A Child Arsonist at Dodscott

West Dodscott, St Giles in the Wood, Devon

Dodscott is a small hamlet in the parish of St Giles in the Wood, Devon, about one kilometre east of the village, and was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. The hamlet historically consisted of  three farms with the unimaginative names of East Dodscott, West Dodscott and Great Dodscott. In the 16th century Great Dodscott had likely been the home of Thomas Chafe (1585-1648) whose effigy is found inside the church of St Giles in the Wood. Chafe was the brother-in-law of Tristram Risdon (1580-1640), author of Survey of the County of Devon.

During the 19th century all three farms (indeed most of St Giles in the Wood) were part of the Rolle Estates and were leased to tenants. The same family would often occupy the farm through several generations. East Dodscott, for example, had been occupied from before 1742 to 1786 by my ggggg-grandfather Michael Cooke (1707-1777), and then by my gggg-grandfather George Cooke (1742-1821).

In 1868 Dodscott suffered two incidents of arson. Arrests were quickly made in both cases. The alleged perpetrators? Two fourteen and one eleven year old girl.

William Squire had occupied Great Dodscott since the death of his father Robert Squire in 1858. Shortly after he returned home from Stevenstone on the morning of Wednesday, September 9, 1868, Squire discovered that a linhay (a shed with an open front) was on fire. A lack of water meant that the fire "spread with great fury" to the other outbuildings and to the farmhouse. Fortunately, Squire was able to save most of his household goods. Suspicion fell upon two fourteen year old girls with a donkey and cart who Squire had seen at the gate to his farm: Elizabeth Copp and Polly Diment.

Elizabeth, daughter of William Copp, was born in Black Torrington in 1854. Her father was a miller at Stonyford, a kilometre south of Dodscott. Mary, also known as Polly, was born in Great Torrington in 1854, the daughter of Elizabeth Diment. Both girls had been frequent visitors to South Dodscott.

Despite protesting their innocence, and despite "assisting in the removal of the household goods," Elizabeth and Polly were taken into custody on the Thursday. Their "distressed" parents bailed them out on the Friday, and they appeared before the magistrates in Great Torrington the next day. The Bench adjourned the case for two weeks as the only evidence was that the two girls had been in the vicinity. Why the girls had been incarcerated given the slight evidence was also questioned.

Two weeks later the bench ruled that there was not enough evidence to commit the case to trail, and the charges were dismissed.

Following the fire, William Squire, his wife Fanny, and their four children moved in with William's aunt and uncle, William and Fanny Snell of West Dodscott. With them was their eleven-year-old servant, Selina Matthews.

Selina, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Mathews, was born in St Giles in the Wood in 1857. Her father was an agricultural labourer. Like many girls from poor families, Selina had entered domestic service at a very young age.

On November 4, 1868, at about four in the afternoon, a fire broke out in the loft above the stable at West Dodscott. Luckily, Snell was able to rescue the horses and prevent the fire from spreading. Suspicion, however, immediately fell upon Selina.

Selina had left the house for a few minutes before the fire, and on her return had been the one to alert Fanny Snell about smoke coming from the stable. The constabulary was summoned and when Selina was searched a box of matches was found.

Selina was taken into custody. The following day she made this statement to Eliza Babbage, the wife of Police Sergeant George Babbage:

I went out to give the pigs some corn. I was going into the stable, but was afraid the horses would kick me. I went into the shippen, took up a handful of straw, and there was a little hay in the rack. I set fire to it, and went in upstairs to make up the beds. I looked out of the window and saw smoke and fire—smoke first, and fire after. I shouldn't have done it if I hadn't been told by Polly Diment to burn Black Fan and old Will.

Black Fan and Old Will were taken to mean Fanny and William Squire, but Selina may possibly have meant Fanny and William Snell who were considerably older. Selina told Police Sergeant Babbage that she had set the fire because Polly Diment, a suspect in the South Dodscott's fire, had told her to do so. Polly strongly denied the accusation.

