Inherited Craziness
A place to share all the nuts found on my family tree

Showing posts with label British Army. Show all posts
Showing posts with label British Army. Show all posts

Thursday 1 February 2024

John William Stone and Rosina Sweeney

St Dunstan & All Saints, Stepney
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © John Salmon - geograph.org.uk/p/3477079

Rosina Sweeney
(b. 4 Jun 1883), daughter of John Henry Charles Sweeney and Susannah Harvey, married John William Stone (b. 11 Jul 1882), son of John Stone and Sarah Ann Bock, at St Dunstan's, Stepney, on 25 Dec 1902.

John and Rosina had ten children:
  1. Rosina Dorothy Stone b. 1906 M Qtr in STEPNEY Vol 01C Page 393. Died 1906 M Qtr in STEPNEY Vol 01C Page 263
  2. May Ena Stone b. 10 May 1907 J Quarter in STEPNEY Volume 01C Page 388
  3. Violet Rosina Stone b. 26 Nov 1910 (1911 M Qtr in STEPNEY Vol 01C 315)
  4. William John Arthur Stone b. 15 Jan 1913 M Quarter in STEPNEY Volume 01C Page 623
  5. George Albert Stone b. 1915 M Qtr in STEPNEY Vol 01C Page 607
  6. Rosina Stone b. 1916 S Quarter in STEPNEY Volume 01C Page 516
  7. Daisy Stone b. 1920 J Qtr in MILE END OLD TOWN Vol 01C 786
  8. Albert Stone b. 1925 M Qtr in MILE END OLD TOWN Vol 01C 524
  9. Doreen Stone b. 1926 M Quarter in STEPNEY Volume 01C Page 401
  10. Ronald Stone b. 1929 M Quarter in STEPNEY Volume 01C Page 323
In 1911, living at 58 Conder Street, Limehouse were John William Stone (29) General Labourer for the Borough Council; Rosina Stone (28), May Ena Stone (3) and Violet Rosina Stone (4 months). This census confirms that by then they'd had three children, two were still living and one had died.

Information I've been given is that during World War I, John William Stone served in the Essex Regiment, 13th (Service) Battalion (West Ham), which he joined in 1915. On 22 Dec 1915, they were transferred to 6th Brigade in 2nd Division. He was said to have been discharged in 1917, due to an injury. 

(The image left must date to ~1916 and, in descending order, shows John and Rosina Stone with May, Violet, William, George and Rosina.)

In 1921, John William Stone (38) Navvy for Stepney Boro Council; Rosina Stone (38), May Ena Stone (14), Violet Rosina Stone (10), William John Arthur Stone (8), George Albert Stone (5) and Daisy Stone (1) were living at 38, St Ann's Road, Mile End Old Town. (Rosina b. 1916 is not listed and there was a record of a death of a Rosina Stone, aged 4, in 1920, in Lewisham (why there?) that may relate.)

In 1939, John Stone, Paviour & Mason Labourer; Rosina Stone, Daisy Stone, Beer Bottler; with two closed records (presumably younger children) and Rosina's brother, Charles Sweeney, were living at 12 Leith Road, Mile End.

John William Stone died, in Stepney, in 1965, aged 83.

Rosina Stone died, also in Stepney, in 1971, at 88.

Photos provided by Jon Gilbert, direct descendant of John William Stone and Rosina Sweeney

Wednesday 31 January 2024

Charles Sweeney and Ruth Christmas Dobson

Poplar, All Saints' Church
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Mike Faherty - geograph.org.uk/p/3763422

Charles Sweeney (b. 17 Jul 1880), son of John Henry Charles Sweeney and Susannah Harvey, married Ruth Christmas Dobson (b. 25 Dec 1878) daughter of William Dobson and Sarah Ann Rowe, in Stepney in Q3 of 1906.

On 22 Jan 1896, Charles Sweeney of 1 Stephensons Cottages, Condor Street (his parents' address) had enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment, claiming to be 18 years and 6 months old. By my calculations, he was in fact, 15 years and 6 months old at that time. He was 5ft 5in tall, 116 lbs, with a fair complexion, blue eyes and black hair. On 19 Mar 1896 he transferred to the Royal Sussex Regiment and they hadn't worked out that he was telling porkies about his age, because he was listed as 18 years and 8 months. He'd managed to gain 5lbs weight to 121 lbs and grow to 5ft 5½in in the interim.

Appointed Lance Corporal on 6 May 1896, Charles reverted to Private at his own request on 26 May 1896, but was reappointed Lance Corporal on 18 Feb 1898. He served in India with the 2nd Battalion, for four years from 10 Nov 1898 until 11 Dec 1902. Ultimately promoted to Corporal, transferred to the Army Reserve on 18 Mar 1903. 

Interestingly, among next of kin, he lists his father, John, his mother, Susan; his elder brother Henry in the Royal Marines with HMS Rapid and his brother John 'address not known'. (No mention of Job, Thomas, nor his sisters.)

Charles and Ruth had two sons, both born in Poplar:
  1. Charles Stanley Sweeney b. 13 Oct 1906 Volume 01C Page 601
  2. Edward John George Sweeney b. 1913 J Quarter Vol 01C 1032
In 1911, Charles Sweeney (30) Warehouse labourer was living at 102 Hind Street, Poplar with Ruth Sweeney (31), Charles Stanley Sweeney (4), George Thomas Dobson (30) Brother-in-law and William John Bradley (45) Lodger.

In 1921, and still at 102, Hind Street, Poplar, were Charles Sweeney (40) Caretaker of the All Saints Institute, Newby Place, Poplar, working for Rev. C R Cotter Parish Rector of All Saints Church, Poplar (Claud Rutledge Cotter); with Ruth Christmas Sweeney (41), Charles Stanley Sweeney (14) Errand Boy; Edward John George Sweeney (8) and John Henry Sweeney (82) Retired, formerly Caretaker of the Poplar Institute. We read that, "After 1913 the workhouse became known as Poplar Institution", so it may well be that they're referring to and it looks like Charles has taken over his position.

In 1939, Charles Sweeney, Caretaker in Charge of Public Hall, was in the household of brother-in-law, John Stone, at 12 Leith Road, Mile End. Ruth Sweeney remained at 102 Hind Grove, Poplar, with her sister, Amy Dobson.

Ruth Christmas Sweeney died, aged 65, in 1945 M Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 293.

It appears that Charles Sweeney remarried in the 3rd quarter of 1945, in Bethnal Green to a Katie Trotter. (It's not known if her dad ever had a yellow Reliant Robin.) Actually, I've been unable to find out whether this was her maiden or a previous married name. Likewise, haven't found her death.)

