St John The Baptist, Yarkhill
Photo courtesy Frank Kenward
Brangwin Family Newsletter: July 2003
Welcome to the July 2003 edition of our family newsletter.
I have spread my email address and areas of interest far and wide. This sometimes pays dividends as it did this week when I received an email with the burial details of Hedley F Brangwin. I have included an update for Hedley later in this newsletter.
I have been putting my Barnett information up on my web site. December 26, 2003 is the 200th anniversary of the death of my great, great, great, great, great grandfather, Thomas Barnett. Progress on transferring my information to my Barnett site seems to happen in fits and spurts however I am hoping to have it all up by the end of the year. As I prepare to put up each twig I have been checking for missing data and, when identified, have been attempting to fill in the missing pieces. Over the past couple of months I have made contact with a number of family members who are also Brangwin descendants, as many of us Barnett descendants are. This month I have included an update on the Vevers as well as a number of related items.
In this edition of the newsletter we look at:
I hope you enjoy learning more about your extended family.
Contributions to the Newsletter are most welcome. If you find something that you would like to share please send it to me so that it can be included in a newsletter or post it on the family web site. My email address is lwuth@hups.net
Lorraine Wuth
Editor
The Vevers
Back in July 2001, we covered the descendants of Mary Brangwin the daughter of Edmund Brangwin and Mary Deane. Mary had married George Barnett. Mary, their oldest surviving daughter had married Joseph Hobbs and had six children:
Emily Hobbs was the fifth child of Mary Barnett and Joseph Hobbs. She was born on June 30, 1849 at Cookham, Berks and baptised in the parish church on October 31, 1849.
At the time of the 1851 census, Emily was a 1 year old and was listed at her parents home, Moor Hall, Cookham.
Emily was visiting her sister Mary and brother-in-law Stephen Smith at the time of the 1871 census. She was an unmarried 21 years old.
Emily married John Edwards Vevers at Upton cum Chalvey (now called Slough), Bucks, on October 22, 1873, after the calling of banns.
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St John The Baptist, Yarkhill
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At the time of the 1881 census, Emily and John were living at Yarkhill Court, Yarkhill, Herfordshire. John was a farmer of 325 acres employing 10 men and 2 boys. Also listed in the household were their children John (4), Edward (3) and Dorothy (11 months).
Emily died in 1881, aged 32. She was buried at Yarkhill on September 21 of that year.
Melba Hobbs provided the following:
“From the letters it appears that they had at least four children, two girls, Dolly [Dorothy] and little Emily and two sons, the eldest of whom was killed in Johannesburg, Africa where he was working. The younger son, Edward Gwynne Vevers was alive at the time of Aunt Eliza's death [1902] as the probate of her estate was granted to him along with Agnes Hobbs. We do not know if there were more children."
"Joseph's sisters, Mary and Agnes, and his Aunt Eliza Jegon, neé Barnett, liked Emily's husband very much and visited often with him and the children. The children also visited with Aunt Eliza, Julia and Agnes sometimes staying for several weeks. Aunt Eliza once asked John Vevers why he didn't marry again. He replied, 'I cannot find another Emily'. This was a great tribute to his wife."
John Edward Vevers was the son of John Brace Vevers and Mary, his wife. He was baptised at Yarkhill, Hereford, on November 14, 1848.
John eventually remarried in 1893 and a daughter, Christobel Lucy, was born to him and his wife Lucy in 1894. He died on September 13, 1906, aged 58. Probate index stated that John was a gentleman of "Bryn Hafod" Hafod Road, Hereford. Probate to Edward Gwynne Vevers civil engineer and George Murton Alvere Matson tea merchant. Effects £3,035 2s 6d resworn £3,141 9s 2d.
Children of Emily Hobbs and John Vevers:
John Aubery Jegon Vevers was the second child of Emily Hobbs and John Edwards Vevers. He was born in 1875 at Yarkhill, Herfordshire, where he was baptised on November 8, 1875.
John was recorded in the 1881 census as a 4 year old in his parents household.
