Esca Brooke Daykin was the son of the 2nd White Rajah of Sarawak (Malaysia) Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke and his first wife Dayang (means Princess) Mastiah binti Abang Aing "Tia", daughter of the chief of Sarawak and member of the former ruling house of Sarawak.
He was the adopted son of Archdeacon William Yate Daykin (FaG # 155350957) and his wife Mary Frances Harrison (FaG # 155351747).
Esca married Edith Webster, daughter of James Sutton Webster, Esq. of the Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries, and his wife Mary, on April 21, 1897 at St. Margaret's Church, Janesville, Ottawa, Ontario.
They had 4 children, a son and three daughters:
Gwendolyn Frances Brooke-Daykin born June 18, 1894 who married twice. ( Mr. Bach and Frederick C. Rutherford 1889-1962) Gwen had three sons from her first marriage.
Cyril James Brooke-Daykin born February 26, 1901. Cyril never married.
Kathleen Winnifred Beatrice Brooke-Daykin born December 7, 1904. She married John Beverly Robinson (1992-1981) on June 3, 1929 in St. Thomas, Ontario. They had 2 sons and 2 daughters.
Grace Brooke-Daykin married J.Davis McCarthy, son of J.O. McCarthy on May 3, 1935 in St. Thomas, Ontario.
The children hyphenated "Brooke" into their surnames in honour of his father's ancestry.
Esca always knew who his natural father was, but he had been told that his mother had died. His father Charles Brooke had married a second time to Margaret de Windt on October 26, 1869 at Highworth, Wiltshire. It was during a trip to England, that the bankrupt Charles had gone with the intention of proposing to Margaret's widowed mother in order to take over her wealth, and instead proposed to Margaret. It was a spur of the moment decision, which they both later regretted. Charles returned to Sarawak with his new bride.
In 1873, Charles and Margaret and their four children, Esca, Ghita, and twins James and Charles, set sail for England. At a stop in Singapore, the children, including Esca, were professionally photographed. Unfortunately there was a cholera epidemic in Singapore at the time and the four children were stricken with fever as they continued on the sea voyage to England. Ecsa was the only one of the four who survived and Margaret's three children were buried at sea.
Once in England, Esca was separated from his father and step-mother and taken by a friend of James Brooke's to a house which the Rajah owned, at Sheepstor on Dartmoor, where he was looked after by the Reverend Daykin, who lived in the house next door. He never saw or heard from his father again.
Charles had arranged for Esca to be adopted by Reverend William Yate Daykin and his wife Mary Frances Harrison, who were childless. Charles agreed to supply £100. allowance for Esca's upkeep, which was supplied by the Treasury of Sarawak, and which Esca received for the duration of his life.
In 1875 the Reverend Daykin was made archdeacon of Natal and took his wife and Esca to South Africa. They returned to Sheepstor in 1877 but left for good the following year. In 1884, William Daykin went to Canada as a missionary, and the family settled in Madoc, Ontario.
The 1891 Census of Canada shows William, his wife Mary Frances and Esca Daykin residing in Kingston, Ontario.
Esca attended Trinity College in Port Hope and Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. During his time at Trinity, he met and became best of friends with David Dunlap.
In 1896 when his adoptive mother Mary Daykin died at the age of 56, she had over five thousand dollars invested in lands and mortgages. Her will had been drawn up by Esca's friend, David Dunlap, who had become a lawyer after graduating. In her will, Mary bequeathed her husband two hundred dollars and the interest on her investments. To Esca, "our adopted son" she bequeathed her entire estate upon the death of her husband. However, in 1898, Archdeacon Daykin remarried a woman 39 years his junior and had a family with her. When he died in 1915, his entire estate, including the investments of his first wife, went to his second wife Hannah Maude Daykin, nee Olmsted.
After his marriage to Edith Webster, Esca was employed as a floorwalker in a department store, and the couple lived in Cummins Bridge, Ottawa. By 1912, the family had enlarged to include their 4 children. According to the Toronto Directory of that year, Esca was the manager of a firm called Invincible Renovator. The 1915 Toronto Directory listed the family as residing on St. Leonard's Avenue in Toronto, but there was no occupation listed for Esca.