Selina appeared before the magistrates a few days later. The Bench committed her for trial at the Lent Assizes.

At her trial on March 11, 1869, Selina said she was sorry she did it, and began to cry. The judge in his charge to the jury said, "there could be no doubt that prisoner set fire to the stable, and it was for them to consider whether it was done with a felonious intent." The jury found the prisoner guilty with a recommendation to mercy. Selina was given a deferred sentence of two months hard labour.

Two years later Selina was a servant in the household of Thomas Shearm of Beaford.

In 1877, Selina gave birth to a son, Thomas James Matthews. The reputed father was James Hearn of Great Torrington who had promised to marry her, and had gone so far as to have banns published. James, however, had absconded, and Selina was forced to apply for a court order. The Bench made an order for two shillings a week.

In 1881, Selina was a servant in the household of Joseph Row of St Giles in the Wood. Thomas James was living with his grandfather Thomas Matthews. Thomas James also fell afoul of the law. In 1896 he was charged with "feloniously wounding Annie Hooper, with intent to murder her, and to do her grievous bodily harm." Thomas pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years. Annie had been Thomas's "sweetheart" but when she broke off the relationship he cut her throat with a razor.

In 1884, Selina, then an inmate of the Torrington Union Workhouse, gave evidence at an inquest into the accidental death of a infant.

Sometime before 1891, Selina "married" George Buse, a labourer who lived in Great Torrington. While no record of the marriage has been found, Selina and George had several children: John Henry in 1890, Norah Ellen in 1891, Alice Maud in 1893, Kate in 1894, Albert William in 1895 and Walter Cyril in 1897.

Selina died in Great Torrington in 1923 and was buried in Torrington Cemetery.

Sources:

North Devon Journal, Thursday, September 17, 1868
Western Times, Tuesday, September 22, 1868
North Devon Journal, Thursday, October 1, 1868
North Devon Journal, Thursday, November 12, 1868 
Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, March 12, 1869
North Devon Journal, Thursday, January 10, 1878
North Devon Journal, Thursday, January 31, 1884
North Devon Journal, Thursday, June 25, 1896
North Devon Journal, Thursday, May 31, 1923

The Little Sufferer

RMS Bavarian

Old newspapers are an important resource for the family historian as they provide "colour" to what otherwise might be a dry recitation of names and dates. As the volunteer Online Parish Clerk (OPC) for the North Devon parishes of St Giles in the Wood, High Bickington, Atherington, Tawstock and Yarnscombe, I have a particular interest in the historical issues of The North Devon Journal available online through The British Newspaper Archive.

While browsing through articles that mention Yarnscombe, I came across this piece:

North Devon Journal, Thursday, October 4, 1860

CAUTION TO MOTHERS.—On Saturday last, a melancholy occurrence took place at Yarnscombe. The wife of a man named Thomas Moore, residing at Delly, in the above parish, placed her infant child, a girl aged 5 months, into the cradle, in the kitchen. Shortly afterwards the mother had occasion to leave the house for a short time, and, during her absence, a large pig found its way into the kitchen where the child was sleeping, seized the infant by the right hand and dragged it from the cradle, crushing and fracturing the bones of the hand and arm, with fearful lacerations, and was only rescued just in time by the horror-stricken mother from further injuries. Doctor Jones and his assistant (Mr. Barr) were immediately in attendance, when it was found necessary at once to amputate one finger. It is doubtful whether the little sufferer will survive the injuries it received from this brutal attack.

Curious as to whether "the little sufferer" had survived the "melancholy occurrence," I checked the 1861 Census. Rebecca Moore, daughter of Thomas Moore and Harriet Hellings, was eleven months old and living with her parents and four siblings at East Delly. Her father was an agricultural labourer who later became a road contractor. Further research showed that Rebecca's mother died in 1874, and that in 1879 her father married Mary Ann Mansfield, a woman only nine years older than Rebecca. By 1881, Thomas had moved his family to the neighbouring parish of Alverdiscott where he continued working as a road contractor. Thomas died in 1915.

