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PART
1
The
history of cities, like Plymouth, Exeter, Bath and Bristol, have,
largely obliterated the history of towns and villages throughout the
country, and as a result the part played by the town and village folk
has in part been forgotten.
The
advent of Genealogy has by enlarge resurrected people’s interest in
not only the history of ones own family, but also the part they
played in the building of their particular community. For those who
practice this ever–increasing pastime you begin to understand just
how and why churches, streets, and other prominent buildings came
into being.
Cullompton,
with its historical background and 40 ways in which the present
spelling
Cullompton from the then Columtune in 872AD was spelt, gives the
people of this lovely market town some idea of its long history. But,
who were the forefathers, what contribution did they make and where
can these historical building be found today?
There
are many such names from the past that live on today and will do so
in the distant future. There is no better place to begin than the
bedrock of a civilised country, the church.
The
two main benefactors of St
Andrew’s Church, built in the 15th century are well
documented, namely Moore of Moorehayes and the Lane family who
generated a great deal of the employment for the town. Of course
there was a church, St Mary, built in the vicinity long before that
and no doubt these two families also contributed in some way toward
this.
In
all the books that have been published about Cullompton and its
church, little if anything has been said of the Moore family whose
existence at Moorehayes has been recorded since and before 1120AD.
John de la Moore, my 25 x Great Grandfather the recorded founder of
the dynasty that lasted for 22 generations is believed to have
descended from the Normandy family who came here with William the
Conqueror.
The
Moore Chapel at the east end of St Andrew’s Church is largely
thought to have been built by the Moore
family although this is based only on the fact that there are two
different sections to the roof either side of the
Rood Screen. However a search of ancient documents by different
societies over many years could find no records appertaining to who
may have been responsible for the west end of the aisle. It is
therefore reasonable to assume that because members of the Moore
family are entombed either side of the screen, that the north aisle
itself was the result of a Moore benefactor. The subsequent history
of that part of the church suggests that had there been another
benefactor his name would surely come to light when the history
during the Cromwellian and later 19th
century periods was exposed.
During
a period of restoration in the latter period, workmen discovered four
9’ murals painted on the walls of Saints Christopher, Michael,
Clare and Bridget. It was generally felt that these had been covered
with lime during the period when it was known that Cromwell’s army
were to be billeted in the church. Later they were uncovered during
renovation of the church until the then incumbent the Rev Veryard
Brutton , vicar of the church 1777–1814 considered them to be a
distraction to his parishioners and ordered them to be covered again.
One
Mr. Urban made the following report.
"
In repairing the church of Cullompton, Devon last year, the workmen,
scraping the mortar off the walls and doors, laid open many paintings
both of landscapes, buildings and figures, all of them sacred
subjects and emblems of the Passion, etc, surrounded with interlaced
borders, and explained by scrolls in black letter. Some of your
correspondence in the neighbourhood may, perhaps, give you a fuller
account of these paintings, which the ignorance of rustics whitened
over immediately. If these were the time of John Lane, who built an
aisle or chapel adjoining to the church 1526 they are of the 16th
century.
Mr.
Polwhele (II, 254, 255) ascribes the nave to the time of Edward I"
This
last part of the statement confuses the possible whereabouts in the
church these murals were painted. Edward I reigned 1272–1307 two
hundred years before the church was built. It begs the question was
the nave part of the old church?
However
an examination by experts at the time of another exposure in 1849 it
was advised that the murals were beyond repair.
Records
reveal today, that within the Moore Chapel there were six pews used
by the Moore and later the Blackmore families, which have since been
removed. Above on the screen in the chapel are the Coat’s of Arms
of the many Devon and Somerset families who married into the Moore
family.
What
is left of this once noble family can only be observed by a visit to
the church although the estate of Moorehayes also still exists as a
private property north of Cullompton.
PART
2
In
Part One, I described how and where the Moore and Lane families
contributed to the building of St Andrew’s Church and a concise
history of events that took place over a period of years.