Charles Sweeney died, aged 88, in 1968 in Stepney.

Once more we have two brothers who marry two sisters:
  • Charles Stanley Sweeney married Alice Agnes Coker (b. 22 Aug 1906) in Bethnal Green, in 1929. They had one son, Brian Charles Sweeney b. 6 Aug 1936. In 1939, Brian was evacuated to the Hall family at 1 Free Lane, Thwaite St Mary, Loddon, Norfolk. Brian Charles Sweeney of Toddington, Bedfordshire died at 40, on 27 Feb 1977, seemingly leaving a widow and three children. Alice Agnes Sweeney died in Luton, Bedfordshire, in 1997; Charles Stanley Sweeney died, also in Luton, on 7 Jan 2003, at 96. 
  • Edward John George Sweeney married Daisy Annie Coker (b. 5 Mar 1912), also in Bethnal Green, in 1934. Daisy Annie Sweeney died, in Waltham Forest, in 1999. Edward I've not isolated records for.

Wednesday 10 January 2024

William Edgar Farthing and Ivy May Hepworth and Lieutenant Commander Derrick William Graham RN OBE

Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Derek Voller - geograph.org.uk/p/3699730

Ivy May Hepworth (b. 3 Nov 1892), daughter of Vincent Hepworth and Mary Ann (Annie) Rogers, married William Edgar Farthing (b. 23 Dec 1892), son of Frederick William Farthing and Emily Maud Gidley, on 10 Jan 1913, at the church of Saint James the Less, Plymouth. 

Their only son, Edgar Grahame Farthing, was born on 15 Nov 1913 and baptised on 16 Apr 1914 at St Mary's Church Plympton

William Edgar Farthing, formerly a clerk at the Great Western Railway, who enlisted in July 1914 in the Royal Garrison Artillery, husband of Ivy May Farthing of 22 Atheneaum St, The Hoe, Plymouth, Devon was invalided home and died at the London Hospital, Whitechapel on 8 Feb 1917, aged 24, of a disease contracted while on active service. Second Lieutenant William Edgar Farthing is buried at Ford Park Cemetery (Plymouth Old Cemetery). 

Ivy May Farthing remarried, on 29 May 1925, to Derrick William Graham

Derrick William Graham, b. 8 Aug 1900, was the elder son of Charles William Graham a Silk Merchant born in Melbourne, Australia and his wife Edith Eleanor Clodd (m. 1899 in the City of London). In 1911, Derrick (10) and his younger brother, Geoffrey Edward (9) were boarders at Doon House Preparatory School for Boys, Canterbury Road, Westgate-on-Sea. He entered service with the Royal Navy in May 1913, as an officer cadet, at Britannia Royal Naval College, at Dartmouth, Devon

The couple had two sons:

  1. David William Graham b. 1926 D Quarter in DEVONPORT Vol 05B Page 423, died 1926 D Quarter in DEVONPORT Vol 05B Page 395
  2. Michael William Graham b. 5 Jan 1929 in MEDWAY Vol 02A Page 1189

Derrick William Graham made Sub-Lieutenant in 1919; Lieutenant in 1921 and Lieutenant-Commander in 1929. His service record places him in Malta in 1928 and Ivy May Graham and son Michael, of 109 Broadfield Road, Catford, SE6, sailed to Malta with RMS Viceroy of India, in 1931.

In 1939, at West Lodge, Villiers Road, Portsmouth, were Ivy M Graham, listed with a birth year of 1896 - it was 1892 - admitting to be four years older than her husband, but not all eight, while Derrick W Graham RN, at that time, was attached to HMS Dolphin (shore establishment), home of the Royal Navy Submarine Service from 1904 to 1999, at Fort BlockhouseGosport.

On 1 Jan 1944 Acting Commander Derrick William Graham, Royal Navy (Portsmouth) is listed in The London Gazette, having been mentioned in despaches. His record states "Mentioned in Despaches for zeal, patience and cheerfulness in dangerous waters, and for setting an example of wholehearted devotion to duty, upholding the high traditions of the Royal Navy."

Graham got his OBE (which him indoors tells me stands for "Other Buggers' Efforts") in 1946 for distinguished services during the war in the Far East.

Acting Commander Derrick William Graham reverted to the retired list on 30 Jul 1948. The marriage between Derrick and Ivy was disolved on 23 Feb 1951 and Derrick William Graham immediately remarried, on 17 Mar 1951, to Margaret Hamilton Sterling in NatalSouth Africa. Derrick William Graham of St. Paul Road, VacoasMauritius died on 28 Apr 1960.

Ivy May Graham died on 20 Oct 1978 in Portsmouth, just days short of turning 86. She is buried in the churchyard at St Nicholas Church, Durweston, Dorset, where her sister, Ida Lily Soppit, is also buried. Dorset Monumental Inscriptions lists her as "Mother of Grahame & Michael GRAHAM".

Derrick William Graham's father, Charles William Graham, had also died at a relatively early age, 52, in London on 14 Jan 1924. The Probate record quotes him as being of 42 Gutter Lane, London and Mirabelle, Carshalton, Surrey. 42 Gutter Lane was the address of Messrs Courtauld and Co.

William Edgar Farthing's father, Frederick William Farthing, died in 1936 and his obituary in the Western Morning News was interesting: Former G.W.R. Inspector Dies at Plymouth. As well as detailing his 49 year career with the railway, it mentioned a son (Frederick Arthur) who was in the Customs at Southampton and that his wife's sisters, Alice and Lilian Gidley, were formerly headmistresses at Stonehouse. As my father, who had left Plymouth in 1936, had been to school in Stonehouse, means there's a possibility my father's headmistress had been a very distant relative by marriage to my mother.

Thursday 14 December 2023

Alfred Beamer and Emily Luxton

Castle Street, Tiverton
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Roger Cornfoot - geograph.org.uk/p/6587133

Alfred Beamer, Private RMLI of Cecil Street, Plymouth, son of Alfred Beamer and Mary Ann White, married Emily Luxton, daughter of James Luxton and Anna Maria Hawkins, on 14 Dec 1905, at St Paul's Church, Tiverton. Emily's address at the time of the marriage was Heathcoat Square, Tiverton and her younger sister, Jessie Luxton, was a witnesses (bridesmaid perhaps).

Alfred and Emily's son, Alfred James, was born on 15 Mar 1908 and baptised on 29 Mar 1908 at St Peter’s Church, Stonehouse, Plymouth. But the infant died, in the third quarter of 1908, having bearly reached six months of age.