In 1882, Rebecca married Frank Braunton, an agricultural labourer from Huntshaw, Devon. Her son Francis John was born in 1883, her daughter Alice Gertrude in 1886, and her daughter Annie in 1891. They lived in Alverdiscott until 1905 when they emigrated to Canada on board the RMS Bavarian and settled in North Dorchester, Middlesex. Ontario. Frank died in 1929. Rebecca died at the age of 76 in 1932. Both were buried at Dorchester Union Cemetery, however, no grave marker exists.

Neglect and Horrible Wickedness

The North Devon Journal

The Victorian appetite for gossip and scandal is clearly reflected in 19th century newspapers. A primary source were the inquests held whenever a suspicious death occurred. Journalists delighted in reporting all the lurid details, and were not above embellishing the story with rumour, innuendo and calumny.

The death of an illegitimate child in Victorian England often led to an inquest. This was a reflection of how births of out wedlock were viewed, and the belief that unwed mothers were not capable of properly caring for their children.

Once a death had been reported to the coroner, he would summon a jury, and investigate how the child died by interviewing the mother, the attending doctor, and any witnesses, as well as viewing the child's body. In rural areas these inquests were often held in public houses. Not surprisingly the jurors were often familiar with the situation of the child's mother.

Consider this article on the inquest that was held when three year old Eliza Pethebridge, the illegitimate daughter of Maria Pethebridge, died of the measles.

North Devon Journal, Thursday, November 28, 1878

DEATH OF AN ILLEGITIMATE CHILD.—NEGLECT OF THE MOTHER AND HORRIBLE WICKEDNESS.—An inquest was held at the Hunter's Inn, in this parish, on Wednesday (yesterday), before John Henry Toller, Esq., on of the coroners for the county, and a respectable jury, on view of the body of Eliza Pethebridge, aged three years and ten months, daughter of Maria Pethebridge, single woman, who lives in the house of her brother, Emanuel Pethebridge, labourer.—The first witness was Elizabeth Ballment, wife of the county policeman stationed in the village, who deposed that she knew the deceased very well, who was a healthy and well-nourished child, and did not appear to want for anything. On the evening of Friday last the child's mother came to her and told her the child was ill, and asked her to call and see her, which she did about five o'clock the same evening, and found the deceased in the arms of the mother's brother, Emanuel Pethebridge, who was nursing her by the fire. The child was dressed, but appeared very ill, and witness persuaded the mother to send for the doctor. She did not remember whether Emanuel Pethebridge made any reply, but the mother said she did not know how she would get the doctor, as she had no one to send for him. Witness saw that the child had the measles, and thought they were "going back." Had been in the habit of seeing the child daily, but not since she had had the measles, and had never heard that the mother ill-treated her in any way.—Dr. John Day Jones, physician and surgeon, of Torrington, who is the parish doctor of Yarnscombe, deposed that about half-past eight o'clock on the morning of last Saturday, the 23rd, Emanuel Pethebridge came to his house with an order from Mr. Thorne, the overseer, to give attendance to the children of Maria Pethebridge, sick with measles. He asked the man how long the children had been ill, and why he had not been sent for before; and he replied that they had been ill for a week, but the mother did not think it necessary to have the doctor. He went as soon as he could, and arrived at Yarnscombe between nine and ten o'clock. When he came to the house he found the child was dead. He saw on the body a few faint marks which resembled measles. Asked the mother why she had not sent for him earlier as he was the parish doctor, and she answered that "she knew nothing about the parish doctor," and that it was a long way to send. He told her is was a case of great neglect, and that he should not give a certificate to bury the corpse. Death had resulted from inflammation arising from partially suppressed measles. The child was well nourished, and appear to have been properly taken care of. Of course he could not say the child would have lived if he had been called in earlier, but she would have had a great chance of living.—The mother, Maria Pethebridge gave evidence that the deceased was her base child. She was taken ill on Saturday the 16th, but witness thought that she was sickening for the measles, and that a doctor was not necessary. Her neighbours told her that other children in the village had recovered from measles without the doctor, and they did not see why hers should not. The child went on from day to day, sometimes better and sometimes worse, until Friday evening, when she seemed to get worse, and witness went to the first witness (Mrs. Ballment) and asked her to come and see her, which she did. Mrs. Ballment said the child was very ill, when the witness rose up and said she would go for a doctor, but Mrs. Ballment said she would leave it until the morning. The child seemed afterwards to get a little better, but at about four o'clock next morning she became much worse, and at witness's request her brother, Emanuel Pethebridge, got up at five o'clock and went for the doctor, but at nine o'clock, before the doctor arrived, the child died.—Having heard the evidence, the jury returned a verdict that deceased had died from measles, and that the mother was neglectful in not having medical assistance earlier.—In announcing the verdict to her, the Coroner severely rebuked her for her neglect of her child; and said also that, although it was not within his province officially, he considered it a duty he owed to the public to censure her for living in the disreputable way she was known to be.—The only reply of the woman was that she did not care what people said of her.—The allusion made in the latter remark of the coroner was to the horrible fact that the woman and her brother are, and for many years have been, living together as man and wife, and that several children, some dead and some living, have been born of this incestuous intercourse!