As
my contribution to the history of Cullompton and its website,
subsequent chapters will deal mainly with those families who also
contributed even in some small way to that history. Who were these
people and how did they accumulate such wealth in order to provide
for the residents of this ancient town, even though the standard of
living would not have been the same as we enjoy today?
We
are aware of how John Lane was able to provide, but what of the Moore
family?
They
were of course Yeoman Farmers, but it has to be said that they had a
considerably larger amount of capital than today?s counterpart would
probably admit too.
The
Moore family, as with most of the affluent society of yesteryear
gained more of their wealth through intermarriages with other opulent
Devon and Somerset families who in their day would have been found in
a "Whose Who" had there been such a book in those days.
The
following Manors all once belonged to the Moore family, Comb–Raleigh,
Giddisham, Willand, Upcott Aller–Peverell and of course Moorehayes.
One can imagine exactly what financial gain could be achieved as Lord
of the Manors spread over a considerable area. In comparison to other
such wealthy families one could say the Moore family were however the
poor relations in comparison. Nevertheless they were a respectable
family that were considered by other wealthy families to marry both
into and out of. The Moore Chapel in St Andrews bear just some of the
intermarriages between Gambon, Botour, Clivedon, Walrond, Trowbridge,
Chudleigh and Stawell to name but a few. Other families of equal
status will also be mentioned as the history of this family is
revealed.
John
Moore of Moorehayes, my16 x great Grandfather, married Elizabeth
Botour of Exeter, daughter of Henry, it was John who became the
Recorder in 1416 for Exeter and the Moore Coat of Arms can be seen
today on the right side (as you approach) of the Lord Mayor’s Seat
in the Chamber of the Guildhall in Exeter.
As
with many other families recorded in the Visitations of Devon, the
pedigrees do not record the wife’s Christian or Surnames in the
earlier part of the 10,11, and 12th Centuries.
It appears that these details were not required. This is of course as
a result of the reasoning behind King Henry VIII to log all landed
estates and their proprietors and their heirs so that he could keep
his eye on the landed gentry. It is noticeable that in many cases
only the eldest son was recorded.
An
example of this can be found in the Moore family, even before the
arrival of Henry VIII and during the reign of Henry VI 1422–1474,
which I must say I found comical if not hilarious to say the least.
William
Moore, son of John and Elizabeth Botour, married Jane Stawell
daughter of Sir Thomas of Cothelstone, near Bishop’s Lydeard in
Somerset. Jane gave William twin sons, John and Nicholas. It appears
an argument arose when Nicholas said he was the eldest son, which
John obviously disputed. Now in modern times this would have been
settled by a simple question to mum or dad, but in this case it
appeared William was deceased, so it fell to Jane to be, and I quote,
Examined. One has a picture of the three men chosen, a cousin of
Jane’s, John Garland, Sir John Noel, a priest and John Huntingdon,
a clerk of Cullompton with stethoscopes ready for the examination.
However, Jane confirmed that Nicholas was the eldest and this had to
be recorded signed and sealed by the said gentlemen. It was then
discovered that the said seals were little known and so a further
three men by way of John Walrond, Andrew Harlewin and Peter Minfield
were called to add their seal of certification.
All
this I am afraid came to a sorry end when Nicholas died a short time
later leaving John to inherit. However this does show the
significance of being the eldest son who would have inherited the
largest part of the estate.
It
was about this period when Moorehayes became the chief seat of the
Moore family. John apparently was described as, very learned in the
laws during King Henry VI reign. He married Elizabeth Clivedon of
Willand and that of course is how the manor came into the Moore
family.
Maurice
Moore, son of John and Elizabeth, married Cicely Bonville, daughter
of John and granddaughter of Lord Bonville, which also brought
Comb–Raleigh (also called Comb–Coffyn in those days) into the
Moore family.
Aller–Peverell
came into the hands of the Moore family as a gift to The Very
Reverend Richard Moore 2nd son of John and Elizabeth,
Archdeacon and Treasurer of Exeter Cathedral by Henry VIII. When the
Archdeacon died in 1515 he was buried in the cathedral behind the
choir stand, after which the estate was sold.
