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Ancestral Searches

September 2022

Hello, I have forebears who lived in Yarcombe – Willey & Sparkes are two of the surnames.   Regards,   Tony Bartlett

Peter Tarrant comments:   There are references to Sparks/Sparkes in Ancestral Searches 45 & 68, and to Willey/Willie in 1,  11, 23,  24,  34  &  55.

April 2022

Hello, I was told our ancestor, William Zane lived at a place called Woodhayne, Yarcombe, Devonshire.   Do you have any info on this?   Any pictures?   Thanks,   Jerry Cohen

Peter Tarrant comments:   There are references to the surname Zane in Ancestral Searches 8 and 51.

Steve Horner writes:   In answer to your question about Woodhayne farm and the Zane family here is a short article I wrote some years ago about this connection.   However in return may I enquire how you may have established the connection between your family and the Zane family of Yarcombe?

The Zane Family from Woodhayne Farm:

Last summer two persons from the United States who were researching their own antecedents, the Zane family, who originated in the parish of Yarcombe, contacted Ruth Everitt.   This connection had been made because the name Zane occurs in Ruth’s book, `From Monks to the Millennium`.   Ruth passed the enquiry to me because the family were known to be resident at Woodhayne in the period from 1580 to 1600.

I was able to send photographs of Woodhayne to Diane Nichols in America and as a consequence, I entered into a most interesting correspondence with her.   It is very apparent that she has spent an enormous amount of energy in carrying out her research and it is symptomatic that her e-mail address is “thatzanelady!”

We are fortunate in Yarcombe that because Thomas Drake, the brother of Sir Francis was locked in a court case with the vicar of Yarcombe, Thomas Major we know the names of all the householders in the Parish in the year 1600 from Court records.   It is from these records that we know that Alice Zane, widow, was living at Woodhayne, then called Woodend, and that Robert Zane was living at Stowte and Crokham.

From an abstract of the will of William Zane, who died in 1592, we have discovered that Alice Zane was his wife and to whom he left all his household goods and stock.   It is also interesting to learn from this abstract that William must have been a man of some substance possessing at the time of his death a calyver (a type of harquebut or early musket with a smoothbore and flared barrel), a musket perfourmed, an Allmayne Ryvetts (Light flexible riveted armour), a Byll (a kind of spear with a wooden shaft) and a bowe and sheafe of arrows.

There is also an abstract of a will of John Zane of Yarcombe who died in April 1583 and an inventory of his wife Johane (Joan) who died in August 1595.   It is fortunate that these abstracts or summaries, made by some local academic, are still available in the Devon County Records Office; bombs dropped on Exeter by the German Luftwaffe in the last war destroyed the original Wills of the Ecclesiastical Courts of Devonshire.

From the very extensive, and copyrighted, documents sent to me by Diane Nichols (thatzanelady) I know that she has traced her family back to one Simon Zane who was baptised in Yarcombe in 1584.   The grandson of Symon Zane was Robert Zane who was baptised in Yarcombe in 1642.   Joan Nichols states categorically “He and his family were among the very early Quakers and fled to Ireland during the Quaker persecutions in England in 1656 when Robert was 14 years of age”.

In 1673, Robert and his son Nathaniel set sail for America.   It appears that Robert was sent ahead as an advance guard to locate a suitable settlement site in West Jersey for John Fenwick’s colony that was to arrive in 1675.   Robert Zane died in 1695 in Newton Gloucester County, New Jersey.   The Quaker records in Dublin record Robert Zane as being a serge weaver and there is strong evidence to suggest that he crossed the Atlantic three times in helping to establish early settlements in America.

Diane Nichols speculates that the Zane’s immigrated from Venice, Italy to England sometime in the early 1500s.The Zane or Zani as it was known in Italy, were well known in Venice, being among the Doges there.
 

February 2022

Hello, I'm doing some family history research and have found a link to Yarcombe via the Northam family.   My (great times 4) uncle was James Harris (1810 - 1891), who married Hannah / Anna Northam (1816 - 1888) in 1852 in the Chard district.   Hannah was born in Otterford, just up the road from Yarcombe.   This was her 2nd marriage; her first was to William Gillett (unknown birth location, circa 1818 - 1846), whom she married in 1839 in the Chard district.   Hannah's parents were Thomas Northam (born 1795, Yarcombe) and Mary Walters (born 1798, Sherborne).

James and Hannah had 5 children and moved to Sydling St Nicholas in Dorset around 1853.   Their 3rd child was Thomas Northam Harris (born 1856 in Sydling).   Thomas' middle name was, presumably, a nod to his mother's maiden name.   Thomas married Caroline Northam (born 1856 in Yarcombe) in Sherborne in 1889.   Caroline's parents were William Northam (born 1817, Yarcombe) and Hannah (born 1816, Curry Mallet, surname to be identified).   This was Caroline's second marriage - her first was to George Pike (born 1859, Yarcombe).   George and Caroline had a daughter, Ann, (born 1878, Bristol) who died in her mid-20s in Wales.   It seems like George was alive up until 1923, so I'm not sure what the story was there.

I haven't identified a familial link between Hannah and Caroline Northam but I'm guessing there must be somewhere.   I also like to think that Thomas and Caroline married in Sherborne as a nod to Thomas' grandmother, Mary (nee Walters), who was born there.   Thomas and Caroline moved to Wales around the turn of the century. In the 1911 census, they're living in Llanwonno,   Pontypridd with Caroline's grand-daughter Dorothy May Pike (late daughter Ann's illegitimate child, born in Ynysybwl, Pontypridd in 1898).   I've yet to find when Thomas died but Caroline lived to age 78 and died in Neath.

So: quite an interesting story, with lots found but several loose ends still to investigate.   Best wishes,   Mark Harris

Steve Horner writes:   I have had an initial look at your family tree and its connection to Yarcombe.   I can find Thomas Northam, baptised Yarcombe 27th December 1795, buried Yarcombe 28th July 1851, married Mary Walters 15th June 1815.   In the 1841 census, which is very indistinct, I find the following living at Mutters:  Thomas Northam 45, Mary 43, James 16, Rachel 11, Abraham 9, Samuel 6, Eli 4 and Martha 76.    There is a wood now called Mutters Wood in the north east of Yarcombe.

See below a note about Northam`s cottage from Ruth Everitt`s book, From Monks to the Millennium: 

Northam`s still exists; its name is now Bramble Cottage, its adjacent to Mutters Wood.   I am thus fairly confident we have the correct family group.   However it is Hannah who I cannot identify as belonging to this group, although in the 1851 census in an adjacent cottage on North Common there is one Hannah Northam aged 33 married to William Northam.

In the 1841 census in the adjacent cottage to Thomas and Mary (Mutters) I find the following individuals:  Simon Northam born 1793. Mary born 1794, William born 1818, Ann born 1828, Henry born 1831.   It may be that Thomas and William are brothers?   And Martha, born 1765, is possibly a Grandmother.   I hope this helps ,please come back to me if you need further local information.

Mark Harris responds:   Many thanks to Steve for this.   My thoughts for him:   It looks like Martha was Thomas Northam's mother; there is no father listed on Thomas' baptism.   The family were obviously having a tough time of it in the 1851 census because they were listed as receiving parish relief.   I've found a baptism for William Northam that suggests his parents were Simon Northam (1793, Yarcombe - 1883, Chard) and Mary (nee Hutchings, 1792, Combe St Nicholas - 1875, Chard).   So it's possible that William and Thomas were not brothers.

In the 1841 census, wife Hannah/Anna (nee Northam) and husband William Gillett can be possibly seen living separately, both in Combe St Nicholas.   William was an agricultural labourer, Hannah was a servant.   In 1851, Hannah is a servant and widow at Chard Farm in Chard; her birthplace given as Otterford.   Son William Gillett junior, seen living with his grandparents in 1851, moved to London, married, and became a stevedore at the docks.   He became paralysed at aged 50 and can be seen in 1911 in the workhouse in Sherborne, Dorset (another Sherborne connection!).
 

January 2022

This entry is local information which may be of interest or assistance to residents and enquirers:

Hello, I would like you to put all these photos etc ion the Yarcombe website.   Henry Derryman was my great grandfather, he died when I was about 11 years old.   Irene jessie Rich was his daughter and she was my Gran.   Frank Rich was my father.   Robert Rich was my great grandfather.     Regards,    Willy Rich

Peter Tarrant comments:   I notice the group photo also appears in Ancestral Search 34 !   Also see more from Willy on the WWII page.

The Rich family 1922/23 Broadley Farm Yarcombe

Phyllis Denning, whose mother is Millie in the photograph below and whose family lived at Woodhayne between 1932 and 1970, reports that the original photographs were taken by Pulmans Weekly , as a result of her mother's sister Dorothy winning a prize for a writing competition set by the newspaper.   The journalist who came to interview her was impressed by the milking scene and commissioned a photographer to visit the farm and take pictures.
 

Milking the Cows

left to right:   Lydia Mary Rich (later married Charlie Mear, lived at Green Dragon pub Combe St Nicholas),

Looking East to Livenhayes Gate

Old Roadman Jim Doble. Once lived at Rower. At this time 1922/23 living in Lees Cottage. One of his sons Sid Doble was a great friend of Fred Long Rich.

January 2022

Hi, I have just come across your excellent website.   My family tree contains many connections with Yarcombe and I am going through the Ancestral Searches to see if any of the families mentioned are ones in my tree.   I have also looked at the World War One page with some interest.   It includes mention of Harry Doble, who was married to my mother's cousin.   In March 2015 I visited the Somme, including Harry's grave at Combles.   If you are interested, I have photos and other information that you might like to add to the website.    Kind regards,     Chris Salter

Peter Tarrant comments:   Thanks for contacting us and for your kind offer.   We are very interested in any information and photos you may have that are relevant to our village and previous occupants and would be delighted if we can publish them here.

Chris Salter responds:   Hi Peter,  Although Harry Doble was married to my mother’s cousin, I only learnt of him in 2006 when I was contacted by his great-granddaughter Tracy Carroll (née Doble) and at that time I did some research to help Tracy find out more about her ancestor Harry.   Years later, in March 2015, during a family visit to the battlefields of Flanders and The Somme, I visited the cemetery at Combles to see Harry’s grave.   Having previously researched his story for Tracy it seemed especially appropriate that I should pay my respects to him on her behalf.

I have included a summary of what I know of Harry, along with some photos and other records relating to him, some of which might be suitable for inclusion in your website’s World War One page.   My family tree, like others, includes many that died in that terrible war.   They were not just names; they all had a story to tell.   Perhaps there are others in Yarcombe or elsewhere who can add more to Harry’s story.

Peter Tarrant adds:   Read Harry Doble's story here on the WWI page.   Thanks again Chris.
 

The entry in the marriage register at Musbury for Harry’s marriage to Minnie Rockett in 1909
The 1911 census record for Harry and Minnie at Peterhayes Cottage in Yarcombe

January 2022

Hi,  I am relatively new to the world of ancestry hunting and have hit a dead end in Yarcombe.  My family tree is as follows:

Around here it gets a little tricky, with Richard Lee 1795 and Joan Bowditch 1790 of Yarcombe being suggested, followed by Samuel Lee and Sarah Royffe, Kent?   However these are unclear and I wondered if a little local knowledge might help shine a light on things.   Family lore is that we were related to a famous horse thief, however this may have been simply due to a shared surname.   Anyway help would be appreciated along with pointers to local old photos to support a visit one day!      Thanks,       Peter Lee-Thompson

Steve Horner writes:   This is a most fascinating enquiry and I would very much like to help you, although there seem to be some inconsistencies in the data you have provided to us,   I started my search with Henry Edward Denning Lee 1864-1915.   Henry was baptised in Buckland St Mary Church, just across the border in Somerset from Yarcombe which is in Devon on 4th September 1864 son of Abel and Mary Lee.   This family according to the 1871 census were living in Bishopswood, a small village just across the valley from Buckland St Mary in the Parish of Otterford,   Abel`s age is recorded as 40, his place of birth being Yarcombe and Mary is aged 41, Harry aged 10 so this is the same family.   It is the third Christian name of Denning that springs out at me, the Denning family are a well known local family who once lived in my farm here, so another possible clue.   I can also find the baptism record for Abel Lee, Yarcombe 14th August 1833 Father Richard Lee Mother Joan so this again ties into your records.

Now another possible clue:  At the Devon Assize on 31st December 1844 one Richard lee aged 49 was sentenced to 3 months in jail for Larceny - is this the horse thief lurking in the background?   In order to help you further I would be grateful of more precise information about the ancestors you briefly mention in your first message, give me as much as you have, dates births deaths etc.

I assume you now live in Australia so details of when your family headed south would also be helpful.   I am certain we can also help with photos of where your family lived in the 19th Century.

Peter Lee-Thompson writes:   That’s fantastic, I am very grateful to Steve for looking into this for me.   My Grandfather, Henry A Lee emigrated to Australia with his young family as £10 poms in late 50s / early 60s.   My mother grew up there with memories of aboriginal ceremonies on the lawn and a drunk living in a bath tub, they built a farm and house near Bendigo, however the heat did not suit my grandmother and the family moved back about 10 years later.   My uncle having come of age and married, stayed and ran a publishing house which went bust during the dock strikes.   Being infertile from the mumps as a child they adopted a Cambodian refugee who married an aboriginal man.   My Uncle has remarried 6 times since.

They returned via family (Reginald J Morfett) who was a poacher, ivory and diamond smuggler in Rhodesia.   Here she acquired a pet monkey. Harry got a cyst on his head healed by a local medicine man who got him drunk and whacked it with a burning plank.   Her exciting childhood continued here in Norwich with reports of other uncles tipping over an ice cream van which impinged on local cafe trade in Gunthorp, and meetings with a young crown prince of Bahrain.   Gold bars were seen on occasion.   My grandfather had been travelling for some time to Belgium for work where he was secretly also living with Yvonne, a lady he had fallen in love with during the French liberation of WW2, leaving them when my mother was about 14. He returned to near us in the late 90s.   I am still trying to piece some of this together from other family members but the stories seem to fit if a little hazy.   As a teen she was very much part of the swinging 60s attending festivals and meeting famous musicians.   She eventually met my father and they eloped to Wales, living the good life as house sitters on a remote hill farm where I was born in 1985.

Back to the earlier family…

Harry A Lee - 1914-2003, B 18/01/1914, Coxley/Wells.        I can only find the birth index not full details.
D October 2003, Carmarthen His mum died when he was 6 and father remarried. His step mother (Heron) would lock them him in the attic with no food or bed.
He lived in Sudbury 1939 where he was a builder/joiner.
Wife: Mava Violet Morfett. B Sudbury 1922 - 1996 Colchester
War time photos (below) by pyramids and wailing wall in Jerusalem . I don’t know his regiment or war record:
William H Lee -  B Hemyock 18/11/1887   D Bridgwater July 1942     1891 recorded at Pitminster William Govier head Sarah A wife Harry Lee son in law William H Lee grandson. In 1911 he lived in Illogan with Mother Nellie Lee and father Harry Edward Lee Married Emily Lucy Brickham 12/2/1912 in Norwich Can’t find info on Keward, Wells, cabinet maker census and only family history of him flying in sopworth camels for recon and dropping bombs by hand. No idea of regiment.
Harry Edward Denning Lee B Jan 1864-1915 Upworthy/Chard D June 1915 Redruth Baptism Buckland st Mary’s 4th September 1864 Mum - Mary Lee Father - Abel Lee 1881 census ag lab with parents Abel and Mary at whisk/whites farm Pitminster 1901 census dairyman with wife at millers farm west Buckland 1911 census recorded as Farmer at Hasbury hill farm Chard?
Abel Lee -  B 1831 Yarcombe,   D 28/6/1903 Witts farm, Blagdon hill 1851 aged 19 farm tenant and farm servant at Northhams for the Billings? 1861 living with wife Mary or Priscilla from upottery at Fryers? Pears? Next door to Dennings it seems. Dennings may be a nickname if he worked closely with the family? 1901 farming at Morrishs with wife Edith? Not Mary? ... wife Priscilla Mary Rowland - 1826-1883 Upottery.
Census searches

That is about all I have. I haven’t managed to get much on Abels parents, seem to be getting into a generational mix up.   I hope that helps, and thanks for the possible horse thief story, that may shine a light.   The other possibility was right do’or Lee which seemed a bit far fetched, and only reached by loose internet suggestions, although given some other family history may be unsurprising!   Feel free to pass on my details if this is more convenient.    Thanks.

Steve Horner responds:   Firstly many thanks for all the information about your family, some of which is quite colourful.   Secondly may I assume from your reply that you live in East Anglia?   I can now provide you with some further details of your family and photos of where they lived in this area.

Abel Lee Born 1831 Yarcombe

The census records show that their adjacent neighbours were the Denning family who lived at Martins farm.   This perhaps explains the reason Denning was a first name of Harry Edward Denning Abel born 1864.

You then go on to correctly trace Abel and his family who lived in various farms in the locality, mainly near Pitminster Somerset.

I hope these photos of interest to you.   Now I will pick up the life history of Harry Edward Denning Abel.   He was baptised in Buckland St Mary church on 4th September.   Please note Buckland St Mary church is the nearest church to Bishopswood about ½ mile as the crow flies, thus it would be natural he be baptised in that church.   However you state he was born in Offwell.   This seems odd, because his parents were living in Otterford 1861 Frys Moor and Bishopswood in 1871 - can you confirm this?   I hope this information about Yarcombe is of interest to you.   Perhaps one day yo will be able to visit our village.
 

December 2021

I am interested in the Stickland family of Yarcombe and was wondering if "From Monks To The Millennium - A History Of Yarcombe" had any information of interest.   It would be great to have a digital copy of the book.     Thank you,     Theo Carr-Brion

Peter Tarrant comments:   There are references to the Stickland/Strickland name in Ruth's book and on this web page In Ancestral Search 10.

Theo Carr-Brion writes on his website Who was Harry Carr-Brion (tcarrbrion.org.uk):   Who was Harry Carr-Brion?   I have often wondered where my surname came from.   I always assumed it was from two people marrying and joining their names together.   In 2002, when the 1901 census became available, I decided to try and find out.   My grandfather died when I was a young child and I do not remember him.   The only information I had is what my father and his sister could remember.   My grandfather went by the name of Harry Carr-Brion and said he was born on 8th July 1888 in Boston, Massachusetts and was educated at Hele's School in Exeter, Devon.   He said his father's name was William Francis Carr-Brion and his mother's Minnie Strickland.   He also mentioned the names of his brothers and sisters.   My father produced the following list: Francis, Eric Winston, Kenneth Garfield, Hugh Page, Dorothy, Gladys and Ethel.   The other clue we had came to light when my grandfather retired.   He had no birth certificate and had to swear before someone to give his date of birth.   One of the letters that came back from the social services of the time had a mysterious middle name that my father remembered as Dulai or Dulay.

The first thing I found was a complete absence of anyone with the surname Carr-Brion.   I also searched the GRO indexes for a marriage of Minnie Strickland and found nothing that looked plausible.   There was also no record of any Carr-Brions ever living in the United States.   The earliest record of my grandfather that we could find was his marriage to his first wife in 1914.   As the were no Carr-Brions anywhere I decided to look for the family under a different surname.   Searching the 1901 census index without a surname was difficult.   A search was only allowed with the first two characters of the surname followed by a wildcard.   Luckily, there were some unusual first names to look for.   I picked Kenneth and Hugh as the least common.   They are also the names of my father and his brother.   I limited my search to the Exeter area of Devon.   I search for every possible two letter combination at the beginning of the surname until I found a family with a Kenneth and a Hugh.   This led me to the following family:

This looked very close to my father's list of names and had to be right.   Later investigations showed there was also an Ethel who had left home.   Eric's middle name was Garfield, the same as my father's.   Cedric's middle name was Duley and presumably he was my grandfather.   The mother's maiden name was Stickland which is why I could not find Strickland.   I later got additional confirmation from members of the Kingwell family.   They said Cedric disappeared during the first world war and no one knew what had happened to him despite attempts to find him.   He never did have a birth certificate.   His birth was not registered to avoid vaccination.   I also received a photo of the painting of Cedric as a child showing his red hair.   DNA testing has also shown that the Kingwell family was correct.   I still do not know what made him change his name and abandon his family.   It appears to have happened about the time he got married so the two events may well be connected.

Steve Horner writes:   I notice that you have found the Yarcombe website and the section that concerns Ancestral Researches, I hope by now that an electronic copy of Ruth Everitt`s book From Monks to the Millennium is on its way to you.   We have also noticed that the Stickland ( Strickland ) branch of your family have connections to East Devon in which the parish of Yarcombe lies.   If you do find a connection between the Sticklands of this parish, there are several of that name who lie in our graveyard and your own family.   We would be very pleased to receive the results of your research.   If we can help further with local place names or photos of the area please let us know.   Good luck with your researches and we wish you a prosperous new year.

 

December 2021

I came across your excellent web site while looking for more information on my ancestor Robert Pike.   Robert was baptised in Upottery in 1768 to Richard Pike and Sarah Salter.   In 1782 he was apprenticed to James Spark by the Overseers of the Poor.    In 1791 Robert married Ann Livermore at Ottery St Mary but his place of residence was given as Yarcombe.   He seems to have been buried there in 1808.   In 1793 Robert & Ann baptised a son Robert in Ottery St Mary but said they were resident in Yarcombe.   When this Robert married Elizabeth Bending in 1812 in Ottery St Mary he also gave his residence as Yarcombe.   Ann Pike nee Livemore appears to have had an interesting life: she was baptised in Ottery St Mary in 1765 and as well as the child she had with Robert Pike she also had Sarah Livermore baptised Ottery St Mary 1790 - in 1891 she was sentenced to a year in Bridewell for refusing to name the father.   She then had William baptised in Ottery St Mary but born in Yarcombe in 1800, possibly another William baptised in Yarcombe in 1803 "when separated from her husband Robert" and James Pykes born in Yarcombe but baptised in Ottery St Mary in 1803, in each case no father was named at the baptism.   I have access to the parish registers but would be delighted to have any other information on the Pike and Livermore families in Yarcombe and in particular Robert and the wayward Ann!       Many thanks,   Siân Plant

Steve Horner replies:   This is a tough one but none the less fascinating for a family historian!   Your research has clearly been very detailed and has been complicated by different spellings of surnames, Pike and Pyke, Livermore and Livermoore.   As you state Ann Pike nee Livermore had clearly been over the guns a few times, to use a local expression.   And as such she must have been a problem to the Parish overseers of the poor, both in Ottery St Mary and Yarcombe.   As regards Yarcombe although the parish lies in Devon the parish seems to have been part of the Chard Union which lies in Somerset.   However from what I can glean from records available to me I note that Ann Livermore`s first born child was Sarah born 1790 and was baptised in Ottery St Mary on 5th November 1790, the Mother being shown as Sarah or Ann Livermore.   The next event is Ann married Robert Pike in Ottery St Mary on 17th January 1791.   I note Robert Pike`s Mother was called Sarah and was married to Richard Pike, perhaps the dual claim to be mother of Sarah was the family covering up the birth out of wedlock?   The next event is the birth of Robert who was born 4th February 1793 and was baptised in Ottery St Mary 22nd May 1793 so this date line seems to fit well with a happy marriage and production of offspring.   Incidentally this Robert whom you note married Elizabeth Bending went on to produce 10 children during their marriage.   The next two children you show for Sarah Livermore in 1800 and 1803 are both named William, the first born in Yarcombe and baptised in Ottery St Mary in 1800 and the second baptised in Yarcombe in 1803, perhaps the first William died in infancy although I can find no record of his burial in Yarcombe.   The last recorded birth is James Pykes born 1803 when separated from her husband Robert.  The Yarcombe burial records ( Burials at Yarcombe Church ) are we believe complete and show two burials for a Robert Pike at about this time 7th February 1807 and 26th January 1809.   I am sorry I cannot be more helpful however I really would be grateful if you can add to this record as time goes by.

 

October 2021

I am researching my family tree and have come upon a Daniel Civil (sometimes spelt Siffel of Sivil) who I believe was married at Yarcombe on 1 April 1717 to Mary Pavey.   I believe Mary's parents were Medad and Jane (nee Pine).   Medad died on 6 March 1726.   All this so far is not proven but if you can confirm or correct I would be grateful.   I would really like to know if you have any records of Daniel Civil's parents as I have drawn a blank so far.   I have a date of 1650 for Daniel's birth.                  Regards    Trevor Civil

Peter Tarrant comments:   There are references to the Pavey name on this web page In Ancestral Searches 10,  15,  16.  23,  30,  38 & 49.

Steve Horner replies:   Thank you for your enquiry,   As has been pointed by our web master out there are very many references to the Pavey family.   If you look at Burials at Yarcombe Church there are 164 members of the Pavey family laid to rest in the churchyard.   Civil is not a name I have come across before although there are only 5 Civils recorded in the burial records, all shortly after the recorded marriage of Daniel Civil and Mary Pavey in 1717:

Perhaps these are children of Daniel and Mary ?

I have however noted on Ancestry the following tree for your Pavey family, all from Yarcombe.   I have not completed this in detail, showing all the children of each marriage, that would be a massive task, however I do suspect there is a direct link right back to Symon Pavey:

I have however noted that you record Daniel Civil as having been born c 1650 - although his marriage to Jane Pavey in 1717 is possible, he would have been aged 67 at the time.   I would be most grateful if you would kindly provide me with your tree providing some additional information about Daniel Civil, where he came from and perhaps which of his children lived to create your own line.   I do encourage you to continue your research as the Pavey family name shows up many times in our records.

Trevor Civil writes:   Unfortunately most of my information comes from other people's trees which I am not able to corroborate.   Hence the link to my known family tree is a bit tenuous.   I will continue to work on it - I note that you have had correspondence with Martin Webb who I came across some time ago - I will contact him again to check if he has any more recent updates.   In the event that I can confirm the link to Yarcombe, can you tell me if there is a parish register of marriages in 1715 for Yarcombe - that might tell me which village Daniel came from.   The Civils appear to have deserted Yarcombe in the 1730s and headed for the Isle of Wight which is where most of today's Civil's come from.   Many thanks for getting back to me and I will update you if I find anything new.