In 1916, Esca was employed by his Trinity College school chum, now Sir David Dunlap of Hollinger Mines, as his personal secretary. Sir Dunlap purchased a home at 12 Leonard's Crescent for Esca and his family. In 1916, Esca became a warden of St. Clement's Church in Toronto. Esca was also a prize-winning horticulturist and had a beautiful garden at their home in Toronto.
Over the years, Esca tried to make contact with his birth father and his family He wrote letters to his father and step-brothers, which were never answered. He was mostly searching for recognition and connection.
However, once his children were grown, Esca began to make attempts to legitimize his status in the Brooke family, writing again to Vyner Brooke, his half-brother, without response. Two of Esca's daughters had married lawyers and the sons-in-law encouraged Esca to pursue his connections to the Brooke family. It was Edith, his wife who decided to pursue the venture wholeheartedly, unfortunately hiring an unscrupulous cousin Alex Webster to act as her husband's agent. Webster gave exclusive rights to Esca's story to Toronto Star journalist Henry Somerville. On June 23, 1927, the Toronto Star ran the headline, " E.B. DAYKIN, TORONTO, CLAIMS TO BE RIGHTFUL HEIR OF THE SARAWAK THRONE." The story made its way to England where the third Rajah of Sarawak Vyner Brooke and his wife were visiting.
In response Vyner made it known to Esca privately that if he continued with his claims, Vyner would make it publicly known that Ecsa was merely the bastard son of his father Charles. Esca did not want that stigma for his children or the disgrace to his father's name. His intention had never been to become the rightful heir and Rajah of Sarawak. He had merely wanted proper recognition of his lineage.
In later years Esca began to feel bitter at the lack of response or recognition from the Brooke family. His unanswered letters to the Brooke family became more bitter, and Ecsa, a teetotaler for all of his life, began drinking. His family felt that he had become overwhelmed by humiliation.
When the Third Rajah, Vyner Brooke gave Sarawak to England in 1948, in return for a payment of one million pounds, he saw to it that his half-brother Esca Brooke Daykin received an ex gratia payment of £500.
He was the adopted son of Archdeacon William Yate Daykin (FaG # 155350957) and his wife Mary Frances Harrison (FaG # 155351747).
Esca married Edith Webster, daughter of James Sutton Webster, Esq. of the Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries, and his wife Mary, on April 21, 1897 at St. Margaret's Church, Janesville, Ottawa, Ontario.
They had 4 children, a son and three daughters:
Gwendolyn Frances Brooke-Daykin born June 18, 1894 who married twice. ( Mr. Bach and Frederick C. Rutherford 1889-1962) Gwen had three sons from her first marriage.
Cyril James Brooke-Daykin born February 26, 1901. Cyril never married.
Kathleen Winnifred Beatrice Brooke-Daykin born December 7, 1904. She married John Beverly Robinson (1992-1981) on June 3, 1929 in St. Thomas, Ontario. They had 2 sons and 2 daughters.
Grace Brooke-Daykin married J.Davis McCarthy, son of J.O. McCarthy on May 3, 1935 in St. Thomas, Ontario.
The children hyphenated "Brooke" into their surnames in honour of his father's ancestry.
Esca always knew who his natural father was, but he had been told that his mother had died. His father Charles Brooke had married a second time to Margaret de Windt on October 26, 1869 at Highworth, Wiltshire. It was during a trip to England, that the bankrupt Charles had gone with the intention of proposing to Margaret's widowed mother in order to take over her wealth, and instead proposed to Margaret. It was a spur of the moment decision, which they both later regretted. Charles returned to Sarawak with his new bride.
In 1873, Charles and Margaret and their four children, Esca, Ghita, and twins James and Charles, set sail for England. At a stop in Singapore, the children, including Esca, were professionally photographed. Unfortunately there was a cholera epidemic in Singapore at the time and the four children were stricken with fever as they continued on the sea voyage to England. Ecsa was the only one of the four who survived and Margaret's three children were buried at sea.
