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

Showing posts with label Huntsham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Huntsham. Show all posts

Wednesday 24 January 2024

Henry Stone and Mary Ridgeway

Church of St John the Baptist, Ashbrittle
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © David Smith - geograph.org.uk/p/5104522
A plaque near The Ancient Yew of Ashbrittle declares, "Generations of local people
have cherished this tree, one of the oldest living things in Britain."


Henry Stone (bap. 26 Oct 1828 in Langford Budville, Somerset), son of William Stone and Mary Thorne, married Mary Ridgeway (bap. 28 Dec 1833 in Ashbrittle, Somerset)daughter of James Ridgeway and Mary Ann Lock, at her parish of St John the BaptistAshbrittle, on 24 Jan 1854

Henry and Mary Stone, a pair of my 2nd great-grandparents, had nine children. Frederick James was born in Stawley and the rest in Ashbrittle, Somerset. All were baptised at St John the Baptist, Ashbrittle.

  1. Frederick James Stone bap. 25 Dec 1854
  2. Henry William Stone bap. 13 Jul 1856 
  3. John Stone bap. 23 May 1858 
  4. Mary Ann Stone bap. 5 Feb 1860 
  5. Tom Stone b. 11 Dec 1861, bap. 4 Feb 1862
  6. Harriet Stone bap. 2 Apr 1865 
  7. Francis Stone b. 1 Feb 1867, bap. 3 Mar 1867
  8. Charles Stone b. 8 Apr 1869, bap. 9 May 1869
  9. Lucy Jane Stone b. 11 Apr 1872, bap. 26 May 1872
Court Place, Ashbrittle
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Roger Cornfoot - geograph.org.uk/p/3819462

In 1861, Henry (31) and Mary (27) were also living in a Private Cottage at Court Place, as were Henry's parents at that time. With Henry and Mary were the four children born to date; Frederick (6), Henry (4), John (3) and Mary Ann (1), along with Jane Ridgeway (28), Sister-in-Law (Mary's sister).

In 1871, with their address merely given as Cottage, Ashbrittle, were Henry and Mary with Mary Ann (12), Tom (9), Harriet (6), Francis (3) and Charles (1). The first three boys having left home already. Living next-door-but one was the family of John Ridgeway (relatives of Mary's, obviously) and then that of John Vickery. These three families remain intrinsically linked. In 1871, Frederick (16) was already working, as a servant, described as an 'Ag Lab Indoor', for Henry Oxenham at Chevithorne, Tiverton. The mind boggles at how you do agricultural labour indoors, but I'm sure they mean lives inside the farmer's main accommodation, rather than outside in a cottage.  

In 1875, the family were living in Hill, Huntsham, according to son Francis Stone's school record, when he was enrolled at Huntsham County Primary School that year. At the time he left school in 1879, Francis was attending school in Chevithorne, so presumably the family had relocated there.

By 1881, the family had moved to Lands Mill, Uplowman with Henry (51) and Mary (49), Harriet (16), Francis (14), Charles (11) and Lucy Jane (8), granddaughter, Ellen Snow (2) and widowed Sister-in-Law, Jane Vickery (43). Visiting were Mary Ann Tarr (27) and Jane Tarr (22), General Servants. 

Lands Mill (now demolished) was part of the Widhayes estate, so assuming Henry was employed by Edward Chave at Widhayes Farm. The stable block, barn, linhay, gate house and farmhouse at Widhayes are Listed Buildings

Some of the listed buildings at Widhayes

Mary Stone died, aged 52, on 28 Dec 1885 and was buried on 3 Jan 1886

In 1891, Henry Stone (63), Widower, was living at Greengate Cottage in Uplowman, with daughter Harriet (25), son Francis (23), granddaughter, Ellen Snow (12) (Henry's daughter) and grandson Francis (3) (Harriet's son).

In 1901, Henry (71), Widower (listed incorrectly as Henry Ridgway), working as a Labourer on Roads, was still living at Greengate, Uplowman, this time in the household of James Ridgway (34), who was married to Harriet Stone.

