LOOSEMORE OF FALMOUTH & MILLBROOK

In this short chapter we consider two smaller Loosemore groups which at present have been linked neither to each other nor to any of the four main groups already discussed (Tiverton, Chap.4), (Bishops Nympton, Chaps. 5,6,7), (Creacombe/Rose Ash, Chap.8), (Churchstanton, Chap.9).  Yet between them they contain over 370 names, all of whom appear on the main Loosemore family tree.  The larger of the two groups has its ancestry in east Devon but many  descendants moved further west into Cornwall, settling in and around the coastal town of Falmouth.  We shall refer to this group as ‘Loosemore of Falmouth’.  The ancestor of the smaller group also came from in east Devon, establishing an extended family at Millbrook close to the border between Devon and Cornwall.  We shall refer to this group as ‘Lusmore of Millbrook’; the reason for the changed spelling of the surname will become apparent later.  We look first at the larger of the two groups.

Loosemore of Falmouth

Introduction

Our first contact with this group dates from 23 January 1664/5 [1] when Robbartt Loosemore married Mary Westcott in the Exeter parish of St. Petrock ‘by licence’; both Robbartt and Mary were said to be ‘of Broad Clyst’ parish, just northeast of Exeter. [2]   Nothing is known about the births of either Robbartt (almost certainly a spelling variant for Robert) or Mary, probably because they occurred during the Civil War, around 1643 or so, when parish registers were very ill-kept.  A common reason for marriage by licence was that one of the parties, usually the bride, was a minor (of age less than 21), but this licence document has not survived in the collection held in the Devon Record Office.  Certainly there is no mention of either of them in the Broad Clyst baptism register, nor has it been possible to identify Robert’s parents.  He is the ancestor of this group, whom we shall refer to as Robert c1643.

The couple made their home in Whimple parish, adjacent to the east of Broad Clyst, where three children are known to have been born to them, all baptized as Lusmore.  Joan, the eldest, baptized 2 January 1666, married William Thorne as Joan Luzmore on 19 October 1691 at Broad Clyst, and leaves our story.  Next came James, baptized on 24 March 1667/8 (James 1668), followed on 11 July 1672 by Robert (Robert 1672).  Very little more is known of their parents.  Mary née Westcott must have died some time in the next 14 years because on 14 April 1686 Robert c1643 took for his second wife Margaret Cooke, whom he married in Broad Clyst as Robert Luzmore.  There was no known issue of this marriage.  It seems likely that he continued living in Broad Clyst with his family for some long period, since his only daughter married in that parish, as did both of his sons.  The register does not record his death, though it may have been between 1718 and 1720 since up to 1718 his son Robert 1672 was referred to as ‘junior’ at the baptism of his own children, presumably to distinguish him from his father, but from 1720 onwards that suffix is omitted.  The death of Margaret his second wife is also missing.  We must therefore leave him and consider now his sons.

