Most
of us who seek information about our ancestors are also interested in the
places in which they lived. It is a real treat to actually be able to visit old
family homes; the older the domiciles, the more interesting they are. In the
next few blogs I will describe some of the homes my family inhabited in
England, Canada and the United States in past centuries.
In
2004, I had an opportunity to see the ancestral homes of several of my direct
ancestors in Cornwood parish, Devon, England. Buildings hundreds of years old are
still standing in the area, many of which are protected against destruction or
renewal after having been placed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural
or Historic Interest. Under the regulations, no work
can be done inside or out with architectural advice and local council
permission.
This
did not stop a gentleman who presently lives in the house my 3rd
great-grandparents, William and Mary Carpenter, occupied for at least forty
years. Fortunately for the current owner, the house is not listed; so he was
free to renew the property subject only to normal planning rules.
The
house is a traditional, duplex-style building. A privy and barns were present
adjacent to the structure. It was constructed primarily of stone, probably in
the 18th century and might originally have had a thatched roof. Two
families could share the building. The large, mainly open-spaced living
quarters were on the main floor. A sleeping loft occupied the second level. The
main floor fireplace served for both heating the house and cooking meals.
William
Carpenter, of Ermington parish, and Mary Crispin of Cornwood parish, were married
in the Cornwood parish church on December 31, 1819. They took up residence
first in Cornwood, possibly in the village itself. Cornwood is shown as the
Carpenters’ abode on the baptism entries of their first two children in 1820
and 1821. They had moved to the village of Lutton by 1823. Four more children
were born there through 1828. Their residence was given as Old Park Mill (at
Almshouse Bridge near Lutton) in 1830 when my 2nd great-grandmother,
Mary Crispin Carpenter, was born. By 1833 they were in Corntown, presumably in
the home they would occupy until their deaths. Two more children were born in
this house.
William
was a farm labourer, tending nine acres of rented property for many years just
south of Yondertown, about three-quarters of a mile from Corntown and half a
mile from Lutton. In his old age he became a coal dealer, possibly working with
his son-in-law, John Shepheard, my 2nd great-grandfather.
William
and Mary Carpenter occupied one side of the duplex for most of their lives,
raising their family of nine children in the unit. Their neighbours in the
other side, for over twenty years, were Robert and Jenny Lang. On the 1861 and
1871 censuses, the Carpenter’s oldest son, James, is shown occupying the Lang
side with his young family. William died in 1877. In 1881, James Carpenter was
still in the house but the other side was empty. At that time, Mary was staying
with her daughter and son-in-law, John and Mary Shepheard, in Torquay. She died
in 1884, in Cornwood. In 1891, James Carpenter and his son, William Henry,
occupied the house with their two families. Both were also there in 1901 and
1911 however William’s wife had died in 1896.
The
photos below show the house in 1962, just after renovations had started. Parts of
the very thick, stone walls had to be removed in order to install new window and
door units.
Front view on one side of the duplex in 1962 with
one new widow installed
Rear view of one side of the duplex in 1962 before windows were replaced
|
The interior was completely gutted and rebuilt. A full second floor was developed with two bedrooms and a bathroom on each side. Downstairs, new kitchens, living rooms and dining rooms were built, along with additions on the rear of the building.
View of interior in 1962 showing the cut- and uncut-stone
walls
|
We
cannot be sure at this time when the building lost its last Carpenter tenant.
Both James and William Henry likely lived in the house until their deaths,
James died in 1913 and his wife, in 1914. William Henry died in 1933, almost
100 years after his grandparents had moved into the home.
Today,
the house is a modern-looking duplex with all of the conveniences one would want
and expect. The old building is barely distinguishable.
Front view of duplex in 2004 – a modern home!
|
Rear view of duplex in 2004 with new rooms and
porches added
|
Photos
of the 1962 renovation work were taken by the current owner, George Colton, who
still lives in the home. More recent photos were taken by Wayne Shpheard on a
visit to the parish in 2004.
Wayne
Shepheard is a volunteer with the Online Parish Clerk program, handling four
parishes in Devon, England. He
serves as the Editor of Chinook, the quarterly
journal of the Alberta Family Histories Society. Wayne also
provides genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated.
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