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Ancestral Searches |
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Are you researching a family history which
has connections to Yarcombe? We can post
your enquiry on this page (no fee). Many
local residents have an interest in the
history of our village and may be able to
help. All enquiries are welcome, as is any
historical information about our village and
its past residents. Please send details,
including any photographs
by email to the
Administrator.
Kindly inform us of any communication and/or
findings so that we may follow and document
your progress. Thank you.
Helpers: Click on photographs to
enlarge in a separate window. To
reply, click on (the first occurrence of) an enquirer's name.
Useful reading:
Burials at Yarcombe
Church,
our
History
and
World Wars
pages and
The Value of Manor
Court Rolls in Family Research.
The History page also shows how to obtain a
copy of Ruth Everitt's publication
From Monks To
The Millennium - A History Of Yarcombe.
For those with plenty of spare time, several
historical items can be found on back-issues of our village
magazine on our
Yarcombe Voices
page.
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Augusr 2024
Hi,
I'm researching my family tree and planning
to make a visit to Yarcombe to see if there
are any graves of the Pavey Family.
Are you able to point me in the right
direction of any Pavey family still in
Yarcombe? Thanks,
Chris Davie
Peter Tarrant comments:
There are references to the Pavey name on
this web page In Ancestral Searches
10,
15,
16.
23,
30,
38,
49,
58,
67 &
83.
Steve Horner replies:
As Peter has
pointed out Pavey is a fairly common name in
Yarcombe, have you looked at
Burials at Yarcombe
Church
? See also Find a
Grave web site. As far as I can
see there are three extant Pavey graves in
the churchyard: Charles
died 20th March 1953;
George died 24th October 1957;
Kate died 7th March 1971. We
would very much appreciate any Pavey records
you can pass to us.
Miranda Gudenian adds:
My apologies for only now reading this (7th
Sept 2024). The Ancestral Searches are so
popular, marvellous that they’ve reached
100. I had a delightful visit from Ben
Spiller last week, here from Australia to
see his ancestors' homeland.
July 2024
Hi.
Love the website, it is fascinating. I will
be travelling to the UK in August/September
and plan to visit Yarcombe while I am there.
My Great Grandfather Thomas Spiller (b. Feb
1818 in Yarcombe) left Yarcombe in the 1840s
and migrated to Australia. It appears
that Thomas was living at Livenhayes Farm
when he left. My cousin has done a lot of
work on the family history, it looks like it
was an illegimate birth with his mother Mary
Spiller (maiden name) with the father listed
as unknown. He could not find any
documented links but the family history is
that Thomas's father was Abraham Knight.
The story was that Thomas & his half brother
Page Knight had been caught poaching and had
been sent out to Australia. They
eventually purchased land near each and
Thomas named in Page's will.
Interestingly another named as probate in
the will was Northcote Doble who also has a
strong connection to Yarcombe. I
would like to visit Livenhayes farm while in
Yarcombe so would like to contact the
current owners if possible. Thanks,
Ben Spiller
Peter Tarrant comments:
There are many occurrences of
the Knight & Spiller names, in particular
Mary Spiller is mentioned in Ancestral Searches:
11
&
77, and a Mary Knight is mentioned in
67
&
77.
Also see the section entitled Extract 3 in
Ancestral Search 10
for information on Livenhayes.
Frank Weeks adds:
I'm still hanging in there at 89.
Just looked at the website for first time
for a long time. Re Ancestry 99
- just memories but could tie in somewhere.
When in Yarcombe in early 1940s Livenhayes
was owned by Page Rich - had son Robert and
two girls. All deceased.
Possibly another son.
Mary Baker (nee Clarke) at Underdown was
related. I think cousin to Rich
issue.
Remember someone home from Australia.
Possibly the other son.
Lane off Rag lane between Middle and Lower
Moorhayne was known as Knights lane and had
an elderly Mr Knight living in one of the
houses.
Probably no use but sometimes information
ties in. Regards.
Frank.
June 2024
I am
so excited to have discovered the Yarcombe
website. I will have questions
to post but in the meantime I would love a
copy of the book ‘From Monks to the
Millennium’. Here is one
question you may be able to answer – is
Sheafhayne Manor the same place as
Clifthayne Manor?
Alyson Cowlishaw
Miranda Gudenian replies:
I am delighted you have discovered the
village website and the fascinating
Ancestral Searches section. To
answer your query: Sheafhayne Manor is not
the same place as Clifthayne. Sheafhayne is
the Manor House near the river Yarty, owned
by the Meyrick family, descendants of the
Drake family who have owned the Yarcombe
Estate since the 16th century.
Clifthayne is a property which is several
hundred years old and in the 18th century
was acquired by the Yarcombe Estate which
today still owns much of the land in the
Parish. (I trust this is correct
but I am copying in the village historian,
Steve Horner, just in case!).
Regarding the book ‘From Monks to the
Millennium’, its author, Ruth Everitt, was a
close friend of mine and when she died her
family gave me the copyright of the book to
raise funds to support the non-profit-making
village magazine,
Yarcombe Voices, which I produce.
For a donation to the magazine I can send
you the PDF of the book.
Steve Horner adds:
I am looking
forward to receiving you questions about
Clifthayne, the land of my farm Woodhayne at
one time abutted the land of Clifthayne and
we are close neighbours, both farms were
acquired by the Sheafhayne estate at about
the same time circa 1800. Thus
your questions may reveal more about the
history of our parish.
Alyson Cowlishaw writes:
I decided not to bombard you with questions
all at once so here is the first instalment!
My family research has brought me to
Yarcombe, to the marriage in 1765 of John
Vincent (yeoman) and Hannah Beer (widow, nee
Hayman). Hannah signed herself Anna
and the witnesses were Edward & Josiah
Hayman. Hannah had previously
married Henry Beer in 1755 and again signed
herself Anna, and one of the witnesses was
Edward Hayman. They had 3 sons between
1756 & 1760 and in each case the mother’s
name was recorded as Hanna. Henry died in
1761. With John, Hannah had 5 or 6
children, the last possibly in 1774. (More
of this next time.) The only birth
record for a Hannah/Anna Hayman of the right
age that I have found was in 1733 in Clyst
Honiton, to a John & Mary, who also had a
son Edward in 1738. I can find no record for
Josiah. So, can I assume this is
the correct Hannah and who and where is
Josiah?
Miranda Gudenian responds:
Steve is of course the one to answer this
query. However, may I ask whether the birth
record for Anna/Hannah Hayman is listed as
Hannah or Anna? It’s only that she signed
her name, twice, as Anna. It was not
uncommon for an ‘h’ to be added to such
names as Anna by those who were taking it
down for a register or whatever; the good
folk of days gone by often got their
‘haitches’ in a muddle!
Alyson Cowlishaw writes:
Sorry for the confusion. It was
Hannah. Unfortunately I have just
discovered that Edward, Hannah and their
mother Mary were all buried in early 1741,
so that’s literally a dead end!
Sorry, also forgot to say that John & Hannah
are my 5th great-grandparents.
Steve Horner replies:
Not necessarily!
Have you used the Yarcombe Burial Records?
For some reason my file is corrupt, however
from another source I know Henry Beer was
buried in Yarcombe 26th July 1761.
Vincent is certainly a well known local name
although it’s the first time Hayman has come
up. Where were Edward Hannah and
her Mother Mary buried? Its your
connection with Yarcombe that I am anxious
to follow up, particularly Clifthayne.
Alyson Cowlishaw writes:
I am accessing a Yarcombe register via
FindMyPast which covers: Marriages
1539-1754, Burials 1539-1593 & 1598-1810 and
Baptisms 1545-1812. However, there is a gap
in the Marriages between July 1657 and Dec
1661, which is important later or rather
earlier in the Vincent story.
Edward Hayman was buried 22 Aug 1741, Mary
31 Jan 1742 & Hannah 5 Feb 1742 all in Clyst
Honiton. To put you out of your
misery, the only information I have about
Clifthayne is in the attached document,
which I also found online, but was prepared,
as you’ll see, with information held at the
Devon Records Office. Hope that
helps. More on the Vincents later.
Steve Horner replies:
From a local
history point of view the information you
have provided about Clifthayne is most
helpful, I assume this document was compiled
for your by a researcher in the Devon
Records Office. It does confirm
at the end of the 18th Century Clifthayne
was in the hands of John Willie who at about
that time also “owned” Woodhayne where I now
live. The Willie family were in
fact base in the parish of the adjacent
parish of Otterford. I look
forward to receiving more information about
the Vincent family who are clearly embedded
in the history of our Parish.
Alyson Cowlishaw adds:
Back on the Vincent trail. John and
Hannah Vincent, married 12 Feb 1765, had
Benjamin (1765), John (1766), Hannah (1768),
William (1772 – my direct ancestor), Samuel
(1774). All of these children are mentioned
in John’s will, written in 1807 (attached).
However, he also mentions a son James, who I
cannot find, and a daughter Martha.
Places mentioned in
John’s will are: a
leasehold estate called Simpson’s Court, Thurlbear, Somerset, a leasehold cottage
garden orchard called Little Donnington (Dinnington?)
and Broach? Tenements in Yarcombe.
I am fairly certain that John was married
before, to an Elizabeth Clark on 23 Feb
1748. They were both recorded as being ‘of
Yarcombe’ but married in Combe Raleigh,
possibly because she was 6 months pregnant
with daughter, Martha, baptised 22 May 1748
in Yarcombe. Elizabeth died in 1763.
From here on, I am in best guess territory,
so if anyone can shed any light I’d be most
grateful. I will list things as if
they are correct. Everything takes
place in Yarcombe unless stated otherwise.
In view of John’s earlier marriage and the
fact that John & Hannah named their first
son Benjamin, I am assuming that this is the
John Vincent baptised on 1 Oct 1727 to
Benjamin Vincent and Rachel Denman.
Benjamin Vincent and Rachel Denman were
married in Pitminster on 21 Sep 1725 (he
listed as from Yarcombe). Their children
were: John (1727), Benjamin (1729), Sarah
(1732), Martha (1735) and Henry (1739). Most
likely candidates for Benjamin’s parents are
James Vincent & Prudence Dare.
Have not found a marriage record for James &
Prudence but they had the following
children; James (1680), Prudence (1682),
Sara (1685), Joan (1687), Elizabeth (1689),
Ann (1691), John (1694), Martha (1697) and
Benjamin 5 Feb 1701. James could
be the son of Robert Vincent & Jane Way who
were married on 27 Nov 1625 and had 6 or 7
children between 1626 & 1646, James being
the 5th in 1637. However, this would make
him 64 years old when Benjamin was born.
There was a Robert baptised in 1587, but
back that far, the record does not include
parent’s names! So, that’s about
it for the Vincents, next episode – the
Dares.
Peter Tarrant comments:
There are over 60 previous occurrences of
the Vincent name, in Ancestral Searches:
5,
7,
10,
22,
24,
47,
50,
54,
58,
67
&
94.
Similarly references to Dare exist in
Ancestral Searches
24,
34,
47,
&
51
(which may possibly help you avoid too much
duplication here!)
Alyson Cowlishaw writes:
These are the places mentioned in John
Vincent’s will, as mentioned in my previous
communication: a leasehold estate called
Simpson’s Court, Thurlbear, Somerset, a
leasehold cottage garden orchard called
Little Donnington (Dinnington?) and Broach?
Tenements in Yarcombe. Since
then I have done a bit more digging.
I think it should be Little Dennington,
possibly a farm, in the area which is now
called Dennington. John’s son,
John, was buried on 25 Apr 1788 and is
listed thus in the Yarcombe register: John
son of John Vincent Dinnington.
So, the family must have been living there
in 1788. John’s will is not
transcribed, but I could have a go at it if
you like.
Steve Horner replies:
Many thanks,
this is a most useful addition to our
knowledge of local history, John Vincent was
obviously a wealthy man. Yes you
are correct, the area can be accurately
identified as Dennington, (see local map) it
is now a collection of farm buildings,
although in Ruth Everitt`s Book From Monks
to the Millenium she identifies it as a
separate (see attached scan). It
also shows Clifthayne, both underlined in
red. The map also shows an area
where there existed until recently a large
quarry where limestone was abstracted and
burnt in kilns to create hydrated lime to be
spread on the fields to reduce acidity and
improve the ground. This pit was
filled in about ten years ago.
The local word for such pits was Breach and
I must assume this was connected to
Dennington as set out in John Vincents will.
Just out of interest I note Ruth mentions
Clifthayes, it seems to have been Lord
Heathfield's practice when he acquired a
farm to rename farms from hayes to hayne,
thus Clifthayes became Clifthayne and
Woodhayes became Woodhayne. I
believe Hayne derives from middle English
meaning an enclosure or perhaps farm.
When I have a moment I will attempt to
transcribe this document. I hope
this rather rambling response which picks up
certain points from the Will may help with
your research into your family history.
April 2024
I
have been researching through Ancestry.co.uk
and although this line of the family has
been relatively easy, there are a few gaps! I have primarily been researching my
maternal grandmother’s lineage through
previous grandparents;
see
spreadsheet if
interested. I am relatively confident
regarding dates and names but would like to
know a little bit more about their lives and Yarcombe appears to have been the centre of
the family’s universe. We have
spent a few hours visiting graveyards and
trying to locate graves but with limited
success, realising that folk aren’t always
buried where they died and many have not had
headstones at all!
Best wishes,
Jasek Szymanski
Steve Horner replies:
Very many thanks
for your enquiry and of course your spread
sheet. I had a quick Look at our
burial records
Burials at Yarcombe
Church.
Certainly your
Glade family feature EG Wial Glade Buried
29th November 1863. These
records are we believe accurate and provide
additional information for you.
Sadly the local stone from which grace
stones are carved is soft and over the years
has eroded. Also it is well
worth looking at other ancestral searches on
this site where there are obvious
connections to your family eg Knight.
There are obvious read cross references to
other families in the area, eg the Willie
family of Otterford that adjacent parish in
Somerset once owned the farm where i now
live. Try working our burial
records and i feel certain you will find
many more local connections. It
is also worthwhile purchasing an electronic
copy of a local book From Monks to the
Millennium written by Ruth Everitt which
contains four detailed records of the Glade
family. Good hunting, please
keep us updated on any further connections
of your family to Yarcombe.
Jasek Szymanski responds:
Thanks, that's really helpful.
Are there any living Glades left in the
area?
Steve Horner replies:
I am pleased
that I could assist you, as far as I am
aware there are no Glades dwelling
hereabouts. Your tree does
include some very important relationships
between our local families and in due course
I would appreciate any further information
that comes to hand.
March 2024
The
Knight family of Yarcombe: My
gx3-grandmother was Ann Stone, née Knight,
who was born in 1790 in Yarcombe to Joel &
Elizabeth, née Spiller. John
Stone and Ann Knight eloped and were married
in Heavitree, Exeter.
The Knight family goes back to at least the
16th century in Yarcombe. I have
read Jane Chislett’s excellent dissertation
but I would be grateful for any more info
about the family. I did some research
several years ago at the DRO but one thing I
wasn’t able to find at the time was the 1826
conveyance of Globe Farm to Ann Stone and
John Knight mentioned in Ruth Everitt’s
Monks to Millennium.
Mike Morris
March 2024
My
gx3-grandfather was John Stone, sometime
landlord of the Globe (now Flintlock) at
Marsh. He was also a contractor
who built the bridge at Burrowbridge (1826)
and widened Dulverton bridge (1819), both of
which bear inscriptions to John Stone of
Yarcombe. He also built Crawley
bridge (A30, about 1819) and Marsh bridge
north of Dulverton. He had other
projects for turnpikes and railways.
One of his bridges was Longlie Common bridge
which was, according to a relative, now
deceased, swept away by floods sometime
before 1991. I am guessing it
was under the now A303 at Marsh but I cannot
find any evidence of its location, nor the
date of its destruction – can anyone help me
find the details, please?
Regards,
Mike Morris Oxfordshire
Steve Horner replies:
I was delighted
to read your enquiry about the great flood
of 1968 which provides us with some detail
of the construction work carried out in this
area by your great Grandfather x 3.
In fact the bridge you mention was washed
out on 10th July 1968 when a huge storm
wreaked havoc in East Devon, the cut hay was
lying in the meadows and washed down stream
and blocked the bridge, creating a dam which
then broke. The exact spot, on the
A303 is at the eastern end of the short
stretch of dual carriageway that now
by-passes the village of Marsh where a new
bridge has been constructed over the river
Yarty close to the Devon Somerset border.
In Ruth Everitt’ s history of Yarcombe,
”From Monks to the Millennium” I read:
|
|
This Inn, now the Flintlock
formerly the Globe started
as an Ale House ie a farm
house with one room set
aside for serving and
drinking Ale. It
was first mentioned by name
“The Globe Inn” in 1808 when
John Stone was the landlord
and surety was provided by
James Sparke. The farm
was part of the Marsh Farm
estate and was shown in a
conveyance of 1826 as being
in fee (absolute legal
possession) of John Knight
and Ann, wife of John Stone,
for 2000 years.
A Highways Surveyors report
of 1839 lists John Stone
(junior) at the Glebe(sic)
farm and Marsh hill and John
Stone snr at Marsh House and
shop. |
The Main source of Ruth`s information was
the Devon County Records office in Exeter
where the above source documents may be
found. I hope this is helpful to
you, I would very much like to write a short
article about John Stone and his
construction activities and if you have any
further information particularly about
Crawley Bridge which is now only wide enough
for one car on a trunk road I would be most
grateful to receive this.
Mike Morris responds:
Thank you for your quick response and for
the info I was seeking. I did
most of my FH research relevant to the
Yarcombe area some years ago and found most
of the sources at the DRO. The
one thing I wasn’t able to find at the time
was the conveyance mentioned in Ruth
Everitt’s book naming Ann Stone, née Knight.
John Stone and Ann Knight had eloped and
were married in Heavitree, Exeter.
I spent a lot of time subsequently trying to
trace John Stone’s origins but I would love
to hear from anyone who knows more about Ann
Knight’s family. (Father Joel Knight
1751-1837, grandfather Benjamine Knight
1715-1789. Spillers and Sparkes among other
names.)
I have recently made contact with a second
cousin and we are currently trying to merge
our various bits of John Stone’s story.
Steve Horner adds:
We may
be able to help you in your research into
the Knight family. At the top of
this page there is a link
to The Value of Manor
Court Rolls in Family Research.
Therein you will find a Knight family
pedigree in the 16th and 17th century.
I suspect it will be possible to link this
to your Ann Stone nee Knight.
This work was carried out by Jane Chislett
who is most helpful and supportive.
I have copied Jane who may be able to help
further. Please keep us in copy
with your fascinating insight into our local
history.
Mike Morris replies:
Thank you so much for the link to Jane
Chislett’s Diploma dissertation.
I’ve read it through and think I can match
my ancestors up with 3 generations on her
Knight family tree, though I am then
descended from a branch that she mentions
but didn’t pursue. She has gone
back a further 2 generations which are new
to me so I am well pleased! I
need to go through it again and crosscheck
my notes as I go and enter the new details.
I understand that the Knights were not her
family but a friend’s. Perhaps I
should post another request specifically for
information on the Knight family?
Steve Horner adds:
Always pleased to
help! Yes please lets set up a
slot for the Knight family, if you can send
through any relevant information our web
master Peter Tarrant will make the necessary
entries.
Peter Tarrant comments:
See Ancestral
Search 96,
Ancestral
Search 77 and
Ancestral Search 91 for further
information from Mike.
Mike Morris asks:
Does anyone have a photograph of the old
Longlie Common bridge that they would be
willing to scan and send me, please?
Any lead to any picture of it would be much
appreciated.
February 2024
I am
currently researching my Vincent family
tree, which has led me back to Yarcombe.
Finding your website tremendously
interesting, I’m keen to read Ruth Everitt’s
book From Monks to the Millennium.
Best Wishes,
Peter Vincent
Miranda Gudenian replies:
Thank you for your message and I’m so glad
you are enjoying the village website. ‘From
Monks to the Millennium’ was written by my
beloved friend and neighbour Ruth and on her
death her family gave the copyright to me,
to raise money to support the
non-profit-making village magazine, Yarcombe
Voices, which I produce. For a donation to
the magazine I can send you the PDF of the
book.
Peter Vincent responds:
Book received, and it's looking very
interesting - so detailed! I
don't expect it to solve the mysteries which
have cropped up during my Vincent family
tree research, but it ought to help me to
get a better feel for the area, its people,
and the way things were done way back.
My family line seems to lead back to Samuel
Vincent farming at Graddage (which I assume
to be Graddage Farm in Clayhidon), married
in Church Stanton (part of Upottery?), and
his eldest son Henry born in Blagdon near
Pitminster. Samuel's father seems to also
have been a farmer called Samuel,
potentially born in Yarcombe and married /
resident in Upottery. I can't help wondering
if this father and son duo may perhaps be
the Church Stanton pair of Samuel Vincents
associated with the building of Yarcombe
baptist church - there does seem to be an
element of religious non-conformity in
subsequence generations. It's
all tenuous and circumstantial of course,
but I'm enjoying the thrill of the chase!
:)
Thanks very much for you help - I look
forward to reading the book.
February 2024
Hi
there, Samuel Pyke (of Upottery born 1686)
is my 6th great grandfather. His
great grandson was James Brook Lee Pike who
was adopted by the Honorable Sophia
Fortescue, spinster, of Castle Hill, Devon.
I’d love to find out more about this branch
of the family and go back further than
Samuel Pyke, whose father I cannot find.
Gillian Hornzee
Peter Tarrant comments:
There are references to Pyke/Pykes on this
web page In
Ancestral Search
68.
Steve Horner replies:
Many thanks for
this enquiry, we are always pleased to help
wherever possible. In return we
do hope you can provide our site with more
information about your own tree that will
help others in future. It is
always difficult to pick up a distant
ancestor with so few details that you have
provided to us. Can you give me
the names of all your direct ancestors that
can give me clues to follow please.
May i also enquire the reason that there may
be some link to Yarcombe? I
suspect Samuel Pike was baptised on 5th
April 1686 and was married to Joanne Ashford
on 1st January 1714. His father may have
been John Pike. Please confirm I am on the
right rack.
Gillian Hornzee responds:
The reason that I thought there was some
link to Yarcombe was that Yarcombe has many
Pikes/Pykes and is the next parish to
Upottery where Samuel Pyke was born.
However I have no other information to go
on. Samuel Pyke’s son, I think,
was Thomas Pyke, born in Ottery st Mary in
1725 and I also had Joanne (nee Ashford)
1687-1744, as Samuel Pyke’s wife, so I think
it is the same person. Let me
know if you find anything else.