It
was of course families such as Moore and Lane, who with their wealth
and knowledge turned Cullompton into the market town and the centre
of the weaving trade in Devon. Things did not always seem to be so
easy, but as long as they did, the residents of Cullompton could be
assured by the affluence of its benefactors.
In
Part III how things can change and other Devon families.
PART
3
From
part two I introduced John Moore who was in dispute with his brother
Nicholas over who was the eldest son. Unfortunately Nicholas passed
away leaving John who married Elizabeth Clivedon to remain in his
rightful place as eldest son. I also referred to John's eldest son
Morris and second eldest The Rt Rev Richard Moore of Exeter
Cathedral.
It
was however, John’s youngest child and only daughter Margaret, who
married another well known family of Bradfield and Cullompton, when
she married John Walrond. From the marriage came two sons, John and
Humphrey. It was John junior who became the founder member of the
family who lived in the village of Sea, near Ilminster Somerset and
whose descendants were involved in the slave trade to the West
Indies.
It
was about the time of Morris’s eldest son Humphrey Moore that the
family fortunes came into decline as a result of Humphrey’s
luxurious way of life. It is noticeable that during this period that
Combe–Raleigh, Giddesham, Willand and Upcott were all sold off and
possible saved the family from total bankruptcy. This was nothing
unusual with many of the opulent families of those days. There is not
one family of some wealth and repute who didn’t have at least one
son who exploited his wealth and reputation to the detriment of the
entire family. However in this case it appears Humphrey was probably
saved by his own death in August 1537. He had married Agnes Pollard,
daughter of Sir Lewis, Knight Justice of the Common Plea in1515.
Humphrey’s
youngest sister Elyne, married Bartholomew Fortesque of Filleigh
Devon, it was their daughter Anne who married John Raleigh second
eldest half brother to Sir Walter. From these two marriages it
appears that Humphrey’s extravagance did not appear to have been to
damaging to the reputation of the family.
Indeed,
this was again noticeable when Edward VI knighted Humphrey’s eldest
son John on the 10th November 1550.
Sir
John’s marriage to Catherine, daughter of Sir Thomas Pomeroy of
Berry Pomeroy and Jane eldest daughter of Sir Piers Edgcombe of
Cothele in Comwall. From this marriage came another Humphrey, but in
this respect in name only. He married Mary, the 5th daughter of Sir
Richard Bampfield of Poltimore, near Exeter and Elizabeth Sydenham,
daughter of Sir John Knt of Brympton, near Yeovil in Somerset. Sir
Richard was Sheriff of Devon in 1578 and is buried with Elizabeth in
the church at Poltimore.
The
one thing that all these aforesaid families have in common is that
their forefathers came to England with William the Conqueror and each
in their turn residing at Moorehayes.
It
was Sir John and Catherine’s second son John who moved away from
Moorehayes and whose family in Northampton. John’s wife is not
mentioned and appeared to have had only one child a son also called
John. This John became the Reverend of the University of Oxford and
Rector of Knaptoft, an area no longer recorded on present day maps.
However he was the author of the book " The crying Sin of
England, in not caring for the poor" published in 1653.
John’s
grandson became the Rt Rev John Moore DD Bishop of Norwich and Ely
Cathedrals. This John amassed a huge library of Wills and Codices
consisting of some 30,755 pieces of which after his death was bought
by King George I for 6000 guineas and presented to the University of
Cambridge, where they still remain today.
This
is the story of a Cullompton born and bred Devonian family who helped
to establish this ancient town and influenced others around the
country. Somehow I cannot imagine my 9x and 11x great grandfather who
were both knighted, riding out from Moorehayes in suits of shining
armour, but more likely to have supported the King with financial
help as was their sworn duty.
In
part 4. I shall try to bring Cullompton up to date with more recent
17th and 18th century history.
Part
4
In
my previous chapters I have dealt with the rich benefactors who
helped make the history of Collumpton, but the less affluent
residents also provided the means by which the opulent were able to
provide the means in which the poor were able to survive.
