West Country Family and Local History

FEUDAL RANKS (Part 1)

King: He owns all the land and gives away plots or parcels, of land in return for service

Lords: Hold the land given by the king, which they lease to lesser ranks, who in return supply the lords with money or knights should the need arise

Vassals: Pay homage to the lords and lease land to knights

Knights: Lease land from vassals and offer their services in return, when required.

Part 2 tomorrow

EXETER GUILDHALL This building in High Street, which was built in 1464, is the oldest guildhall in England and also contains the oldest civic seal in Britain dating from 1175

Today is ROCK DAY – not a pop day but the end of the traditional Christmas holiday when women returned to their spinning. Also known as Distaff Day. The Distaff was otherwise known as a rock (A tool used in spinning).

For books on CDs relating to the West Country visit www.westcountrybooks.com For Family History Research visit www.bdwfh.com

In 1712 the River Avon was made navigable between Bristol and Bath

1911 in Somerset
First Great Air race over Somerset took place

Today is the Feast of Epiphany (Old Christmas Day)

The Night of the Big Wind
On this date in 1839 agreat tempest prevailed in Ireland and Western England. The Coasts were lined with wrecks and hundreds of houses were blown down.

The 21st Century
Plans to stage Britain’s first frozen-turkey bowling championships were abandoned after protests from animal-rights campaigners. Plastic birds were used instead.

Books on CDs relating to the West Country visit www.westcountrybooks.com
Family History Research visit www.bdwfh.com

Roman Remains were found at Barrington
Mrs. Mary Stockham of Stogursey died aged 100 and Mrs Thomas Scowles at Coleford aged 103

Today’s Saint Day is
St. GENEVIEVE who is the patron saint of Paris and is also the patrons saint of actors, lawyers and secretaries

Today’s bit of useless information
Editor Thomas Bowdler produced an edition of Shakespeare’s plays with all the rude bits cut out.

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I found this wonder little book called the Handy Pocket Guide to Health and Health Restoring Places by Dr Charles Rooke published in 1885. Under the section relating to various locations I found the following on South Devon

“South Devonshire.

Torquay lies on a beautiful bay encircled by hills covered with villas. The three principal hills are called the Braddons on the north; Walden Hill, with a fine fir wood, on the west; and Park Hill on the east. Torquay is well sheltered from N. and N.W., and tolerably well from N.E., and this protection extends over a considerable part of the immediate neighbourhood, so that there is unusual opportunity for exercise as well on level ground as on gradual ascents, a great advantage to invalids. The general character of the climate is very much like that of Queenstown; but the air of Torquay is drier, and, according to Mr. Vivian, it is drier than at any other place in South Devon, which Sir James Clark ascribes in part to the limestone rocks that are confined to this neighbourhood, and partly to the position between two streams, the Dart and the Teign, by which the rain appears to be in some degree attracted. Various portions of the town differ greatly, that near the sea being more sedative and relaxing, that on the hills towards Babbacombe rather bracing, at all events by comparison; and the different aspects of the three hills offer to invalids a considerable choice.

Teignmouth has a picturesque situation, but is less equable, and not sufficiently sheltered to be generally recommended as a winter climate. It is in reality more suitable as a summer retreat to lovers of Devonshire scenery, as it is said to be more bracing during summer than the majority of other localities on this coast.

Dawlish, on the slopes of the two opposite hills of a beautiful little valley, is more sheltered from N. and N.W., but not from E. It is therefore not suitable in spring, while in winter it is warm, fairly sheltered, and the air and soil are tolerably dry.

Budleigh Salterton, about four miles east, has more shelter, and is especially well protected from the north, but the space for sheltered walks is limited.”

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Today’s Saint Day is that of St. Macarius who is the patron saint of pastry cooks. Legend has it that whilst baking he was bitten by a gnat. After killing it he served penance by sitting naked in a gnat-infested swamp for six months.

I will never look at a Cream Slice in the same light again!

