Thomas Ware and Harriet Ridgeway

Tiverton : St Peter's Church
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Lewis Clarke - geograph.org.uk/p/3491709

Thomas Ware (bap. 15 May 1836, in Cullompton, Devon), son of Robert Ware and Sarah Radford, married Harriet Ridgeway (bap. 14 Feb 1840 in Ashbrittle, Somerset), daughter of James Ridgeway and Mary Ann Lock, at St Peter's Church, Tiverton, on 12 May 1859. The marriage record lists her as Margaret Ridgway, daughter of James Ridgway. There are no other records of any type for a Margaret Ridgway, so I'm certain this is an error and is Harriet.

(Thomas' parents, Robert Ware and Sarah Radford, had married on 31 Mar 1834. Robert, died aged 28, and was buried in Halberton on 21 May 1837. In 1841, Thomas' widowed mother, Sarah Ware, was a Female Servant at the Growing Farm, Cullompton and with her were her two children: Mary Ware (bap. 30 Nov 1834) and Thomas (4). Then in 1851, Thomas Were (sic) (14) was employed as a Farm Servant at Sutton Barton, Halberton.)

Thomas and Harriet had ten children: 

1. Eliza Ware b. 27 Jun 1861 (haven't found a GRO birth registration), bap. 21 Jul 1861 at St John the Baptist, Ashbrittle, Somerset
2. Thomas Ware b. 30 Aug 1863 in Clayhanger (1863 S Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 432), bap 2 Aug 1864 in Clayhanger
3. Mary Jane Ware b. 1865 J Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 443, bap. 30 Apr 1865 in Chevithorne
4. Emma Ware b. 1867 M Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 470
5. Robert Were (sic) b. 5 Jul 1869 (1869 S Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 421), bap. 25 Jul 1869 at St Thomas, Chevithorne
6. Harriet Ware b. 28 Feb 1871 (1871 J Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B  Page 441), bap. 19 Mar 1871 at St Thomas, Chevithorne
7. James Ware b. 23 Jun 1873 (1873 S Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 416), bap. 13 Jul 1873 at St Thomas, Chevithorne
8. Ann Ware b. 25 Mar 1875 (1875 J Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 425), bap. 11 Apr 1875 at St Thomas, Chevithorne
9. John Ware b. 16 Mar 1878 (1878 J Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 447), bap. 14 Apr 1878  at St Thomas, Chevithorne
10. Ellen Ada Ware b. 10 Mar 1883 (1883 J Quarter in TIVERTON Vol 05B Page 421), bap. 8 Apr 1883 as Ellen Edith Ware, in Chevithorne

In 1861, Thomas Were (sic) (24) Agricultural Labourer from Halberton, and Harriet Were (20) were living in a Private Cottage, Court Place, Ashbrittle, Wellington. (This was Court Place Farm, where her parents had lived.)

In 1871, in Chettiscombe were Thomas Ware (33), Harriet Ware (29), Eliza (9), Thomas (7), Mary Jane (5), Emma (4), Robert (1) and Harriet (0).

In 1881, at Chettiscombe Villas, were Thomas Were (sic) (43) Ag Lab, Harriet Were (38), Robert (11), Harriet (10), James (8), Annie (6) and John (3). Couldn't locate Thomas; Mary Jane Ware (15) was a General domestic servant to the household of Robert S Austin in Angel Hill Terrace, Tiverton. That year, there was an Emma Ware (14) employed as a Housemaid to the household of John C Williams, Carpenter, in Castle Street, Tiverton.

On 30 Mar 1882, Thomas Ware, Farm Labourer born 30 Aug 1863 in Ashbrittle, Wellington, Somerset, enlisted in the Royal Marines at Exeter. He was 5ft 7in with a ruddy complexion, light brown hair and light blue eyes. In 1883-4 Thomas served with HMS Achilles (1863) with the Channel Fleet. On Tuesday, 2 Jun 1885 Thomas Ware, Private R.M.L.I.'s name and description (matching above) appeared on an Admiralty List of Deserters in the Police Gazette as being a 'straggler', having deserted from HMS Impregnable. The next period he was DSQ (Disqualified). He was back at Plymouth Division in 1886 and subsequently getting good reports, but on 27 Jun 1888 his service ends with him having Run (Deserted). This time I cannot determine what ship he was with or where he ran. I've found no further records in this name.

Thomas Ware Snr died on 17 Sep 1890 (1890 S Quarter in TIVERTON Volume 05B Page 273) and was buried on 24 Sep 1890 in Chevithorne.