Once in England, Esca was separated from his father and step-mother and taken by a friend of James Brooke's to a house which the Rajah owned, at Sheepstor on Dartmoor, where he was looked after by the Reverend Daykin, who lived in the house next door. He never saw or heard from his father again.
Charles had arranged for Esca to be adopted by Reverend William Yate Daykin and his wife Mary Frances Harrison, who were childless. Charles agreed to supply £100. allowance for Esca's upkeep, which was supplied by the Treasury of Sarawak, and which Esca received for the duration of his life.
In 1875 the Reverend Daykin was made archdeacon of Natal and took his wife and Esca to South Africa. They returned to Sheepstor in 1877 but left for good the following year. In 1884, William Daykin went to Canada as a missionary, and the family settled in Madoc, Ontario.
The 1891 Census of Canada shows William, his wife Mary Frances and Esca Daykin residing in Kingston, Ontario.
Esca attended Trinity College in Port Hope and Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. During his time at Trinity, he met and became best of friends with David Dunlap.
In 1896 when his adoptive mother Mary Daykin died at the age of 56, she had over five thousand dollars invested in lands and mortgages. Her will had been drawn up by Esca's friend, David Dunlap, who had become a lawyer after graduating. In her will, Mary bequeathed her husband two hundred dollars and the interest on her investments. To Esca, "our adopted son" she bequeathed her entire estate upon the death of her husband. However, in 1898, Archdeacon Daykin remarried a woman 39 years his junior and had a family with her. When he died in 1915, his entire estate, including the investments of his first wife, went to his second wife Hannah Maude Daykin, nee Olmsted.
After his marriage to Edith Webster, Esca was employed as a floorwalker in a department store, and the couple lived in Cummins Bridge, Ottawa. By 1912, the family had enlarged to include their 4 children. According to the Toronto Directory of that year, Esca was the manager of a firm called Invincible Renovator. The 1915 Toronto Directory listed the family as residing on St. Leonard's Avenue in Toronto, but there was no occupation listed for Esca.
In 1916, Esca was employed by his Trinity College school chum, now Sir David Dunlap of Hollinger Mines, as his personal secretary. Sir Dunlap purchased a home at 12 Leonard's Crescent for Esca and his family. In 1916, Esca became a warden of St. Clement's Church in Toronto. Esca was also a prize-winning horticulturist and had a beautiful garden at their home in Toronto.
Over the years, Esca tried to make contact with his birth father and his family He wrote letters to his father and step-brothers, which were never answered. He was mostly searching for recognition and connection.
However, once his children were grown, Esca began to make attempts to legitimize his status in the Brooke family, writing again to Vyner Brooke, his half-brother, without response. Two of Esca's daughters had married lawyers and the sons-in-law encouraged Esca to pursue his connections to the Brooke family. It was Edith, his wife who decided to pursue the venture wholeheartedly, unfortunately hiring an unscrupulous cousin Alex Webster to act as her husband's agent. Webster gave exclusive rights to Esca's story to Toronto Star journalist Henry Somerville. On June 23, 1927, the Toronto Star ran the headline, " E.B. DAYKIN, TORONTO, CLAIMS TO BE RIGHTFUL HEIR OF THE SARAWAK THRONE." The story made its way to England where the third Rajah of Sarawak Vyner Brooke and his wife were visiting.
In response Vyner made it known to Esca privately that if he continued with his claims, Vyner would make it publicly known that Ecsa was merely the bastard son of his father Charles. Esca did not want that stigma for his children or the disgrace to his father's name. His intention had never been to become the rightful heir and Rajah of Sarawak. He had merely wanted proper recognition of his lineage.
In later years Esca began to feel bitter at the lack of response or recognition from the Brooke family. His unanswered letters to the Brooke family became more bitter, and Ecsa, a teetotaler for all of his life, began drinking. His family felt that he had become overwhelmed by humiliation.
When the Third Rajah, Vyner Brooke gave Sarawak to England in 1948, in return for a payment of one million pounds, he saw to it that his half-brother Esca Brooke Daykin received an ex gratia payment of £500.