Alfred Beamer, who had enlisted in the Royal Marines on 15 Aug 1896, just shy of his 16th birthday, was discharged, invalided, on 15 Oct 1908. On 7 Mar 1909, Alfred Beamer (29) Labourer of 40 Neswick St, Plymouth, was admitted to the Devon and Cornwall Sanatorium for Consumptives Didworthy. Consumption was another name for Tuberculosis. When he was discharged from the sanitorium on 15 Jun 1909, the record shows Alfred developed the disease 7 months previously, which ties in with the date he was discharged from the Royal Marines. In the notes it says, "light work - dead".

Such a concession! What kind of light work can the dead do, FFS? 

By 1911, Emily Beamer (28), widow, had returned to Tiverton, at 1 Melbourne Street and was again working at the Heathcoat Lace Factory, as a spinner.

In 1912, Emily Beamer remarried to a John Heard, in Tiverton. 

In 1921, John Heard (49) Labourer from Oakford Devon, Emily Heard (39), and John's two children from his previous marriage (to Lily Holmes in 1901, who died in 1911), Beatrice Lily Heard (19) Lace Folder (at Heathcoat) and Sidney John Heard (13) were living at 125, West Exe South, Tiverton.

John Heard died, aged 59, in Exeter.

In 1939, Emily Heard, widow, was living with a single lady, Beatrice E Gollop, at 26 Castle Street, Tiverton

Emily Heard died, in Tiverton, in 1962, aged 79.

Thursday 2 November 2023

James Shopland and Loveday Jane Stone

Bridge and Uplowman church
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Smith - geograph.org.uk/p/4097757

James Shopland (b. 1885), son of James Shopland and Caroline Sydenham, married Loveday Jane Stone (b. 6 Apr 1884), daughter of Frederick James Stone and Loveday Jane Land, at St Peter’s ChurchUplowman on 2 Nov 1904. Witnesses were Mary Ann Stone and Frederick James Stone. 

James Shopland's father, James Shopland (1850-1908), was a Wheelwright and Carpenter of Chevithorne Village. In 1901, James Shopland (16) had been employed as a Dairyman's Labourer to Samuel B Thornton, residing at The Island Cottage, Lowman Green, Tiverton. Then, on 8 Jun 1901, adding two years to his age and claiming to be 18 years and 3 months, James Shopland, enlisted for Short Service in the Devonshire Regiment and served until 7 Jun 1913, when he was discharged at the end of his first period of engagement. James' record says he passed classes as Mounted infantry, Certified. From 23 Jul 1902 until 21 May 1903, James served in South Africa, in the aftermath of the Second Boer War. From 22 May 1903, until his discharge, he was assigned to Home, presumably actual home, as a reservist.

James and Loveday had five children:
  1. Frederick James Shopland b. 19 Nov 1905, bap. 17 Dec 1905 at St Peter's Church, Tiverton, as the family's address at the time was 3 Adam's Court, Barrington Street, Tiverton. In 1927, he married Elizabeth A P Cox and in 1939, they were living at 131 Eden Grove, Bristol. Frederick James Shopland died in 1971, in Weston-super-Mare.
  2. Loveday Jane Shopland b. 14 Feb 1907, bap. 17 Feb 1907 at Cove. In 1928, Loveday Jane Shopland married Leonard Southcott in Bristol. Their address in 1939 was 34 Pylle Hill Crescent, Bristol. Leonard Southcott died, aged 47, in 1950, in Bristol and in 1952, Loveday Jane Southcott remarried to a James J Basten-Rank. James J B Rank died, aged 68, in 1966, in Weston-super-Mare. Despite this, her death in 1995, in Taunton Deane, is registered under Loveday Jane Southcott. 
  3. Albert Geoffrey Shopland born 21 Jul 1908. In 1930, Albert Geoffrey Shopland married Annie Richards in Bristol and in 1939 were living at 3 Chessington Avenue, Bristol. Albert G Shopland died, in Bristol, at 35.
  4. Sidney Arthur Shopland bap. 27 Feb 1910 at Bickleigh. On 13 Jun 1929, Sidney Arthur Shopland enlisted in the Royal Artillery. Unable to find a marriage, but Sidney A Shopland died, aged 58, in 1968, in Bristol.
  5. John James Shopland born 1911. There is more than one John Shopland in the relevant areas and none specifically listed as John James, so it hasn't yet been possible to isolate subsequent records for him.
In 1911, living at New Cottages, Seckerleigh Farm, Halberton, were James Shopland (27) Farm Labourer, Loveday Jane (27), Frederick James (6), Loveday Jane (4), Albert Geoffrey (3), Sidney Arthur (1) and boarder, Robert Charles Harris (38) Farm Labourer, from Penzance, Cornwall. 

In 1921, James Shopland (35) was working for the Great Western Railway at Temple Meads Station, Bristol, and was living at 34, Pylle Hill Crescent, Totterdown, Bristol, with Loveday J Shopland (37), Frederick J Shopland (15) Machanist (Printing); Loveday J Shopland (14) Out of work; Albert J Shopland (12) and Sidney A Shopland (11).

In 1939, Loveday Jane Shopland (née Stone) was still at 34 Pylle Hill Crescent, Bristol, with her daughter, Loveday Jane Southcott. She was listed as married, but there was no sign of James. Loveday Jane Shopland died, aged 56, in 1941, in Taunton, Somerset. James Shopland died, in Bristol, in 1955.

Sunday 29 October 2023

Samuel Heywood and Emma Eliza Horn

The Watch House, Bermondsey Street, SE1
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Robin Webster - geograph.org.uk/p/5914221
On the corner with Abbey Street, a grade II listed building, described as early 18th century.

Samuel Heywood (b. 1865 in Bermondsey), son of William Haywood and Jane Harris, married Emma Eliza Horn (b. 1868 in St George in the East), daughter of John Horn and Emma Green, on 29 Oct 1888, in Newington, Southwark St Saviour. (William Haywood, a Tanner, was originally from Devonshire.)

In 1891, Samuel Haywood (26) General Labourer and Emma Haywood (23) were living in Abbey Street, Bermondsey. (The street takes its name from the former Bermondsey Priory that occupied this site until the Reformation.)

Samuel and Emma had one daughter: 
  1. Emma Edith Haywood b. 1892 J Quarter in SAINT OLAVE SOUTHWARK Volume 01D Page 233, but who sadly died in the same quarter.
Samuel Heywood died, at 36, in 1902 M Qtr in CROYDON Vol 02A 189.

In the 2nd Qtr of 1904, Emma Eliza Heywood remarried to William Henry Mann, at St Thomas, Stepney, that had stood in Arbour Square, Stepney.