Descendants of James 1668, eldest son of Robert c1643

The spelling of his surname shows several variations, as does that of his father.  He was baptized as Lusmore, but on 24 March 1697/8 when he married Julian Ratcliffe, a local girl, the Broad Clyst church register recorded him as Luzemore.  He and his new wife continued living in Broad Clyst until after the baptism of their first child Mary, on 18 December 1699, even though he must have been working outside that parish for he was then described as a mariner.  But soon afterwards they moved to Topsham, the port of Exeter, where their remaining five children were baptized, and where he lived for the remainder of his life.  Their second child, Elizabeth, was baptized in St. Margaret’s Church, Topsham on 20 September 1701, followed by another daughter, Julian, on 16 December 1703.  Neither Mary, Elizabeth or Julian married, all three being buried in Topsham, Mary on 3 February 1758, Elizabeth on 9 March 1778 and Julian on 23 April 1780.  However, it would seem that Julian was the mother of two illegitimate children, Joan baptized on 5 May 1726 in Mariansleigh parish, and John baptized  on 5 March 1727 (John 1727) in Chulmleigh parish.  Neither church register contains any mention of the event though both are recorded in the bishop’s transcripts, suggesting that the parish priests were unwilling to see the record of illegitimacy in their own registers.  Although the two parishes are some distance from Topsham the bishop’s transcript entries read “Joan, daughter of Julian Loosemore” and John “a base child, son of Julian Loosemore”.  Joan was brought up in Mariansleigh, where she was buried on 17 April 1770; we shall notice John 1727 a little later.  The fourth child of James 1668 and Julian his wife, also a girl, was baptized Elizabeth Luzmore on 31 March 1709; she married John Wadland in Topsham on 3 July 1741 and leaves our story.  Then a son, James, was baptized on 21 August 1711 (James 1711), followed by Anne on 5 March 1714/5.  Her parents were said to be James and Jane Lusemore but as there is no reason to suppose that her father had re-married it is likely that ‘Jane’ was actually ‘Julian’.  Anne was buried in Topsham on 24 June 1792, also a spinster.

James 1668 was evidently an experienced sailor.  In the period around 1714-1717 he was master of the ship “Katherine and Elizabeth” (occasionally spelled “Catherine”) based at Topsham and engaged in trading between Plymouth and Boston New England, calling also at Barbados and Oporto.  Details of his activities are recorded in surviving Port Books for Exeter and Plymouth.  They show, for example, that his ship loaded cargo at Topsham between 11 June & 29 July 1714, bound for Boston New England, returning via Barbados carrying sugar, ginger, and cottons, which were discharged at Topsham between 23 July-23 August 1715.  She then took on fresh cargo from 3-17 September 1715, leaving bound for New England after taking on additional cargo at Plymouth between 22-24 September.  On another voyage she returned to Topsham from Oporto carrying port wine, olive oil, lemons, oranges which were discharged between 31 May-26 July 1717.  After taking on a fresh cargo of leather goods, linen, woollen drapery and ironmongery wares from 20 August-3 September 1717 she left Topsham bound for Plymouth, where on 14 September she took on extra cargo before departing for Boston New England. [3]   It is unclear whether James owned his ship.  He carried consignments from various merchant shippers, and was also involved in trading on his own account.  The Port Books give details of each consignment and the names of the shippers, but are difficult to read since details are much abbreviated.  James 1668 was buried in Topsham on 14 July 1735; Julian his wife had pre-deceased him and was buried there on 30 December 1727.

We now look briefly at the family of John 1727 the illegitimate son of Julian Loosmore, third daughter of James 1668.  Very little is known for certain about him but he is probably the John Loosemore who married Meldred Thorne by licence on 5 December 1768 in her home parish of Witheridge, when he was aged 41.  The marriage bond, necessary before a licence could be given, has survived and describes him as ‘John Loosemore of Chulmleigh’. [4]   They lived at first in Chulmleigh where a daughter, Mildred, was baptized on 7 February 1770.  Two further children were baptized in Exeter St. David parish, Fanny on 5 November 1783 to ‘John Lusmore and Melly’, and Ann on 23 January 1788 to John Loosemore and Mildred.  That is the extent of our knowledge of John 1727.

