Widowed sufferers

Lord Chelmsford, Said that, though late, nevertheless, it became now his duty to read to the House two or three of the many cases of widowed sufferers that had been brought to his notice. He then, first, read the War Office Correspondence with the widow of the late Captain Degacher, 24th Foot, killed at Isandlana, which, he said, showed that she was not thought entitled to have either her late husband's Purchase money or pension of £80 a-year for self and £16 for her child, because, having £480 a-year, she came under the head of "Wealthy circumstances." Next, he read the Correspondence regarding the case of the late Captain Younghusband, 24th Regiment, also considered in "Wealthy circumstances." And, finally, he read the case of the mother of Lieutenant Porteus, 24th Regiment, also killed at Isandlana, which, he said, showed that this poor widowed mother had five children, three of them entirely dependent on her, and that her small income had been reduced to only £300 a-year by her having advanced, the Purchase money for her son, trusting to his being ultimately able to repay her; but she was now officially informed that this was to go into the pockets of the public. He (General Shute) added that he would now only thank the House for their attention, and express a hope that the Government would meet his views, which he would again press, if necessary, next Session, when he hoped to be able to divide on the subject.

And least he started to make amends for mistakes made by others.

Doe's anyone has any information relating to the families of those killed at Isandlwana.

Hi CTSG,

I can only offer up a couple of snippets of information and precious little detail in either case I'm afraid.

1st is QM Bloomfield, KIA Isandlwana, his wife according to the 1881 census was living on "Queen Anne's Bounty", some kind of a charity, but I could find very little about it on the internet at the time (about 8 years ago).

The other was Margaret Chambers, the Wife of Sgt George Chambers (KIA Isandlwana), and the sister of Gunner Lewis, a Rorke's Drift defender. At the time of her husbands death Margaret was in South Africa and shipped back to UK following the tragedy. At the time a great many appeal funds were being set up for the widows and orphans of these men by various individuals and organisations. One of these being an appeal by the Lord Mayor of London. The Sheffield Football Team (I think it was) toured the country giving charity matches against a 'Zulu' team (other professional footballers dressed up and using theatrical make up) to raise money for the family's of these men.

With the money she received from the widows funds, Margaret erected a headstone to her husband and her father on her fathers grave in Wales. After that was done she then set herself up as an inn keeper in Merthyr to support herself, her daughter and her widowed mum.

Hope this helps

Cheers
Bookworm

"The Queen Anne’s Bounty Act 1703 (2 & 3 Anne) led to the formation of a fund to provide financial assistance to impoverished Church of England clergy. In 1704, Queen Anne signed a Charter outlining the detrimental effect on the reputation of the Church produced by the poverty of many clergymen, redirecting two ecclesiastical taxes (the First Fruits and Tenths) from the Crown to a Corporation administered by a Board of Governors who were directed to use the revenue to augment the poorest livings. Although First Fruits and Tenths had originated as taxes paid to the Pope, at the Reformation Henry VIII assumed receipt of these monies, and by the early eighteenth century the estimated £17,000 per annum was used primarily for royal pensions, including a number awarded to illegitimate offspring of Charles II. Church reformers such as Bishop Burnet regarded this appropriation of Church monies for secular purposes as sacrilegious, and Anne was persuaded for both personal and political reasons to return these taxes to the benefit of the Church. The first payments were not made until 1714, following a decade of detailed surveys and assessments, when livings worth £10 per year were provided with a £200 supplement for the purchase of land that would provide long-term rental income to the benefice.
Amended by further Acts in 1716, 1803, 1838, 1840 and 1870, Queen Anne’s Bounty continued to benefit the most poorly compensated clerics, evolving and changing to meet the needs of the Church, until its dissolution in 1947 when the National Assembly of the Church of England passed The Church Commissioners Measure amalgamating the Corporation of the Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne with the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England (formed 1836) to form a new body, the Church Commissioners."

Source:church-commission

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Otago Witness , Issue 1445, 2 August 1879, Page 24
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Seems like some things have always been the same way.