Steve Horner replies:   My assumption is that the marriage records for Yarcombe are in existence and stored at West Country Records Office in Exeter.   The marriage to which you refer Daniel Civil:Mary Pavey Yarcombe 1717 appears to have been found by the church of the latter day saints and has been microfilmed by that organisation.   I wish you every good luck in your search, keep at it!   Let us know if you make the connection.

Trevor Civil writes:   My earlier information about Daniel's birth date was probably wide of the mark.   I think that information came from another's family tree.   However going through the Yarcombe burials the best I can come up with is: Daniel Civil b 1678 d 1748 (listed as Sevill but misspellings are common even today).   Marriage to Mary Pavey was 1 April 1717.   Mary (listed as Cevill) died 1855.   My direct relative Samuel Civil (4 x great grandfather) was baptised in Yarncombe in February 1717.   I am left to wonder if there was any stigma attached to that.   Unfortunately to date I have not been able to get any further back than Daniel.

Steve Horner responds:   Many thanks for the update, from our own records I am afraid I cannot provide you with any more information.   As you have discovered reliance on family trees complied by others is notoriously inaccurate, wild guesses seem to be the order of the day rather than careful analytical research.   I have been working on my Horner tree for well nigh 60 years and have gently and carefully worked my way back to the early 1500s, some links being made by professional genealogists.   I can only suggest that you ask the West Country Records office in Exeter for a copy of the entry in the marriage register of Daniel Civil and Mary Pavey in 1717, that may provide you with further information.   Good luck in your hunt and keep in contact.

Trevor Civil writes:   As we are now on a trip to Cornwall to try to get more information on my wife's family we decided to stop off in Yarcombe next Saturday night.   It is not with any real intent that we are stopping there, although we will have a look around the graveyard, but more to get a feel of the place.

Steve Horner responds:   I am delighted to learn that you will be visiting the village where your ancestors once lived.   If you are passing Exeter you really should make an effort to drop into the West Country studies unit which is just off a motorway exit.   Please keep in contact.

Trevor Civil writes:   Good to meet you last week.   As you warned, the church yard did not give up any secrets.   The trip was mainly to find more information on Sue's ancestors which was fairly successful.   This did not allow any time to visit the West Country studies unit.

Trevor Civil writes:   As you suggested I followed up by contacting Devon Archives etc but with limited success.   The link between my 3rd great grandfather William Civil and the Samuel Civil who was baptised in Yarcombe in 1717 is a bit tenuous.   So even though your records house the earliest mention of the name of Civil (that exact spelling) I do not think they are direct descendants of mine.   The researcher did however point me towards another possible line of enquiry.   It was good to meet up with you and many thanks for your efforts in helping to trace my ancestors.   I attach some records (below) that the researcher sent to me that are relevant to Yarcombe.   Regards Trevor Civil

Steve Horner replies:   As with most Government entities it keeps changing its name.   At one time it was also called Devon County Record Office.   The Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter is the main archive.   It has a branch office, the North Devon Record Office in Barnstaple, which is the repository for records broadly relating to North Devon.   Wikipedia Address:  Great Moor House/Bittern Rd, Exeter EX2 7NL,  Phone: 01392 888700.   Good luck with your researches and please let us know the outcome.
 

September 2021

Being interested in military history and having connections with Buckinghamshire I purchased a British War Medal and Victory Medal to Thomas Batten Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry (OBLI).   He had two service numbers, namely 4689 and then 266836.   Sadly Thomas was killed in the war and my researches showed me he came from Yarcombe and led me to your website.   I found it very informative , thank-you.   In particular I noticed the photo of his Death Plaque ("Dead Man's Penny") which looks wall mounted. Is this on display in the village?

I thought you would be interested to know that his medals are still out there.   Two of his brothers married girls with the surname Doble and from the occurrence of this name amongst those from Yarcombe who served in WWI I would guess this was/is another local surname.   Martin Keys

Peter Tarrant comments:   See the World War 1 page for more about Thomas and the Batten family.

Martin Keys responds:   As you say the original 4 figure service number Thomas was allocated indicates a pre-war regular or most likely territorial service pre-war.   When the whole British Army was renumbered in 1917 he was then allocated his six figure service number.   I had seen a head shot photograph of Thomas on-line but that had obviously just been 'cropped' from the larger image, that you sent me.   When I got your e-mail (and having read your website) my immediate thought was to agree to your request and sell you the medals for exactly what I paid for them.   However on only slightly more reflection I decided that wasn't the best solution so I have decided to give them to the Baptist Chapel to reunite them with his Death Plaque.   My wife and I are planning on coming down to Devon next year to visit various friends who live there (dates not yet confirmed) I am proposing that we bring the medals with us and make a trip to Yarcombe to hand them over to you.(at a mutually convenient day/time, to be agreed).   This will avoid any chance of damage or loss in transit which would be a tragedy at this stage; given the medals and plaque have probably been separated for many years.   I wonder who donated his plaque to the Carillon Museum in 2002, was it a family member?   This will mean they won't be with you quite as quickly but I hope the fact that they are coming your way and will be there in due course will make up for any slight disappointment at the delay.   Does that all seem acceptable to you?

Steve Horner replies:   Martin, what a wonderful gesture, I have already spread the word in the village and the Chairman of the Parish Council, Clive Stone has already indicated that your gift will be a wonderful addition to our heritage.   I might also add that Miranda Gudenian who is Editor of Yarcombe Voices who lives in the same house where Thomas Batten and his family lived has also asked me to pass on her personal thanks to you.   As yet the committee of the Baptist church have not formally replied but I feel certain they will want the medals to join the plaque once again.   Your proposed visit to our community is indeed an excellent idea and one which we can plan as time and COVID permits.   As for the original source of the plaque we have no idea, we only know it was surplus to the requirements of the museum.   We look forward to meeting you and your wife next year and once again many thanks for your generous gift.

July 2022

Clive Stone adds:   I have an interest in the Boer War and the 1906 Natal Rebellion and having learnt about Thomas Batten’s WW1 medals being kindly gifted to Yarcombe, l asked Steve Horner if had been anyone from the parish who served on the Boer War.   Following his response that Thomas' brother John had indeed served, l decided to post the following on the Anglo Boer War website, hoping for more details of John Batten’s service in Prince Albert’s Somerset Light Infantry, but as of today nothing more has come to light.

With help from daughter Anna searching census records and Jonathan Spiller descended from another Yarcombe family, l pieced together the article below, which you are most welcome to include on your ancestry website.

Miranda confirmed that the Batten family did live in her house but only in the south part of the property until sometime in the 1930s and the roses grown by Mrs Batten, who according to Bill Doble, she sold at market, were to be found growing in all gardens in Beacon.
———

The Batten brothers from Yarcombe, 2nd Bn Prince Alberts Somerset Light Infantry ….

What started out as part of First World War research, then involved the same family in the Boer War, sadly with one fatality from the same family in each war.

During the preparations for the commemoration of the Great War, the village of Yarcombe in East Devon, received out of the blue, a large bronze Death Plaque or Widows Penny, one of 1,355,000 issued.   This had originally been sent to the family of Thomas Batten and had then found it’s way to the Carillon War Memorial Museum, who in 2019 kindly donated it to our village.

Out of the population of a small Devon parish, ninety three enlisted and eleven did not return. All the names are recorded on a collection of mounted brass plaques in the Baptist Chapel.   There are also six members of the Spiller family recorded, one of whom did not return.

Thomas Batten had enlisted at Dorchester into the 21st Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry.   He appears to have enlisted early in the war as his original service number of 4689 was replaced by 266836 in 1917.   He was killed age 28 on April 1st 1918 and is remembered on the Pozieres Memorial as having no known grave.   He is also commemorated on a headstone just outside the entrance to the Baptist Chapel.   This headstone also commemorates father Eli, wife and mother Mary Jane and their sons John and Thomas Batten.

We had also been offered Thomas Batten’s medals, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, both generously gifted by Martin Keys who had previously purchased them.   Along with a photo of Thomas Batten, there is now a comprehensive collection to the memory of John and Thomas.

The village website has, as of July 2022, a detailed record of seventy four ancestral searches, but does not appear to feature any Boer War connections, unlike nearby Honiton, which has a memorial dedicated to nine former pupils from nearby All Hallows School, Rousdon.

On enquiring if there was anyone from the village who served in the Boer War, l learnt that there was one person, John Batten, who was an elder brother of Thomas.   From the 1891 census it appeared that Thomas did not have an elder brother and the family were living at Beacon Farm, now occupied by a prominent local historian.

On further investigation of the 1891 census, Thomas did have an elder brother John, who was living at a different address in the village, earning his keep as a ten year old servant at Waterhayne Farm.   It was not unusual in those days to send children out to other families if their parents could not afford to feed them or possibly helping to support their parents.

In the 1911 census, Thomas Batten was living at The Beacon in Yarcombe, recorded as a farm labourer, working elsewhere, while his sister Louisa was recorded as Housekeeper working at home.  
On her death in 1963, she is noted as Louisa Batten Spiller, hence the link between the Batten and Spiller families and the previous mention of the Spiller names also recorded on the Baptist Chapel memorial.

John Batten’s life would appear to have been one of being born into a working agricultural family, with very little chance of improving his life.   His maternal grandfather had been a shoemaker, a trade not taken up by his son Eli.   The occupations given by the ‘heads of houses’ of the six dwellings in Beacon in the 1891 census, were five agricultural labourers and one woodsman.

Whether it was as a result of the agricultural depression of the 1870s, which tragically impacted on my own paternal family, or the prospect of regular pay, improved conditions, potential promotion or the chance to see some more of the world with the comradeship of fellow soldiers, we will never know his motive for leaving his family, village and agriculture behind.

The next major chapter in John Battens life is that he had joined the 2nd Battalion Prince Albert’s Somerset Light Infantry nr 5065.

His QSA medal is in the possession of a descendant of his sister Louisa and l have been able to locate a picture of John Batten’s medal, which also has clasps for Relief of Ladysmith, Tugela Heights, Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal.

During his relatively short life, John must have seen plenty of action, most probably all of it during his relatively short military service, for which his very rural upbringing had not been a particularly helpful preparation.   It may however have given him some countryside skills he found useful in contributing to him surviving well known actions as demonstrated by his clasps, then only to die from disease.

John Batten died on 30 December 1900 and is buried at Springfontain Military Cemetery, although his headstone is misspelt as Batton.

I do not know if his medal has always been in the family or if it was subsequently purchased by them, either way it is where it deserves to be.

After their losses in the two wars, Eli and Mary Jane Batten still had two girls and three boys, several of whom are thought to have married into local families, with their descendants still living in the locality, although shortly after 2015 there were no Batten family names thought to be still living in the parish of Yarcombe.

Quite a story from a Manor owned by Sir Francis Drake and with family descendants there to this day.   Perhaps this will bring another family to search their family history and discover a Boer War connection.

The pictures and confirmation of the marriage connection between the two families, was courtesy of Jonathan Spiller and his cousin, via Ancestry.

I look forward to hearing of any further information about John Batten, which will be forwarded to his family and our enthusiastic local family historians.

Clive Stone

July 2021

Hi, I am hoping a local person might be able to help with some not so ancient Yarcombe history..   My deceased grandfather’s birth certificate states he was born at Little Crawley, Membury in 1916, however I understand at that time his father owned Lower Crawley cottage and a small holding next to the river Yarty (now Bridge Meadow).   There is currently a Little Crawley further to the East, close-by where Crawley Cottage once stood.   Might anyone local be able to tell me when this Little Crawley was built as it does not appear on maps of 1916 for the Chardstock Estate sale when my grandfather bought Lower Crawley but is on a 1936 map.   Was there yet another place with the same name?   Might Lower Crawley and Little Crawley actually be one and the same place in about 1916 and might the current Little Crawley have been built a while later?    Many thanks,   Joe Bin

Edwina Wakley comments:   I am not sure that I can shed much light on Little Crawley but this was passed to me by Steve Horner who lives in the parish of Yarcombe as he knew that I lived there very many years ago.   My parents bought Little Crawley in about 1959 - the house was clearly not that old but was in an 'old style'.   It always seemed to have had a sad history.  The people that they purchased from had had 'something' in their lives and they had to leave there but were heartbroken so to do.   They told my parents that there had been some sadness with the house and that a former (not sure when) person would not sleep in the house but would only sleep under the loggia.   They inferred that this person had fallen from an upstairs window and broken her back - now whether that was when she left there I don't know and certainly don't have any dates to put with it.   There was a small 'shed' in the grounds but that may well have been a tiny cottage at some time.   Little Crawley's address is Yarcombe but I was married from there and we had to have our banns called both in Yarcombe and Membury as the property seems to have straddled both parishes.   My parents left Little Crawley in about 1967 - again it was a situation that they would not have chosen - in tidying up to move, tucked away in a lean-to loft I found a piece of paper and on it was written - 'I have escaped by the window'.   Make of this what you may - it certainly was a bit puzzling.   The people who then moved there after my parents, had a similar 'unhappy' time, I think one of them dying within a comparatively short space of time.   I do hope that this 'curse' ended and that others have enjoyed it.   Sorry I cannot be more helpful.       Edwina Wakley

Steve Horner writes:   Just as a closure to this interesting enquiry, I have carried out some research into the death of Henry Archer Neild of Little Crawley Membury who according to the article committed suicide on 9th July 1928.   Henry Neild lies in the churchyard of St John Baptist Yarcombe, according to the probate records he died a wealthy man, his estate amounting £3,830 17s 7d which equates to about £400,000 in today's money, his executor was the Public Trustee.   There is also mention in the article that his bank manager surmised he was speculating in the shares of Rubber companies and my research shows that as a result of the Rubber Export Restriction Scheme dated March 1928 that small investors in such companies had lost considerable sums of money.

Edwina Wakley adds:   We rather thought that - as I have said before, that house did seem to attract some sad and interesting stories - yet to be discovered is, who was the person who left the note in the loft saying - ' I have escaped by the window'.   It wasn't exactly where one would be looking for a note and we were told of the person who had fallen from a window and broken their back (one and the same?) and the other person who would not sleep in the house.   Personally, we didn't ever feel a 'presence' !

June 2021

I am researching my maternal grandparents Edward and Martha Scarisbrick, who were teachers in Yarcombe during World War 1.   Edward trained at Chester and Martha in Liverpool in the closing years of the 19th century.   They married in 1906 and their son Edward was born in 1907 and died aged 3 in 1910.   Their daughter Marjorie Scarisbrick, my mother, was born in 1911 and they moved to Yarcombe where Edward taught at the school, the family living at the school house.   The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette reports, on 4th February, 1916, that Edward, together with the elderly vicar of Yarcombe, Rev. E J Meredith, went to the assistance of a motorcyclist, Mrs Hunter, who had an accident and died a few hours later.   Subsequently, Edward was conscripted into the Army Supply Corps, was taught to drive and saw action and sadly that seemed to be final.   Meanwhile, his wife, Martha Scarisbrick taught at Yarcombe school until she was appointed head at Willand in 1926/27.   Their daughter Marjorie was, as a teenager, a keen contributor of messages of cheer and good humour to the young people’s column of the Crediton Courier, despite the tragic family events.   From Yarcombe, she went on to Kenilworth College in Exeter to learn shorthand and typing, keeping a friendly contact with the Principal, Mr J E Webster and his family, even after they moved to Crosby in Lancashire due to Mr Webster’s failing health.   I hope this narrative will stir memories for readers of your fascinating Ancestral Searches, who may be able to give more detail of the Scarisbrick contribution to Yarcombe education.   I'm optimistic this will provide some interesting additional data from the good folk of Yarcombe!       Keith Andrews

Peter Tarrant comments:   Thanks for your enquiry and the fascinating information.   If you haven't already done so, have a look at the website’s Photograph pages where there are several picture of the old school, teachers and pupils from the last century.  If you manage to identify anyone, please let us know!

Keith Andrews writes:   Thank you for your response.   I have looked at your website photo pages.   My mother was born in 1911 and all the girls in the Yarcombe school group photos can, I think, be ruled out as older.  Your photo taken around the time of WW1 has a male teacher top right.   We have two photos of my grandfather Edward Scarisbrick dated 1899 and none later.   It is hard to tell but I cannot say the he is definitely the teacher.   I presume there were two teachers at the school at that time, with infants (Miss Bagg) and juniors (the head teacher).

Keith Andrews adds:   I have shared your school photograph pages with my son in Newmarket, who holds our family photo archive.   We now think that the teacher in the school group photo on Photograph Page 6 is my grandfather Edward Scarisbrick and that his daughter, Marjorie Scarisbrick, my mother (below, right) is the girl two away from him, second row down.   The hair bows and open mouth are quite distinctive.   Edward Scarisbrick is in the centre of the 1899 Chester Teacher Training College group photo extract (below left).

Edward Scarisbrick (centre)		Marjorie Scarisbrick

June 2021

Posted as an item of interest:

Steve Horner writes:   I recently purchased on eBay two envelopes from the 19th century (above), one of which was written by Bishop George Pelham to the then Vicar of Yarcombe dated 1823.   The second by Bishop John Kaye to Lincoln College dated 1834.   Several points of interest attracted my attention:   Each sender signed the front of the corresponding letter;  both men were at the time of writing appointed as Bishop of Lincoln hence each signed J Lincoln and G Lincoln which practice I was unaware having never corresponded with a Bishop myself!   My query concerns my interpretation of the name of the vicar of Yarcombe at that time about whom I would like to learn more.   I interpret the name as being Rev.Dr.Palmer not Paland as shown on the sales ticket on eBay.   Is there any record in the church of past vicars of the parish?    Perhaps the transcript book may reveal this man`s initials which would give me further clues for my researches.   Ruth Everitt in her book mentions a Rev W Palmer on several occasions, one of which states that Rev W Palmer paid a hair powder duty of £1.3s.6d in 1818!   I suspect he lived on the parish for a long period of time and may have been succeeded by Michael Ford`s Grandfather.

Geoffrey Berry replies:   Very interesting, your enquiry about Revd William Palmer D.D.  Vicar of Yarcombe from 1800 until he was succeeded by Percy Gilpin in 1854.   I have a copy of Whites Directory of Devonshire dated 1850 and it states that he was also Vicar of Ilton, Somerset where he resides.   He may have been buried there or somewhere in a family vault.   I also have a copy of The History of Devonshire by the Revd Richard Polwhele dated 1793.   He says the Vicar is William Palmer junior.   Mortimer Ford came after Percy Gilpin in 1866.   It was during his incumbency that the Vicarage burnt down.   He was succeeded by George Watson in 1900.

Steve Horner writes:   Very many thanks for your helpful insights, I had no idea that Bishops signed in this manner.   Also thanks to Peter Tarrant who directed me to the Church section of the Yarcombe website where there is a photo of the board which displays the names of all past vicars of our parish.   This permitted me to find the following information:

With the Christian name and date of death I was able to track down the wills of the three William Palmers which had been proved by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury which is fortunate because this Court had to prove all wills where the value of goods was over five pounds and property held in more than one diocese.   Devon wills of less wealthy individuals were held in Exeter which records were destroyed in a bombing raid carried out by the Luftwaffe in World War 2.   These wills contained information that proved these three William Palmers were respectively Grandfather Father and Son, all very wealthy individuals, and from Ancestry I was able to construct the following family tree, and add great Grandfather William Palmer 1:

None of these individuals appear on the burial records of Yarcombe and I can only assume they were interred in a family vault perhaps in Combe Raleigh.   I am intrigued by this information, I know little about how vicars of Yarcombe were and still are appointed save Ruth Everitt states in her book that the advowson (right to appoint a vicar) of Yarcombe is vested in the Crown.   Given that the vicar of a parish had the right to collect tithes I can only assume that an individual wishing to be appointed as vicar would curry favour or indeed perhaps pay the owner of the right of advowson to gain this office.
 

June 2021

I have been delving into my Family History for about 35 years and never got back further than mid 1800s on the Bright Family.   Recently have managed to get back earlier having had my DNA searched out with the Ancestry site with several links coming back that we are related with the Bright Family that lived in Yarcombe.   The relatives are, working back, as follows:

If you could share this information locally to see if anyone knows anything about this family would be much appreciated.   Kind Regards, Dennis Bright

Steve Horner replies:   Very many thanks for your enquiry.   I can confirm your family have long connections with this Parish, in fact Ruth Everitt in the index to her book “From Monks to the Millennium” shows 8 references to your family and it will be a hard slog to connect each reference back to your family tree, but like any jig saw puzzle I feel it is soluble and that you may be able to go back at least one generation further.   An electronic copy of the book is available if you would wish to make a donation to Yarcombe Voices.   I have copied Miranda Gudenian who is editor of this publication and who owns the copyright.   Incidentally the land tax records of Yarcombe for 1727 show Benjamin Bright being the occupier of Cornhill.   He was a substantial land owner or at least had an interest in three properties, Moorhayne, Underdown and Sellwood which indicates Benjamin Bright was a wealthy man and therefore there is a good chance you will find his will either in the Devon Record office or more probably in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury list of wills.   Good hunting.

Dennis Bright writes:   Thanks for your information on the Bright Family.   I have emailed Miranda requesting access to an electrical copy of From Monks to the Millennium.   My wife and I booked a 3 day break in Yarcombe a little while ago so we can explore the area and I was hoping that I might be able to get information from the church on the layout of the cemetery and whether the Bright Family had maybe a family grave.   I did notice the church is open Wednesday afternoons, we are staying Monday to Thursday morning, so we will be able to visit church on the Wednesday.   Would you know the best person to contact regarding the Church and Cemetery Layout?   Thanks again.

Steve Horner responds:   I am pleased to learn of your interest in our Parish where your ancestors lived so many years ago.   The Book “From Monks to the Millennium” contains not only some historical references to your family and the places they owned but also maps showing their location so you will be able to enjoy walking around the countryside to inspect these old buildings.   I have copied Geoffrey Berry our Churchwarden who knows much about the history of our church and may be able to help you, however we do not have a plan of the grave yard.   Have you tried looking up Burials at Yarcombe Church ?   Also Find A Grave website has a complete record of all grave markers together with a photo which are at present in the grave yard, the local stone is quite soft and many of the old tomb stones have disappeared over time.   If you do have time to post a detailed record of your family tree that would enable us to record this, hopefully for posterity, here on our web site.

June 2021

Hello, I am in Canada and it was a fluke that I found your informative site.   One of my family lines (Abraham Phillips Bricknell who just disappears) is a link to Sir Francis Drake’s sister so that item was interesting reading.   I would be interested if you can offer any insights on the following:

I am looking at the 1841 Census (below) and I am not sure if Robert Lee is married to Elizabeth or perhaps her spouse is John who is maybe out of order at the bottom.   Or is she a widow back living with her father & John is her sibling (close in age)?   Perhaps Robert was the parent of the two-month old child (b. Apr based on the date of the census.), but there is no birth reg at GRO to discern the mother’s surname.

Also, I suspect the Ruth Lee on the 1851 Census (born “Dommett”) may be connected to #14 regarding this family name.   In 1851 Ann ,the niece, is noted as being born in Yarcombe so don’t know if they will link up.  But who was Ruth’s spouse (based on Ann’s birth, possibly a “Lee” from Yarcombe) and is there a connection to the 1841 family shown below?         C.M.Hanson  

Steve Horner replies:   Thank you for your enquiry about your ancestors who have a connection to Yarcombe.   The reason for the slight delay in replying to you was because I wanted to check with an expert on the life of Admiral Sir Francis Drake concerning your mention that Sir Francis had a sister.   The answer was he only had 11 brothers, so you may have a fact in your possession that needs to be carefully researched.   This is important because Elizabeth 1 Queen of England rewarded Sir Francis with a moiety of the Manor of Yarcombe in 1582, and we value his connection to our Parish.   It would help me to understand if you can explain in detail your family lines - Abraham Phillips Bricknell who “just disappears” and the link to Sir Francis Drake sister.   Regarding your more detailed enquiry about Robert Lee b 1766 and his family and a possible connection to Ruth Lee nee Dommett shown on the Farway census of 1851 as set out below.   My comments in red:

On the next page of the Farway census I find John Dommett age 47 a sailor born Chardstock living with his wife Jane.   This leads me to the firm conclusion that Ann Lee nee Dommett who was a widow in 1851 and her children Ann and Samuel went to live in Farway with her unmarried sister Ann who had a son John.   I have also inspected the Yarcombe census for 1841

This is the first page of the census enumeration the preface of which states from Holywater on the left hand side of the road past Sheafhayne to Yarcombe Village (Sheafhayne being the manor house) the census states the family were living in a house called Mareyhayne ???    According to Ruth Everitt’s excellent book “From Monks to the Millennium” (available as a soft copy for a small donation) the tithe apportionment act of 1832 mentions Robt Lee senior owns/occupies Woodeys Cottage Elscombe, so there is a possibility Ruth Dommett was married to a son/grandson of Robert Lee which would support the fact that Ann Lee b 1842 was born in Yarcombe.   Elscombe lies just down the valley from my farm and is in the parish of Yarcombe.   However I feel that you should concentrate on the nearby parish of Chardstock which appears to be the centre of gravity for the Dommett family and I can put you in touch with the local historian who covers that parish if you so require.   I hope this helps, however in any event please let me know more about Sir Francis Drake`s sister.      Steve
 

May 2021

Hello Yarcombe, I am a direct descendant of Jonas Woodrough (Woodrow) born Yarcombe 1683 died/buried Yarcombe March 1732.   Our family line has been traced back to Jonas but to my knowledge no-one has been able to go any further back.   I think this is because the online parish records only go back as far as Jonas.   But I can see from the Yarcombe burial records that there are Woodrough burials recorded at Yarcombe which are older than Jonas.   This seems to indicate that some of those earlier burials may be of Jonas's parents and so we may be able to go back at least one more generation.    Is anyone in Yarcombe able to help with establishing the relationship between Jonas b1683 d1732 and the earlier burials?   Frank Woodrow born Ottery St Mary, Devon 1857 died Brisbane 1948 was my great, grandfather.   He emigrated to Queensland, Australia in 1883.   There are many descendants of my great, grand-father, but unfortunately only a small number of the living descendants carry the Woodrow surname.   An interesting issue is when the surname changed from Woodrough to Woodrow. It appears to be after 1703 but before 1732.   On our next visit to England, we will visit Yarcombe.   It looks delightful and worthy of a stay of 3 or 4 days.   We have been to Devon a couple of times but that was before delving into the family history.   On our first visit, the Elm trees were still standing at Exeter Cathedral.   Now only the stumps remain and the character is quite different.   Any help with the earlier Woodrough's will be much appreciated.      Regards,     Peter Woodrow

Steve Horner replies:   Thank you for your enquiry.   As you rightly state there seems to have been a flush of Woodrough/Woodrow burials in Yarcombe Church yard between 1681 thru 1805 which suggests that the family were present in the Parish at that time.   However I had a look at the Yarcombe Church Rate made 30th October 1707 which lists the head of each household and his/hers contribution.   I am not an expert however there is no mention of Woodrough/Woodrow in this list nor is there mention of the family in Ruth Everitt’s excellent history of the Parish in her book ,”From Monks to the Millennium”.  This set me thinking because at that time there was an enclave of the Parish of Membury within the Parish of Yarcombe centred on Birch Oak Farm.   My guess would be that it would be natural from persons dwelling in the enclave to be buried in the nearest local church but perhaps marriages would have been conducted in their home church of Membury.   It’s a long shot, perhaps an enquiry of Jenny Beaman who is secretary of the Membury Local History Society, might produce some more information.   Personally I feel that there must be a connection between Jonas Woodrow baptised 1683 back to earlier Woodrows who now lie in our Churchyard.   In any event please keep in contact and when this terrible Corona Virus is more under control perhaps we can welcome you to the wonderful valley in which we live.
 