Family of James 1711, son of James 1668, Robbartt c1643

Very little is known about James 1711 until he married Sarah Sleep on 27 December 1752 in his home parish of Topsham.  He and his wife lived their whole lives in that parish, where five children were born to them.  The eldest, Sarah baptized on 28 August 1755, was only eleven years old when on 19 May 1764 she was ‘apprenticed’ to William Langdon ‘for the Perkins estate at Broad Clist until 24 years of age’, effectively being sold off by her parents; William Langdon was probably the estate manager. [5]   Sadly, it has to be said that this was not an unusual event in Devon at a time when poverty was widespread.  A second daughter, Catherine, baptized on 24 February 1757, was more fortunate, for on 5 April 1780 she married William Knott in Exeter St. David parish.  Both girls were baptized Luzemoor.  The next child, a son, was baptized James Luzemore on 5 September 1758 and may have died in infancy for nothing more is known of him.  Next, Henry Sleep Luzemore was baptized on 7 January 1761; he was buried in Topsham on 3 January 1797, apparently a bachelor.  The youngest child, also a son, baptized Ratcliffe Luzmore on 6 October 1763, left Devon to seek better opportunities in London.  After his death on 17 August 1763 in the London Hospital, Whitechapel at the good age of 77, his simple will, dated just six days earlier, described him as a shoemaker, late of Wentworth St, Whitechapel.  There was no mention of a wife or children, so he too may have remained a bachelor. [6]   All that remains is to note that James 1711 was buried in Topsham on 4 August 1763; Sarah his wife outlived him by nearly six years, being buried there on 14 May 1769.

Descendants of Robert 1672, second and youngest son of Robert c1643

The spelling of his surname shows several variations, as does that of his father and elder brother.  He was baptized in Whimple parish as Lusmore but when he married Elizabeth Heath in the Exeter parish of All Hallows Goldsmith Street on 20 March 1706/7 his name was spelt Loosemore ‘of Broad Clyst’, while his wife was said to be ‘widow of Cadbury’.  They were married by licence, probably because of her marital status. [7]   Robert 1672 and his wife settled in his home parish of Broad Clyst, where their nine children were baptized with the surname Luzmore, only four of whom, two girls and two boys, are known to have survived childhood.  In order, their baptism dates were Mary 8 May 1707, William 21 May 1709 (at home), Elizabeth July 1710 (actual date not given) who was buried 26 August 1741, John 10 September 1712, Philip 10 September 1712 (Philip 1712), Joan 14 October 1714 who married Charles Leat on 25 February 1738/9 in Broad Clyst, Julian 20 February 1717/8 (at home), Sarah 10 July 1720 (who was buried 4 March 17221/2) and Robert 1 January 1723/4 (Robert 1724).  No information has come to light regarding the occupation of Robert 1672, nor has his date of burial been found.  His wife, Elizabeth née Heath, was buried in Broad Clyst on 26 August 1741.  We look now at the families of his two surviving sons, Philip 1712 and Robert 1724.

Family of Philip 1712, eldest son of Robert 1672, Robert c1643

No detailed information has been found regarding the early life of Philip 1712.  Then on 23 September 1739 he married Mary Stritchley of Clyst St. Lawrence in her home parish, using the surname Luzmore instead of Luzemore, though the parish priest gave their four children a variety of surnames when recording their baptisms.  The first we know only from an entry in the Broad Clyst burial register that a ‘child of Philip Luzmore buried 1741’, no other details being given.  Then Mary Luismore was baptized on 2 September 1744, followed by Sarah Luzmoore on 21 September 1749 and James Luzemore on 14 November 1751 (James 1751).  As at this period none of the entries in the baptism register mentions the mother’s name, identifications have had to rely on the given surname.  It may be assumed that the family were very far from prosperous since on 5 July 1753 Mary the eldest daughter, then only eight years old, was apprenticed to William Martin ‘until 21 or day of marriage’.  In fact, her parents effectively washed their hands of her.  Nothing is known of the fate of her sister Sarah, so we now follow their only son, James 1751.

