Victoria Ann's roots: The Lacy family
     

Juan William Lacy-Despuig was known familiarly as ‘Captain John’. He was the person responsible for the family connection between Spain, Guernsey and Russia.
He came from Spain and was related to De Lacy and the Despuig families. Both lines had strong relations to Mallorca.

There is documented information that he was born in Alcira, Valencia. It must be considered that a great migration from Mallorca took place during the XVII century towards Valencia in general and Alcira in particular.

The nickname ‘Captain John’ could be related to the army or to merchant sailing activities. There are many reasons to believe that he never commanded a boat. He invested indirectly, so as to avoid conflicts with local traders in St. Peter Port, (Guernsey) with Guille, from ‘Gregory & Guille’ and with ‘Carey & Tupper’ <Nicolas Reserson and Guillaume De Vic Tupper house was established in 1775. Business was put under the name of George Henri Rollsen, a German employee, in 1778 when France declared war on Britain. St. Peter Port 1680-1830 Gregory Stevens Cox. Boydell Press 1999>.
Portrait of a female family member. Circa 1820. Romantic. French Style. It corresponds to Count Nikolay Iraklievich's wife Victoria Ann, daughter of 'Capt. John'. Private collection of Count Julio E. Marco Artist: Tropinin? Margarite Gerard?
An old Marco family Spanish religious book dated 1782 with notes written in 1798
St .Peter Port, watercolour by Joshua Gosselin, 1790s  

 
The Priaulx Library. Guernsey. Right: Amanda Bennet standing.
 
The Lacy palace in Mallorca Dr. Marco (Count Marcov) searching for family roots. Eastern 2004. The Queen Victoria memorial with the Priaulx Library in the background. Candie Gardens. Guernsey.
His wife being a member of a London Banking family, was related to ‘Greory & Guille’ surely though the Guille family and also seemed to be linked to Saumarez and to Havilland, (Peter Havilland was Bailiff of Guernsey 1810-1821). (The Fief Thomas Blondel was held in 1775 by Thomas Guille as guardian of his children). (Guilles, Careys and Havillands were all related by marriage).
In 2004 an exhaustive review of records available in Guernsey (Special thanks to be given to Amanda Bennett from the Priaulx Library for her help) has offered the following data:
 Guille, Saumarez and Le Marchant in the parish of Catel. Unkwown artist. Guernsey Museum
There were two close family names appearing at the turn of the XVIII century in Guernsey: Lancey or De Lancey and Lacy or De Lacy. One Captain John De Lancey (1765-1809) could fit in the period of time corresponding to ‘Captain John’. This 'Captain John' De Lancey was the son of General James De Lancey and his wife Mary. De Lancey had connections with Russia and participated in the Battle of Waterloo, but they had no known relationship with Count Morkov. Moreover, Captain John De Lancey was born in New York City and died March 22nd, 1809 in St. Peter Port. He was married to Caroline Carey and except for one son Oliver (1801-1837) who died in St. Sebastian they had no other known relationship to Spain. In conclusion, although the name is close to our records and it also relates to a noble family with high ranked officers and involvement in the Napoleonic wars, it is probably not the last name of “our” ‘Captain John’ <Complete information on the De Lancey family can be obtained in the Priaulx Library, Guernsey).
The Lancey of Guernsey originated in New York
The Lacy family
Less relevant in Guernsey than the former, De Lacy or Lacy family was also present on the island. This family had well known historic links to Russia and Spain and, in addition, the name fits exactly with the Alcira (Valencia) cemetery record.
Lacy (De Lacy) was an illustrious family dating back to the XII-XIII Centuries when John (1st Earl) and Henry (3rd Earl) Lacy were earls of Lincoln. Hugh Lacy, fifth Baron Lacy by tenure and first Lord of Meath (+1186), was one of the conquerors of Ireland (XII Century) with Henry II. Before Henry’s departure Lacy was granted Meath with service of fifty knights and with almost royal authority. Governor of Ireland, Lacy was murdered in 1186. Hugh, second son of Hugh Lacy was Earl of Ulster (first half of XIII Century).
There were a number of other relevant members including military and artists. Francis Antony Lacy (1731-1792) was a Spanish general and diplomat who went with the Duke of Berwick and commanded the artillery at the famous siege of Gibraltar. Michael R. Lacy (1795-1867) was a violinist born in Spain. His father was an English trader. One John William or William Lacy born about 1780 was a well known singer but again he could not be ‘Captain John’ as he married Jane the widow of the Italian Composer Francesco Bianchi (1752-1810).
King Henry II of England (1154-1189)