John died in a mining accident in South Africa according to a letter from his aunt, Mary Smith, to his uncle, Joseph Hobbs, dated February 1897:
“I must not forget to tell you of the sad death of poor Emily’s eldest son. He went out to Africa last year as he could not settle down at home, and was getting on very well engineering at the Gold Mines at Johannesberg but he got entangled in the machinery and killed instantly.”
Edward Gwynne Vevers was the third child of Emily Hobbs and John Edwards Vevers. He was born about 1877 at Yarkhill, Herfordshire, where he was baptised on January 9, 1877.
In 1881 he was living at home with his parents and was 3 years old.
By 1901 Edward was a civil engineer, 23, still single and living at 11 Hanbury Road, Bristol.
Edward married Ethel Mary Jenkins on September 13, 1905 at the parish church in Emmanuel, Clifton, Bristol. He was a 27 year old civil engineer and a bachelor. Ethel was 27, single and the daughter of Oliver William Jenkins, merchant.
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Edward Gwynne Vevers
Ethel Mary Jenkins
[Photos courtesy Andrea Seymour] |
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Edward appears to have been a popular family member as he was named as the executor in the wills of a number of family members.
Children of Edward Gwynne Vevers and Ethel Mary Jenkins
Edward Vevers died on March 12, 1953 and Ethel died on July 8, 1954.
Dorothy Mary “Dolly” Vevers was the fourth child and first daughter of Emily Hobbs and John Edwards Vevers. She was born in 1880 at Yarkhill, Herfordshire, where she was baptised on May 18 of that year.
When the 1881 census was taken in the April Dolly's age was given as 11 months. The 1891 census listed her as a 10 year old. By 1901 she had moved to London where she was working as a hospital nurse.
Dolly married her cousin [yes, another cousin marriage] George Murton Alvare Matson on June 7, 1906 at Christ Church in the parish of Streatham, London. George was a 35 year old tea merchant and a bachelor. His address at the time of marriage was 10 Cotherstone Road. His father was Albert Matson, farmer. His mother was Elizabeth Mary Vevers, the older sister of his bride's father.
Dolly and George had three children:
Emily Gladys Vevers was the fifth and final child child of Emily Hobbs and John Edwards Vevers. She was born in 1881 at Yarkhill, Herfordshire, where she was baptised on September 19, 1881. Her mother was buried on September 21, 1881, so it is likely that the birth of Emily caused the death of her mother, also Emily.
Emily was referred to as "Little Emily" in family letters.
At the time of the 1891 census Emily was listed in her father's household. She was 9 years old and a scholar.
The 1901 census listed Emily in Sutton, Surrey, single, 19, working as a lady nurse.
[I would like to thank Andrea Seymour for her assistance in filling in this part of the family]
THE EVRE FAMILY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, AND THEIR EIVERS DESCENDENTS
[This article has been printed with permission from Andrew Vevers, the author. It has been included as it illustrates the way names have changed over time and the mobility of families.]
I have discovered in researching my family name, Vevers, many connections to similar names such as Evers, Ivers,Eivers and Ievers.
Through a coat of arms displayed by William Vevers of Scholes, near Leeds, who died in 1744, we have a link to the Evre or Eure family. In The Complete Peerage of England Scotland and Ireland, Extant Extinct or Dormant by Giles and Doubleday, 1926, are details of the seven Barons Eure from 1544 to 1707, who took the family name from Evre, nowadays Iver, in Buckinghamshire.
The pedigree shown here is taken from Ducatus Leodiensis by Ralph Thoresby, published in 1765, and shows the connection with two of the vicars of Leeds, both named William Evre or Evers, and this is where my interest comes in, as my family name seems to start off around 1450 in Leeds.
At some point the letter U became used to spell the name, though it would have originally been pronounced as a V, so in time, it seems some of the members pronounced it as Eure.
It can be seen that the pedigree goes back before the family acquired the manor of Evre. The coat of arms shown matches that on William Vevers’ memorial, though not the crest on top, and in heraldic terms is described as “quarterly or and gules, on a bend sable, three escallops argent”.