May 2021

I am wondering if you have any information on Thomas Major who was vicar of Yarcombe from 1580?   He appears to be my 11th great-grandfather through the Turner family.   His grand-daughter Eleanor married John Turner alias Harner in Yarcombe in 1640.   Best regards,    David Wilton

Steve Horner replies:   This is a most interesting enquiry and I can state without doubt we do have information about Thomas Major.   To explain as you may know Sir Francis Drake acquired the manor of Yarcombe as a result of a complex transaction, possibly an early form of money laundering as a reward for pillaging the Spanish Main, which in turn considerably increased the treasury of Elizbeth 1.

Sir Francis died in 1596 at sea and is buried in Nombre Dios bay off Panama.   He did not have any children and left the manor of Yarcombe to his brother Thomas, and with it a series of complex legal cases as others in the family squabbled over the wealth, and debts, left by the Old Sea Dog.   Thomas Drake was himself litigious and brought a law suit to obtain an injunction in the Court of Chancery against the reverend Thomas Major, vicar of Yarcombe.   This case concerned the tithes payable in kind to the vicar which was a difficult process to administer given locals might well try and hide new born animals and amounts of grain and hay grown from the said vicar.   So Thomas Major devised a scheme whereby such tithes might be monetised (to use a modern financial expression).   The case is interesting and very helpful to local historians because it lists in great detail each and every holding in the Parish, the names of each occupant and tithe paid, I have a transcript and a typed copy, the original Bill is marked as having been filed on 23rd November 1600, there does not appear to be an answer from the court to the original pleadings.

Somewhere in my papers I have a note that the widow of Thomas Major lived at Rosshayne farm, and it is therefore not surprising that his granddaughter Eleanor stayed in the locality and married Thomas Harner in 1640.   Thus if you can send me more details from the family tree this would be a most useful document to have available in our archives.   In turn I will try to carry out some more detailed research for you.

David Wilton responds:   Thank you for the very quick reply.   I have attached a couple of shots from my family tree on Ancestry.com (below).   I will put a caveat on this that while I try to be careful to validate links with original sources, it is all too easy to make mistakes.   If you want to look at the tree on Ancestry it is public: 888dew

Steve Horner replies:   I have been able to spend some time looking at your tree on Ancestry.   In particular I focussed on the marriage Eleanor Major (1622-1659) to John Turner als Harner.  I had a brief look see at John's PCC, Will obviously a wealthy man, I am now certain he lived at Higher Pithayne, which is a grade 2 listed building now occupied by David Meyrick, Lord of the manor.   I need your guidance please as I have not come across Als in a name which seems to have been in use for several generations of the family, I had interpreted this to be Alias. meaning an assumed name, often used by one person for one generation.   Clearly your family have deep roots in Yarcombe and the surrounding parishes, I would be pleased to send you information that I have on Rev Thomas Maior.   Incidentally have you gathered other information on said Reverand, I assume he was a graduate of either Oxford or Cambridge and took Holy Orders so there should be further information on this man.

David Wilton replies:   If you have a photo of Higher Pithayne I would be interested to see the house.   The family appear to have used either Harner alias Turner or Turner alias Harner for several generations, but use is also erratic.   For example:

This is the only alias name I have come across so I have no idea what is normal or even how this sort of name comes about.   The only similar thing I have found is a case in the mid 1700's of illegitimacy where the couple never married but had a son who was given both surnames, which later generations hyphenated.   The only thing I have found on the Rev Thomas Major is his entry in the directory of Oxford alumni, which does not give anything on his background.

David Wilton adds:   I just found the attached case from 1610 in the Court of Chancery.   I think the defendant is most likely Thomas Turner alias Harner (1580-1625), the father of John.

As yet I do not have any further information about the 1610 Court of Chancery proceedings; however if I do receive any further information I will pass this on to you.   I am most grateful to you for the wealth of information you have provide about your ancestors who lived in Yarcombe in the late 16th early 17th century, and I would ask for your approval that our web master Peter Tarrant posts these onto the Ancestry section of our web site.   If you find out any more or require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

David Wilton adds:   Thank you very much for this and please thank Mr Podbery for me.   You are welcome to use anything I have sent you on your website.   You piqued my curiosity about 'alias' names and after digging around on the web found that as you thought, they were mostly only used in one or two generations.   There was a case cited from Cornwall however of a family with used an alias name over a span of 200 years, from the mid 1500s to the mid 1700s, much like the Turner alias Harner's.       Best regards,      David

Steve Horner replies:   I have just returned Andy Podbery`s photos, he is pleased to have been of assistance.   Here is the reply I have received from Bryan Drew the local historian who covers Stockland.   Not much additional information I am afraid but every little helps:

Keep in contact - yours is a fascinating family history.

Steve Horner adds:   Overnight I had another thought about John Turner alias Harner 1607-1685 and this concerns his PCC Will.   Have you transcribed this document?   I know from experience that this is a long and painstaking business!   It would perhaps help me understand his land holdings and therefore I would appreciate a copy of any transcription you may have.

David Wilton replies:   I do not have a transcript of the will, sorry.   I read the wills for the names to check relationships and the names are usually legible enough that I can get by without transcripts.   Ruth Everitt's book mentions that the Rev. Thomas Major left a Tremelins bible in his will and speculates he may have been preaching in the fields.   This would make Yarcombe fertile ground for recruiting early emigrants to America.   Do you know where I might get a copy of Rev. Major's will?

Steve Horner replies:   I have had a quick search for Rev Thomas Maior`s will but with no luck so far, and sadly Ruth Everitt is no longer with us to lead me to the source of her knowledge about the Tremelins bible.   I do recall an ancient bible was stolen from the church some 15 years ago however the thief clearly did not consider this to be of much value and dumped it in a hedge, perhaps this Holy Book is indeed the Tremelins (correct name Tremellius) bible and may contain some inscription or notes.   I will ask the church warden Geoff Berry if he has any knowledge of this matter.   Turning to your other thought process, indeed Yarcombe was an early recruiting ground for emigrants to your country.   If you look at Ancestral Search 51 there is a wealth of information contained therein and there it states Thomas Newbury b 10th November 1594 set sail in 1634 from Weymouth on board The Recovery bound for the new world.   I hope that this may help your researches.

Steve Horner adds:   I have consulted the web and found the following reference to this scholar whose work may have been one source for the scholars who produced the King James Bible:

David Wilton writes:   I have attached the family of the Rev Thomas Major as revised using the information in the Will.   Are any of these names - Markes, Clement, Slade, Davie, Coles, Asshe - local names?

Steve Horner writes:   In a previous email you asked why Dorothy Maior wife of Rev Thomas Maior was living at Rosshayne and not in the vicarage.
  On page 6 From Monks to the Millennium (of which you have a copy) Ruth Everitt mentions “From Henry VIII reign to that of James 1 the rectory and small acreages is shown in the records as being let to various lay people probably to further the Protestant cause”.   You have set out a list of names, I assume because they are shown in your family tree.   Apart from Davy these names do not appear in the records I have to hand for Yarcombe.   However Rosshayne at that time is recorded as being owned by Bartholomew Frye, I assume Thomas Maior and his wife being tenants of part thereof.
  One clue you might follow up is on Page 83 of Ruth`s book, at this time the daughters of Giles Martin who was a land owner in Yarcombe married into a Davy family of Exeter.   Perhaps this family provided another son who married Thomas Maior`s daughter Dorothy b 1583?   I apologise I cannot be of much assistance, however please keep in contact it is quite amazing how new leads produce results.

David Wilton replies:   Thanks Steve.   I will look at the references.   The names are those of the husbands of Thomas Majors daughters and in one case a grand daughter.  From what you say they did not marry locally.

Steve Horner writes:   The names you gave me are not in the records of land ownership in Yarcombe at that time.   I have just had a quick look at the burial records and there is nothing that fits to your names which suggests they married away from the parish, although both Thomas and his wife Dorothie are recorded therin.
 

May 2021

Hi, I’m researching my CIVIL family and have traced one family back to Yarcombe c 1700.   Daniel Civil married Mary Pavey in 1717.   I’d like to take some photos of their gravestones and wondered if you would know whereabouts they are in the churchyard.   Also, do you have any records showing where the CIVILs came from before their Yarcombe ‘period’?      Kind Regards,    Martin Webb

Peter Tarrant comments:   There are references to the Pavey name on this web page In Ancestral Searches 10,  15,  16.  23,  30,  38, 49 & 67.

Steve Horner replies:   Martin, you have given me very little information about your family.   If you look in Burials at Yarcombe Church you will find that there are very many members of the Pavey family in our graveyard.   As to the Civil family there are 5 in 1720-1730 all the children I suspect of Daniel and Mary.   I cannot find an entry for Daniel although I suspect Mary was buried in 1756.   There are no existing gravestones for either Daniel or Mary in the churchyard.

The Pavey family have a long association with Yarcombe:

If you explain to me how you are related to Daniel Civil I may be able to help further.   I hope this helps.

Martin Webb reports:   Hi, I visited the church only to find your email later about the lack of headstones!   Never mind, I got some nice photos of the church and graveyard.   I wondered if there were any church records showing who was buried where?   My later question related to settlement records.   I just know that movements between Parishes had to get an OK from the receiving Parish.   I don’t know for what period of time these settlements records were requisite.   I hoped to find some record of the CIVILs arrival in Yarcombe.   I would add that my Mum was a Civil.   I think Daniel was 8xGrandfather.   Martin Webb
 

April 2021

Hello from Australia.   My brother, Ralph Anthony Rosewell, was born at Yarcombe on 9 August 1938 to Kenneth John and Ida Eva Rosewell (nee Coles).   Ralph died recently and my sister Jean Mary Brown (nee Rosewell) would like to know his date of baptism presumably at St John’s Church.   I was born in Wellington and baptised there within a few months of my birth.   The Devon Record Office has baptism records only up until 1915 so I am unable to seek assistance from them.   I would be pleased if you could ask someone with access to the Church Register to search for the baptism of Ralph Anthony Rosewell up to 6 months after 9 August 1938 and let me know the date.   Best wishes   Colin John Rosewell   Gunnedah NSW Australia

Steve Horner replies:   Colin, So far we have drawn a blank, although perhaps with some more information about your family we can continue the search.   Our Churchwarden Geoff Berry has kindly searched the Baptismal records of St John the Baptist church here in Yarcombe and has sent me the following response:

However I had a quick look at the Ancestry web site and have found the following information which may give you some clues as to where to look next.   Your father Kenneth John Rosewell was born on 20th March 1917 at Awliscombe, and your mother Ida Eva Coles was interestingly born at Luppitt on 15th April 1915 and they were married in Honiton on 2nd June 1937, theirs was a fruitful marriage I believe they had 16 children.   At the start of World War 2 the Government prepared the 1939 Register to provide information to prepare identity cards ration books etc and your parents were recorded as living on 29th September 1939 at Ardwin estate, Swans Lane, Wellington and your father gives his profession as a dairy farmer.   Certainly your family have close connection to this part of East Devon and across the border into Somerset, if you can you give me any idea where they may have been living in Yarcombe at the time your brother was born, this may lead me to another local church perhaps in Stockland or Otterford.   I look forward to hearing more of your family.

Colin Rosewell responds:   Thank you for your prompt and comprehensive reply.   It is disappointing that Ralph was not baptised at Yarcombe but thank you for your suggestions for further searches.   I am pleased to provide more information but first would you please thank Geoff Berry for searching the Baptismal records.   Is or was Geoff from Churchstanton? I have a record of a Geoff Berry of Churchstanton corresponding with my good friend Marlene Hoskin (nee Wyatt) of QLD Australia.   Marlene told me about it as I have Wyatt / Berry families in my Rosewell ancestors and Wyatt in my Coles ancestry.   Anyway, back to my family that I have been researching since 1980 – yes, I am old!  I have received much assistance from Grahame Smith of the Luppitt LHG and Margaret Lewis OPC for Honiton.   I have met them both a couple of times.   My ROSEWELL and COLES Family Trees are on www.luppitt.net under Information | Family Trees (after Grahame Smith’s data).   My mother, Ida Coles, is the young baby under Resources | Photos | Image 3.  My father, Kenneth Rosewell, is the youngest boy in Image 35.   All the Rosewell children are in Image 35.   You will find some of my posts in the Forum.

The ROSEWELL family came from Bradford-on-Tone, Somerset via Churchstanton and COLES came from Churchstanton via Washfield, Devon.   Here are some notes about Kenneth John Rosewell (1917-1994):

Notes about Ida Eva Coles (1915-2001):

Ken and Ida were married 2 Jun 1937 at the Honiton Registry Office.   The first child Mervyn Rex was born 1 Jul 1937 and died 11 Aug 1937.   Ralph Anthony was born 9 Aug 1938.   Ken lived at Chaffhayes, Yarcombe and worked for his father at Woodhayes, Luppitt until his father, William Rosewell (1882-1962) sold Woodhayes on 2 Oct 1937 with vacant possession on 28 March 1938.   I assume that it was March 1938 when Ken and Ida had to find a living elsewhere and moved to Wellington.   IF Ralph was baptised I had bet on it being in the 6 months living at Chaffhay where they had family and friends whereas there would have been none at Wellington.   Now my search will move to Wellington but I am of the opinion that, at that time, baptism of a child would have been a low priority! I will let you know what I find.

Ida’s father was Samuel Disney Coles (1876-1962).   Farmer at Chaffhayes, Yarcombe 1922-1939.   Clearing Sale by Greenslade & Co on Wednesday 22 February 1939.   I have a copy of the Sale Notice.

Ken’s father, William Rosewell (1882-1962):   Born at Highly Farm, Upottery, 1882.   Scholar at Croakham Farm, Yarcombe 1891.   Some of his siblings married, lived, or died at Yarcombe.

A branch of the COLES of Churchstanton moved to Uppottery and a Henry (1788-1858) and Martha Coles (nee Pym) lived at Hares Farm, Chardstock (but close to Yarcombe).  Their youngest children were baptised at Yarcombe 1829-1831.   Descendants live in New Zealand and I am helping them to record their Devon history.

I made the mistake once of sending a distant relation a Gedcom file on the Rosewell family. He uploaded it to Ancestry. I take no responsibility for the accuracy of the information on Ancestry.

Steve, I have tried to cover all the points made by you and Geoff Berry.   Thank you again and if there is anything that I can send you for your records or for the Yarcombe web site please let me know.   I have written books on the ROSEWELL and COLES families.   Best wishes,   Colin

Steve Horner comments:   A tremendous response, a wealth of information here about Yarcombe and its connections to other parishes in the area.   This is a real nugget of Australian gold that will take me some time to absorb.

Steve Horner adds:   Very many thanks for all this detail.   You seem to have been very assiduous with your researches and well informed about this part of Devon and Somerset, it`s great to receive feedback from enquiries which we always try to answer.   As you probably know Chaffhay lies at the southern edge of the Parish of Yarcombe and it's just possible that Stockland church may have been a more convenient place of worship to conduct the Baptism, although this is a long shot.   Between Chaffhay and Yarcombe Church lies a Baptist Church, is it just possible your family may have considered such would be suitable - I can ask the lady in charge, Thelma Clarke, if she can search her records.   I am not certain if you have a copy of Ruth Everitt`s book “From Monks to the Millennium” which is the best source of information on local history.   There is little in the book about Chaffhay, see extract below:

The reference to Lord Heathfield`s ownership in the late 18th century means that it was part of the Yarcombe estate who at one time owned almost all of the land in the Parish.   We do not know when this farm was sold away and therefore a copy of the Greenslade clearing sale particulars of 1939 would be much appreciated.   I would be pleased to continue to assist you with this enquiry.   Incidentally did you manage to find copies of War Ag records?   The records seem few and far between.
 
 

April 2021

I just discovered your Ancestral Search page and would like to ask for your assistance.   I am the great grandson of John Northam who emigrated to Australia in 1870.   He was born in 1847 and appears as a 4 year old on the 1851 census living at Shorthayne Farm.   I visited Yarcombe in 2014 and the owners kindly showed me through the farmhouse and I stayed at the old school, now a b&b.   John is no longer at Shorthayne in 1861 but I believe is at Corfe as a 14 year old Ag. Lab.   John's father (also John) born 1819 died 1893 (appears in every census till 1891) outlived his son who died in New South Wales Australia in 1892.   My research has his father as Simon born 1793 and his father also Simon born 1757 died 1826 and his father Robert born 1735.   I am Donald Robert Northam so carry on the name.   If it's not too difficult can you verify this research.   I would love to have a copy of "From Monks to the Millennium" by Ruth Everitt and am happy to make a donation.   Yours Sincerely.   Bob Northam

Steve Horner replies:   I was delighted to read your note about the Northam family, they certainly have long associations with our Parish.   If you look at our burial records, there is a Link on this webpage, you will note that over the centuries 63 Northams have been laid to rest in the churchyard.   The earliest Northam in our records is Alice, a widow who occupied Stoute Farm in 1600; this is probably the same Alice who died in 1616.

I hope by now you will have received an electronic copy of Ruth Everitt`s book from which you will note that there is a farm in the parish which bears the name Northams farm.   I was also fascinated to learn that John Northam 1819-1893 was living at Shorthayne farm as shown in the 1851 and 1861 census records.   Shorthayne is situated just down the valley from where I live at Old Woodhayne farm, (aka Woodend farm) and in the 1861 census Woodend and Shorthayne appear on the same page of the records.

I have located your John b 1847 in Ancestry who died Mudgee New South Wales on 28th April 1892, and I suspect I can fill in a few more details for your own family tree, but check my work, it's early days, although I hope this helps:

Please let us know if you find further connections to our Parish and if we can help further, perhaps a photo of the wonderful countryside in which we live, please do not hesitate to ask.

Bob Northam writes:   Thanks for your quick reply.   I have found all the Northams in your Burial Records and discovered quite a few from the 1500s that have somehow been sorted after the Northcotes so the Northam name does go back quite a few centuries.   I have a will for a Simon Northam from 1743 in which his wife Mary inherits but have not found a family link to this Simon.   My family tree is "donald northam" in Ancesty.com.au if you would like to have a look at where i'm up to.   I am looking forward to Ruth's book arriving in my emails soon.   I visited Northam's farm in 2014 and have a photo of the sign.

Bob Northam adds:   Ruth's book arrived and I must say it is a great read and a wonderful resource for those of us who can trace our forebears back to Yarcombe.   It is interesting that we have a "Northams Farm" but no mention of which Northam it may have been named after.   We have plenty of Northams in the Census from 1841 through to 1891 but other than John at Shorthayne farm they tend to be Ag. labourers.   Cheers,   Bob N
 

February 2021

I think I'm descended from the Willie (Willey) family of Yarcombe - I definitely descend from Ruth Willey, daughter of Richard and Joan/Jane Willey of Upottery.   Her father Richard was born about 1762 and there is no Baptism for him that I could find.   He uses the surname Willey/Willie during his life and for his children.   I did find a baptism of Richard Newton the base child of Mary Newton baptised at Yarcombe at just the right time.   I had already found a marriage of Mary Newton and William Willie in Upottery on the 15th Feb 1767.   Their son Henry was baptised on May 31st the same year.   They went on to have at least 2 more children, John 1775 and Ruth 1777 in Yarcombe.   I think Richard’s use of the name Ruth proves a connection to the earlier use of the name.   In 1841 Richard is living in Chardstock then in Dorset now in Devon saying he was not born in Dorset,   I found the will of Henry Willie of Yarcombe and he leaves a bequest to Richard Willie otherwise Newton.   This Richard inherited property in Upottery   I think there is evidence stacking up that Richard Willie (father of my Ruth Willey) was the illegitimate child of William Willie and Mary Newton and therefore a grandchild of the Henry Willie who died in 1792 in Yarcombe.   I would be interested to know if anyone else has made similar connections or if there is any other evidence to confirm my ideas.    Best wishes,    Joan Smith     Exeter

The following persons are mentioned in Henry`s will:

I conclude this Richard Willie (born 1762 Upottery) must be the base child of Mary Newton who had been taken into the Willie family when his mother Mary married William.   You are probably correct William was his father!   However I now need your help to provide more details of Ruth Willie baptised 1777 in Yarcombe and buried possibly Otterford 2nd May 1790.     With kind regards,    Steve

Joan Smith writes:   I have 2 Ruth Willie/Willey’s in my family tree.   My direct ancestor is Ruth Willey who was baptised on the 24th May 1795 at Upottery (found on Family Search).   She sometimes gives her birthplace as Stockland or Upottery.   She was my 3x great grandmother.   Her parents I believe were the aforementioned Richard Willie (otherwise Newton) and his wife Joan or Jane Hawkins who married at Yarcombe on the 31/10/1785 found on Findmypast witnessed by William Saterley and David Trott?   I cannot prove Richard’s identity except for the mention in the will and the fact that William and Mary did not seem to be able to live together in harmony, Ruth Willey married John Lugg at Axmouth, when Ruth is described as of the parish of Lyme.   They had 8 children all baptised in Wootton Fitzpaine or Whitchurch Canonicorum Dorset.   John’s death was registered in the Bridport area in 1854.   Ruth lived until 16th Jan 1891 aged 96 also registered in the Bridport area.   The other Ruth Willie was baptised 19/1/ 1777 at Yarcombe, daughter of William and Mary and buried on 2/5/1790 at Otterford found on Ancestry so I think she was Richard Willie/Newton’s sister.   I hope that helps!   I would like to see the Family tree on the Village Hall wall.

February 2021

I am looking for any information about the Flood family of Yarcombe:

George Flood might have been born Plymouth - 1672 Yarcombe  m Florence?   On Genuki Yarcombe History there is a John Flood at Knights Mill 1785

Many thanks,     Pam Williams

Steve Horner replies:   Pam, have you checked the Yarcombe Burials record?    There is a link above.   Both George Flood obit 1716 and John Flood Obit 1682 are shown there.   In fact there are 27 Floods buried in our churchyard so they were a well-established family hereabouts.   You do not explain how George Flood and John Flood are related - possibly father and son?   Keep in contact, we will do all we can to help you.


 

January 2021

Hi, I live in New Zealand and my 10th great grandparents are buried at St John the Baptist Church, Yarcombe.   I was told by a man named Archie from this area who you may know that you might be able to help me locate plot info for my ancestors and hopefully pictures of their graves if any have been taken.   I have downloaded the list of names and dates buried in Yarcombe from the Yarcombe Parish Church website.   I was also wondering if there is a graveyard Map of the Cemetery online at all?

Any help really appreciated.   Linda Summerhays

Steve Horner replies:   Linda, many thanks for your enquiry, in the first instance try findagrave.com - this site is we believe up to date.   There are over 5,500 persons who are recorded as having been buried in our churchyard over the past 500 years, there are very few ancient grave stones still to be seen, certainly there is no plan of the graveyard.   Also on this webpage's introduction you can access our burial records which again we believe are up to date.   Obviously your family have very strong connections with our Parish and we would be most grateful if you could share your family tree with us so we can record this on our web site.   It may be that we can tie an ancestor to a particular house or farm and send you a photo of where the family lived.   We would also appreciate any anecdotes as to when your family left these shores to travel to the opposite side of the world.   If we can help further please let me know.

Linda Summerhays writes:   My 2 x great grandparents came to NZ in 1875 from the UK for a new start.

John Gollop writes:   Hi, this is a message for Linda Summerhays.   I saw your post on the Yarcombe website.   Thomas Summerhayes was my 9th great grandfather and his line goes back into English history.   I won’t go into detail in case this email is not read but please contact me if you would like to know more.            John Gollop       Cornwall UK

Linda Summerhays replies:   Really great to hear from you.   Yes, I would love to know more about the family.   I have been researching the family for years but didn't really go beyond my 3rd Great Grandfather until contact from a relative from Australia who solved a stumbling block between two Summerhays men with the same first name and the same birth year.   Note the e was never in our name while in NZ and not in baptism records 200 years ago in Stockland, Devon where many of my ancestors lived.
 