Two more Lacy's were relevant for possible family relationships: The first was Maurice Lacy (De Lacy), (Ireland 1740-1820) he became a Russian general, son of Patrick De Lacy (†1790). He fought against the Turks, and with all probability knew and met Count Irakly Ivanovich Morkov. Lacy was governor of Grodno and although with an important number of brothers and sisters he remained, as far as it is known, single.
The second Lacy was Count Peter Lacy (1678-1751). He became a Russian field-marshal. He left Ireland aged 13, serving with his uncle at the defence of Limerick. He went to France, participated in the Italian campaigns (1693-1696) and entered, as a lieutenant, in the Polish service. Serving under the Marshal the Duc de Croy he was presented to the Tsar Peter the Great. He served against the Swedes, the Danes and the Turks. In 1725 he was made a knight of the St. Alexander Nevsky order and was appointed commander-in-chief in St Petersburg, Ingria and Novogord.

Count Peter Lacy

Later he was governor of Livonia and Esthonia. In 1733 he was engaged, with Marshal Munnich, in establishing Augustus of Saxony on the throne of Poland. In Danzig he received the order of the White Eagle. In 1736 after the peace between Austria and France was agreed he got the patent of Russian field marshal. He participated in the new war against Turkey and assisted Munnich in the Crimea. He also fought in Finland. In September 1743 after fifty years’ campaigning he retired. The Tsarina sent her own yacht to bring Lacy to St. Petersburg. He retired in Livonia were he was governor and died 11th May, 1751. Lacy married Countess Martha Feuchen de Loeser by whom he had five daughters and two sons. One son was a Count of the Holy Roman Empire, the other was the famous Austrian field-marshal Maurice Francis Lacy born in St. Petersburg 1725. <Dictionary of National Biography. Edit Sidney Lee. London, Smith, Elder & Co. 15 Waterloo Place 1892>.

There are a number of reasons to believe that Lacy was, with all probability, the family name of ‘Captain John’: There have been a number of Johns and William Johns in the family, the Lacy family had links with Spain, Guernsey and also with Russia. Very probably, these links, together with the 1807 application of the British Smuggling Act to the Channel Islands (which started an important economic crisis in the Islands), and a probable loss of money in horse racing could be less romantic reasons for ‘Captain John’ to move from Guernsey to Russia. Some other connections with Russia could have possibly been established in advance as there was a Russian Garrison in those days in Guernsey.

The Lacy's in Guernsey were military and traders. One Lacy (Thomas Saumarez) was born in Guernsey June 19th 1816, the son of Colonel Joseph D’Acre Lacy, 2nd Garrison Batt and Susan Brock. He became a medical doctor. Again the names of John, Joseph, Saumarez and the link to the army. <Elizabeth College Register. Guernsey>

Lt. General Luis R. Lacy was a bright military with a liberal political orientation. For this reason was considered guilty of rebellion. Carried to Mallorca was shot at Bellver Castle, in 1817. Three years later all his rights were returned and the Spanish Parliament declared him a hero.

 
Memorial tablet outside Bellver Castle where Lt. General Lacy was executed. The body was carried to Barcelone in 1820 with all honours.
Luis Roberto Lacy Gautier

Count Nikolay Iraklievich's wife should have been born around 1797-99 to be about the same age as her husband. She must have been the daughter of a foreigner with a family name close to Lacy or Marco-Lacy and an English mother. Birth records in St. Peter Port for those years are available. A small number of births had taken place in those years, as the island had about 15,000 inhabitants and St. Peter Port about half of the total. (Earliest census available from 1800 indicated that population of the island amounted to 16,155 with 8,450 inhabitants in the parish of St. Peter Port. Strangers not permanently settled may amount to 2,000-3,000 <F.P. Tuper: The history of Guernsey. 1854, p.386>).
In St. Peters Port parish record there is one daughter of J. William Lacy and his English wife bearing the same Christian name as the girl. This record, without doubt, corresponds to the future wife of Count Nikolay Iraklievich Morkov: maiden name Ann Lacy. Born August 27th, 1798. Baptized 5th November. She surely took Victoria's name after becoming a member of the Russian Orthodox church.
 Recently found documents confirm that the name of Victoria Ann's father was Juan William Lacy Despuig.
Based in a family book about the Lacy gently provided by Miss Ruth Fernandez Espinosa de los Monteros, (great granddaughter of the first marquees De Lacy) and after discussing the different possibilities with current Marquees D. Salvador Lacy y Alberola, it may well be that J. William Lacy could be a nephew of Richard de Lacy of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Richard was a wealthy owner of many ships; Richard's grandson also lived in Guernsey and his wife was related to Lord Saumarez. The relationship of the Saumarez with the Guille and the Lacy is again proven.
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