Thanks so much for your help.
Gillian Hornzee adds:
Looking at the parish records listed on your
website (some details missing) I wonder if
Rich Pike (b 1690) and Julian Pike (b 1696)
were Samuel Pyke’s brothers?
There’s also.John Pike listed with a date of
1568 (not sure if that is his birth date)?
Steve Horner replies:
All the information
on our website is gleaned from others, why
not look at
Burials at Yarcombe
Church,
you may find more
clues there. Also why not
contact the correspondent for
Ancestral
Search 68? We really would be
grateful if you would come back to us with
any other information you may uncover.
I still think you should follow up the lead
that Samuel Pike`s father was John.
Good hunting.
Steve Horner adds:
Here is your link to Yarcombe which I
extracted from Yarcombe Burials although the
date of death does not match your previous
suggestion for Joanne (nee Ashford)
1687-1744.
Your thoughts would be appreciated:
Joane Pyke
8 JUL 1722 F
1722
|
|
January 2024
I’m at
the early stages of researching my family
and have just come across your amazing
website.
As far as census records can help I’ve
established that my great grandfather (on my
mother’s side) - Mark Wiscombe - had a
carpenters shop either in Marsh or Yarcombe
in the 1860s and was also a wheelwright and
coach & wagon builder. I believe
his own father (William Wiscombe) may have
started this business. There
also seems to be a link somewhere with
Sherborne where he may have lived
previously.
Mark appears to have married a Jane Turner
from Stockland in the 1860s with whom he had
several children including Alben (my
grandfather) - born in 1869 who went on to
establish A & F Wiscombe (Builders) in Lyme
Regis where he was also mayor for several
years in the early 1900s.
Mark was born around 1805.
Specifically, I would appreciate any help
you can offer with the following:
|
Exactly where was the carpenters
shop?
Any old maps of Marsh or Yarcombe?
What the link with Sherborne was.
How did he come to move to Lyme
Regis?
Any link with Wiscombe Park at
Southleigh?
Anything else you consider relevant! |
Many
thanks,
Nick Raison
Peter Tarrant replies:
There are
references to Wiscombe in
Ancestral
Search 23 and
37.
Steve Horner replies:
Nick, I hope the
following information will set you on the
trail of your ancestors. Mark Wiscombe was
born 22nd June 1842 in Yarcombe.
His parents were William, 1808-1892 and Mary
Ann Knight, 1813-1882. He married Jane
Turner in Stockland in 1860. In
1861 the family were living in Chapel Yard
Yarcombe. From the way the
Census was composed it is almost certain
this was part of the group of buildings
adjacent to the Baptist Church which is
situated on the A30 just above Crawley
Bridge.
At that time the family are recorded as:
William Wiscombe aged 57, Farm Labourer;
Mary Wiscombe, 47; Mark, 19, Carpenter;
Rose, 16; Joseph, 10; & James, 7.
In the 1871 census Mark and his family had
moved to Greenhill Stockland: Mark,
28, Wheelwright; Jane, 30; Lucy, 9, born Stockland; Walther, 5, born Stockland; Alben,
2, born Sherborne; Frank, 3 mths, born Sherborne. From this we can
deduce Mark was a skilled craftsman who
moved around to find work.
Mark died 5th February 1890 and is buried in
Lyme Regis. My guess would be he
moved with his family to Lyme Regis again in
search of work, Lyme being a port of some
importance at that time. I can
be almost categoric in stating there is no
connection with Wiscombe Park. I hope this
helps, there is certainly information on the
web to help you go back further in time.
Nick Raison responds:
Thank you so much for taking the time to
enlighten me. It has helped
enormously to have confirmation of my
research so far, as a result of which I
think I’m on much firmer ground.
I’m guessing that although Mark was a
craftsman, most towns & villages at that
time would have had their own
forges/blacksmiths & wheelwrights, so he
probably had little option but to look
further afield. I’m also guessing that
Sherborne was one of the larger towns where
his skills may have been in demand.
Any particular reason for your certainty
about a Wiscombe Park link??
Steve Horner replies:
It's a pleasure
to be able to help you, please keep us
informed of any further links you may find
to Yarcombe. I am never
convinced there is a direct link between a
surname and a place name unless it's back in
the mists of time pre-1500. From
memory Wiscombe Park is a grand Victorian
mansion that was built with Iron Founders'
money.
Nick Raison responds:
In your initial reply to my post you
mentioned that the 1871 census showed that
Mark (presumably with his family) had moved
to Greenhill. Do you know or do your records
show where this is and if it is - or was - a
property or just a general area? Any
clarification appreciated.
Steve Horner replies:
My apologies.
The 1871 census shows Mark and his family
living in Greenhill Sherborne Dorset about
15 miles east of Yarcombe with his wife
Jane, Lucy 9 born Stockland, Walter 5 born
Stockland, Alban 2 born Stockland, and Frank
aged 3 months born Sherborne.
The 1881 census shows he had moved back to
Yarcombe and was living in the hamlet of
Marsh with Alban 12 born Sherborne, Frank 10
born Sherborne, Lilly 7 born Sherborne, 5
born Yarcombe, Jessie 2 born Yarombe and
Fred aged 5 months born Yarcombe.
From the above you can work out Mark and his
family moved around this area. I hope
this helps.
Nick Raison comments:
Belated thanks for the clarification.
Mark seems to be more of a traveller than I
thought … particularly lugging the whole
family around with him. I’m left
wondering how he managed to be a wheelwright
given such a nomadic lifestyle … or perhaps
he was just a ‘jack of all trades’ as seems
to have been the case with many people at
the time trying to supplement meagre farm
labour wages. I’ve come across other
articles suggesting that Nether Compton on
the outskirts of Sherborne seems to have
been a bit of a training ground for
wheelwrights & blacksmiths in the 1860s.
December 2023
I came across your fantastic website whilst
researching my Spiller ancestors.
I was particularly taken by
Ancestral
Search 13, wherein Steve Horner
describes the occupation of North Waterhayne
Farm in the 17th century by Zachary Spiller
and his family and also by Robert Spiller.
These are direct ancestors of mine on the
maternal side of the family. My
grandmother was Elizabeth Spiller, born in
South Shields on 16 October 1902.
She was the daughter of Oliver Jennings
Spiller Jnr b 1858 at South Shields, and
granddaughter of Oliver Jennings Spiller Snr
b 1825 at Axmouth, Devon. Oliver
Jennings Spiller Snr was in the merchant
navy and came to the north east in his
twenties. He obviously settled
here and married Eleanor (Ellen) Mallaburn
on 14 March 1854 at Christchurch, Tynemouth,
Northumberland. I have traced
their ancestral line back to Robert Spiller,
born May 1578 at Colyton, Devon who married
one Margere Collier in 1604 at Yarcombe, and
to his father John Spiller, born 1528 at
Yarcombe – died 1582 at Yarcombe.
I was visiting near Exeter last week, with
members of my family, and took the
opportunity of visiting North Waterhayne
Farm on the afternoon of 7th December with
my son. It was a very narrow
window of opportunity to make the visit, and
we had only a short time to spend as we had
a flight to catch later that afternoon.
The weather was atrocious, with torrential
rain and flooded roads, but undeterred, we
found the farm and met the present tenant
Jim. What a splendid man he is!
He told us how the old house had
accommodated evacuee children during the
second world war and how the present tiled
roof of the house had been erected directly
on top of the thatched roof.
We then drove to Yarcombe and visited the
wonderful church of St John the Baptist –
again in torrential rain. In the
churchyard, just close to the side entrance
of the church, my son Stephen spotted three
headstones side by side of: Thomas Spiller,
Robert Spiller and Robert Spiller.
We took photographs of the headstones and on
returning home I did further research and
found that the two Roberts were in fact
father and son – both tenants of ‘Peterhayes
Farm’ during the 19th century – they are
both listed on various census returns.
The headstone of Thomas Spiller was
difficult to read but I have since found a
better and clearer image along with a
transcription which someone fortuitously
made some time ago. Thomas was
born in 1693 and died in 1783.
His wife was called Honor.
Thomas Spiller was the Great Grandfather and
2x Grt Grandfather of the two Roberts.
Although not direct ancestors of mine, they
can be traced back to William Spiller (1614
-1663) and Joanne Warren (1617 -1658), both
of Yarcombe, who are my direct ancestors and
therefore there is a close family
connection.
How truly wonderful to have been able to
visit both a farm, where an ancestor once
lived and worked, and a place (Yarcombe)
where many of our Spiller ancestors also
lived and worked. All thanks to
your superb website! More power
to your elbow! Many thanks and
very best regards,
Doug Oliver
Mike Morris
comments:
Hi Doug, I am just finding my way around the
Yarcombe.net site but noticed your post
mentioning William & Joanne Spiller who I
believe are also my direct ancestors,
although I only had a tentative date for
Joanne’s burial. The Spillers
married into the Knights (in at least two
generations) and Ann Knight then married
John Stone, my maternal gx3 grandfather.
Mike Morris (see
Ancestral Search 95)
Mike Morris
November 2023
Hello. My name is Kevin Ford and
I had ancestors in Yarcombe - I was
wondering if you may have any information, I
would find interesting? My
great, great, great grandfather, William
Wright (b. 1801) was married to Mary (Raddon)
Dommett in Offwell in 1839.
Their son, Thomas Wright (b. 1840 Offwell)
married to Mary Hutchins was Farmer & Inn
Keeper at the Yarcombe Inn. The
1871 census shows his occupation as Bailiff.
The 1891 census shows address as: 6 Fore
Street, Yarcombe. 1871 census
shows William Gill living with them - we
don't know who he was.
Thomas and Mary had 2 children: Harry
(Henry) Wright b. 1870 and Cora Polly Wright
b. 1877. Harry moved away at
some point in time and became Inn Keeper at
the Railway Hotel, Stoke st. Gregory,
Somerset. He had 3 children
including my grandmother, Lilian May Wright
b. 1905 at Stoke St. Gregory.
Cora married Robert William Wyatt in 1903 in
Yarcombe and the 1911 census shows them
living at Hillhouse, Yarcombe (at that time
my grandmother, Lilian May was also living
with them - she was 6 years old - we don't
know why, and my mother was never told
this). Hope you can help!
Kind regards,
Kevin Ford
Steve Horner replies:
Very many thanks
for these fascinating additions to the
history of our parish. It would seem to me
that your family history has been very well
researched from William Wright born 1801,
either by yourself or a close relative.
Clearly it is Thomas Wright who has a very
close connection to Yarcombe. In the 1881
census he was living with his wife Mary (nee
Hutchins ) in the Yarcombe Inn with his
children Harry and Cora Polly and his
brother-in-law William Hutchins (widower)
and niece Vida. In the 1891
census he is recorded as living in Fore
Street which as you will note from the
Village Centre plan is a cottage just opposite the Yarcombe Inn. In the 1901 and
1911 census he is back living in the
Yarcombe Inn. I feel certain you
will have seen photos of this wonderful
ancient building on our website.
You also mention Thomas' daughter Cora Polly
b 1877 who married Robert Wyatt in 1903 and
in the 1911 census you state they were
living in Hill House Farm, although the
census document does not state the name of
the farm it is more than probably correct as
the form does show the building had 10
rooms. How do you know this
name? Probably family tradition
perhaps?
Below are some historical details of
Hill House Farm which you may find of
interest. This is taken
from a most wonderful history of Yarcombe
“From Monks to the Millennium“ written by
Ruth Everitt an electronic copy of which may
be purchased from Miranda Gudenian who is
copied on this e-mail.
I hope these few details are helpful to you
and I do hope you will continue to provide
us with more details of your ancestors who
lived in Yarcombe.
HILL HOUSE FARM
The first documented reference to
this property was probably in the
will of John Symes, dated 1620. In
it he leaves his wife, Elline,
Battenshowse (could this be Bartons
house?) alias Hell (Hill) House. The
household goods which would have
presumably been at Battens house
were:- “Household goods in chamber
over hall, in hall, in the
drinkehouse, in the shoppe tools of
husbandry in loft, over entry, in
bakehouse and farm stock”. There is
no listing for either Battenshouse
or Hill House in the 1727 Land Tax
Survey, so the supposition may not
be correct. Hill House was noted in
the 1782 Land Tax Survey, when the
occupier paid a tax of £2. 2s. 1d.
and the Yarcombe Manor Estate
obtained a long leasehold on the
property from the Lord Bishop of
Exeter. The tenant from 1798 -1810
was James Sparke. Hill House was
subject to the Second Schedule of
Tithes, which meant that the Corn,
Grain and Pulse Tithes went to the
Impropriator (i.e. The Yarcombe
Manor Estate), the amount payable
being deducted from the rent charged
by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
By 1832 a considerable amount of
land was added to Hill House as the
Land Tax that the tenant Robert
Spiller had to pay was £5. 1s. 6d.
It was described in the Electoral
Roll of 1832-3 as being a rented
estate worth £50 per annum. The
Census of 1851 shows Hill House as a
holding of 104 acres, employing 3
labourers. The family (Hutchings) of
eight also had two servants. In 1892
a well was dug by Evans at Hill
House for which he was paid £3. Part
of the land was sold by the Yarcombe
Manor Estate in 1931 and the house
and a small amount of land were sold
by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
in the middle of the
twentieth century. |
Kevin Ford writes:
Thanks so much for your quick response.
It was great to see everything you sent.
It all seems to match with my research so
far - I have done a lot of research over the
years - on that side of the family I haven't
gotten back further than 1800 yet.
As Thomas and family had such a close and
long connection to Yarcombe and the Yarcombe
Inn I wonder if anyone in Yarcombe has more
information or photos - that would be
exciting! Regarding Hill House
Farm I have looked at my records again and
frustratingly, I cannot find the mention of
Hill House Farm which I'm sure I have seen
written somewhere! My mother
says that Cora told her once that she lived
on a farm, but not where it was located.
I have had a good look at yarcombe.net and
was really interested to see all the
postings. I will certainly keep
you up to date if I find any more
information.
December 2023
Kevin Ford adds:
Hi
again, I found this 1903
wedding announcement.
Steve Horner replies:
This all falls
neatly into place. The wedding
notice dated May 1903 from the Exeter and
Plymouth Gazette mentions Robert Wyatt of
Pilhayne farm, in fact a misspelling of
Pithayne Farm another farm about ½ mile
outside the centre of the village also owned
by the Yarcombe manor estate where Robert
had a tenancy. Thus by 1911
Robert and Polly must have taken the tenancy
of Hill House farm which I believe was on a
long leasehold from the Diocese of Exeter.
On our
Yarcombe Inn page there are some old
photos - one shows the estate tenants in
1900 outside the Yarcombe Inn and lists Sam
Wyatt of Pithayne.
On our
Village Hall page there is mention of a
Tom Wyatt a local farmer and driving force
to build the hall.
I hope this helps - a few more connections
for you to follow up. Keep in
contact.
Kevin Ford replies:
Thanks
for that. Very interesting to see both
Robert and Sam in the photo. Samuel
Bertie Wyatt was Robert's brother. The
1901 Census records Sam as 20 years old and
assistant on the farm at Little Pithayne.
October 2023
I’m trying to get hold of a copy of From
monks to the millennium.
Wondering if you can help me? I
have a particular interest in the Beer
family circa 1800 to 1900. Many
thanks,
Phil Read
Peter Tarrant writes:
See the
History page on
how to order a copy of Ruth Everitt's book.
If you would like us to carry out any
research for you please let us know.
October 2023
I am investigating my family history and
have found the Yarcombe village website very
helpful in my search for the Loosemore,
Byrne and Lenthall families who are my
direct ancestors on my maternal
Grandmother’s side. My
partner and I visited Yarcombe last year.
I am interested in how you may be able to
help me obtain a copy of the Monks to the Millenium ebook? I’m sure it
will be an interesting read and will provide
some great background for my family
research!
Best wishes and kind regards, Nancy
Wright
Peter Tarrant writes:
See the
History page on
how to order a copy of Ruth Everitt's book.
If you would like us to carry out any
research for you please let us know.
October 2023
Dear Admin, I wonder if someone can help.
About 20 years ago I visited Yarcombe with
my late mother in law. Her
Grandfather, Arthur Trott (born about 1862),
was born in Yarcombe, the son of Thomas
Trott and Sarah (nee Pike). We
signed the visitors book in the church and
explored the churchyard. I
wonder if the visitors book from the early
2000s still exists? If so is it
possible that someone could kindly
photograph our entries? My
mother in law would have signed herself Mrs
G Edgar with an address in Burnham on Sea.
I can`t recall if we found any Trott
headstones in the churchyard. Is
there a list of them available?
Following our visit we were contacted by a
distant cousin who had seen the entries and
since then a great deal has come to light
about Arthur's later life; Policeman,
Publican, Sales Rep and more.
Thanks for any help. Regards,
Les Herbert - Romsey , Hampshire
Steve Horner replies:
Thank you so
much for visiting yarcombe.net website and
our Ancestral Searches page.
From the small amount of information that
you have provided to us I am having
difficulty in connecting your Trott/Pike
ancestors to our records especially the
census records, certainly Trott and Pike are
local names. We would certainly like
to record more about Arthur and his family
whom it would appear were born in our
parish, and thus if you can supply as many
details as possible we would be grateful.
As for graves, I looked at the burial
records (there is a link at the top of this
page) and
found two possible : Sarah Trott
1828 - 24 May 1888, Thomas Trott
1829 -18 January 1907. I look
forward to hearing from you.
Les Herbert writes:
Thanks for your very prompt response.
On reflection I realise I should have put
more detail in my query so apologies.
The detailed work has been done by my
sister-in-law and in outline she has the
following. She starts with
William and his wife Grace (married 1772)
and then their son James (b Dec 1782).
These were the Baptist Trotts.
James and his wife Ann had son Thomas (b
1829) and in 1871 Thomas and Sarah were at
Brick Cottage, Beacon (now named Linton).
Their two eldest children were born at
Chardstock, 5 more born at Upottery and
Sydney at Yarcombe. Also a
granddaughter Laura born Yarcombe. In 1881
the family were at Tilery Cottage, Yarcombe.
Arthur was now a policeman in London and
married Annie Stevens later in 1881. Things
then get complicated!
Steve Horner adds:
I now have a
real rock solid connection to Yarcombe.
Thomas Trott born 1829 was the estate
builder whose trade was a mason.
In the book From Monks to the Millennium
Ruth Everitt mentions Thomas built The
Belfry, our village school, in 1870 and he
also built for himself Tilery cottage now
called Hillside and interestingly in 189x
and 1896 he repaired the lime kilns here at
Woodhayne where I now live.
His life
immediately springs into focus.
In the 1841 census Thomas was a boy aged 10
living with his parents Thomas (b c 1782)
and Ann at Newcott just across the parish
boundary in Upottery, his father Thomas was
also a mason. In 1851 Thomas
jnr. was living in Chardstock with his wife
Sarah (nee Pike) with their first born son
William, his place of birth being recorded
as Yarcombe, and Sarah was born in the
adjoining parish of Whitestaunton.
In 1861 the family was now back living at
Newcott in Upottery , this time as the head
of the family, and Arthur was a boy aged 5
having been born in Upottery parish.
In 1871 as you mention Thomas and his
extensive family including Arthur who is
shown as a scholar from which I conclude he
did not leave school at the age of 14.
In 1881 the family were living in Tillery
cottage Yarcombe which I believe he built
himself. In 1891 Thomas was
still living at Tillery cottage although by
this time he is married to Mary aged 47 so
sadly Sarah his first wife must have passed
away in the intervening period.
I have also fund that in 1861 Thomas Trott
senior and his wife Ann were living at Lower
Newcott so perhaps a new house was built
close by as a home for the elderly parents.
I am almost certain Thomas passed away on
18th January 1907 and is buried in the
churchyard of St John The Baptist church
Yarcombe. James Trott senior b
1783 died 16 October 1863 and his wife Ann
Knight Trott b 1786 and died 5th July 1870
are buried at the Baptist Church Yarcombe
where their headstone can still be viewed
(right). |
|
|
I hope this helps to fill in some more
detail about your family and their
connections to this parish, I do hope you
can provide more details to this site for
others who may have family connections to
read in future years.
August 2023
Hello, I am newly researching the Bellet/Billet
family in Yarcombe and in particular Joseph
Ballet, born 1684 in Exeter who married
Susannah Omsley/Owsley in Yarcombe in 1716
and then had children with her in Yarcombe.
The children’s names were: Joseph b.1725
(who went on to marry Elizabeth Stevens in
Tiverton), Katherine b.26th May 1717, Anne
b.1719 both born in Yarcombe and lastly Jane
who was b.1720 in Upottery.
A Joseph Billet is listed on the Land Tax
Registry as paying tax on land owned by Mr
Heath and Mr Tuckfield Esq in 1798 and they
may be related? I note that
Billet and Ballet feature in the graveyard
in Yarcombe including two Josephs.
Can you tell me anything about this family?
Joseph senior is my 6th Great Grandfather
through my paternal line. I have
recently moved to Devon so this is an
exciting find for me. Many
thanks for your attention,
Anna Gregory
Lockhart Farm
Steve Horner replies:
A most
interesting enquiry, perhaps I can add a few
more details to your quest for your
ancestors. We are fortunate in
that there is a very detailed case inn The
Chancery division of the High Court dated
1600 Drake vs Major. This case
details each person, and the name of the
property, who are liable to pay tithes in
the entire Parish. This document
does not list the name Billet or Bellet.
The church rate of 30th October 1707
mentions Joseph Billet due to pay 3 pence,
one of the smallest amounts shown on the
list so we can assume Joseph Billet was a
man of very modest means. Incidentally
how do you connect Bellet with Billet in
your lineage? You mention you
have noted Joseph Billett paid a Land Tax in
1798 to Mr Heath and Mr Tuckfield.
If you have a copy of this document i would
very much like to add it to my collection
please.
Just to recap, you mention your Joseph
Billet b Exeter 1684 married Susannah Owsley
in Yarcombe in 1716, I note a burial of a
Susannah Billet Widow on 18 November 1770 in
our burial records so this seems to fit.
There is also a burial of Joseph Billet snr
on 12th June 1709, perhaps the father of
your Joseph Billet b Exeter B 1684?
I have looked up both names in our standard
parish history “From Monks to the
Millennium“, sadly there is no record of
these names contained therein. I
hope this helps you, please keep in contact
and fill in more details for our own
knowledge as you find them.
August 2023
My goodness what an amazing site this is.
