Jessalinerose

(2 posts)

This website is fabulous!!!

I am very distantly related to the Melhuish family ha ha ha. My 9 times great grandmother was Frances Melhuish born c. 1723 in Devon!

I have lots of fascinating family from Devon, and when I saw this beautiful and unique surname i knew there MUST be a one name study somewhere!!

and here this website is!! It's very well done. 

my interest is reading all these wonderful and interesting stories (on my paternal side we had lots of letters about Allentown Hall as we are directly descended from Grace Hazlehurst nee Roscoe) so I am very interested in this!!

also, I just speculate about what their lives must have been like! Absolutely fascinating!

Admin

(18 posts)

Welcome Jessaline. Is your Frances Melhuish the one born in Northam, 15 Feb 1722/3? If so, you are linked to a very interesting branch of the Melhuishs. See https://melhuish-ons.uk/articles/the-appledore-estate.php.

jessalinerose

( posts)

Many thanks for your swift response!

Thank you to the link to that information - that is truly fascinating! I saw how the surname was one of the oldest surnames in the UK - it is wonderful!

Are you related to that branch?

If I'm being honest, I've yet to find concrete evidence of which Frances is "my" Frances. There were three potential baptisms that I found - 15 Feb 1722/3 Northam, 3 Oct 1717 Cruwys Morchard, Tiverton, and 28 Sep 1723, Politmore. The baptism you mention is the second most likely

I have been trying to find newspaper articles which may have announced the marriage of Frances to her husband, William Southcott, in 1741. But as of yet, no luck. 

There appear to be 3 baptisms that “fit the bill” in Devon for Frances. Frances was married at St Swithun’s Church in Shobrooke, Devon. Presumably, she would’ve resided nearby prior to her marriage (although of course she may have moved!)

•  3 Oct 1717 to John and Frances in Cruwys Morchard, Tiverton. Only 8.6 miles away from were married, although by the time Frances had her last child she would have been at least 46 years old! I think this is the least likely.

• 15 Feb 1722/3 to Roger and Ellinor in Northam. Would've been 40/41 by the time last child born. Northam is 37.9 miles away from where she was married, but she may have been shipped off there? Second most likely.
• 28 Sep 1723 to Thomas and Mary in Poltimore. Only 10 miles away from where she got married - would’ve been 40 by the time last child born. Most likely.

However, when I have a look on FMP - there appears to be only one Frances Melhuish (who was a girl!) who was married in Devon 1740 (+/- 40 years) which is my one. Very frustrating. 

I will look into it further and see if I can narrow it down!

Admin

(18 posts)

The only one of those I know is Frances, daughter of Roger and Ellinor (or Eleanor). Unfortunately she didn't marry William Southcott. Her first husband was Thomas Benson Esq *, a notorious individual famed for the "Nightingale Affair". After he died, she married Hugh Bake.

Frances of Cruwys Morchard doesn't pop up in my sources. I have what I think is a very plausible genealogy of the Cruwys Morchard branch compiled by Rev J Chanter in about 1930 and I can't find any Frances there.

Nor do I have any Frances born in Poltimore. Looking on Ancestry though, I found a Francis. If you have other evidence for this being a girl, then it's not unreasonable to put that down to a transcription error, or possibly 300 year-old spelling.

Remember Jessaline, if you have verified information for the birth of people who don't appear on the Place of Birth map, you can add them yourself.

* Thomas Benson was a substantial businessman in Northam and Appledore. He was MP for Bideford at one time. However he is notorious for the "Nightingale Affair" when he had a ship deliberately scuttled off Lundy for the purpose of an insurance scam. The captain of the Nightingale was duly tried and hanged. Benson escaped to live in exile in Portugal.
Looking back over my information, I need to carefully check everything about this family because my database shows Frances to be aged 14 when she married Benson. Unlikely, but not impossible at the time.

jessalinerose

(2 posts)

I have uploaded a PNG of Frances' marriage to William Southcott in 1741 - I think this is the link: https://melhuish-ons.uk/documents.php?orderby=sortyear%20ASC,%20doc_type%20ASC,%20person%20ASC.

Goodness me - you're quite right re: Francis bap. in Poltimore !!!! He is a boy!!!!!! How silly of me!!!! I must have been reading this with very sleepy eyes. 

Well, that is wizard. Going to have another look for my Francis as I've confused myself now!

jessalinerose

(2 posts)

Furthermore, I have added Frances Melhuish bap 1717 to the map. Plus uploaded a pic of her baptism to the documents page. The Place of Birth map is a fabulous feature, I will definitely find that incredibly useful once I have figured out who my frances is!

Admin

( posts)

The only one of those I know is Frances, daughter of Roger and Ellinor (or Eleanor). Unfortunately she didn't marry William Southcott. Her first husband was Thomas Benson Esq *, a notorious individual famed for the "Nightingale Affair". After he died, she married Hugh Bake.

Frances of Cruwys Morchard doesn't pop up in my sources. I have what I think is a very plausible genealogy of the Cruwys Morchard branch compiled by Rev J Chanter in about 1930 and I can't find any Frances there.

Nor do I have any Frances born in Poltimore. Looking on Ancestry though, I found a Francis. If you have other evidence for this being a girl, then it's not unreasonable to put that down to a transcription error, or possibly 300 year-old spelling.

Remember Jessaline, if you have verified information for the birth of people who don't appear on the Place of Birth map, you can add them yourself.

* Thomas Benson was a substantial businessman in Northam and Appledore. He was MP for Bideford at one time. However he is notorious for the "Nightingale Affair" when he had a ship deliberately scuttled off Lundy for the purpose of an insurance scam. The captain of the Nightingale was duly tried and hanged. Benson escaped to live in exile in Portugal.
Looking back over my information, I need to carefully check everything about this family because my database shows Frances to be aged 14 when she married Benson. Unlikely, but not impossible at the time.