William McPherson Rice
Master Shipwright / Naval Architect
1796 - 1868 (71 years)-
Name William McPherson Rice Born 1 May 1796 Portsmouth, Hampshire, England 
Gender Male Baptism 26 May 1796 St John, Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England [1] Census 1841 Rainham, Kent, England [2] Cause Of Death "Disease of rectum" [3] Occupation Master Shipwright / Naval Architect WWW https://aim25.com/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=17588&inst_id=126&nv1=search&nv2= Died 11 Feb 1868 2, Reculvers, Hastings, Sussex, England [3, 4] Person ID I0223 Johnson Tree Last Modified 14 May 2020
Father William McPherson Rice
b. Abt 1760
d. 1800 (Age ~ 40 years)Mother Ann Stigant
b. Abt Nov 1767
d. Oct 1797 (Age ~ 29 years)Married 20 Nov 1791 St Mary, Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England [5] 
Siblings3 Family ID F0451 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Wife Fanny Turner
b. 13 Feb 1806
d. 28 Jun 1877 (Age 71 years)Married 28 Jun 1825 Plumstead, Kent, England [6, 7] Children 1. Mary Ann Rice
b. 1826
d. 7 May 1913, Kensington, London, Greater London, England (Age 87 years)2. William Turner Rice
b. 1828
d. Bef 1938 (Age < 109 years)3. Charles McPherson Rice
b. 1829
d. 10 Aug 1885 (Age 56 years)4. Henry Harker Rice
b. 1832
d. Bef 1942 (Age < 109 years)5. Elinor Rice
b. 1834
d. Bef 1944 (Age < 109 years)6. Fanny Oakley Rice
b. 16 Sep 1836, Chatham, Kent, England
d. 3 Jan 1885, Pietermaritzburg, Natal, South Africa (Age 48 years)7. Susan Elizabeth Rice
b. 1841
d. Between 6 Jan 1866 and 1951 (Age 25 years)8. Michael Welldon Rice
b. 1844, Medway, Kent, England
d. 20 Apr 1921, Lincolnshire, England (Age 77 years)Last Modified 28 Jul 2018 Family ID F0080 Group Sheet | Family Chart
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Notes Early Life
William was born on the 1st of May 1796 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, to William McPherson Rice and Ann Stigant. His father and namesake was a schoolmaster aboard HMS ships and the Stigants were a local Portsmouth family that had been there for generations.
Career
William entered the School of Naval Architecture in Portsmouth in 1813. He held appointments in various dockyards between 1819 and 1822, when he became draughtsman to Sir Robert Seppings (1767-1840). In 1824 he sailed to South America to assist in repairing the Spartiate. From 1825 to 1844 he was Foreman of Portsmouth Dockyard. In 1837 he went to Lough Swilly to refloat the Terror, which had returned from the Arctic badly damaged by the ice. He was promoted to Assistant Master Shipwright in 1844 and in 1852 was appointed Master Shipwright at Pembroke Dockyard but held office for less than a year.
Family Life
William married Fanny Turner on the 28th of June 1825, in Plumstead, Kent. They had eight children:
- Mary Ann, born 1826, who married Charles Gage-Brown and whose descendents moved to New Zealand; she died 1913
- William Turner, born 1828
- Charles McPherson, born 1829 and died 1885
- Henry Harker, born 1832
- Elinor, born 1834, named for her maternal aunt
- Fanny Oakley, born 1836, who married Charles Bullen Hugh Mitchell
- Susan "Susie" Elizabeth, born 1841, who married George Middleton Edwards in Hastings
- Michael Welldon, born 1844, who married Agnes Boyd Graham in Edinburgh and who is the ancestor of Sir Tim Rice, the lyricist. He died 1921
Death
William died on the 11th of February 1868 at home (2, Reculvers Cottages in Hastings, Sussex). He may have moved there to be near his daughter Susan. He has a memorial inscription at St Clements (Halton, Sussex) as follows1:
To the memory of William McPherson Rice FSA MINA, for forty-seven years one of her majesty's naval architects. Born 1st May 1796. Died 11th February 1868 at the Reculvers, Hastings.
"Thanks be unto God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ" 3 Cor 11 V14
Also of Fanny his wife, born 1st February 1806, died 28th June 1877, the 52nd anniversary of their wedding day
"As for God his way is perfect"
Also of their son Charles McPherson Rice, died at Belvedere August 10th 1885.
Footnotes
[1] See http://dustydocs.com.au/link/37/36085/121118/monumental-inscriptions-1066-genealogy.html
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Event Map 
Born - 1 May 1796 - Portsmouth, Hampshire, England 
Census - 1841 - Rainham, Kent, England = Link to Google Earth
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Sources - [S0238] England, Hampshire Parish Registers, 1538-1980, FamilySearch, (familysearch.org), William McPherson Rice jnr; familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5WM-NY99, 26 May 1796.
- [S0130] 1841 England Census, Ancestry, (ancestry.co.uk), William McPherson Rice; Class: HO107; Piece: 475; Book: 10; Civil Parish: Rainham; County: Kent; Enumeration District: 24; Folio: 40; Page: 14; Line: 18; GSU roll: 306870, 1841.
- [S0233] GRO Death Record, General Records Office, (gro.gov.uk), William McPherson Rice, 17 Feb 1868.
- [S0302] England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007, FamilySearch, (FamilySearch.org), William McPherson Rice; (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2J6R-8WL : 31 December 2014), William Mcpherson Rice, 1868; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, Hastings, , 1868.
- [S0170] England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973, Ancestry, (ancestry.co.uk), William McPherson Rice; FHL Film Number 919744, 919745, 919746, 919747, 20 Nov 1791.
- [S0170] England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973, Ancestry, (ancestry.co.uk), William McPherson Rice jnr; FHL Film Number 1469482; Reference IDitem 1 p 233, 28 Jun 1825.
- [S0309] England Marriages, 1538–1973, FamilySearch, (familysearch.org), Rice / Turner; (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NKV2-NQZ : 10 February 2018), William Mcpherson Rice, Esquire and Fanny Turner, 28 Jun 1825; citing Plumstead, Kent, England, reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical So, 28 Jun 1825.
- [S0238] England, Hampshire Parish Registers, 1538-1980, FamilySearch, (familysearch.org), William McPherson Rice jnr; familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5WM-NY99, 26 May 1796.