January 2021

Roger Pring, a friend of my dear neighbours David and Penny Reynolds at Linton Cottage, has contacted me with regard to North Waterhayne Farm.   Roger's father, who is about to celebrate his 100th birthday on 8th February 2021, was born at Waterhayne and the family are gathering together all kinds of strands of family history to present to Roger's father on his momentous day.   I have given Roger your details so that he can contact you as I suggested to him that you would be fascinated to hear more about the Pring family and that you might be able to assist him with more details about North Waterhayne.     Miranda Gudenian

Steve Horner replies:   Thank you so much for this exchange of information, every scrap adds to our knowledge of Yarcombe.   If you look at Ancestral search 51 we are now working in conjunction with two members of the Newberie family and we are looking at information disclosed in the Court of the Star Chamber in 1580 and the Yarcombe Manor Court rolls, the script is scarcely decipherable and its written in Latin!   I am just hoping the Pring family records are more easy to read an of course photos would be even better.

Roger Pring replies:   Miranda, Steve and Lorna (and Penny & David who unleashed all this goodwill):   Thank you all for kindly helping me in the quest for more information about North Waterhayne Farm.   The story as it concerns my father is that his grandfather John Pring was the farm tenant in the latter part of the 19th century.   His son Dick, b.1897, took over the tenancy and married Dorothy Mary Madge of Forton, Chard, in 1920.   My father Richard John Pring was born there on February 8th 1921.   The family left North Waterhayne in 1929, moving to Lower Severalls Farm, Haselbury Plucknett, Somerset, where subsequent Prings are still farming, and installing swathes of solar panels.

Ninety years on and my father now lives in Brundall, Norfolk, mobile and in good health, and has just been vaccinated while waiting patiently for his telegram.   He attributes his longevity to washing in a tin bath in front of the range at North Waterhayne.   Miranda, I just relayed to him your details about the interesting interior toilet arrangements, and he maintains that he never knew of such luxury, obliged to process up the garden to the privy.   However, he does remember going to Sheafhayne Manor, in his father’s air-cooled Rover.

Lorna, thank you for helping. I’d very much value a photo of the front of the house, in fact I’m bold enough to wonder whether I could get a shot of a bedroom where Dr Robert Fawcus* of Chard delivered my father. Maybe a view of the Yarty.   I imagine the privy has been deleted by now.

*Dr Fawcus appeared on This is Your Life on Feb 6th 1961, almost exactly 40 years after delivering my father. The programme had been pre-recorded as a reserve in case the usual celebrity balked at being surprised by Eamonn Andrews. Dr Fawcus’ moment came when Danny Blanchflower (footballer) refused to co-operate.

This is my father, specially tricked out for the occasion:

With many thanks and best wishes from Chiswick      Roger Pring

Miranda Gudenian adds:   Many thanks for your fascinating message and lovely to see a photograph of your father.   There is a photograph somewhere - probably on the village website run by Peter Tarrant - of The Yarcombe Inn on Lady Day in the early part of the 20th century with the Estate tenants lined up to pay their rent (it may have been in the Thirties in which case no use as your family left the village in 1929).   Peter and Steve will correct this information if I'm mistaken.   But if I am right then there is a high possibility that your grandfather is in that photograph.   It would be wonderful if your father could write down his memories of his childhood in Yarcombe and memories of the farm. It all adds to the rich history of the village which, if not recorded, will be lost forever to future generations.   On a personal note, I would so love to publish your father's memories in Yarcombe Voices!

Peter Tarrant responds:   The photograph Miranda refers to is this one on Photograph Page 6.

Miranda Gudenian adds:   It occurred to me that that your grandfather might have spoken to your dear father about life in Yarcombe during World War One.   Steve has been painstakingly researching the lives of those from the village who served in the war and any information about those years would be most valuable to add to our knowledge.   I do hope you received the bank details for Yarcombe Voices so that I can send you Ruth Everitt's book From Monks to the Millennium.

Steve Horner writes:   Roger, here is a copy of the Yarcombe 1901 census, which clearly shows your family in residence at North Waterhayne farm at that time.   I thought this might be of interest to you and your father.   I notice John Pring and his wife Bessie were both born in Yarcombe and if you were interested I would be pleased to try and find more information about your family, however this is sometimes sensitive, and you may consider this to be intrusive so until I receive word from you we will not go public.   I noted in a previous exchange mention of Sheafhayne Manor which also appears in those days called Sheafhayne House, occupied Lionel Patton who had served in the Somerset military and was a JP, he lived by himself in the huge House save for a young Lady`s Maid.   I hope this helps.

Helen Matthews writes:   Roger, I grew up at North Waterhayne Farm during the late sixties, seventies and up to mid eighties.   My parents, John and Barbara Salter moved there in 1960 and farmed it until they left in the early nineties.   My dad sadly passed in 2018 but my mum still lives in Yarcombe and has many photos and memories.   If you want me to ask her to forward anything , please let me know.   Helen Matthews

Roger Pring replies:   Helen, Thanks for your message.   You have probably gathered that I’m looking for photographs and information of North Waterhayne Farm to present on my father’s 100th birthday on February 8th this year.   His family (Pring) were the tenants in the latter part of the 19th century and finally left in 1929, buying a farm on the outskirts of Crewkerne.   Miranda has asked me to provide Yarcombe Voices with any anecdotes that pop up when I gently quiz my father after his birthday.  He was only 8 when he left Yarcombe but has a keen memory.   Maybe there’s a fuller history of North Waterhayne to be created with the help of you and your mother.   Meanwhile, if you have pictures of the house as it was during your family’s tenure, I’d be very grateful to see them.



 

December 2020

While reading the History page, I noticed a statement that there was a history of the town, From Monks To The Millennium, and that a digital copy can be obtained from you.   What is necessary to receive a copy?   Some of my ancestors -- the Newberrys, Matthews and Dabinots -- lived in Yarcombe in 16th Century, and I am curious about what I might learn of them in the town's history.   I appreciate your help.   Mark E. Dixon, Wayne, Pa., U.S.A.

Steve Horner responds:   Mark, you may have noticed that having an interest in both local and family history I try to make helpful comments to all the enquiries we receive, thus I was delighted to read yours especially as it comes from the USA.   I was aware members of the Newberry family that emigrated to your country, and was perhaps expecting a visit or certainly an enquiry during 2020 which is the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower from the nearby City of Plymouth.   Sadly this celebration was cancelled due to Covid although there are plans to revive this festival next year.

There are still members of the Mathews family living hereabouts although the name Dabinot is new to me.   If you look at our recently completed record of burials (see link above) one Mary Dabinet was buried in the churchyard in 1744.   I would be delighted if you can share your connections with our village with me, especially any references to those from the parish who set off to the New World as early settlers.

If you need further help or perhaps photos of buildings with which your family have associations I would be pleased to provide these for you, in these troubled times my wife and I take long walks into our glorious countryside where your ancestors once lived and worked.   See below recent photos.

Mark Dixon replies:   Hello, Steve, and thank you for responding so quickly.   The Newberry has been the subject of a lot of "chatter" among medieval genealogists because an early 20th Century genealogist claimed that the immigrant, Thomas Newberry (ca. 1594-1636) had royal ancestors.   That claim was passed along for decades, but has now been debunked -- for lots of sensible reasons with which I won't bore you.   So, I think my Newberrys were likely ordinary farmers.   I've attached the most-relevant page from my family tree.   The line currently ends with the parents of Richard Newberry (#8), who were William (d. 1596) and his wife, Ellen (d. 1609).   Both, I suppose, lie somewhere in the churchyard of St. John Baptist.   I've also attached a short biography of immigrant Thomas Newberry, which includes some background on the Dabinotts.   I hope this helps.

(Images to follow)

Steve Horner replies:   I am delighted that finally we have proof positive that the Newberry family from Yarcombe were very early settlers in your great country.   My initial reading of the information you have provided to me would suggest they may have been on passengers on the Mary and John which sailed from these shores in 1630.   I am certain we will be exchanging more e-mails over the coming months.   To whet your appetite I include an excerpt from the book “From Monks to the Millennium” (below) which covers an entry for Livenhayes farm, one of the oldest buildings in the parish which was owned by the Newberry family in the 17th century.   I will also try and locate a photo of the farmhouse for you.   In fact you are correct the Newberrys were certainly farmers although would probably have described themselves as Yeomen.

Mark Dixon replies:   Our earlier correspondence caused me to dig a bit deeper, and with better, more complete sources, than previously.   The line now looks like that outlined on the two attached pages -- with a yarcombe.net photo (thanks again.)   According to the New England Historic Genealogical Society's "Great Migration" project however, Thomas Newberry came on the ship Recovery.   However, it may be a distinction without a difference since the Recovery's passengers were part of the same movement that included the Mary & John.   I have an eight-page profile of Thomas Newberry.   Would you like me to send it?   FYI, my sources seem to agree that, while Thomas was baptised at Yarcombe, he lived at Marshwood, Co. Dorset.   His youngest child was baptised at Whitchurch-Canonicorum.

(pages mentioned above to follow)

Steve Horner adds:   This is really very exciting, I have a busy day ahead however I will try to reply in more detail this evening.   I really would appreciate a copy of the eight page profile of Thomas Newberry.   Herewith a recent photo of Livenhayes (right), which is probably in the same sort of condition as it was when the Newberry family owned the it in the 17th century.   The photo was not taken specifically to feature Livenhayes but as part of a recent footpath survey.  The thatched building nestles into the hillside looking down the Yarty valley.

Mark Dixon replies:   I should probably make clear up front that I am no genealogical scholar.   What I do (that many seemingly don't) is read the literature.   In this case, that means I found Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists by Frederick Lewis Weis.   Weis died in 1966, and the pages #243 and #244 below are from the 8th edition, published in 2004.   In any case, Weis had apparently accepted the work of an early 20th Century researcher named Bartlett who had concluded that immigrant Thomas Newberry was of royal descent.   In the course of reading around, I found that Bartlett work is now dismissed as "fraudulent" by modern genealogists.   Apparently, he just plugged the immigrant's father, Richard, into an armigerous family with a similar name.   I've also attached a copy of a 2011 post to the Google group soc.genealogy.medieval by Douglas Richardson that lays out Bartlett's genealogical crimes.   Thank you for the photo and the book page describing Livenhayes farm, though I don't yet see a connection between the farm's Newberry owner and immigrant Tom.

Bartlett	Title Page	Page 235	Page 236	Page 237	Page 238	Page 239	Page 240	Page 241	Page 242	Page 243	Page 244

Steve Horner adds:   Very many thanks for all the information that you sent me which has taken me some time to read and understand.   Indeed the Douglas Richardson post of 30th October 2011 lays bare the slipshod work of one Mr Bartlett who was I believe a functionary of the College of Arms in London.   I am not an expert genealogist, however my instinct and local knowledge of place names suggests that your ancestors more than probably owned or lived at Livenhayes, and given time we may probably forge a connection between your Thomas Newberry (the immigrant) and Samuel Newberry whose name is shown on a plaque in Livenhayes farm dated 1662.

To me as an inhabitant of Yarcombe the important fact we can now demonstrate is that Thomas Newberry, who was baptised in the parish church of St John Baptist on 10 November 1594 and who set sail in 1634 from Weymouth to the New World as a passenger on board the Recovery, was prominent among the settlers and his genes are deeply embedded in the present population of the United States of America.

I speculate Thomas` first wife Joane Dabinett, who was baptised in Yarcombe in 1600 and died in 1629, was probably the source of his wealth, in fact an inheritance from her father Charles Dabinett that gave Thomas the opportunity to improve himself from a yeoman farmer to the merchant who set out in1634 on his voyage to the New World.   I have noted that Thomas Newberry`s second wife Jane went with him to Dorchester Massachusetts in 1634.

I note from your tree Thomas` parents Richard and Grace (nee Mathew) also had connections to Yarcombe.   Richard died in Yarcombe and Grace was baptised in Yarcombe in November 1558 and died in Yarcombe in June 1609.   Richard was the son and heir of William Newberry who was I suspect baptised in the adjoining parish of Membury in 1544 and married Ellyne Smith in about 1564.

I apologise for repeating much of the information that is already known to you, however it is the strong connections of the Newberry family to our parish of Yarcombe that I wanted to put into print.   There is obviously much more research required to establish a complete ancestral tree of the Newberry family when they lived hereabouts in the 16th and 17th century, however I will certainly be working on this over the coming months.   Please let me know if I have made any errors and I should be grateful of further information you may have.

Mark Dixon replies:   Steve, I don't "know" that you've made any errors.   However, you've made a couple of statements for which I've seen no evidence.   Of course, being a complete amateur, I would probably have missed it.   First is that William Newberry's wife was Ellyn Smith.   Several sources note her given name - most importantly, her husband William's will.   But Smith is new,   Where did you get that?   Second, why do you think William Newbury was baptised in Membury?   Richardson seems to dismiss a Membury connection.   The Newberrys of Livenhayes who are mentioned in that page scan above lived a couple of centuries after those we are discussing.   Are you guessing that I'm descended from a younger brother who did not inherit, and therefore left to find his fortune elsewhere?   What makes this family of interest to you?   Are there still Newberrys in Yarcombe?

Steve Horner adds:   Mea Culpa, you are right, I should have marked my finds "possibles".   However we know Samuel Newberry lived in Livenhayes in 1662 - there is a plaque to prove it.   It is possible Samuel was about 50 years of age when he worked on the building.   That gives a date of birth of 1610 or thereabouts.   Your Thomas was born 1594 died 1636 so with luck and patience we may be able to bridge the gap and find a connection between your Thomas and our Samuel!

Steve Horner responds:   Very many thanks for sending me this most interesting document, although my initial analysis suggests the connection between your Thomas Newbery and Richard Newbery is somewhat tenuous.   It is however like the Curate`s egg, good in parts!   I comment as follows:

I believe that I have mentioned to you in previous correspondence there exists a document relating to the case Drake versus Major dated 23 November 1600 in which the then Vicar of Yarcombe Thomas Major sets out his case against Thomas Drake (Brother and inheritor of the estate of Sir Francis Drake) claiming the tithes of the Parish of Yarcombe.   The pleadings list every farm tenement or field in the parish and the names of the corresponding tenants or occupiers.  It is very helpful because many of the place names remain the same today and the places are listed in a logical order as might be undertaken today in a perambulation around the Parish.

On page 11 attention is drawn to a case in the Court of Exchequer dated 1586 in which William Newberie and his son Richard were granted a tenement called Powedhill in Yarcombe on 3rd March 1580.

The case of Drake vs Major reveals Richard Newberie was the tenant or was in occupation of two holdings in the parish.

Incidentally I drew your attention in an earlier note to an ancient farmhouse called Livenhayes, in the Drake vs Major case this farm is called Leven.

I hope the above observations are helpful to your research into the Newberie family, I have certainly enjoyed writing this note to you whilst we are “locked down “ at home due to the wretched virus COVID which draws ever closer.

Bryan Drew writes:   I have read the information with interest on the Newbery family.   I do have several wills and inventories on the family and will show names on the earlier ones

All the other wills are from the 1700s and 1800s so not relevant.   There does seem to be members of the Newbery family everywhere locally.   The Stockland Muster Roll of 1534 names Xpo’fer Newbery able bylman, Willym. Newbery a bowe, 1 sheff of arrowes, John Newbery a bowe and sheff arrowes.

Monmouth Rebellion 1685.

Stockland Napoleonic Home Guard 1803

Court Rolls of Stockland 1547.

Northern Tithing 1548.

I have the baptisms from 1638 for Membury where Susanna daughter of John Newbury bap. 1st July 1638 is the first of 17 Newbery’s named. 
Marriages from 1651 in my possession start with John Nubery who married Mary Harper of Stockland 8th July 1651.    Bryan & Rowena Drew

Steve Horner responds:   This is fantastic information.   If you keep an eye on this Ancestral Search (51) a lot more information has come in over the last few days from the USA Newberie family.   Are you in fact connected to the Newberie family or have you collected this whilst researching the history of Stockland?

Mark Dixon writes:   I'm adding Jacob Newbury - the author of the paper I shared earlier - to the conversation.   I'm sure that he'll respond after he has time to look over your comments (below).   I'll also forward to Jacob the will of William Newberry, in case he hasn't seen it.

Jacob Newbury writes:   Hi Mark and Steve, Thank you for the notes.   First I feel like I should point out that to the outsider/people who do not know of how vast the amount of Newberys/Newberrys/Newburys that lived in Stockland, Membury, Yarcombe, Shute, Dalwood, Upottery, and the surrounding parishes - there were a lot of them.   As far as I can tell I might be the only person to be thoroughly studying all of them, which I have been doing for at least two years now, with the ultimate hope of connecting as many as I can;  however there will still be quite a few left standing.   Between the early 1500s and the 1760s, there were upwards of 552 individual Newbery/Newbury/Newberrys lived in this area.   Not to mention the many more moving further away, let alone a couple of parishes away.   In addition, there are 39 surviving wills of people in these families until 1800, many more which are now lost however were abstracted before they were lost, not to mention more than 25 more wills from relatives/friends/etc of the Newberys/Newburys/Newberrys.   Before I logistically gathered everything it was a complete mess with no immediate remedy in sight.   There have actually been a handful of attempts to research all of these people in the past 120 years or so, however they all fall short, which prompts me more to do this more comprehensively while citing and noting evidence.

I have been fortunate enough to connect quite a fair number, however still persist to connect more with evidence.   I have been looking thoroughly at this 'contingent' (as I call them) via context (geographically, background, etc), their smaller familial wealths, statistically and in various other ways. 
There are two very important points I have found to be very consistent, and I always have to consider when studying these people are;

• Although the "Newbery" lot are spread around the Devon area and small branches going into Somerset due to the close county border, Stockland is, without a second of doubt, the main hub of the Devon Contingent.

• Although families may live in, or be "of" a town that has its own church or one close by, families have been found may, (at many times incessantly), travel up to 10 miles to a specific church for baptisms, marriages or burials.

Reply Notes;
1. The evidence found that the said William's father was named "John Newberye of Membury", was found by the College of Arms after extensive research back in the early 1920s.   Others, as well as myself have attempted to obtain evidence or notes from the College of Arms, however, there are two problems: a) looks like they didn't keep any citing notes from where they found this, however it is assured and was checked by various heralds, and b) despite the college of arms having a library and archive of material, they aren't open to the public and don't freely give out information - however I have been assured by heralds of point (a) - that this finding was certain.   (Will have to take their utmost professional work).
2. I decided to make note of these marriages as it would be foolish to note that 'William was first of the Newberry family to move to Yarcombe' (or some such note) as this is not technically true.   It was more of a future proofing paragraph so that peers don't pull me up on it.
3. Please refer to the two above noted bullet points, as well as understanding one very major reason why it is difficult to connect these families is that not all the local registers dated back as far as one would like them to.   The register for Stockland, for example, (being the epicentre of these families), only survives from 1640 onward, and 1649 for burials.
4. The will for William Newbery of Yarcombe dated 1596 was not destroyed in the archives at Exeter but rather is recorded within the Prerogative Court of Canterbury and can be found easily via the National Archives or Ancestry.
5. I am unsure of where you have interpreted that I refer to Osmore as a manor?   If you are regarding the note "...was an official copy of the reversionary grant of the manor", this is true.   Osmore was owned by the manor of Membury and thus held the official reversionary grant - which the family who were tenants of Osmore would have had a copy of as by right.
6. I'm unsure what you are noting in this point.   The earliest mention of the Newbery family in Stockland is in 1387.   The earliest Newbery will was written in 1580, with 27 wills by Newberys written before the will you mention by Robert Newbery in 1688 was written.

I hope that can help you out.

Additionally, I can also provide some help with looking into Samuel Newbery of Levenhayes as I have been able to connect him and his family to my larger network of families.   This Samuel was a son of Robert Newbery of Yarcombe and Ann Davy.   Robert was born in 1600 in Yarcombe, he was the brother of Thomas Newbery - one of the two early settlers.   Kind regards and happy new year,   Jacob

Mark Dixon writes:   Thank you, Steve, for your comments, and Jacob, for your responses.   As someone who doesn't have Steve's understanding of the local scene, or Jacob's experience of immersion in Newberry names and records, I feel at a disadvantage.   However, I've always found listening to more-informed people to be a useful path to wisdom, genealogical and otherwise.   So, please keep talking, and I'll listen.   As for the identification of William Newberry's father as "John Newberye of Membury," what form does that evidence take?   A letter?   A footnote in a book?

Steve Horner responds:   Mark and Jacob, I am absolutely delighted that all this information has come flooding in, it will take me some time to assimilate the additional information and Jacob`s answers to the points I raised.   Overnight Brian Drew a local historian who has written a book on the history of Stockland has also provided a long list of members of the Newberie family (above) which he has fond during his own researches.   I am certain that there will be some information that Brian has sent to me that will be unknown to Jacob.   For my part I am working on the location of Pouwdhill which holding now seems to have disappeared which is mentioned in the will of William Newbery 1596.   This certainly provides me with plenty to do during the period when our country has been shut down.

Jacob Newbury writes:   I would definitely appreciate any more information about the Newbery families! It all helps!   In the long run, I'm looking to connect up as many families as I can and comprehensively put all the info together into a piece of writing/book with a family tree.   However, if you would like information about specific Newbery individuals please let me know and I'll send what I can.

Steve Horner replies:   Jacob, I am delighted to be able to offer what little help I can to your worthwhile project.   I believe I forwarded to you the information that Brian Drew, a local historian who lives in Stockland, sent to me recently, may I enquire if his note contained any information on the Newberie family not previously known to you?   I am sure that you are also aware that we have also updated the burial records for Yarcombe which can be accessed through a link on the Yarcombe web site (above).   You will be aware that in the records of Yarcombe there are several mentions of Pouwdhill, one of which is shown in the will dated 1596 of by William Newberie; sadly no building exists in this area although the local land owner tells me that there ancient foundations on the other side of the hill.   I am almost certain that this tract of land lies to the east of Yarcombe village, we now call this hill the `ump, the h having been dropped in the local vernacular.   There is a pond unusually situated about half way down which was I suspect a marl pit which would have been dug out in ancient times so that the red soil (marl) could be extracted and spread on the more acid soils in the parish.

Here is a photo of the area; the top of the hill lies at about 2 o`clock to the farmhouse in the foreground on which a light coloured crop called miscanthus is growing.   The pond is identified by a small clump of trees lying in a depression further down the slope.

I am most interested in your mention of the case entered into the Court of the Exchequer dated 1586 (page 11 of your document), which relates to a grant by John Haydon of the tenement of Powedehill to William and his son Richard on 3rd March 1580 at Yarcombe Court, which court records may perhaps be contained in the Yarcombe Manor Court rolls.   A copy preferably transcribed of the relevant records of the Court of Exchequer and the Manorial Court would be much appreciated.

Jacob Newbury writes:   I'll definitely send along the transcribed pages from the 1586 case, I just looked over the files to send them and realised that I haven't translated the obligatory Latin page accompanying the case which basically describes it concisely.  I'll do that in the next few days and will send it all along.   Thank you for the photo!

Steve Horner replies:   How on earth do you manage firstly to transcribe the written word from a Tudor document and then translate from Latin into English?   I look forward to receiving the document in due course.   Have you ever researched the Yarcombe Manor Court Rolls ?

Jacob Newbury writes:   For the most part, I am already familiar with most of the info however there are four wills mentioned that I would definitely be interested in seeing or knowing where I can find them:

I have similarly abstracted details about people mentioned in those wills however the wills themselves or at least more info from them including tenements or land noted would be helpful.   As for the transcribing and translating documents written in medieval Latin, for a long time medieval Latin looked like not only another language but completely undecipherable but during the last Great Lockdown around March last year I finally started learning how to read, transcribe and translate it.   Although I have a very fair number of documents translated, I'm definitely not as good as I want to be.   I have attached three transcription word documents from the 1586 case.   I'll keep working on the Latin doc but it's proving harder than I had initially thought.   By the way some of the transcriptions are limited due to the documents having unfoldable folds to them and a small group of words being too faded.  I was planning to go back to the National Archives to look at more documents and speak with someone about somehow seeing the rest of the documents (unfolding carefully) however covid hit and well... that's it.   I've looked at a few Stockland, Dalwood and Membury Court Rolls but not any Yarcombe yet.   Do you have any translated Yarcombe Rolls or pictures of them?   I could always have a go at translating them  - If you would like I could send along a handful or so of Common Plea Cases relating to Yarcombe?

Steve Horner adds:   Bryan, Jacob Newbury obviously has a huge amount of information about the Newberie family which he is very happy to share with me , as yet I have only glanced at his transcription of the case of the Court of Exchequer dated 1586.   To me it is quite incredible that anyone can read the script from Elizabethan times let alone translate Latin into English.   You will seeabove that he would appreciate more information about the four wills he sets out below, I am not quite certain what form they take, however every little will help him.

Bryan Drew writes:   Steve,  Not much more on the transcripts of the four wills regarding residence etc. but I will have another look.

Steve Horner writes:   Jacob, Bryan Drew has kindly supplied more detail which may be of assistance to you which can be found in the string below.  
Please remind me, do you have a copy of the book “From Monks to the Millennium” written by Ruth Everitt which is in effect the best available history of Yarcombe?   From the index the following entries may be of interest:

I am still trying to absorb the detailed records of the Court of Exchequer dated 1586, however at first reading it would appear that there was a dispute over the occupation of a tenement called Powdhill, the defendant William Newberry`s right thereto stems from the award by the manor court of Yarcombe, the complainants Richard Drake Esquire and John Wood claim this is in dispute and the occupation of the tenement is by right John Patison of William Patye and his wife Isabell Patye.   I am assuming Richard Drake and John Wood were powerful men in the area and took up this suit on behalf of John Patison on the basis he had been wronged.   I suspect that this Richard Drake of Ashe near Colyton purchased the Manor of Yarcombe Robert Earl of Leicester in 1581, then in July of the same year the estate was sold to Sir Francis Drake for the enormous sum of £5,000.   Sir Francis describes Richard as his cousin, which is a I believe indicates a term of familiarity rather than kinship.   There is some confusion perhaps mystery about this transaction, I suspect some Tudor skulduggery or early form of money Laundering!