James 1751 lived with his parents, no doubt helping his father to support the family, until on 26 December 1779 he married Sarah Smith in Broad Clyst, after which the couple moved to the adjacent parish of Rockbeare.  There they lived for the rest of their lives, bringing up a family of five girls and four boys.  As is so often the case we know neither the occupation of James 1751 nor anything of his children’s early years.  In date order of baptism they were Sarah on 13 Jun 1781 who married Robert Jones on 15 December 1800 in Exeter St. Thomas parish; Mary on 23 February 1783 who was buried in Rockbeare aged 26 on 3 August 1816; Elizabeth on 5 July 1787 who had been buried on exactly the same day three years earlier, on 3 August 1813, as Lusemore; James on 21 June 1789 (James 1789); Anne on 27 May 1790, about whom nothing more is known; Philip on 30 December 1792 (Philip 1792); John on 12 April 1795 about whom nothing more is known; Harriet on 28 June 1797 who married John Hamm in Aylesbeare parish on 9 April 1820; and Thomas on 21 November 1802 who was buried in Rockbeare aged 28 on 23 May 1830 as Loosmore.  All these children received the surname Luzmore at baptism, except Harriet who was recorded as Lusemore.  Their father, James 1751, ended his uneventful life in 1824, being buried in Rockbeare on 22 April; no information has come to light about the death of his wife Sarah.  We look now at the families of his three married sons.

Family of James 1789, James 1751, Philip 1712, Robert 1672, Robert c1643

Very little is known about James 1789, and some uncertainty remains whether or not this James has been identified correctly as the James Luzmore, surgeon, who married Mary (maiden name unknown), the couple living with their family near Liverpool.  When Mary died on 3 August 1845 at Hanging Bridge in Sutton parish, she was described as the ‘widow of James Luzmore, surgeon’ but at the marriages of their daughter Agnes and their son Thomas Rives (baptized 25 June 1830, Thomas R 1830) their father was said to be Henry James Luzmore, surgeon.  Yet Luzmore is an uncommon surname and a fairly thorough search has not revealed any other candidate.  The description ‘surgeon’ does not imply any serious professional qualification, for in the early 19th century the term was used also to include dentists, pharmacists, and even hairdressers, none of whom required any systematic training.  Nonetheless, the identification must be regarded as provisional.  The date of marriage of James 1789 and Mary has not been found, but their daughter Agnes must have been born before about 1829 since she was of full age (21 years) at her marriage on 19 June 1850, so we assume that their parents were married about 1828.  Mary was aged 38 when she died, implying her birth to have been about 1807, so she would have reached full age in 1828, consistent with that marriage date.  All that is known about the death of James 1789 is that it must have been later than about 1830, the year in which his son was born, and before 1845, when his widow died.  Agnes, the only known daughter of James 1789 and Mary his wife, married George Bagot, a clergyman, at St. Helens, Lancashire, at which time she was living in Sutton, her parent’s home parish.  We leave her to look at her only brother.

Thomas R 1830, only known son of James 1789, was born in the parish of St. Peter, Liverpool.  In 1858, before his marriage, he was in business in Liverpool as a general broker with an office in Lancaster Buildings, 9 Tithebarn St, Liverpool.  The following year he was living at 7 Prospect Vale, Fairfield, still with an office at Lancaster Buildings, Liverpool. [8]   At his marriage he described himself as a broker, living in Aughton parish, Lancs., as was his bride Ellen Henshaw, the 22 year old daughter of a corn merchant.  After their marriage the couple made their first home in Mill Lane, Aughton, where the first six of their eight children were born.  Ethel, the eldest, born late in 1860, died a spinster in 1949 at Heswall, Cheshire.  She was followed by Ernest Rives, born 22 January 1862 who was apprenticed to his broker father in 1881, Mabel born in mid-1863 who died a spinster aged 34 on 7 August 1897 and rather surprisingly directed in her will that a post mortem examination be performed on her body, Percy born in 1865 who was already apprenticed to a broker in 1881, aged 16, Gertrude M born in 1866 who was alive in 1881, and Thomas Wilfred born in autumn 1868 but died later that same year.  Early in 1869 the family moved from Aughton to the neighbouring parish of Maghull where two more sons were born, Cyril Raynor late in 1869 (Cyril R 1869), and Thomas Hugh early in 1872 (Thomas H 1872).  By 1871 Thomas R 1830 had become prosperous enough to employ a governess for his younger children and four domestic servants.  By 1881 the family had moved to a larger house in Maghull parish, Chapel House, plus a nurse, housemaid and general domestic servant. [9]   Ellen, wife of Thomas R 1830, died late in 1882, aged only 46 years, and soon afterwards the family moved to Blundell Sands, Liverpool, where Thomas R 1830 died on 7 December 1884, aged 54, having appointed his eldest daughter as administrator of his estate.

