Caroline Pettitt (buried 1924)

At a glance

At a glance
Surname: 
Pettitt
First name: 
Caroline
Other Christian names: 
Emily
Gender: 
Female
Children: 
No
Burial number: 
1155
Born: 
8/9/1844
Died: 
21/02/1924
Buried: 
25/02/1924
Distinction: 
Born in India
Heene Hallmark: 
No
Commonwealth War Grave: 
No

The Grave

The grave
Cemetery area: 
SES
Cemetery row: 
8
Cemetery plot: 
16
Burial remains: 
Unknown
The headstone
Headstone description: 
None Found - Listed in Heene Cemetery Index of Graves
Headstone inscription: 
None Found - Listed in Heene Cemetery Index of Graves

Life story

Life story

Caroline Emily Pettitt was born on 8th September 1844 in South India, Tinnevelly, Cowlallam, she was baptised on 27th October 1844 at Palamcottah, Madras, India. She had 4 siblings, Mary Louisa, born 1839, and 3 brothers, George, born 1835, William, born 1838, and Edward, born 1847, who died in infancy. Their father was the Reverend George Pettitt, a Christian Missionary, 1808 1873, (see below) and their mother was Louisa Hare, 1805 1892.

In 1853, due to ill health, George Pettitt returned to Birmingham, England, with his family, where he was Clerk Incumbent of St. Jude's Church.

Caroline and her sister, Mary, lived with their parents, neither of them appeared to follow any occupation and both remained single. After the death of their father in 1873, they moved with their mother to Kent where she had family and remained in Tunbridge Wells until her death in 1892.

By 1901 the sisters had returned to Birmingham, and in 1911 they were living together in Leicestershire.

At some point they moved to Worthing, Sussex, living at Binfield, Rugby Road, where Caroline died, aged 79yrs, on 21st February 1924. Probate was granted to Alice Margaret Hare Gerrard (wife of Thomas Gerrard), effects £2429 17s 4d. Value 2023 - £188,900.

Burial researcher: 
Maggi Martin

Further information

Birth
Date born: 
08/09/1844

Death

Death (details)
Date of death: 
21/02/1924
Age (at time of death): 
79
Cause of death: 
Unknown
Address at time of death: 
Binfield, Rugby Road, Worthing, Sussex, England
Personal effects
Executors: 
Alice Margaret Hare Gerrard status: Niece
Probate pounds: 
£2,429

Census and miscellaneous information

Census information
1871 census: 

Living at 31, Bath Row, St. Thomas, Birmingham, Warwickshire. George Pettitt, Hd. 62yrs, Vicar of St. Jude, wife, Louisa 66yrs, daughters, Mary L. 31yrs, Caroline E. 26yrs, plus 2 domestic servants.

1881 census: 

Living at 2, Fernside, Speldhurst, Kent. Thomas Hare, Hd. 75yrs, Justice of the Peace, wife, Mary, 62yrs, sister, Louisa Pettitt, 76yrs, widow, private means, niece, Caroline E. Pettitt, 36yrs, private means, plus 2 great nieces and 5 domestic servants.

1891 census: 

Living at 10, Park Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Louisa Pettitt, Hd. 86yrs, widow, living on own means, daughters, Mary L. 51yrs, living on own means, Caroline E. 46yrs, living on own means, plus 1 domestic servant.

1901 census: 

Living at 319, Summer Lane, St. George, Birmingham, Warwickshire. Mary L. Pettitt, Hd. 61yrs, single, sister, Caroline E. Pettitt, 56yrs, single, both living on own means, plus 2 lodgers and 2 domestic servants.

1911 census: 

Living at 14, Kimberley Road, Leicester. Mary Louisa Pettitt, Hd. 71yrs, single, private means, sister, Caroline Emily Pettitt, 66yrs, private means, plus 1 domestic servant.

Miscellaneous information

The History of Christ Church, Galle Face (Formerly called the Colombo Mission Church of C.M.S)

Author: Napoleon Pathmanathan

On Friday, April 12th 1799, sixteen Anglican clergymen and nine laymen met at Castle Falcon Hotel, Aldersgate Street, England, and founded the world’s largest missionary society called "The Church Missionary Society" or "The C.M.S.", with the objective of sending missionaries around the world. On the request of Sir Alexander Johnston, the Chief Justice of Ceylon, the Church Missionary Society in England sent four missionaries to Ceylon to start schools and to work among the natives.There were no CMS missionaries stationed in Colombo until Rev. George Pettit arrived in 1850, but small scattered congregations met irregularly in Colombo, ministered to by Tamil and Sinhalese native catechists, supervised by Rev. Cornellius Jayasinghe from Cotta Mission Station (Kotte).

Rev. George Pettitt, born at Birmingham, arrived on 20.03.1850 as Finance Secretary to the Mission. He was very fluent in Tamil since he worked for fourteen years in CMS’ Tinnevelly and Madras mission, in South India, and started working with the assistance of catechists on his arrival in Colombo. Rev. Pettitt’s first priority was to build a church in Colombo for the C.M.S.

The foundation stone of the mission church was laid on 21st January 1853 by the Bishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Chapman. The Church was opened with a dedicatory service on Thursday, October 13th, 1853, at 4 o’ clock by the Bishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. Chapman, in the presence of a large congregation representing all three nationalities, including the governor, many chief government and military officers, and Europeans.

Rev. George Pettitt was compelled to move back to England on 09.01.1855 due to bad health.