Maria Pethebridge was baptised at Yarnscombe on 1 Oct 1837. She was the youngest daughter of Isaac Pethebridge (1782-1853) and Ann Pett (1792-1862). Maria's older brother, Emanuel, was baptised at Yarnscombe on 13 May 1827. Maria had been living with her brother in Yarnscombe since the death of their mother, and had borne at least three illegitimate children.

There appears to have been considerable friction between Maria and her neighbours. In 1868, William Cooke (no relation), had been charged with assaulting Emanuel Pethebridge. Emanuel had intervened when Maria was being "served rather roughly" by Cooke and members of his family. Ten years later another neighbour, Betsy Waldron, had been charged with assaulting Maria. The incident began with an exchange of "rough and abusive language" initiated by Waldron, and ended with Maria receiving a black eye.

It is interesting to note that incest was not a criminal offence England until 1908.
 
Emanuel died in 1880. Maria was still living in Yarnscombe with her eleven-year-old daughter Elizabeth in 1881. In 1884 Maria married Robert Slooman, a widower from the neighbouring parish of Atherington, and perhaps at last found a measure of respectability. She died in 1925.

The Roof Bosses of South Tawton

One of the more remarkable architectural features of many churches in Devon are the roof bosses. Carved of oak in the 14th and 15th centuries, they survived not only the widespread destruction of images during the English Reformation of the 16th century, but also the "restoration" of many churches by the Victorians in the 19th.

Two of the five North Devon churches which I have "adopted" as part of the Devon OPC project have good collections of roof bosses: St Peter's, Tawstock and St Mary's, Atherington. One of the more interesting collections, however, is found further south at St Andrews, South Tawton, on the northern edge of Dartmoor. During my recent trip to England I made a point to visit South Tawton.

The paired male and female heads at the top of the page represent idle talk or gossip. "Sinful speech" was a serious concern of the late medieval church , and complaints about gossip were a recurring feature of Middle English literature.

The foliate head or "green man" is found in many Devon churches. The carvings tend to be both beautiful and sinister. South Tawton has several including the one above. The symbolism of the foliate head is a topic of some debate. The green man is commonly thought to be a pagan symbol of fertility. Another interpretation, more in line with Christian teaching, is that the green man is a symbol of rebirth or resurrection.

The meaning of the three hares is uncertain. A modern myth is that the three hares are "Tinner's Rabbits" and represent an association with Dartmoor's medieval tinners. The South Tawton church guide states that the three hares represents the Trinity, although this is unlikely to be a medieval interpretation. Another theory associates the three hares with the Virgin Mary as hares were thought capable of virgin birth.

