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- I live in South Africa and am researching the life of an Irish magistrate John Montgomery Hill, who came to South Africa in 1834. In 1848 he became the first magistrate of a town 130 km north of Cape Town called Piquetberg (today spelled Piketberg.) The house he built in Piquetberg still stands and I am the present owner - the reason for my interest.
While he was Resident Magistrate in Piquetberg he had a magistrates Clerk by the name of James Walcott. James also acted as Postmaster. I have traced letters from James Walcott to the British Colonial Government in our National Archives, related to this appointment, and he is listed in the above capacity in the 1849 Cape Almanac. After he left the post of magistrates clerk (about 1850) I have found no further trace of him.
However in the will of John Montgomery Hill (who died in London in 1870) he left a small legacy to "Mrs Josa Walcott, wife of James Walcott senior, now residing in Western Australia".
Quite by chance, while waiting for some documents at the National Archives, I was paging through an old marriage license cardex system and found a reference to a "J M Hill to Eleanor Walcott".
It seems that John Montgomery Hill aged 63 and described as a widdower, married Eleanor Walcott 29 years old described as a spinster in Mowbray (Cape Town) early in 1855.
They had no children and Eleanor died "at her residence in Gardens" (Cape
Town) in 1864 at 39 years of age. No Death Notice was filed - (rather strange that, as John Montgomery Hill was at that time Resident Magistrate and Civil Commissioner of Cape Town!)One was eventually filed in 1890 by the executor of John Montgomery Hill's will (James Storr Lister.)
At the time I could not be sure of any relationship between James Walcott and Eleanor Hill (nee Walcott). The Will of J M Hill provides a clue in that he left money to James Walcott's wife in Western Australia. Your Family tree provides another clue in that James Walcott is listed and his wife is Johanna (in the will - "Josa")
As references I have digital photographs of the following documents:
Eleanor Hill's 1890 death notice,
Eleanor Hill's Burial record (St Georges Cape Town.) Marriage licence record.
Piquetberg page of the 1849 Cape Almanac.
I also have National Archive references for various other documents re James Walcott.
Kind regards,
TONY ROBERTS
robic-at-mweb.co.za
October 2005
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1793 - 1870 (77 years) Has no ancestors and no descendants in this family tree.
1826 - 1864 (38 years)
Ellenor WALCOTT, b. 1826, Devon, England 
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