I have just spent the afternoon reading
through the enquiries and the comprehensive
help afforded them. My own
enquiry comes after a somewhat surprise.
My paternal grandfather’s family were an
enigma to our family until I began research
a few years ago. Having now
retired I have taken up the reins again in
an effort to find the parentage of my two
times great grandfather Jacob Lock.
I know all of his movements around
Churchstanton, Monkton etc. (He
was a dairyman.) I have copies
of his marriage to Ann Quick at Upottery and
then I requested a copy death certificate.
I found that he had died at Yarcombe
(Beacons?) in 1890 and that the informant
was a brother Samuel Lock who lived at
Sparks cottage Yarcombe. This is
the first I had heard of a brother who it
was said was born at Yarcombe.
(My 2 xs Great G lists his birthplace as
Churchstanton.) Indeed he was
buried at Churchstanton. I write
in the hope that there is someone who is
also researching the Lock family from the
area and would be grateful for any
information which might help.
Sue Williams
Steve Horner replies:
I have spent a
little time looking at the records, I
picked up the fact that Jacob Lock was
buried in Churchstanton on 31st October 1890
aged 73, giving his year of birth as 1817.
From his marriage to Ann Quick in Upottery I
was able to find his father`s name as
William and given you mention Jacob's
brother's name was Samuel I was able to find
the family living in Yarcombe Stopgate
Yarcombe in the 1841 census.
(Stopgate is on the junction of the B3170
and A303.)
In the 1851 census William is still living
at Stopgate aged 66 so he was born in 1785
at Symondsbury Dorset near Bridport.
The records also indicate William married
Elizabeth Trott on 31st March 1812 in
Yarcombe. I would be interested
to see the death certificate of Jacob and
the Connection to the Beacon Yarcombe.
I hope this helps.
Sue Williams writes:
Thank you Steve. A very prompt
and thorough reply. Yes these
are the conclusions I drew from his marriage
cert and his death cert, which gave me
Samuel as a brother (informant).
I saw Samuel’s father was also a William and
started to make tentative links.
I have Jacob on the 1841 census as living in
Upottery on Langbridge Farm owned by the
Cooks. He was older than Samuel
so obviously moved out of the family home by
1841 sadly or I would have found my link on
the 1841 Yarcombe entry. I think
I need to try to trace William and Elizabeth
marriage and search baptisms from where the
first settled. I just need that
definitive link although things are looming
far less bleak than before I obtained his
death certificate (below).
Thank you very much for your help massively
appreciated.
Steve Horner replies:
He was living at
Stopgate Cottage in 1871 census, The Beacon
covers a wide area. The info I've provided all fits into a
pattern and makes sense. I
subsequently traced the baptism of William
Lock, 12th August 1787 in Symondsbury, his
parents were John and Ann. The
1841 Yarcombe census is difficult to
interpret, however I am certain my reading
is correct.
There is no record of a Lock burial in
Yarcombe which seems odd, William does not
have a wife recorded at his home so I can
only assume his wife Elizabeth died between
the date of their marriage and 1841.
I am certain this will be a breakthrough you
need. Good hunting!
Sue Williams writes:
Yes, the 1841 census is indeed difficult but
at least I can now see a sister Charlotte
etc even if Jacob isn't there.
So lots of new leads. Thank you
so very much for all your patience and
effort Steve. Your very generous
help enables people to make sense of their
past and in some cases I’m sure, inform
their future.
Steve Horner replies:
Thanks, please
keep us posted if you are able to uncover
more of your family history. It
is very gratifying to learn we have been of
some help, in certain instances we try our
best and never receive a response or a note
of thanks. Asi es la vida.
Sue Williams writes:
You are a star! By convincing me
to keep researching in the area I was all
but writing off, I have found the link I
heeded to ascertain the next generation on
my paternal Grandfather Jacob Lock’s line.
It was a process of long elimination as
always, but with finding the family links to
Beacon and Sparks Cottage 1871/1881 I am
happy that that was why my 2x’s GG died
there in 1890. Don’t you
just love those eureka moments?
It has,as always, raised many more questions
which my nosey disposition needs the answers
to but hey … that’s the draw of ancestral
research of course. Sorry
Yarcombe, a dizzy old blond woman will be
yomping quietly around your lovely village
soon. Initially to see the
places I now feel I have a link to and also
in homage to a dear friend whom I have
recently lost. Her father was
head of Yarcombe Primary school for many
years. Thank you once again.
Steve Horner replies:
Delighted to
have been of assistance. Please
let us know when you are coming to see the
land of your Fathers, perhaps we can add
some more to your family history.
I have some information about Spark`s
Cottage now called Heavens Mouth if you so
require. Oh and by the way
please let us have some more information
about the man who was head of Yarcombe
school for many years.
August 2023
Hello, I have been searching for the
burial place of my grandfather William
Garland Hicks. He was born 1877 in
Southill, near Liskeard in Cornwall.
He moved to a farm in Brixham in about 1937
after his wife died. His final
address is Queen Street in Honiton
(according to the death certificate) and he
died in Honiton hospital 24th November in
1960. We know he is not buried
in Honiton or Yarcombe C of E church but a
family member can remember going to a
funeral in Marsh. Someone has
suggested that there was a Baptist church in
Marsh in 1960 although it may have since
been converted to a private house?
The mystery deepens and I’m lost as to why
he has any connection to Marsh; possibly he
lived there before moving in to Honiton?
Or perhaps there were other Hicks in the
area (he was a farmer by background).
I can’t seem to find any reason for him to
be in Honiton or Marsh. So any
clues as to why he might have had a funeral
in Marsh would be great and also, if the
funeral service was in Marsh but perhaps no
graveyard; where would he have been buried?
Thank you for any information.
Dawn Ogilvie
Steve Horner replies:
Unfortunately I
am not certain we can help much.
There is no record of a burial of William
Garland Hicks in either the Yarcombe church
or chapel burial grounds. There
was a chapel in Marsh which closed in the
1970s, I asked Thelma about this and she
referred the matter to the trustees as she
seems to have been “de-platformed” from the
Baptist chapel.
August 2023
I am researching my great great grandmother
who was born Elizabeth Sparke/Sparkes born
in Yarcombe about 1838. I am
trying to find out who her parents were.
In 1851 she was working as a servant at
Crawley Farm Membury for the Bond family.
Many thanks if anyone can help,
Julie Perry
Wellington
Somerset
Steve Horner replies:
Can you give me
some more information please? I
think i have picked up your Elizabeth Sparks
in the 1861 census living in Sidbury as a
servant. I cannot find her in
the 1851 census, can you give me any more
details was she a servant?
Crawley farm is very close to the border of
Yarcombe, it lies in the parish of Membury
Devon. Have you looked at the
burial records of Yarcombe?
There is a link on this page (above).
There are a whole host of the Sparks family
buried in our churchyard.
One clue perhaps, there is a Susan Sparke
died 6th January 1839 aged 25, perhaps
Elizabeth`s mother who died when Elizabeth
was aged one and she was shipped out to live
at Crawley farm?? Just an idea !
Julie Perry writes:
Hello, last August I sent a message to
your website regarding my 2x great
grandmother, Elizabeth Sparks and I did not
thank you for your reply - not very polite
of me.
I had been unable to find a birth for her in
Yarcombe. I now believe that she was
born the illegitimate daughter of Honor
Ward. Honor married Samuel Sparks when
Elizabeth was 5 and I believe she then took
the name of Sparks. Honor was the
daughter of Matthew Ward and Elizabeth
Rowland and after Matthew's death Elizabeth
married John Pavey. My 2x great
grandmother was living with John and
Elizabeth Pavey in the 1841 census while her
mother Honor was in service at Membury.
Maybe this information may be useful to any
other family looking for Elizabeth's
parentage. I have been studying my
family history for 5 years and it taken all
this time to get to the bottom of her birth.
I visited Yarcombe this Sunday 14/7/24 and
went in the church where my relatives were
baptised. Such a shame about the
pub. I see the ACV runs out next year.
Peter Tarrant responds:
Thanks for
contacting us with the updated information.
Our attempts to communicate with you since
last August have been failing owing to an
apparent error in the outlook.com mail
server. I see you now have a
btinternet email address which happily seems
to have cured or bypassed the problem.
(FYI: The Parish Council have said
they will apply to extend the Yarcombe Inn's
ACV beyond 2025 if necessary!)
May 2023
Looking for information from 1841 Census on
The COOKE family. ELIZABETH
COOKE, head of household, widow, age 45,
farmer of 60 acres, Yarcombe, Devon.
Questions: Would anyone know who her
deceased husband was? Was sixty
acres considered a large farm?
Her maiden name? I would
appreciate any help. Actually
anything on any of this family.
Marcia Ladd
Steve Horner replies:
Marcia, I have
had a quick look at your enquiry and so far
I have drawn a blank. I cannot
find Elizabeth Cooke in 1841 census records
for Yarcombe. Can you send me a
screen print or a copy of the entry please
or perhaps more details of those living at
the same address? I looked at
The Tithe Schedule of 1832 and there is no
record of a Cooke on that, and finally a
look at our burials and again there is no
mention of Elizabeth Cooke. Thus
to progress this I need some more details
please. I guess you must be
related to one of her children in which case
I may be able to help if you provide me with
full details of that person.
April 2023
Hello
- Happened on your website whilst searching
for some answers which I am hoping you may
be able to help me with? Trying
to establish a marriage between Brigitt
Dabinott & Peter Sopper/Soper/Soaper.
Brigitt was baptised 31st March 1560
Yarcombe, daughter of Thomas Dabinott and
Rawlin Mansfield. Copy of
Baptism below.
I have found a
record which I believe is a second marriage
for Brigitt with William Tucker Yarcombe
25th Jan 1590.
I also have entry for apparently birth of a
daughter Joane Sopper 1585 Widworthy to a
Peter Sopper & Bridgett? Also a
marriage of said Joane to Robert Moore 1609.
Daughter that union Ann More marriage
Branscombe 1624 to Richard Bartlet.
Richard Bartlet baptism Yarcombe 1596.
Below is bit of a hop potch of names, dates
and places. Would appreciate any
help in finding the marriage of Brigitt to
Peter. Other researchers have
shown Brigitt as dying as a child (no
dates), I have looked and cannot establish a
death date.
Regards,
John George,
Bethlehem, Tauranga, New Zealand
Steve Horner writes:
John, you
certainly have been working hard on your
ancestor Brigitt Dabinot who was baptised in
our Church way back in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth. Have you looked at
our burial records - see link at the start
of this page - for some of the names you
mention. These records are we
believe complete and accurate.
If you do have success please let us know so
we can record this for others on our site.
Good luck.
March 2023
Good
day, I would like to enquire if the Newberry
family from Yarcombe were connected to the
Newberry's in Stockland? My 6th
great grandfather was Joel Newberry
1684-1741, from Stockland married to
Elizabeth Knowles. I have his
father as John Newberry 1644-1717 married to
Elionor Troke, but I am not sure if this is
correct, unfortunately I am struggling to
find the father of John, that is why I am
wondering if there was some connection to
Yarcombe. Any assistance
will be appreciated. Kind
regards,
Sharleen Nell
South Africa
Steve Horner writes:
I have read your
enquiry with great interest and can confirm
with certainty that the Newbery family from
Yarcombe were undoubtedly connected to the
Newbery family you mention from Stockland,
in fact i would venture to say the Yarcombe
Newberys were the more established.
The Newbery
family all lived and owned property in the
southern end of our parish which is adjacent
to the parish of Stockland.
Elsewhere on the website you will find much
information about the Newbery family, use
your browser function (ctl+f) to search.
I would also recommend you obtain a copy of
Ruth Everitt`s local history “From Monks to
the Millennium” an electronic version of
which may be purchased from Miranda Gudenian.
Please let me know if I can assist further
and in any event please tell us if you do
establish a connection with our parish which
we can then record for others to find.
Sharleen Nell replies:
Thank
you for your reply to my query, it is great
to hear that the two families are connected.
I have read the information on the website
regarding the Newbery family and found all
the comments very informative. I
have just two more questions please, if you
can advise:
1)
|
I found a Will (below) for my 6th
great grandfather Joel Newberry, the
second paragraph, first line "The
Condition of this
Obligation......... " is it saying
his father is John Newberry, all I
can read is son born ..... John
Newberry ? |
|
|
2) |
Joel Newberry's one son Thomas (my
5th ggf), on all three of his
marriage records it says Thomas
Gough or Newberry (2 of them below
left).
Surely if his father is
Newberry why would they say Gough, I
am rather confused about this
Gough/Newberry, I can't see where
the surname Gough comes in, his
mothers maiden name was Knowles ?
Below right are 2 images showing that
he was baptised Newbery, so why the Gough ?
If you are able to help me understand this
dual surname I will be most grateful.
|
|
|
Steve Horner adds:
Sharleen, I have
copied
Bryan Drew who is the local historian
who covers Stockland who may be able to help
you. First lets try and work on
the “Will “ again. In fact this
document is a form of Bond or Obligation,
dated 6th March 1741, which requires the
three named parties, John Newbury of Combe
Raleigh, Gideon Blake of Honiton and James
and Samuel Roach of Honiton for the sum of
£200.00 to someone called Carew Reynold???
Where did you find this document? Is there
a Will attached? In the bottom
left of the document it mentions the Will of
Joel Newbery annexed grants administration
of the will of Joel Newbury to john Newbury
for the use of James Newbury, (son of said
Joel) during his minority. Thus
to answer your query James Newbury is the
son of Joel. The obligation also
confirms Joel is “late of Stockland” but
this runs contrary to your statement that
“Joe; Newbery's one son. Do you
mean Joel only had one son? I am
not certain how John Newbery is related to
Joel and James.
Turning to your
second point for which you have provided
copies of the marriage records of Stockland,
I do not know the reason for the use of an
alias Gough, we have a similar example in
the records of Yarcombe.
I hope this is helpful , please keep the
discourse going - it all adds to our local
knowledge.
Peter Tarrant comments:
The
following entry from David Wilton was posted
to
Ancestral Search 59 which also contains
information on the Newberry family:
David Wilton adds:
Pic from ‘Ancestors of American Presidents’
showing Thomas is the ancestor of Presidents
Hayes and Ford. Although the
Bushes are related to Hayes, Ford, Bess
Truman and Nancy Regan it is through
multiple other descents, not the Newberrys.
David Wilton says:
Steve, I found this on line.
No idea how accurate all the claimed
descendants are:
Bryan Drew writes:
Steve, I cannot find the email of the latest
one regarding the Newbery family and the
link to the U.S. I have Joel
Newbery from Stockland that you sent 5th
April 23 but can’t find a later email.
Perhaps you would send it again.
I have given a Gwyn Summerhayes your email
who is looking for his early ancestors from
Yarcombe in 1500s. Thanks, Bryan
Steve Horner replies:
When I visited
your excellent exhibition in Stockland
church in March 2024 I noticed that you had
Newberry Wills on display in a large binder.
One listed was:- Richard 1627 The Elder.
I am not quite certain how he fits into the
tree. In the Court pleadings
Drake vs Major of 1600 there are two
mentions of Richard Newberie, one occupied
Powdhill (near Lower Pithayne ) and the
other Haye farm. Hopefully
someone sometime may be able to draw all
this information together.
March 2023
I
feel very fortunate that I have found your
website for family connections in Yarcombe.
In early June, 2023 I am planning to travel
to England from the U.S. for a 4 night stay
in Yarcombe to explore your beautiful town
where my family originated. I am
wondering if anyone has information on my
Yarcombe family listed below? If
you possibly know if any of the family homes
still exist, I am interested in learning
their location in Yarcombe so I could
possibly view them from the street. (I
promise I will not disturb the current
residents). Thank you for any
information you can provide. Family names
are:
Lydia Loosmore – Born December 21,
1770 in Yarcombe. Died in 1865.
Ann Lenthal – Born 1736 in Yarcombe.
Died January 5, 1815 in Yarcombe.
John Loosemore – Born May 31,1730 in
Yarcombe.
Susannah Bradbeer – Born about
August, 1732 in Yarcombe.
Beatrix Trott – Born about May, 1709
in Yarcombe.
Joseph Loosemore – Born May 21, 1686
in Yarcombe. |
I am
not sure if you also have information for
ancestors in Honiton but I am also
interested in my following Honiton family:
Willym Powell – Born about 1600 in
Honiton. Died in Honiton August 13,
1637
Dorothy Searle – Born July 31, 1603
in Honiton. Died January 7, 1689 in
Honiton.
Robert Searle – Born 1573 in
Honiton.
Robert John Davis Searle – Born 1519
in Honiton.
Christopher Searle – Died in 1599 in
Honiton.
Gerald Woods – Born about 1500 in
Honiton. Died about 1535 in Honiton.
Maxine Stone – Born about 1500 in
Honiton. Died in 1535 in Honiton.
Dorothy Cookes – Born in 1550 in
Honiton. Died May 2, 1605 in
Honiton. |
Again, thank you so much for any information
you can provide,
James Lauman Fort
Myers, Florida USA
Steve Horner writes:
This is going to
be a tough assignment, I may be able to
assist with your ancestors who lived in
Yarcombe, I had a quick look at two
documents I have here in my office a list of
Tithes paid in 1600 and 1707 and none of the
names you mention are listed; that is not to
say they didn’t live in the Parish, it just
indicates that they were not wealthy enough
to have a holding of land on which to pay
tithes. I would certainly
recommend you obtain a copy of Ruth
Everitt`s history of the parish “ From Monks
to the Millennium” an electronic version may
be purchased from Miranda Gudenian.
The names Loosemore and Trott are mentioned
therein.
Whilst you are
in this part of Devon I recommend you visit
the West Country Studies library which is
situated in Exeter about 30 minutes drive
from Yarcombe, it will be worthwhile
contacting this library which has a huge
store of local documents in advance and
explain what you are looking for and perhaps
make an appointment to visit this library.
I regret i cannot help with your ancestors
who are connected with Honiton.
In the meanwhile if you can give me more
details of your relatives, their spouse
offspring or siblings and the dates of birth
etc this may produce a further connection
for me.
James Lauman replies:
Thank
you so much for your insight into my ancient
family in Yarcombe. Since my
original communiqué with you, I have
discovered that my Trott family goes back
even further in Yarcombe. I have
taken note that the names Loosemore and
Trott are mentioned in Ruth Everitt’s book.
It would appear that Beatrix Trott, born
about May, 1709, was raised possibly by her
parents Robert Trott b:13 April, 1675 and d:
1737 in Yarcombe. Her mother,
Susanna “Tratt” b: about 1675 and d: 5 June,
1712 both in Yarcombe. It would
appear from later generations of Trott
family that they moved to the Axminster area
in the middle of the 1700’s, possibly when
the carpet industry blossomed in Axminster?
I don’t know…. Question: was it common for
families to live in Yarcombe for long
periods of time in the 1600’s and 1700’s
without being property owners?
Very intriguing.
As for additional information, the only
other connections I have to Yarcombe is
Joseph Loosemore 1686 to 1734, father of
John Loosemore 1730-1815 in Yarcombe.
John Loosemore married Ann Lenthall 1736 to
1815. In years thereafter, it
appears that the offspring of these families
moved to Axminster and then one of them
moved to America around 1874 as a child and
that would be my Great Grandfather Rueben
Higerty. Unfortunately, I don’t
have any additional information on their
siblings, etc.
Thank you again for your work on this. I am
extremely excited to come to Yarcombe in
June and at least visit your beautiful area.
All the best, James Lauman – Fort Myers,
Florida, USA.
Steve Horner adds:
You seem to have
made excellent progress with tracing your
ancestors from Yarcombe. I
believe it is fair to say that before the
railways and motor cars, country folk did
not move far from their birthplace, perhaps
to an adjoining parish usually for reasons
of marriage.
There is still a Tratt family hereabouts , I
believe around Chard which is a small town
about 5 miles distant from Yarcombe.
You correctly surmise about the carpet
industry in Axminster which started in the
mid seventeen hundreds and may have
attracted local people to work in the
factory in that town.
Please keep in contact - we are delighted
that you have provided our web site with
feedback, so often we get an enquiry to
which we reply and then the trail goes dead!
James Lauman adds:
I just
wanted to send you a quick update.
We arrived in Yarcombe yesterday and I can
truly see why my ancestors stayed here for
centuries. What a beautiful
village! Thank you so very much for
sharing the information previously.
It will be fun exploring the area.
All the best.
Steve Horner replies:
Thanks for the
kind words. I have been away
this week - sorry to have missed you.
If you do find any more information about
your Yarcombe ancestors please let me know.
March 2023
Hello
from the USA. I am hoping if
anyone could add to my family history.
William H (F?) Symes was born July 10 1856
(my paternal great great grandfather)
married Anna White born in Winston
Summersetshire June 28, 1858.
William married Anna 1878?.
Found a document in Missouri USA BIRTH
REGISTRY STATING WILLIAM WAS FROM YOUCUNBS
ENGLAND - assuming it was a typo and they
meant Yarcombe - oral family history stated
we came from WALES. William and
Anna immigrated in either 1882 or 1885 and
settled in Mulberry Kansas USA close to
Missouri USA. Wondering if
anyone could help with Williams
parents/siblings?
Thanks,
Susan Timko
Peter Tarrant responds:
Hello Susan,
Symes is a well-know surname in Yarcombe and
is referenced a dozen times in Ruth Everitt's
book, "From Monks to the Millennium".
I believe it was Joy Symes who participated
in village skittles matches at The Yarcombe
Inn and was in my team some 25 years ago
when I first moved here. There
is a strong connection to the furniture
industry with Joy's son Martin working
since 1973 as a Wheelwright (see his website
Wheelwright & Woodturner).
I am sure more
knowledgeable residents will be able to add
more for you.
Susan Timko replies:
Such a
quick reply. Sometimes during
genealogical research one finds disturbing
news - hopefully any additions to the tree
are pleasant. Thank you!
Yes the Symes surname is quite common over
the pond as they say. Most of my
ancestors worked in the coal mines in the
states of Missouri, Kansas and Pennsylvania.
My great, great Grandmother's memorial
record states Anna (White) Symes was born
June 28, 1858 in Winston Summersetshire.
I cannot find such a location with my
internet searches. Any
help?
Peter Tarrant responds:
There is a Wincanton in Somerset.
Otherwise Winston, Wiston etc may yield
Google
results.
Steve Horner writes:
I will try to
help you, however I have a question.
You seem to be very certain of the dates
your ancestors were born. My own
data base which is very comprehensive finds
no trace of the dates matching the names,
can you tell me the source of your
information please and give me any other
clues that you may have. Usually
family verbal tradition is usually correct
and it may be your family are from Wales
although the use of England is confusing.
