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| Swan and Cygnet - Topsham Museum |
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| The Cygnet - star exhibit at Topsham Museum |
Hello – To Whom It May Concern
I was advised by the Churchwarden, Tim Miles to
contact the Starcross Local History Group in order to see if anyone
there can offer any advice or help me in my quest to locate the last
resting places of my Great great grandparents, particularly,
James Barratt.
James and Susanna Barratt [name variations can
include Barrett, Barnet etc] were married in Starcross in 1837 and
proceeded to have a typical large family. They lived for a half century
in various cottages in Church Street and New Road.
James identified himself as a waterman or boatman in various census
returns across the years.
While a number of their children remained in the
area due to work or marriage, my Great grandmother, Elizabeth Gibbin[g]s
went to London when her Exmouth husband joined the Guards in Exeter in
the late 1870s [although you may be interested
that I did find her returning to reside at No 7 New Road with a sister
and her family in the 1939 ‘war’ census which you celebrate on your web
site].
However, as a consequence of my researches at the
Exeter Heritage Centre last week, I discovered that both James and
Susanna had sad and tragic ends to their lives.
Susanna was the subject of a Devon Coroner inquest in 1895 when
it was reported that she fell down the stairs of No. 9 New Road and
broke her neck [she had been a lace maker and had lost her sight].
James, who family folklore claimed he sailed the boat that was in
the form of a ‘cygnet’, was admitted to the Exminster Asylum and died
within a few days in 1904 aged 89 years.
James bequeathed his name to three successive
generations of our family and in view of his residence and work in the
village for so many years I believe he must have been well known while
alive. Despite help and advice from the Devon Archivist,
the Starcross Churchwarden and various Parish Burial Records
[Starcross, Kenton, Powerham and the Exminster Asylum burial records],
contact with Teignbridge Council regarding the Dawlish and Teignmouth
Civic Cemeteries, I am still finding James last resting
place elusive [I know Susanna is buried somewhere in St. Paul’s in an
unmarked grave].
Is there any advice or help that your group may
give me to enable me to achieve my goal? Similarly, I did wonder if
amongst any photos of ‘Old Starcross’ it might b possible to identify
James on the river etc or his family in the village
as no such picture is in the family’s possession.
Best Regards,
Les Gibbings
n.b.
I have been a member of the Devon Family History
Society since the 1980s. My maternal Aunt & Uncle lived in Venn
Bridge Farm until the early part of this century.
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Hi
Topsham Museum might have some info. They have all sorts of papers about Starcross.
- another place well worth a visit
regards
Monica Lang