Henry Stone died, aged 72, on 26 Nov 1901 and was buried on 30 Nov 1901 at Uplowman. Both Henry and Mary have been buried in the same plot in Uplowman Churchyard along with their son, John, who had died in 1882. 

Grave of John, Mary and Henry Stone in Uplowman Churchyard.

Sunday 23 July 2023

Henry William Stone and Sarah Snow and Jane Tarr

Huntsham : All Saints Church
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Lewis Clarke - geograph.org.uk/p/6039979

Henry Stone, second son of my 2x great-grandparents, Henry Stone and Mary Ridgeway, born in Ashbrittle, Somerset, in 1856, was found at home with his parents - no surprise, aged 4 - at Court Place, Ashbrittle, in 1861. And in 1871, aged 13, I believe it is this Henry Stone, who is employed as an Indoor Agricultural Labourer working for Richard Poole (62) a Farmer of 170 acres, employing 7 labourers and 1 boy, at Bathealton, Somerset.

On 27 Feb 1879 Ellen Stone Snow was born at Putson Cottages, Blundells Road, Tiverton to Sarah Snow, a Domestic Servant and in 1881, this child was living with Henry Stone and Mary Ridgeway, listed as their granddaughter. 

Only two of Henry and Mary's sons looked likely to be this child's father and I was about to cast more aspersions upon the character of John Stone, until I discovered the marriage of Sarah Snow and William Henry Stone (baptised Henry William) on 23 Jul 1879 at All Saints' Church, Huntsham. Witnesses were John Voisey and the bridegroom's sister, Mary Ann (Marrianne).

But Sarah Stone, wife of Henry Stone a Farm Labourer, died on 22 Jan 1880, from Phthisis acuta (Acute tuberculosis), at Huntsham. Emma Maunder, sister, was present at her death. This explains why, in 1881, Henry Stone, was a widower, aged just 24, living alone at Little Fair Oak, Uplowman. 

At that same time, in Henry Stone and Mary Ridgeway's household were two visitors: Mary Ann Tarr (27) and Jane Tarr (22), who were daughters of William Tarr, a Hostler, and his wife, Jane Wood, of Marsh Bridge Road, Dulverton, Somerset. Clearly they were there preparing for a wedding, because in Q2 of 1881, William Henry Stone married Jane Tarr.  

Henry and Jane had two further children: 
  1. Frederick Henry Stone born 1885, bap. 26 Apr 1885, son of Henry and Jane, at St Mary’s churchUffculme (died 1887, see below)
  2. Louisa Jane Stone born 1888, bap. 26 Feb 1888 as Louisa Mary Jane Stone, at St Mary’s churchUffculme.

On 29 July 1887 The Western Times reported on the inquest into the accidental death of Frederick Henry Stone, 2½ yrs old, of Wellington Road, Uffculme, whose clothes caught fire, causing burns over his whole body, as did the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. This report of the inquest, which was held in the cottage where they lived, is hard reading.