William Henry Mann (b. 1 Apr 1863, bap. 31 May 1863 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk), son of Charles Ditcham Mann, Sailmaker, and Ann Lee, was a widower when he married Emma Eliza Heywood. His first marriage, on 6 Jul 1887, at St Nicholas, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (now Great Yarmouth Minster) was to Emma Eliza Jackson (b. 1866 in Medway, Kent (Chatham), daughter of William Jackson, Carpenter, and Maria Bratt. The first Mrs Emma Eliza Mann (née Jackson) had died, in 1904 M Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 328. That William Henry remarried within three months, was probably to provide care for his four children from his first marriage:
  1. William Henry Mann b. 1890 J Qtr in BETHNAL GREEN Vol 01C 236
  2. George Joseph Mann b. 23 Jun 1893 S Qtr in POPLAR Vol 01C 548
  3. Sarah Eliza Prudence Mann b. 1895 M Qtr in POPLAR Vol 01C 594
  4. Maria Louisa Julia Mann b. 7 Jun 1898 J Qtr in POPLAR Vol 01C 539
In 1911, William Henry Mann (48) Fishmonger from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk was living in Bow Common with the second Emma Eliza Mann (formerly Heywood, née Horn) (43) whose birthplace was curiously not listed (with the same two first names and only a two year difference in the birth years of his two wives, it would be easy to assume this was one person); Prudence Sarah Mann (16) and Maria Julia Mann (13), both born in Old Ford

Sarah Eliza Prudence Mann died, at 21, in 1916 M Quarter in POPLAR. 

Emma Eliza Mann (formerly Heywood, née Horn) died, at 48, on 24 May 1916 J Quarter in POPLAR Volume 01C Page 444. She was buried at Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries, with her father, John Horn, and step-mother.

Private William Henry MannLancashire Fusiliers, son of William Henry Mann, of 78, Harley Rd, Great Yarmouth, died, aged 27, on 21 Mar 1918, the first day of the German spring offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. He is commemorated at the Pozières Memorial.

William Henry Mann died on 17 Mar 1939, in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk and left his effects to Maria Louisa Julia Mann and George Edward Todd.

Monday 23 October 2023

Vincent Hepworth and Mary Ann (Annie) Rogers

Entrance to Wyvern Barracks, Topsham Road, Exeter
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Smith - geograph.org.uk/p/5073188

Vincent Hepworth (b. 2 Sep 1842 in Wakefield, Yorkshire), son of Vincent Hepworth and Sarah Ann Hudson, married Mary Ann Rogers (b. 1852), daughter of Richard Rogers and Martha Perkins (m. 1848), in Exeter, Devon, on 23 Oct 1871, according to the Register Of Marriages & Baptisms, C Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery. Gunner, Vincent Hepworth (31), in 1871, was stationed at The Artillery Barracks Heavitree, now Wyvern Barracksoriginally simply called Artillery Barracks to distinguish them from the Cavalry Barracks (Higher Barracks). The hidden secrets behind the walls of Exeter's Wyvern Barracks detail the [dire lack of] facilities at the installation. If Annie went to live there with her husband, I hope she wasn't expecting much: "... these barracks lacked accommodation for married soldiers – families being separated from other soldiers by a blanket hanging across the room."

Vincent and Annie had at least 13 children, including one pair of twins:

  1. Albert Vincent Hepworth b. 1872 S Quarter in EXETER Vol 05B Page 81, bap. 1 Sep 1872 in Whimple, Devon, according to the Register Of Marriages & Baptisms, C Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery. The original church baptism record lists Vincent's occupation as "Officer's Servant".
  2. Edith Mary Hepworth b. 30 Mar 1875, bap. 21 Apr 1875 in Kirkee (now Khadki), India
  3. George Horbury Hepworth b. 30 Jan 1878, bap. 21 Feb 1878 in Kirkee (now Khadki), India
  4. Thomas Richard Hepworth b. 21 Jan 1880, bap. 22 Feb 1880 in Throwleigh, Devon
  5. Marie Ann Hepworth b. 28 Jun 1881 in SAINT THOMAS Volume 05B Page 71, bap. 1 May 1890 at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter
  6. Soffie Hepworth b. Dec 1882 in SAINT THOMAS Vol 05B Page 72, died aged 9 weeks and buried on 14 Feb 1883, at St Thomas, Exeter
  7. William Henry Hepworth b. Dec 1882 in SAINT THOMAS Vol 05B Page 72, died at 9 weeks and buried on 14 Feb 1883, at St Thomas, Exeter
  8. Charles Hepworth b. 1884 S Quarter in SAINT THOMAS Volume 05B Page 70, died 1884 D Quarter in SAINT THOMAS Volume 05B Page 44
  9. Rosa Bessie Hepworth b. 20 Mar 1886 in SAINT THOMAS Volume 05B Page 65, bap. 1 May 1890 at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter
  10. Eveline Maud Hepworth b. 15 Feb 1888 in SAINT THOMAS Vol 05B 66
  11. Ethel May Hepworth b. 1890 J Quarter in EXETER Volume 05B Page 78, bap. 1 May 1890 at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter, died at 6 months in 1890 in EXETER and buried on 27 Sep 1890 at Holy Trinity Church
  12. Ida Lily Hepworth b. 16 Sep 1891 in EXETER Volume 05B Page 71
  13. Ivy May Hepworth b. 3 Nov 1892 in EXETER Volume 05B Page 82

Vincent Hepworth, previously a Boatman, enlisted in the Royal Artillery, on 21 Jan 1859, at Hull. He did two six-year tours to India, from 22 Jun 1859 to 11 May 1866 and from 16 Jan 1873 to 4 Dec 1879, the second time his wife went with him, because two of their children were born in India.

His army medical records show he was treated for Gonorrhoea, twice at age 24 and 26. He had ague (archaic name for malaria or another illness involving fever and shivering) twice in India; was twice treated there for hepatitis.

Tying in with the date of their return from India, Edith May Hepworth had been registered at Throwleigh And Gidleigh School, being previously listed at a school in Plymouth, in 1879, until she left that parish in Sept 1880.

Vincent Hepworth of the Coast Brigade, Royal Artillery, served for 22 years, 54 days. When he was discharged, at Plymouth, on 29 Mar 1881, at 42, he was 5ft 9in, with fresh complexion, grey eyes and light brown hair. 

Despite having returned to England by then, I haven't found Vincent, Annie or eldest son, Albert Vincent in 1881, but they were in St Thomas, Exeter for the birth of their child, Marie Ann, there that year. Edith M Hepworth (5) and George E Hepworth (3) were staying with their maternal grandparents, Richard and Martha Rogers at Murchington Village, Throwleigh, Devon.