The Genuki web site for Iver gives further details at: http://met.open.ac.uk/genuki/big/eng/BKM/Iver/Index.html
More details are to be found in A History of the Manor and Parish of Iver by Ward and Block 1933, which is in Iver library. The village was known as Evreham in the Domesday book, and the authors doubt that it would have changed as a result of the Norman conquest.
Ward and Block discuss the origins of the name of the village:
Strangely however, the d’Iveri family are reported to have taken their name from another rather more well known place called Evre or Eure in France, and this region also takes its name from the wild boar. It seems likely that the d’Iveris gave rise to a quite different family of similar name, but I have no further information on this. Nevertheless, the family that I have researched seems likely also to have been of Norman origin.
Between 1177 and 1189 the manor of Evre went to Robert fitzRoger, who was already lord of the manors of Werkworth and Clavering. At this time surnames as we know them had not been formalised, and one way of distinguishing people was for sons to take a Christian name followed by fitz, from the Latin filius, meaning son of, followed by their father’s name. The manor titles passed to his son John fitzRobert, who in turn had sons Roger, Robert and Hugo fitzJohn. Roger fitzJohn became a baron, and the king demanded that his line permanently take the surname Clavering. This line retained Evre for the next 150 years.
Roger’s brothers Hugo and Robert moved away, and they took the surname d’Evre, later becoming simply Evre. Hugo went to Stokesley, North Yorks, the manor having come via his mother.
Robert moved to Belton in the Isle of Axholme, Lincolnshire, and can be later found at Washborough in that county.
Of Hugo’s branch, in 1544, William Evre or Eure of Witton, Co. Durham was created a baron. The Clavering barony had by then died out, and the Warkworth, Clavering and Evre manors had been handed over to the Percy and Neville families. This barony lasted until 1707 when Ralph Eure the final baron died.
Papworth’s Ordinary is an index of heraldic devices leading to a list of who wears what in the world of heraldry. This was published in Victorian times, and an attempt to produce a more comprehensive work has been only partly completed by Chesshyre and Woodcock in the 1990’s. Unfortunately it’s likely to be a few more years before the job is finished. From these two works we can find the following variants of the name: Eure, Euar, Euere, Euyr, Ewere, Evre, Ever, Evers, Yevers, Yver, Ivre, Oevre, Efour, Everys, Eevers, Evere, Everes, Ewers, Ewerys, Vevers, Veverys, Evor, Evyr, Yvers.
Burke’s General Armory, 1884, works from names, to describe the arms, and lists several coats of arms for Clavering, Evers, Eure, Euery and Ivery.
The original Clavering arms were “quarterly or and gules on a bend sable”. (a shield quartered in gold and red with a diagonal black band. Later families added their differences to the band, so we have examples of mullets (5 pointed stars), escallops (scallop shells), cinquefoils, and fleur-de-lis. These were always 3 in number and usually silver (argent) though some were gold (or). The branch from Axholme added the fleurs-de-lis, and the Ivers of Ulster coat is identical, though we will have to wait until the next volume of Chesshyre and Woodcock to find out more about this. Evers of Wexford has “argent on a bend sable three fleurs-de-lis or (and another argent)”, which is similar to that of the Axholme branch, except that the background is plain silver, and again Chesshyre and Woodcock may shed more light. It looks quite probable that all of these coats had a common origin.
The second pedigree I give is that of the Ievers family. This is taken from Burke’s Irish Family Records. It can be seen that they also have a coat of arms “quarterly or and gules, on a bend sable, three escallops argent”.
The connection appears to be through Sampson, the judge in Wales, in the first pedigree.
This was the time of the civil war, and it’s known that members of the Evre family fought on opposite sides in the struggle. Many atrocities took place, both in England and Ireland.
One character who does not appear on the main Evre pedigree is that of Isaac Eure or Ewerie. I have not yet found the precise family connection, but there is reference to him in a book Heraldry of York Minster, which describes him as of the ancient family of Eure of Yorkshire. Isaac was one of the Parliamentarians, on Cromwell’s side. He was one of the judges at the trial of Charles I, and who signed his death warrant, and he acted as Charles’ jailer before he came to trial. He also was a Colonel in the regiment which took Drogheda and Tredagh.