Esca Brooke Daykin was the son of the 2nd White Rajah of Sarawak (Malaysia) Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke and his first wife Dayang (means Princess) Mastiah binti Abang Aing "Tia", daughter of the chief of Sarawak and member of the former ruling house of Sarawak.
He was the adopted son of Archdeacon William Yate Daykin (FaG # 155350957) and his wife Mary Frances Harrison (FaG # 155351747).
Esca married Edith Webster, daughter of James Sutton Webster, Esq. of the Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries, and his wife Mary, on April 21, 1897 at St. Margaret's Church, Janesville, Ottawa, Ontario.
They had 4 children, a son and three daughters:
Gwendolyn Frances Brooke-Daykin born June 18, 1894 who married twice. ( Mr. Bach and Frederick C. Rutherford 1889-1962) Gwen had three sons from her first marriage.
Cyril James Brooke-Daykin born February 26, 1901. Cyril never married.
Kathleen Winnifred Beatrice Brooke-Daykin born December 7, 1904. She married John Beverly Robinson (1992-1981) on June 3, 1929 in St. Thomas, Ontario. They had 2 sons and 2 daughters.
Grace Brooke-Daykin married J.Davis McCarthy, son of J.O. McCarthy on May 3, 1935 in St. Thomas, Ontario.
The children hyphenated "Brooke" into their surnames in honour of his father's ancestry.
Esca always knew who his natural father was, but he had been told that his mother had died. His father Charles Brooke had married a second time to Margaret de Windt on October 26, 1869 at Highworth, Wiltshire. It was during a trip to England, that the bankrupt Charles had gone with the intention of proposing to Margaret's widowed mother in order to take over her wealth, and instead proposed to Margaret. It was a spur of the moment decision, which they both later regretted. Charles returned to Sarawak with his new bride.
In 1873, Charles and Margaret and their four children, Esca, Ghita, and twins James and Charles, set sail for England. At a stop in Singapore, the children, including Esca, were professionally photographed. Unfortunately there was a cholera epidemic in Singapore at the time and the four children were stricken with fever as they continued on the sea voyage to England. Ecsa was the only one of the four who survived and Margaret's three children were buried at sea.
Once in England, Esca was separated from his father and step-mother and taken by a friend of James Brooke's to a house which the Rajah owned, at Sheepstor on Dartmoor, where he was looked after by the Reverend Daykin, who lived in the house next door. He never saw or heard from his father again.
Charles had arranged for Esca to be adopted by Reverend William Yate Daykin and his wife Mary Frances Harrison, who were childless. Charles agreed to supply £100. allowance for Esca's upkeep, which was supplied by the Treasury of Sarawak, and which Esca received for the duration of his life.
In 1875 the Reverend Daykin was made archdeacon of Natal and took his wife and Esca to South Africa. They returned to Sheepstor in 1877 but left for good the following year. In 1884, William Daykin went to Canada as a missionary, and the family settled in Madoc, Ontario.
The 1891 Census of Canada shows William, his wife Mary Frances and Esca Daykin residing in Kingston, Ontario.
Esca attended Trinity College in Port Hope and Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. During his time at Trinity, he met and became best of friends with David Dunlap.
In 1896 when his adoptive mother Mary Daykin died at the age of 56, she had over five thousand dollars invested in lands and mortgages. Her will had been drawn up by Esca's friend, David Dunlap, who had become a lawyer after graduating. In her will, Mary bequeathed her husband two hundred dollars and the interest on her investments. To Esca, "our adopted son" she bequeathed her entire estate upon the death of her husband. However, in 1898, Archdeacon Daykin remarried a woman 39 years his junior and had a family with her. When he died in 1915, his entire estate, including the investments of his first wife, went to his second wife Hannah Maude Daykin, nee Olmsted.
After his marriage to Edith Webster, Esca was employed as a floorwalker in a department store, and the couple lived in Cummins Bridge, Ottawa. By 1912, the family had enlarged to include their 4 children. According to the Toronto Directory of that year, Esca was the manager of a firm called Invincible Renovator. The 1915 Toronto Directory listed the family as residing on St. Leonard's Avenue in Toronto, but there was no occupation listed for Esca.