This
was not a chicken or egg enigma; plainly the chicken had inherited
its wealth from their forefathers who in turn unselfishly provided
the means by which Collumpton could prosper as a market town. That
does not mean however that exploitation of the working classes was
not prevalent as the old saying goes "You have to speculate to
accumulate." and this was done largely at the expense of the
poor.
Genealogy
has provided for those who participate, with information that would
have otherwise been dead and buried in the annuals of time.
Having
been born into the slums of Bath with a father who was severely
wounded in World War I whose income was £3. 12s a week to
support a wife and a family of seven children. I think I can speak
with some experience.
The
Parish and Census records reveal the extent in which children as
young as eight years old could find themselves employed in very
dangerous jobs within agriculture,mining and sweeping chimneys.
Education was at the bottom of the table when it came the survival of
the family. Today we can sometimes be astonished when, discovering a
document bearing an X in place of a signature and in some
cases can feel ashamed that your ancestor was unable to read or
write. One should not feel the stigma associated with apparent
ignorance of your forefathers, but the determination by them to
survive under very difficult circumstances of the period in which
they lived. What they hacked in education they more than excelled in
the skills of whatever tasked they performed to survive.
Young
children who found themselves having to work for a few pennies
working on farms, digging coal from the coal mines and climbing
chimneys for the sake of the family made history of the laws, which
we enjoy today. Young girls were not exempt from similar work in
service, laundrettes and as seamstresses working for a mere pittance.
The cost of having to buy exercise books and pencil was one that at
the cost of one penny it was an expense they could not afford. One
cannot imagine the trauma of a young eight-year-old boy stuck in a
chimney or down a mine unable to escape the certain death.
John
Lane provided Cullompton with its cloth making industry and was very
successful exporting to the continent. A good many homes where
weaving was `
carried
out had their own looms so you can imagine that the occupants worked around
the clock in order to provide. Even so the industry was not without
its problems often striking for a half penny rise to try to overcome
the poverty in which they lived. Those who lived in tied cottages,
particularly in the agriculture field were slaves to their masters in
order to keep a roof over their heads.
The
biggest employers in Cullompton during the 1840s were the Upcott
family who unsuccessfully prosecuted their employees for going on
strike over the conditions they had to endure in the workplace. In
1842 the workers threatened to strike again against a reduction in
wages. By this time the weavers were also facing problems by the
imports from Belgium and by 1869 the mills had closed.
The
rich landowners paid Tithe Payments to the church in order to provide
the poor of the town or village with which would have been
distributed by the church.
Today
our churches are rarely full on a Sunday morning, but in those days
it was important to be seen going to church on a regular basis in
order to benefit from the handouts. Often a memorial found in
churches would record, John Smith died 1836 leaving £6 for the
poor of his community. Today people are paid that and much more an
hour so you can imagine in those days £6 was a great deal of
money to distribute to the unfortunate families who would not have
seen that amount a year.
There
were often disputes between the landed gentry and the church in the
amount of payments paid. One such incident happened between the
Blackmore family of Moorehayes Cullompton and the Rev William Sykes
MA who was vicar between 1834 -1857. The dispute arose when the Rev
Sykes asked for the tithe payments from the Blackmore estate.
In
his defence John Blackmore wrote the following transcript taken from documents
discovered in the Record Office in Exeter.
"
Mr John Blackmore died on the 29th April 1793 and left all Moorehayes
together with a small aisle in Cullompton church which exonerates all
estates from the church unto his three sons William, James and myself
John, executives as tenants in common. The following year we divided
the estate by mutual consent by three equal lots and deeds were
executed accordingly. The above aisle contains six pews with vaults
underneath which have not been divided. Three of the pews have been
occupied since father's death to the present time by the above named
and their families.
The
remaining three pews have been left to my care. I have let these by
the year during 40 years and received all the rent and paid for all
the repairs, given a statement of account from time to time to the
other proprietors and we balance the account.
About
30 years ago I gave the building a thorough repair, cost,£96. I
have since paid about £30. The aisle at present is in very
good repair and clears about £2 per year. About 9 or 10 years
ago William died and left his son-in-law Mr James Monday in trust for
his own son then about 7 years old Master Monday. Now all the above
aisle is his own property on pretence that he has the Mansion House,
as he calls it in William's allotment".