The hares may have have a negative connotation. The Middle English poem The Names of the Hare lists many disparaging names: the lurker in ditches, the filthy beast, the coward, the traitor, the friendless one, the one who makes you shudder, the covenant-breaker, the animal that all men scorn, the animal that no one dares name. It is also possible that the three hares represent the three  temptations of the flesh, the world, and the devil.

The horned headdress depicted in this roof boss was frequently condemned in religious tracts of the late medieval period because of its associations with the devil and with the sin of pride. A confessor's manual from the 15th century instructs the confessor to ask woman if they "go about wearing horns and looking outlandish, which is a category of pride."

 

This owl wearing a horned headdress is quite unique. In the late medieval period, screech owls in particular were used to represent sinners. The Alberdeen Bestiary, a early 13th century illuminated manuscript, describes the owl as:

...a filthy bird, because it fouls its nest with its droppings, as the sinner dishonours those with whom he lives, by the example of his evil ways.

The roof boss therefore likely represents the connection between sinners and one those are guilty of pride when they wear "extravagant, vainglorious, outlandish and inordinate apparel" on their heads.

 

Finally, we have this "charming" example of the late medieval woodcutter's craft. The figure appears to be a winged female demon displaying its genitalia, and most certainly represents the sin of lust. The figure is also similar in appearance to stone carvings known as sheela na gigs which typically depict a naked female pulling apart her vulva. Not surprisingly, postcards of this particular roof boss are not for sale inside the church.

Churchcrawling and Cheese

A selection of English cheeses

It sometimes seems that I spent my entire summer vacation visiting cemeteries and photographing gravestones. Of course this summer, quite a few of the gravestones were in England.

England was a somewhat unusual experience for me this time around. As usual, I was met by my brother who has lived in England for the past forty years. This time, however, I flew into Gatwick (south of London) instead of Exeter (southwest England). Instead of two weeks in Devon, we spent one week in North Devon and one week in the Cotswolds. And instead of the usual cool temperatures and frequent showers, it was clear skies and warm temperatures. Ironically, I had packed an umbrella but had forgotten to pack a hat.

 

North Devon

My focus in North Devon was once again on the five parishes for which I am the volunteer Online Parish Clerk. I finally was able to view the interiors of St Mary's, Atherington and St Mary's High Bickington. Both churches were closed for roof repairs the last time I was in England.
 

Rood screen and loft

at Atherington, Devon

Of the two churches, Atherington is the most interesting. While High Bickington has carved bench ends, Atherington has roof bosses, a rood screen and loft, effigies, brasses, mural monuments, ledger stones, old stained glass, as well as unusual crocketed bench-ends. Needless to say we spent a lot of time at Atherington, and not as much time at High Bickington. Tawstock, Yarnscombe, and St Giles in the Wood were also visited, as were a number of parishes further south. And of course there were also several trips to Barnstaple to visit the North Devon Record Office.

Devon cream tea

No trip to Devon is complete without a Devon cream tea, but this time around I made my own. I also sampled and purchased a variety of local cheeses available at the West Country Cheese Company in Barnstaple, as well as a variety of Sheppy's ciders. July is also the perfect time to feast on English strawberries and raspberries.

 

The Cotswolds

  On the drive from North Devon to the Cotswolds we stopped in Bath, and also spent a hour or so in the "quaint" Cotswold village of Lower Slaughter. Incidentally, "Slaughter" has nothing to do with killing. It's derived from the Old English word slothre meaning "muddy place."

Gravestone at Duns Tew

Finally we headed to Lyneham, Oxford our base for the second week.

The focus now was tourism rather than family history. Still, we spent one day church crawling around Banbury trying to locate gravestones for some of our Lymath ancestors. We did find quite a few, but unfortunately are still no closer to solving the mystery of my great-great-grandfather George Lymath. I also learned that Cotswold stone makes for picturesque cottages but hard to read gravestones.