In 1916, Esca was employed by his Trinity College school chum, now Sir David Dunlap of Hollinger Mines, as his personal secretary. Sir Dunlap purchased a home at 12 Leonard's Crescent for Esca and his family. In 1916, Esca became a warden of St. Clement's Church in Toronto. Esca was also a prize-winning horticulturist and had a beautiful garden at their home in Toronto.
Over the years, Esca tried to make contact with his birth father and his family He wrote letters to his father and step-brothers, which were never answered. He was mostly searching for recognition and connection.
However, once his children were grown, Esca began to make attempts to legitimize his status in the Brooke family, writing again to Vyner Brooke, his half-brother, without response. Two of Esca's daughters had married lawyers and the sons-in-law encouraged Esca to pursue his connections to the Brooke family. It was Edith, his wife who decided to pursue the venture wholeheartedly, unfortunately hiring an unscrupulous cousin Alex Webster to act as her husband's agent. Webster gave exclusive rights to Esca's story to Toronto Star journalist Henry Somerville. On June 23, 1927, the Toronto Star ran the headline, " E.B. DAYKIN, TORONTO, CLAIMS TO BE RIGHTFUL HEIR OF THE SARAWAK THRONE." The story made its way to England where the third Rajah of Sarawak Vyner Brooke and his wife were visiting.
In response Vyner made it known to Esca privately that if he continued with his claims, Vyner would make it publicly known that Ecsa was merely the bastard son of his father Charles. Esca did not want that stigma for his children or the disgrace to his father's name. His intention had never been to become the rightful heir and Rajah of Sarawak. He had merely wanted proper recognition of his lineage.
In later years Esca began to feel bitter at the lack of response or recognition from the Brooke family. His unanswered letters to the Brooke family became more bitter, and Ecsa, a teetotaler for all of his life, began drinking. His family felt that he had become overwhelmed by humiliation.
When the Third Rajah, Vyner Brooke gave Sarawak to England in 1948, in return for a payment of one million pounds, he saw to it that his half-brother Esca Brooke Daykin received an ex gratia payment of £500.
He was the adopted son of Archdeacon William Yate Daykin (FaG # 155350957) and his wife Mary Frances Harrison (FaG # 155351747).
Esca married Edith Webster, daughter of James Sutton Webster, Esq. of the Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries, and his wife Mary, on April 21, 1897 at St. Margaret's Church, Janesville, Ottawa, Ontario.
They had 4 children, a son and three daughters:
Gwendolyn Frances Brooke-Daykin born June 18, 1894 who married twice. ( Mr. Bach and Frederick C. Rutherford 1889-1962) Gwen had three sons from her first marriage.
Cyril James Brooke-Daykin born February 26, 1901. Cyril never married.
Kathleen Winnifred Beatrice Brooke-Daykin born December 7, 1904. She married John Beverly Robinson (1992-1981) on June 3, 1929 in St. Thomas, Ontario. They had 2 sons and 2 daughters.
Grace Brooke-Daykin married J.Davis McCarthy, son of J.O. McCarthy on May 3, 1935 in St. Thomas, Ontario.
The children hyphenated "Brooke" into their surnames in honour of his father's ancestry.
Esca always knew who his natural father was, but he had been told that his mother had died. His father Charles Brooke had married a second time to Margaret de Windt on October 26, 1869 at Highworth, Wiltshire. It was during a trip to England, that the bankrupt Charles had gone with the intention of proposing to Margaret's widowed mother in order to take over her wealth, and instead proposed to Margaret. It was a spur of the moment decision, which they both later regretted. Charles returned to Sarawak with his new bride.
In 1873, Charles and Margaret and their four children, Esca, Ghita, and twins James and Charles, set sail for England. At a stop in Singapore, the children, including Esca, were professionally photographed. Unfortunately there was a cholera epidemic in Singapore at the time and the four children were stricken with fever as they continued on the sea voyage to England. Ecsa was the only one of the four who survived and Margaret's three children were buried at sea.
