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| Fore Street, Tiverton cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Derek Harper - geograph.org.uk/p/6875609 |
One wonders if Temperance Cosway was a poor relation of the Tiverton-born portrait painter of the Regency era, Richard Cosway. (The town even has a Cosway Road.) Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the record of her baptism and the first record we find for Temperance is the 1841 census (which doesn't explain the relationship between members of a household), but we find her then, in Fore Street, Tiverton in the household of Mary Cosway (60) Dairy Keeper (who may be her mother); Mary Cosway (25) (conceivably a sister); Temperance Cosway (21), Elizabeth Cosway (2), Eliza Copp (25) Dressmaker (a lodger, perhaps) and Elizabeth Harmer (65) 'Ivd' - I'm reading that as Invalid. A dairy in the centre of town will have been important.
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, Elizabeth Cosway died at 3, and was buried, on 18 Aug 1842, also at St Peter's Church, Tiverton.
On 24 Mar 1845, Temperance Cosway married William Southcott, also at St Peter's Church, Tiverton. All we know from the marriage certificate is that William was a Wheelwright. 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.
Temperance Cosway's father is listed as Thomas Cosway. There was a Thomas Cosway of the right vintage, aged 60 (born 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.
William and Temperance Southcott had six children:
- William Southcott born 7 Jan 1846, bap. 24 Feb 1846 at St Peter's Church, Tiverton. (Died at 6, buried 11 Apr 1852 at St Peter's)
- Walter Southcott born 1847. (Died 1864, aged 18)
- Robert Southcott born 1849. (There was a Richard Southcott, aged 1, died in 1850, for whom there appears to be no birth record.)
- Frederick Southcott born 1851
- Mary Jane Southcott born 1854
- Lucy Southcott born 1856. (Died 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.
In 1860, Temperance Southcott married Francis Thomas Beedell (b. 30 Jul 1823, bap. 17 Aug 1823), son of William and Elizabeth Beedell. 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.
So, in 1866 Temperance Beedell married for a 3rd time to James Coombe.
James Coombe (b. 1811), Butcher, son of John Coombe, had previously married Sarah Hurley, daughter of John Hurley, Carpenter, on 22 Mar 1838, at St Peter's Church, Tiverton. James and his wife set up in Newport Street, Tiverton, where they were in 1841. By 1851 and in 1861, he had become a Dairyman in Frog Street, Tiverton (Bampton).
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.
Listed at Kiddles Court, Fore Street, Tiverton, in 1871 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.)
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.