A High Profile Grave in Slawston Churchyard

19th September 2026 | Local History

In a quiet corner of Leicestershire stands a rather imposing epitaph to a young lady with an impressive family pedigree.

Alicia’s early life

Alicia Harriet Miller (nee Phayre) was the twelfth child of Richard Phayre and Maria (nee Ridgeway). She was born in Warfield, Shropshire. She and her twin sister were baptised at St Chad’s, Shrewsbury on 13 February 1827. Georgina sadly died shortly afterwards at the age of three months.

Alicia’s paternal grandparents were Robert Phayre of Wexford, Ireland (1737 – 1786) and Lady Richarda Annesley. Lady Richarda was the daughter of Richard Annesley, 6th Earl of Anglesey and Juliana (nee Donovan). Alicia married Captain Robert Miller on 19 February 1861 at Llanfair Waterdine Parish Church in Shropshire. The service was conducted by the Reverend John Kinchant, who was the husband of Alicia’s sister Maria. The happy couple came to live at Othorpe House in Slawston until her untimely death at the tender age of 34. She died on 7 June 1862, following the death of her stillborn son on 26th May 1862. The announcement appeared in a Leicester newspaper at the time. Alicia was laid to rest on 12th June 1862 in All Saints Churchyard, Slawston in a grave that still to this day has impressive Gothic iron railings surrounding it.

Captain Robert Miller

Captain Robert Miller, who had farmed 226 acres at Othorpe, left there the same year. He handed over the tenancy to Edward Crawshay, who incidentally, is buried in a grave close to Alicia’s. Captain Miller remarried at Walcot, Bath on 2 July 1868 to Jane Annie Johnstone, daughter of the Reverend J. Beresford Johnstone, Rector of Tullow, Co. Carlow, Ireland. There were no children of this union.

Robert Miller was a Justice of the Peace in Worcestershire and lived initially at Albion House. He later lived at Stockton House, Stockton-on-Teme, Worcestershire. Before marrying Alicia he had been a Captain in the 1st Battalion 45th Nottinghamshire Regiment of foot, later changing their name to the Sherwood Foresters, by which time the regiment was stationed in India.

Robert was born in London on 22 January 1824 and enlisted as an ensign in the army on 21 May 1842. He became Lieutenant on 29 May 1844 and finally as Captain on 29 October 1852. He served in the Karrif Wars in South Africa (1846/7) at the Cape of Good Hope. This was the Seventh War also known as The War of the Axe. He also served in the Cape from 1850 until 1856 during the Eighth War 1850-1853. He was awarded the South African Medal in 1853 for his services. Robert retired from the army on 26th February 1858, before moving to Othorpe House, Slawston in 1859. Captain Miller died suddenly in Stockton-on-Teme in 1886 and was buried in Cheltenham, which is where his 2nd wife Jane died in 1915.

The Phayre siblings

It was interesting to note that three of Alicia’s siblings also had connections to the military. In addition to a tenuous link with royalty.

Alicia’s sister, Caroline Emily Phayre married Clarkes William Gage Fitzroy, a three times great grandson of King Charles II and Barbara Palmer.

A brother, Lt. General Sir Arthur Purves Phayre (1812-1885), was the first Commissioner of British Burma 1862 to 1867, Governor of Mauritius 1864 to 1878 and also an author.

The second brother, General Sir Robert Phayre KCB and GCB, 1820-1897, spent the majority of his military career in India. He earned a string of other medals and received the Order of the Bath on 22 February 1881 from Queen Victoria.

A bigomous marriage?

As a footnote, I later discovered that allegedly, Alicia’s great grandparents, Richard Annesley the 6th Earl of Anglesey and Juliana Donovan (his 3rd wife), were married bigamously on 15th September 1741 at Camolin Park, Co. Wexford, Ireland. When the Earl died in 1761, he left Juliana (by then the Countess of Anglesey) an annual sum of £1,000 in his will. Although the Irish House of Lords recognised the union between Richard and Juliana in 1772 the English House did not!

Juliana went on to remarry a Mathew Talbot of Castle Talbot, Blackwater, Co. Wexford after 1761 and she died on 27 February 1777 in Bath, Somerset.

A stroll around a quiet village churchyard can indeed prove to be an interesting experience. Especially when one discovers such fascinating family history simply by investigating a name that appears on a rather impressive Victorian gravestone.

Glyn Hatfield

The grave of Alicia Harriet Miller in All Saints Churchyard Slawston. The writing on the grave states reads as follows:

“In affectionate remembrance of Alicia Harriet, wife of Robert Miller Esq, who died at Othorpe House in this parish on 7 June 1862 aged 34 years.”