Petherton People
In tracing family
history we soon become familiar with using the various sources; civil
registration, parish registers, census returns, wills etc. It is easy to forget that record offices
also contain a wealth of information about local people in documents that it
would, at first sight, appear to be not very promising.
A search on http://www.a2a.org.uk/ for ‘North Petherton’
at the Somerset Record and Archive Service (Taunton Record Office) brings up
157 results. (A search on http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/
produces 2007).
On a recent visit to
the Taunton Record Office I looked at just three of these.
FILE - Ms. history of North
Petherton by Rev. J.J. Toogood ref. D\P\pet.n/23/7 - date: c.1845
This is a hand written book by the Rev. J. J. Toogood and contains a history of the church, listing all previous rectors, the history of Petherton Park, alterations to the rectory and to a church gateway and wall. At the back of the book in faint pencil are recorded the various memorial inscriptions in the church.
FILE – North Petherton
Household account and commonplace book - ref. DD\SAS\C/795/PR/75 -
date: 1759-1768
Giving general payments, 1759-65, names of fruit trees in garden[on
fly-leaf],1759, and [at end reversed] payments for keeping
horse,1761-4,surplice fees (at burials),1760-63, names of the children's
godparents, account of brewing vessels, account of malt and hops,1761-5, small
tithes of North Petherton,1767-8,payments of land tax and window tax,1762. [The
book appears to have belonged to Nicholas Tanner,vicar of North Petherton in
the 1760s. The arms of Tanner are described inside the back cover.] [Qto.vol:
given by Mrs.E.M.Maynard,1940]
This book is real
treasure chest for any family historian, packed full of names. The Rev. Tanner
names the local trades people and farmers, with what he has purchased from them
and how much he has paid. A wonderful
picture of daily life in North Petherton in the 1760s. I have extracted some of the names as
follows.
John Barber
Nanny Mop
Robert Bell Potatoes
William Bell’s wife Potatoes
Mr Boon Farmer
William Burnett Cheese
Daniel Coate Oats & Barley
Dr Colmer Loaf of sugar
Miss Colmer Tread & Tobacco
Mrs Hawkes 16 acres of clover for grazing
horses
Mrs Gatcombe For keeping horses
Mr Gristock Butcher
Mr Jollep Farmer
Dame Light Ham
Dame Light Orchard
Grace Lockyer Milk, oranges & lemons
Farmer Loscombe Cheese
Mr May Farmer
Mrs Morley 3 towels
Mrs Palmer Loaves, milk & butter
Mr Parsons Butcher
Edward Price Shoes
Mr Pocke Jnr Farmer
Betty Porter Baking & bacon
Old Rossiter Coal
Merchant
Jenny Slocombe Baking
Mr Thirle Tailor
John Winslade Pork
William Ash Work
Sal Barham Wages
Melior Bennett Wages
Nanny Bennett 1 year’s wages
Jenny Couch Half year’s wages
Betty Couch 7 days work
Nanny Fieldy Weeding garden
George Gadd Work
Francis Rich 2 days work
Mary Trott 2 days brewing
Jane Vinnecott Wages
Paid a woman at
Baymead for 7 children
Nurse Tiver For keeping Sally
Marmaduke Tiver
Nanny Collard Nurses for Polly
Betty Walton Schooling
29 October 1759 Jack
& Poll to school – Mr Palmer
Schooling for Polly
& Nancy
Out of the 36 names
mentioned above, 21 families with the same name were represented in the 1881
census of North Petherton a 120 years
later.
Ash/Aish, Bell,
Bennett, Boon, Burnett, Coate, Collard, Day, Gadd, Gristock, Knight, Lockyer,
Palmer, Parsons, Rich, Rossiter, Slocombe, Thomas, Trott, Warren, Winslade
Thomas Dyke Acland for Parks
Mr Russel Boomer
Farm
Mrs Horsman Goodings
Mr John Warren Classay Farm
William Thomas Hunting
House & Nowells
Henry Major
Robert Day
Thomas Warren Thurl Globe
& Hill Farm
John Stevens Farrington
Thomas Knight Nappers
John Cole Dobins
Mrs Allen Kings
John Rossiter Haddons
Mr Harrison Leverdown
William Hock Nowells
Widow Pocock &
William Pocock Axtons
Mrs Morley Melcombe
James Trott Mill
Dewdreys
Thomas Rossiter
Joseph Rossiter
Young Kensy
Daniel Coat
Mrs Southey
James Dicker
Mrs Harris Baymead
William Bell
PLANS OF SCHEMES - ref. Q\RUp/1-706
FILE - [Tone River to Uphill] -
ref. Q\RUp/3/1 -
date: 30 Sept 1794
Proposed canal and land immediately in its path (in relation to river
Parrett). Runs through parishes of Creech St. Michael, Durston, East Lyng,
North Petherton, Bridgwater, Puriton, Pawlett, Huntspill, Burnham, South Brent,
Berrow, Bleadon and Uphill. Churches in elevation - generally poor detail.