I was delighted to read that one of the deponents, I assume all elders of the area, was one William Zane aged 78.   From William Zane`s will of 1592 we learn that he left his household goods and stock to his wife Alice, and we know for certain that said Alice was occupier of Woodend in 1600.  Woodend, now Woodhayne, is the house where we have lived for the past 30 odd years.

Peter Tarrant comments:   There are references to the surname Zane in Ancestral Searches 8 and 74.

Steve Horner adds:   Jacob, I have spent some short time reading through the papers of the Court of Exchequer 1586 that you sent to me , and I have been somewhat distracted or perhaps better said diverted into researching the names mentioned therein.   In particular I have focused on the questions to be asked of John Haydon esquire who it would appear was the Lord of the Manor in 1580 - or is it 1581?

I am slowly learning perhaps your greater knowledge can help me out on these two queries.   Earlier you asked me if I have any knowledge of the Yarcombe Court Rolls and the answer is in the affirmative.   Jane Chislett who also found our website sent me documents in which there is mention of Samuel Newbery who is recorded as having died in 1697 which accords with the Yarcombe burial records.   (See Ancestral Searches 47)

Ruth Everitt records in her book that Samuel Newbery was the tenant of Livenhayes aka Leven which is one of the oldest properties in the parish wherein there is a wall plaque dated 1662 which carries Samuel's initials.   Do you have in your records any further details of this Samuel Newbery and any proof he may be a descendent of William Newbery obit 20 May 1596?   I have taken the liberty of copying Mark Nixon with whom I have previously corresponded with regard to the Newberie family.

Jacob Newbury writes:   Calculating the actual year from how people used to write it is sometimes too confusing which is why I use this proven online calculator site.   Plugging in the date, the number of the year and selecting the monarch it notes it to be 1580/1.   This reflects Old Style dating and only occurs between January 1 and March 24 in every year until 1752.   The Christian year and the Legal year are two different things, which results in the double-year noting. I choose to simply put the legal date.   In regards to line 43, that question (question 8 beginning on line 40), notes that a court was held at Yarcombe manor on the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and at said court surrendered the estate of Alice Papis unto John Haydon.   Following that, another court held at the manor on the third of March, John Haydon granted the said estate to William Newbery, his son Richard Newbery and to John Smith (John Smith was William Newbery's step-son).

As for Samuel, he is first noted as being baptised in Yarcombe as the son of Robert Newbery and his wife Ann(e) nee.Davy (Ann is not noted in the parish register entry), on the 11th December 1631.   Robert Newbery being a son of Richard Newbery who died in 1639, Richard being the son of William Newbery who died c. 1596.   He is later mentioned within his father's will dated 1677 as Robert's younger son.   Samuel's older brother, named Henry Newbery who died in 1695, in his will dated 1692 he notes of how his "now wife" (second wife) was called Grace.   Well, in Samuel's will dated 1697 one of the witnesses was a Grace Newbery which gives rise to the thought that this person was one and the same as Henry's wife, being Samuel's sister-in-law.   It also aligns with the fact that she, Henry's wife Grace, died and was buried in 1699.   It's at this point that I should point out that the rest of my conclusion that this Samuel is the same as the one mentioned in Robert's will of 1677 is through accounting for Samuels at this time in Yarcombe.   You see I have tabulated all the parish records of the area of recordings of Newberys.   Through this, I have an easy-to-view way of accounting for all the Newberys and not mismatching them, also (in this instance) seeing a collection of children born to a man named Samuel logically at the time when Robert's son Samuel would have come of age - leading me to connect the two definitely.  Samuel's family was pretty well off in Yarcombe but as he wasn't going to inherit the lands of his father he, of course, had to make his own way - having his own land to build his family on.   By the way I have few Common Plea cases dating from the 1400s and into the 1500s regarding Yarcombe if you would like them?   Some mention John Haydon.

Steve Horner adds:   Very many thanks, you are a good tutor and I am slowly beginning to understand these old documents and customs of the Court which are revealed therein.   For example I opened the regnal year link and input the 35th year of the reign of Henry VIII (mentioned in the questions on behalf of the Complainant) and up comes 1543/4, this is thus a most useful tool.   My next question is who exactly is John Haydon?   In the document he is described “then Lorde or former of the said mannnor ….”.   Perhaps he was the Reeve or Steward to the Lord of the manor who I believe was at that time either Richard Drake of Ashe one of the complainants, or possible Sir Francis Drake who purchased the estate in July 1581.   I really would appreciate sight of the Common Plea cases which mention John Haydon, firstly this would provide me with more exposure to the functioning of these medieval courts, secondly would provide me with more information about John Haydon.

Jacob Newbury writes:   The way John Haydon is described in the document is a bit confusing especially like you say the fact that Francis Drake purchased the estate beforehand.   Maybe John Haydon was made a sub-tenant of the manor, otherwise called a Mesne Lord.   Or maybe like you say he was the steward or held at least a high role in the manor.   Below are 7 cases regarding Yarcombe entered into the Court of Common Pleas.  I realised that only one includes John Haydon however does give a better idea of his person - it notes that he is a Gentleman (so descended from a noble/higher ranking family), also his attorney in the case is also called John Haydon.   These two people are certainly two different people otherwise the case would have been written differently.   The interesting thing is, is that John Haydon in the Powdhill case could be either one.   'John Haydon, Gentleman' may have also studied law and thus also an Esquire, however, the second John Haydon is specifically noted as his attorney meaning he definitely studied law - making him an Esquire.   So either one could be the John noted in the Powdhill case.   Nevertheless, the two Johns would have definitely been related in some way, meaning no matter which one is which they both descend some way from a noble/higher ranking family.   Let me know if there is anything else!

Steve Horner adds:   Jane, at present as part of our Ancestral Searches there is a lot of information coming in about the Newburie family who were a well-established family hereabouts in the time of Elizabeth 1 and were in fact some of the early settlers in the New World.   I attach pleadings from a case in the Court of Common Pleas dated 1586, which throw some light on the proceedings in the Manorial Court of Yarcombe, and your insight and knowledge of these courts might help me understand more of the history of our Parish.   It would appear from the questions on behalf of the defendant that one John Haydon Esq who in the document is described “then Lorde or former of the said mannnor ….”   Line 43 … in the Manor Court of Yarcombe held on third March 1580/81 awarded to Richard Newberie a demise and grant of the tenement known as Powdhill.   It is also noteworthy that the complainants were Richard Drake Esq and John Wood.   It’s the role of John Haydon which I find curious, I attach proceedings from the Manor Court of Yarcombe dated 1571 in which John Haydon also features.   On pages 6 and 7 of “From Monks to the Millennium” it would appear Sir Francis Drake purchased the manor of Yarcombe in July 1581 from his cousin Richard Drake (see above Complainant) for the sum of £5,000.   The Manor had been given previously by Elizabeth to the Earl of Leicester in the same year.   I surmise that John Haydon may have been Lord of the Manor in 1571 when he “managed” the Court on behalf of the Queen.

From another source I have a note that Sir Francis arrived back in Plymouth 26th September 1580 after his circumnavigation of the World, and in the next two years he was a very busy man!   It does appear maybe I have become confused by the year date 1580/81, and I also suspect the year in which Sir Francis acquired the Manor was 1582.

One final question, it seems to me that Sir Francis paid his cousin Richard a huge amount of money (£5,000) for the Lordship of the manor, is this perhaps a case of medieval money laundering?   Your thoughts and wisdom would be much appreciated.

Jane Chislett writes:   From the depositions it appears that Alice PAPYS surrendered the tenancy she had acquired when her husband died.   She probably wanted a more favourable agreement.   Sometimes tenants ‘surrendered’ land back to the lord, to be re-granted on more favourable terms.   This would often include a named series of successors within the family, or a surrender to the use of a will so that the tenant could pass the land freely to his nominated successor.   The terms of the will would be recorded in the roll for reference, particularly useful if a will no longer exists, as is the case for Devon.   Why the tenancy was then given to William NEWBERY I cannot comment.   Perhaps the actual court rolls from this time would provide more details.   You say the 1571 proceedings were from the Manor Court, they are in fact another case from Common Pleas.   John HAYDON was at one time steward of OSM manor, and I would think he became steward of Yarcombe, and as you say "managed the manor".   By the time of the 1586 case I would guess that John WOOD was steward, hence him being named as a complainant.   As you also say £5000 does seem a great deal of money, but Sir Francis had paid £3400 for Buckland in 1581.   When Francis bought Yarcombe, in the summer of 1582, Richard DRAKE was having financial difficulties.   I imagine part of the money was for the Manor, the remainder as a sort of loan, particularly when Francis' will required Richard and his son Francis to pay £2000 to inherit Yarcombe manor.   See below. (Surrey Archaeological Society, Surrey archaeological collections Guildford, 1858 archive.org accessed 02 Feb 2021).   Hope this may help a little.

Steve Horner writea:   Jane, I am most appreciative of your comments especially the confirmation of the John Haydon was at one time Steward of the manor of Ottery St Mary.   Your explanations also help me to understand how the system worked in Elizabethan times.   I have found the following notes about John Haydon of Ottery St Mary -see below – and I surmise it is entirely probable that he was involved with the managing and trading of the Manor of Yarcombe in the decade between 1570 and 1580.   The Manor of Yarcombe together with a small holding of land was no match for Buckland Abbey which cost £3,200 and therefore I subscribe to the theory the sum of £5,000 was a way of moving money around various influential persons at that time.

Jane Chislett replies:   I like what you have found about John HAYDON - great, thank you.   I agree Yarcombe is somewhat smaller than Buckland Abbey, but remember Buckland was bought for Francis on the QT.   If Richard GRENVILLE had known Francis was really buying the manor I suspect the price would have been considerably higher.   Sir Francis already owned half of Yarcombe, a moiety from Elizabeth 1, so gaining the other half was worth more to him than anyone else.   Richard had become equerry to the queen and was in want of money to meet the expenses of this appointment, hence why he sold to Francis, probably regretting this a few years later.   Whether you call it a loan, money laundering, or anything else it was certainly a means of moving money around.

December 2020

I have just come across a family connection to your village.   The people I am interested are John & James Vincent, Sarah French and John Burge. . I attach a marriage certificate dated 26th November 1861 (below) between John Vincent and Sarah French both on their second marriage.  Any assistance would be gratefully received.      Nigel Vincent

Steve Horner responds:   Nigel, I am utterly and completely stumped by this enquiry.   I have tried every which way to find another reference to each and every one of the people mentioned on the marriage certificate.   Can you give me any other dates or places where these people might have lived?   I assume as your surname is Vincent you are related and a family tree back to these people would help me.   The marriage took place on 26th November 1861 when both John and Sarah state they were living in Yarcombe.   However I can find no record of either of them on the 1861 census for Yarcombe which was taken on 7th April of that year.   I do not want to give up as Vincent is certainly a local name.   I look forward to receiving your response.

Nigel Vincent replies:   Thank you for your reply.   Census 1851 list John as independent Minister of Pill Chapel, Portbury.   Census 1861 shows him as deceased but I cannot find a date of death.

Steve Horner replies:   Thanks for this snippet, however I do not believe John Vincent (1861) married in Yarcombe in November 1861 is connected to the John Vincent (1851) who appears in the Portbury 1851 census.   The reasons I have for making this statement are: (1) John Vincent 1861 is shown as a widower, profession Yeoman, whose father James was a farmer;  (2) John Vincent 1851 lists his profession as a Minister in an Independent church, such a person would I believe not set foot in a Church of England building to be married;  (3) John Vincent 1851 was married to Sarah and they had 3 children, William, John and Mary.   In the 1861 census Sarah and her three children is shown as a widow living in the parish of St Michaels Bristol.   I am sorry to be the bearer of this news, however if you can give me more information about your family this would help me.   Otherwise, keep in contact, we may one day find a link.

Archie Needs writes:   I was intrigued by the Marriage Certificate.   John Vincent and Sarah French were both married before which made it complicated.   However, I think I might have cracked it.   Check out this link on FaG.   I also spotted that various vicars forgot to change years in the burial books when they got to Jan/Feb.   I have decided to go through and check each burial and enter the full burial date on FaG, rather than just the year which it shows currently.   When I've completed this task, I will send an amended spreadsheet for the website.

July 2022

Archie Needs adds:   I am sending you an updated Yarcombe burial spreadsheet for your website.   I've added full burial dates, annotated the spreadsheet to include memo notes inscribed in the original burial registers, added some family links and amended a few spelling/transcription errors.   I'm sure I'll find a few more in the future.

November 2020

I have been working in Ancestry.co.uk for 10 years or so and with the Devon Parish record images available on FindMyPast.   My Pavey ancestors lived in Yarcombe between at least 1540-1720 and their descendants much longer.   I have built on a lot of research by cousins.   I have recently started contributing to the WikiTree project to build a single family that will stay around 'forever", free and public to everyone.   Here is the page for my earliest Yarcombe ancestor: www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pavey-564.   Feel free to ask for any specifics.   I am hoping that the book "From Monks to the Millennium" you are sending might include details on what farms the Pavey's were at.   All the best,    Rob Pavey

Peter Tarrant responds:   Thank you for sharing the links, particularly that related to your Yarcombe ancestors.   I hope Ruth's book will provide some interesting connections.   Also please take a look at Yarcombe Church's Burials (link above) where many Paveys are listed.

Steve Horner writes:   Clearly you have carried out a huge amount of very detailed research into the Pavey family and I believe there is little I can add, I am certain that there are references in “From Monks to the Millennium” written by Ruth Everitt which you will find helpful to your researches.   Clearly the Pavey family were owners or occupiers of Broadley in the early 17th century and if we can help in anyway, perhaps photos of the buildings as they exist today, please do not hesitate to ask.   Another important recent addition to our site is the transcription of Yarcombe Manor Court Rolls (see Ancestral Search 47) and the Court Roll dated 8th May 1696 mentions Jonathan Pavey to be sworn as a Tythingman.   It is clear that Sir Francis Drake, the famous admiral, acquired an interest in the manor of Yarcombe in 1582, however mystery seems to surround the transaction and mention of a quit claim to Charles Pavie by Sir Francis of a substantial acreage of land connects your ancestor to Sir Francis and if you are able to throw some light on this land deal or any connected transactions would be most helpful.

I might mention that when reading this section of Ruth`s book she suggests Yarcombe and Elscombe are synonymous, this is not correct, Elscombe is a farm in the valley which lies just below my own property whose lands run alongside the river Yarty.   I was also interested to learn of a possible family connection to London, namely Simon Pavey and his wife Rawlen who were buried in St Margaret’s church Westminster in 1561; the only other inhabitants of Yarcombe I have found were the Martin family.   In the 1600 court document featuring Drake vs Major there Is mention that “Shevehayne” (now Sheafhayne Manor) was in the tenure of George Martyn and John Martyn, gentlemen In the will of Giles Martin Mercer of London dated 1st August 1630 he gave to the Mercers Company £200 which he heartily prayed them to accept of and in lieu thereof to the poor of the parish of Yarcombe.if you ever spot reference to this Martyn family of Yarcombe whilst carrying out your researches I would much appreciate a link to the document.   I wish you every good fortune with your research and hope you will keep in contact.

Steve Horner adds:   Rob, a gentleman came by my office this morning and showed me the family tree of one branch of the Pavey family who clearly have their origins in Yarcombe (see below, click to enlarge).   This is a detailed and clearly well researched document, I was not quite certain how it came into his possession, I am however posting this within your ancestral query in the hope it may be of interest to you.   I apologise that it is not complete, I do not have an A3 photocopier.

October 2020

I've just discovered your interesting entry on your World War 1 page as I've been searching for information about my great uncle Harry Collins who died in WW1.   Over the years I've discovered that he died in September 1916 and was buried at Thiepval.   As far as I knew he'd lived in Buckland St Mary and later in Combe St Nicholas in Somerset with his wife Florence Mabel but have not found his name on any memorial or in a church there.   However, more recently I found a postcard sent from his wife to my grandmother (she kept loads of them) on 6th July 1916 indicating that they had moved to Yarcombe.

I was thinking about visiting Yarcombe to search in the church but decided first to Google "Yarcombe War Memorial" and found your article.   This lists Henry Collins which would be a match as Henry is often changed to Harry.   However in every record, even official ones, he is always referred to as Harry.   However two things suggest this is a match.   Firstly he's shown as being in the Somerset LI which is correct.   It would be expected that a Yarcombe resident would be in the Devon Regiment which two are but the rest aren't, so maybe anything is possible here!   Secondly his wife's maiden name was Wakeley and I notice from your data that a Walter Wakley also fought.   That may be a coincidence (and a typo) but Florence was actually from South Wales so he could have temporarily lived in Yarcombe.   I wonder if you have the date when H Collins died?   That would help.   I look forward to hearing if you have anything.    Regards,    Geoff Bryant

Steve Horner replies:   I was delighted that you have found our web site.   It will be a pleasure to help you with your research into Harry Collins.   Any information that you can pass back to us, for example a copy of the post card to which you refer, would add to our own store of knowledge.   I set out below all the information that we have about Corporal Harry Collins, Corporal Somerset Light Infantry 6th Battalion, who was killed in action on 16th September 1916 aged 30.   His service number was 10217.

There is a poignant note in the minutes of the Yarcombe Parochial Church Council of December 1916:

The fact that Harry Collins is recorded at the Thiepval Memorial means that he has no known grave.   We do have from the Grave Registration Reports the following information:

I have been able to locate Harry Collins, his wife Florence Mabel and a lodger Thomas William Wakeley living at Stoute Cottage Yarcombe on the 1911 census, it is signed By Harry Collins (below, left).   Also (below, right) is a copy of the marriage certificate of Harry and Mabel who were married in Churchinford on 28th March 1910.

I am almost certain Florence Mabel Wakeley was born in Hemyock and her three children were called Arthur, Percy and Florence May.   I strongly suspect that Harry's wife Florence Mabel remarried a Pidgeon (a local name) and went to live in South Wales.   I am certain we have the right man, however I await your comments and confirmation of the above information that I have managed to find in my files.

Harry (Henry) Collins' name is engraved on the war memorial in both the church and chapel and if you would be interested in can send you photos.   Please do let me have any further information that you may have.

Geoff Bryant responds:   Thanks for all that info, it agrees with what I have as well as adding to it.   I attach a copy of the postcard (below, left) from Florence Collins to my grandmother Mabel.   I also have a newspaper report and another postcard (below, centre) from Harry when he was injured and back in England also attached (with other Collins items).   Harry and Mabel were from a family of 11 children.   Another brother John also fought in WW1 and was in the RE I believe.   I live near Tewkesbury but was born in Wadeford near Chard.   I'll send more info soon when I can piece it together logically.

Geoff Bryant adds:   I have dug deep and found quite a lot of info and many questions.   It's amazing how much arises from one person (I'm leaving clear notes for my family should anyone be the least bit interested!!).   Apologies for the following being long winded:

Harry's Children:   It's interesting that you found that the 3rd child of Harry is Arthur.  

Steve Horner comments:   I found it on a pension record I hope to get the original in due course.   The marriage was in 1910 so 1911 fits as birth year of Arthur.   Please don’t forget Yarcombe is in Devon and registration district is Honiton.   The 1911 census places them in Stout Yarcombe and later the postcard states a move from Marsh to Beacon, both in Yarcombe.   The 1939 register shows Arthur born 15h April 1911 living with his mother Florence Pidgeon born 2 October 1886 in Aberdare.   I expect you may find a Percy born in 1912 and Florence May in say 1914, both in Yarcombe.   The huge mystery that I cannot at present resolve is to find the marriage Certificate of Florence Collins to …. Pidgeon, obviously she must have remarried, but why did she head off to South Wales with her three small children?   Do you have any idea?   You state "then when Harry dies, she marries another Harry".   Could this be Harry Pidgeon?   How do you know about the twins Florence E and Harry E?

Geoff Bryant continues:   As for Henry in the Parish church, just the result of “proper” English, he was always known as Harry.   Indeed Thiepval memorial is to record the names of the dead for whom no known grave exists.

There are several Arthur Collins born in Somerset between 1900 and 1917 but none are in the right region (Chard for Combe St Nicholas or Buckland St Mary) and the ones from 1911 onwards do not have the mother's maiden name of Wakeley (the other 2 children do show up with Wakeley and daughter Florence M was registered in Honiton).   However searching FreeBMD for Devon reveals an Arthur also registered in Honiton in 1911, perhaps that's him.   So they moved around a bit.   Shame it's just before the mother's maiden name gets listed.
 

This ties up with them being married in Churchinford on 28th March 1910.   How did you obtain the names of the 3 children, in particular Arthur's?

Harry's Wife:   The 1911 census shows 3 people living in a house with only 3 rooms.   That must have been cosy.   FreeBMD had given me their marriage in Taunton district so it was good that you had the certificate to narrow it down to Churchinford.   Actually the certificate says Churchstanton so would Churchinford be in the parish of Churchstanton?   It's interesting to see that my grandmother Mabel was one of the witnesses.

I'm eagerly waiting for the 1921 censuses, to confirm all children.   My mother spoke of a woman who married a family member, and I thought it was Harry, and she was from Wales.   When he died she returned to Wales and was never heard from again.   Her info may have been wrong as could my memory!!   Hemyock is in Devon but her birthplace in FreeBMD is Wellington which is in Somerset.   It's odd that a recording district should span 2 counties.

Steve Horner comments:   I am certain Florence Mabel Wakeley was born in Hemyock 3 October 1886 from census it all hangs together.   I have previously carried out research into this family and written an article recently about Walter Wakeley.  This family seem to move around the area, right on the Devon Somerset border, so further research into your family may come up with some answers.

Geoff Bryant continues:  

War Grave:   You said he has no grave yet the newspaper article says he was "buried with some more of his brave comrades".   That could be glossing over the fact that they left a load of them in the mud somewhere.   However the commonwealth war graves commission (www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/758569/collins,-harry/) has this entry:

So does this confirm what you said, he has no grave?   I often wonder if anyone from the family visited Theipval.   I suspect not, they didn't have a lot of wealth but a brother Arthur was a tailor who moved to Aberystwyth, perhaps he did.   I planned to go this year but that couldn't happen of course.

I attach 2 more service records I found online, CollinsHarryMedalCard.jpg and CollinsHarryWW1SignOn.jpg. They are not very clear.

Photos:   I have a few photos of men in service uniforms but haven't a clue who they are.   They could be Harry or brother John but none look like the vague photo in the newspaper article.   In fact their sister May also married a Harry (and he WAS born Henry) who was gassed in WW1.   They could even be of my grandfather's family but I wasn't told that any of them fought.

One of the most intriguing photos I have is of my grandmother seated holding a booklet and her sister May.   The booklet has a photo of a serviceman and I'm tempted to think it's a staged photo of the grieving sisters holding a momento, perhaps a funeral service for Harry.   However May has a wedding ring and both were married in 1920 so long after the war.   However the photo is of someone with what looks like air force wings and hat, and the RAF didn't exist during WW1.   I attach DSCN0026r2.JPG.

We joined a WW1 war graves tour 2 years ago and it was shocking to see the numbers for who there was no grave.

Harry vs Henry:   Going back to the Henry/Harry difference, as I said he was always Harry in the records I have, 3 censuses, his FreeBMD entries, postcards, and the newspaper articles which were kept. The marriage certificate also says Harry.   This is the marriage record:

So I still wonder if Henry on the Yarcombe memorial is a typo.or an assumption.   I have a photo of a memorial in N France, Notre Dame de Lorette, and this lists 4 Harry Collins and one Henry.   There are several others with second names.

Other Names:   What is a little comical is how names associated with Harry are repeated.   He married Florence Mabel and he had sisters Mabel (my grandmother) and Florence (who died at the age of 1).   Then when Harry dies, she marries another Harry and has twins Florence E and Harry E (who died at about 6 months old).

History Notes:   As a little aside, as I said, Harry was one of 11 children and my grandmother married Ernest Jeffery who was one of 14!!!   How did they cope?   Anyway, my mother knew of all of them except one sibling in each family so I spent ages trying to narrow it down, assuming that one had died young, and was born and died between censuses.   I eventually found an Elizabeth Jeffery who died aged 7 years, and a George Collins who died aged 9 months. I found this record in FreeReg:

There was more tragedy in the family as their father William died on 16 Aug 1912, sister Edith died on 7 Oct 1912 a few weeks after surgery, and their mother Elizabeth on 27 Dec 1913 (my grandmother's 26th birthday). None had a headstone, my mother said they couldn't afford one.

Geoff Bryant continues:   I think I can answer some of your points.   Regarding Harry's enlistment, there is a Gillingham near Wincanton which I assumed to be in Somerset but I see now is in Dorset.   I see the Gillingham in Kent but also one in Norfolk.   Perhaps it's not the right Enlistment, it's a shame the corner with his address is torn off.   I also see that the signature on the enlistment is not the same as on the 1911 census.   He dates it 6th April 1915 and states his age as 32yrs 10months which would make him born about June 1882 whereas FreeBMD records him for Apr-Jun 1883.   Close but not close enough.   Also for his trade it looks like he's written Painter but in the censuses he's a farm labourer or carter.   I'd better scrap that reference then.

I see now that the record of Thiepval has the location of his name on the monument, not a grave location.   That confused me because in Google maps you can see a large number of CWGC headstones beside the memorial.

Thanks for the son Arthur's reference from 1939.   I have 2 FreeBMD records of their other 2 children with the mother being a Wakeley:

The marriage of Florence to Harry Pidgeon is also in FreeBMD:

The certificate can be obtained from this reference.   As for the next 3 children, I found this:

So they must have been twins.   Then:

How sad when one of a twin dies.   I accept that Florence Mabel Wakeley was born in Hemyock, it makes sense.   Now the origin of Harry Pidgeon is a tricky one, again the 1921 census will help but for now I have these records and I made the rash assumption that he was from South Wales which is why they returned there.   But as you say it's a local name and there's one registered in Honiton:

I'm no longer a member of Ancestry.com so all I can do is search but not view.   Doing that I can find him in Aberdare in 1939.   Actually that doesn't help as the 1939 records don't include place of birth.   So if he was local then I suspect he went to South Wales for a job in mining.   Arthur works as a colliery hauler (sounds awful) so maybe Harry worked there too.   A complete copy of the 1939 record would confirm that if you could retrieve it please.

