Louisa Matilda Percy

e - thomas webber and louisa moore

• General Notes
  • 
    Born in Devonshire, England.
    Fourth child .
    She married Mr. Moore from Devon at Awliscombe church, (Awliscombe is a village 2 miles west of Honiton), District of Honiton, Devon on 23 March 1848.
    Moore family tradition says they then migrated to America in 1850 with Louisa's 2 sisters and 1 brother, and respective families.  In fact they probably left for America shortly after their mother Harriet Fraunceis Griffith died in February 1851.
    The family story says they went to America to seek their fortune in the gold rush there.
    
    Subsequently Louisa Matilda came to Australia with her husband Thomas Webber Moore and their child Thomas Fraunceis - landing at Port Phillip in 1853 to try their luck in the Victorian gold rush.
    Thomas and Louisa Moore brought their young son Thomas Fraunceis Moore with them - he had been born in England, then travelled with them to America but grew up in Australia.
    
    They first settled in Ballarat, Victoria, and were present during the gold rush there.  They did well with finding gold at the various central Victorian goldfields, including Linton, Armstrong, Glendhu then Glenpatrick.
    
    The family later moved to land at Nowhere Creek at Elmhurst, Victoria circa 1854, and had sufficient funds to buy a substantial property there, which they called "Deer Park" in memory of Louisa's father.
    
    Louisa began life in polite society in England, but after marrying Mr. Moore and coming to Victoria, she had many wild adventures, which she coped with very well. 
    
    Louisa Matilda Moore died at Elmhurst in 1888 - as recorded in inquest documentation held by the Avoca and District Historical Society.
    According to family tradition recorded by Louisa Emma Moore, when Louisa Matilda died in a fatal buggy accident, the local press published these obituitaries:
    The Ararat Adventurer said  "MOORE.  At Glendhu, Jan 29th 1888, result of accident, Louisa Matilda, aged 70 years, wife of Thomas Moore, of Devonshire, England, and niece of Squire Gwyn of Ford Abbey, Dorsetshire, England."
    
    The Melbourne Press said "Mrs. Moore, wife of Mr. Moore, Elmhurst, died in a fatal accident, aged 70 years. Mrs. Moore was the niece of Squire Gwyn of Ford Abbey, England, and grand-daughter of the Duke of Northumberland on the paternal side."
    She was buried in Elmhurst Cemetary.
    
    ***The above information and many other stories are from private writings by Louisa Matilda's grand-daughter Lou Moore, now in the possession of Ralph Ballard.
    
    Louisa, daughter of Richard Percy of Deer Park, Devon and of Miss Harriett "Louisa" Griffith of the Gwyn family at Forde Abbey (who was living at Forde Abbey when the last Squire John Gwyn died in 1846), could have met Mr. Moore around the family home in Luppitt, Honiton, Devon.
    
    Note there is a record of a Moore-Gwyn family in Dyffryn, Glamorgan, Wales.
    There are plentiful records from the 1500's to 1846 of the Gwyn family of Forde Abbey, Dorset having estates in Llansanor, Glamorgan, Wales.
    
    All these records are housed by the National Register of Archives.
    See:   http://www.nra.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/fedocs.asp?FER=F700
    

Husband's Pictures

e - thomas webber and louisa moore