The
outcome of this problem agreed by the then council was that the Rev
Sykes lost the case on the basis of a little known law, which came
into being circa 1814 whereby Moduses (a payment in kind) exonerated
the estate from the tithe payment.
It
is difficult for those of us today to understand how the families
managed to survive some of the harshest and in many cases appalling
conditions within the hovels most of them lived in. Often sleeping
four or five in one bed, waiting for the next hand—me-down dress or
coat from an older sibling and rising in the bleak winter morning to
start the day working in all winds and weather. Those who were
fortunate to go to school often had four or live miles to trudge to
school and back.
I
remember when a meal was not eaten I was told if you don't eat it now
you will get it for your next meal and I am sure that happened in
many homes. At Christmas there would be one present bought on behalf
of your aunts and uncles an orange or apple and a nub of coal in an
old stocking.
Despite
their poverty these were the people who made history.
PART
5
In
the previous chapters I have endeavoured to build a picture of the
opulent families whose wealth provided the facilities and those who
by the unfortunate position of their birth struggled to raise their
standard of living. Both in their own way helped to build Cullompton
into a reputable market and cloth-making town it is renowned for.
We
need to study our modern standard of living in all its aspects and
pause for a few minutes to envisage what and how on earth did our
forefathers manage to survive often with large families and very
little to raise their children and in the horrendous conditions they
had to endure.
Apart
from the everyday problems of survival, there was always the fear of
a disaster in whatever form that in many ways would have reduced
families to a situation beyond belief with no help other than that
given by family and friends who no doubt had little to offer
themselves.
One
such an occasion began on Sunday the 7th July 1839 when a
spark from a chimney near New St caused an outbreak of fire, which by
virtue of the wind blowing at that time set some 150 houses ablaze.
Details
of the fire were reproduced in the “Cullompton & District
Weekly News” Edited by Professor David Pugsley in the late 1980s
and alleged to have been printed on Monday 8th July 1839.
The
report says that the congregation were about to leave the church
between 12 and 1 o’clock when the alarm was raised.
You
can imagine the panic and fear a spark from a fire would have on a
population still living under a thatched roof and in particular that
you were just leaving church and possibly some distance from home.
As
indicated in chapter 4 many of the people working in the weaving
trade had their own looms and worked from home would suddenly find
their home and their means of employment destroyed in just a few
minutes.
For
those who could afford insurance there was some hope, but for those
who could not it must have been heart breaking.
The
fire was no respecter of class or wealth as house after house in
street after street was gutted. Reports revealed that the same
cooperation that many who remember the Second World War, came from
just anyone who was able, rich or poor, helped each other to rescue
furniture and precious belongings from the desolated houses.
Today
we expect our Emergency Services to be on hand within minutes, but in
those days the horse drawn fire engine and the equipment was very
basic and had to come from some distance. Some of the eight engines
that attended came from as far as Exeter, Tiverton, Bradninch and
other towns. The Exeter fire engine arrived in less than an hour,
which must have been some sort of record considering that the wheel
of the engine came off four times during the rush. During that time
one wonders how many properties were destroyed and how many lives had
been lost?
Today
we are frustrated by the length of time taken to compensate or a
rescue plan to evolve and maybe our local authorities could learn a
thing or two from the speed in which those in authority went into
action.
On
the 9th of July a meeting of subscribers under the
chairmanship of one Edward Simcoe Drew, went into action and within a
short space of time £70-£80 had been raised, which was a
considerable amount in those days.
The
Rev William Sykes, vicar of St Andrew’s had set up a committee to
alleviate the distress of those who had lost everything. A donation
of £100 came from the MPs Sir Thomas Acland and Mr Buck and for
120 people who were now homeless were quickly taken into the Work
House free of charge.
As
always where a great deal of money had been collected for these
occasions, a row broke out when it was thought that the rich were
getting more money than the poor. As I suspect it would be difficult
to differentiate between how much any one person could expect based
on the assumption that a rich man’s table may have cost more than
the poor man to replace. There was of course the possibility that the
rich man would have had more chance to be insured than the poor man.
