E.T. Smith, whom he had married at Jersey, Channel Islands, and their three children. They lived at Fairfax near the Kowie and Settler Alexander Bisset is buried at Bathurst. Their family is as follows:
b1. Alexander Charles, born 1816, married Sarah, daughters of Capt. Lamont. No family. Married (2) in 1880 and had 3 sons 2 daughters.
2. John Jarvis born 1818, married (1) Charlotte, daughter of Dr. A.B. Morgan, surgeon to the 58th Regt. – 4 sons, 4 daughters.
c1. Alexander, married Ella Barron, in England. family. 3. Christian, Jack & ?.
2. Walter married Frances, daughter of John Frank and his wife Ann Eliz. (born Bowker). 2 sons, Frank married Beryl Schultz (issue) Egerton married Eileen Wynne, no family.
3. Cecil married Constance Gaye, at the Cape.
4. Sidney, d.y.
5. Alice married (1) Sidney Carlisle, family. Mary, Sybil, Thomas, married (2) St. John Carr.
6. Helen married Theophilus Shepstone, son of Sir Theophilus Shepstone C.M.G. of Natal. He also had a distinguished career. 1 daughter 2 sons – Eva, Sydney, Frank.
7. Amy married C.H. Master – family. Charles, Arthur, Herbert, Amy.
8. Charlotte, born 1865. married in England, 1888 to Frank Euston.
2. John Jarvis married (2) Frances, daughter of Thomas Bridge, at Reigate, in 1888.
3. George, married -- Behreus, large family.
4. Charles R. Walter, unmarried.
5. Sarah Maria married P.W. Lucas, manager of the E.P. Bank in Grahamstown. He had been educated at Christchurch (Blue Coats) School. Came to S.A. with parents.
6. Harriet married (1) Capt. Fred Alcock.
c1. Alicia married Capt. Gould of the 13th Regt.
2. Fanny married Capt. Martin of the 2nd Queens Regt. Son of Fredk Martin.
3. Fred Alcock married Amy Franklin.
Harriet married (2) J. Jameson, a merchant of Australia.
7. Alicia Honor married F.J. Mills, large family. One, William Mills
emigrated to America.
The Bisset family can be traced back to the time of William the Conqueror, when they obtained large estates in the Inverness area, while in 1230 Sir John Bisset founded the priory of Beaulieu in Ross Shire.
Settler Alexander Bisset had joined the Royal Navy in 1796, at the age of 12, as a midshipman and took part in many engagements under Nelson and other Admirals. He was a Lt. when he retired. His son Alexander Charles farmed in the East London area and was quite well-known as a painter.
Of John Jarvis's family, his eldest son Alexander was educated at Wellington College, England, then in Canada, where his father was in command of troops before being transferred to Gibraltar. Alexander finally settled in Natal as a farmer. The second son Walter was educated at Diocesan College, Cape, then at Cheltenham, England. Farmed in Natal and finally became a mine manager in Johannesburg. Cecil was educated with Walter, was an engineer on the first Railway works in Natal. Was in the Natal Carbineers under Shepstone and served through the Zulu War (1879) with credit and distinction as a Lt. He was then appointed to the Cape Infantry Regt and was with it till disbanded about 1887. Went to the Gold Fields.
Alice's husband Sidney Carlisle, was a solicitor and High Sheriff of the Eastern Cape. Moved to Kimberley and died on an expedition to the interior. Charlotte born 1865, lost her mother at birth and was brought up by her mother's sister, wife of Col Randall, C.B. b3. John Jarvis Bisset (later C.B., K.C.M.G.) wrote of his first patrol in the Sixth Frontier War 1835:
"We proceeded to some farms on the Kareiga River south of Grahamstown, to give warning or assistance to the scattered homesteads. On arriving at Botha's Farm, we found the Dutch women running from house to house with children under their arms, screaming that their husbands were surrounded by Kaffirs some ten miles away. We rode very fast in the direction of the firing and found three Dutchmen encircled in a small clump of bush by some hundreds of Kaffirs. They kept hurling assegais, but were afraid to rush in as the Dutchmen kept up a rapid fire from their two guns. The third man had no gun. We came up just as they exhausted their ammunition. The natives dispersed after having captured their waggons and oxen. The men were in a sad plight, one having received nineteen assegai wounds and the other twenty-two. The clump of bush resembled a porcupine, for it bristled with assegais sticking in every tree."
After serving through the Sixth Frontier War as a lad of 17 he decided to make the army his career. He obtained a commission as Ensign and Lieutenant in a battalion of native infantry. In 1842 he was Field Adjutant to a division of troops in the Colesberg area. He served throughout the Seventh Frontier War (1846) where he held the appointment of Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General. He was present at the battle of Gwanga and several minor affairs with the Xhosas, and finally was appointed Brigade Major of British Kaffraria.
At the outbreak of the Eighth Frontier War (1850) he was severely wounded at the Boomah Pass in the Amatola Mountains. General Sir John Bisset was the author of "Sport and War" which, in
addition to hunting experiences, gives an interesting personal account of the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Frontier Wars. For many years he commanded that famous old regiment the Cape Mounted Rifles and retired with the rank of Lt. General. From 1865-7 he held the post of Lt. Governor of Natal, receiving the Order of C.B. in 1867 and K.C.M.G. in 1877.
A close relation of the Settler Bisset was James Bisset (Senior), J.P., Mem. Inst. C.R., M.N.S.I., who came out to the Cape in 1858 with a party of railway engineers to build the first railway from Cape Town to Wellington (55 m.) and at the same time another section from Cape Town to Wynberg, a distance of 9 miles. Mr. Bisset also took a leading part in the construction of the railway from Port Elizabeth to Uitenhage, and from East London to King William's Town. Major James Bisset married in 1862 Miss E.M.C. Jarvis, daughter of the late Hon. H.C. Jarvis, M.L.C. of Cape Town, by whom he had six sons and one daughter. Two sons were Barristers at Law, two were Attorneys and Notaries, and two were Government Land Surveyors, leaving many descendants in the Cape.
Alexander BISSETTand his wife Alicia were the witnesses at the marriage of Walter CURRIE to Ann LOWE, which also took place in Jersey , Channel Islands.
It would appear, from what I can discover, that Walter and Alexander had become friends in the navy, and were lifelong friends. Walter CURRIE and his family also travelled to the Cape Colony in Willson's party with the BISSETT's.
In fact Alexander BISSETT had made an application to bring his own party to the Colony, and this party included the entire CURRIE family, as well as some of Walter CURRIE's cousins from his mother's side. Their surname was PATERSON. However, this application was not successful.
Settler:
Willson's party on the La Belle Alliance
Alexander married Alicia Smith, 1820 Settler on 29 Aug 1812 in St Pancras, London, England. Alicia (daughter of Admiral Edward Tyrrell Smith and Louisa Birkenhead) was born in 1792 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England; died after 1825. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1818 - 1894 (76 years)
