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Burrell Hyrne, Charleston, Edward Hyrne, Elizabeth Massingberd, Elizabth Hyrne, Henry Hyrne, Medway, Medway Plantation, South Carolina
As a period costumier and film producer I have long wanted to turn the Hyrne letters into an epic film or television series – only the cost is holding me back!
However, what might be more attainable in the short term is just to recreate the young Elizabeth Hyrne and film her writing one of her heartfelt letters. I would love to know what her descendants and the Hyrne descendants in general would think of that idea. I would need to set up a crowdfunding campaign to create the clip, and your support would be essential, but it would only take about $1600 (double that if we have an American crew get us a bit of location footage) to create the short film. It could provided a taster of what we could do if we had the funding and would be a lovely addition to this web site! Please let me know what you think. 
Hyrne Family Letters, 1699-1757 
Hi Pauline, I am a descendant of the Hyrne Family. My great grandmother was Annie Mariah Hyrne. I would like to help you bring the story to life.
Wonderful, thank you. I live in the UK close to the village of South Ormsby where Elizabeth came from and, by chance, one of my sisters has moved to North Carolina. It may be possible, through her, to get some footage of a Carolina landscape to include in the short clip of Elizabeth writing one of her letters – another Lincolnshire/Carolina connection!
Have you been to Medway? It is lovely. I visited when I was a teenager and was not even aware of the family connection.
No I haven’t visited Medway, but in 2000 we visited USA and took the time to call in at Charleston and viewed to plantation areas as we drove through. However, now I have sister living in North Carolina, another visit is much more likely!
Darlene – I am considering writing to the current owner of Medway, who I think is Gregory Callimanopulos. Do you know what the postal address would be?
We live about 1 1/2 hours from Medway. If only we could get in, legally. My friend is descended from Edward Hyrne through his 1st wife.
Brilliant, your local knowledge could be very useful (legitimately of course!).
Ruth – I am considering writing to the current owner of Medway, who I think is Gregory Callimanopulos. Do you know what the postal address would be?
I don’t know. I’ll ask around.
Sugar is a descendant so he wants to visit his ancestors’ gravesites. Use that angle, too.
I’m a descendant also and think this would be a wonderful idea.
Great, thank you. I will need the support of you all if we are able to create even a small bit of film.
Any progress being made on film? We have communicated before and I have quite a bit of research on the Hyrnes and Smiths. The letters are the best sourc material by far. The most often told stories are about the hardship of the attempt to make “Back River Plantation” succeed and then the Mary Hyrne is most widely remembered. She ended up being both mother-in-law and sister-in-law to one of the 2cd Landgrave Smiths daughters by his first marriage. Mary, daughter of Edward Hyrne and his first wife became 2cd Landgraves second wife and bore the second ten children. She reigned supreme at Westoe ( years latter called Yeamans) for years after her husband died. It must have felt like a great redemption of her father’s name as she watched the next generation marry into the most respected families. There is even a ghost story about her. You probably know all of this. The intertwined marriages give me multiple ancestry among this group. Probably not a good thing.
I have hoped by now all the letters would be transcribed. There are likely facts and names in them that will fill in gaps. I wanted to ask if you had gotten copies of the correspondence between Elizabeth’s brother Burrell and their cousin of the Massingbreds of Gunby. At some point this cousin was made a Baronette. The Archivists reports from Lincoln Archives are available on line. The reference says many of these letters discuss Elizabeth and her problems. I certainly would like to hear what they had to say about her marriage. Please let me know if I can help. The short film is a brilliant idea and would be well received in Charleston.
If you still do not have the address of the current owner of Medway, it would be his New York address. It is my understanding he has only visited the property twice. I can try to track it down.