The Duke of Wellington!! Could he really be connected with the Parker side of the
family? Well, after much research and obtaining certificates, looking at the familysearch.org website and following
leads, I was able to discover that my great-grandfather, William Parker, was born in Philleigh, Cornwall but was
christened in Hampshire at a place called Strathfieldsaye.
Additional research revealed that this was actually an estate and this estate was granted
to the Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, upon his successful defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and
that his favourite horse, Copenhagen, was buried there. While the Duke normally resided at Walmer Castle in the
south east of England, Strathfieldsaye House was a favourite place for rest and relaxation for the Duke.
Shortly after, I obtained the marriage certificate of William's parents, George Parker
and Mary Johnson, on which it shows Mary's father's, John's, occupation as "Head Gardener at Strathfieldsaye House".
Update as of June 2005: The 1861 Census has also revealed that the family lived at Milton House in Strathfield Saye.
The rental agency for the estate has confirmed that there is a lovely 5 bedroom house on the estate known as Milton House
and that today it has a lovely garden!! A tribute to my great-great-grandfather, John Johnson!
Mystery solved and the tale is supported as fact not fiction. However, it
now leads me to continue further research as to John's employment with the Duke - and the search doesn't stop here...............