Welcome to today’s bits of useless information and trivia

When the Duke of Monmouth was executed the axe was blunt and after several attempts his head was severed from his body with the executioner’s knife.

Today is the feast of St. Almacius. For those who do not know he was an Eastern Monk who died in the Roman Arena when trying to stop entertainment because it was a Christian Feast Day.

Words from the the brilliant Eric Morecombe to Andre Previn after playing Grieg’s Piano Concerto “Listen Sunshine, I am playing the right notes but not necessarily in the right order”

I have to apologise for the nonappearance of the newsletter, which has been due to two things the first being that my blog “sign-up” became clogged with spam and I was afraid to send out any newsletters in case it caused the same problem on your computer and the second was that I have so busy with work, and the odd disaster around the house, that I just did not have the time to spend making something that I would be happy with. This being the case I have abandoned the idea for the time being but will be adding odd pieces of information and trivia to my blog relating to all sorts of subjects, mostly with a historical bent.
So here is the first bit of trivia
Famous Last Words.
Oscar Wilde who died in 1900
“Either that wallpaper goes or I do”

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Bishops transcripts are often referred to as BT’s and were first introduced in 1598 but few have survived from this early period. In theory they are copies, made by the church, of the parish registers that were compiled and sent to the Bishop, usually on a yearly basis. There are instances where different date, various spelling of names, omissions and inclusions occur that is would seem that the person who made the original entries in the register did not compiled the Bishops Transcript. It is possible that these were hurriedly compiled just before they were due to be sent. This means that these are also worth looking at if an event cannot be found in the parish registers. Unfortunately, as these transcripts were written on loose sheets and each parish will have sent their sheets to one office, over the years many have become lost but it is always worth a check to see if the particular year that you are interested in has survived particularly if you cannot find an entry where you expect it to be.

The business of a brickmaker is carried on in the open fields, and its mode of operation may be seen in the neighbourhood of most large towns. The art in almost all its branches is regulated by different acts of parliament: and bricks may be made of pure clay, or of clay mixed, in certain proportions, with sand or ashes.The clay is first moistened and tempered with water, either by the hand, or by means of a machine or mill worked with one or more horses. When it is fit for moulding into bricks, several persons are usually, in the neighbourhood of London, employed upon the business of making a single brick; these are called a gang: they consist of one or two men, a woman, and two children, to each of which is assigned a different department in the occupation. A gang in full work will make many thousand bricks in the course of a single week.The man moulding the clay into the shape of a brick stands under a sort of thatched cover to keep off the sun and the rain: on a board before him are all his implements; the mould into which the clay is put, the clay itself, which is brought to him by another person, a vessel with some water, and a little heap of sand; and near lies the ruler with which he takes off the superfluous clay from the mould.The inside of the box or mould is exactly the shape and size of a brick: the workman throws the clay into this with some violence, having first scattered a little sand about the sides of it; and then scraping off the superfluous clay, he lifts up the mould, and between two small boards conveys it to the barrow which stands near him on the ground. When the barrow is loaded another person comes and wheels away the bricks, and piles them up in an open place to dry. When the pile is made of the proper height, he covers them with long straw, so that they may dry gradually without being exposed to the direct rays of the sun, which would crack them. Heavy rains would also be injurious to them; these are likewise kept off by the straw. As soon as they are sufficiently dry for the purpose they are to be burnt in a kiln. Here great art is required in piling the bricks, so that the fire may circulate through every course and in all directions. Breeze, that is small cinders from sea-coal, is the fuel used in burning bricks, and when once well lighted it will keep burning several days till the bricks are completely finished.
Bricks when finished are of different colours, according to the clay of which they are made, but they must be all of one size; namely, nine inches long, four inches broad, and two inches and a half thick. A duty of 5s.l0d is charged upon every thousand of common bricks; of course this business affords a large revenue to government.The most beautiful white bricks made in this country are manufactured at Woolpit in Suffolk; these are brought by means of water-carriage to all parts of England where great neatness in brick-work is an object.Stourbridge clay and Windsor loam are esteemed the best for making bricks that are required to bear a very intense heat. These are used for coating furnaces, and lining the ovens of glass-houses, where they stand the utmost fury of the fire.A gang of brick-makers will earn a handsome living: sometimes it happens that the whole gang consists of branches of the same family, as the father and mother, and four or five children of different ages; these will earn from two to three guineas a week; but they work many hours, and their labour is very hard.In connection with the trade of brick-making we must notice the manufacture of tiles, which is a sort of thin brick, made use of in the roofs of houses, and also, when something thicker, for the purposes of paving. Those for covering the roofs of houses are of different shapes, according to the uses for which they are intended; these are plain tiles, ridge-tiles, gutter-tiles, pan tiles, &c. They are all made according to certain gauges; and the makers are subject to heavy penalties if their tiles exceed the dimensions fixed on by the several acts of parliament. The kilns in which tiles are burnt are large conical buildings: in these the tiles are piled from the bottom to the top before the fire is lighted. A very large manufactory of this sort is situated near Bagnigge Wells.Dutch clinkers are imported into England for the purpose of paving; they are long narrow bricks of a brimstone colour, very hard and well burnt, so as to be nearly vitrified.Flemish or Dutch tiles, which are glazed and painted, were formerly much used in chimney-jaumbs. Some thirty or forty years ago it was not uncommon to see a complete scripture history, and other curious devices, in a parlour fireplace.