Once in England, Esca was separated from his father and step-mother and taken by a friend of James Brooke's to a house which the Rajah owned, at Sheepstor on Dartmoor, where he was looked after by the Reverend Daykin, who lived in the house next door. He never saw or heard from his father again.
Charles had arranged for Esca to be adopted by Reverend William Yate Daykin and his wife Mary Frances Harrison, who were childless. Charles agreed to supply £100. allowance for Esca's upkeep, which was supplied by the Treasury of Sarawak, and which Esca received for the duration of his life.
In 1875 the Reverend Daykin was made archdeacon of Natal and took his wife and Esca to South Africa. They returned to Sheepstor in 1877 but left for good the following year. In 1884, William Daykin went to Canada as a missionary, and the family settled in Madoc, Ontario.
The 1891 Census of Canada shows William, his wife Mary Frances and Esca Daykin residing in Kingston, Ontario.
Esca attended Trinity College in Port Hope and Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. During his time at Trinity, he met and became best of friends with David Dunlap.
In 1896 when his adoptive mother Mary Daykin died at the age of 56, she had over five thousand dollars invested in lands and mortgages. Her will had been drawn up by Esca's friend, David Dunlap, who had become a lawyer after graduating. In her will, Mary bequeathed her husband two hundred dollars and the interest on her investments. To Esca, "our adopted son" she bequeathed her entire estate upon the death of her husband. However, in 1898, Archdeacon Daykin remarried a woman 39 years his junior and had a family with her. When he died in 1915, his entire estate, including the investments of his first wife, went to his second wife Hannah Maude Daykin, nee Olmsted.
After his marriage to Edith Webster, Esca was employed as a floorwalker in a department store, and the couple lived in Cummins Bridge, Ottawa. By 1912, the family had enlarged to include their 4 children. According to the Toronto Directory of that year, Esca was the manager of a firm called Invincible Renovator. The 1915 Toronto Directory listed the family as residing on St. Leonard's Avenue in Toronto, but there was no occupation listed for Esca.
In 1916, Esca was employed by his Trinity College school chum, now Sir David Dunlap of Hollinger Mines, as his personal secretary. Sir Dunlap purchased a home at 12 Leonard's Crescent for Esca and his family. In 1916, Esca became a warden of St. Clement's Church in Toronto. Esca was also a prize-winning horticulturist and had a beautiful garden at their home in Toronto.
Over the years, Esca tried to make contact with his birth father and his family He wrote letters to his father and step-brothers, which were never answered. He was mostly searching for recognition and connection.
However, once his children were grown, Esca began to make attempts to legitimize his status in the Brooke family, writing again to Vyner Brooke, his half-brother, without response. Two of Esca's daughters had married lawyers and the sons-in-law encouraged Esca to pursue his connections to the Brooke family. It was Edith, his wife who decided to pursue the venture wholeheartedly, unfortunately hiring an unscrupulous cousin Alex Webster to act as her husband's agent. Webster gave exclusive rights to Esca's story to Toronto Star journalist Henry Somerville. On June 23, 1927, the Toronto Star ran the headline, " E.B. DAYKIN, TORONTO, CLAIMS TO BE RIGHTFUL HEIR OF THE SARAWAK THRONE." The story made its way to England where the third Rajah of Sarawak Vyner Brooke and his wife were visiting.
In response Vyner made it known to Esca privately that if he continued with his claims, Vyner would make it publicly known that Ecsa was merely the bastard son of his father Charles. Esca did not want that stigma for his children or the disgrace to his father's name. His intention had never been to become the rightful heir and Rajah of Sarawak. He had merely wanted proper recognition of his lineage.
In later years Esca began to feel bitter at the lack of response or recognition from the Brooke family. His unanswered letters to the Brooke family became more bitter, and Ecsa, a teetotaler for all of his life, began drinking. His family felt that he had become overwhelmed by humiliation.
When the Third Rajah, Vyner Brooke gave Sarawak to England in 1948, in return for a payment of one million pounds, he saw to it that his half-brother Esca Brooke Daykin received an ex gratia payment of £500.
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