There are many villages in Wales whose name
commences with Y. I look forward
to hearing from you.
August 2023
Susan Timko replies:
Hello
again. The dates of birth are on
gravestone in Missouri USA and within the US
census. My great great
grandmother that married William Sykes was
born June 28, 1858 and through further
sleuthing have found out she was born in
Winsham. Anna's date of birth:
June 28, 1858.
Thanks!
Steve Horner writes:
Susan, I was
delighted to read you had solved your query:
Winsham Somerset. Persistence
pays off.
October 2023
Susan Timko adds:
Update -
Ancestor-William Symes (age 2) 1861 census -
Mother Maria Symes (age 38) Residence Note:
Marsh Birth Year 1823 Occupation Cottager
Widowed had three other children Anna Symes
Birth year 1851, James Birth Year 1852 and
Sarah Ann Symes Birth Year 1853.
I am still looking for ancestors in Yarcombe
or burial records. Help appreciated.
Steve Horner writes:
I have picked up
Maria Symes (b 1823) in the 1851 census when
she was living in Marsh, a hamlet in the
parish of Yarcombe, with her three children
Anna 1851, James 1852, Sarah Ann 1853 she
was born in the nearby parish of Combe St
Nicolas. In the 1851 census she
is living in the centre of the village of
Yarcombe with her husband John aged 28 who
was born in Chardstock just across the
county boundary. From our burial
records I find John died on 6th January
1861, NB the 1861 census was taken on 6th
April 1861. I find her son James
Symes in the 1871 census working at
Foxenholes Farm Yarcombe and then in the
1881 census he is living in Winsham with his
wife Ellen aged 33. Given the
connection to Winsham I hope this helps,
however please come back to us with any
further information you may uncover.
Susan Timko adds:
Thanks
Steve. The burial records you
have for John, could you please specify
where he is buried? Any cause of
death? Any surrounding burials
of Symes at his gravesite? It
appears at this time John may have been born
out of wedlock from Chardstock Dorset parish
records. William Symes my g g
grandfather was in the 1861 census.
Steve Horner writes:
I found the
burial of John died 6th January 1861 in Find
a Grave which record I know is based on the
Burial records of St John the Baptist church
Yarcombe. I helped compile
these. I have a glitch in my
database which will not give me access to
our burial records at present.
The stone in this part of Devon is very soft
and not many grave stones from that era have
survived. I started my research
with Maria Symes in the 1861 census living
with her family in Marsh whom you mention.
But in the 1851 census Maria Symes was
married to John living in Yarcombe.
I have found a William Frederick Symes in
the Kansas census of 1900 and 1910 married
to Annie (nee White ). They seem
to have been married in about 1880 in
Hackney London possibly Q1 1880. I
strongly suspect there is a connection to a
baptism record I found of Ethel Elizabeth Symes born 11th April 1881 baptised May 15th
1881 in Hackney London. This
name Ethel Elizabeth Symes appears in the
1881 with her mother Annie as guest in Crow
Foot Lane Chard which is about 5 miles from
Yarcombe.
I hope this helps I would be pleased to
follow up for you once you have analysed the
above information.
Steve Horner adds:
Apologies- I
may have confused you, I was tracking James
son of Maria. Yes in the 1861
census Maria was living in Marsh with her 4
children, Anne10, James 9, Sarah Ann 8,
William 2. William is certainly
your William Frederick Symes. I
am now certain William Frederick Syme
married Annie White in Q1 of 1880 Stepney
London to gain physical proof of this you
will need to apply for the marriage
certificate which will show parents’ names.
In the 1881 census Willaim Frederick Symes
was living at 50 College Street Stepney aged
25 married, born Yarcombe.
On
the date of the 1881 census his wife Annie
(born Winsham) was living in Crow Foot
Street Chard as a lodger with Sarah Hilditch
aged 72 a widow with her daughter Ethel
Elizabeth Symes aged I month (right). |
|
|
Ethel Elizabeth Symes was born in the Chard
registration district on 11th April 1881 and
baptised on May 15th 1881 in Hackney London
daughter of Annie and William Frederick
Symes (baptismal certificate right). I have no idea why Annie
was visiting this area at the time of the
birth of her daughter. |
|
|
Thus reverting to your previous message we
know Maria Symes lived in Yarcombe although
she was born in Combe St Nicholas.
She was married to John Symes died 6th
January 1861 born 1824 in Chardstock.
Her son William Frederick Symes was born in
Yarcombe.
That seems to me to be the end of any other
direct connections to your tree although as
mentioned earlier there are still members of
the Symes family here in Yarcombe; however
we still have the mystery as to why Ethel
Elizabeth was born in nearby Chard.
Please keep in contact.
Susan Timko writes:
So kind
of you to be diligent. Genealogy
slowly unfolds. Annie Symes was
living in Crow Foot with her aunt Sarah
Hiditch whose maiden name was Larcombe -
found this out by joining Winston
Somertshire Facebook group since Annie White
Symes funeral memorial service program
stated she was born there-not Winsham.
I will be planning on visiting the area of
Yarcombe in the future!
Steve Horner replies:
It's been a
pleasure working with you and helping you
record for posterity part of the history of
our parish. Yours is a
fascinating family history, times must have
been hard for Annie and William Frederick
Symes, they must have decided to head west
and set sail for the new world to find
employment in the coal fields of Kansas,
again very hard work ,they seem to have
succeeded!
Let us know when you plan a trip perhaps we
can show you parts of our wonderful
countryside. I have copied
Miranda Gudenian the Editor of our parish
magazine which is called Yarcombe Voices.
Keep working at your family tree and please
keep us informed of any new discoveries.
February 2023
I was
thrilled to come across your website in my
family history research. What a
wonderful resource. I am a
descendant of William Spiller (details
unknown) and Mary Knight (c. 1792) (m. 1814)
and their son John (b. 1816) of Yarcombe.
I would love any information on the families
(particularly going further back), what
records are available, and any relatives
still living locally. Anything
at all really! I hope to visit
from Australia in May/June.
Thanks,
Sheila Egan (nee Spiller)
Peter Tarrant responds:
Hello Sheila,
There are very many Spiller & Knight references
throughout the Ancestral Searches on this
page and in Ruth Everitt's book, "From Monks
to the Millennium". I
suggest you use your browser's
find
function (ctl+f) to locate these entries to
see if enough existing information can be
found for you. Steve Horner may
be able to add more.
Sheila Egan adds:
Further
to my previous post I have now received a
copy of Ruth Everitt’s book (thank you
Miranda) and have been able to read through
the many posts about Spillers on these
pages. I am particularly
interested in the mention of a tree on the
wall of the Bishopswood village hall
(Ancestral
Search 21)
and wonder is this still exists (or photos)
and if it is possible to view it?
I will be in the UK, and more specifically
Yarcombe, in early June. I
have so far come to a dead end in my Spiller
family research at William Spiller (m. Mary
Knight 11 May 1814) but have had more luck
with the Knight family - although I feel it
possible to consider all from the Yarcombe
area as family such were the connections
between families.
Thank you Sheila
Egan (nee Spiller)
Steve Horner comments:
Sheila, The
family tree to which you refer almost covers
one wall of the Otterford Parish hall, it is
a masterpiece. I have used this
wall chart as a source for the Willie family
tree, because the Willie family owned the
house, where I now live, in the late 1700s.
Please see photos below which make
mention of the Spiller family and the
compiler Graham Davis.
Keys to the village hall may be obtained
form Mike Canham who has been passed
details. If you can give me some
more expanded detail of the Spiller family I
can have a quick look if and when I next pass
the hall.
Incidentally you may have more luck with the
Knight family - a lady called Jane Chislett
has carried out a huge amount of work on the
Knight family of Yarcombe. Her
researches go right back to the Manor Court
Rolls at the time of Queen Elizabeth, a
search of this AS web site will probably
prove worthwhile. I hope this is
helpful.
Sheila Egan reports:
I have
only just resumed my family history research
after an absence of many years in
conjunction with planning a somewhat
unexpected trip to the UK. The
availability of resources online has
increased enormously and my knowledge of
what is available and where to look is
limited.
I have worked backwards and am confident
that my GGG Grandfather John Spiller was
from Yarcombe but eventually settled on
Guernsey and his son, William, came to
Australia. William has left
somewhat confusing information mostly
referring to coming from Somersetshire but
on his death certificate Guernsey is
mentioned enabling the Yarcombe connection
to be made. I’ve sent a direct
lineage chart and a family sheet for John
Spiller, see below.
|
|
I (and others who have supplied information)
have made the assumption that John’s parents
were William Spiller and Mary Knight who
were married in Yarcombe on 11 May 1814
(interestingly one of the witnesses was
Robert Willie). This is as far
as I have got with that branch of the
Spiller family. I suspect a
process of elimination and educated guessing
is required to go further.
I’ve been provided with extensive research
on the Spiller family in Yarcombe which was
compiled by Bruce Allen and refers to
research by David Rogers but I have not been
able to find where William may fit here.
From information supplied by others on the
Knight family it seems there was another
marriage between the families some
generations further back (see document below).
I appreciate any further information or
suggestions you may have and will look
further into Jane Chislett’s Knight family
research. Thanks for your time.
Steve Horner comments:
Very many thanks
for this carefully constructed research, at
present all I can do is to encourage you to
keep trying to find a way through your
present impasse. I do recommend
however you look at Jane Chislett's work on
the Knight family, I am certain you may find
a link going further back into the 1600s.
Good luck and please keep in contact.
Sheila Egan adds:
Thank
you for your response Steve. I
will look at Jane Chislett’s work with great
interest. I’m certainly not
giving up on my Spiller research and hope to
find the answers somewhere. I’ll
pass on the information when I do.
Thanks for your interest.
Mike Morris comments:
My
gx4-grandfather was Joel Knight, so my
gx3-grandmother, Ann Stone, and your Mary
Spiller were sisters. Although
John Stone & Ann Knight are said to have
eloped in 1808, a Mary Knight was one of the
witnesses to their marriage in Exeter.
I did wonder if this Mary could be Ann’s
younger sister, but she would have been only
16 at the time – would witnesses have to be
21? If not her, who was this
Mary Knight, I wonder. I agree
with your tree back from Joel.
Mike Morris
December 2022
Hello, I am coming over to the UK from
Australia and am aware that the Wale family
originates from Yarcombe. I am
just wondering if there are any of the Wale
family still living in Yarcombe?
Hope you can help. Warm regards,
Kristian Wale
Peter Tarrant replies:
Hello Kristian. There
are a dozen or more references to the Wale
surname in Ruth Everitt's book, also in
Ancestral Searches
3,
12,
13,
29
on this page. I am aware of a
Frank Wale who died only a few years ago and
who lived to the north of the village just
off the minor road connecting the A30 and
A303. Perhaps someone can add
further information other than that already
on the web page?
Miranda Gudenian replies:
Hello
Kristian, Frank Wale was my neighbour and
friend. who lived at Emmetts Farm almost all
his life, having moved there at the age of
three with his mother and father.
His mother died tragically young, of cancer.
Frank occasionally spoke about his cousins,
one of whom was called Mary if I recall
correctly, and when he died they inherited
the farm and duly sold it a auction.
I may possibly be able to find the telephone
number or address of one of them for you.
Meanwhile, here is a photograph of Emmetts
Farm. Warmest good
wishes,
Miranda Gudenian
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.
John Webb
enquires: Hi
Jerry, just saw your entry on the website.
I have recently come across a Zane
connection in my tree, and was wondering if
you have any information that could help my
research. Elizabeth Zane and
Josias Lockyer, married 29th April 1700 in
Honiton, they are my 9th great grand
parents. Regards,
John Webb
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.
In the 1851
Census (right) living at North
Common (very much the same area as Mutters
with scattered Cottages some now
demolished): Thomas Northam 60, Mary
63, Abraham 16. William Gillett 7, Grandson
Born 1844, Martha 90. |
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See below a note about Northam`s cottage
from Ruth Everitt`s book, From Monks to the
Millennium:
NORTHAM'S COTTAGE
The site of this cottage was
shown on the Tithe map of 1817;
the apportionment lists it as
Cottage and Garden Plot. The
occupier was Thomas Northam. At
the Court Leet in 1866 it was
noted that an encroachment had
taken place at Northam‟s Cottage
and to prevent further trouble a
flint wall was to be erected at
the full extent of Sir Thomas
T.F.E.Drake‟s right. An enclosed
sketch shows the wall 34 yards
in length and 5 foot high. The
cottage, although surrounded by
Yarcombe Estate land, is still
privately owned.
|
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.
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Group photograph New Barn 1951 Robert Drake Rich & Sarah Rich's
Diamond Wedding |
1 |
Leonard
Denning |
15 |
Dulcie Rich |
29 |
Clive
Denning |
43 |
Pam
Hutchins (Spiller) |
2 |
Will
Hutchins |
16 |
Phylis Denning |
30 |
Dorothy
Denning |
44 |
Alan
Denning |
3 |
Frank
Denning |
17 |
Robert Rich |
31 |
Bill
Hutchins, son |
45 |
Christopher Rich |
4 |
Rubin
Turner |
18 |
Morris Denning |
32 |
Bill
Hutchins |
46 |
Wendy
Rich (Clark) |
5 |
Mr Vernon
(taxi driver) |
19 |
Page Rich |
33 |
Vivien
Early |
47 |
Ian Rich |
6 |
Edna
Hutchins |
20 |
Millie Denning (Rich) |
34 |
Roy
Denning |
48 |
Marion
Rich |
7 |
Berth
Rich |
21 |
Curlie Rich |
35 |
Ruby
Early (Turner) |
49 |
Kay
Denning |
8 |
Constance
Rich |
22 |
Alan Hutchins |
36 |
Robbie
Denning |
50 |
Anthony
Rich |
9 |
Unice
Rich |
23 |
Mabel Turner (Rich) |
37 |
Daphne
White |
51 |
Mary
Denning |
10 |
Nellie
Rich |
24 |
Robert Drake Rich |
38 |
George
Early |
52 |
Ellen
Phillips (Turner) |
11 |
Bob
Baisley |
25 |
Reg Hutchins |
39 |
Vera Rich
(Moor) |
53 |
Robert
Denning |
12 |
Frank
Rich |
26 |
Fred Rich |
40 |
Jean
Turner |
54 |
Alan
Hutchins |
13 |
Sylvia
Baisley (Rich) |
27 |
Mary Mere (Rich) |
41 |
Terence
Early |
55 |
Dennis
Turner |
14 |
Miss
Laura Bromfield |
28 |
Sarah Rich (Long) |
42 |
Renie
Rich (Dick's wife) |
56 |
Philip
Denning |
|
Click here to see original
handwritten guest list |
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),
Mabel Rich
(later married Reuben Turner, lived at New
Barn),
Fred Long
Rich (head behind cow) (later married Vera
Ethel Moore and accepted tenancy of farm
from his parents Robert Drake Rich and Sarah
Rich, bought farm in 1952(?) ),
Millicent
Rich (known as Millie Rich, later married
Frank Denning and lived at Woodhayne Farm)
Looking
East to Livenhayes Gate
left
to right:
Richard
Rich known as Dick. Son of Robert
Drake Rich
Earnest
Cleal from Winnowing Knap Yarcombe, friend
of Jim Doble
Robert
Drake Rich, farmer. owner of Broadway,
husband of Sarah Rich
Fred Long
Rich, father of Marion, Wendy, Anthony,
Christopher and Ian following his marriage
to Vera Ethel Moore in 1939
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 |
|
|
|
A poignant photo of Harry’s wife Minnie
with their three children; Phyllis (bn. Oct
1909), Stanley (Dec 1911) and Leonard (20
June 1916) taken in 1916.
Note re this photo: Harry embarked from
Southampton to join the BEF in France on 16
July 1916, when his son Leonard was not
quite one month old. From Leonard’s apparent
age in the photo, it appears likely it was
taken at about that time, quite possibly so
that Harry could have it with him in the
trenches as a reminder of his family and
home. With the news that was by then coming
back from the Front following the disastrous
start to the ‘Somme Offensive’ it is hard to
imagine what thoughts must have been in the
minds of Harry and Minnie as he left for
France. Less than six months later, on 3
January 1917, Harry lost his life near
Combles in France. Hopefully Harry saw his
youngest son before he went to France, as
sadly he was not to see him after that,
except in this photo. |
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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:
Harry A Lee - 1914-2003, Essex,
Australia Carpenter, WW2 signalman
and keen fisherman. |
William H Lee - 1887-1942, Keward,
Wells, cabinet maker then flew in
sopworth camels |
Harry Edward Denning Lee -
1864-1915 Upworthy, farm labour and
stone haulier? |
Abel Lee - 1831-1903 Yarcombe,
farmed at Morrishs farm west
Buckland - now a trendy smokehouse
it seems. |
... wife
Priscilla Mary Rowland - 1826-1883
Upottery. |
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: |
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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
Census
of 1841 |
Living
with his parents Richard Lee 41 and
Jane 56 in Smokey House Yarcombe
(see photo below of present house
and view down the valley) |
Census
of 1851 |
Living
at Northams farm Yarcombe farm
servant. (Northams is a bit tricky
to photograph as it is down a long
drive. I hope I can get
a photo for you in due course) |
Census
of 1861 |
Living
at Frys Moor Otterford with his wife
May both aged 31 (see scan below) NB
Frys Moor is a stones throw from the
border with 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.
Census
of 1871 |
Living
in Bishopswood with his wife May,
children May 12, Richard 10,Harru
7,Emily 3. See scan below, it
is not possible to identify the
exact house, however from the manner
in which the census is recorded, my
guess would be they lived on the
“street” in Bishopswood see scan
002. |
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:
William F Kingwell head 54
Mary E Kingwell wife 46
Kenneth F Kingwell son 20
Gladys B Kingwell daughter 18
Eric G Kingwell son 17
Dorothy A Kingwell daughter 15
Cedric D Kingwell son 12
Hugh P Kingwell son 10 |
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,
58,
83 &
100.
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:
Ann 1720
John, Sarah 1724
William 1725
Elizabeth 1730 |
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:
Symon Pavey bc 1524 = Rawlen Dabney
Chas Pavey 1550-1616 = Eliz Bennett
1555-
John Pavey 1581-1645 = Mary Knight
1585-1677
John Pavey 1611-1696 = Cicelye
Vincent
Medad Pavey 1650-1725 = Jane Pine
Daughter Mary Pavey bapt 06/06/1693
= Daniel Civil
|
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.
Steve Horner replies:
I was
delighted to receive your e-mail about
Thomas Batten, there are a number of us in
the Parish of Yarcombe who have been trying
over the past few years to assemble
information about those men who gave their
lives in the Great War, it is a struggle as
little was recorded at the time and in fact
the war memorial in the Church has less
detail than a more comprehensive list in the
Baptist Church. We are thus most
appreciative that you have contacted us.
The Dead Man's penny was presented to the
parish by the Carillon War Memorial Museum
in January 2017 and now hangs in the Baptist
Church where Thomas and his family
worshipped. The service numbers
you quote are correct and I understand the
shorter indicates he would have signed up
quite early in the war. You are
also correct about the surname Doble, the
family still live in the village.
Thomas and his family lived at No 1 The
Beacon which sits on the hill above the
village, he enlisted in Dorchester into 21st
Bucks battalion Ox and Bucks Light Infantry.
He was killed on the 1st April 1918 aged 28
years and is listed as “Missing presumed
dead”. He has no known grave and
is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial.
See a photo of Thomas (right) which
might be of interest to you. If
possible we would appreciate a photograph of
Thomas' medals, indeed we would be very
interested in purchasing these to add to the
Dead Man`s Penny in the Baptist Church.
With very kind regards. |
|
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
"Jen" replies:
Thank you for getting back to me
and so quickly! I only sent my
question the other day. I am
coming to the conclusion that the house may
only date to sometime just before the second
world war and so not where my grandfather
was born. I found the news
article
(right, click to enlarge)
about a Mr Neild who apparently shot
himself there in what is described as a
bungalow in 1928, that may have been a
forerunner of the current house.
It does lend itself to the place having a
few sad stories attached, I think many
places do, but we can move on and still
enjoy them in our own time and place.
There could be maybe a book to be written
about the place though if you are into
mysteries... Thanks again for
getting in touch, your insight has helped
and added some colour to the house for me. |
|
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:
1737 William Palmer
1783 William Palmer
1800 William Palmer
1854 Percy Gilpin
1866 Mortimer William Ford
|
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:
Rev William Palmer 1 born abt
1669 Broadclyst died Clyst Hydon 22
June 1726
Rev William Palmer 2 born 16 August
1701 died Combe Raleigh 25 November
1784
Rev William Palmer 3 born 13 April
1732 Combe Raleigh died Cricket
Mallerbie 1801
Rev William Palmer 4 born Chardstock
1770 died 1853 |
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:
|
Frederick Bright born 1760 Yarcombe
died 1813 Chard |
his Father: |
Benjamin Bright born 1735 Yarcombe
died 1813 Yarcombe |
his Father: |
Benjamin Bright born 1686 Yarcombe
died 1746 Yarcombe |
his Father: |
William Bright born 1645 Devon? died
1707 Yarcombe |
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
1841 Census (6 Jun): Yarcombe Devon
SD: Combe St Nicholas RD: Axminster
EP: St John the Baptist
HO107 Book: 22 Piece: 201 Folio: 3
P. 1 Sch: Res: Mareyhayes
Robert Lee 75 b. 1766 Tailor b.
Devon
Elizabeth (____)? 35 b. 1806 s, m, W
? b. Devon
Ruth 14 b. 1827 b. Devon
Eliza 10 b. 1831 b. Devon
Mary 4 b. 1837 b. Devon
Anne 2 mo. b. 1841 (b. Apr) b. Devon
John 3 b. 1807 b. Devon
———————
1851 Census: Farway Dorset SD: Lyme
RD: Axminster EP:
HO107 Piece: 1862 Folio: 378 P. 15
Sch: 61 Res:
Note: Transcribed as “Domett”, but
later in use by family as “Dommett”
& “Dummett"
Ann Dommett 54 b. 1797 s, Shopkeeper
b. Chardstock Dorset
John Dommett 27 b. 1824 s,
Cordwainer b. Chardstock Dorset
Ruth (Dommett) Lee 40 b. 1811 w,
Washer Woman b. Chardstock Dorset
Ann Lee 9 b. 1842 Niece, Scholar b.