THE SHOCKING DEATH OF A CHILD NEAR UFFCULME

The inquest touching the death of the child, Frederick Henry Stone, aged 2½ years, son of a labourer residing at Brickyard Cottage, Wellington Road, near Uffculme, was held by Mr. F. Burrow, district coroner, on Saturday, when the evidence of the mother, Mrs Potter, a neighbour, and Dr. Morgan, of Uffculme, was taken. It appeared that about 8 a.m. on Friday the mother, having lighted the kitchen fire, placed the child, which was wearing its night-dress, in a chair by the side of it. Her back was turned for a few moments, and in the meantime the nightdress, a long one, became ignited by a burning stick which fell out of the grate. On hearing the child scream the mother ran into the kitchen, and finding the nightdress in flames, endeavoured to smother them by throwing some woollen material around the child. Failing, however, in this attempt, she and her little girl called for assistance, Mrs Potter then came in and, according to her statement, found the child in the middle of the floor, getting up into its knees and enveloped in "a mass of flames from head to foot." With the exception of fragments, the nightdress and undergarments were then completely charred. She extinguished the flames upon what remained and then, with the assistance of other neighbours, the burns were treated with linseed oil and lime water. In the meantime Dr. Bryden, of Uffculme, was sent for, as also was Dr. Morgan. The latter arrived first, but not until the child had expired. In his evidence, Mr. Morgan said he entirely approved of the remedies applied and even had he been there more could not have been done. The extent and nature of the burns, involving as they did the whole body were sufficient to cause death. -- The father of the child was present at the earlier part of the enquiry, but as he persisted in interposing remarks he was ordered by the Coroner to withdraw. Subsequently he was recalled and allowed to make a statement, the Coroner holding that he was not in a fit state to be sworn. Stone complained very strongly that Dr. Bryden although called twice and promised to come down did not do so until it suited his convenience in the course of his usual round as parish doctor, which was an hour or more after death. Mentioning incidentally that Dr. Bryden had attended on previous occasions he said he owed him 7s 6d, which he declared he would never pay. -- The Coroner remarked that that was a matter between himself and Dr. Bryden. -- It transpired that the child was insured in the Prudential Insurance Company. -- The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death."
William Henry Stone, Farm Labourer of Halberton, died, aged 33, on 11 Aug 1889, at the Infirmary Tiverton from Cardiac disease and oedema of the lungs (Pulmonary edema is often caused by congestive heart failure.)

As if things couldn't get any worse, in 1891, both Jane Stone and daughter Louisa Mary Jane are listed as inmates at the Tiverton Union Workhouse

Then Louisa Mary Jane Stone, sadly, simply disappears.

Ellen Snow (12) was still (or again) living with her grandfather in 1891, going by her mother's surname, Snow, even though her parents had subsequently married, which I imagine was so that the records matched up when she was enrolled at school. In 1901, however, she was using her father's surname, listed as Ellen S Stone (22), working as Cook Domestic, at a Private Girls School at 19, St Peter Street, Tiverton, Devon. Ellen married in 1901

Jane Stone remarried to William Staddon in 1899. 

In 1911, in Kitwell Street, Uffculme were William Staddon (52) Basket Maker, from Uplowman, Devon, with wife Jane (52) from Dulverton, Tom Staddon (32) and Henry Wright (45) boarder. (William Staddon previously married Leah Parr (m. 1871) - and the mother's maiden name on Tom's birth registration is Parr to confirm this - who had died, aged 51, in 1897.)

William and Jane Staddon appear to have been living in Halberton, in 1921.

As yet, I've been unable to find the deaths for either William or Jane Staddon.

Sunday 9 April 2023

Francis Stone and Frances Mary Jerred

Cottages, High Street, Halberton
cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Roger Cornfoot - geograph.org.uk/p/1177578
44 High Street, Halberton, is the blue cottage in the centre

Francis Stone (Frank) (b. 1 Feb 1867) son of Henry Stone and Mary Ridgeway, married Frances Mary Jerred (b. 3 May 1869), daughter of John Jerred and Frances Ann Orchard, always known to my father as "Aunt France", although if we were being pedantic, she was his father's aunt, his great-aunt. The couple married at St Peter’s Church Tiverton on 9 Apr 1902. Witnesses were the bride's father, John Jerred and a Bessie Louisa Corrick. Francis and Frances, at 34 and 33, respectively, married late by the standards of the day, and this may have been a factor toward the couple not having children.

In 1911, Frank Stone (42) Farm Labourer and Frances Mary Stone (42) were living at Middle Pitt, Sampford Peverell. 

In 1921, still at Middle Pitt Westleigh, Wellington, Sampford Peverell, Devon were Francis Stone (53) Farm Carter and Frances Mary Stone (52).

Francis Stone, of Middle Pitt Cottage, Sampford Peverell, died on 18 Nov 1937, aged 70, leaving £517 13s 11d to Frances Mary Stone. 

In 1939, Frances Mary Stone, Old Age Pensioner, was living at 2 Sunnidale, Willand, Devon.

Frances Mary Stone, of 44 High Street, Halberton, Devon died on 11 Aug 1962 at the ripe old age of 93. She didn't have much money left (~£75). 

Francis and Frances are buried together in the churchyard at Uplowman.

Grave of Francis Stone and Frances Mary Jerred in Uplowman Churchyard