In 1891 at Chettiscombe Cottage, Chettiscombe, were Harriet Were (sic) (50) Widow, Charwoman, with James Were (17) Farm Labourer, John (12), Ellen (8) and Harriet's mother, Mary A Marsh (83) Widow. Robert Ware (21) General Railway Labourer from Tiverton, Devon was Lodger in the household of a Thomas Ridgway (29) Labourer Railway Works from Ashbrittle in Thomas Street, Swindon, Highworth, Wiltshire, however, it became obvious that this was deserter, Thomas Ware (b. 1863), using his mother's maiden name. 

Harriet Ware died, aged 55, in 1896 J Qtr in TIVERTON Vol 05B Page 270.

• Eliza Ware had married Charles Stuart McDougal, Mechanic, son of John McDougal, at St Peter's Church, Tiverton, on 15 Dec 1879.
• Emma Ware married John Copp, Labourer, son of John Copp, at St Peter's Church, Tiverton, on 11 Sep 1884.
• Mary Jane Ware married Charles Vinnicombe, Mason, son of Henry Vinnicombe, at St Peter's Church, Tiverton, on 5 Jul 1885.
• Robert Ware married Amelia Land, daughter of Robert Land, Labourer at St Thomas, Chevithorne, on 25 Dec 1891.
• James Ware (24), Porter at the Railway, of "Paradise" Cowleymoor Road, Tiverton, married Mary Pook, daughter of Richard Pook, Labourer, at St Peter's Church, Tiverton on 4 Apr 1896. James Ware died in 1897, aged 24.

William Northcott and Emma Jane Wood

Fore Street, Cullompton with the grade II listed White Hart
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Stephen McKay - geograph.org.uk/p/5497724

William Northcott married Emma Jane Wood (b. 1871), daughter of Henry Wood and Mary Jane Melhuish from Kentisbeare, Devon, in 1896. Five years earlier, in 1891, William Northcott (19) Blacksmith, had been a lodger at The White Hart, Fore Street, Cullompton; and before that, in 1881, William Northcott (12) from Branscombe, Devon was an Ag Lab in the employ of Elijah S Maeer at Higher Chelstone, Salcombe Regis, Honiton, Devon. 

William and Emma's children included: 

1. Maud Wood, Emma's illegitimate daughter, b. 1894 and baptised on 19 Feb 1895, when she was 14 months old, in Kentisbeare
2. William Henry Northcott b. 8 Mar 1897 (not seen after 1911)
3. Arthina Northcott b. 14 Oct 1898, bap. 2 Nov 1898 in Cullompton
4. Elizabeth Northcott b. 1900 (died 1900 aged 0)
5. Charles John Northcott b. 23 Feb 1902, bap. 23 Mar 1902
6. Albert James Northcott b. 30 Aug 1903, bap. 16 Sep 1903 in Cullompton (died 1904, aged 0)
7. Florence Northcott b. 25 Oct 1907, Emma's illegitimate daughter

In 1901, William Northcott (31) Blacksmith Journeyman from Branscombe, Devon (not identified relevant birth), wife Emma Jane (30) from Kentisbeare, along with Emma's daughter, Maud Wood (7), William Henry Northcott (4) and Arthenia Northcott (2) were living at Church Cottages, Cullompton.

William Northcott (33) died and was buried on 15 May 1904, in Cullompton.

Charles John Northcott was registered at Elmore School, Tiverton in 1908, with his address as Elmore Workhouse. In 1911, Emma Northcote (sic) (37) Widow, Laundress was living at 7 Rices Court, West Exe South, Tiverton with William (14) Errand Boy, Arthina (12), Charles (9) and Florence (3). 

In 1917, Emma Jane Northcott remarried to Arthur Southcott. What were the chances? Arthur Southcott, born 30 Jul 1883, bap. 9 Aug 1883 at St Peter’s Church Tiverton, therefore 12 years younger than his wife, was the son of Frederick Southcott and Eliza Harris. 

Charles John Northcott (17) joined the Royal Tank Corps on 19 Aug 1919.

In 1921, Arthur Southcott (39) Married, Private in the Army 4th Defence Batt Devon Regt, from Tiverton, Devon was at 5, Homefield Place, Fore Street, Exeter, Devon. Charles John Northcott (19) Army Private was at Hare Park Camp, Curragh, Ireland.

Arthur Southcott died in 1935, in his early 50's.

In 1939, Emma Jane Southcott, Widowed again, was living at 7 Bartows Causeway, Tiverton with Dorothy A Evans (Arthina Northcott married Ernest F J Evans in 1918), Laundress, and Dorothy Florence Northcott (b. 16 Nov 1916, mother's maiden name Northcott, so appears to be Arthina's illegitimate daughter), who worked at the Lace Factory and one other person. 

Emma Jane Southcott died in 1947.