PEARCE, Elizabeth. A popular serio-comic singer and dancer at the principal London and provincial music halls many years; created the famous songs Betsy Gay, Buy a broom, and When the family are from home; retired some years before her death; m. Richard Arnold Burnett, map mounter; she d. 146 York road, Waterloo road, London 24 Dec. 1890.
PEARCE, Paulin Huggett (son of Edward Pearce of Ramsgate, d. 25 Sept. 1851, aged 81, by Susannah his wife, who d. 19 May 1869, aged 92). b. Ramsgate 1809; a well known swimmer; saved many lives and had medals from Royal humane soc. 1818 etc.; instrumental in saving lives of crew of the Colonist at Barbadoes 1826; gave swimming exhibitions off Ramsgate pier; author of The funeral of lord Nelson 1850; The duke of Wellington’s grand funeral ode 1854; King Edward IV, a play 1868; King Richard I, a play 1868; Lord Nelson’s battles 1868; A treatise and poem on swimming 1868; P. H. Pearce’s Tragedy of the battle of Waterloo 1869; The infallible art of swimming 1869; The warrior’s swimming book 1869; Alexander the Great, a play 1872; Godwin island, a play 1872; King Darius of Persia, a play 1872; King Petri and the Black prince, a tragedy 1874; Tippo Sahib, the sultan of Mysore, a poem 1876. d. 10 Harbour st, Ramsgate 23 Nov. 1888. bur. St. Peter’s churchyard.
Note.—His brother Frederick Pearce was residing at Ramsgate 1894. His brother Charles Pearce made a fortune as a boot maker at No. 10 Harbour st. Ramsgate, was organist of St. Peter’s church 1846–91, d. 29 May 1891, aged 66.
PEARCE, Thomas (youngest son of Francis Pearce, rector of Hatford, Berks.) b. 1820; educ. Lincoln coll. Oxf, B.A. 1843, M.A. 1848; C. of Golden hill, Staffs. 1845–7; C. of Highcliffe, Hants. 1847–9; C. of Waterperry, Oxon. 1850–2; C. of Sparsholt, Berks. 1852–3; V. of Morden, Wilts. 1853 to death; author of The dog, with directions for his treatment and notices of the best dogs of the day, by Idstone 1872; The Idstone papers, by Idstone of the Field 1872, 2 ed. 1874; he wrote a considerable portion of The dogs of the British islands edited by Stonehenge [John Henry Walsh] 1867. d. Kempstone, Westcliffe, Bournemouth 24 Sept. 1885.
PEARCE, Walter. b. 1854; educ. St. Mary’s hospital, Univ. coll. London, and Rotunda hospital, Dublin; studied at school of mines; B.Sc. univ of London 1874, M.R.C.S. 1881, M.B. and B.S. 1885, M.D. 1886; L.R.C.P. 1886. M.R.C.P. 1886; took diploma in Sanitary science 1887; took diploma in Mental medicine of Medico-Psychological assoc. 1886; medical superintendent, then assist. surgeon St. Mary’s hospital, London; acting surgeon of the 20th Middlesex volunteers (Artists’ corps) 23 Aug. 1884; resided 63 Montagu square, London. shot himself in medical staff room St. Mary’s hospital 15 May 1890. Lancet 24 May 1890 p. 1156.
PEARCE, William. b. 1789; quartermaster 4 West India foot 26 Dec. 1805; lieut. 44 foot 21 Sept. 1810; captain 60 foot 15 Aug. 1813, major 25 Dec. 1825; placed on h.p. as lieut. col. 29 Aug. 1826; K.H. 1835. d. Ffowdgrech, Brecknockshire 5 Feb. 1871.
PEARCE, Sir William, 1 Baronet (son of Joseph George Pearce of Brompton, near Chatham). b. Brompton 8 Jany. 1833; apprenticed in Chatham dockyard; superintended the building of the Achilles, the first ironclad built in a royal yard 1861; surveyor of Lloyd’s registry for the Clyde district 1863; general manager of the works of Robert Napier and son 1864; shipbuilder with Ure and Jameson, under style of John Elder and Co. 1869, his partners retired in 1878; the business was turned into a limited company under name of the Fairfield shipbuilding and engineering company of which he was chairman 1885; built all the steamers for the North German Lloyd’s and for the New Zealand shipping company; built 11 stern-wheel vessels for service on the Nile in 28 days 1884; chairman of the Guion steamship company and of the Scottish oriental steamship company; M.P. Govan division of Lanarkshire Dec. 1885 to death; created baronet 25 July 1887. d. 119 Piccadilly, London 18 Dec. 1888. bur. Gillingham, Kent 22 Dec., personal estate declared at £1,069,669. R. F. Gould’s History of freemasonry ii 409 (1884) portrait; D. Pollock’s Modern shipbuilding (1884) 30.
PEARCEY, Mary Eleanor, taken name of Mary Eleanor Wheeler (dau. of James Whitford Wheeler, a marine, d. 17 Aug. 1882). b. Ightham, Kent 26 March 1866; worked as a furrier in Cannon st. Stepney; lived with Charles Pearcey about Nov. 1885 to Nov. 1888, and took his name; invited Phœbe Hogg to visit her at 2 Priory st. Kentish town 24 Oct. 1890, and then quarrelled with her and fractured her head and cut her throat, conveyed the body in a perambulator to Crossfield road, Eton avenue, South Hampstead, where it was found on 25 Oct. as well as the dead body of her young child; executed Newgate 22 Dec. 1890. Central criminal court minutes of evidence cxiii 44–72 (1891); Times 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 Oct. 1890, 1, 3, 18 Nov., 6, 18, 20, 23, 24 Dec.; Western Morning News 14 Nov. 1890 p. 3; Illustrated police news 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Dec. 1890, many portraits.
PEARD, John Whitehead (2 son of vice-admiral Shuldham Peard 1761–1832). b. Fowey, Cornwall, July 1811; educ. King’s school, Ottery St. Mary, and Exeter college, Oxford, B.A. 1833, M.A. 1836, stroke of his college boat; student Inner Temple 16 Nov. 1832, barrister 17 Nov. 1837; captain in Duke of Cornwall’s Rangers 4 June 1853, displaced 24 Dec. 1861; joined the forces of Garibaldi and organized and commanded a company of revolving-rifle soldiers 1860, distinguished himself at battle of Melazzo in Sicily 20 July 1860, raised to rank of colonel; commanded the English legion in the advance to Naples, received cross of the order of Valour from Victor Emmanuel; generally known as Garibaldi’s Englishman; was visited by Garibaldi at his seat Penquite on the Fowey river 25–7 April 1864; sheriff of Cornwall 1869. d. Trenython, Par, Cornwall 21 Nov. 1880. bur. Fowey cemet. 24 Nov. Boase and Courtney’s Bibl. Cornub. ii 439, iii 1456 (1874–82); Boase’s Collect. Cornub. (1890) 690, 1018; Sir C. Forbe’s Campaign of Garibaldi (1861) 94–9, 143, 200, 217–31; Trollope’s What I remember ii 222–1 (1887–9); Pycroft’s Oxford memories i 48–9, ii 71 (1886); Sir F. H. Doyle’s Reminiscences (1886) 222–3; I.L.N. 11 Aug. 1860 p. 135 portrait; Illust. times 9 Feb. 1861 p. 83 portrait.
Note.—His name was never inserted in the Law List, this is a very remarkable case.