I cannot help with any Wakely, or however it gets spelt, info but if you'd like any more Collins info I can supply it.   I still have a lot of gaps but that's the nature of family history.   I recently joined the Tewkesbury U3A Family History group which was interesting until Covid 19 struck!!   One of the missing records is Harry Collins' baptism in FreeReg, even as Henry.

Incorrect name spelling can really throw you off the scent.   I had a Strawbridge mis-transcribed as Drawbridge once which I didn't sort out for ages.   My own first name used to get all manner of spellings when I was young.   In fact my name Geoff(rey) was derived from my mother's maiden name of Jeffery.

Steve Horner replies:   Let’s start with the attachments.   Medal Card:   Undoubtedly Harry Collins;   Enlistment:   I don’t believe this is your Harry, Gillingham is in Kent;   Photo of soldier:   No stripes for either Lance Corporal or Corporal and the cap badge is not Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's);   The Two Ladies:   No clue I am afraid.

Geoff Bryant continues:   Excellent Steve, where did you find that?   Only thing I notice is that the DOB of Florence is 2-10-84 whereas I thought we had 2-10-86 from somewhere,   I cannot see where right now. FreeBMD gave me this:

For the marriage certificate of Harry Pidgeon and Florence, this FreeBMD data:

As for a previous marriage of Mr Pidgeon, I've found these 2 for S Wales, one matches your finding:

2nd marriage:

I cannot find a death of Catherine Sarah Pidgeon but the Harry marriage in 1895 is a problem as there is a choice of brides.   Trying each in turn again shows no death in the 1880-1922 range.  If he did come from S Wales it does beg the question as to what he was doing in or near Yarcombe.   Here's a remote possibility, Harry's brother Arthur moved to Aberdare, I don't know when.   Perhaps she visited him and met Harry Pidgeon.   Clutching at straws really.   Though perhaps not, those newspaper articles I sent you include the death of Arthur (1955) and it says he died aged 66 and had lived in Aberdare for over 50 years.   So he would have been there in 1916 onwards.   Having said that I wouldn't imagine he and Florence would have known each other well.

Percy
There are plenty of records with errors to throw you off the scent.   For a while I've had FreeReg records which show useful Collins history.   Here's our Percy Collins I think but the parents are wrong, there's no other Percy:

A little later the son of William Collins (the brother of Harry Collins) dies in infancy:

William and Amelia were married in Buckland a few years earlier:

So it looks like the transcriber for Combe might have got records mixed up.

Steve Horner replies:   I am a member of the Western Front Association and as such I have access to Service Records on their site.   Well spotted re date of birth.   We found Florence Pidgeon's date of birth on the 1939 Register which shows 2nd October 1886.   What do you think of my theory that Harry Pidgeon originated in South Wales?   I am not going to hunt for his service record.

Geoff Bryant continues:   Well, I had a Harry Pidgeon in my files as originating from Pontypridd but followed by "???????" as I wasn't sure.   1921 data will confirm it.   There's a fine story there somewhere.   My grandmother would have known.   I wasn't interested back in my late teens, as is usually the case though I did write out all of my great aunts and uncles that she knew about.   I drew it on the back of a long computer printout that I'd produced.   I didn't know how my career would go at the time of course but I've spent most of my career in software development.   I'm still doing a little even though I'm retired, just to stop the brain from rotting!

Our emails crossed, there are several Harry Pidgeons born around the country between 1870 and 1900 so it's difficult to tell.   You'd think Pidgeon would be a more unique name.   My mother-in-law's maiden name was Flunder making research much easier.

Steve Horner replies:   Well if Harry Pidgeon born Pontypridd in about 1883 is our man we have a real story.   He married Catherine Sarah Wade on 7th may 1903 in the parish church of Llantwit Viadre.   I have found the High Court record of his divorce proceedings, lots of legal stuff about 25 pages however herewith a copy of his statement.   We learn from this that there were two children of the marriage, Arthur Haydn Pidgeon born 29th June 1906, Harry Pidgeon born 29th June 1908.   The outbound passenger lists confirm Harry left for Sydney on SS Oruba departed London 15th November 1907.   At which time one Bennett Cohen started a dalliance with Catherine Sarah.   To me I find it amazing that a humble family from south Wales should get involved in a High Court action involving considerable sums of money.   Then shortly after the decree nisi Harry is on a boat back to Australia 10th October 1913, where he must have remained until he volunteered for the AIF – I have sent you the details.   The 1911 census confirms Arthur and Harry were living with their grandparents (in Pontypridd).  
BUT do we have the right Harry Pidgeon who marries Florence Mabel Collins (nee Wakeley) in 1920 (September Q) in Taunton.   It’s a fascinating story and I am minded to purchase the marriage certificate.

Geoff Bryant continues:   It's frustrating that I cannot find the marriage in FreeReg, I think it's too late so hasn't been transcribed.   Even if I vaguely select Somerset it doesn't make a hit.   The other thing is that FreeReg doesn't give me Churchinford, Churchstanton or Hemyock.   It has Otterford but I don't know if that includes the other 3.   This (click here) also shows that the date is too late.

The Collins family created some confusion for me in the early days of my research.   Harry's father William was from Donyatt near Ilminster and in 1878 married Elizabeth Atkins (nee Fowler) from Combe St Nicholas.   They married in Donyatt which was unusual (I have the cert).   What threw me was that there were other Collins from Combe and in Chard who I suspect were not closely related.   And in FreeBMD, my main research tool at the time, all the villages come under Chard.   It pays not to have common surnames.   In 1875 Elizabeth Fowler above married Abraham Atkins (in Taunton, again unusual), had a daughter Elizabeth Susan and at the end of the year Abraham died.   There was so much tragedy in those days, TB was a frequent cause.

Steve Horner replies:   Below left is the marriage certificate of Florence Collins widow to Harry Pidgeon whose parents Frederick and Elizabeth Pidgeon come from Chard!   (Although from census records we do know Elizabeth was born in Buckland St Mary.)   There is no doubt Harry and Florence Pidgeon then headed off to South Wales where they made their home, this is proved from the 1939 register where Florence is shown living with her son Arthur born 15 April 1911.   This also records Florence's date of birth as 2nd October 1886 in Hemyock.   As you have stated to obtain further information on this family and the reason they went to South Wales - perhaps the coal mines?   Then we must wait for the 1921 census records to be opened.   I am still going to pursue one individual out of local interest, the reason being I think I can spot the signature of a witness to the marriage as being W Wakeley.   This might be the Walter Wakeley who has eluded me for so long, he is recorded on the Yarcombe War memorial as having lost his life in the Great War and yet turns up on the !939 register as living in a shed in Churchinford!   Please keep n contact if you find any more about this couple.
 

Peter Tarrant writes:   This search is the largest and most complicated one we have received so far and unfortunately communications, photographs and documents did not arrive for posting in the proper sequence.   Consequently photographs and documents may not be shown physically adjacent to the comments that relate to them.   In particular, any "homeless" items will be shown below in the hope that it will be possible to move them to their correct positions later.

October 2020

I have recently found your website and am most impressed.   As a genealogist I particularly like your Ancestral Searches page.   As part of a course of study I have been investigating a couple of the manorial court rolls and would be grateful if you could possible provide any further information on the following people (I can find most of their births and burials):

In 1697 it was reported that the following customary tenants had died and the names of the new tenants admitted to the manor:

In addition there are the names of officers sworn in:

I would be happy to send you a transcript of the document which also lists the jurors at this time.   If nothing else it places these people in the manor at this date.   I look forward to hearing from you.     Regards,   Jane Chislett

Steve Horner replies:   Jane, this will be a very valuable addition to our village history, we are most grateful.   Please give me a few days to reply in detail to you so that I can link this new information to that we may already have on these individuals mentioned in the Manorial Court Rolls.

Jane Chislett adds:   Please find below transcripts of two manorial documents as promised.   I also enclose a list of jurors between 1694 and 1703.   If you require any further information about manorial records please let me know.
 

Yarcombe Manor Court Roll 1696	Yarcombe Manor Court Roll 1697	Jurors 1694-1703

Steve Horner replies:   I must thank you most sincerely for carrying out these transcriptions of the Yarcombe Manorial Rolls.   I am absolutely delighted although this will mean I will have to carry out more research into the names contained therein and learn about the structure and workings of the Manorial Courts!   We are fortunate that we have just been given an enormous boost to our knowledge of the Parish in that we now have detailed burial records shown on a spreadsheet which is sorted by surname, making research much easier; this can be found here at the head of this Ancestral Searches section of our web site.   I did take a quick look at the list of customary tenants mentioned in the Roll of 8th October 1697 and noted that the burial records show John Dare died in 1697.

Steve Horner adds:   Below is a splendid and in fact valuable document prepared by Jane Chislett who has been in contact researching the Knight family of Yarcombe.   She has also provided us with information about the Yarcombe Manorial Rolls.

The Value of Manor Court Rolls in Family Research

September 2020

I am researching my family tree in the name of BAYLEY.   By area, I have managed to trace back from Southampton, to Exeter, to Merton.   The links become thinner and more tenuous in the Bideford area and include Weare Giffard and Buckland Brewer.   The trail seems to go cold around 1750.   I notice there appear around eleven or so graves in St John the Baptist, Yarcombe, none later than around 1720.   So, I was wondering if there may have been a migration of some sort!   What I do know for sure is that Charles Bayley was born in Buckland Brewer in 1802 and lived most of his life in Merton.   I would very much like to know more about the Yarcombe Bayleys.   Thank you in anticipation of any information.      Gary Bayley

Steve Horner replies:   Gary, there is not much that I can add to your careful research, however in the book about our Parish “From Monks to the Millennium”, Ruth Everitt records that in the Land Tax Survey of 1727 Sarah Bailey is mentioned as the occupier of Churchtown which house we now know as Calways.   This house was mentioned in a marriage settlement between Sarah Bailey of Northleigh, which is a village about 10 miles south south west of Yarcombe and John Wolfron of Torbryan which is a village in south Devon near Teignmouth.   Ruth also records that the Bailey (Baylie) family were land owners of some substance in the area, as is substantiated in Baylie wills Robert Baylie “to sons John Baylie and Thomas Baylie and to daughters Joane Baylie and Elizabeth Baylie my hay ricke equally to be divided between them“.   Thomas Baylie adds a touch of culture leaving an old harpe!   Perhaps these names can be linked to the Burial records that you mention.   These Burial records are a new addition to our web site and we are pleased you have already consulted them.   Good luck in your search and I hope there may be some clues for you to follow up.   Please let us know if your family does have a link to Yarcombe.

Gary Bayley writes:   Thank you for your detailed and very prompt reply.   It was indeed your burial records that led me to Yarcombe.   It is early days but I shall keep at the detective work, and most certainly I shall be in touch if I find links that I can substantiate.    Thanks again.

Gary Bayley adds:   I thought I would update you.   I cannot establish a meaningful link from me to Yarcombe despite the number of Bayleys that I can identify in the Yarcombe area.   I have established a line from Buckland Brewer in the early 1700s through Merton to Exeter.   Another line comes from Axminster to Kenton to Exeter.   It seems likely that the Axminster Bayley/Bailey line drifts across the area over the ages; following each person would be onerous as each marriage seems to result in 8 to 12 children.   If there are any developments I will let you know.   Thank you again.

 

September 2020

This modification to the brickwork above one of the ground floor windows at The Old Vicarage in Yarcombe becomes clearer when enlarged (click on photo).   It was presumably sculpted by the author, LESLIE SPARR or SPARK in JANUARY 1945. Can anyone identify him?   Was/is he a relative, friend or neighbour?   A wartime evacuee?   A builder perhaps?   It would be interesting to find out.   (The owners are not seeking compensation!)

June 2022

Owen Newman writes:   I was in Yarcombe from about the age of 3 and went to the village school where I passed the scholarship exam and was sent as a boarder to QES Crediton at the age of 11.   I am now in my eighties!   Les Sparkes (spelling?) lived in the village but if he is still living would be about 100 years old.   He was a vibrant village boy and would now be described as a tearaway.   He lived in the little alley called “Fire Street”.    Owen Newman

Steve Horner adds:   The only mention of a Sparkes on the web site is a member of the Home Guard, William Sparkes (see Home Guard photo) who might fit the bill.   If the age estimate of about 100 is correct he would have been born in 1920-ish.   I wonder if anyone might give us another clue?   I can find no mention of him on Ancestry.

August 2020

Hello,  I've been researching my family tree for several years now, but have never managed to get past the block on one branch of my 2GG - OTTO PIKE.   As it's such an unusual name I had hoped this wouldn't be the case, but I can find no birth record from him.   The 1841 census indicates a birth year of 1821.   I know his father was WILLIAM PIKE from Otto's marriage certificate to Ann Bazley in 1846.   As far as I can tell Otto spent his whole life from 1841 census onwards in Lyme Regis, passing away there in 1888.   The reference to Yarcombe is in all of his census entries from 1841 to 1881 - they clearly state 'Yarcombe, Devon'.   I would appreciate any assistance that you could give as this has been a 'blocked' branch for so long!   Thanks,    Judi Tomlinson

Steve Horner replies:   We are in course of preparing a list of all burials in Yarcombe through the ages.   The work is not yet complete but here are some entries that may help:

August 2020

Having just viewed your superb website, I wonder if you could help me with my research into the Dimond family; in particular William Dimond who married Jane (Jenny) Clark in 1770, both from Yarcombe.   Also, their offspring John b1773, Robert b1771 (married Rachel Hurford 1798), and any others?!     Many thanks,    Tony Dymond

Steve Horner replies:   This is the first time I have heard the name Dimond in Yarcombe - there is no mention of this name in Ruth Everitt's book "From Monks to the Millennium" which is the definitive history of this parish and its people.   Might there be another spelling of this surname ?   Hurford is a name that has been associated with the parish over many years.

We are in course of preparing a list of all burials in Yarcombe through the ages.   The work is not yet complete but here are some entries that may help you

Tony Dymond writes:   Many thanks for your efforts.   Much appreciated.

July 2020

Good day, Hoping someone can help with my mysterious 2nd g.g.mother, and her mother.   Hannah Foster married Joseph Cooper on 3rd March 1850 at Preston Plucknett, she is a minor and gives her father's name as Thomas Jennings, a Yeoman.   Census 1851/81 she gives Yarcombe as her birth place.   I don't know if she's the illegitimate daughter of Miss Foster or her mother remarried, as burials for Thomas Jennings are at Yarcombe during the 1830s, yet, a Thomas and family are living at Odcombe who comes from Membuy/Yarcombe, I think this is her father.   No baptism can be found for Hannah with either surname at Yarcombe.   She gives Chard as her last residence on her Goal Admission of 1849, I'm sure she's the 10 year old Ann Foster at Chard Union Workhouse on the 1841 census.    Regards,    Janice Dennis

Steve Horner replies:   This is a really fascinating enquiry and I would appreciate some more information.   You have obviously spent many hours researching your long lost great great grand parents.   As you correctly state there was clearly a Thomas Jennings resident in Yarcombe who might well have been Hannah`s father: Thomas Jennings born Yarcombe 1803 died Yarcombe 1873.   I would be interested to find the census record for the Chard Union Workhouse for 1841, which I cannot find on Ancestry.   I mention this because there was an offshoot of the Chard Workhouse here in Yarcombe at that time.   It was a building in what is now known as Plague Lane Marsh, and despite the fact that Yarcombe is in Devon, the records for the Chard workhouse, which is in Somerset, are kept in Taunton.   I know very little about this institution and I am anxious to learn more.   One final point please, can you clarify the reference to Odcombe and the Jennings family.

Janice Dennis responds:   I found the 1841 census on Ancestry, enumeration district is Chard Union Workhouse.   If you try entering the info "Ann Foster, born 1830", it might bring it up.   I tried many searches for Hannah and Anna using both surnames, Ann was my only find.   As for Thomas Jennings, he's the man who married Sarah Chaffey at Stoke Sub Hamdon in 1830, living there in 1841, not from Somerset and a dealer.   Living at Odcombe in 1851, a cattle dealer and farmer (occupational upgrade could be why Hannah's father is a Yeoman on her MC).   Membury is his birth place.   Still at Odcombe in 1861, a farmer, from Membury.   He's a farmer on the 1871 census living at Odcombe, but gives his birth place as Yarcombe - not far from Membury.   Seems his children have a problem with their hearing.   8 have died young and all of them childless, the 9th has disappeared from the radar.   He was buried in Odcombe in December 1872 aged 67.   Sarah is a widow in 1881.   Odcombe isn't far from Yeovil, it's where Hannah and Joseph Cooper live.   Joseph's grandmother is Joan Chaffey - possibly a relation to Sarah.

July 2020

HI,  I have been reading the website about your book on the history of Yarcombe.   I would be interested in a copy of your book if that is possible.   I am researching our ancestors whose surname is Perham.   John Perham b 1812 and died 24 June 1891 aged 79.   According to the 1861 census they lived on Colly Farm, Yarcombe, Devon.   John married Mary Vine on 5 April 1836.   She was born in 1812 and died 29 November 1905 aged 93.   She is buried at Buckland, St Mary, near Yarcombe.   The farm was 248 acres and John Perham employed 3 men.   They had 9 children.   One of their children is Richard Perham who was born in 1839.   We think he emigrated to New Zealand on the ship “Egmont” when he was 23.   He died in 1879 in New Zealand.   The other children were:

Any information about the family or Colly Farm would be appreciated.     Kind Regards,   Leonie

Steve Horner replies:   I had a quick think about your enquiry, there is no mention of the Perham family in Ruth Everitt's book, however I do know there is a Colley farm in Buckland St Mary which just touches Yarcombe Parish at one point.   In the 1861 census John Perham, his wife Mary and son Richard are resident there.   However as you correctly state John and Mary both record their birthplace as Yarcombe.   I have copied Rosanna Barton who has a very good knowledge of Buckland St Mary and she may be able to help you with this contact.   I have also copied Miranda Gudenian who is the Editor of Yarcombe Voices, she owns the copyright to From Monks to the Millennium, which is the book to which you refer and contains many details of the history of our Parish.   I hope this is a useful start for you, however please keep in contact.

Roger Perham comments:   Leonie, I have just picked up your correspondence with the Yarcombe History Group and I note a list of Perhams which include my direct ancestors.   Would be interested in corresponding if that was your wish.   Best regards,   Roger Perham

Timothy Edwards writes:   Hi Roger and Leonie.   Are you still looking for Perham group?   I am in New Zealand and just bought this photo today (see below) in an antique shop.   The names seem to match yours - has framers notes on rear which mention: Susan's son Samuel, Emma Jane, George, Mother, Susan, Martha, Susan's Grandson.    Regards,    Timothy Edwards

Leonie Freeman responds:   Hi Tim.   Wow – that is amazing.   Yes this is a photo we have but only a scanned copy and it is the same one.   Hope your travels are going well.    Kind Regards   Leonie

July 2020

Hello, I have been researching my 3x great grandfather, Luke Denslow (born 1842 and passed 1919) for some time now.   From what I have managed to find from multiple censuses, he lived in Yarcombe from around 1871 to around 1911 (most likely for longer as well).   The address was Cornhill/Cornhill Cottage, Yarcombe.   He married Elizabeth Hooper and they had around 8 children together.   He worked as a mason and played the fiddle.   A piece of information I found on the internet stated that he was mentioned in the Times newspaper, played the fiddle throughout pubs in Devon and was known to some as "the Fiddler of the South".   However, I haven't found the sources to these statements and hope to confirm these are really true.   I would love to learn more about him and his fiddle playing!   Below is a photo I found of him and his fiddle uploaded on Ancestry.   With best regards,    Alia Buafra

Peter Tarrant replies:   There are several references to Cornhill in Ruth Everitt's book, including this detailed description.   Steve Horner has unearthed evidence of the gentleman's fiddling exploits and photographs and news clippings follow the extract on Cornhill.   There is a picture of the cottage at the very bottom of Photograph Page 1 - since this was taken (around 2010) the building has changed hands and together with the surrounding land has been extensively renovated.   There are two points to possibly follow up – firstly, one of Ole Luke’s obituary notices mentions he died in Bishopswood, perhaps you might have an answer to this anomaly?   Secondly his son Harry Denslow continued the family tradition of playing the fiddle and we are trying to find out more about the tune The Stockland Breast Knot mentioned in the cuttings!
 

CORNHILL (also known as Cornehyll) Originally a much larger property, probably a hall house (see foreword) dating from the sixteenth century, the chimney stack and upper floors being added in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. On the plank-and-muntin screen which divides the two major rooms is a carving of a large fish (25 inches), possibly caught (or poached) in the Yarty, with an inscribed date 1773 and initials not quite decipherable. In 1600 Cornhill is shown as a tenement and cottage. The tithe is 8d, with William Marricke as the occupier, and the cottage is named "Morehan‟. Later, in the 1727 Land Tax Survey, the occupier is Benjamin Bright, who also owns or rents Moorhayne, Underdown and Sellwood. By 1794 the Drake Estate owns the property, as there is £26. 19s. 9d of saleable timber growing on the land; again a cottage at Cornhill is listed. The Land Tax Survey of 1798 gives Henry Spiller the ownership, but this cannot be, as it is on the earlier Estate Survey, so it was probably mortgaged or let on lives or years. The tenant is Thomas Hockey. Early on in this century Cornhill was occupied by the Sweetland family, father, mother and several children. Father William was a stone mason by trade and was employed by the Drake Estate. They occupied Cornhill as a tied cottage. The story is told that Lady Eliott Drake was out in her horse-drawn carriage one day when the horse bolted. William Sweetland was working nearby and managed to stop the runaway carriage. As a reward for his quick action Lady Drake allowed him to live in Cornhill for the rest of his life, and his wife after him should he die first. In 1958 the Estate sold the cottage, which had deteriorated badly, to Mr. and Mrs. Selmes for £735. 0s. 0d. They completely renovated the cottage. Mrs. Selmes, who was for a time a teacher at the village school, lived on in the village after her husband died in 1973, eventually selling it in 1980 for £35,000. A further oddity is the existence of an air raid shelter in the garden. It was built by the Sweetland family at the time of the bombing of Exeter during World War II. It measures about 5ft x 5ft by 6ft high, is let into the hillside and is built of local stone, with walls about 8 inches thick. The roof is of asbestos and lined with roofing felt. There were planks to sit on around three sides, with a flimsy wooden door taking up most of the fourth side. A drain pipe up through the back wall supplied fresh air in the unlikely event of the door being blocked by bomb damage. The shelter now provides good storage space for rusty mowers and other rubbish that "might come in useful one day‟!

Luke Denslow			Various Bews Items

Alia Buafra responds:   Thank you for taking the time to write and share this information to me!   I read through the update you posted and was pleased to be able to learn so much!   Unfortunately, I know nothing of Luke’s death in Bishopswood nor where he could be buried.   The death certificate I found with his mention broadly states Honiton.   I went back to the censuses and it seems the last place I have known him to live was with his son, Samuel Denslow.   The address is written as (possibly) Hamperland, Yarcombe, Chard.   This was found on the 1911 census (below).  

A book I found titled “English Fiddle”, written by Christ Bartram, seems to briefly mention Luke Denslow and how he taught his kids, Harry and Bessie, how to play the fiddle.   Up until this point I was unsure whether this was referring to the Luke I am related to, but now I believe it is.   I went through the censuses I could find and have always seen the names Henry and Bessie Denslow.   I hope it’s safe to assume Harry was a nickname for Henry?   Bessie did indeed marry an Alfred Newbery, which explains why she is referred to as Mrs Newbery in one of the articles.   Below is a photo of her with some of her children that was uploaded on Ancestry.   Harry/Henry is actually my 2x great grandfather.   He married Bessie Long and had around 11 kids with her.   I believe he moved to Stockland as the 1911 census states he lived at Longbridge, Stockland, Honiton with his family.   Do let me know if I could help with anything else. I appreciate the time and effort that has been put into this so far!     Best regards,    Alia

 

Bessie Denslow/Newbery & children	1911 Census

Steve Horner adds:   We have now been able to track down and rescue a recording of some local fiddle music played by Fred Pidgeon that was recorded in Stockland in 1954, which parish adjoins Yarcombe.   These tunes include The Ladies Breast Knot and we feel certain some if not all of these would have been known to Luke Denslow.   Please enjoy the music and the local Devon accent.   Thank you for bringing this to our attention, it has proved to be a well worthwhile exercise in researching and finding this music.

Ladies Breast Knot (Fiddle)	Ladies Breast Knot (Chat)

 

Alia Buafra replies:   What a great find!   I had heard of Fred Pidgeon but was unaware there were recordings of his music from 1954.   Thank you for putting time into this.   It’s nice to hear that such a merry part of local history won’t be forgotten.   Many thanks,    Alia

Archie Needs writes:   Steve, I've identified 23 Denslow graves to date.   Crucially I've identified Great Grandfather Ernest George Denslow who is buried in Stockland (his parents Henry & Bessie are in Yarcombe).   The sticking point is Luke (1842-1919).   As far as I can tell he's not in Stockland, Dalwood or Membury, so that suggests he's in Yarcombe Churchyard without a gravestone?   If you could confirm that, by looking at the Church Burial Register, we'd be really flying as I've identified Luke's parents and grandparents in Membury.   Luke really is the missing link in more ways than one!   Let me know how you get on and hopefully I can pull all the strands together.  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/214271593/ernest-george-denslow

Alia Buafra writes:   This sounds quite interesting and I would love to give you information on my ancestors.   I'm from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.   I have been raised here and have lived here my whole life.   My father, who is Emirati, met my English mother, Clarissa Jane Buafra (nee Denslow) in England while pursuing his studies and eventually she settled down in Dubai in 1989.   I believe our family connections to Yarcombe actually began with Luke Denslow, my 3x great grandfather.   I cannot confirm much that goes back further than Luke Denslow, but census evidence suggests that Luke's father is a John Denslow who was born in Membury around the year 1808.   Luke's mother is Jane Down/Downe who was born around the year 1812.   They had around 5 children together:   Elizabeth Denslow (b 1830),   Selina Denslow (b 1837),   Job Denslow (b 1841),   Luke and Sarah Ann Denslow (b 1846).   It seems that John Denslow died quite young in 1855.   He must have been in his late 40s or early 50s.   Jane then remarried to a Samuel Trim (b 1811).   The 1861 census shows them living together in Membury with an 18 year old Luke and his brother.   Jane has a brother, Samuel Down (b 1805) who had 5 children with an Elizabeth Moor (1809).   I found that 3 of Luke's siblings married their cousins from this uncle of theirs:   Selina married Simeon Down,   Job married Marina Down,   Sarah Ann married William Down.

