Wedderburn book > History

332 THE WEDDERBURN BOOK.
Part" 1 - 1881. (ii.) At St. John's, Forest Hill, 23 Jan. 1883, Edward John Doherty
p ' ' Wigginton, a member of the Stock Exchange, by whom (living 1898,
at Long Ditton) she has issue, a son and a daughter, William Wedderburn-
Wigginton, b. at Long Ditton, 23 June 1892; Gladys Wedderburn-
Wigginton, b. at Forest Hill, 10 Dec. 1883.
The daughter of Charles Webster- Wedderburn and Rebecca Chatterton,
Rebecca Georgina Webster-Wedderburn was born, 22 Sept. 1834 ; and died
in Paris, 21 Dec. 1890, and was buried in Pere la Chaise. She married, M.
Dufour, an officer in the French army, who d.s.p. (ii.) Leon Jean Consigned
Paris, but had by him also (who survived her) no issue. 1
The eldest son of David Wedderburn- Webster (ante, p. 329),
Sir James Webster-Wedderburn (at one time Wedderburn- Webster), [1788-
1840], was born 31 May 1788 (J.W., 47), 2 and is named in the will of James Webster in
the next year (D.C. 105). He was educated at home, under the tutorship of John
Campbell, afterwards Lord Chancellor, 3 and later on served for a short time in the Navy,
on board the " Lion," Man of War, but quitted the sea for the Army, and served in the
10th and 11th Regiments of Dragoons, until his marriage in 1810, 4 when he retired from
the service. It would thus seem clear that he was not present in any military capacity
at the battle of Waterloo, although he is said to have allowed people to assume that he
was there, and owed some affection from which he suffered in later life to a wound received
in the battle. 5
In 1811 he obtained from the Lyon College in Scotland a matriculation of amis
(quartering those of Wedderburn and Webster), with supporters, "he being the chief of
the surname of Webster, a surname at one time very numerous in the county of Forfar,"
a curious statement of chieftainship, as he had no Webster blood (see ante, p. 332, note 5).''
Thus, in 1819 he disused the surname of Webster in favour of that of Wedderburn (J.W,
61), and it is to be presumed that he then relinquished the supporters also.
In 1815-16 he published several Miscellaneous Poems, and in 1819, printed "at the
i M me Dufour was in Paris throughout the siege (1870-71) and went through all the terrors of that event.
Her house being destroyed by the bombardment she took refuge in a cellar, where she remained till
the siege was over, being supplied by M. Consign^ and his mother with food and such comforts as
were possible. Her second marriage took place after the siege was over. M. Consign^, who gives
me the date of her death, etc., tells me that he has in his possession a portrait of his wife's mother.
- His mother's memorandum gives (J.W. 47) 30 May with doubt, but adds that it was " two days
before " his namesake, the brother of J.W., who was born Jan. 2. J. W. 62 gives the year as 1789.
The " young James Wedderburn " named in 1806 (S.W. 692) mav he lie or his namesake. Sir James
is also named in 1820 (S.W. 710).
3 See Life of Lord Campbell. " Mr. Webster (he says in a fragment of autobiography) was a very good-
natured but not very wise man, and I soon diseovered that he had not much authority in his own
house. Madame was mistress in everything. She was young, beautiful, gay, and fond of admiration.
My pupil was a boy of about 9 or 10 years (1799). ... I left the Websters on very friendly terms,
aud [ continued to visit them and to be treated by them with kindness. Mr. Webster within a year
afterwards died, and his widow contracted a second marriage with a gentleman of the name of
Douglas. They afterwards consulted me about their affairs when I was rising to eminence at the
Bar, and I had the satisfaction of being of considerable use to them. The son went to a public
school, entered the army, married a daughter of the Earl of Mount Morris, and became Sir James
Webster Wedderburn." The affairs about which Campbell was consulted were doubtless those out
of which arose the long Chancery suit of Wedderburn v. AVedderburu, though if Campbell advised
the suit, exception may be taken to his view of his services. He was not counsel in it, although
the suit was begun in 1831 (see post. Part v.), and he had taken silk in 1827.
4 He was also admitted a student at Lincoln's Inn. "James Wedderburn Webster, aged 20, eldest son of
David Webster late of Shanly {sic) Hill, co. Herts, 25 May 1808."
5 The fact would seem to be that he was. with his wife, at the Waterloo Ball, not at the Battle. See
Murray's Magazine, 1889, vol. v., No. 25, where, in an article entitled " Personal Recollections of the
Great Duke of Wellington," by the Dowager Lady de Kos, is given a list (copied from a list given by
the Duchess to Lord Verulam, and by him to Lady de Ros) of the invitations to the Duchess of
Richmond's Ball at Brussels, 15 June 1815. In this list appear the names of Countess Mount-Norris,
Lady JuliaDa Aunesley, and Mr. and Lady Frances Webster. There is, however, a tradition that
one of the first acts of the Duke of Wellington after the battle was to tear a leaf from his pocket-book
and write on it a note to Lady Frances assuring her of her husband's safety ; and there is (in the
possession of Mrs. George Webster-Wedderburn, post, p. 334) a miniature of Sir James, engraved on
the back "Lieut. Wedderburne Webster, 10th P.W.O. Dragoons, Sept. 1810," which was given to
her husband hy a friend who had bought it from a dealer as having been picked up on the field of
Waterloo. There was also a miniature of Sir James, done by Autissier in 1813, and another of Lady
Frances and her daughter, the latter being then quite a child, in the possession of the late
Howard A. W. Bisshop of the Hermitage, Old Shirley.
fl See also post, the chapter on the arms of the family, where the matriculation is given in full.