Reference book names landowners and occupiers.
The third item I
looked at was one of many plans for the canal.
At various times it was proposed to build a canal between Bristol and
Taunton. This particular document
included 2 maps and 2 reference books.
These include the reference number of the plot, owners, occupiers and
payments to be made for the land in the proposed scheme. Two of those named were listed as ‘Leper’.
Route of Canal (1794)
No Owner Occupier
49 John Slade John
Rowsell
48
46 John Slade Mary
Murray
45 Mr Clatworthy Owner
44 Mrs Gristock William
Jeane
41 Mr Thomas Aclane Francis Coombs
39 Musgrove Esq. Ann Ingram
36 Sir Thomas Ackland Henry Coles
30-34 Sir Thomas Ackland Henry Coles
29 Henry Portman Esq.
28 Mrs Matthew Lindon Leper Thomas Pitman
Road
27 Ditto Mrs Gilbert
26 Ditto George Hearne
24 Mrs Matthew Lindon Leper William Gilbert
22 Henry Portman Esq George Hearne
20 Henry Portman Esq Thomas Colhurst
18 Andrew Guy Thomas
Coat
16 Andrew Guy Thomas
Coat
14 Henry Portman Esq William Fear
12 Andrew Guy Thomas
Coat
10 (Henry Portman
(Mr Robert Colthives Leper Himself
8 Corporation
of Bridgwater Thomas
Colhurst
6
Robert Colhurst
4 Mr Henry Coles Thomas
Toulmin
3 (Henry Portman Thomas
Toulmin
(Andrew Guy Esq
1 Lady Tynte Thomas
Colhurst
In the following survey the surnames were taken
from Kelly’s Somerset & Bristol
Directory 1889. The Directory lists private residents and Commercial. A later
survey
(see below) gives extra surnames extracted from the 1881 Census but does
not
include all residents.
Number of that surname in the 1881 Census are
counted as being those born-in and
living-in North Petherton. If there are only 1 or 2 entries on the IGI
this is indicated
in brackets.
Parish Register dates from 1558 and information was extracted using the
LDS
Website, as below and has not been checked against the original register,
therefore could be subject to errors.
Batch
Number: P002591 Baptisms
Batch Number: M002591
Marriages
Surname No
in 1881 Census Earliest Occurrence
in Parish Register
Baptisms Marriages
Adams 18 1593 1588
Aish/Ash 26 1559 1562
Bartlett 19 1632 1681
Bennett 2 1606 1615
Bond 2 1578 1626
Brewer 10 1764 1613
Brice 5 1613 1613
Browne 7 1563 1584
Browning 5 1763 1767
Burge 3 1564 1573
Burrows 9 1573 1573
Burston 18 None None
Callow 4 1565 1831 (1)
Carkett 1 None None
Channing 3 1615 1613
Chedzoy 16 1820 None
Clatworthy 17 1637 1654
Coate 9 1575 1597
Coram 18 1794 1793
Culverwell 18 1620 (2) 1618 (2)
Day 9 1559 1565
Dibble 8 1559 1575
Durman 17 1793 1834 (1)
Farthing 1 1585 1559
Filer 1 None None
Fursland 6 None None
Haines 3 1630 1629
Harden 5 1563 1591
Heal 5 1652 1688
Hodges 17 1563 1637 (1)
Howe 10 1713 1588
Irish 10 1703 1762
Jeannes 2 1736 1722
Knight 5 1607 1630
Langford 2 1769 1742
Nation 8 1559 1574
Painter 1 None None
Pearce 6 1653 1691
Phillips
8 1612 1604
Pocock 19 1624 1622
Properjohn 5 1816 1814
Radford 3 None None
Rich 12 1599 1626
Ridge 6 1832
(1) None
Rogers 26 1566 1565
Salter 8 None None
Saunders 3 1622 1573
Shepherd 2 1563 1571
Slocombe 8 1629 1628
Smith 7 1566 1565
Starkey 4 1572 1559
Townsend 8 1801 1568 (2)
Todd 4 None None
Tozer 1 1800 1800 (2)
Tucker 9 1560 1567
Venn 1 1613 1571
Extra surnames extracted from the 1881 Census,
does not include all residents.
Surname No
in 1881 Census Earliest Occurrence
in Parish Registers
Baptisms Marriages
Chick 26 1559 1559
Collard 48 1589 1591
Cottey 8 1776 1809
Franklin 8 1563 1613
Lavis 17 None 1817
Marchant 18 1731 1757
Parsons 37 1611 1568
Pike 12 1613 1698
Speed 22 1643 1669
Waterjohns 3 None None
Western 10 1805 (1) 1804 (1)
Williams 5 1562 1628
Woodland 4 1564 1561
A quick look at the
2005 Telephone Directory for North Petherton for names in the 1881 Census
reveals that many surnames are still represented.
Compiled by Jenny
Sturges Email address
Somerset and Dorset Family History Society (Taunton Group)