The
committee, under the chairmanship of the Rev Sykes, issued a
statement that the committee had received sufficient funds to give
aid to those who were in need and expressed their approbation of good
conduct of the general body of applicants for keeping their claims
within, rather to exceed the actual amount of their losses. He ended
by saying the committee will not fail to publish their final
accounts.
The
extent of the damage to property was extensive as one might imagine,
some 100 houses were completely gutted depending on what report you
read, and 120 families made homeless most of who were weavers. In
addition many businesses were destroyed or badly damaged such as Mr
Gabriel the surgeon, Mr Nicholls the Chemist, the Bakery and the
Paper Mills owned by one of my ancestors Mr J. Mills. The overall
costs were thought to be in the region of £15,000 to £20,000,
which was a colossal amount in those days. Of course the knock on
effect of this was that more people lost their only means of what
little income they received. To what extent the fire had on the town
and how far it travelled had not been exactly recorded by the
numerous newspaper reports. As always there were conflicting reports
on where it started and how it started and how far it had travelled
along the high street. What or where, did not appear to have dampened
the courage of those involved as the 1841 Census recorded many were
back living in New Street
It
was strange that the report gave no indication of personal injury
except that of a chimney sweep unfortunately was hit by a falling
partition on his back and died the next day.
The
list of the families who had been remunerated for the loss of their
belongings was substantial and to publish the lists now will of
course help many to discover whether their families were involved.
Some 276 names are list and an expenditure of £1457-17s –9d
was distributed, which was a substantial amount in those days.
It
was incredible to read exactly what items people claimed for their
losses, but when understanding what those items may have been in
order for them to continue their livelihood is probably justifiable.
These items were for such things as scissors, combs, looms and
ironwork. One item, which seemed rather odd was a claim for Postage,
carriage of Parcels and expenses for journeys to Exeter and Taunton,
the cost of which was £10-10s. Of the total expenditure
£109-12s-6d was invested into the Savings Bank at Exeter. The
smallest handed out was for 1s-6d, while the largest was for £140,
but in both these cases the reason is not mentioned.
It
is worth mentioning the sort of income that was needed to support a
family in those days. For instance a weaver could support a wife and
three children on 6s a week, even so he would still struggle to make
ends meet. Clothes were passed down from one sibling to the other or
cut down to fit another. Even families would save a garment for a
friend’s child, the obvious shame overcome by the necessity to
provide as well as could be for your child. Patching and darning was
the norm rather than today’s trend.
Schooling
for children was a factor to be taken into consideration, not all the
children went to school and those that did were often kept at home
for domestic reasons. It was an age when it was felt that the girls
needed no further education other than that which could be taught by
their mothers. Often when the genealogist found a known child missing
from a census it likely either the child had died or was with another
relative learning to be a house servant. In addition a child was
charged for the exercise books they used. Each exercise book was
charged at 1penny and one and a half pennies for each copybook. If a
child arrived without the money they would be sent home unless of
course the family were considered very poor.
School
attendances were sporadic depending on the weather or because mother
was ill and daughters as young as nine were left to cook and get the
other children off to school. The boys would be seconded to help with
the harvest or other domestic problems within the household. All
these problems revealed themselves in later years when one discovered
documents signed only by an X.
Children
as young as eight would find themselves in employment doing some of
the most appalling hard work that today’s child could ever imagine.
Records show that young boys were used to climb chimneys in order to
sweep them and getting stuck with the inevitable death to follow. One
record shows a young boy of 10 years being an apprentice wheelwright.
Marriages
took place between children as young as twelve, right up to 1850 and
many young girls married to men old enough to be their father.
What
of the local industry? Cullompton was already famous for making
stockings, but also for the cloth and weaving industry that had been
created by the Lane family in the early part of the 16th
century.
Cullompton
was to weaving as Honiton was to its lace, so the great fire was a
devastating blow to the economy of a thriving market town. In
addition it was hit by cheaper imports from the European Continent,
even in those days, which also added to its problems. It was not for
the first time that Cullompton had been hit by a great fire, in 1612,
the fire saw migration from the town on that occasion.
