Old Homes and Homesteads – Part 4 – Lutton, Cornwood Parish, and Underwood, Plympton St. Mary Parish, Devon, England

My 3rd great-grandparents, John and Anne (Symons) Shepheard, lived for a number of years in Lutton Village, just up the hill from John’s parents (see March 4, 2014 post here). John Shepheard and Ann Symons were married in Cornwood Parish on June 16, 1826. All of their six children were born in Lutton. John was a carpenter by trade.

On the 1841 England Census, John was recorded as living in Lutton with four of their children. Ann, and another daughter, Jane, were away in St. Andrew Parish, Plymouth at that time, tending to John Shepheard’s brother-in-law, John Short, and his infant daughter, while their wife and mother, Thomasin was ill. She died a few weeks later.

The family is shown on the 1851 England Census still living in Lutton with their youngest daughter, Julia, and a border, Thomas Carpenter, who eventually married another daughter, Mary. Also living with the family was John’s mother, Jane Treby Shepheard, now a widow. A granddaughter, Mary Ann Parsons, was also with them.

Their house in Lutton was similar to many in the village, constructed mainly of stone and likely originally with a thatched roof. Like many homes in the area, it has been extensively renovated in recent years. Pictures of the building before and after major work was done in the 1990s are included below. It is a typical duplex building with the main fireplace on each end. The tithe map from 1841 (see previous post) shows the building as much smaller, however. Only one side may have existed then. A rear view of the building, with its stone walls, can be seen on Google Street View.

Previous home of John and Anne Shepheard in Lutton Village, prior to renovations in the 1990s 

(photo courtesy of current owners, 2008)

Previous home of John and Anne Shepheard in Lutton Village, after renovations in the 1990s 

(photo taken by Brenda Gregory, 2008)

John and Anne moved to Underwood Village, in Plympton St. Mary Parish prior to 1856. All of their children had left home by the time the 1861 census was taken. Only a granddaughter, Mary Ann Parsons, was living with them, the same girl who stayed with them in Lutton in 1851. Another daughter, Julia Bray, and her family lived just a few houses away.

Previous home of John and Anne Shepheard on Merafield Road in Underwood Village

(photo taken by Alick Lavers, 2006)

The village of Underwood and several nearby towns were undergoing major expansion in the mid-1800s and John certainly would have moved there in order to ply his trade as a carpenter. The tithe map of the town shows the buildings that were present in 1842. The streets are now entirely filled in, most of them built during the mid- to late-1800s. Today the area is part of greater Plymouth with many residents employed in the city, only a few minutes away.

1842 tithe map showing Underwood village and location of the home of John and Anne Shepheard after 1856 

Underwood Road – just east of the former home of John and Anne Shepheard (photo taken by Wayne Shepheard, 2004)

John died on November 14, 1870 at Underwood. He was buried in Cornwood Parish on November 27th. Anne continued to live in Underwood after John’s death, in the same residence. On both the 1871 and 1881 England Censuses she is shown living next door to her daughter, Julia Bray, and her family. Also living with Anne in 1871 was another granddaughter, 16 year-old Ellen Parsons, probably there to help care for her grandmother.

Anne died on February 26, 1882, in Underwood. She, too, was buried in Cornwood Parish, on March 5th, in the same grave as her husband.

Gravestone Inscription:

IN

MEMORY OF

JOHN SHEPHEARD

WHO DIED 14TH NOVEMBER 1870

AGED 78 YEARS

BLESSED ARE THE MEEK

ALSO

ANN SHEPHEARD

WIFE OF THE ABOVE

WHO DIED 26TH FEBRUARY 1892

AGED 81 YEARS

NOT DEAD BUT SLEEPING

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.

Old Homes and Homesteads – Part 3 – Lutton, Cornwood Parish, Devon, England

My 4^th great-grandparents, John and Jane Treby Shepheard, lived in Cornwood parish all of their lives. They are shown on two censuses, 1841 and 1851, in the village of Lutton. John was a carpenter by trade.

John and Jane Treby were first cousins. Jane’s father, Nicholas Shepheard, my 5^th great-grandfather, owned the East and Middle Rooke lands, discussed in my last post, which were passed down to his sons, Nicholas, Sampson and Arthur. Middle Rooke was eventually inherited by Richard Shepheard, the youngest son of John and Jane Treby Shepheard.

Their home was near the bottom of Gibb Hill Road, (parcel number 890 on the 1841 tithe map shown below). Their son, John, and his family lived further up the same road (parcel number 903 on the tithe map). Another son, Richard, and his family lived a short distance away (parcel number 864). Both John Junior and Richard were also carpenters and it is interesting to speculate about whether they worked together on various projects in the area. The individuals were all renting their homes from Sir John Leman Rogers, Baronet.