Yarcombe? Devon
Samuel D(ummett) Lee 7 b. 1844
Nephew, Scholar b. Chardstock Dorset
Note: Thomas Dommett (Bro, b. 1823) |
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:
Ann Dommett
unmarried
54 b. 1797 s, Shopkeeper b.
Chardstock Dorset
John Dommett
unmarried
27 b. 1824 s, Cordwainer b.
Chardstock Dorset
Ruth (Dommett) Lee
widow
40 b. 1811 w, Washer Woman b.
Chardstock Dorset
Ann Lee 9 b. 1842 Niece, Scholar b.
Yarcombe? (why
? in my definitely Yarcombe)
Devon
Samuel D(ummett) Lee 7 b. 1844
Nephew, Scholar b. Chardstock Dorset
Note: Thomas Dommett (Bro, b. 1823)
not on census how does he fit in? |
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
Robert Lee 75 b. 1766 Tailor b.
Devon
Elizabeth (_Ditto___)?
35 b. 1806 s, m, W ?
Not stated
b. Devon
Ruth 14 b. 1827 b. Devon
Eliza 10 b. 1831 b. Devon
Mary 4 b. 1837 b. Devon
Anne 2 mo. b. 1841 (b. Apr) b. Devon
John 3 b. 1807 b. Devon |
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.
Peter Woodrow responds:
Thanks for your quick reply.
Appreciate your looking into this and your
suggestions. Another trip to
England is high on our priority list, as
soon as we are allowed to travel out of
Australia. That looks like being
around this time next year!
Frustrating as that is, it is the closed
borders that have kept Australia largely
free of Covid so most people accept it.
We certainly intend to visit Yarcombe on our
next trip.
August 2023
Peter Woodrow adds:
In 2 days time we are heading to England for
our first trip there since the emails above
in May 2021. We have organised
our itinerary so we will have 3 nights in
Yarcombe so I can see where my Woodrow/Woodrough
ancestors lived. It would be
great if while we are there we could meet
some of the locals, who could perhaps
suggest key points of interest.
We are in Yarcombe from 10-13 Sept.
Steve Horner replies:
Great to hear from you once again.
Did you follow through with my suggestion
that you contact the Membury Local History
Society?
Peter Woodrow writes:
Thanks for your quick reply. I
did email Jenny Beaman (in May 21) as you
suggested but didn't get a response so
didn't go any further with that.
I will try again now.
Steve Horner replies:
Peter, I feel certain the answer lies in
Membury. I believe there is also
a Membury history society.
Please remind them the area of Yarcombe
where I think your ancestors may have lived
was until about 1850 an outlying part of the
parish of Membury. Good hunting.
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:
• Johns' mother Mary uses Harner
alias Turner in her will in 1654.
• John's uncle Roger uses Harner
alias Turner at his marriage in 1613
• John's sister Purnell is baptised
as Harner alias Turner but buried as
Turner alias Harner
• John's sister Rawlyne is baptized
as Harner in 1611 and buried as
Turner in 1653
• John's son Thomas is Harner alias
Turner at his marriage to Charity
Stevens
• John's grandson William is Turner
alias Harner in his will in 1735.
• John's great-grandson John (son of
William above) is Turner alias
Harner in his will of 1762 |
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.
Steve Horner replies:
I took the opportunity of visiting
Andy Podbery who lives at Rosshayne Farm,
who has kindly lent me an aerial photo of
his farm (right). I suspect it
was taken in about 1970 when his parents
lived there. As yet I have not
been to see David Meyrick who lives at
Higher Pithayne. Just out of
interest I would refer you to Ruth Everitt`s
book “From Monks to the Millennium” which
has much information about each building in
the Parish. I am not certain if
you have a copy of this excellent book,
however an electronic copy can be obtained
from Miranda Gudenian, this may provide you
with more information about your ancestors
who lived in Yarcombe. Finally
below is a scan of the page from Lady
Drake`s history of the Drake family which
provides more detail of the Court Case
between Thomas Drake and Rev Thomas Major in
a dispute over tithes:
|
|
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:
Steve, I have had a quick look at
the extensive Turner family of
Stockland but not found the John
Turner mentioned in the letter.
From the Muster Roll of 1539 there
is a John Turner of Rydewaye
(Rodway) Stockland, Walter Turner
and Philip Turner. In
1640 there was a Roger Turner of
Millhayes, Stockland.
Burials at Stockland include Roger
in 1643, John son of John, 1644,
Agnes, widow 1645, Benjamin 1646,
John 1647 and so on. The
Turner als. Harner were buried in Yarcombe as you know including Aug.
21 1659 John, son of John Turner al.
Harner and June 16 1659 Elinor wife
of John Turner al. Turner.
Six years earlier Dec. 16 1653
Thomas, son of John Turner al.
Harner and Elinor his wife.
From the Stockland Burial Register
is Elizabeth Harner al. Turner Nov.
1726. |
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
was greatly impressed with your Latin motto,
which roughly translates to “He who wants
gets”. Many years ago when I sat
the exams to gain entry to Oxford (which I
failed !) a paper in Latin was compulsory,
fortunately I had taken Latin as a subject
to the age of 16 so I had to dust off my old
text books and greatly enjoyed the subject.
I have now located the will of Thomas Maior,
it's in the Devon Archives:
Will of Thomas Maior 1627 of Yarcombe from
the Devon Wills Index 1163-1999
Source MOGA;
Ref Vol 13 p.4416-8
There is a two month back log to obtain
copies although if I have a moment I will
try and arrange a personal visit and make a
copy which I will send to you in due
course.
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:
John Immanuel Tremellius
1510-1580. Italian Reformer and
Semitic scholar. Born in Ferrara of
Jewish parentage, he was educated at
Padua and won to Christianity
through Cardinal Pole in 1540.
The following year, while Tremellius
was teaching at Lucca, Peter Martyr
Vermigli's influence led him to
adopt Protestantism. He
fled the Inquisition* (1542),
journeying to Strasbourg, where he
taught Hebrew in Johannes Sturm's
school. In 1547, during
the Smalcaldic War, he fled to
England, and in 1549 became reader
in Hebrew at Cambridge.
At the accession of Mary Tudor he
left England for the Continent,
serving as tutor to the children of
the duke of Zweibrücken (1555-59),
as headmaster of the Hornbach
gymnasium (1559-60), and professor
of OT studies at Heidelberg
(1561-77). He ended his
career teaching Hebrew at Sedan,
where he died.
Tremellius is best known for his
Latin translation of the Hebrew
Scriptures (5 vols., 1575-79), long
used as the most accurate Latin
Bible. He also
translated Calvin's Catechism into
Hebrew and Greek (1551) and
published Bucer's Ephesians
Commentary from lectures he heard at
Cambridge (1562), and an Aramaic and
Syriac Grammar (1569). |
Steve Horner reports:
I have now been able to obtain a
synopsis of the will of Thomas Major
(right). My apologies
that this took some little time, the
delay has arisen due to COVID
restrictions in the County Archives
department. I mention
that this is a synopsis or summary,
I understand that the original was
destroyed by the Luftwaffe
(Baedecker raid in the blitz April
May 1942) which destroyed a large
part of the Diocesan archive.
Fortunately we still have summary
documents. The document
contains a wealth of information
about Thomas Major and his family
which I hope you will find of
interest, and if per chance it adds
any further detail to your tree as
shown on ancestry I would be
grateful of an update.
Please keep in contact, your query
has produced some very valuable
details about past residents of our
parish. |
|
David Wilton writes:
I like
your rapacious translation of the motto and
will use it 🙂 The gentler official version
is "Those who have the will have the
ability", basically Where there's a will
there's a way. Thank you very
much for locating Thomas Major's will.
I will happily cover any costs you incur in
obtaining a copy. I have found
wills to be very useful in making the
correct connections between people, which
are often not clear from the parish records.
who was close to who and
people's concerns, like an ancestor from
London, a member of the Clockmarker's
Company, the main point of whose long will
was to ensure that his property went to his
son and was not diverted by his wife to her
sons by her first marriage. The
oddest I have come across is one of Sir
William Pole of Shute, Master of the
Household to Queen Anne who had married the
daughter of a local yeoman and somehow kept
it quiet for over 20 years despite having a
family.
David Wilton adds:
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.
David Wilton adds:
Post-covid I am back to traveling
frequently and with no social life in the
evenings I amuse myself with Ancestry.com.
I discovered that Mary Newbery who married
John Turner alias Harner in 1730 is the
4th great grand daughter of John Newbery who
died in 1588, who is the common ancestor of
the Newberys who emigrated to the USA.
This piqued my interest in the emigrants,
and I have been tracing their descendants in
the USA. I have only scratched
the surface, but as they arrived early and
were successful their descendants are an
interesting lot! They include:
. |
Rev Samuel Russell, one of the
founders of Yale University |
. |
Maj Gen Oliver Wolcott, one of the
signors of the Declaration of
Independence |
. |
Brig Gen Rutherford B Hayes,
19th President of the United States
of America |
|
and on a
more colorful note: |
. |
John Humphry Noyes who founded the
Oneida community and coined the term
'complex marriage'. |
You can trace this on my tree on
Ancestry.com 888dew.
Steve Horner responds:
I was most fascinated to read your
two latest e-mails to me demonstrating the
links between Yarcombe and several of the
prominent characters in the history of your
great nation.
We have recorded your ancestors under
Ancestral Search 59, however the link
between your Mary Newbery who married John
Turner in 1730 now overlaps a huge amount of
information on the Newberry family to be
found at
Ancestral Search 51 from which I quote:
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. |
Just to recapitulate may I enquire
if all the American Newberrys who seem to
have been a very prolific and substantial
family can all trace back their ancestry to
this Thomas Newberry ?
David Wilton writes:
Americans seem to have had a binge
on ancestry in the late 1800s and early
1900s and there are a lot of publications
from those periods which have reasonably
well researched trees which I want to
reference. As a starting point I
have ordered a book by the New England
Historical Genealogical Society on the
ancestry of the Presidents of the US and
will look at this when I get home at the end
of March. From what I have seen
on their website I think the two President's
Bush are also Newberry descendants.
I do not think all US Newberry's are
descended from Thomas and Richard Newberry.
There will have been many others of the name
emigrate over the decades.
Thomas seems to have emigrated about
10 years before his 2nd cousin Richard, and
from what I can see so far was much more
prominent. I have hardly made a start
on tracking Richard's descendants as the
data is comparatively sparce.
Thomas's line on the other hand has a lot of
information as his children married into
some of the top families of movers and
shakers of the time - Russells, Walcotts,
Allyns, Clarks, Griswolds - and this pattern
is repeated to some extent in each
succeeding generation as Griswold's marry
Gardeners of Gardiner's Island who marry
Tylers (son of President John Tyler) and
Russells marry Sturges's who marry Codmans
and Cabots.
Thomas' case is an unusual one of
having been near the top of the tree at the
inception of a great enterprise.
David Wilton adds:
The Newbery connection in the US has
become crazy - I have found that two of my
friends in Philadelphia are 12th cousins!
I have come across another Newbery
connection in Stockland, which from memory
Jacob Newbery thinks is 'Newbery Ground
Zero'. I am descended from the Tytherleigh's
who married one of the Frye's of Yarty, so I
went looking at them and found the attached
entry from the 1620 Visitation of Devon. It
shows the Fryes married an heiress of Robert
Newberie of Stockland and quartered the
Newbery arms: a black shield with a silver
bar with wavy edges across the center,
between three silver stars (I am translating
out of armorial-speak). The visitation does
not provide dates, but another source
suggests that Robert Newbery might have been
born in the early-to-mid 1500s.
David Wilton adds:
Pic from ‘Ancestors of American Presidents’
showing Thomas is the ancestor of Presidents
Hayes and Ford. Although the
Bushes are related to Hayes, Ford, Bess
Truman and Nancy Regan it is through
multiple other descents, not the Newberrys.
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:
Mary was born about 1693
Parents Medad Pavey and Jane Pine
Grand parents John Pavey and Cicilye
Vincent
GGP John Pavey and Mary
GGGP Charles Pavey and Elizabeth
GGGGP Symon Pavey b 1524
|
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:
This morning on my way to Chard I
stopped off at Yarcombe Church.
I took out the Baptism Register and
had a look for the baptism of Ralph
Anthony Rosewell. No
record of him being baptised in
Yarcombe. I think a bit
more information may be required.
He could have been baptised in the
Church where his parents were
married or where one of them was
baptised. There have
been people by the name of Rosewell
living in Luppitt. That
parish comes under Dunkeswell.
The administrater there is Sara and
can be contacted by email
admin@dunkeswell.org.uk.
So sorry to be of not much help this
time. I would be
interested to know if you find the
answer. |
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):
Born at Aller Farm, Awliscombe,
Devon, 1917
Family moved to Woodhayes, Luppitt,
1921
Farmer's son at Woodhayes, Luppitt,
Devon, 1930-1937
Farm Labourer at Chaffhayes Farm,
Yarcombe, Devon, 1937-1939
Dairy Farmer at Priory Farm,
Wellington, Somerset, 1939-1941
(There on 29 September 1939)
(ST143209)
'War-Ag' Foreman at Sutton Road
Farm, Somerton, Somerset, 1941-1948
(ST483282)
Dairy Farmer at Sutton Road Farm,
Somerton, Somerset, 1948-1952.
Dairy Farmer at Hillside Farm,
Mudford, Somerset, 1952-1986
(ST564180)
Retired to Tresco, Primrose Lane,
Yeovil (ST566180) |
Notes about Ida Eva Coles
(1915-2001):
Born at Huggins Farm, Wick,
Luppitt.1915 AKA Hugginswick,
Luppitt (ST171038)
Dairymaid at Chaffhayes, Yarcombe,
Devon, c. 1930-1937 (ST251068)
Farmer's wife at Wellington,
Somerton and Mudford, Somerset |
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:
CHAFFHAY
An interesting small seventeenth
century farmhouse with a late
nineteenth century extension,
originally it was probably a
two-roomed house. It was
first mentioned in a rental in 1445
as "Chelfehay‟, which has been
interpreted to mean "calves
enclosure‟. The farm was
named in an Indenture between Agyys,
Abbess of Syon Abbey in Middlesex
and John Gardener of Yarcombe,
yeoman. John Gardener
was given the lease of Court Place
and certain parcels of barton land
called "Chaffeys‟ and "Weychechm‟,
with their appurtenances, for 80
years. The Indenture is
dated January 28th 1525.
In the Land Tax Survey of 1727
Samuel Cozens was the occupier, who
paid tax of £1. 9s. 5½d. for Cheafy
and 4s. 2½d. for Wickham.
By the late eighteenth century it
belonged to Lord Heathfield, and
William Locock was a long-time
tenant. The grandson,
Rev. R.P.D.Hurford, of another
occupier, Samuel Hurford, went to
Canada as a missionary and obtained
a Doctor of Divinity degree at
Wycliffe College, Toronto. |
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:
• Robert Northam b 1735 married
Elizabeth Culverwell 1735-1814
• Simon Northam b 1757 married Ann
Jewell |
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
Steve Horner replies:
My apologies for not answering your
query at an earlier date, I was reminded by
your friend Jane Chislett who is also
researching ancestors with a connection to
Yarcombe. Firstly let me explain
that the Willie family have very strong
connections with the neighbouring parish of
Otterford and there is a very comprehensive
Willie family tree on the wall of the parish
hall in Bishopswood. However in
your email you refer to the Will of Henry
Willie born 25 October 1699 in Otterford
died 4th December 1792, buried in Otterford.
I attach some notes (right) concerning the
Willie family which includes the will of
Henry Willie. I have a
particular personal interest in Henry
because as his will established he owned the
farm where I now live, which is called Old
Woodhayne, which is in Yarcombe.
In the will the farm is named as Woodhays
Estate ,however the identity is certain
because other properties mentioned in the
will are identified and many have the same
name today as set out in the will. |
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The following persons are mentioned in
Henry`s will:
Mary his wife (nee Billings)
1700-1757 whom he married in Taunton
St Mary 5th July 1730
His children
William 1730- who married Mary
Newton on 15h February 1767
And their sons John and Henry
Grace 1735-1762 who married Joel
Spiller in 1755
And their son Henry
John 1737-1822 who married Amy
Clarke in 1762 and secondly Mary
Everard in 1800
And their sons William and Henry
Also mentioned is Richard Willie
otherwise Newton to whom he
bequeathed “all that estate called
Purses and Norses in the parish of
Upottery”
|
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.
Steve Horner replies:
Many thanks for your prompt reply,
which fills in some gaps in my understanding
of your family tree. I am also
grateful to you for making me re-examine the
will of Henry Willey which contains many
useful facts not only about the Willie
family but also land holdings in this
immediate area. On the right is
a segment of the huge wall chart of the
Willie tree as displayed in the Bishopswood
village hall (click to enlarge).
If you plan to be in the area I will try to
obtain the key to the hall to give you
access to this magnificent piece of
research. |
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February
2021
I am looking for any information
about the Flood family of Yarcombe:
8th GGF George Flood 1661 - 1716 m
Margaret (Vincent) Goodman, possibly
a widow of John Vincent.
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John Flood 1632 - 1682 m Joanna
Hooper 1632 Upottery - 1670 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?
Their names are: |
2 of their children: |
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Thomas Summerhayes . d.1657
Thomasine Summerhayes. d.1668 |
Richard Summerhayes d. 1664
Thomas Summerhayes. d.1684 |
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: |
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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. |
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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.
Peter Tarrant comments:
Ancestral Search 59 contains references
to the Newberry name.
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 see Extract 3 in
Ancestral Search 10 which shows an excerpt from the
book “From Monks to the Millennium” covering 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. |
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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.
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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!
Mark Dixon replies:
I'm still studying this paper (right),
but thought I would send it along for your
perusal. In brief, the author is
trying to make a case that Yarcombe
immigrant Thomas Newberry was a cousin of
another Newberry immigrant, Richard, who
left England about 10 years later.
In this theory, both are descendants of John
and Agnes Newberry of Membury.
As I said, I'm still absorbing this, but I'd
welcome your opinion. |
|
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:
1. |
Fig 1 page 5 is I believe correct
except I can find no evidence for
John being the father of William. |
2. |
The paragraphs about the marriages
of John Newbery/ Christian Turner (
1561) and George Battin/ Elizabeth
1562 seem to me to be a red herring
-although this information may prove
valuable in due course. |
3. |
The burial records for Yarcombe
which can be accessed from Ancestral
Searches indicate the only John
Newbery to have been buried at about
this time was John in 1644 which
might suggest if he married at the
age of 20 he was born in 1541 and
died at the great age 0f 103! |
4. |
On page 7 there is mention of the
will of William Newbery of Yarcombe
dated 1596- I must obtain a copy of
this , probably in summary form as
Herr Hitler`s Luftwaffe destroyed
the originals whilst bombing the
city of Exeter. |
5. |
The legal documents of the Star
Chamber have excellent provenance
and must therefore be accurate. The
Farm house of Osmore still exists
although I am not certain it is a
Manor as mentioned on page 9. |
6. |
Then on page 13 we have a great leap
into the unknown although there is
some logic in the hypothesis; I
intend to ask Bryan Drew who has
written an excellent history of
Stockland if he has any knowledge of
this family, the earliest mention of
the Newbery family is the book is
Robert Newbery, a serge weaver of
Townsend farm who made his Will in
1688. |
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.
• For the tyth of all the haye
growen and cut upon one tenemement
linge in Haye nowe in the tenure or
occupation of Richard Newberie.
Haye seems to be located adjacent to
Moorpit farm which lies in the
southern half of the parish.
• For the tyth of all the hay growen
and cut upon one tenement nowe in
the tenure or occupation of Richard
Newberie called Powdhill.
I am not familiar with the name
Powdhill ( Powedhill) it seems to
lie to the east of the centre of the
village of Yarcombe. |
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.
Steve Horner adds:
Here is a transcription (right) of
the Will of William Newbery which may be of
use to you. In previous
correspondence you queried how I found the
maiden name of his wife Ellyne - it may be
that the significant bequest to Thristryam
Smithe and William Smithe, John Smithe and
their children is a clue to a relationship
with this family through his wife? |
|
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
Roger Newbery of Stockland.
Yeoman. 30th Oct. 1606.
Proved 1606/7 by son John.
Daughters - Thomazine Turner and
son, Joanne - wife of Rafe Beare.
Son-in-law - Roger Newbery and his
wife my daughter, Bridget.
Agnes - wife of Richard Davy.
Son - Richard Newbery. So 4 dau. and
1 son.
Overseers - Nicholas and Barnard
Fry.
John Newbery of Dalwood.
Proved 8th June 1619 by relict
Joanne.
Wife - Johane. Sons -
Richard and William. Daughters -
Florence, Mary, Johane and
Elizabeth. Father-in-law
- Richard Gill. Brothers
- Thomas, Henry, Richard Newbery and
Richard Gill overseers.
Richard Newbery the Elder of
Stockland will 1627.
Sons - Richard Newbery, John Newbery
and Robert Newberie.
Apprentice - John Newberie.
Preach at funeral - Mr Skinner.
Wife - Johane. Brothers-
Thomas Newberie and Henry Newberie.
Brother-in-law - Will. Beaker.
Walter Newbery Oct. 15th 1657.
Proved Dec. 4th 1657.
Sons - John, Elias and William.
Daughter - Joan, Wife - Mary.
A stock of bees to each exit.
William Newbery of Lake, Stockland
1662.
Wife - Agnes. Daughters - Elizabeth
Newbery and Joanne Mann.
Grandchild - William Dare.
Son - Robert Newbery. Sons-in-law -
John Mann and William Dare.
Friend - John Newbery of Northeale,
( Northill) Stockland.
Richard Newbery of Esthill
(Easthill) 1663.
Wife - Johane, Daughters - Marie,
Charity, Mary and Rawling.
Sons - Richard and William.
Owing to me - Robert Newbery of
Esthill in the parish of Stockland
£1 - 14s.
John Newbery of Lane End, Stockland
1667.
Sons - Thomas Newbery and John
Newbery. Wife - Anstice.
Friends - John Davy of Rose Farm,
Stockland and Thomas Denning of
Yarcombe.
Elizabeth Newbery of Stockland 1667.
Father - Richard Newbery.
Brothers - John and Richard Newbery.
Mother - no name.
Cousins - Marie Grinfull and William
Newbery.
Richard Newbery of Hill, Stockland
1671.
Brother - William Newbery.
Sister - Thomasin White.
William’s children - William, Thomas
and Jane.
Sons - John and Richard.
