Peter Bruels Man was born on 25 January 1778 on Fenchurch Street, London, the eldest son of Henry and Eleanor (Thompson) Man, and was baptized on 25 February at St Gabriel, Fenchurch.

He married Catherine Walch on 8 September 1803 at St. Mary, Fort St. George, Presidency of Madras, India. Peter died, aged 33, on 7 May 1811 at St. Thome, Presidency of Madras, and was buried on the same day at The British Cemetery, Fort St. George.

Catherine Walch was born in 1791 at Portsmouth, Hampshire, the daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth Walch. Catherine died on 29 May 1873 at 19 Derby Terrace, Croydon, Surrey and is buried at Queens Road Cemetery, Croydon, Surrey.

Peter and Catherine belong to Man Generation Seven; their children belong to Man Generation Eight and are:

1. HENRY GARNET
2. GEORGE PARISH FREDERICK (view his baptismal record below)

[References: Peter’s birth and baptism – FHL Film # 0394830; his marriage – FHL Film # 0506955; his death – FHL# 2105290 and his burial – FHL Film # 0506956. Catherine’s birth year and place – 1871 Census of Halstead, Kent; her date and place of death – copy of her death certificate, no burial information as yet.]

Notes: From the ‘Alphabetical list of the Officers of the Madras Army from the years 1760 – 1834’ Peter Bruels Man was listed as a Cadet in 1795 and on 11 February 1796 he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant and joined the 2nd Battalion of the 16th Regiment of the Madras Army. On 1 November of the same year he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant. He became a Captain in the regiment on 21 September 1804. He was 33 when he died, not 48 as shown on the Man family memorial at St Margaret’s Church, Halstead, Kent. Catherine was the daughter of one of Peter’s fellow officers and she became his ward when her parents died. She was only 12 years old when he married her.

Fort St. George, Madras, India at the time that Perter Man was serving there

Hubert Man’s notes on Peter Bruels Man are as follows: Peter Bruels Man, one of his [Harry Stoe Man’s] sons, entered the Madras Army & died Captain Peter Man at the age of 37. He married a Miss Walch when she was only 14 or 15. Tradition says that she was the daughter of a brother officer of Peter’s he died & Peter was left as the child’s guardian. Peter came home on leave from India & married his ward & took her back to India with him. They were wrecked on Robbin Island on the way out. Her diary of the voyage is in the family’s possession. [This has not been found].

A very good portrait of her, always known as Aunt Peter, is in the possession, of E. J. F. Garnet Man; her father was Major Garnet Walsh sometime of the 54th foot. She lived to a good old age & spent the last years of her life at Halstead Hall, Halstead, Kent the home of her brother-in-law Harry Stoe Man.

(More notes by Hubert)

‘I [Hubert] searched at the India Office this week & found in the East India Registry & Directory for 1803 & 1812, Captain Peter Bruels Man joined the Madras Army, the 16th N. I. 1/11/1796, he joined the 16th N. I. 1/1/1800, was promoted Captain in the Army 24/4/1804, Captain in the Regiment 21/9/1804. He died as a Captain in the Regiment at St Thome on (obliterated) /5/1811. This disagrees with note on the opposite page [not available]. The permanent station of the 16th N. I. appears to have been Fort St. George. The 16th N. I. had two battalions.’ [N. I. – National Infantry]Media

There are some questions that Hubert’s notes raise; for instance there is no record of a Walch in the Alphabetic List of Officers, also there are inconsistencies as to how old Catherine Walch was when she married Peter Man. If she was born in 1791 and married in 1803 she would have been 12! Peter was buried in India (his burial record has been found) not at St Margaret’s Patten, London. Catherine Walsh was born in Hampshire, not India, etc. (David Man).

Peter’s probate administration from the Madras supreme court:

Below from Croydon in the Past which lists some of the graves at Croydon Cemetery:

Catherine wrote two letters one to her son Garnet and the other to her brother. These can be read here.

A ‘baptismal’ record has been found for George Parish Frederick Man which reads as follows:

Duplicate

Extracts from the Registers of Baptisms, Marriages and Funerals at the Out Garrisons under the Presidency of Fort St George from August 31st to November 30th, 1801.

Madras in the house of Captain Peter Bruels Man. This is to certify that George Parish Frederick, son of Captain Peter Bruels and Mrs. Catherine Man, born 9th April 1807 was baptized by me according to the form of public baptism set forth in the rubric of of the Church of England this 12th day of October 1808.

Signed W. R. ? Magistrate, where no ordained clergyman resided …

named G. Parish P.B. Man for Henry Man
Catherine Man for Ann Man.

Witnesses Mr. Wm. Whyte M. Christy.