52 Ancestors - Week 22 - So Far Away - Charles Woolcock
Some time between 18 December 1863 and 9th January 1865, Charles Woolcock arrived in New Zealand, a place far, far away from Cornwall and his wife and child. The name of the ship or ships he sailed upon is proving rather elusive and I've always wondered if he either came via Australia or under an assumed name to hide his whereabouts. You may be wondering how I can be so accurate about the dates. Some years ago, the UK National Archives made available files from the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes. I assumed it was a divorce document to dissolve the 1853 marriage of Charles Woolcock and Betsy Lawry that took place at Perranzabuloe, Cornwall. When it was finally transcribed, I was able to piece together the nature of a Victorian marriage and work out approximately when Charles arrived in New Zealand. The May 1865 document in the archives is not a divorce or even a deed of separation. Instead it is a petition from Betsy for the protection of her earnings. It clearly o