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This page was written by Carol Winfield, who would be pleased to hear from anyone who can add to this story. Use the contact button, above.

Robert Richard Torrens (born about 1816 Cork Ireland) married Barbara Anson in 1839. She was born Barbara Park about 1805 in Scotland and married George Augustus Anson. He died without issue in 1829 and his widow Barbara remarried in 1839 - she would have been 34 and some 10 years older than Robert Torrens.

George Augustus Anson was the eldest of 11 children born to Gen Sir George Anson and his wife Frances, the daughter of John William Hamilton Esq. Their ninth child was ordained as the Rev Thomas Anchitel Anson and he married Anna Jane Packe, the eldest child of Col Henry Packe, in Twyford, Norfolk in 1846.

Col Henry Packe served with the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards and had a distinguished Army career. He married Eliza Isham in 1821 and they had 13 children — 9 sons and 4 daughters. He bought Twyford Hall in Norfolk in 1830 and was Lord of the Manor of Twyford until his death in 1859. His third daughter Frances Catherine was born in Twyford in 1832 and is of interest later on. His youngest child and fourth daughter Emilie was born in France in 1841 and married Sir Edward Henry Scott, 5th Baronet of Lychett Minster, in Twyford, in 1865.

The Rev Thomas Anson became the Rector of Longford, Derbyshire in 1850 and was Rector there until his death in 1899. He and Anna Jane had 11 children and it is their second child Emily Mary born in Billingford in 1848 who provides the link to Annie Torrens.

Frances Catherine Packe never married and died in London in 1919 aged 87. Little is known about her except for a school in Guist, Norfolk which was known as Miss Packe‘s school. Guist is the neighbouring parish to Twyford where she grew up but the family moved away on her father‘s death in 1859. The school was built in 1871 by which time she was living in London. It was built with money donated by her brother-in-law Sir Edward Scott.

Sir Edward Scott was a banker and his bank had financed the purchase and extension of a castle in the Hebrides Amhuinnsuidhe (pronounced aven-suey) for its then owner. The extension bankrupted the owner and the bank repossessed it and Sir Edward Scott bought it and turned it into a real country retreat for non paying friends and family employing a permanent staff of more than 30 with seasonal employees as well. He and Emilie holidayed up there for lengthy periods inviting friends and family to join them.

Tragedy struck during one of their stays in August 1874 when Emily Mary Anson (known as Milly), daughter of Emilie Scott‘s sister Anna Jane Anson, drowned whilst swimming in the loch at the Castle. The Scotts had three young ladies staying with them for this ill fated holiday — the unfortunate Milly, who was their niece, Laura Lennard and Annie Torrens.

Laura Lennard was the daughter of Col Sir John Farnaby Lennard of Wickham Court and she married William Packe and then William Hoare of Staplehurst in Kent. On the day of the accident Sir Edward Scott wrote to Col Lennard:

27. Aug.

My dear Colonel

Our hearts are sad enough here. Thank God that I have no cause to make you so otherwise than sympathise with the sorrow of your friends.

This morning Annie Torrens, Laura and Milly Anson went to bathe in a little bay near the castle. The boat that took them lay just round the point, waiting out of sight. Annie and Milly had the first dip, hand in hand. Whether Laura was also with her hand in either Annie‘s or Milly‘s I have not discovered. Annie raised her hands to clear her eyes from the water when to her horror she saw the two girls struggling in the water, evidently out of their depth — carried off their legs by a wash. She tried to reach them and Milly grasped her bathing dress, tearing it in catching hold. Annie then rushed to shore and seized a towel throwing it to one of the girls, but it was too short. Laura with utter presence of mind called to Milly to throw herself on her back and float, doing the same herself and Annie rushed up the little hill, which brought her in sight of the castle to call for help. The bathing boat saw her running up the hill and gave way immediately, arriving in time to pick up Laura who was sensible and with presence of mind enough to say ”Look for the other one who is drowned•. They then saw a short distance off the bit of bathing gown above water and, on rowing there, found poor Milly, being just in time to grasp her hair before she sank altogether.

We were fishing in a burn just close to the Castle and the first idea of danger was the appearance of Annie in her bathing gown on the hill. Our boat was sent off immediately and I tore down to the harbour, hailed the Yacht gig and within four minutes was on my way. The bathing boat had however long before picked up the two dear girls. On reaching the Castle steps, where the pier is, I saw dear Laura sitting up in the bows of the boat and I jumped into the water and took her in my arms to carry her off. She said ”Poor Milly, where is she?• ”Good God, you do not say there is another one• I said to the men, but alas, there was poor Milly in the stern totally insensible. I carried dear Laura in and our poor Milly was also brought home and we sent for the doctor. All remedies were applied but the poor girl was dead before she reached the Castle, though we could not help persevering in our efforts till the arrival of the doctor pronounced that life had been extinct for sometime. Crazy as we almost are with sorrow I hardly know what we should have been if my letter had had to give you the bitter news of dear Laura‘s death. A merciful providence has spared her and she is going on thoroughly well. Had it not been for her wonderful presence of mind there could have been no hope for her. Can you even trust a daughter to us again? You will, I am sure, feel that sooner than anything would have happened to her I would have risked life and everything. Every precaution had been taken. A rope was at the bathing place but the low tide made it too short and the bathing boat was only just out of sight. Forgive an incoherent letter but we are almost distracted with the terrible day. That Laura will be watched over most carefully and truly you may well feel sure of. She will come down with us when the yacht returns from her sad journey with poor Milly. She is quite another child to us in our affection, so was dear Milly. It would have been too awful to have lost both, heartrending as it is to loose one.

Always most sincerely yours,

E H Scott

The original of this letter is lodged in a Record Office. We do not know how they broke the news to Milly‘s parents. Sir Edward had her body transported back by sea in his yacht, according to this letter. It is presumed that the Scott‘s own four young children were in Scotland with them. Milly was buried in the churchyard of her father‘s church in Longford and Sir Edward and Emilie Scott donated a much needed church organ in her memory.

So who was Annie Torrens? Given the link between Milly‘s father the Rev Thomas Anson and Barbara Torrens — could Annie have been Barbara and Sir Robert Torrens daughter. Both Milly and Laura were in their mid 20‘s in 1875 — Milly was 26. If Annie had been of similar age she would have been born about 1850 when Barbara was 45 so maybe she was a little older than the other two girls.

Carol Winfield

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