The reason that he does not appear in the first pedigree could well be due to the family distancing themselves from Isaac’s activities. Had he not died of a fever in Waterford, he may well have suffered the same fate as some of his companions when Charles II came to power. Many were hung, drawn and quartered.
Isaac lived in Essex and so I think he would quite likely have been close to Sampson’s line, as the main estates in Yorkshire had by then gone.
It will be seen that Henry Ivers was the first of the Ievers line, and said to be the son of Sampson, and younger brother of John. No children are shown for Sampson in the first pedigree, but records do exist for John at Gray’s Inn, in London.
It shows that Henry’s son, also called Henry, was disinherited, possibly for marrying a Catholic, and so, after his four children, nothing more can be determined of this line. The pedigree given is nearly all that of his brother John, and continues almost to the present.
The interesting factor in this is that Ralph Eure, the final baron, died in 1707, and the title became extinct. It can be seen that there was deal of backtracking to find an heir in baron no. 6, and yet if the connection between Sampson and Henry is correct, and there are still people alive today from that line, the title may not yet be extinct.
The difficulty is that priority would first have to be given to the descendants of the disinherited line of Henry. He may have fallen out with his father, but this would not have precluded his sons from taking up the title of baron. Perhaps they’d washed their hands of their English protestant roots? Without proof, and I understand that there seems to be an unbridgable gap in this line, the Eure/Evre/Evers/Ievers/Eivers barony will not rise again.
Just in case any of you out there think you might be the one, the title by now is probably only honorary, as most hereditary barons no longer have a seat in the British House of Lords. Nevertheless, being of foreign nationality would be no impediment to taking up of the title. Just present all the papers to the College of Arms and you’re in.
As for the coats of arms, we have one reasonable link from the Eivers line back to Evre in the first pedigree: these are the ones with the three scallop shells, but there is a further link, through the Isle of Axholme branch with the fleur-de-lis, and as yet I have not researched this.
Andrew Vevers, 30 May 2002
Begging Letters
from Margaret A. Brangwyn
One of the disadvantages of being rich and famous is that other people imagine you have plenty of money to spare. There have been reports in the newspapers of people who win money on the lottery or football pools receiving sack-loads of letters containing the most heart-rending stories, begging for just a few pounds to relieve their plight. Frank Brangwyn must have received his share of "begging letters", too, though maybe not by the sackful. Recently copies of two such letters have come us.
The first, dated 1934, comes from a poor widow who "ekes out a sort of existence with sewing." She has been duped by a customer into making an outfit and then the customer disappeared without paying. How many times has that story been heard? So she finds herself in debt to the shop keeper from whom she bought the materials to make the outfit. She appeals to Frank to lend her £10, but goes on to say she is willing to spend money on the train fare to come and see him personally. Perhaps she would have done better to offer the money to the shop keeper as a token and tried to negotiate repayments over a period of time. Maybe I judge her too harshly. There is nothing to show whether Frank granted Mrs. McDonald's request or whether she did make the journey to meet him.
The second begging letter is postmarked 11 January, but the year is illegible. The stamp bears the head of King George V, which dates it between 1910 and 1935. This letter is signed "G. Brangwyn" who was in fact Frank's cousin George Frederick, though he was known by the family as Fred. (David's mother knew Fred, being married to his nephew, Philip.) Whereas the language of Mrs. McDonald's begging letter made me smile, George's letter is so much more frantic. He indicates he is so desperate he will die if Frank does not grant his request, saying even "20/- may save my life." He seems very agitated that no one will respond to his letters and obviously thinks someone is deliberately keeping them from Frank. He is convinced if Frank knew of his plight he would immediately grant his request. This time there Frank's answer to this letter is recorded and he obviously was not moved to grant his cousin's request. He even threatens to hand any more such letters to the police. As Frank's reply was scribbled on the back of an envelope it is not known whether he actually sent it, but Fred somehow survived the crisis, dying in 1949 at the age of 68.