John Newbery of Northeale (Northill)
Stockland 1670.
Daughters - Agnes and Elizabeth.
Son - John Newbery.
Daughter - Mary Trott wife of John
Trott. Their sons, Henry
Trott and John Trott. A
daughter, Hannah Trott.
Daughter - Joan Newbery wife of
William Newbery of Monkton, Honiton.
Two sons of William and Joan
Newbery, William and John Newbery.
Grandson - John Deeme, son of my
daughter, Susanna Deeme (lately
deceased) and Hannah Deeme, daughter
of Susannah.
John Newbery 1687.
Sisters - Mary Trott, Joan, wife of
Will. Newbery,
Elizabeth, wife of Edmund Cloade.
Brother - William Newbery.
Robert Newbery of Yarcombe 1677 (
burial at Yarcombe).
Daughter - Elizabeth (Trim)
Granddaughter - Mary. “ all that my
estate lying in and being in the
tithing of Burch ( Birch) in the
parish of Membury (before boundary
change). Wife - Anstice.
Sons - Samuell Newbery - my tenement
of Moore Pitt and Henry Newbery.
Robert Newbery of Townsend,
Stockland, Sergeweaver. 1688.
Brothers - John, Richard and William
Newbery.
Wife - Mary. Sons -
Robert, John and Richard Newbery.
Robert Newbery of Ford, Stockland
1688. Mentions house at Towne.
|
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.
John Newbery “suspected” of
Stockland.
John Newbery of Membury named.
Sam Newbery and another John Newbery
named.
Joseph Newbery of Yarcombe “wanting“
to be transported but not shipped or
sold.
Reprieved. John Newbery of Yarcombe
“wanting“ at large, pardoned and
dismissed.
Samuel Newbery of Yarcombe “wanting”
seen in Monmouth’s camp.
Pardoned. |
Stockland Napoleonic Home Guard 1803
Wm. Newbery Labourer, age 40, Thos.
Newbery, labourer, 50. Sam. Newbery,
lab. 28,
Thomas Newbery, lab. 19. John
Newbery lab. 19. James Newbery, lab.
22, Will. Newbery lab. 23. |
Court Rolls of Stockland 1547.
6th Sept. 1547. And William Newby
(3d) to answer with John Newby to be
sworn to the assize of the Lord
King. Again from the northern
tithing Robert Newby (3d), another
Robert Newby (3d). Southern Tithing.
Two jurors of the twelve were John
Newby and missing first name Newby.
‘ and that John Newby and John
Deyman hold between them the
execution of the office of reeve at
the nomination of the Steward and
the said Steward appoints John Newby
who is sworn etc. |
Northern Tithing 1548.
William Newby who owed suit of court
on this day and did not come and
therefore is in mercy.
Another court in 1548 states And
that William Newby sold one (a tree)
against the assize of the Lord King
and therefore is in mercy.
William and John Newby were two of
the jurors sworn. |
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:
Richard Newbery the Elder of
Stockland - 1627
Richard Newbery of Hill, Stockland -
1671
John Newbery of Northill, Stockland
- 1670
Robert Newbery of Yarcombe - 1677 |
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.
Richard Newbery the Elder. Will of
1627:
Does not mention any residence but
gives 10 shillings to the poor of
Stockland.
Richard Newbery of Hill 1671:
All I have is to William Newbery my
brother £20, To Thomasin White my
sister £5,
To William’s 3 children, William,
Thomas and Jane £5 each.
To son John 1 score of ewes and
lambs.
To son Richard 2 cowes, 1 called by
name of Hillcox, the other called
the stared heifer.
There was a farm called Hill Cross
now a private dwelling with the
fields now sold off.
John Newbery of Northill 1670:
Other than the names already given
no other residences noted.
Northill is still a working farm
with the dairy only sold in the last
year or so.
Robert Newbery of Yarcombe 1677:
I give and bequeath unto the poor
people of the said parish of
Yarcombe, the sum of £10, the
profits thereof to remain to them
for ever, to be distributed to them
yearly by the present church
wardens and overseers of the poor of
the same parish, for the time being.
As I have previously written, Birch
and Moorpit are mentioned. Also
perhaps not previously mentioned ‘I
give unto William Bovey, my
grandchild, all my tenement in
Marshwood Vale, in the county of
Dorset, now in the tenure, life or
occupation of Thomas Beavissney and
immediately after my decease. |
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:
Name |
Property
|
Date
|
Page |
|
|
|
|
Newbery, Ann |
--- |
1685 |
11 |
Newbery, John |
Middle Moorhayne |
1685,1727 |
11, 108 |
Newbery, Robert |
Blackhayes, Broadley, |
1700, 1798 |
13, 95, 96 |
--- |
Rosehayne, South Waterhayne |
1727 |
112,114 |
--- |
Underdown, Livenhayes |
1727 |
119, 106 |
Newbury, Samuel |
Grovewell, Livenhayes, Moorpit |
1662, 1727 |
02,106,109 |
Newbery, Susanna |
Livenhayes |
1727 |
106 |
Newbery, Thomas |
Shutlands |
18th C |
13, 63 |
Newman, Mary |
--- |
1596 |
8 |
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?
• Elizabeth ascended the throne in
November 1558 so her 23rd year of
her reign would be 1581 ?
• The Feast of Purification is
nowadays 2nd February and line 43
states third day of March
|
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.
Constituency
Dates
DUNHEVED
1558
Family and Education
b. by 1514, 2nd s. of Richard Haydon
of Woodbury, Devon by 1st w. Joan,
da. of Maurice Trent of Ottery St.
Mary; bro. of George. educ. L. Inn,
adm. 10 July 1529, called 1539. m.
settlement 1526-7, Jane, da. and h.
of Robert Grenville of Cadhay, s.p.1
Offices Held
Pensioner, L. Inn 1564, ass. bencher
1567.
Escheator, Devon and Cornw. Nov.
1539-Jan. 1541; attorney, city of
Exeter from 1544; under steward,
escheated lands of Marquess of
Exeter in Cornw. Devon and Som. from
1545, former lands of St. Anthony in
Roseland abbey from 1545, manors of
Abbotsham, Cornwood and Hatherleigh,
Devon from 1545, Ottery St. Mary by
1546, Bradninch, Devon till c.1558.2
Biography
John Haydon owed his single return
to Parliament to his employment by
the duchy of Cornwall which owned
the borough of Dunheved, and to his
marriage into a branch of the
Grenville family influential in its
locality. His fellow-Member Robert
Monson was, like him, a Lincoln’s
Inn man. Haydon was a man of some
wealth whose professional services
were retained by several magnates in
Devon and by the corporation of
Exeter, and who ‘enlarged his
demesnes’ by the acquisition of
lands in the neighbourhood of his
home; on 27 Nov. 1539 he bought some
of the buildings of Dunkeswell abbey
from Sir John Russell, Baron
Russell, and some of the Marquess of
Exeter’s forfeited estates from the
crown, and seven years later he
purchased a property called
Huntebere in Ottery St. Mary from
Thomas Goodwin, of whose will he was
later named an overseer. His wealth
seems to have been derived not only
from professional fees and the
perquisites of his various offices
but also from his business as a
property agent. In the closing years
of Henry VIII’s life he and Thomas
Gibbs were engaged in buying and
selling monastic lands; in April
1545 they paid nearly £900 for
property in Exeter, which less than
a year later they sold at the same
price to Sir John Williams. In July
1547 Haydon, Thomas Horner† and
others purchased an Oxfordshire
manor only to sell it again in the
following April to Oliver Hyde.3
Under Elizabeth, Haydon spent much
time in London, where he was active
in the affairs of his inn, in
particular in its reconstruction. He
also undertook the building of ‘a
fair new house’ at Cadhay, using
materials from the former college at
Ottery. It was perhaps to atone for
this spoliation that he helped to
negotiate the foundation of a
grammar school at Ottery and became
one of its first four governors. He
died on 9 Mar. 1588 and was buried
at Ottery St. Mary, where a monument
was erected to his memory: the heir
to his lands was his great-nephew
Robert Haydon, who had married the
eldest daughter of Sir Amias
Paulet†.4
Ref Volumes: 1509-1558
Author: J. J. Goring |
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.
John Webb
enquires: Hi,
I found an article on your website under
Ancestral Search 51 (above)
“Two early Settlers” written by Jacob
Newbury in 2019. I would very
much like to contact him do you have contact
details for him, and are you able to relay
this message to him. My interest
is the Roger Newberys of Stockland Circa
1600. Regards,
John Webb
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:
Our
sincerest and deepest sympathy goes
out to Mrs Collins and her three
small children, her husband’s death
at the front is the first that this
parish has been called upon to
mourn. |
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:
-
Collins, Cpl Harry
10217 6th Bn Somerset Light
Inf. 16th September
1916. Age 30.
-
Son of Mr and Mrs Collins of
Meanwood Buckland St Mary
Chard Somerset.
-
Husband
of Florence Mabel Pidgeon
(formerly Collins) of Old
Machine Gun cottage,
Tramway, Hirwain,
-
, Glam.
|
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.
|
|
|
1916 Postcard |
Newspaper Cuttings |
1915 Postcard |
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?
The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the
Missing of the Somme, bears the names of
more than 72,000 officers and men of the
United Kingdom and South African forces who
died in the Somme sector before 20 March
1918 and have no known grave.
Over 90% of those commemorated died between
July and November 1916. The
memorial also serves as an Anglo-French
Battle Memorial in recognition of the joint
nature of the 1916 offensive and a small
cemetery containing equal numbers of
Commonwealth and French graves lies at the
foot of the memorial.
The memorial, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens,
was built between 1928 and 1932 and unveiled
by the Prince of Wales, in the presence of
the President of France, on 1 August 1932
(originally scheduled for 16 May but due to
the death of French President Doumer the
ceremony was postponed until August).
|
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.
|
Surname |
First name(s) |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Births Jun 1902 (>99%) |
Collins |
Arthur Hedley R |
Okehampton |
5b |
357 |
Births Dec 1902 (>99%) |
Collins |
Arthur Edward R |
Okehampton |
5b |
346 |
Births Sep 1905 (>99%) |
Collins |
Arthur John |
St. Germans |
5c |
31 |
Births Mar 1910 (>99%) |
Collins |
Arthur |
Devonport |
5b |
270 |
Births Jun 1911 (>99%) |
Collins |
Arthur |
Honiton |
5b |
14 *** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Surname |
First name(s) /
Mother |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Births Sep 1911 (>99%) |
Collins |
Arthur / S
Payne |
Plymouth |
5b |
371 |
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.
|
Surname |
First name(s) |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Births Dec 1886 (>99%) |
Wakeley |
Florence Mabel |
Wellington |
5c |
316 |
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:
COLLINS Corporal
10217 HARRY
16 September 1916
Age 30 THIEPVAL
MEMORIAL Pier and
Face 2 A. |
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:
|
Surname |
First name(s) |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Marriages Mar 1910 (>99%) |
Collins |
Harry |
Taunton |
5c |
561 *** |
|
Cross |
Harry |
Taunton |
5c |
561 |
|
Lee |
Beatrice Elizabeth J |
Taunton |
5c |
561 |
|
Wakeley |
Florence Mabel |
Taunton |
5c |
561 *** |
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:
George COLLINS Baptism 21 Jan 1882
Somerset Combe St Nicholas : St
Nicholas : Parish Register Row 3
Parents William and Elizabeth |
George COLLINS Burial 20 Oct 1882
Somerset Combe St Nicholas : St
Nicholas : Parish Register Row 4
Age 9 months |
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:
|
Surname |
First name(s) /
Mother |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Births Sep 1912 (>99%) |
Collins |
Percy / Wakeley |
Chard |
5c |
598 |
Births Sep 1914 (>99%) |
Collins |
Florence / M Wakeley |
Honiton |
5b |
26 |
The marriage of Florence to Harry Pidgeon is
also in FreeBMD:
|
Surname |
First name(s) /
Spouse |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Marriages Sep 1920 (>99%) |
Collins |
Florence Pidgeon |
Taunton |
5c |
746 |
|
Pidgeon |
Harry / Collins |
Taunton |
5c |
746 |
The certificate can be obtained from this
reference. As for the next 3
children, I found this:
|
Surname |
First name(s) /
Mother |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Births Sep 1921 (>99%) |
Pidgeon |
Ivy / K Wakeley |
Merthyr T. |
11a |
1785 |
Births Sep 1923 (>99%) |
Pidgeon |
Florence / E Wakeley |
Merthyr T. |
11a |
1577 |
|
Pidgeon |
Harry / E Wakeley |
Merthyr T. |
11a |
1576 |
So they must have been twins.
Then:
|
Surname |
First name(s) /
Age |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Deaths Mar 1924 (>99%) |
Pidgeon |
IHarry E / 0 |
Merthyr T. |
11a |
1045 |
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:
|
Surname |
First name(s) |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Births Mar 1880 (>99%) |
Pidgeon |
Harry |
Honiton |
5b |
29 |
Births Sep 1880 (>99%) |
Pidgeon |
Harry |
Macclesfield |
8a |
151 |
Births Mar 1882 (>99%) |
Pidgeon |
Harry George |
Islington |
1b |
383 |
Births Mar 1883 (>99%) |
Pidgeon |
Harry |
Pontypridd |
11a |
373 |
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:
|
Surname |
First name(s) |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Births Dec 1886 (>99%) |
WAKELEY |
Florence Mabel |
Wellington |
5c |
316 |
For the marriage certificate of Harry
Pidgeon and Florence, this FreeBMD data:
|
Surname |
First name(s) /
Spouse |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Marriages Sep 1920 (>99%) |
Collins |
Florence / Pidgeon |
Taunton |
5c |
746 |
|
Pidgeon |
Harry / Collins |
Taunton |
5c |
746 |
As for a previous marriage of Mr Pidgeon,
I've found these 2 for S Wales, one matches
your finding:
|
Surname |
First name(s) |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Marriages Sep 1895 (>99%) |
Isaac |
John |
Merthyr T. |
11a |
1061 |
|
Pidgeon |
Harry |
Merthyr T. |
11a |
1061 |
|
Rees |
Edith Maude |
Merthyr T. |
11a |
1061 |
|
Thomaas |
Maude |
Merthyr T. |
11a |
1061 |
Marriages Jun 1903 (>99%) |
Mann |
Mary Elizabeth |
Pontypridd |
11a |
827 |
|
Pidgeon |
Harry |
Pontypridd |
11a |
827 |
|
Wade |
Catherine Sarah |
Pontypridd |
11a |
827 |
|
Wilding |
Thomas |
Pontypridd |
11a |
827 |
2nd marriage:
|
Surname |
First name(s) /
Mother/Spouse |
District |
Vol |
Page |
Marriages Sep 1920 (>99%) |
Collins |
Florence / Pidgeon |
Taunton |
5c |
746 |
|
Pidgeon |
Harry / Collins |
Taunton |
5c |
746 |
|
Thomas |
Adelaide / L White |
Taunton |
5c |
746 |
|
White |
George / Thomas |
Taunton |
5c |
746 |
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:
Percy COLLINS Baptism 22 Sep 1912
Somerset Combe St Nicholas : St
Nicholas : Parish Register Row 13
****?? Parents Harry and Amelia |
A little later the son of William Collins
(the brother of Harry Collins) dies in
infancy:
William Harold COLLINS Baptism 08
Feb 1914 Somerset Combe St Nicholas
: St Nicholas : Parish Register Row
15 Parents William & Amelia
William Harold COLLINS Burial 15 Apr
1914 Somerset Combe St Nicholas : St
Nicholas : Parish Register Row 16
Age 4 months |
William and Amelia were married in Buckland
a few years earlier:
Amelia JONES, William COLLINS
Marriage 23 Nov 1905 Somerset
Buckland St Mary : St Mary : Parish
Register Row 22 **5/11th sibling
Amelia Florence May COLLINS Baptism
23 Nov 1906 Somerset Buckland St
Mary : St Mary : Parish Register Row
23 Parents William & Amelia |
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Harry Pidgeon & Florence Collins'
Marriage Certificate |
|
|
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:
John DARE new tenants James VINCENT
and William HUCKAMS.
Samuel NEWBERRY new tenant Thomas
NEWBERRY
Elizabeth JEFFERY whose property was
in the Lords hands - presumably she
had no known heirs. |
In addition there are the names of
officers sworn in:
Thomas NEWBERRY and William
STECKLAND to be constables
Richard STEEVENS to be tithingman
George KNIGHT to be hayward. |
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.
Mike Morris comments:
Thank you for
making your excellent dissertation available
on this website. I have been
able to add two further generations to my
Knight family tree.
Mike Morris
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:
Ann Pike |
1747 |
1814 |
67 |
Eliz Pike |
1808 |
1834 |
26 |
Elizabeth Pike |
1772 |
1842 |
70 |
Henry Pike |
1767 |
1855 |
88 |
John Pike |
|
1568 |
|
Julian Pike |
|
1696 |
|
Rich Pike |
|
1690 |
|
Robert Pike |
|
1807 |
|
Robert Pike |
|
1808 |
|
Sarah Pike |
|
1791 |
|
David Pike asks:
I am a great-grandson
of Otto Pike who was born in Yarcombe.
I have recently received requests for
information about Otto from two separate
women who are DNA cousins of mine, but I
have only the data from the online Pike
Surname DNA Project which suggests
(presumably based on Otto’s marriage
certificate) that his father was a labourer
called William. Do you have any
information about a William Pike who might
have been born in c.1790 and died in c.
1850?
David Pike
March 2023
Peter Tarrant replies:
There
is a brief reference to a John Pike in
Ruth Everitt's book "From Monks to
the Millennium"
relating to the ownership of Beacon House
during the dates you believe William Pike
lived, reproduced here in
Ancestral Search 23. Please
check this entry in case further information
is unearthed later.
Steve
Horner adds: I
carried out some research on Otto Pike and
my notes indicate he was married to Ann
Bazley in Lyme Regis on 14th June 1846.
David Pike requests:
My wife and I shall be
motoring down from Pembrokeshire to Dorset
for a long weekend. Is there a
chance that I might meet Steve Horner
briefly? I attach my notes for
the trip:
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
Eleanor Dimond |
1795 |
F |
Levy Dimond |
1782 |
M |
Richard Dimond |
1710 |
M |
William Dimond |
1794 |
M |
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:
• Susan Perham Born 1838 and died
1929 |
• Richard as mentioned above |
• Mary Vine Perham Born 1840 and
died 1906 |
• Thomas Perham born 1842 and died
1931 |
• John (Archdeacon) Perham born 1844
and died 1928 |
• George Perham b 1848 died 1938 |
• Samuel Edwin Perham b 1850 and
died 1903 |
• Emma Jane Perham b 1851 and died
1929 |
• Frederick Perham b 1853 and died
1924 |
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
Luke
Denslow (1842-1919) |
|
1901
Census |
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‟!
|
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.
THE
OLD THATCH (also known as Birch
Cottages and Mill Cottages)
This
house was formerly two cottages
and was probably built in the
early nineteenth century, with a
major renovation in 1970 merging
the two. There are some narrowly
chamfered cross beams in the
main rooms and the fireplaces
have chamfered oak lintels with
run out stops. The property was
in Membury Parish until 1884,
and was probably originally
built to house workers for
either the agricultural or
milling industries that were
operating close by. In the 1891
Census the tenants at 'Mill
Cottages' were George Spiller
and George Farrant, both
agricultural workers.
|
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.
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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.
Mervyn Tims
responds: Here is
the 1922 polling record, with my
great grandparents George and Lucy
Frances Chick at Birch Cottages,
Yarcombe. Many thanks
for the photos. My great
grandfather always kept a good
garden of vegetables and always kept
chickens. They left
Birch cottage and lived at Beer
until he was aged 94. He
had an allotment there with fruit
and veg, plus his chickens.
One of his sons Bert Chick spent
much of his married life at
Yarcombe, and is now buried there.
The photos will now be part of the
family history story.
Again, many thanks. Kind
regards, Mervyn
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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
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1
Mrs Edwin Spiller
2 Mrs Baker
3 Rev Baker preacher
4 Connie Rich
5 Arthur Bailey
6 Dulcie Rich
7 Marjorie Warren
8 Mr Wide
9 Charlie McCarthy |
10
Mrs Wide
11 friend of Charlie!
12 Mrs Rosie Clarke
13 Luta Newberry
14 Mrs James Doble
15 Rose Bond
16 Janet Arscott
17 Clifford Arscott
18 Mr Warren |
19
Robert Rich
20 Rev Stanley Jordan Newhouse
21 Page Rich
22 Mr Pavey A Mason
23 Kitty Boyland
24 Mrs Bishop Baptist Chapel
25 ?
26 Little Emmie Salter |
27
Lilly Bailey
28 Cousin of Lilly Bailey
29 Emmy Salter
30 ? Lived at the Foundry
31 Rev Bishop The Chapel
32 Arscott child
33 Mrs Warren
34 Arscott child |
35 Miss Bibbs
36 Arscott child
37 Connie Bibbs
38 ? Lived at the Foundry
39 Nellie Rich
40 Dorothy Bond nee Spiller
41 Mr Carol Clarke
42 Raymond Warren |
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 (see next comment). 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
August 2023
Dawn Ogilvie
writes:
Hi, just to
let you know that although my grandfather
Frank Cripps was indeed the pastor at this
church with his wife Maisie this is not them
in this photo. They didn’t move
there until the 1975/6. They
lived in one of the cottages behind the
church on the main road where he also died.
Dawn Ogilvie
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:
There are
references to Wiscombe in
Ancestral
Search 23 and
92.
Thank you 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).
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Mary Wiscombe's pedigree is here
(left) in PDF format.
I'm still researching her ancestry,
but as some of these surnames were
common at the time it may be
impossible to work out who was
related to whom. |
I hope you find this of interest,
and please feel free to pass on this
information to anyone locally who
may be researching their family
tree. Best wishes,
Andrew. |
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Downs
sisters at Yarcombe |
Mary
Wiscombe |
William
Wiscombe |
Pithayne
Cottage in May 1971 |
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.
Steve Horner
responds:
The surname Willie is also of
interest to me because Henry Willie
(died 1792) owned the farm
where I now live.
In those days it was called Woodend
(see doc, right). In the
Otterford village hall there is a
massive chart on the wall which
provides a huge amount of detail of
the Willie family. Keep
working at your tree, and please
keep us informed of your researches. |
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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.