In 1884, eldest son was causing trouble at the Castle of Exeter - Exeter Crown and County Court - when Albert Vincent Hepworth (11), son of a labourer of St. Thomas and another boy, William Way (12), were charged with stealing a cash-box containing £12 in gold and some silver coins. Hepworth claimed that his father was drunk and his mother took the money and gave it to him. They were spared prison or the Reformatory (Industrial School), but Hepworth was sentenced to six strokes with the birch rod.

In 1888 George Hepworth and Richard (Thomas Richard) Hepworth, of 25 Friars' Walk, St. Thomas, were registered at Exeter Episcopal School, from where Richard was sent home in 1889 for theft and George left, confirmed truant. It is perhaps not unexpected that George Horbury Hepworth (12) was sent, on 2 Jan 1890, by Exeter Court - for stealing a bottle of sweets from a shop - to the Devon and Exeter Boys Reformatory, Brampford Wood.

In 1891, Vincent Hepworth (49) Foundry labourer from Wakefield, Yorkshire, was living at Laura Cottages, Horse Lane, Exeter, Devon with wife A (Annie) Hepworth (39) Midwife; A V (Albert Vincent) Hepworth (18) Plaster & mason; Edith M Hepworth (16) Dressmaker apprentice; Thomas R Hepworth (11), Marie A Hepworth (9), Rose B Hepworth (5) and Maude E (Eveline Maud) Hepworth (3). George, obviously, was still away at reform school.

Vincent Hepworth died, aged 51, and was buried on 4 Jun 1893 at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter.

In 1896, Richard Hepworth and another lad were summoned before Exeter Police Court for riding a bicycle without a light at 10:10pm.

In 1901, Annie Hepworth (49) widow, Midwife, was living at 28, Friars Walk, Exeter, Devon, with Richard Hepworth (22) Artist; Marie Hepworth (19) Dressmaker; Maude Hepworth (13), Ida Hepworth (9), May Hepworth (8), Martha Rogers (70) widow (wrongly listed as Hepworth, but this is clearly Annie's mother) and a 69 year old boarder, a plumber named James.

On 26 Dec 1908, Annie Hepworth remarried, at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter to Henry Wood Adams, widower. (His previous wife, who he married on 22 Jul 1877 at the church of St Matthew, East Stonehouse, Plymouth, was Phillis Prudence Adams (coincidence or cousin?), and had died, in 1903.)

Henry Wood Adams had enlisted on 3 Aug 1882, in the Royal Engineers, which took him to Gibraltar, Bermuda, Crete, Malta and to South Africa between 1899 and 1902, serving in the Second Boer War. He was discharged on 2 Aug 1903, at Colchester after the termination of his second period of engagement, having achieved the rank of Sergeant.

In 1911, Henry Wood Adams (55) Carpenter and Army Pensioner, was living at 13 Beaumont Avenue Plymouth, with wife Annie Adams (58) and step-daughter, Ivy May Hepworth (18) Dressmaker.

Henry Wood Adams died, aged 76, in St. Thomas, Devon, in 1933.

Mary Ann otherwise Annie Adams of 95 Monks Road, Exeter, died, aged 82, on 5 May 1934, leaving effects of £1156 19s 10d to Edith Mary Dare (wife of Mark Dare) and Ida Lily Soppit (wife of Benjamin Tompson Soppit).

  • Albert Vincent Hepworth married Mary Ellen Garrard in Poplar, London, in 1897. In 1901, Police Constable Albert Hepworth (who earlier earned six lashes for stealing) from Exeter, Devon was living at 3, St Leonards Avenue, Bromley, Poplar with wife Ellen, sons Christopher and George and uncle William Rogers. By 1911 they'd moved to 46 Stanley Road, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex. Albert V Hepworth died, in Hendon, Middlesex, in 1927, aged 56.
  • Edith Mary Hepworth married Mark Dare on 10 Oct 1898 at Holy Trinity Church, Exeter. Edith Mary Dare died, aged 60, on 12 Sep 1935, in Topsham and Mark Dare went on to marry his housekeeper, Beatrice Gale, in 1940. Mark Dare died in 1955.
  • George Horbury Hepworth (18) enlisted in the Devonshire Regiment on 13 Feb 1896, at Exeter and was transferred to his father's old regiment, Royal Artillery, on 25 Mar 1896, but he deserted at Aldershot on 14 Aug 1896, re-joining 8 days later, awaiting trial for desertion. He was imprisoned in 1898 and finally discharged in 1908, having served in India from 1898 to 1904. In 1939, George Hepworth, Builders Labourer, single, was in Coventry (was he sent?) George H Hepworth died in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, in 1960, at 82.
  • [As yet] I can find no further records that relate to Thomas Richard Hepworth, beyond 1901. However, it's interesting to see him then described as an Artist, as renowned artist and sculptor, Dame Barbara Hepworth (1903–1975), was from Wakefield, where his father, Vincent Hepworth, was also born. Could there be a distant connection? That would be another story entirely! 
  • Marie Ann Hepworth married Reginald Louis Parr, in Exeter, in 1903. In 1911, they were  in Barton Road, St Thomas, Devon
  • Rosa Bessie Hepworth married Lewis Albert Parr at St Mary's Church Plympton, on 24 Jul 1915. Lewis A Parr died, aged 53, in Exeter, in 1935. In 1939, Rosalie (Rose Bessie) Parr, widow, was living at 35 Torre Court, Yeovil, Somerset, described as a Qualified Nurse. Rose Bessie Parr died, aged 82, on 13 Nov 1970, in Exeter. 
  • Evelyn Maud Hepworth married Arthur Charles Hawker on 23 Oct 1913 at St Mary's Church Plympton and in 1939, was also living at 35 Torre Court, Yeovil, Somerset. Evelyn Maud Hawker died, aged 86, in Wolverhampton, in 1974.

Sunday 24 September 2023

John Winship Soppit, Mary Ellen Finch and Mary Morrell

Sangley Rd, Lewisham
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © N Chadwick - geograph.org.uk/p/3162332

John Winship Soppit, son of John Soppit and Louisa Tompson married Mary Ellen Finch, at St Lawrence, Catford (built in 1887, demolished in 1968 to make a car park) [in Lewisham registration district] on 24 Sep 1904

John and Mary Ellen had three daughters:

  1. Dorothy Louisa Soppit b. 18 Aug 1906 in LAMBETH Vol 01D Page 471
  2. Hilda Mary Soppit b. 14 Aug 1908 in LAMBETH Vol 01D Page 477
  3. Kate Winship Soppit b. 12 Oct 1910 in Lewisham 
The records for the first two girls show the mother's maiden name as Finch. 

