Catalogue description Archive of the Rice family of Brighton and Tooting Graveney in Surrey

The Rice family, spelt variously in the past as Reese, Rees and Rhese, had lived for a considerable period at Myddfai, Carmarthenshire. In the seventeenth century Reese ap John had married the sister of Morgan Owen Bishop of Llandaff (d 4 Mar 1645). Their great-grandson, Morgan Rice, left Myddfai and travelled to London, where he became a distiller. By 1767 he had established himself sufficiently to purchase the Manor of Tooting Graveney in Surrey. He built a house on rising ground above the church. Morgan Rice was appointed High Sheriff of Surrey in 1772 and a Deputy Lieutenant for Surrey in 1776

His son, John Rice married Frances Plumbe, who was closely acquainted with the Thrale family, the friends of Doctor Samuel Johnson. John Rice died in Jul 1801 and the Hill House property in Tooting Graveney was sold by his executors' on 26 Mar 1802

Amongst his twelve sons and one daughter were Charles (d Feb 1802), Sir Ralph (d 3 Jul 1850), the Revd John Morgan (d 24 Nov 1833), Samuel and Henry. Samuel Rice served in the Peninsular War and Henry Rice served with Admiral St Vincent at the battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797

Sir Ralph Rice was born c1781 and matriculated from Oriel College Oxford on 29 Jun 1798. He gained his BA in 1802, MA in 1805 and was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in 1805. He was Recorder of Penang and Senior Puisne Judge of the Bombay Supreme Court. He was knighted on 29 May 1817 and died at 6 Royal Crescent, Brighton on 3 Jul 1850

The Revd John Morgan Rice was born c1774. He attended a school in Cheam, Surrey and was admitted to Trinity College Cambridge on 8 Oct 1791. He obtained his BA in 1796 and MA in 1819. Rice was ordained a deacon in 1797 and became curate of Ightham in Kent in the same year. He married Elizabeth the eldest daughter of William Holmes of Westcombe Park, Greenwich in Kent and may have been the curate of South Stoneham, Hampshire, where his eldest son was born in 1805. Rice died on 24 Nov 1833 at 6 Royal Crescent, Brighton and his will was proved in PCC on 2 Jun 1834

J M Rice's eldest son, the Revd Horatio (although often called Horace in the correspondence) Morgan Rice, was born on 12 Nov 1805 at Bevis Hill, South Stoneham in Hampshire. He attended Westminster School and was admitted to Trinity College Cambridge on 6 May 1823. Rice gained his BA in 1827, was ordained a deacon (Chichester) in 1829 and a priest in 1830. He was curate of Rye Feb 1829 - Apr 1834, he was appointed to the curacy of Warnham, West Sussex in Oct 1834 although it is unclear whether he ever took up the post, and curate of Itchen Stoke in Hampshire from about Oct 1836. Rice was Rector of Callington with South Hill, Cornwall from 1841 until his death in 1863. On 23 Jun 1841 he married Emily Beatrice the youngest daughter of Rear-Admiral John Goodrich Dick of Saling Hall, Bardfield in Essex. He was a JP for Cornwall and died at South Hill Rectory on 20 Oct 1863. His will was proved on 18 Dec 1863 by Admiral Dick

Contents

AMS6197/1 Correspondence of the Revd John Morgan Rice 1804-1829

AMS6197/2 Correspondence of Mrs Elizabeth Rice 1814-1828

AMS6197/3 Correspondence of the Revd Horatio Morgan Rice 1823-1845

AMS6197/4 Correspondence of Sir Ralph Rice 1826-1845

AMS6197/5 Miscellaneous 1822-1836

Documents purchased 13 Sep 1989 (A5329)

The archive of the Rice family was initially sold at Sotheby's as lot 31 on 15 Dec 1988. The lot was described as containing the correspondence of Samuel Rice 1750-1814, Henry Rice 1750-1792, Charles Rice 1790-1800, Horace Rice 1814-1839 and Sir Ralph Rice 1798-1807 and including a journal of Sir Ralph's travels in Italy and France 1829

The archive again appeared at auction on 3 Mar 1989 at Strides as lot 375. It was purchased by a dealer and broken up; sale particulars for the Tooting Graveney properties 1802 and 1843 went to the Surrey Record Office, the naval correspondence of Henry Rice to the National Maritime Museum and the correspondence of the Revd JM Rice, Mrs E Rice, the Revd H M Rice and Sir Ralph Rice to the East Sussex Record Office