I received one letter
(a transcription, right)
from Phyllis which in the first
sentences provided me with more
information about the evacuees who |
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were billeted here in the war,
however it goes on to describe her
maternal grandfather Robert Drake
Rich whose Diamond wedding she
attended and is shown the photo. The
letter puts into context how the
family moved from Yarcombe to New
Barn which is Upottery and I hope
you will find this useful in your
researches. |
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.
I am attaching my draft of the
family tree of the Matthews of
Membury (right). If you
are interesteed I also built trees
for the Matthews of Upottery, and
started on the Matthews of Watchford
Yarcombe.
Best regards, Jane |
|
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.
Jane Briant adds:
I am attaching an Excel file I put
together which includes several tabs
(r). |
|
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
Steve Horner
writes:
I've
had a look at the catalogue of the Estate
Sale of 1931, which Barbara Salter kindly
permitted me to photocopy.
The only mention of Mount Pleasant
is a reference to your water supply,
(see page 2 of the particulars of
Livenhayes farm. below),
so I doubt it was included in the
sale of 1931. The Pavey
family appear to have been long-time
residents in Yarcombe, Simon Pavey
was born in June 1839 in Yarcombe,
his father, Simon, was 43 and his
mother, Elizabeth, was 21.
He married Mary Ackland on 22
December 1859 in the church of St
John the Baptist, Yarcombe.
They had eight children in 16 years.
He died on 19 October 1913 in
Yarcombe at the age of 74.
In the 1861 census Simon was living
in one of the Cottages up on the
Beacon, by 1871 he was living at
Mount Pleasant with his family where
he remained until his death in 1913.
Interestingly he was able to read
and write as his signature appears
on both his marriage certificate and
the 1911 Census records.
His estate valued at £46.18.10p in
1913 would be worth about £6,000 in
today's money. We would
be grateful if you would keep this
web site updated with any further
information that you discover about
your home.
|
Sienna Taylor replies:
The document mentions reference to
OS map numbers and a number 2 plan.
Would it be possible to see these as well
(if they exist?) A really
interesting document, thanks to Steve.
Steve Horner
writes:
The Plan attached to the
1931 sale particulars does not exist in the
copy I have. Ordnance Survey
maps for the late1880s thru 1909 can be found
on line
(see the example, right, for
Marsh which we needed for
the Affordable Housing
Project).
In this example fields each
have a three digit number
followed by field size in
acres. There is
much useful information on
these OS maps.
Your next step will be to
visit the Devon County
library where you can view
the 1840s Tithe maps.
I hope this helps. |
|
|
|
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:
|
Betty Wale born to William and Sarah
in 1731
Betty Wale born to Robert and Ann in
1733
Betty Wale born to John and Ally in
1740. |
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 has
winged a digital version to me and I’ve 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.
Thank
you, also, for the suggestion of contacting
the Grand Lodge in Ohio. I have
called, left a message and hope to hear back
from them soon. Many of my
grandfather’s 14 siblings were involved as
well as my Mother’s brother.
I’ll have to ask the question at our next
Spiller Reunion to see if my generation is
involved.
You certainly pegged my location quickly.
I was born in Galveston & raised in the
area. After university, I took a
teaching job in Denver, Colorado where I’ve
lived for over 50 years. We now
summer in Colorado, and winter in Texas.
The tall ship you mentioned is the Elissa.
Galveston is proud to museum a tall ship
from that era.
Steve Horner
writes:
I believe you
and your friend Angela have already dug deep
into the records and have gleaned as much
information as is possible. I
was interested to discover that Robert
Spiller and Jane Morrish were married in
July 1798 in the Church of St John the
Baptist in Wellington, which would have been
a Church of England ceremony, perhaps
because Jane`s family were members of the
Church of England. However their
four children Lilliana born 12th January
1799 (!) Mary born 25th May 1801 Joel born
11th January 1804 and John born 30th July
1806 were all christened on 15th February
1809 in the Independent Lower Meeting House
in Wellington, which was undoubtedly a
Non-Conformist place of worship although I
have a feeling a Meeting House describes the
place where Quakers worship. I
recall you told me that Joel was later
married in a Presbyterian ceremony in New
York so he followed the pattern of religious
practice later in his life (click
to see scan).
Our local Baptist Minister Thelma Clarke is
quite an expert on such matters and I could
ask her more about the Meeting House in
Wellington if you so wished. One
point fascinates me, how did you make a
connection to Yarcombe (County of Devon)
which lies about ten miles to the South West
of Wellington ( County of Somerset)?
I hope this exchange of information has
proved useful to you, in any event please
keep in contact and let us know any further
local connections to your family.
Jonathan Spiller writes:
Thelma
Clarke included me into some correspondence
you have been involved in with
Jane Arni regarding a Joel Spiller.
I do have a couple of Joels in my tree….one
died in infancy the next was born about
1738. I have been having some
difficulty identifying some of the people
being referred to eg Robert Spiller as there
are several people with the same name.
Perhaps if their dates (b. d.) were added it
may be possible for me to see if they are
indeed the same people in my tree.
Perhaps Robert that is referred to is one of
those. Nellie Rich did a good
job of researching ancestors including some
Spiller tree and I have managed to get this
into an ancestry Tree that I am willing to
share if you wish.
Regards,
Jonathan Spiller
Steve Horner
writes:
Very many
thanks for your reply, I will leave it to
Jane Arni to reply.
February
2020
I
have been researching my family history and
have found I am directly descended from an
Abraham Knight b.1764 Yarcombe and May
Loosemoore b. 1769 in Yarcombe. Also
with direct links to the Spiller family,
which I believe has had a connection with
the parish for many centuries. I came
across the Yarcombe website and reference to
the book 'From Monks to the Millenium - A
History of Yarcombe'. I would be very
interested in receiving an electronic copy
of the book if available and would be
willing to make a donation. I look
forward to hearing from you.
Many thanks, Paul
Gebbett
Miranda Gudenian writes:
Thank
you for your most interesting message. I am
copying in to my reply our village
historian, Steve Horner, who may be able to
assist your further with your quest
regarding your family history. Yes,
the Spiller family have very deep roots in
Yarcombe. I would be most willing to
send you a copy of Ruth Everitt's book "From
Monks to the Millennium". It is very
kind of you to offer a donation - I now hold
the rights to the book and all donation go
to Yarcombe Voices, the village magazine
which I started nearly twenty years ago and
produce each month.
March
2020
Hi, I
would be very interested in acquiring a
digital copy of the book From Monks to the
Millennium – A History of Yarcombe.
On researching my family history recently
I’ve discovered my Welsh ancestors actually
originated from Yarcombe. My Gt
Grandfather Thomas Northam who died in WW1
was born in Cotleigh, Honiton in 1886 before
moving to Wales as a young boy. His
father, Thomas was born in Yarcombe around
1861 (though died in 1909 in Wales from
injuries sustained in a pit accident).
Records show that Thomas’ father Eli was
born (around 1838) and lived in Yarcombe as
did his father Thomas Northam (born around
1791). It would be interesting to see
if there’s any mention of the Northams in
the book but if not, I would enjoy reading
some more background history on Yarcombe.
Many thanks.
Alison Redfern
Miranda Gudenian writes:
Thank you for your most interesting message.
I am copying in to my reply our village
historian, Steve Horner, who may be able to
assist your further with your quest
regarding your family history. Yes,
there is most certainly mention of Northams
in the book - indeed, a farmstead called
Northams Farm. 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 one of my dearest friends and her family
have given me the rights to the book; all
donation 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.
January
2020
Hi, I
was in Yarcombe yesterday and was looking
for the plaque put up from the evacuees of
Lambeth Walk. Just wanted to know where it
is, as my Dad was the one who paid for this.
Peter
Sullivan
Steve Horner
writes:
Peter, delighted
you have contacted us. I have sent a
photo of the plaque that you enquired about
(right,
click to enlarge)
which is to be found in the Yarcombe
Village Hall . If you visit our World
Wars pages, within are photos of the
evacuees, amongst whom are mentioned
Patrick, Nellie, Michael and Peter Sullivan.
I would be interested to learn which one was
your father. Many of these children
went to St Anne's Roman Catholic Primary
school in Lambeth. I have written to
the school to see if they have an interest,
but I have never received a reply. I
look forward to hearing from you. |
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January
2020
I
have a copy of Ruth Everitt's book, but also
want to praise you for all your ongoing
local history research and the support you
offer others. The web pages are
something of which Yarcombe should be proud.
I have family roots in Yarcombe but they are
some way back. The first thing I
discovered was the 5th January 1789 marriage
at Yarcombe of Anna VINCENT and Elias CARTER
(from Harpford).
Question 1 - How might they have come
to meet? I think Elias CARTER may have
been living in Yarcombe a few months but
after marriage the couple settled in
Harpford where they had 10 children, all of
whom survived infancy. Elias became a
yeoman farmer, churchwarden, overseer etc.
Interestingly Anna had an illegitimate
daughter, Rachel VINCENT who was baptised at
Yarcombe in 1787. I have never found
any mention of the child's father but when
Anna left Yarcombe with her new husband, it
would appear Rachel VINCENT remained in the
care of her maternal grandparents, John
VINCENT b1727 and Hannah.
Question 2 -
Have you any idea who might have been
Rachel's father?
I know a lot about John VINCENT b1727 of
Dennington and have a copy of his will.
He died in 1812 and left money to both his
married daughter Anna CARTER of Harpford and
to his grand daughter Rachel who had married
Francis WYATT at Yarcombe in 1810. She
had a big family and died a grand old lady
(formally a cow keeper!) in 1875 at
Smeatharp, Upottery (aged 88yrs). I
don't think it a coincidence that one of her
sons Thomas WYATT b1826, married Sarah Hare
CARTER, a grand daughter of her mother (Anna
CARTER nee VINCENT.) With a fair
degree of reliability I can go back several
generations with the VINCENT family to the
marriage of James VINCENT and Prudence DARE
c 1680. However I have never been able
to validate this marriage in any parish
register. The DARE family that Ruth
Everitt wrote about at Clifthayne, Yarcombe
are my ancestors and I believe came from
Kilmington/ Axminster in the late 16th
century/ early 17th century.
Question 3 - My
BIG QUESTION - There are two babies named
John VINCENT baptised at Yarcombe in 1727.
I believe they were cousins! I have
always gone with John, son of Benjamin
VINCENT and Rachel, only because Anna
VINCENT called her illegitimate daughter
Rachel. I would love to have some
collaborating document of this. The
other John VINCENT was son of James VINCENT
and Elizabeth nee TURNER.
Question 4 -
How come in John VINCENT's 1812 will did he
have property (Simpson's Court) in
Thurlbear? I know his wife came from
Pitminster but I've never worked out the
Thurlbear connection. Sorry this
is so long but when I get on to talking
about family history, I find it difficult to
stop. I am happy if you wish to add my
comments on the Yarcombe webpage or to share
anywhere else that you fancy. If you
know others, I would love to make contact
with people researching the same names.
With kind regards,
Anne Speight, Loughborough, England
Peter Tarrant
writes:
Thank you for your enquiry and kind comments
about the Yarcombe website. I added
the Ancestral Searches page nearly 2 years
ago thinking it may perhaps encourage a
couple of enquiries, but have been pleased
to see them arriving at a steady pace ever
since! We are very fortunate to
have someone in Yarcombe as dedicated as
Steve Horner and much of this would have
been impossible without him.
Having said that I suspect some of your
questions are a little deeper than the
average. I await Steve's
response with interest!
Steve Horner
writes:
I was of course delighted to receive your
kind wishes and the information about
various local families with whom you have a
connection. As you know this
information will now be out there on the
world wide web and be collected by powerful
search engines such as Google so your names
may well be picked up by others researching
the same names. I am afraid I cannot
answer any of your detailed questions,
however one question for you please.
Over the years starting in 1582, the Drake
family gradually acquired much of the land
in the parish of Yarcombe. My house
now called Old Woodhayne Farm adjoins
Clifthayne Farm where the Dare family lived.
Old Woodhayne Farm was sold by the estate in
1970, and I am writing a history of the
house which has its origins in the 15th
Century. As Ruth suggests in her book,
Clifthayne was probably purchased by the
Drake estate between 1786, when it was owned
by John Willie, and 1794, when it is
mentioned in the Estate timber survey.
Now here comes the tricky part - my farm,
then called Woodend, was owned by Henry
Willie who died in 1792, and I suspect John
Willie and he were related. I am
almost certain that the Drake family
acquired Woodend upon the death of Henry
Willie. The dates of late 1790s might
well indicate a sale of both properties to
the Drake family (Lord Heathfield). Do
you have any record, perhaps in a will, as
to when the ownership of Clifthayne passed
from the Dare family to John Willie?
I am sorry I cannot help more with your
questions, however perhaps others will have
some clues for you.
Anne Speight
writes:
Thank
you for your reply. I realised my questions
were difficult ones. By several
centuries this is the furthest back I have
got on any of my family history branches.
I have attached the Dare wills that I have
but this there may be others.
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Joan Dare Will 1626 |
John Dare Will 1636 |
Robert Dare Will 1590 |
Robert Dare Will 1667 |
Steve Horner
writes:
You are quite right, yours is a difficult
tree to work out. However, I spent
about an hour on the Ancestry.com web site
and there are several trees there for the
Dare family of Yarcombe, although I am not
certain these are complete and correct in
all detail as there are inconsistencies for
the information as shown.
It is the Will of John Dare, died 1637,
whose wife was called Prudence in his Will,
that is of interest to me as in it he
bequeathes "all my estate of lease of my
tenure of Clifthayne" to his son his eldest
son Robert, born 1621. There is no
doubt that John Dare was of some stature in
the parish describing himself as a Yeoman.
I have one further clue for you which
relates to a Court Case filed 23rd November
1600 called Drake vs Major. Thomas
Drake was the brother of Sir Francis Drake
who inherited the estates of his late
brother and Major was the Vicar of Yarcombe
1579-1627. The Vicar claimed his
entitlement of tithes from Drake and in his
pleadings show all the holdings in the Manor
of Yarcombe farm by farm and the name of the
person who held the land. A Robert
Dare is shown as holding both Clifthayes and
land in Dennington. This leads me to
the conclusion that this Robert Dare was the
son of Robert Dare* whose will was dated
23rd July 1590. BUT by 1637 the
holding of Clifthayne was in the ownership
of John Dare so your hypothesis that Robert
Dare* died and thus the estate went to his
brother John may be correct.
Anne Speight
writes:
Thank
you. I received the photo of
Cliffhayne. Looks a place full of
history! Many thanks. You also
asked for my family tree as it pertains to
Yarcombe. There are 2 interconnected
parts - the DARE tree and the VINCENT tree:
VINCENT
Hannah VINCENT was the person who left
Yarcombe and moved with her new husband to
Harpford in the Lower Otter valley.
All dates given are from registers at
Yarcombe (unless described differently).
Hannah Vincent b. 13 March 1768 and m. 5
January 1789 to Elias Carter (before this
marriage Hannah had an illegitimate child
Rachel b.1787 but when Hannah married,
Rachel remained with her Vincent
grandparents. I know a lot about Rachel. One
of her son's married a grandchild of Hannah
Carter. The families must have kept in
touch). Hannah Carter d 1852 Harpford.
John Vincent b.1727 and m. 12 February 1765
Hannah Beer, widow. John Vincent was
described of Dennington, he made a detailed
Will, d.1812. Hannah died 12 January 1822.
Benjamin Vincent b.5 February 1700 and m. 21
September 1725 Rachel Denham at Pitminster.
Their children baptised at Yarcombe.
Benjamin died 16 December 1764 and Rachel
died 13 March 1769.
James Vincent b.22 January 1636 and m
Prudence Dare (no record found of this
marriage) but they had a large family
baptised Yarcombe. James died 1721. Prudence
died 3 Februari 1724
Robert Vincent b.1 October 1587 and m. 27
November 1625 Jane Way. They had many
children. Robert died 21 January 1669. Jane
died 4 January 1662.
DARE
Prudence Dare b. 5 March 1658 married James
Vincent about 1680.
Robert Dare b.24 January 1618 (son of John &
Prudence). Married Ann? (Ann is noted in
baptism registers as mother of his children
but no marriage found, probably c1657. Maybe
her surname was Titus???). Possibly Ann died
c1668 and Robert had a 2nd wife. In his
Will, Robert describes his wife as Agnes.
Robert died 1667.
John Dare - no idea when or where born, but
his father was Robert Dare and John was only
the 2nd son. (The elder son was Robert Dare
who as a bachelor died sometime after 1600,
but with no heirs). John married Prudence
Mathew, possibly at Yarcombe. Their children
born 1616-1630. John Dare died 1636. His
wife outlived him but I don't know when she
died.
Robert Dare of Clifthayne. No idea when or
where born or who was mother of his children
- Agnes, Joane, Robert, John. Robert Dare
snr died at Yarcombe in 1590. Will.
I hope you can put together a tree from all
this. It does get confusing when the
same names are used over and over again.
As you will notice there are several places
where I lose track of people but the records
are patchy and difficult to read this far
back. The Vincents are known to move
around local parishes and just possibly the
Dare family originally came from Kilmington
/ Axminster.
Many thanks for all your interest.
Please let me know if you find any new
'leads'.
December
2019
Hi,
Have just been browsing your excellent site;
I am looking into my wife’s ancestor, a John
Wiscombe (or Wescombe) who was born in
Yarcombe around 1775. I think he
married Anna Mutter in 1805 and had 3 or 4
children, then married Mary Brewer in 1815
with whom he had a further 10 children!
I can only find a single birth record so it
looks like he married twice, although I am
not sure what the circumstances were.
I believe his parents were Robert and
Jemima, who I assume also lived in Yarcombe.
He was in the 1841 census in Yarcombe but I
cannot decipher the address given as the
image quality is very poor. Any help would
be gratefully received. Thank
you.
Allan Bicknell.
Peter Tarrant
writes:
Thanks for visiting the Yarcombe website.
I have scanned the publication 'From Monks
To The Millennium' and
Wiscombe/Wescombe drew a blank, but there
are references to Mutter and Brewer
reproduced below. Much may be
irrelevant, for example the second extract
for Mutter refers to a property rather than
a surname, but I have included each
paragraph in full for completeness:
STOUT MILL
This is
probably the mill at Dennington
that is mentioned in early
documents. In 1600 there is a
mill listed as Dynyngton Mill,
occupied by John
Mutter,
paying tithes of 12d. to the
vicarage. In 1782 there is
dual ownership or a mortgage
arrangement between the Drake
Estate and widow Spiller.
Occupiers of the mill include
John Spiller, Robert Willie,
John Wilce and William Manley.
The ¾ acre mill pond was fed by
a stream rising on Brown Down.
The machinery consisted of an
overshot wheel 12` in diameter
and 3` wide that drove a shaft
which not only powered the mill,
but also passed into the house
to assist with the mixing of
dough for bread making.
The electoral roll of 1832-3
shows that it was a rented
Estate above £50. The
Estate kept the mill and
bakehouse in good repair,
T.Trott repairing the oven and
replacing bricks, and Hockey &
Co. providing new mill stones
for £12 in 1897 as well as
repairing arms and bearings in
1899. A flour machine was
supplied in 1901 and more
repairs were undertaken on the
water wheel and machinery
costing £81. 10s. In 1931
the mill was sold and the
sitting tenant, Mr.F.Quick,
became the new owner. By 1953
the water wheel required
extensive repairs and the mill
closed.
TOLLER‟S MARSH
The first
documentation of this property
that could be found was dated
1784, when a Peter Toller bought
a freehold estate of 23 acres
from William Hill. Prior
to this date the property had
been known as May‟s tenement at
Marsh. Peter Toller left
Toller‟s Marsh to Stephen
Gollop, subject to payment by
Gollop of £100 to his sister,
Mary, wife of Ben Hurford, at
the age of 21 years. The
property was actually inherited
by George Gollop, (Stephen‟s
brother), Stephen having died
before he could claim his
inheritance. Peter Toller
had another property known as
Toller's Mutters.
This was sold to the Yarcombe
Estate sometime before 1810 and
it was added to New Barn. George
Gollop retained Toller‟s Marsh,
using it to raise money by
leasing and releasing and
mortgaging. A Samuel Wyatt of
Buckland St. Mary paid George
Gollop £300 for a release in
1844. This was the era of
coaches and coaching routes, and
land at Marsh, being on the
London to Exeter coaching route,
would have been much in demand.
Part of the estate near
Clifthayne, a small field of
just over an acre called
Marshment Down, was sold to Mr.
John Kerly, a gamekeeper on the
Yarcombe Manor Estate. A
poultry enterprise was operated
for a while at Toller‟s Marsh
during this century and it is
now a privately owned
small-holding.
HAY
(also known as Higher, Middle,
Little and Haines Hay)
It is
difficult to decipher with any
accuracy the exact history of
the remaining Hays from the
available documents. It is
probable that Higher Hays either
incorporated Haines Hay or was
once known as "Haines Hay‟.
Little Hays is shown on the
Enclosure Map of 1817 as Middle
Hays. In 1600 it was an
important area as there are four
Hays listed:- Haye - occupier
Richard Newberie, tithe 6d, Haye
and Adam‟s Meade - occupier
Elizabeth Mathew (widow), tithe
8d, Hayes and Rodlands Meade -
occupiers Brigett Turner and
John Soper, tithe 8d, and Hay
and Hynxwell - occupier Charles
Pavey, tithe 10d. Hynxwell is
described as barton land. In the
1727 Land Tax Survey there are
three properties listed as Hay.
They are as follows:- For Hay,
John Strickland, tax £1. 19s.
11¾d, For part of Hay, David Pay
(perhaps Pavey), tax 12s. 7½d,
For Hay, Susanna Trott, tax 8s.
5d. Also shown are
Hinkswell, John Strickland, tax
14s. 8¾d. Adams and Willmore,
William Matthews, tax 17s. 10½d.
The Estate Timber Survey of
1794-5 shows a small property
called Middle Hay and two larger
holdings, Higher Hay and Haines
Hay. The Land Tax of 1798
shows John Strickland as owner
and tenant of Hay (leased for
lives from Estate); he is also
the tenant of Haines Hay, for
which he paid a tax of £1. 15s.
9½d. This is almost
exactly the total of tax paid
for the properties of Pay, Trott
and Strickland (Hinkswell) in
the 1727 Land Tax Survey.
By 1810 Higher Hay is no longer
listed, but there is a Mrs.
Strickland shown as a tenant of
Lord Heathfield‟s at Haines Hay
as well as Haykins and
Wellsmead. The Enclosure
Map of 1817 reintroduces Higher
Hays, with John Matthews junior
as the occupier, and Middle Hay
(Little) is shown with no land,
and the occupier as
Richard Mutter.