Luke himself was born in Membury around 1849 and passed in 1919 (I am unaware of where he is buried).   In 1861 he married Elizabeth Hooper (b 1841).   The 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 census show them living in Yarcombe.   I imagine they moved to Yarcombe together after their marriage.   Together they had around 8 children:   Emma Matilda Denslow (b 1861),   Sarah Ann Denslow (b 1864),   Samuel Denslow (b 1865),   Mary Denslow (b 1868),   Jane Denslow (b 1871),   John Denslow (b 1875),   Henry Denslow (b 1879),   Bessie Denslow (b 1888).

Henry Denslow, also known as Harry, is my 2x great grandfather.   He was born in Yarcombe in 1879 and passed in 1961 (there is a very blurry photo of his grave uploaded on Ancestry but with no location attached).   He lived in Yarcombe until his marriage with Bessie Long in 1902 that was registered in Axminster, after which I believe they moved to Stockland and had 11 children together:   Gladys May (b 1903),   Ernest George (b 1904),   Agnes Maude (b 1905),   Charles Luke (b 1906),   Elsie Olive (b 1908),   Lillie Bessie (b 1909),   Beatrice Lucy (b 1911),   Walter Henry (b 1913),   Winifred Irene (b 1917),   Major Sidney (b 1921),   Kenneth Peter (b 1925).

Out of these children, my great grandfather is Ernest George Denslow who was born in Yarcombe in 1904 and passed in 1990.   My mother tells me he is buried at the cemetery in Stockland.   He married Ethel Laura Huggins (b 1914 in Surrey) in 1936.   Their marriage is registered at Honiton.   The 1939 census shows he lived in Axminster, but he later moved to Stockland as my mother recalls.   Together with Ethel they had 8 children (most of whom are still alive and have their own children and grandchildren):   Donald Ernest Denslow (b 1937),   Marian J Denslow,   Brian A Denslow,   David P Denslow,   Geoffrey L Denslow,   Irene M Denslow,   Norman J Denslow,   Richard C Denslow.

This brings me to my grandfather, Donald Ernest Denslow, who was born in 1937 (registered at Honiton).   He married a Maltese woman, Mary Doris Portelli, in 1969 and they moved to Bournemouth, Dorset.   This is where they lived until his passing in 2009 and her passing in 2014.   They had 3 children together, one of whom is my mother.Clarissa Jane whose married name is Buafra.

Steve Horner adds:   We are in process of listing all the burials in the churchyard and have found Luke lying here peacefully at rest.   See details.

Alia Buafra writes:   Wonderful news!   I’m so happy that you were able to find him and am very thankful for your efforts regarding this search.   Best wishes,   Alia
 

July 2020

Hello,   My great grandparents, George Chick and Lucy Frances (nee Summers) lived in Membury most of their lives where George had worked as a farm carter until the spring of 1922 when they lived at Birch Cottages, parish of Yarcombe, but so far I cannot find where Birch Cottage or Cottages are.   I assume perhaps they are gone or named something different by now.   I was hoping someone could help please.   Kind regards,   Mervyn Tims

Peter Tarrant replies:   There are many references to Birch in Ruth Everitt's "From Monks To The Millennium - A History Of Yarcombe", and the most relevant is shown below.   There is mention of an Old Thatch in Marsh and a map in the publication places it just south of the A303.   I have alerted Steve Horner who has access to further information and may be able to provide an answer for you.

Steve Horner replies:   This is a most interesting enquiry because it involves changes in parish boundaries.   Below (left) is a copy of the 1891 census which shows George Spiller and his wife Jane living in Mill Cottage and George Farrant and his wife Rhoda living in the adjacent building also called Mill cottage which seems to confirm Ruth Everitt's suggestion that these buildings were semi-detached to use a modern expression.   You will note the comment at the bottom of the census form “End of the Ecclesiastical parish of Membury" although the Civil parish is Yarcombe.   This small group of buildings lies just south of the hamlet of Marsh on the A303 and the enumerator started at the bottom of the hill, Birch Mill lying on the right and Mill Cottages on the left hand side.   Farther up the hill we have the school house now private residence and at the top lies Birch Oak farm.   Mill Cottages are now called the Old Thatch which name was applied to the building after a major refurbishment in the 1970s.   This building has recently been re-thatched.   I would be pleased to send you a photograph.   Please see the screen print below (right) of Birch which lies at the centre.

Mervyn Tims responds:   Many thanks for your help on my query re: Birch Cottages.   Of all the places my great grandparents had lived during their lifetime this one was a new one for me thanks to the Electoral Registers.   As this was 1921-22 it must have changed a lot since that time. I appreciate your help very much.   Thank you.

Steve Horner replies:   Thank you for your prompt reply.   You are obviously quite an expert researcher, would it be possible to let me have a copy of the electoral register for that date please, this is a new one on me.   In return I would be pleased to send you a photo of the building.

July 2020

Not strictly an Ancestral Search, but this is a photograph of Yarcombe residents gathering outside the Baptist Chapel around the mid-1950s, followed by a key showing known names, and may be of interest to future researchers.   We would love to hear from anyone who may be able to supply any missing names: Yarcombe.Website

Thelma Clarke adds:   We do have that one displayed in our Sunday School Room.   I think the Reverend gentleman is Frank Cripps and his wife Maisie who are both laid to rest in the churchyard.   Also, in the photo are the late Dulcie and Nellie Rich and Robert Rich.   I am also guessing that Samuel Warren is present along with his son Raymond.   Members of the Baker family are also there, you will remember George Long and his wife Emily?   Emily was a chapel member as were all her family who in those days lived at Moor Pit Farm.   Emily worked at our house when it was the village shop.
Thelma Clarke

 

July 2020

Hello,   My great grandmother was Mary Wiscombe, born in Yarcombe on 21st February 1855.   This is how I came to possess some old photos of Yarcombe dating from before WW2.   Some of these are already posted on your website but in a couple of cases I can add some information:  (1) On  Photograph Page 6, Postcard of Harding shop supplied by Steve Horner, the postcard in my possession has overleaf some notes written by Mary Wiscombe, as follows: "This photo of the shop & Post Office was taken more than 20 years ago [annotated by my mother "Approx. 1918"].   The Mr Harding you knew is standing in front of the shop, & the present Mrs Harding is by the gate."   (2) On Photograph Page 9, the postcard with legend "A good quality postcard picture from the early 1940s".   The card in my possession has overleaf some notes written by Mary Wiscombe, as follows: "This is the village as it is today [annotated by my mother "1938"], with the present Mr & Mrs Harding standing outside the shop."   (3) I also have the next postcard showing the school.   Postcards 2 & 3 are from the same publication series, as overleaf both are printed identically saying "Published by F.L. Harding, Yarcombe, Devon".   By implication both should be dated to approx. 1938.   I have two more old postcards for you:  (4) Postcard showing the shop with lady and dog in the street.   My great grandmother has written overleaf: "This is the village as it used to be, before the shop & Inn were altered."   (5) Postcard showing the interior of the church.    No writing overleaf.   Postcards 1, 4 & 5 are from the same publication series, as they are printed identically overleaf.   It's reasonable to assume that all three date from approx. 1918.   This would fit with the style of dress in postcard 4.   I hope you find these of interest.   If there are any Wiscombes still living in Yarcombe, please let them know that I have some information on the family tree and would be very willing to share what I know.   Andrew Duff

Peter Tarrant replies:   Thank you so much for visiting the website and for all the information and photographs which have now been incorporated into Photograph Pages 6 & 9.   We are always keen to publish any historical snippet about our village here, not just for our own benefit but also to help others who may be researching their personal family history.   I am sure your family tree would be of interest and we would appreciate a copy to post here if you agree.   I know there are some Wiscombes in Chard (6 miles east of Yarcombe) and others further afield in Devon and Dorset, so it would be a very useful item.   Thanks.

Andrew Duff responds:   Thank you for your speedy response and for posting my photos and comments.   The key person in my family tree is my great grandmother Mary Wiscombe, born at Pithayne Cottages in Yarcombe in 1855 (second photo).   She married a man called William Weston Downs, a general labourer from Farnham, Surrey, and they moved to West London where I was born.   Mary's father was William Wiscombe, a farm labourer, also born in Yarcombe, in 1828.   William married Elizabeth Dimond who was from Membury but they settled in Yarcombe and had seven children between 1855 (Mary was the eldest) and 1867.   I have a photo of him as well (third photo), looking quite the gentleman in his later years.   William's father Thomas was born abt. 1797 in Wambrook, Somerset and seems to have settled in Yarcombe on his marriage to Elizabeth Cottrell on 27th March 1828.   He was also an agricultural labourer and they had five children of whom my great great grandfather William was the eldest.   My grandmother and her sister visited Pithayne Cottages in 1938, where their mother was born.   My mother also had a good look round the village in May 1971, again visiting her grandmother's birthplace (Pithayne Cottages, fourth photo).

July 2020

Hi, My daughter's mother-in-law is adamant that her grandfather William Miller from Croakham Farm served in Alexandria during WW1.   Are you able to shed any light on this?    Many thanks,     Archie Needs

Steve Horner replies:   Thank you for your enquiry, most fascinating.   I have had a quick look at the records.   There is no mention of a William Miller from Yarcombe having served in the armed forces in World War I, at least his name is not on the plaque in the Baptist chapel.   I have done a search in the 1911 census and no William Miller is shown as living in Yarcombe.   Also I believe the tenant of Croakham farm at that time was James Loosemoor.   However oral family tradition is usually right, therefore can you give me details of William Miller, his approximate age would help.   Also details of your daughter's mother-in-law, her name and date of birth and her parents name and dates of birth would enable me to track this William Miller.

Archie Needs writes:   William Miller was born in 1896 and died in 1988.   He is buried in Yarcombe Cemetery (details here).   I don't think he purchased Croakham Farm until just after the war.   His son Arthur James "Jim" Miller (1922-1998) was living there with his parents (William & Charlotte) in the 1939 Register.   Jim is also in your WW2 Home Guard photo and is buried in Yarcombe Churchyard as well.   William Miller's daughter Brenda May Miller was born in 1955 and grew up at Croakham Farm.   Let me know if you need any more info.

Steve Horner responds:   In 2011 I met with Dorothy Miller who at that time was living in Marsh and she permitted me to copy all her photos of the Home Guard, one of which hangs in the village hall.   Dorothy Miller (nee Hatcher) married Jim Miller and she told me that her husband`s family came from Croakham and it was her daughter Brenda who you mentioned in your last e-mail to me.   May I therefore assume that Brenda is your daughter's mother in Law ?   Dorothy`s father lived at Foundry farm James lane in Membury, just a stone`s throw from the Yarcombe Parish boundary.   I have now found some more information about Croakham farm which was sold by the Yarcombe Estate in 1931 (see below, click to enlarge).   The tenant at that time was Mr W Miller under a lease dated March 18th 1920, so that fixes the date of his arrival in Yarcombe.   Thus it is entirely possible that his service history is not mentioned on the memorial in the Baptist Chapel because he did not arrive in the Parish until well after the war was over.   I would very much like to find out if indeed William Miller was in the armed forces in World War 1, but I cannot track him down as yet.   Do you know where he was born or indeed where his family came from?   I hope this is helpful.

Archie Needs replies:   It was indeed Brenda (my daughter's mother in law) who asked me to find out about William Miller's war record.   As far as I know William was born in Upottery on 10th February 1896.   He married Charlotte May Mitcham in 1920 which was around the time he bought or leased Croakham Farm.   In 1911 William was at Luxton Farm Upottery with his step father Charles Tucker.   In 1901 William was at Keenslease, Upottery with his parents Edward and Georgina.   Brenda is convinced William Miller served in Alexandria during WW1.   I have asked her son to try and get any more details from his mother and I'm awaiting a response.   Do you have a better scan of the Yarcombe Home Guard photo? I'm amazed so many people were in the Yarcombe Home Guard.   I'll let you know if I get any more information.

Steve Horner responds:   In fact I have six different photos of various sections of the Yarcombe Home Guard.   I had the originals professionally scanned, I am not certain what I did with the CD but I do have some good photos which were printed off.   You would be very welcome to borrow these to make your own copies.   "4" above has Dorothy and Jim Miller on the RHS of the front row.   I did get a lead on Charlotte May Mitcham who in the 1901 census was living with her parents at Barefield farm Upottery.   Do you have access to Ancestry and the WW1 Medals cards ?   I suspect William may have served with Devons as he was from that county.

Archie Needs replies:   Sorry, it's a bit remiss of me not to introduce myself properly.   I'm retired and live in Taunton.   I've helped out a few local groups & churches with identifying people on their war memorials etc.   A couple of years ago I was approached by the Imperial War Museum and asked if I would help them on their Lives of the First World War Project.   There were about 20 of us and we created 7.7 million life stories of people who served.   It was an immensely rewarding project which ended abruptly when the funding ran out.   The database is still available to use but is frozen in time as such.   I was allowed to concentrate on Somerset Soldiers which was ideal and I've kind of carried on trying to trace the soldiers on my spreadsheets and upload their details onto the Find a Grave website.   I have 2 main spreadsheets.   The first one contains the details of approx 12,000 Somerset soldiers who died in WW1 and I've tracked down 99% of those.   The second spreadsheet currently has nearly 20,000 Somerset soldiers who survived WW1 and is growing daily!   I've created this by referencing the 1918 Absent Voters list but I've only done the western half of the County so far.   I've also been doing some user-testing for my local Council who are trialling an on-line grave enquiry system for their Municipal Graveyards - that has been very helpful to me.   I thought trying to trace William Miller would be a pleasant distraction!   I can find no signing-on papers for William Miller (I assume they were destroyed by German incendiary bombs in WW2 as a lot of the WW1 were ironically).   I've also been through the medal cards for all the William Millers in the Devons Regiment and the Somerset Light Infantry - none of them served in Alexandria as far as I can tell.   Coming from a farming background he may well have served in the Army Service Corps or Labour Corps.   I was hoping you might have been able to give me a clue as there are 1935 William Millers on our IWM database for WW1.   According to Brenda, William's medals are with a distant cousin who now has cancer and they're reluctant to bother him.   Many thanks for the photos. I'm open to suggestions as to where to go next.

Colin Rosewell comments:   I was browsing through your Ancestral Searches and came across #36 concerning the Miller family of Yarcombe.   My Great Aunt, Georgina Lucy Rosewell (1870-1954) married James Edward Miller (1870-1901) on 11 Apr 1893 at Yarcombe.  After the death of James, Georgina married Charles Henry Tucker (1878-1966) in 1907.   James Miller is the great grandfather of Julie Shire (nee Miller) who I met at Chaffhay in 2000.   Julie put me in touch with her brother Terry Miller then of Long Load, Somerset.   Terry and I exchanged family histories.   I have the MILLER family back to John Miller = Louisa Hodder from Dorset married about 1829.   The ROSEWELL family go back to Bradford-on-Tone in 1436. I am happy to share information with any of your correspondents.       Cheers,         Colin John Rosewell   (See Ancestral Search 57)

 

June 2020

Hello, I wonder if you can help me.   My 8th great-grandfather Robert Rowland was born in Upottery Devon (as were all his children).   It is thought that his wife was named Susannah Mather, but I have no confirmation of this.   He was baptised at St Marys Church Upottery 28th July 1633.   I have a copy of the parish record for his baptism.   He MAY have been married a number of times as it is understood his children were born between 1666-1688, all in Upottery Devon.   His Father was named as Edward Rowland.   To date I have been unable to trace a birth for Edward Rowland circa 1600 – 1605 in the St Marys Church Upottery baptism records.   I have been communicating with other researches and there is a thought that Edward Rowland MAY have been in the Yarcombe area 1600 – 1605 but we have not been able to locate any documentation to confirm this.   Do you have any information on this or if not can you maybe point me in the right direction?   Thanking you in advance,   Regards,   Mr Les Fitzgerald
 

Steve Horner replies:   I have a great interest in the history of our parish and I do try to help solve questions such as you have posed - as you know this is a really tough one.   The standard work on the history of our parish is From Monks to the Millennium written by Ruth Everitt and there is no reference to Edward Rowland mentioned therein.   I do have in my office a hard copy of a document to which Ruth did not have access when she wrote her book and this document is the pleadings of a court case, Drake vs Major, filed 23 November 1600 – it’s a transcription made by a historian I suspect was working for the Drake family.   The case is a claim by the then vicar of Yarcombe against the Drake family in respect of a dispute over Tithes.   This is a fascinating document listing all land holdings, the names of the owners / occupiers / tenants and the name of the holding.   Almost all the names of fields / farmsteads / meadows remain the same today.   I have looked for the name Rowland in the document but it does not feature.   It is entirely possible that your ancestor moved between Upottery and Yarcombe which are adjoining parishes in the county of Devon.   I did have a quick look on Ancestry where there is mention of Edward Rowland born in 1603, but the tree on which he is displayed does seem to be rather uncertain.   Please do not hesitate to come back to us if you have any further questions, and good luck with your researches.

Les Fitzgerald writes:   Thank you for the information.   The Ruth Everitt books sounds fascinating.   The name Drake is also in my Family ancestry.   A John Drake 1784 to 1839 was born in Topsham.   His father was Robert Drake of Sandford, near Crediton.   He married a Mary Clash.   Edward Rowland was her 2 x Great Grandparent!   As you say it is quite possible that he moved between Upottery and Yarcombe which as the crow flies is about 2 ½ miles.   I am aware that there are a few trees on Ancestry.   One of them links him to William Rowland both in London 1570 !!!   Not sure that I will ever resolve this but will keep plugging away.   Once again thank you for your time.

Steve Horner adds:   It is always gratifying to receive a prompt reply which demonstrates your appreciation of our work.   Ruth Everitt's book is indeed a wonderful record of our parish, Miranda Gudenian was a good friend of Ruth who sadly passed away about five years ago, however Miranda has an electronic version of her book and I know she is pleased to let anyone who applies to her to send out a copy in exchange for a donation to our local magazine which Miranda edits.   However your reply indicates your family are related to Drake family and illustrates the value of our ancestral search web site.   If you look at Ancestral Search 34 you will see a photo of the diamond wedding celebrations of Robert Drake Rich which was held in Upottery in 1951.   Robert Drake Rich farmed here in Yarcombe until he retired to Upottery.   Robert Drake Rich (1865-1952) was the son of Charles Rich (1824-1893) and Lydia Drake (1838-1921).   I am not certain if there is a connection between the Drake family who have long associations with Upottery and your family who seem to have come from Topsham.   This parish has a proud association with Sir Francis Drake who died without issue, although Sir Francis was born near Tavistock so there may be a connection way back to his family and yours.   Please keep in contact and may I wish you every good luck in tracing your family tree.

Les Fitzgerald writes:   Thanks for the information.   There used to be a family myth that there were people related to Sir Francis.   So much so that my 1st cousin 1x removed has the name Drake as a Middle name.   He in turn gave one of his sons Drake as a middle name as well!   As you say we may be some connection somewhere within his family.   56 people at the diamond wedding celebrations was a very good gathering indeed!   What is also great is that everybody has been identified.   Unfortunately I have several old family pictures, with no indication of name on them.   Some people I have managed to identify and other I cannot.   Regrettably the people who may well be able to identify them are no longer with us!   I have a further lead on Edward Rowland.   I have a baptism for what MAY be our Edward Rowland baptised in 1603 in Runnington Somerset.   This is only about 12 miles as the crow flies from Yarcombe and about 10 miles from Upottery.   The search continues.
 

June 2020

I have found your excellent site and wanted to say how good it is.   I am currently researching my son-in-law's family, who seem to have come from Yarcombe and surrounding area for many many generations.   Amongst the family names are Spiller, Drake, Rich, Satterley, Gollop and Knight (to name a few).   I wish to purchase a digital copy of Monks To Millennium.   Could you please let me know what I need to do.   Thanks in advance,
Helen East

Peter Tarrant comments:   See Ancestral Search 72 which also references the group wedding anniversary photograph below.

Miranda Gudenian replies:   Thank you for your message.   Your family names have deep roots in Yarcombe.   I would be most willing to send you a copy of Ruth Everitt's book "From Monks to the Millennium".   I always ask for a donation, however; Ruth was a dear friend of mine and on her death a few years ago her family gave me the the rights to the book.   All donations go to Yarcombe Voices, the village magazine which I started nearly twenty years ago and produce each month.   I look forward to hearing from you.

Steve Horner writes:   I was pleased to read that you have found our Yarcombe web site of use to you in your researches into your son in laws family tree.   I hope by now that you have received a copy of from Monks to the Millennium and in that book I feel certain you will find many references to your family, certainly the surnames you mention are very familiar here in Yarcombe.   The web site essentially carries on the researches carried out by Ruth and which are recorded in her book, and thus any information about your family that you can feed back to us will be recorded for posterity and available to others who are also researching their roots.   If we can help in any way please let us know.

Helen East replies:   As soon as I receive the copy of the book, I’ll be back to you with more enquiries.   In the meantime I’ve wandered off into Otterford and Churchstanton in search of Willies and Loosemores.

Helen East adds:   Thank you so much for the will, I think you may have given me a clue in the next line of my research.   Also have read through the ancestral searches on the site.   With the Willies, I am at John Willie (son in laws 6 x GG) 1737-1822, his Daughter Elizabeth who marries Peter Loosemore then Francis Drake is the direct line down.   I am having trouble finding a baptism record for John Willie.   But having read his will and the one you sent me today , and reading one of the queries on the website I see that John Willie is the son of Henry.   Would love to see the rest of that family tree in Otterford village hall, I will have to send the son in law over there when lockdown is lifted.   I am loving researching this family as they all seem to have stayed nearby, only wish my own was as good.   Poor old William Willie, I wonder if he gave up drinking !!

Steve Horner replies:   Undoubtedly we are both on the same track, you for the Willie family tree, whilst I am searching for the history of my house, which certainly has its origins in the 15th century but over the years has been repaired and altered by its various owners.   In my researches I have photographed various parts of the Willie tree which is displayed in the Otterford village hall and I am sending a selection of the best of my working papers that may give you some further leads.   The scanned copies are not good but will indicate to you the sort of information that I have on the Willie family.    In return if you do notice any reference to Woodend please send this to me.   You are lucky because the Willie family seem to have based themselves in Somerset and the Somerset Wills have been preserved whereas Devon Wills were destroyed by the Luftwaffe when the County Records office was bombed.

Helen East writes:   I will most definitely let you know if I come across any other references to Woodend.   I am constantly amazed at how many members of this family come from Yarcombe, and I will definitely visit Yarcombe when we are down, our daughter and son in law are in Melksham.

Just got the book from Miranda and think that Nellie Rich & Dulcie Rich (in the acknowledgements) are the daughters of Page Robert Rich, (my son in laws 2 x Gt Uncle).   If they are I have a family group photo of their parents Robert Drake Rich & Sarah Longs (from Upottery) wedding anniversary in 1952 (see below, click to enlarge).   Have included the list of names as well -all identified.   My son in law is a Hutchings, his Father & Grandmother still live in the area.   Son in law most Happy.
 

Steve Horner replies:   What a most wonderful photo which records a very happy event in the lives of all these people; indeed what care someone has taken to preserve the names for posterity.   Interestingly the Denning family and the Rich family are all related and the Dennings were the last tenants of this farm before it was sold by the estate in 1970 to meet a death duties.   Phyllis Denning (#16) has often visited us here at Woodhayne and sent us photos and written letters to us describing the family`s happy memories when they lived here.

Some years ago when I was researching the Home Guard in the parish a lady produced some formal group photos of the unit which I copied and one of these now hangs in the village hall with all the members identified by name (also on the World Wars page here).   Perhaps the Rich Diamond Wedding may similarly be featured, its such an important event in the history of our parish and its people.

Incidentally it is notable that not one person in the photo is overweight, probably as a result of war time austerity and hard work on the farms.

Helen East adds:   The photo and an email of memories of various relatives was what I started with in February this year, 2020.   My son in law is a Hutchings and his dad and grandmother came up with the photo a collection of as many relatives that they could remember.   I have been working on it since, lockdown has been very handy.   If you're on Ancestry you might want to take a look, they are certainly a family that is interwoven into Yarcombes past.   Let me know I’ll send a link if you like.   The reference in Phyllis’s letter to Drake is interesting, of course everyone wants to be related to someone famous, strangely the family legend of being related to Francis Drake, had turned itself into Sir Walter Raleigh in this branch!!, but hey ho you never know.   I have no doubt that the family would be proud for the photo to be featured, social history is so important, didn’t you just hate as a kid being lined up for those family photos!!, only now we wish we had more.   Thanks for the letter, it's putting a lot of this into prospective.