Portion of 1842 tithe map showing Lutton Village, Cornwood Parish, Devon, England

Satellite photo of Lutton Village, Cornwood Parish, Devon showing location of homes of Shepheard family members

Gibb Hill Cottage, as it is called now, the former residence of John and Jane Treby Shepheard, is pictured below. Like many houses of its era, it was constructed largely of stone and probably originally had a thatched roof. With a fireplace on only one end, this building appears to have been a single family unit. A good image of the house, with its stone walls, can be seen on Google Street View.

Gibb Hill Road in Lutton Village – Gibb Hill Cottage, former home of John and Jane Treby Shepheard is in the centre of the picture (photo taken by Wayne Shepheard, 2004)

Gibb Hill Cottage, former home of John and Jane Treby Shepheard is in the centre of the picture showing stone used in wall construction of the house (photo taken by Brenda Gregory, 2007)

John died on November 17, 1845. He was buried in the parish churchyard on November 23^rd. Jane spent the last few years of her life living with her son, John, and his family in their house in Lutton. She passed away on September 10, 1851. She was buried with her husband on September 14^th.

Gravestone Inscription, St. Michael & All Angels Churchyard:

In hope of a joyful resurrection

HER LIETH THE BODY OF

JOHN SHEPHEARD

FOR MANY YEARS A CARPENTER

OF THIS PARISH

who departed this life Novr 17th 1845

Aged 77 Years

---------

ALSO

JANE TREBY SHEPHEARD

wife of JOHN SHEPHEARD

who departed this life Sept 11th 1851

Aged 85 Years

--------

Blessed are the dead which die in

The Lord even so saith the Spirit

For they rest from their labours

--------

Afflictions sore long time I bore

Physicians were in vain till God did

please death should me sieze

and ease my pain.

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.

Old Homes and Homesteads – Part 2 – East Rooke, Cornwood Parish, Devon, England

One of the most interesting homes I visited in Cornwood parish in 2004 was the ancestral home of the Shepheard family at East Rooke. The building today is an impressive two-story home on East Rooke farm, overlooking the Yealm River valley. The farm is located at the top of the valley, about three-quarters of a mile north of the village of Cornwood, along what is known today as Rooke Lane, and nestled against Dartmoor National Park.

 

Main house at East Rooke farm, Cornwood parish, Devon, England

(photo taken by Wayne Shepheard 2004)

Outbuildings at East Rooke farm (photo taken by Wayne Shepheard 2004)

Most of the East Rooke, together with the Middle Rooke lands are believed to have been continuously occupied by the Shepheard family from the 1600s until the last piece was sold in the early 20^th century. The lands were passed down through the eldest males of the family, according to English law, and are referenced in several wills. To date no copies of deeds for the lands have been found. The last surviving copies may have been destroyed in a fire in Totnes, in 1990, when many of the records of Delamore Estate, the current owner, were lost.

Land tax assessment documents demonstrate both the 38 acre East Rooke and 24 acre Middle Rooke farms were owned by one of my 4^th great-granduncles, Nicholas Shepheard (1761-1820), from at least 1781 until his death in 1820, and by his heirs afterward. The 1842 Tithe Apportionment map shows the parcels that were part of East and Middle Rooke.

 

Main residence at Middle Rooke farm, Cornwood paris

1841 Tithe Apportionment map showing Rooke lands, in Cornwood Parish,

owned then by Sampson Shepheard (1771-1856)

The buildings at East Rooke have been modified over the years. Detail from the 1841 map shows a slightly different layout of buildings than is present today. Part of the difference may be due to errors in the surveyor’s drawings however it does appear that some buildings were taken down and rebuilt, or enlarged after 1841, possibly using some of the same materials.

 

East Rooke farm buildings: left – 1841 tithe map; right – 2004 satellite photo

The interior retains much of its early charm, although has been updated with the latest amenities. One of the fireplaces looks to be original as does the granite floor in the front hallway.

 

Stone fireplace in main floor drawing room

Granite floor in main foyer

The property was sold in two parcels. East Rooke was sold after the 1856 death of my 4^th great-granduncle, Sampson Shepheard, the last owner. Sampson had only daughters and he instructed his Executor to sell off all of his properties and divide the proceeds among the surviving women. Middle Rooke had by then been inherited by my 3^rd great-granduncle, Richard Shepheard, as dictated by the will of another 4^th great-granduncle, Nicholas Shepheard (the eldest brother of Sampson), upon his death in 1820. Richard’s son, Nicholas, was the final owner of the lands which were sold sometime after his death in 1919.

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.