Taken from “The Book of Trades or Library of Useful Arts” First published in 1811

This tax was levied between 1662 and 1689 though the lists of taxpayers only survived and then spasmodically between 1662 and 1674. They are a major source of information for both local and family historians in England and Wales. For family historians they indicate the size of the house, by the number of hearths had, and therefore the affluence of those living there. They will also provide a good lead to where a particular surname appears that time, especially if you have hit the brick wall with the surname you are researching. For local historians they can be used to study the social structure population and to assist in the study of vernacular architecture.

It was introduced in 1662 as it was thought that it was easier to tell the number of hearths that the house had land to a number of people living there (poll Tax). Each article is taxed at a rate of two shillings a year payable in two instalments on Lady Day and Michaelmas. Houses that were worth less than twenty shillings per annum were exempt from the tax as were those who were in receipt of poor relief. A person who only had one Hearth would be relatively poor whereas a Yeoman or gentlemen might have three or four with a person described as being Esquire might have six or more.
Whilst this tax was in force it was the government’s major source of income. However, it was such an unpopular tax that it was abolished soon after William III became King. Copies of the original returns are kept at the national archives at Kew however an increasing number of counties have at least one return in print.

In the West Country the returns for Somerset were edited and published by Dwelly and for Devon and Cornwall printed copies were made by Tom Stoate. All of these are available on CD from my website at www.westcountrybooks.com

Last week-end I was at a family gathering and of course once they know that you are interested in Family History everyone wants to know what you have found. Nine times out of ten you will be asked how far back you have gone, which to me is the worst question of all. By far the better question is “Have you found anything interesting?”

I get so many clients who are only interested in going as far back in time as possible, which is fine but they are missing out on so much. It is here that the bridge between family history and local history is crossed. With a little bit of extra research you might find your ancestors occupation, exactly where he or she lived and if they held any position in the parish such as Churchwarden, Overseer of the Poor etc. Also by studying local history you will find what was happening around them and the effect that it might have had on your family. Often the movement of a family can be traced to an event happening locally.

YOUR FAMILY TREE ON THE INTERNET

We will have all of seen the family trees on the internet, which gives names and dates with no other information. To be honest they are next to useless as they do not give any information of where vents took place and the sources. They could be the work of a highly skilled scholar who has spent many years compiling the information or the product of an over active imagination. There is no way of telling. If you are going to place your work on the internet look for sites that allow this extra information, otherwise avoid them like the plague.