Hearsay from reliable sources
tell of a fire at Higher Hays
and the existence of another
fine older building between the
two existing Hays, which was
pulled down. |
The references to Brewer follow:
BEACON HOUSE (formerly site of
Yarcot)
Beacon House has recently been
built on the site of Yarcot. The
skilful use of local stone in
its construction has helped the
house to blend into the
surroundings. There were
probably three cottages on this
site, although none of them
remains today. The first
documentation is a schedule of
deeds relating to a cottage and
two pieces of garden. In
1827
Robert Brewer
gifted it to his grandson John
Pike, who in 1831 transferred
the cottage and land to Robert
Spiller (Panshayne) for 2,000
years. He received £20
plus interest and moved to
Stockland. The two pieces
of garden referred to are
probably the site of Beacon
House (Yarcot) and Emmet‟s Farm.
In 1877 R.Pavey sold the
property to the Yarcombe Estate.
In 1931 the Yarcombe Estate sold
Yarcot, a stone-built thatched
cottage, and not even the walls
remain of what had once been
known as "Brewer's Cottage‟ to
the north-east of Yarcot.
PETERHAYS (also known as
Petershegh or Great Peterhays)
Peterhays, recognized as one of
the best farms in the Parish,
was for many years the property
of Exeter Cathedral. In
1326 Bishop Walter Stapledon‟s
tenant had the following stock
on the farm:- 2 sumpter beasts
(draught horses) valued at 10s.,
16 oxen at 6/8d. per head (£5.
0s. 8d.), 1 bull 6/8d., 1
yearling 1/6d., 180 sheep at
12d. per head (£9. 0s. 0d.).
In the grange the corn was worth
£9. 6s. The dead stock of
timber, lime, laths and cut
stone for the new buildings was
valued at £10. 1s. 0d.
There was also timber worth 10s.
at Madeford. Bishop
Stapledon was murdered in London
and his successor was James de
Berkeley, whose very brief
episcopate was of 14 weeks!
“Death overtook him on June
24th., 1327 while on a visit to
Peterhays, an episcopal manor in
the Parish of Yarcombe, on the
north-east border of his
diocese”. His death was
registered at Newenham Abbey at
nearby Axminster. In 1600
the three occupiers of
Peterhays, William Bennett,
Jasper Brewer
and John Symes were required to
pay a tithe of 4s. 9d., the
highest in the Parish.
There was a valuation of the
property in 1647. Rents
and profits per annum were £10.
0s. 0d., improvements above per
annum, £108. 10s. 0d., timber
and wood valued at £66. 13s. 4d.
Reprizes were to be paid to Sir
Francis Drake (impropriator) out
of Peterhays at a rate of 10s.
10d. per annum. During the
eighteenth century Peterhays was
leased to Stephen Weston of
London and for a time the farm
became known as Weston Lands.
Weston sub-leased it in 1728 to
Jonathan Newman, a merchant from
Salisbury, Wiltshire. By
1798 Lord Heathfield had
obtained a long lease on the
property and John Seward was his
tenant. The Land Tax
Surveys of 1810 and 1832 show
Robert Smith was followed by
John Smith as tenant of
Peterhays. The Electoral
roll of 1832-3 states that it
was an Estate worth more than
£100 per year. There was
probably a fire that destroyed
part of the farmhouse, as it was
rebuilt in the 1860s. One of the
buildings was unusually named
'Spillers Hall'. (Robert
Spiller was a tenant in the
nineteenth century). The
present owner was unable to shed
much light on the subject, but
did confirm that there was a
large building which some time
ago had been used occasionally
as a dance venue. The
Yarcombe Manor Estate intermixed
its freehold estates with the
leased Peterhays holding and in
1931 sold a small dairy farm
known as Part Peterhayes, which
comprised 35 acres and a
thatched cottage. Great
Peterhays was sold in 1961 by
the Church Commissioners. |
Steve Horner
adds:
Many thanks for
your enquiry and we are always pleased to
try and help with such enquiries, it all
adds to our pool of knowledge about the
history and people of our village.
I looked at the 1841 census and as you know
it is possible to decipher that John
Wiscombe was living with his son Walter aged
12 and his daughter Charlotte aged 21 - his
occupation is shown as a Cobbler.
The location is perhaps Mannings Common and
this fits with other properties in the area
which would have been covered by the
enumerator walking or perhaps riding from
door to door in the area. If you
look at
Ancestral Search 1, you will find more
information about the cottage(s) at Mannings
Common which no longer exist.
You will probably have noted at this time
there were other families in the parish with
the name Wiscombe, doubtless progeny of your
prolific ancestor! Good luck
with your continued research, we always
appreciate feedback.
December
2019
Hi.
My great, great grandfather, William Lentell
(b.1829) came from Yarcombe and he and his
father before (Matthew Lentell) lived at
Williambeer Farm on the parish border of
Yarcombe and Upottery. I
wondered if you might have any information
on the farm in the village book ‘From Monks
to the Millennium’. Many thanks,
Clare Foss
Peter Tarrant
writes:
Thanks for your enquiry. A scan
of 'From Monks To The Millennium' reveals 15
references to Williambeer Farm over 7 pages.
There is no mention of the Lentell surname
but a John (or J) Lental is mentioned twice,
in connection with Knapp Farm and
Williambeer Farm (see below). If
you would like a digital copy of the book I
believe a modest donation to our village
magazine, Yarcombe Voices, would suffice -
please contact the editor,
Miranda Gudenian.
KNAPP
Knapp is listed with Crokam in 1600.
Christian Vincent (widow) is shown as
dwelling at Crokam and having the tenure and
occupation of Knapp. She died in 1606,
leaving her estate to her son, Symon
Vincent. The tithe payable was 7d. In the
Land Tax of 1727 Mary Paris paid a tax of
£1. 7s. 4d. for Knapp. By 1794-5 there was a
large amount of saleable timber, worth £58.
12s. 8d, comprising 52 oak and 10 ash; the
house is noted as needing repairs. There was
a boundary stone marking the extent of
Yarcombe Parish with Upottery placed in the
River Otter in 1864. Tenants of the Estate
included John Lental and Edward Webber.
Knapp, with Knight‟s Mill and Rackley,
making a total of 76 acres, were sold in
1931.
WILLIAMBEER (also known as Williambeare)
In 1600 this farm is listed with Pipenhays.
Williambeare has Thomasine Vincent as the
occupier and Pipenhays has Joane Vincent
(widow) as the occupier. The combined tithe
is 12d., so it is one of the more important
properties. The 1727 Land Tax shows a Mr.
Gifford as the owner of Williambeer and
Richard Stevens occupying Pipenhays. The
Timber Survey of the Drake Estate in 1794-5
states that there were 20 oak, 20 ash, 7
beech/sycamore, 7 elm and 1 fir of saleable
timber at Williambeer, worth in toto £46.
17s., and 10d, and 18 oak and 36 ash at
Pipenhays. The 1798 Land tax shows Lord
Heathfield owning Williambeer, with J.
Lental as a tenant, and Widow Westlake (with
mortgage or lease on years or lives to Lord
Heathfield) as the owner of Pipenhays, with
J.Loosemoore as the tenant. Williambeer must
have had water meadows as the Estate renewed
the hatches in 1870. Pipenhays no longer
exists as a separate holding. Williambeer
with Farthings included was sold in 1931.
The sale catalogue shows that Williambeer
then consisted of 84 acres and one of the
buildings was a pound house with a granary
above..
|
I note that
Ancestral Search 8 refers to a similar
surname (Lenthal) and was wondering if you
have any evidence of a connection..
October
2019
My
name is Heather and I live in Appleton
Cheshire, my Gt Gt Grandfather was John Lee
who I believe lived according to the 1881
census at Axiviney cottage and then later at
the Rising Sun Inn as both the landlord and
also a bootmaker. Do either of
these premises exist, and are there any Lee
family still in Yarcombe? I also
have Childs, Sartin and Spiller in my family
tree, wondered if you could help at all.
Heather Coulson
Steve Horner
writes:
Many thanks for your
enquiry. You are correct, I have
located your great great grandfather John
Lee (aged 29) on the 1881 census living at
Axviney cottage with his wife Emily aged 25
and his daughters Blanche aged 6 and Mabel
aged four. This cottage no
longer exists, although we have reason to
believe was located just below Whitehorns on
the
scanned map (click
here).
As for mention of the Rising Sun public
house this set us scratching our heads as
there are/were several pubs of that name in
the area. However I have located
John Lee as landlord of the Rising Sun in
Stapley which is in the neighbouring parish
of Churchstanton:
1889/John
Lee/& Shoemaker/../../Kellys
Directory **
1893/John Lee/&
Shoemaker/../../Kellys Directory **
1902/John Lee/& Shoemaker Asst
Overseer & Parish Clerk/../../Kellys
Directory *
|
I am not certain if
this pub still exists as a licensed
premises, but I feel certain the building
will still be there. In the 1901
census he is shown as living in the Rising
Sun with his family, Emily his wife and
their children, Lucy Mary (12), William
George (9), Herbert Jack (9) and Margaret
Gillian (3). In the late 1890s
there were several families with the surname
Lee in this area but to my knowledge the
name has died out. The family
name Spiller crops up very often in the
records and a branch of the family still
live in Yarcombe. I hope this is
of help to you. If you give me a
few more clues perhaps I can answer more
specific questions.
Heather Coulson writes:
Thanks for that information. My
Spillar connection is Mary Bromfield Spillar
who married Joseph Board. They
were the parents of Emily, John Lee's wife.
I am sure they were from Churchstanton but
could they have relatives in Yarcombe?
Steve Horner replies:
The Spiller family are
very much part of Yarcombe history and there
are still members of the family in the
parish. I carried out a quick
check on Ancestry.uk.com and you are
correct, your branch of the Spiller family
(note spelling) were residents of
Churchstanton and Mary married Joseph Board
on 23rd August 1852 in the parish church in
Churchstanton. Mary and Joseph
(a blacksmith) later in their lives lived in
Marsh which is a hamlet of Yarcombe Parish.
I hope this is helpful.
Heather Coulson writes:
Thank
you Steve for that, it's amazing there are
still members of the family still in the
parish. Would be interesting to
find out what branch they are from.
Steve Horner replies:
That
is a very difficult question
to answer without
constructing the whole
Spiller tree! In
the Bishopswood village hall
there is a very large tree
almost covering one wall
which amongst others shows a
large number of Spillers.
If you are ever in the area
it's worth obtaining the key
and having a look.
Great to work with you.
September 2019
I
have been tracing our ancestors, the Spiller
family back to Yarcombe. They
were living there in the 16th century, if
not before. I understand that
there may be some information about them and
about the village in the book ‘From Monks to
the Millenium’. I understand
that you may be able to put your hands on a
copy of the book. If you can I
would love to purchase one or borrow one.
Perhaps I could make a donation to a local
charity. Please let me know if
this would be possible. Kind
Regards,
Andre Evans
Miranda Gudenian replies:
Yes, your family has deep roots in Yarcombe,
and there is a lot of historical information
(here) on the village website.
Local historian Steve Horner may be able to
answer a number of your questions about the
Spiller family. Hard copies of
the book 'From Monks to the Millennium' are
no longer available, though occasionally a
second-hand copy does come up for sale.
However, a pdf is available for a donation
to Yarcombe Voices, the village magazine.
Do let me know if you would like it.
Andre & Clare Evans respond:
Thanks so much for your help.
This is of great interest to us.
We did find a number of Spillers in the
churchyard. We would like to
have a copy of the pdf. We will
make a donation to Yarcombe Voices.
Miranda Gudenian replies:
Thank you so very
much. From Monks to the
Millennium was written by a dear friend and
neighbour of mine, Ruth Everitt.
Her research continued after its publication
in 2000. Ruth died in 2014 but
her historical research is continued by
Steve Horner who I have copied in to this
email. I have also copied in
Yarcombe Voices' Treasurer, Maggie
Tomkinson, who will send you bank details.
I will send the pdf in a separate email
today.
Steve Horner adds:
As Miranda has
explained I would be delighted to assist
further, I assume that you are the same
Clare Evans whose initial queries are
covered in
Ancestral Search 13 here in our Yarcombe
website. Please let me know if
you do uncover more of your families
connection to our village so that we may add
to our pool of knowledge. Good
luck.
Andre & Clare Evans reply:
Thank you Steve, yes this is one and the
same Clare Evans. Clare’s mother
was Heather Spiller whose father RG Spiller
ran a building business in Chard.
I believe that you can still see the RG
Spiller vans running around the area.
We have got as far back as Robert Spiller
who lived in Yarcombe between 1579 and 1617.
His father was John Spiller. We
understand that the Spillers were originally
Huegenots who came over from the continent
for religious reasons. So far we
have no more information than that, but we
will keep trying. I will send a
copy of the family tree over. If
my IT skills are up to it, I will do a
screenshot. We are now happily
settled in Cornwall having moved around
quite a lot. Will be in touch.
Steve Horner writes:
Many thanks for your reply, it is a pleasure
to work with you to find out more about our
Parish and its history. Indeed I
can remember when RG Spiller had a builders
yard and building business in the centre of
Chard, although that land now has been built
over, the business is now based on servicing
and selling kitchen ranges such as Aga and
Rayburn they have a very good reputation in
the area. I believe Eagle Plant
was also part of the RG Spiller Group but is
now a separate business – coincidentally I
am about to visit their premises in Chard to
hire an excavator for use here next week!
Good luck with your researches into the
early origins of the Spiller family.
I might just add that it is a pleasure to
work with you, we have responded to several
queries in our Ancestral Searches section of
the website, never to receive any further
response!
September 2019
Hi, I
have recently been doing some research into
my family's history and have come to find
that my mother and two uncles were evacuated
from London to Yarcombe. In
fact, I found a picture that has the three
of them in, Jean, Fred and David Crump, on
your brilliant website. I have
really enjoyed finding this website and
reading about Yarcombe and how it treated
its evacuees. It has left me
yearning for more information - would you be
able to recommend any other websites or
museums, or anywhere I could find more
information from, please?
Somerset must have left an impression on my
mother as she returned when I was a child
and it is where I live now, and only an hour
away from Yarcombe.
Lorraine Clements
Steve Horner replies:
I was delighted that
you have located our website. It
certainly has attracted a lot of attention
and interest over the past year or so.
First may I assume that you have identified
your Mother Jean and Uncles Fred and David
from the photo of the evacuee class of
school children – on our
World War II
page: Fred Crump second row
first on LHS and your Mother Jean second row
last on RHS - Is this correct please ?
Can you spot them in any other of the photos
we have on the website? I
understand David and Fred were twins and
were billeted with the Venicott family here
in Yarcombe - I need to find out the exact
address. Your Mother was
billeted with the Moore family at Four Elms.
The entire class came down from London from
St Anne`s Roman Catholic School Lambeth
London, with their teachers, Miss Stringer
and Miss Marsh. I have written
twice to the school secretary asking for
more information but have not had a reply –
perhaps this might be another source of
information for you. I may be
able to dig up some more information if you
can give me more background, for example
dates of birth and possible street address
where your family lived in London.
Do you have any reminiscences or stories
that they told you about their time in our
village? I look forward to
hearing from you.
Peter
Tarrant adds:
I have posted a random collection of
links, primarily intended for local
residents, on the
Internet Links page, although they often
become out of date when the website owners
make modifications which are out of my
control. Simply doing a Google
search for Yarcombe produces good results,
too. You can also find back
issues of our local magazine on the
Yarcombe
Voices page. If you have
specific questions let us know - Steve
Horner, our local expert, is very good at
digging out fine detail.
Steve Horner adds:
Almost by
accident, certainly a
coincidence I have found
more information about your
uncles Fred and David Crump
- see
1939 Register of households.
This register was compiled
at the start of the Second
World War, 29th September
1939 to be precise, to form
the basis of a national
identity register.
Fred and David Crump were
billeted with Blanche
Vellacott at Broadley which
is at the top of Yarcombe
Hill on the A30 on the way
to Honiton. You
will note Fred`s date of
birth is shown as 23rd
December 1930 and Dave`s as
15th August 1932, so I was
wrong - they were not twins!
I have a suspicion that they
may have settled down in
this area after the war was
over. I hope
this is helpful.
August
2019
Hi,
I came across your website about the
Yarcombe World Wars which I found very
interesting. My family has very
close links to the village. My
father's, my uncle's and my aunt's ashes
(respectively Gordon Hayne, David Hayne and
Sheila Hayne) are interred in the Baptist
churchyard as well as those of my
grandmother's cousin and her mother
(respectively Lily Salter and Hattie
Bailey). I'm writing because,
with my cousin, I shall be visiting my great
Uncle's tomb in Ponte Sur Sambre in France
(Ernest Bibbs), who was my grandmother's
elder brother (Ada Jesse Bibbs).
I notice you have some details of his
campaigns in France on the website, do you
have any more details of these?
And I was wondering too if the photo you
mention of all the family at Waterhayne farm
is visible anywhere, or whether you can get
hold of a copy? Nice to think he
was remembered by the village last year with
a bonfire! Thanks for any help
or details.
Dr Jeremy Hayne
Reminiscences of Hays Farm, written by
Jeremy's father Gordon in December 1995
(above)
Steve Horner explains:
Dr Jeremy Hayne contacted me from Milan, he
is a relative of Ernest Bibbs, Sergeant in
the Machine Gun Corps who was killed on the
last day of the war and whose family are
descended from John Matthews ( 1798-1879 )
who farmed South Waterhayne.
John Matthews' children were John, Harriet
(Hettie) Henry and Mary (Polly) and lived at
Hay farm. Polly married Robert
Henry Bibbs and moved to Birmingham where
they had one son, Ernest and 6 daughters,
Alice, Laura, Ada, (Jesse) Doris, Hettie and
Constance. Ada married George
Hayne and their children were Gordon, Peter
David and Joyce.
Gordon is
the father of Dr Jeremy Hayne.
Although John Mathews senior farmed at South
Waterhayne, this family were farming Hay
farm, but I await comment from Elaine Munt
on this point.
Steve Horner replies:
I was delighted
to receive your e-mail explaining your close
connection to Yarcombe. I had a
quick look at the website as I am not
certain how much information is to be found
there. I have much more
information on Ernest Bibbs in my filing
system and I am almost certain that the
photo of South Waterhayne came from Elaine
Munt whom I see regularly, as she is related
to the Mathews family. I shall
give you every assistance possible and I
wish you well on your trip to Belgium.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Jeremy Hayne responds:
In your first email you said you had more
information on Uncle Ernie Bibbs.
When you have a moment perhaps you could
send something on, I'd be very grateful.
Referring to above
photos, here is a list of all the people.
Matthews, of course, was my Great
grandmother's maiden name and I always like
the photo of her two brothers looking very
dapper (John and Henry - who died young).
John, as you can just see, had a missing
left forearm and was, according to my
grandmother (Ada Jessie) a bit of a scamp,
teasing his nieces. In the
second photo: Adults from the left:
Lily, her mother Hattie, Auntie Dolly
(Doris), Auntie Connie, behind Connie there
is Auntie Laura though we can't see her very
well, Auntie Olive is next to her.
At the back is Uncle Billy Cox (Doris's
husband), Grandma Jessie and Cousin Ernie
(Laura's eldest), Joyce (my father's eldest
sister) is on the end and next to her Joan
(Laura's second) - I think she has Gordon
(my father) in a head-lock, Connie is
holding on to Laurie (Olive's youngest),
then Peter and David (my father's elder
brothers).
What relationship does
your friend Elaine have to the Matthews?
I guess we are related somewhere along the
line.
Going back to Ernest
and Evelyn it's interesting that my
grandmother named my father Gordon Ernest
and his elder sister Joyce Evelyn.
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Ernest's fiancé Evelyn |
Ernest Bibb's mother & sisters
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Lily & Arthur Salter. Lily took over
the running of Hay Farm with her
mother Hattie, they are both buried
in the Baptist churchyard there. My
father and his family spent all
their summers there with their
mother. I think my aunt Sheila was
evacuated there during the war.
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Aunty Polly with sister and brother -.John
Matthews, Hettie Matthews and Great Grandma
Polly |
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Uncle Ernie |
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Ernest and mum
Polly |
Steve
Horner adds:
Some years ago,
when I was researching those men from
Yarcombe who gave their lives in the great
war Elaine Munt kindly permitted me to copy
the attached photo (below, left) of the
Matthews family who lived at Hay farm.
The photo includes Ernest Bibbs who was
killed in action on 10th November 1918.
The key person in this photo is John
Mathews (3rd from left in back row) who was
the tenant of Hay farm at this time; he was
born in 1840 and died in 1921 aged 61.
I have been able to date the photo as being
1910 or thereabouts from the baby, Constance
Annie Bibbs who was born in 1908 and I guess
she is about 2 years old.
Previously Jeremy Hayne sent us his father’s
reminiscences of Yarcombe and in that he
explained that John Matthews daughter Mary
Jane (Polly) married Robert Henry Bibbs and
they moved away to Birmingham, however at
every opportunity the family headed back on
the train to Yarcombe. The
children of Robert Bibbs and Polly were
Ernest*, Alice, Laura*, Ada*, Doris*,
Hettie*, Constance*. Those
marked with * are all present in the photo.
(See Jeremy Haynes' comment below.)
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Back Row left to right:
Laura May Bibbs married Harold
James
Ernest John Benjamin Bibbs Killed in
action 10th November 1918
John Mathews Hay farm Died 1921
Ada Jessie Bibbs married (George )
Hayne
George Salter married Emma Helena
Hurford Birch Mills
Lily Salter married (AG ) Bailey +
Frank Salter married Emma Summers
Lily Berry married Jones
Olive Kathleen Bibbs married Evan
Thomas
Front Row:
Mary Jane Matthews married Robert
Henry Bibbs (Polly) holding Connie *
Harriet Darby Matthews married
George Salter of Hemyock (Hattie)
Jane Joan Clarke Brought up by Frank
Spiller
Julia Anne Matthews married Alfred
Berry a Policeman ( from Worcester)
Kneeling:
Doris Emma Mary Biddle married
Cox
Hettie Lilian Bibbs died 05/01/24
aged 24
Notes
*Constance Annie Bibbs on Aunt
Polly`s lap died 05/01/1977 aged 6
+Lily Bailey last survivor of this
group
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In this smaller photo are an
elderly couple who I have been able
to identify as John and Elizabeth
Matthews (nee Newton) at Mount
Cottage Yarcombe on 25th March 1845.
This identification is again thanks
to Elaine who enlarged the
inscription | |