In 1911, living at 78 Sangley Road, Lewisham, were John Winship Soppit (29) Joiner from Deptford; Mary Ellen Soppit (36) with birthplace listed as York; Dorothy Louisa Soppit (4) birthplace Brixton; Hilda Mary Soppit (2) birthplace Brixton and Kate Winship Soppit (0) born in Catford.

There wasn't a record of a Mary Ellen Finch born in York, around 1875. As she was also seven years older than her husband, Mary Ellen may have been a widow when she married John Winship Soppit and Finch her previous married name. Without seeing the marriage certificate, I can't confirm.

In 1917, then actually 35 (not 33 as listed) John Winship Soppit enlisted (was probably conscripted) into the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) at the 4th General Hospital, Birmingham. [See more at: Birmingham’s Military Hospitals] At the time of his discharge he was a nursing orderly. [Source]

In 1921, John Winship Soppit was listed in Lewisham. As Joseph and Rachel are among other members in the listing's household, we can surmise that John was visiting his brother. While Mary Ellen (who appears to have got younger), Dorothy, Hilda and Kate are listed in the district of Aston, Birmingham

Mary Ellen Soppit then died in 1924 D Quarter in BIRMINGHAM NORTH Volume 06D Page 486. 

In 1928, John Winship Soppit then remarried to Mary Baker (née Morrell), daughter of William Jabez Morrell and Sarah Waldron. This time we know she was a widow - her first husband Samuel Horatio Baker had died in 1925 - and had at least two sons from that previous marriage.

Second wife, Mary Soppit, died, aged 65, on 13 Jul 1950.

John Winship Soppit died, in Birmingham, on 6 May 1969. The death notice in The London Gazette gives his address as 15 Homecroft Rd, Yardley, Birmingham. It's ironic that growing up in Birmingham in the 1960's, at times I'll have been mere streets away from there, while my mother felt as 'a fish out of water' in that city. If only she'd known she had relatives so close.

  • Dorothy Louisa Soppit died in DOR Q2/1989 in BIRMINGHAM (0611K) Volume 32 Page 1041
  • Hilda M Soppit married James F Lawless, in Birmingham, in 1933. James Frederick Lawless (bap. Jacobus Fredericus Lawless at the Roman Catholic parish of Most Holy Sacrament & St Osburg, in Coventry, in 1908.) The couple don't appear to have had children. In 1939, they lived at 286 Chester Road, Hardwick (286 Chester Road, Streetly, Sutton Coldfield). James Frederick Lawless died in 1980 in Carmarthen. Hilda Mary Lawless of 15 Homecroft Road, Yardley, Birmingham died, aged 86, on 18 Mar 1994 at Lapworth Nursing Home, Chessetts Wood Road, Solihull and was buried at Yardley Cemetery & Crematorium, on 25 Mar 1994.
  • Kate Winship Soppit died in DOR Q3/1998 in SOLIHULL.
It's evident, therefore, that neither Dorothy, nor Kate ever married.

Friday 18 August 2023

Joseph Daniel Soppit and Rachel Boad

Beckenham Lane
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © DS Pugh - geograph.org.uk/p/3780404

In 1901, Joseph D Soppit (23) Beer and Wine Retailer, was living at 60, Beckenham Lane, Bromley (trade and address confirmed in the Kent 1903 Beer Retailer Directory) - still the premises of Refreshers Independent Wine Merchant - with Rachel Boad (28), Servant and Housekeeper. Six years later, on 18 Aug 1907, Joseph Daniel Soppit, son of John Soppit and Louisa Tompson, married Rachel Boad, daughter of Charles Boad and Elizabeth Short, in Milton, Kent [the district of Milton-next-Gravesend]. 

Joseph and Rachel Soppit had three children:

  1. John Soppit b. 11 Jan 1908 (GRO Reference: 1908 M Quarter in EASINGTON Volume 10A Page 536)
  2. Elizabeth Louisa Soppit b. 5 Jun 1909 (GRO Reference: 1909 J Quarter in EASINGTON Volume 10A Page 588)
  3. Catherine Sarah Winship Soppit b. 8 Apr 1916 (GRO Reference: 1916 J Quarter in EASINGTON Volume 10A Page 947)
All three children were born in South HettonEasington, Durham, where Rachel had family. Rachel's late father, Charles Boad, had been a stone mason in a colliery there. Joseph's father, John Soppit, also had links with South Hetton - he'd gone there to his father's home when his first wife died in 1871 and both John and his father had also worked in the collieries, so we must entertain the idea that these families already knew one another.

In 1911, at 57 Holbeach Road, Catford, were Joseph Daniel Soppit (33) an Engineer's Fitter at the Manganese Bronze and Brass Co at Millwall, Propeller makers [Manganese Bronze Holdings], along with his wife Rachel Soppit (38), John Soppit (3) and Elizabeth Louisa Soppit (1).

On 7 Aug 1917, Joseph Daniel Soppit (39), then a Commercial Traveller, enlisted in the Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC), transferring to the Royal Air Force (RAF) upon it's formation on 1 Apr 1918. At time of enlistment, Joseph was 5ft 5in tall with a chest measurement of 35 inches. He then transferred to the RAF Reserve on 21 Mar 1919 and was discharged on 30 Apr 1920. 

Joseph Daniel Soppit died, aged 58, in 1936 M Quarter in Lewisham.

In 1939, the widowed Rachel Soppit (b. 16 Jun 1872) was living with her widowed sister-in-law, Louisa A Broome, Laundry Director, at 57 Ladywell Road, Ladywell, Lewisham, with John Soppit, Wholesale Drapery Salesman; Elizabeth L Soppit, Civil Servant and Catherine S W Soppit, Railway Clerk.

Rachel Soppit, of 33 Shirley Park Rd, Addiscombe, Croydon, died, aged 76, on 27 Jul 1948 at The General Hospital, Croydon (Volume 05G Page 89). Probate was granted to son John Soppit, Advertising manager. 

Thursday 10 August 2023

Joshua Barton, 1886 & 1888, Uncle and Nephew

The India Gate War Memorial, New Delhi, India
Photo: Vikram Siingh Via Pixabay

While unpicking the two families of these two brothers who married two sisters: Thomas Barton and Elizabeth Ann Fuller and Peter Barton and Annie Fuller, inevitably, I encountered Thomas and Elizabeth Ann's youngest son, Joshua Barton, who was born in 1886, to whose record at FamilySearch, someone had attached records of a birth in 1888, merely stating the reason for doing so was "Correct Information", but offering no justification for why they believed this to be so. This is the genealogical equivalent of a red rag to a bull, because that cannot be right, so I sought to solve the puzzle ...

