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| Fore Street, Tiverton cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Derek Harper - geograph.org.uk/p/6875609 |
Temperance Cosway (bap. 9 Apr 1819 at St Andrew's, Clayhidon), was the daughter of Thomas Cosway, Farmer, and Mary Trenchard. Temperance Cosway's father was listed as Thomas Cosway on her marriage and there was a Thomas Cosway of the right vintage, aged 60 (b. ~1780), buried on 19 Apr 1840 at St Peter's Church, Tiverton, who would fit the circumstances. The burial record says, "destroyed himself", presumably they mean suicide. (One wonders if they were poor relations of the Tiverton-born portrait painter of the Regency era, Richard Cosway. The town even has a Cosway Road.)
In 1841, in Fore Street, Tiverton in the household of Mary Cosway (60) Dairy Keeper were Mary Cosway (25) (conceivably a sister); Temperance Cosway (21), Elizabeth Cosway (2), Eliza Copp (25) Dressmaker (a lodger, perhaps) and Elizabeth Harmer (65) 'Ind' (Independant). The baptism record reveals that the 2 year old Elizabeth Cosway, b. 22 Feb 1839 and bap. on 19 May 1839, at St Peter's Church, Tiverton, was the illegitimate daughter of Temperance Cosway. Sadly, the infant Elizabeth Cosway died, aged just 3, and was buried, on 18 Aug 1842, also at St Peter's Church, Tiverton.
William Southcott married Temperance Cosway at St Peter's Church, Tiverton, on 24 Mar 1845. The marriage certificate says that William was a Wheelwright, but his father's name was left blank, which is entirely consistent with the record of his baptism, in Witheridge, on 24 Feb 1822, where he's described as the 'Base Child' (illegitimate) of Mary Southcott.
William and Temperance Southcott had six children:
- William Southcott b. 7 Jan 1846, bap. 24 Feb 1846 at St Peter's Church, Tiverton. (Died at 6 and was buried 11 Apr 1852 at St Peter's)
- Walter Southcott b. 1847. (Died in 1864, aged 18)
- Robert Southcott b. 1849. (There was a Richard Southcott, aged 1, died in 1850, for whom there appears to be no birth record.)
- Frederick Southcott b. 1851
- Mary Jane Southcott b. 1854
- Lucy Southcott b. 1856. (Died in 1859, aged 2.)
In 1851, William Southcott (29) Carpenter, Temperance Southcott (30), William Southcott (5), Walter Southcott (3), Maria Trump (20) House Servant and John L Dunsford (34) Lodger, were all living in Becks Square, Tiverton.
Then in 1856, William Southcott died at the age of 33.
Temperance Southcott then married Francis Thomas Beedell (b. 30 Jul 1823, bap. 17 Aug 1823), son of William and Elizabeth Beedell at the Chapel of St John the Baptist, Cove, Devon, on 15 Jul 1860. (Francis had previously married Elizabeth Tucker, daughter of Robert Tucker, on 29 Oct 1852 at the parish church in Butterleigh. They'd had one child, Henry Robert Beedell, in 1853, but Elizabeth Beedell died in 1854, aged 24.)
In 1861, Francis J Beedell (35) Tailor, Temperance Beedell (36), Walter Southcott (14) Carpenter's Apprentice, Frederick Southcott (9), Mary Jane Southcott (7) - described as Wife's sons and Wife's daughter, respectively - and Ann M Limborough (29) House Servant, were listed at Vercoc's Court, Fore Street, Tiverton. Francis Thomas and Temperance Beedell added one son, Francis Southcott Beedell, born in 1862. (When he enrolled at Heathcote School in 1873, their address was Havill's Court, Fore Street.)
Then Francis Thomas Beedell died, in 1865, aged 42.
Temperance Beedell married for a 3rd time in Q4 1866 to James Coombe.
James Coombe (b. 1811), Butcher, son of John Coombe, previously married Sarah Hurley, daughter of John Hurley, Carpenter, on 22 Mar 1838, at St Peter's Church, Tiverton. James set up in Newport Street, Tiverton, where they were in 1841. By 1851 and in 1861, he'd become a Dairyman in Frog Street, Tiverton (Bampton). Sarah Coombe died in Q4 of 1866.
In 1871, at Kiddles Court, Fore Street, Tiverton, were: James Coombe (59) Dairyman; Temperance Coombe (50); John H Coombe (24) Son, Tailor; William H Coombe (22) Son, Whitesmith (unemployed); Mary J Coombe (18) Daughter-in-law (wife of John H Coombe); Mary A Coombe (22) Daughter-in-law (wife of William H Coombe); Frederick Southcott (19) Son-in-law (Step-son) Dairyman's assistant; Frederick Coombe (13) Son, Errand Boy; Francis T Beedle (sic) (8) Son-in-law (Step-son); John H S Coombe (1) Grandson (Son of John Hurley Coombe and Mary Jane Southcott); William H Coombe (0) Grandson (Son of William Henry and Mary Ann Coombe, born 20 Jan 1870, bap. 26 Dec 1870 at St Peter's Church, Tiverton. Mother's maiden name Land.) Finding the blended family in 1871, led me to investigate, as on that 1871 census return, the 19 year old unmarried Frederick Southcott was described as Son-in-law (to the head of the household) and that didn't make sense at all. Clearly, he is James Coombe's step-son. However, there's no wonder they were confused, because James Coombe and Sarah Hurley's son, John Hurley Coombe (b. 1845) had married Mary Jane Southcott, daughter of William Southcott and Temperance Cosway, in 1869. She was then both James Coombe's step-daughter AND his daughter-in-law.
Then in 1876, James Coombe died, aged 65.
In 1881, the now thrice-widowed Temperance Coombe (62) Dairy woman, was still living in Kiddles Court, Tiverton, with her son from her first marriage, Frederick Southcott (29) Milk carrier and his wife Eliza (25), as well as her son by her second husband, Francis Beedell (18) also a Milk carrier.
And after all that, Temperance Coombe, previously Beedell, formerly Southcott, née Cosway, simply disappears. She could have married again, but I've found no record of it. More likely, nobody was left when she died.