Jayne Daley writes:   Hi, I am a direct descendant of Robert Knight, died 1765, from Yarcombe and was able to find, via Ancestry, a copy of his will as a yeoman.   The line of descent is through his son Benjamin Knight, with my great grandmother (Justina) Nellie Knight marrying into the Goss family in Cardiff (who came from Georgeham, Devon).  This is also directly connected with the Spiller family and the Dares.   Such fascinating information on here and would love to know more.   I believe from others' family trees that we go directly back to Margery Collier(?).   Would like to know if anyone has photos or pictures of people or any the places our family inhabited and want to buy a digital copy of the Monk to Millennium book please.  Thanks, Jayne Daley

Steve Horner responds:   Jayne, I was delighted that you have found our section of the Yarcombe web site, from the information you have provided it is difficult to link you into any previous enquiries that we have, the surname Knight is common in Yarcombe`s history.   However may I draw your attention to Ancestral Search 47 which explains we have recently received information about Yarcombe Manor Court Roll of 8 October 1697 where it mentions George Knight to be sworn Hayward of this Court, perhaps he may be an antecedent of your Robert Knight?   It would be a valuable addition to our records if you could provide me with more details of the Knight family who lived in Yarcombe, in particular some details or reference to the will of Robert Knight would be helpful.

June 2020

I have been researching my ancestry during lockdown and discovered numerous links to Yarcombe through Broom and Newbury families.   I am very interested to obtain the book written by Ruth Everitt ' From Monks to the Millenium' which I have noted from your website.   I grew up in Axminster but had no idea of my roots in these local villages.       Kind Regards,    Lesley Crook

Steve Horner writes:   I was delighted that you have found our web site and I hope by now that you have received a copy of Ruth Everitt's excellent history of our Parish.   The name Newbery Is very familiar to me, one John Newbery sided with the Duke of Monmouth being part of his rebellion in 1685.   The family were substantial land owners in the south of the Parish and I believe one branch of the family headed off to the fledgling colonies in North America.   I did not recognise the name Broom so I found reference to Henry Broom who lived at Blackhall in 1832.  I traced Henry in the 1841 census when he was still living at Blackhall with his wife Grace and their three children Thomas, William and Elizabeth.   Henry and Grace are recorded as being aged 40 in that census ,which may give you some leads for your tree.   In any event it would be very helpful if you could feedback to us any further information you unearth about the history of our parish so we can record it for posterity.   Please let me know if we can be of further assistance.

Lesley Crook replies:   The day after I discovered the website, I discovered your excellent section of ancestral posts and recognised one or two names.   Thanks to the lockdown I have been able to access the Ancestry library edition via my local library link, and also to obtain free PDF copies of wills for the Broom and Newbery families which have been very enlightening from the National Archive website at Kew.   The furthest ancestor I have discovered is Thomas Broome who died in Yarcombe in 1645. His will left property to Moses Broom, his grandson.   He was married to Thomasin Richard who he married at Upottery 1590.   Their children were Josiah, Thomas,Grace, Richard and John.   Thomasin is also listed as dying in Yarcombe in February 1645.   Their son Thomas was born in 1593 and married Anne Beade at Yarcombe 7/11 /1616.   Their children were all born in Yarcombe :- Elleyn 1617, Edward 1619, Moses 1620, Swithin 1621, Marie 1623, Adrian 1625, Thomas 1630.   His wife Ann died in Yarcombe in 1645.
  Edward married Elizabeth Hussey 11/05/1641 at Stockland and their children were Moses 1642, Mary1643, William 1647 and James 1656 all born at Yarcombe.   Edward died in 1670 and Elizabeth in 1670 at Yarcombe.   Their son Moses married Joan Quick at Stockland in 1675 and they appear to have had only one son Moses born at Broadhembury in 1682.   Moses died 1708 in Yarcombe and Joan in 1712, also in Yarcombe.   Their son Moses married Susanna (Broom) and their son Amos was born in 1714 at Upottery.   I believe they had other sons called Moses and Aaron and a daughter called Margaret but I have not confirmed this.   Moses (father) died in Upottery in 1723.

Amos has proved to be a very interesting character as he had 2 children, Mary 1738 and Moses 1739, born prior to his marriage to Mary Newbery in Honiton in 1739.   I have been unable to establish which branch of the Newbery family she belonged to but the most likely contender seems Mary born in Cotleigh in 1712, father Richard.   Amos and Mary had 4 children born in Yarcombe -John 1742, Amos 1744, Robert 1746 and Mary 1747.   Their daughter Jenny was born at Dunkeswell in 1752 and their son William born at Sheldon in 1779.   They obviously moved to Dunkeswell between 1747 and 1752.

I then have a gap but Amos left his will in 1779 showing he was a wealthy yeoman, although not owning any property.   He left his wife £1 but most was left to 4 children of a Joanna Richards who moved on to change their names to Broom and become prominent gentlemen in Uffculme and surroundings thanks to their links with other members of the Richards family.   In the 1841 census the family are farmers at Sheldon Grange and Abbey Farm Dunkeswell.   William -the Dunkeswell farmer was then farming and living also at Sheldon Grange with his family in the 1851 census, and the 1840 Tithe apportionment lists William Broom as Occupier of Sheldon Grange.   I believe the infamous Amos was my 6x Grandfather and William as my 4xGrandfather.

I purchased all the available Parish registers for Yarcombe from Devon FHS but found virtually no entries for the Broom family.   Obviously most of mine were before these published records and I cannot get to the Archives at present so the search continues.   I have however also enjoyed reading the numerous wills of the prominent Newbery family which must be linked to Mary somehow.   It clearly illustrates how the estates were divided up until none seem to remain in the 1840's tithe apportionments.   I even came across a bankruptcy sale in the 1800's for a Newbery sheep and cattle dealer so I guess they had all moved on - some to Stockland, Membury and surrounding villages.

My grandparents moved to Axminster in 1925 in an apparently random move from an estate in Rockbeare (my grandmother was from South Devon and had been a servant on the estate prior to marrying the Yeoman's son).   It has since come to light that the Brooms and the Chapples (my grandfather Broom's mother) are all deeply rooted in East Devon and I myself was born in Honiton, although we lived in Axminster.   My grandparents had 9 living children most of whom settled in the same area and were very prominent in the town and especially the football team.   Many still live in Axminster.

I would be very glad to hear if you can tell me where any more of the older records are to be found.   By the way I believe the Henry you mentioned is from Amos's Richards connection as I found a will from a Henry in Yarcombe which suggested that.   I look forward to receiving the digital book very soon to flesh out the bones of life in the village during these times.

Steve Horner writes:   Wow!   You have been working hard, how long has it taken you to accumulate all this information?   I do have in my office a hard copy of the pleadings of a court case Drake vs Major filed 23 November 1600 – it’s a transcription made a historian I suspect working for the Drake family, the case is a claim by the then vicar of Yarcombe against the Drake family in respect of a dispute over Tithes.   This is a fascinating document listing all land holdings, the names of the owners/occupiers/tenants and the name of the holding.   Almost all the names of fields / farmsteads / meadows remain the same today.   I have looked for the name Broome in the document but it does not feature, perhaps from the Wills you can give me a farm name occupied or owned by the Broome family.   Keep up the good work and I hope you keep fit and well during the lockdown.

May 2020

Hi, I just came upon the website and have been delighted with the history and ancestral searches!   I have established, through a combination of hard digging through parish registers and DNA connections that I descend from Samuel Matthews (b. 1751/2 & baptized in Yarcombe) and Mary Flood (b. 1753 & baptized in Yarcombe).   I first found Samuel & Mary in Liskeard Cornwall, and it was their granddaughter Mary Chapple who emigrated to Canada where I live.   There were no Matthews in Liskeard before the birth of Mary's mother Susanna Matthews so I set out to find where the Matthews family came from originally.   I tracked Matthews families all over Cornwall, but eventually came to the conclusion that perhaps they originally came from Devon.   Susanna's older son ended up working in Devon and she died in Devon in Ullfcumbe so it seemed likely there were family ties.   I traced all the couples with the name of Samuel & Mary Matthews who baptized children between 1770 and 1800 and came up with the couple from Yarcombe.   They appear to have been an adventurous couple as they married in 1776, had several children baptized in Membury, then moved to Ashcombe for 10 years before moving north and having several more children in the Holsworthy area before they landed in Liskeard.   My 3x great grandmother Susanna was the last child born in Liskeard in 1796.   Samuel settled in Liskeard and the tax records of 1798 show that he ran an Inn called the White Horse and leased a number of fields and farm buildings.   Although all the dates and names lined up I was not sure that I really had the right family or if it was all wishful thinking.   However the Ancestry DNA test now appears to confirm the paper trail as I have had matches with descendants of Mary Flood's sisters and from descendants of the older children of Samuel & Mary Matthews.   This was exciting as it confirmed many long hours of work.   Last year my husband & I stopped in Yarcombe, visited the church, and had a quick look around at the beautiful area on our way to Cornwall.   We were very impressed, but unfortunately the Inn wasn't open that day or we would have stayed longer.   I have no idea exactly what status the Matthews, Bonds and Flood families had - although it seems they were of the yeoman class. I have been reviewing wills and Charles Flood (d. 1751) Mary's grandfather left a wonderful will (Prerogative of Canterbury) that confirmed all the members of that family.   Unfortunately most of the Matthews wills were Devon wills and I don't think they exist anymore.   The Bond family (Samuel's mother was Susanna Bond) seems to have farmed in the Crawley area, and if I have the right family Susanna's father was John Bond Esquire on the burial record in Combe St. Nicholas in 1728.   I have been through the National Archives Discovery Catalogue to see if there are any references to the Matthews, Bonds and Floods and have seen some transactions which might relate to my ancestors.   I have read every Bond, Flood & Matthews will I can get hold of but I would be interested to know if anyone has any other suggestions for research into my families.   I am currently working with Miranda to obtain a copy of the History.       Best regards,     Jane Briant, Toronto Canada

Steve Horner writes:   Jane,  This is very exciting.   I firmly believe that you are on the right track.   Please look closely at Ancestral search 18 which includes many references and photos of the Matthews family who lived at South Waterhayne farm which is close to Crawley.   There are members of the Matthews family still living in the parish and there is a known connection between the Bond family and the Matthews family.   Please come back to me with your observations once you have had time to digest this information.

Jane Briant replies:   Thank you so much for getting back to me.  I have spent some time looking at the various Matthews families including the family from the South Waterhayes Farm.   I don’t think my Matthews family is directly related to that family.   My 4x great grandfather Samuel Matthews (b. 1751) seemed to have ties to the Matthews of Membury.   He and his new wife, Mary Flood (m.1776), moved to Membury for 5 years after their marriage, as that is where their first 2 children were born.   Samuel’s brother William married Bridget Warry Wyat in Membury (m.1773).  I have combed the parish records back as far as they go and built up a family tree for the Membury Matthews.   I have made one major assumption, which if it is not right means the entire tree is wrong.   I have assumed that Samuel’s father William Matthews was married twice.   I have a William Matthews from Membury who married Sarah Newbury in 1725 at Yarcombe.   I do not see any children for a couple named William & Sarah, but I see a Sarah Matthews buried at Yarcombe in 1743.   Then I have a William Matthews who married Susanna Bond in 1750, and both of their sons had ties to Membury.   So I am making the assumption that this William is the same person and Susanna was a second wife.   Alternatively, there could be a missing generation.

In the National Archives there is a record of William Matthews of Membury taking on an apprentice for his property in Upottery in 1711.   It seems likely this William was Samuel’s grandfather.   William Snr. was married to a lady named Grace and they had 5 children baptized in Membury.   They farmed at Luggs Estate.   It looks like son Henry stayed and took over the family farm at Luggs Estate in Membury and lived with his mother Grace (d. 1760), while his brother William may have moved to the Upottery property.   Henry of Membury was found hiring apprentices and prosecuting a court case over property (National archives) in 1750.   Samuel’s brother William stayed in the Yarcombe area.   He and his wife Bridget Warry Wyat moved to Stockland to farm.   At least 2 of his sons, Richard & John also farmed in Stockland.   John & his wife Mary Hellier had 10 children, and Richard & his wife Mary Hounsel had 8 children.   I looked at the 1841 census and found Mary Hellier Matthews as a widow in Stockland with 4 of her children: Samuel, Elizabeth, Gladwise & Henry.   By 1851 none of them were there.   I did not find any of Richard’s family on the 1841 census or after.   I did find Gladwise Matthews in Canada, where she married in 1846 in Kingston Ontario, having come to Canada in 1829.   A number of the family may have come to Canada as well.

Steve Horner responds:   I am delighted to work with you on this search for your ancestors, it is very rewarding when we are able to help someone who has contacted us and receive back well researched replies.   It all helps piece together the history of our parish and neighbouring parishes here in East Devon.   Although I am not an expert I feel certain that William Matthews (b 1706 d 1755) married 1st Sarah Newbery (b 1705 d 1743) in 1725 without issue.   William married 2nd Susanna Bond (b 1727 d ? ) in 1750 and produced Samuel in 1750.   The facts and places fit perfectly.

I had an almost exactly similar situation in my own family tree.   Charles Wallington, an Inn Keeper near Berkeley in Gloucestershire, married twice - Mary Fryer in 1724 and Ann Fowler in 1767, Ann being much younger than Charles when they married.   Certainly the Newbery family were prominent in the southern part of Yarcombe at this time.   You also mention Luggs farm which lies just over the southern border of Yarcombe in Membury Parish.   This property came on the market about five years ago, here is a link which will enable you to view the house where your ancestors lived and the beautiful Yarty valley where we now live:   5 bedroom detached house for sale in Membury, Axminster   I hope this is helpful.   PLease keep in contact.

Peter Tarrant adds:   Your family trees would certainly be of interest - we would gladly make them available on the website if you would send copies.

Jane Briant replies:   Thank you for your note.   What a gorgeous house!   If my ancestors lived in that house they were doing pretty well for themselves.   I would really love to learn to read the Manner Rolls as it must be really interesting to see how the property moves from 1 family to another.   Thanks for your thoughts on the 2nd marriage for William Matthews.   I have had that scenario before as well, and in that case we were able to prove it with a will.   Poor Devon without its wills.   So frustrating.

As I said in my first note my husband & I stopped at the Yarcombe Church last October and had a look around.  It is such a beautiful area, and one day I hope we can come back.   However the world has changed and we may have to stay home a lot more now.   Maybe the world will be open for business again in the not too distant future.    We can only hope.

I would be delighted to pass over my family trees, which I am still working on .   At the moment I am tracing from older records forward and also now looking at the 1841 & 1851 censuses and working back.   I haven't yet met in the middle but getting much closer.   I'm afraid I get a bit obsessive when I am searching and I build large data bases of BMDs.   When I started looking for my Matthews family of Liskeard I checked as many surrounding Cornish parishes (and input all that info to an excel spreadsheet), but after getting nowhere I decided to try Devon and finally found my Samuel Matthews & Mary Flood in Yarcombe.   DNA has now confirmed my work!   All to say that my data base is huge as I am currently collecting BMDs for the parishes surrounding Yarcombe.   There are several wonderful village websites - including yours - which have been very helpful with parish records.   Yesterday, with the help of the 1851 census I traced the Waterhayes Matthews family back to Otterford and a couple of generations back.   The Matthews Family in Membury in 1841 go back to Upottery for about 4 generations I think.   Once I have done a bit more work I will gladly send you my family trees.

Steve Horner responds:   I am certain we would very much like to receive the other completed trees when completed, Peter and I very much work together on this project.   I take your point about the lack of Wills in Devon, we have to blame Herr Hitler and his Luftwaffe for the terrible destruction that they wreaked on Exeter during the blitz.   However we are lucky in Yarcombe, as you may know Sir Francis Drake first acquired land here in the parish in 1582, and his family (not direct descendants) steadily increased their land holdings over the centuries.   The records of the land holdings were carefully deposited in the Exeter County Records office by the land agents and lawyers so we have some very detailed records available for inspection.   Some 30 years ago I was sorting through a deed box and came across the Great Seal of Elizabeth 1 attached to a deed!   I suspect these have now been more carefully catalogued.   Have you read – or obtained a copy of - Ruth Everitt's history of our parish “ From Monks to the Millennium”?   The source of much of her work was found in the Records Office.

On the first tabs I have identified the individual Matthew families in Yarcombe, Membury, and Stockland on the 1841 - 1911 censuses, and followed as each individual appears and disappears.  My notes on the families are down below the date.

On the second tab I put together family trees of those appearing on the censuses, with a bit of added information from the civil registration info on Find MY Past & Family Search.

The 3rd tab contains much more comprehensive Family Trees for the various Mathews families in the area.  This information is taken from a much larger Excel file where I have gathered BMDs for as many Matthews as I could find in the area. I use the sort function to find the family groups by date and place.  That was how I found my Matthews Family that appeared in Liskeard Cornwall and tracked them back to Yarcombe & Membury.  My paper trail has been confirmed by DNA so I am very pleased to know I was on the right path.

Anyway - this might be of interest to other people who have Matthews Ancestors from the Yarcombe area.  On my larger spreadsheet I also track the extended families - in particular the family of my ancestor Susanna Bond who married William Matthews of Membury & Upottery in 1750.  There are lots of Bonds in the area too.  The other family names include Cook, Flood, & Pinney.  This data is not as complete as the Matthews data.  This worksheet is always a work in progress, which is why I have just sent a copy of my Matthews Family Trees as opposed to sending you the whole file.

 

May 2020

Hi,  I am based in Scotland, and picking up the threads of family history research that I started 40 years ago - lots of spare time on my hands for the last few weeks!   Technology is making such a difference and I have discovered so much using sites like Ancestry.co.uk.   I have also come across the Yarcombe website's Ancestral Search page and was particularly pleased to read some correspondence concerning the Spiller family, particularly with Clare Evans in Ancestral Search 13.   We share the same ancestor in Robert Spiller and Margere Colliar.   I’ve located Robert’s father John Spiller 1528 - 1582 married to Elizabeth Ricarde.   And John’s father John Spiller b 1495 - all this from Ancestry.co.uk.   The Spiller family moved to Netherbury by 1830s, and then to Boxworth in Dorset from mid 1800s.   If you could kindly indicate how I may purchase a digital copy of any local history books that you have referred to and let me know how I can transfer the payment.   Secondly, I noted that Clare Evans was making enquiries of Huguenots in France, and wonder how I can link up with her regarding this?   Any help you can offer would be appreciated.             Kind regards,   Fiona Gillespie

Peter Tarrant writes:   Thanks for your enquiry.   I have passed your request for a copy of "From Monks to the Millennium - A History of Yarcombe" to Miranda Gudenian and you should hear from her soon.   In Ancestral Search 13 you can click on Clare's name at the foot of her enquiry to follow up your Huguenots lead.

April 2020

I'm currently researching the history of our house, Mount Pleasant Cottage (at the top of Yarcombe Hill), and I'm wondering whether any of the local residents could help me?   I'd like to find out more about who lived here and what the house looked like over time. I've been able to find out snippets of information such when the house was built, and think it was sold by the Yarcombe Estate in 1931 but could have been later.   I have found records of a Simon Pavey who lived here in 1881 and was recorded as a Woodsman on Manor.   In 1913 there was a sale at the house after the death of a Mr Pavey, which included various poultry.   The Monks from the Millennium book has been very helpful researching the area (as has the Yarcombe website), but there is little information relating to the cottage in the book.   I know it's a long shot, but any old estate maps or tithe maps that might show the cottage and grounds and any photographs would be great!   I would love to find out more and would be most grateful if anyone can help me.   I'm wondering if it would be possible to post my message on the Ancestral Search part of your website or send around in the e-version of the Yarcombe Voices bulletin?      Thanks in advance.    Mrs Taylor

April 2020

Hi, I’m researching my family history and have traced some of my ancestors to Yarcombe. In 1756, Betty Wale married Samuel Bond (my 5th great grandfather) in Yarcombe by Banns. Whilst I have been able to trace Samuel lineage further back, there are three possible Betty Wales in Yarcombe as follows:

I have discounted the 1740 birth as this would put Betty at 16 when she married and so she would have required parental consent under the Marriage Act of 1753 and this is not recorded marriage Banns of 1756.   I haven’t found any burial records for Betty Wale between 1731 and 1756 so cannot rule out either the 1731 or the 1733 Betty.   In addition to the Betty Wale/Samuel Bond marriage of 1756, there is a marriage between a Betty Wale and John Bastable in 1761 in Yarcombe, which could therefore be any of the three Betty Wales. I haven’t been able to find a burial for Betty Bastable.   The only possible burial record I have found is for Elizabeth Bond in 1809 (no age given).

I wondered if there are any monumental inscriptions in the church yard which might help me determine which Betty Wale married Samuel Bond (or John Bastable).   Any assistance you could give would be very much appreciated.     Kind regards,   Chris Sane

Steve Horner writes:   Chris. you have clearly spent much time puzzling over this part of your family history and I suspect there is little I can add. Both Bond and Wale are familiar local names, and so far as I am aware, local gravestones and monumental inscriptions in the early 18th century no longer exist in our church or churchyard.   It may be worth your while in extending your search into the neighbouring parishes of Churchstanton, which was transferred from Devon in 1896 and Otterford, both in Somerset, and Stockland in East Devon.   I did spot one burial in Churchstanton that may fit, Betty Bond buried December 11 1785.   I am sorry I cannot help further, however if you do find an answer please let us know we are always keen to record local history on our web site.

March 2020

I would like to access your digital version of the book, FROM MONKS TO THE MILLENNIUM- A History of Yarcombe.   Angela Lane, a volunteer at SDFHS, suggested that I find this book, as she had found references to Spillers in it.   I'm Jane Arni, & my Mother was a Spiller.   Her family immigrated to the US in the early 1800s.   I have now traced them back to Somerset/Devon area.   I'm hoping to find a tidbit or two that would make my ancestors come to life.   While factual, only dates are soo boring!     Thank you for your help,  Jane Arni

Miranda Gudenian replies:   The Spiller family have very deep roots in Yarcombe and the surrounding area.   Steve Horner, our village historian would be able to tell you much more than I can, and you will find references to the family in Ruth Everitt's book on the history of the Parish.   I should be delighted to wing you a copy of the book; Ruth, who was one of my dearest friends, died a few years ago and her family have given me the rights to the book.   Ruth wanted any donations from sales to go to the non-profit making village magazine, Yarcombe Voices, which I produce.   If you would be willing to donate a small sum I should be very grateful.

Steve Horner writes:   We are always pleased to receive queries from descendants of those who once lived in our Parish, it adds to our store of knowledge about our history.   May I assume you live in the USA?   Can you give me the full details of the acronym SDFHS which may give me a further clue as to your location.   If you provide me with the full names and any dates of your family members who emigrated to the USA in the early 1800s I may be able to provide a more detailed answer, indeed in some instances in reply to queries I have been able to send photos of where ancestors lived in the village.

Jane Arni replies:   Thank you for your quick reply.   Yes, I live in the USA.   I contacted the Somerset & Dorset Family History Society (SDFHS) when I had researched enough to believe that my ancestors were from Wellington, Somerset.   A society volunteer, Angela Lane, has been doing her own research to verify my conclusions.   She came to the same conclusions without me revealing who I believed to be my ancestor.   I wanted confirmation before I continued researching.

My immigrant ancestor was Joel M Spiller (the M was believed to stand for Morris).   He & John Spiller (whom I believe is his brother) came to New York City ca 1824.   He married Mary Adaline Savoie in the 2nd Presbyterian Church in NYC.   She was listed in the census as being born in Dominica.   They had four sons, Charles Henry, Robert Joel, John A & George Washington Spiller.   His naturalization papers dated 30 October 1840 stated he was born in England.   The NY City Directories from 1828-1842 state that Joel & John worked in several occupations including hairdresser, clockmaker, & bell hanger. In early 1840s they had moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, & were working as clockmakers.   They also started the first Masonic Lodge in Ohio in 1842 according to a newspaper article commemorating it’s 50th anniversary in 1892.   Joel moved to a small town in southern Illinois between 1850 & 1859.   He died in 1860 of typhoid fever at the age of 59 so he was probably born about 1801-2.   His occupation was listed as Masonic Lecturer at that time.   His possessions at death did not exhibit opulence, but were certainly more than most would have in a small fruit growing community including 78 books.   Yes, he, his wife & sons all could read and write.

Would you like for me to suggest who his parents might be, and from where? Or would you like to take this information and come to your own conclusions?   Please feel free to ask questions as needed as I may have omitted information that I have inadvertently.   Thank you for your willingness to search & share any information you may have about my Spiller ancestors.

Steve Horner responds:   I am delighted at your prompt response, as you will have seen from our website we always try to answer Ancestral Queries however on occasions we do not get a response which is disappointing.   I had a quick look at Ancestry and noted a Joel Spiller christened 21st March 1802 Yarcombe died 4th April 1802.   Parents were Henry Spiller and Mary Hall who had many children including a John.   If you look at the Index extract of the book on Yarcombe in Ancestral Search 6, you will note that there are very many Spillers recorded in Yarcombe, if there is a connection to our Parish you should buy an electronic copy from Miranda.   I am also interested to learn Joel was a very active Mason.   Are your family still connected to a local Lodge?   Many of the founding fathers of your nation were masons and masonic symbolism is much in evidence in your country, and has links back to the British Isles.   Have you approached the Grand Lodge in Ohio who will in all probability have detailed records of your ancestor?   My own family have long connections with the Craft going back generations.

Finally I have spent much time on business in the USA and on one visit to Houston I travelled down to Galveston where I spent a few happy hours looking over a tall ship, a barque involved in the cotton trade if I recall correctly.   In any event I look forward to helping you find your family roots which I strongly suspect lie here in Yarcombe, just give me a few more leads please.
 

Jane Arni replies:   Thank you for the information on the index for the book on Yarcombe.   Miranda’s has winged a digital version to me and I’ve have scanned it finding many Spiller possibilities.   I’m trying to be methodical and take my research one generation at a time.   Angela has purposed Joel’s parents as being Robert Spiller & Hannah Morrish.   They are the same as what I had thought without suggesting them to her, so it is nice to now have them verified.   I know nothing of Joel’s siblings, S(L)illian 1799, Mary 1801, Joel 1804, John 1806, Henry 1814.   These are found in the Nonconformist Records.