The
leading figure in a brief factory production in Cullompton was
William Upcott and the town then had a population of less than 4000
people, according the 1841 census.
It
is probably safe to say that from this period the cloth and weaving
trade began its decline as an industry in Cullompton and I have no
doubt that the market town of yesteryear is far from its original
state today. But these were the people who made history
PEOPLE MAKE
HISTORY PART 6.
In Part 5 I spoke of the disaster
which had struck the Market town of Cullompton and how those who had
been affected and how the community came together to help those who
had lost their homes and the amenities to provide for the family.
There was also another problem, which
effected people from all walks of life that of the fact that the
world was getting bigger or smaller depending on whichever way one
looked at the situation. For those who could afford to travel it was
getting bigger but for those who had earned their living in the
weaving, farming and silk making trades the world was getting
smaller.
Imports from other manufacturing
countries began to build a competition that saw a decline in home
made production lines.
Agriculture found itself in much the
same way as it is today importation began to eat its way into the
industry and those farm labourers who lived in tied cottages soon
found themselves looking for work and hopefully with it the chance of
finding further accommodation.
Those of us who are interested in
Genealogy today are often frustrated to find that their ancestors
suddenly disappeared and with any luck find them again living in
another area or even in another county.
Of course I can only write about those
of my own ancestors who found it necessary to leave, not only the
place of their birth, but the country to seek a new life in America.
Through my research I have been able
to discover hundreds of descendants from my family ancestors who went
to America and also made history in their new surroundings.
We never imaging today how many
American Citizens can trace their ancestry back to this country and
in particular Cullompton and the surrounding villages and unbeknown
to us have come back to discover their grass roots each year.
In many cases my ancestors took up the
trade they left behind and succeeded where they may well have failed
in this country at that time.
Some of the stories I have been able
to discover show quite clearly how some immediately fitted in with a
new way of life and were more profitable, while others found that
life was not much different to the one they had left behind.
Never the less, they remained with
their adopted country their stories were sometimes funny and others
very sad.
First may I explain that when talking
about Cullompton I have also to incorporate the surrounding villages
who would have also been involved in the success of Cullompton as a
market town and a successful cloth making industry since time in
memorial.
The Blackmore family has always had
large community of people of that name and when looking at Parish
Records and the like, I believe East and North Devon have the largest
number of Blackmores in Devon. They were of Saxon descent
and recorded as being Yeoman Farmers
by the monks in the 10th century.
My own family settled in Sheldon
before the 14th century and as far as I have been able to
discover were not related to the Blackmores of Cullompton until in
1722 my 5 x great grandfather John married Mary Moore of Moorehayes
who was the last descendant of the Moore dynasty going back to the
early 12th century.
The combination of the Moore and
Blackmore estates from there on meant that the descendants held a
great many farms in the area between Cullompton, Broadhembury and
Sheldon.
I believe the first of several
families to leave for America as far as I have been able to discover
was James Blackmore of Sheldon who was born in 1786 the only son of
James and Mary Acland of Sheldon.
After a disaster in 1816 when his
house was burnt down he and his wife Miriam (nee Foxwell) from
Pitminster Somerset, decided to seek a new life in America. On April
8th 1817 they and their three children James, Sarah and
Mary, left for America and arrived on the 31st May 1817.
James jnr and Miriam settled in Warren in the county of Ohio. It is
thought that he had at first worked as a stonemason, a trade he had
some experience of while in England. However the call of the land
encouraged him to purchase 1160 acres of land in the Concord Township
of Troy in Miami County. He paid the princely some of $1.60 per acre
and this land is still owned by his descendants today and probably
worth more per acre than before. While the price of his property grew
so did his family with four more children William, Martha, Eliza and
Mark being born in America.
It was not until after James death in
1853 and his will was published, revealed although he knew he had
been born in Devon he could not remember where.
All that he could remember was it was
a farm called Newcombe, but that farm is no longer in existence
today. It was a will produced by his aunt Hanna who died in 1771 who
left instructions that no more timber should be cut from her Newcombe
plantation for building purposes that we were able to establish his
connection to Sheldon and place him with his rightful parents.
