‘she gave her life for her child’
Widely known as Miss Connie Brandon prior to her marriage, born in 1869 she was the eldest daughter of Henry Eustace de Bathe Brandon and his wife Anna Wilson. She was the granddaughter of Alfred de Bathe Brandon, an English solicitor who was one of the New Zealand company settlers who arrived on the “London” in 1840. The Brandon family plot is highly visible at Bolton Street cemetery. Her father died in 1886 and left the family ”slenderly provided for” owing to the fact he could not get an insurance policy on his life due to lifelong poor health.
In 1894 Connie married Leonard Castle Vaughan, the second son of a Somerset gentleman who had emigrated with his brother in 1891. At the time of their marriage, Leonard was a farmer in Marton. They were married at St Paul’s church and the bridge wore an ivory silk dress and was given away by her uncle, Mr A de B Brandon (Mayor of Wellington). After the wedding breakfast, the couple departed by train for Paekakariki en route for New Plymouth where they spent their honeymoon.
During their married life, the couple attended many receptions at Government House. In 1898 there was a fancy dress ball held there, and Connie and her husband dressed as Benedict and Beatrice from ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. Her outfit consisted of a white satin petticoat handpainted with roses, green velvet skirt looped over the petticoat and trimmed with jewelled gold embroidery, richly embroidered bodice, sleeves of white satin slashed with green velvet, point lace collar and cap with pearl ornaments. We were very fortune to find a photo of the pair in costume.
The couple divided their time between the Manawatu and Wellington. In 1900, the Rangitikei operatic society put on a “highly credible performance of the ‘Mikado’” of which Connie undertook the entire stage management. She was directing amateur dramatics right up until a month before she gave birth.
Connie’s death notice was printed the same day as her son’s birth notice. Her son Leonard Eustace was born on 31st August 1901, at their home in Tinakori Road.
There were numerous floral tokens and telegrams and letters received attesting to the high esteem in which she was held. The Manawatu Standard printed “The death of Mrs Vaughan, wife of L. Vaughan, late of this district, cast quite a gloom in this vicinity, where she was extremely popular”.
In Connie’s will, which she signed the day of her death, she left her clothing and sewing machine to her mother, but her wedding dress and veil to her husband. Her bicycle was bequeathed to her sister Gladys and £5 to her servant Eva.
Leonard returned to England with his brother in November 1901. We presume Leonard Eustace was cared for by his Brandon relatives. In 1905, Leonard returned for his son and he was accompanied on his return trip to England by his sister in law Florence Brandon, presumably to care for her nephew.
In 1911, father and son were living with his parents in their 30-roomed ‘Barton Grange’ in Somerset with 8 servants. Leonard remarried in 1926, aged 55 and had two further children. His bride was 25. He died in 1964.
We last pick up Leonard Eustace departing Liverpool for South Africa with his wife Ellen and daughter Veronica en route to North Rhodesia where he is listed as a game ranger in 1947.
Plot: Ch Eng/L/53