Tourist destinations included Blenheim Palace, Gloucester Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, the Rollright Stones, Sudeley Castle, White Horse Hill and Chastleton House.

Then it was back to Gatwick for the return flight to Canada.

Cornelius Lambert (1758-1818)

Before

I recently had the opportunity to revisit Homer Cemetery near St Catharines, Ontario. I photographed this cemetery for CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project last summer, and wrote about its neglected state on this blog.

Not much has changed. The grass is mowed but continues to encroach on the many gravestones that lie flat on the ground. The trunks of two fallen trees continues to obscure several gravestones at the rear of the cemetery.

I spent a few minutes carefully clearing the grass and soil from a gravestone that I had neglected to clean last summer. Here is the result:

After

Little is known about Elizabeth (1767-1845), and not much more is known about her husband Cornelius Lambert (1758-1818). Cornelius was born in New Jersey and was a Loyalist during the American Revolution. He served with Butler's Rangers for six years during the Revolution, was promoted to Corporal, and was discharged in 1784. As a Loyalist he was granted Lots 144, 145 and 146 in Niagara Township. By 1787 he was married and had two children. In 1796 he petitioned the crown for additional land, stating that he had five sons, and consequently received 250 acres in Beverley Township. Elizabeth was likely the daughter of another Loyalist refugee family.

After the War of 1812, Cornelius made a claim for losses that occurred during the fighting. In the summer of 1813, Native allies of the British had taken two "fat hogs" and one "young ox" as well as a saddle, two bridles, and a pair of boots. In November of 1813, American troops took from Cornelius a horse and steer, as well as a quantity of oats, wheat, and hay. In his claim, Cornelius also noted that the traitor Joseph Willcocks had seized 17 1/2 pounds of beef. 

In his will, Cornelius split the Niagara property amongst his five sons. Cornelius is also frequently mentioned in the journals of Francis Goring, and his son Robert Lambert (1795-1873) married Francis's daughter Lucretia Caroline Goring (1799-1872).

A Burford Tragedy

Seven children of Daniel and Julia Ann Utter

Losing a child to illness was a common occurrence in nineteenth century Ontario. Losing seven in 16 days, however, was a tragedy beyond imagination. I discovered this tragedy while photographing gravestones in Northfield Cemetery for CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project.

Daniel Utter was a blacksmith who lived in Burford Township southwest of Brantford, Ontario. Daniel was born in 1832 in Trafalgar Township, Halton County, the son of Daniel Utter and Elizabeth Kinder. Daniel and his brother David (1818-1903) moved west to Burford in the early 1850s. In 1855, Daniel married Julia Ann Hainer (1838-1899), daughter of John Hainer (1795-1860) and Nancy Bowman (1808-1892).

Large families were common in nineteenth century Ontario, and Daniel and Julia Ann followed this trend. Their first child, John, was born in 1859. By the time of the 1871 the family had grown to six children with the addition of Anna (1862), Melissa (1864), Mary (1866), Charles (1869) and Rosy Bell (1871). William (1873) and Nancy followed (1875). But in 1877 tragedy struck. One of the children, most likely 11-year-old Mary, contracted diphtheria just before Christmas.

Diphtheria is a high contagious and potentially fatal respiratory infection. Although it has been largely eradicated through routine immunization, it is still endemic in some parts of the world. Until the introduction of a vaccine in the 1920s, diphtheria was a common cause of child mortality in Canada and the United States.

Mary died first on December 24th. Melissa died on Christmas Day, followed by Annie, Charles and Nancy two days later. William died on the January 7th and Rose Bell succumbed the following day. The only child to survive was 18-year-old John, most likely because he working away from home at the time.

All seven children were buried in Northfield Cemetery in Burford Township. Daniel and Julia Ann eventually had three more children: Nancy (1880-1948), William (1882- ?) and Elroy (1886- ?). Daniel and Julia Ann remained in Burford Township for the rest of their lives and were buried with their children: Julia Ann in 1899 and Daniel in 1920. Their son John was buried at Northfield in 1928.