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Dear Mr. Brangwyn, I wonder if you would help me out of a night-mare of a difficulty? Would you lend me £10 and allow me to repay the money at 10/- a month?. I will explain - I am a widow - not pensioned - and eke out a sort of existence with sewing. Last June I had for me what I thought a decided spot of luck - a woman came to me and asked me to make her an outfit, myself providing the materials. Not having an account with any local tradespeople I was in a fix how to complete the order not having the necessary money to pay what was needed. However I went along to a local shopkeeper and he very kindly allowed me to have the materials, the amount was £10:3:10. I made the clothes; the woman called for them, promised to come next day and pay me - that was last June - the woman has gone away, no one knows where. Needless to state she did not pay me. I still owe that shopkeeper £10:3:10. Naturally after eight months of waiting for me to settle the account his patience has petered out. You will wonder at my asking you, a complete stranger, to lend me the money - candidly I am wondering myself - but, oh, I don't know why I am doing so, but I do hope you will lend me the money. I think if only you can realise how awful the daily worry is of my owing this money that you will help me. Please do. If by any strangely wonderful chance I can unearth anything by which I can raise a few shillings, may I call personally? I know there are 6/6d. excursions to London so possibly there may be equally cheap ones to your place. May I hope. |
And the other request ...
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And the reply ...
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Update on Hedley Frank Brangwin
Having spread my email address and interests far and wide I do receive emails from time to time that I would otherwise not have. Here is one such email:
I think I have some information about Hedley Brangwin that might interest you.
My ancesters are buried in Roseland Park Cemetery in Berkley Michigan. Buried with them is a Hedley F. Brangwin. The date on the headstone is 1870 - 1958. I have been searching to find out who he is because I can't seem to relate him to my ancesters. This is the information I got from the cemetery:
Roseland Park Cemetery, 29001 N. Woodward Ave., Berkley, Michigan 48072
Section 16, Lot 18
Name Buried Grave # Selle, Elizabeth Nov 29, 1957 2 1872-1957 Selle, George H. 3 1878-1948 Selle Frank A. 5 1876-1933 Selle, Gertrude C. 6 1875-1930 Horner, Louise M. June, 13 1973 7 1885-1973 Brangwin, Hedley F. May 03, 1958 8 1870-1958
Louise M. Horner was the owner of the cemetery plots. She is the sister of Gertrude Selle. The Selles are my grandfather's first cousins. The plots are arranged in 3 rows, 2 plots in each row, with the name "SELLE" on a big headstone behind the plots. In the first row is Elizabeth and George Selle, who are brother and sister. In the second row is Frank and Gertrude Selle, who are husband and wife. And in the third row is Louise Horner and Hedley Brangwin.
I have searched for death notices in the Detroit News for all of them. I found articles for Elisabeth, George, Frank, and Gertrude, who died in Michigan. Louise Horner and Hedley Brangwin I could not find. I did find Louise Horner listed in the social security index. It has her last place of residence in Boward County, Florida. I could not find Hedley Brangwin listed in the social security index or a death notice in any Detroit paper. I am not sure if this is the same Hedley that you had on the message board, but I hope the information helps.
Peggy Ziroff
So, now we know where Hedley is buried. As with all things Hedley, the answer to one question poses another. What was his relationship to Louise Horner? Gertrude Selle was the sister of Louise and her husband was Frank. The other Selles were Frank's siblings. But why is Hedley buried in their plot?
For more information about Hedley see the January 2003 newsletter.
Historical meaning to some common sayings
provided by Irene Cambridge
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be.
Here are some facts about the 1500s:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children-last of all the babies.By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying,"Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying"dirt poor."
The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet,so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a "thresh hold."
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."
Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper crust."
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake."
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."
I hope you have found this edition of the Brangwin Family Newsletter of interest.
I would like to thank Margaret once again for her contribution to the newsletter, also Andrew Vevers, Andrea Seymour and Irene Cambridge. Thanks to Frank Kenward for his permission to use his Yarkhill photo.
That's it for this month.
If you have anything you would like to contribute to the newsletter it would be most welcome.
Until then next time
Lorraine