These records belong to two different people, as the evidence will show.

Joshua Barton, son of Thomas Barton and Elizabeth Ann Fuller, was born in 1886 S Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 262, mother's maiden name FULLER and was baptised on 3 Jul 1886 at St Paul's Church, Woodford Bridge, clearly naming his parents as Thomas and Elizabeth Ann Barton.

As we can see, therefore, this child was already registered in 1886, so there'd be no need to register him in 1888. There's also a limit on the time allowed to register births, currently 42 days, which is a legal requirement. If someone had 'forgotten', they'd be far more likely to just not bother at all than to turn up two years later. The person who attached the 1888 record obviously missed the correct 1886 registration and, of course, if they ordered the birth certificate on the basis of the later one, they've got the wrong one.

Joshua Barton (b. 1886) was in the household of his parents in Lower Road, Woodford, aged 4, in 1891; in Oxford Terrace, Chigwell Road, Woodford at 14 in 1901 and, at 24, with his widowed father, in Woodford, in 1911.

By 16 Jun 1915, Joshua Barton had emigrated to Australia, because that's the date given for his marriage to Mary Birch in Queensland. Interesting in itself, because they were 2nd Cousins. Joshua Barton's paternal grandmother was Ann Birch (1812-1885) while Mary Birch was the granddaughter of Ann's brother, James Birch (1815-1879). One imagines an opportunity was offered by family in Australia and he then met and fell in love with his cousin. 

Joshua Barton died on 16 May 1968 and was buried at Caboolture Cemetery, Caboolture, Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. His widow, Mary Barton, d. 26 Jun 1989, is buried with him.

So, that just leaves us with the 1888 birth registration ... 

If it doesn't belong to this Joshua Barton, who does it belong to? The short answer is, his nephew.

Joshua Barton's older sister, Ann Jane Barton (b. 1864), had an illegitimate son in 1886 and then gave birth to a second illegitimate son, you guessed it, registered as Joshua Barton in 1888 S Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 268. There's no mother's maiden name on this registration, indicating an illegitimate birth (which should have been clue alone that it did not relate to the legitimate 1886 birth.) And this child was baptised, as Joshua Barton, on 13 Dec 1888 at Holy Trinity, Hermon Hill, South Woodford. The record clearly notes that he was the child of Annie Barton, Single Woman.

Charles Edward Puffett and Ann Jane Barton married on 9 Jun 1890 in Woodford and from then, Joshua (b. 1888) used his father's surname.

Didn't find the family in 1891, but in in 1901, Joshua Puffett (13) was living with his parents at 33 Oxford Terrace, Chigwell Road, Woodford. Yes, in the same row, at the same time, as his 14 year old uncle, Joshua Barton

The Eastern Mercury of 29 Dec 1903 carried a story which began, "At Stratford [Petty Sessions] on Saturday, Joshua Puffett, 15, of 17, Oxford-terrace, and William Bass, 16, a private of the 2nd Essex Regiment, was charged with being disorderly and assaulting the police." Subsequent reports specify that it was Bass who was charged with assaulting PC Sharp, but before you sigh with relief, my 4x great-grandmother, Joshua Puffett's 2x great-grandmother, was Elizabeth Bass. Undoubtedly cousins too.

The Woodford Times of 25 Sep 1908 then informs us that, "At the Stratford Petty Sessions on Thursday, 17th, Joshua Puffett, 20, hawker of Oxford Terrace, Chigwell Road, Woodford, was charged with having in his possession a dog, a leather collar ..." It seems, quelle surprise, the items were stolen.

Coincidentally - or maybe not: could he have been "encouraged" to join up as an alternative to a custodial sentence - it was in 1908 that Joshua Puffett (20) of Woodford, Essex, joined the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry.

In 1911, Joshua Puffett (22) was with his regiment in Neemuch, India. 

By Aug 1914 the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry were in Nowshera, India (which is now in Pakistan.) Research carried out by Adrian Lee and Redbridge Museum reveals that "On 16th September 1916 he [Puffett] was admitted to hospital suffering from Malaria, but on 23rd September 1916 he underwent an operation for an appendicitis. Unfortunately he died from the effects of this condition on 26th September 1916." Joshua was buried on 27 Sep 1916, with his cause of death listed as Apendicitis and Malaria. 

His grave, with the others in Nowshera Military Cemetery is one which the Commonwealth War Graves Commission can no longer maintain, so he's formally remembered on the Delhi Memorial (India Gate).

J Puffett is also listed on the WW1 Board at Holy Trinity Church, South Woodford, the church where he was baptised (as Joshua Barton).

NB: If you think I'm being unfair by making an example of this, consider: the person who attached the wrong birth record, quite likely, has the wrong birth certificate. They may have looked at the 'wrong' information on it, then in their mind made it fit the circumstances and, lo and behold, another family myth will be born. They'll have seen that the mother was Annie and accepted this as Elizabeth's second name was Ann; as to the father's name being absent from the certificate, goodness knows whether they'll have 'separated' the couple, put the poor man in prison ... This isn't helpful and is particularly unfair to the memory of the human beings whose lives have been 'altered' (confused) in the error. Also, sadly, I find examples of this every day where people have grasped the first result found, then justified to themselves why it's the right one, clearly without looking for corroborative evidence. My experience is people then tend to resist accepting the facts over the myths they've so carefully crafted and can be hostile. Better then just to present the evidence. 

Sunday 2 July 2023

Benjamin Tompson Soppit and Ida Lily Hepworth

St Nicholas ChurchDurweston, Dorset

Benjamin Tompson Soppit, son of John Soppit and Louisa Tompson, married Ida Lily Hepworth (b. 16 Sep 1891 in Exeter), daughter of Vincent Hepworth and Mary Ann (Annie) Rogers, at St Mary Major, Exeter, on 2 Jul 1913.  

Ida Lily Hepworth gave her residence as 3 Cathedral Yard, Exeter (which is now the address of Al Farid restaurant). Witnesses were Annie Adams (Ida's mother who had remarried in 1908), H W (Henry Wood) Adams, her step-father, and John Soppit, presumably Benjamin's father.

The Church of St Mary Major, Exeter, formerly Exeter Minster, stood in Exeter Cathedral Yard, between the west front of the cathedral and next to The Three Gables, the building which now houses Al Farid restaurant. Having been rebuilt several times, St Mary Major was demolished in 1971.