His success might have inspired others
within the family to follow suite as the agriculture industry began
to suffer from imported goods.
The second family to leave for America
was William Valentine Blackmore the son of Robert and Elizabeth
Valentine who farmed Northhill farm in Broadhembury. He married Emily
Blanch Wasborough on the 1st December 1872 the daughter of William a
Bristol Lawyer, and Sarah Williams. Within the year they had
emigrated to Lincoln Nabraska, America, where their five children
Sarah, Robert, Thomas, Emily and Elizabeth were born.
William was into cattle farming and he
and his son Robert, herded cattle from Texas to Nabraska to fatten
them up and sell. Here we have always believed it was Clint Eastwood.
It is through the five children and
their chosen spouse, that those bearing the surname of Gooden,
Crowley, Gilmore, Cressman and Hitchcock might be able to trace their
ancestral line back to Cullompton.
On a return trip to visit family and
friends at Christmas in Broadhembury, William died on the 27th
December 1912 and is buried in St Andrew’s Churchyard.
Emily, known affectionally as Bannie,
to friends and family, moved into a rather luxurious flat after her
husband’s death and during the First World War she volunteered for
the Red Cross.
It was during her trip home from the
hospital she ran off the road in her Hudson car. She was so
embarrassed she did not wish anyone to know what she had done so she
bought herself an identical car, however the accident was uncovered
by her granddaughter Betty, who was just a child when she asked her
grandmother how she got all those bruises?
Emily was an accomplished pianist and
is reputed to be able to play purely by ear and often played for
dances in Nabraska. Emily died on the 25th November 1925
at her home.
Robert the eldest son whose second
name was his mother’s surname, married Julia Crawley and their
eldest son Robert Edward born 31st January 1898 married
Sophia Tyrcha. Sadly Robert jnr was killed in an explosive fire in
Chicago in May of 1951 leaving Sophia with their two daughters Clare
age 11 years and Alice just 10 years old.
I suppose the third family known to me
who had emigrated to America was my Great Grand uncle Richard Moore
Blackmore, son of Thomas and Martha (nee Mills) of Week farm
Cullompton.
I have the feeling that Richard was
not really interested in farming although his documents signed when
he reached America in 1871 states he was a farmer, but certainly did
not pursue this trade when he arrived.
He married Sarah Loosemore born 6th
June 1823 in Broadcliste, on the 19th July 1846 and from
the marriage they had five children, Owen, Ernest, Edwin, Nora and
Jane all of whom were born in Cullompton.
Thomas, his father owned several other
properties including Venn farm and part share of the Paper Mill along
with his brother-in-law Humphrey Blackmore Mills, and the mill still
exists today. Thomas also owned a place called Gribble Park, but
where that was I have never been able to discover. Richard appeared
to have had several jobs the last of which was a Janitor. However his
son Ernest who as a result of an accident he received as a child in
Cullompton had one leg shorter than the other had accomplished
himself as a very fine harness maker as the article written in the
newspaper “ Toledo Blade” reported in January 1893 as follows.
“ Europe Bound”. “The new
Atlantic steamer Meire, nosed out of the port of New York with twenty
fine Toledo horses, six Toledo made Milburn road wagons and trappings
made by the Toledo harness maker Ernest Blackmore, in the hold. A pet
project of George Ketcham and George Splay, Toledo horse fanciers, at
last was under way. They too were aboard and impatiently awaiting the
opportunity to dazzle Vienna, the European capital of horse flesh.”
Ernest was born on the 7th
February 1858 and married Martha Lavinia Ross who was born on the
11th November 1860 in New York and married on the 25th
June 1884. They had three children Richard Ross Blackmore, Edith and
Rhea. Martha predeceased her husband on the 27th September
1912 and Ernest died on the 16th May 1919.
Often when I have looked at the
American War Memorial in St Andrew’s Church, I wonder how many of
those who gave their lives might have had ancestors who came from
Cullompton. However it doesn’t really matter, as they were all
“People Who Made History”.
R.S.Blackmore
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