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Charles Strangeways Torriano and his brother William Edward Torriano lived with their families in Budleigh Salterton and were both military men.  According to a brass plaque placed on the north wall of St. Andrew Undershaft church in London by Colonel Edward Torriano and his sister Caroline (see later) the Budleigh branches of the Torriano family had their origins with Charles Torriano (1659-1723), a merchant in the city of London and his wife Rebecca (1667-1723), daughter of alderman Sir Peter Paravinici.  Sir Peter was a friend of Pepys and stood bail for him when he was falsely arrested for treason in 1690 (1).

The family moved from commerce to a military profession because the grandfather of our local Torrianos was Capt. Charles Torriano who had been in the Royal Artillery (2). His son also Capt. Charles Torriano (30th regiment of Foot) and his wife Hester De La Fausille were from Wells in Somerset and had been married at St Cuthbert church on the 10th December 1782 (3).  Charles and Hester lived at Mount Roy in Wells and Charles Strangeways Torriano was born there in December 1790 and William Edward Torriano in 1793.  Their second son Frederick Gore Torriano died of yellow fever when a midshipman on H.M. Carysfort at Antigua in 1806 (2).  Father Charles died on the Heights of Pharon outside Toulon on the 16th October 1793 in an action which brought to prominence a 24 year old artillery officer from Corsica called Napoleon Bonaparte who had persuaded his superiors to allow him to conduct the attack on the British positions (4).  As was the practice, Charles had written his will in the frigate H.M. Alcide in June before he landed (5).

Charles Strangeways Torriano, like his grandfather, was in the Royal Artillery retiring as a Captain.  He married Mary Elizabeth Phillot from Winscombe (Somerset) in Budleigh in November 1832.  They rented Elmsleigh, 11 East Terrace (then called Prospect Terrace) from 1834 -1839 and the family occupied the house through into the 1870s, although it appears to have been sublet at least once (6) presumably when the captain and his family were away on duty.  They appear to have been posted to Germany in the early 1840’s because they had a daughter Ella Sophia Frederica Lucinda christened at the age of two at the British Chaplaincy in Dresden in July 1843.  She died prematurely in July1845 in Dresden (7).

In 1867 Captain Torriano, by then retired on half pay, was appointed chairman of a local meeting whose purpose was to determine whether Budleigh Salterton should adopt street lighting (8).  The move was approved and gas lighting was installed in December of that year.  He died in 1874, his wife having died two years earlier.  They are buried in East Budleigh churchyard.  Charles and Mary had two surviving children, Charles Edward born 1833 in Budleigh Salterton and Caroline Henrietta Maria born 1835 in Florence.  

Charles Edward Torriano entered the Royal Artillery as an ensign in June 1851.  He was promoted lieutenant in 1853, captain in 1858, major in 1872, lieutenant colonel in 1876 and colonel in July 1881, before retiring on half pay.  He served in the Eastern Campaign in 1854-5 and was present at the battle of Inkerman and at the siege of Sebastopol. He was mentioned in despatches.  As decorations he received, the campaign Medal with two Clasps and the Turkish Medal, and became Knight of the Legion of Honor.  He then went on to serve in the Indian Mutiny Campaign in 1858 and was in engagements, at Pandora, and at the taking of the fort at Meangunge, and at the siege and relief of Lucknow (Medal with Clasp) (9).  It seems likely that he was subsequently stationed in South Africa because he had two children, Ella born in Natal in 1867 and Charles Frederick born in Capetown in1870.  His wife then returned home with her children and is found living in Marine Parade at the time of the 1871 census. A further daughter Lucy was born in Budleigh Salterton in 1875.  Charles Edward and his family left Budleigh Salterton before 1881 and were living in Earls Court, London in the 1891 and 1901 censuses.  He died in January 1908.

His sister Caroline was unmarried and lived with her parents in East Terrace until her father died but appears to have retained an association with Budleigh Salterton because a Miss Torriano was recorded in early 20th century directories for the town living in Pear Tree House Rill Lane until she died in 1920.  It is possible that she was an actress at the Old Vic in London (6) although her nephew Charles is described as an actor in the 1901 census which may have caused confusion.  She is not to be found in either the 1901 or 1911 census so may have rented or sublet the house.

William Edward Torriano born 1793 the third son of Capt. Charles Torriano also had a military career. He entered the Seventy First Regiment (Highland Regiment) and served from 1810-1814 in the Peninsular War under the Duke of Wellington (2). He was present at the action at Arroyo dos Molinos and was at the battles at Badajoz, Vitoria, Nive, Urt, Orthes, Tarbes (an action Wellington later called the sharpest of the whole war), and at Toulouse. He was wounded three times.  On one such occasion at the Battle of Vitoria the regiment was described as advancing “driving the enemy from the heights, until the force which was opposed to them became so unequal, and the loss of the battalion so severe, that it was obliged to retire upon the remainder of the brigade” (10).

William was also at the battle of Waterloo and received the Waterloo Medal.  Towards the end of the battle a group of soldiers from the 1st battalion of the 71st Regiment under his command captured one of the French cannon and turned it on the retreating imperial guard (11).  This was said to be the last French cannon fired on the day.  He was subsequently present at the surrender of Paris and stayed with the army of occupation in France.  He retired from the service in May 1824.

William does not appear to have married until October 1836 when he married Georgina Sophie Hunt, widow of Capt. James Hunt, at the British Embassy Chapel in Paris.  They were living in Fore Street Budleigh Salterton in 1841 but they appear to be absent from the 1851 and 1861 British censuses so may have been abroad.  They left no children.  William died in Budleigh Salterton on 5th February 1862 and his wife in Menton in 1878.

Compiled and Researched by © Roger Lendon, 2009

1.London City Churches by A.E. Daniel, BiblioBazaar 2008

2.Plaque on south wall of East Budleigh Church

3.www.findmypast.com

4.Admiral Collingwood by Max Adams, Phoenix 2006

5.Public Records Office

6.Information at Fairlynch Museum

7.www.familysearch.org

8.The Book of Budleigh by D.R. Cann, Halsgrove 2005

9.Annual Army List by H.G. Hart, John Murray 1888

10.Historical record of the 71st Regiment Highland Light Infantry by J.T. Hildyard, Harrison and Sons, 59 Pall Mall London

11.History of the war in France and Belgium in 1815 by William Siborne

63 BS-B-00009 Biography any