In 1911, Ida Hepworth was a Hospital Nurse at The Croydon Borough Hospital for Infectious Diseases (Waddon Hospital). The Hospital was extended in 1911 to include two isolation pavilions and a Nurses' Home.

Benjamin and Ida had two children: 

  1. John Vincent Soppit b. 15 Jul 1914 S Quarter in YORK Vol 09D Page 27
  2. Ida Louisa Soppit b. 1916 M Quarter in PLYMPTON ST. MARY Volume 05B Page 293
In March 1916 Benjamin Tompson Soppit M2/115307 was serving with the Royal Army Service Corps in Salonica [Thessaloniki] on the Macedonian front. He ultimately achieved the rank of Second Lieutenant And Adjutant

In 1939, Benjamin and Ida were living at 46 Cambridge Drive, Lee, Lewisham.

Final resting place of Benjamin Tompson and Ida Lily Soppit

They later moved to 43 Barrack Row, Durweston, near to their daughter. 

Benjamin Tompson Soppit died on 28 Jan 1969, aged 85. Ida Lily Soppit died on 3 Jun 1995, at the age of 103 years 9 months. They're buried together in the churchyard at St Nicholas ChurchDurweston, Dorset. 

The inscription reads:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
BENJAMIN TOMPSON SOPPIT
WHO FELL ASLEEP 
28th JAN 1969
Faithful in all things
ALSO OF HIS WIFE
IDA LILY
3rd June 1995
In her 104th year

  • John Vincent Soppit married Olive Constance Archer in 1943 in Bromley, Kent. Listed in the 21 Jun 1945 edition of The London Gazette is Lieutenant-Colonel (temporary) John Vincent SOPPIT (124996), Royal Army Service Corps (Beckenham, Kent). They had one daughter, Amanda Janet Soppit, born in 1946. John Vincent Soppit died in London in 1990. Olive Constance Soppit of 54 Greenways, Beckenham, Kent, died on 1 Dec 2010. Amanda Janet Soppit appears not to have married and died on 9 Apr 2015.
  • Betty I L Soppit (Ida Louisa) had married, although the record of the marriage incorrectly states to Alfred W Woodley, in Deptford, London in 1938. In 1939, Alfred E Woodley (b. 22 Jan 1913) School Master, and Betty I L Woodley were living at 77 Salisbury Street, Blandford Forum, Dorset. They had one son, born in Carlisle, Cumberland, in 1942. Alfred Ernest Woodley of The Old Bank House, Blandford, died, aged 30, on 17 Feb 1943 at Bewaldeth Village, Cockermouth, Cumberland. Betty I L Woodley then remarried to Harold Greenleaves in Blandford, Dorset in 1944. They had one son in 1945. Harold Greenleaves, born 1904, died in North Dorset, in 2003. Betty Ida Louisa Greenleaves died, on 29 Jul 2014. Both sons appear to have married and have families and to be still living.

Wednesday 28 June 2023

John Land and Loveday Flew

West Street, Bampton
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Derek Harper - geograph.org.uk/p/2450185

There's no record of a marriage, anywhere, between John Land (bap. 29 May 1791 in Bampton, Devon), son of John Land and Sarah Melhuish and Loveday Flew (bap. 14 Oct 1804 in Rackenford, Devon), daughter of Richard Flew and Jane Wright (Loveday Flew, was therefore the great-aunt of William Flew, who married Jane Middleton), but they must have got together by 1823.

John Patchett has written here that, John Land, "Joined the Royal Marines in 1810 and served to 1814 then discharged for being undersize at 5ft 2.3/4 when he was 19 and 5ft 4 in 1822. Joined the 46th regiment of foot in 1815 and served in Australia and India until 1822 when discharged with chronic hepatitis. Total service 10 years 48 days. On leaving the army was given a pension of 6d per day which he received until death." John Land had joined the 46th Regt Of Foot on 14 Nov 1815, and the record of his discharge from that service in 1822, in consequence of the chronic hepatitis, confirms his previous service in the Royal Marines from 4 Sep 1810 until 14 Jul 1814.

It seems obvious that while John was useful to the Royal Marines during the Napoleonic Wars they kept him, but once they no longer needed the numbers, his height was used as an excuse to select him for discharge. Of the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot, "When peace came in 1814, the regiment was sent to garrison New South Wales for three years and escort convicts. It moved to India for the first time in 1817 ..."

John Land already had two children from a previous relationship with Sarah (b. 1794). Again, it hasn't been possible to locate a record of a marriage:
  1. Richard Land b. 6 Oct 1816 At Sea, off the coast of Botany Bay, bap. 5 Jan 1817 at St Philip's Church, Sydney, Australia
  2. Jane Land b. 25 Apr 1818 also born At Sea, off Botany Bay, bap. 3 Aug 1818 at Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle, New South Wales
Likewise, there are no records that explain what happened to Sarah.

John Land had a further nine children with Loveday Flew:
  1. John Land b. 1823
  2. Harriet Land b. 1827
  3. James Land b. 1828
  4. Elizabeth Land bap. 25 Jun 1830 at the Church of St Michael and All AngelsBampton, Devon
  5. Loveday Land b. 1833. Died at 18 in 1851 J Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 10 Page 191.
  6. George Land b. 1836
  7. Eliza Land b. 1839 D Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 10 Page 239. Died at 19 in 1859 S Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 291.
  8. Maria Land b. 1841 D Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 10 Page 249. Died at 25 in 1867 J Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 298.
  9. Eleanor Land b. 1845 D Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 10 Page 249, bap. 26 Nov 1845 in Bampton, daughter of John and Loveday. Address given as Westgate and John was described as a Pensioner.
The birth registrations for Eliza and Maria confirm the mother's maiden name as FLEW. On Eleanor's it is merely mis transcribed as FLEX. 

In 1841, living in Gate Street, West, Bampton, were John Land (50) Loody Land (sic) (35), Jane Land (20), John Land (18), Harriet Land (14), James Land (13), Elizabeth Land (9), Loody Land (8), George Land (5) and Eliza Land (1).

In 1851, in West Street, Bampton, Devon, we find John Land claiming to be 46 (he was 60) Pauper (ag lab), Loveday Land (47), James Land (23) Ag Lab; Loveday Land (18) Invalid; George Land (14) Ag Lab; Eliza Land (11), Maria Land (9) and Eleanor Land (5) the last three all at school. 

Loveday Land died at 47 in 1851 J Qtr in TIVERTON Vol 10 Page 191.

John Land died on 22 Sep 1857 (S Qtr in TIVERTON Vol 05B Page 275) from chronic bronchitis, with his age at death over estimated to 71 (66).