Cyril R 1869, seventh child of Thomas R 1830, must have been a scholar, as he graduated from the University of Cambridge, continuing there as a tutor.  He married Ethel Mary Pearson, probably at Cambridge though the exact date has so far not been found, but, sadly, their only child Geoffery Rives Luzmore, born 8 October 1896 at Cambridge, died in mid-1898 aged 1 year.  Ethel Mary died on 15 March 1915 at the Cottage Hospital, Wimborne, Dorset at the young age of 42 years, leaving the administration of her estate to her husband Cyril Rayner, a ‘retired tutor’.

Thomas H 1872, youngest child of Thomas R 1830, became a bank cashier who was appointed the executor of his sister Mabel’s will.  He married early in 1900 at West Derby, but there was no known issue of the marriage.

This completes our account of the progeny of James 1789, eldest son of James 1751;  we turn now to the second son, Philip 1792.

Family of Philip 1792, James 1751, Philip 1712, Robert 1672, Robert c1643

Once again it has to be said that nothing is known of the early years of Philip Luzmore, until on 23 February 1820 he married 25 years old Mary Ann Pilditch in her home parish of South Milton at the most southerly point of Devon, a few miles south west of Kingsbridge.  It was in that remote parish that they lived the rest of their lives, with their family of nine children of whom only five survived infancy.  The eldest child, Philip born on 23 June 1820 (Philip 1820), was followed by Mary Ann born on 17 July 1822 who died a spinster in 1910 aged 87, Harriet Pilditch on 15 February 1824 who married in 1847, Sarah baptized on 18 May 1828 who married in 1851, Susanna who was born and baptized 9 October 1831 but died the next day, Susanna Pilditch born 2 March 1834 who married in 1859, Jane baptized 13 March 1836 was buried 20 March aged 1 week, and two unnamed children, a boy in 1837 and a girl in 1839, both of whom died very soon after birth.  Philip 1792 found occupation as a carpenter, while his wife Mary Ann and eldest daughter worked as seamstresses, later described as quilters.  He died on 1 April 1853, after which his wife and eldest daughter continued living and working together.  By 1871 Mary Ann the mother was an invalid, nursed by her daughter until she died on 30 May 1872, aged 76 years. [10]   A gravestone in South Milton churchyard commemorating Philip 1792 and his wife is also inscribed “To the memory of viii children born to Philip and Mary Ann Luzmore”.  The surname Luzmore had now become standard for Philip 1792 and all his descendants.

Philip 1820, only son of Philip 1792 and his wife, learned the trade of carpenter by working with his father, probably for some years after he came of age, since on 21 April 1848 he married Agnes Steer Nicholls, a local girl, in their home parish; his young sister Susan Pilditch signed the register as a witness.  Soon afterwards the young married couple were drawn away from Devon, attracted by the opportunities afforded to a carpenter/builder in London which at that time was expanding rapidly.  They were to have only a very few years together.  Two children were born to them in Kentish Town, London, first a daughter Emma Jane late in 1851, followed by a son, Philip Bartholomew on 25 June 1853 (Philip B 1853), at which time they were living at 2 Junction Street.  Then problems seem to have arisen, either with Emma Jane or her mother, for the young girl died late in 1853 in East Stonehouse, Plymouth; Agnes her mother died there early the following year.  So far as we know, Philip 1820 remained in London though it is unclear how he could have continued working with a baby to support.  His sister Susan may have come to London to care for his young son for him because she certainly married in Pancras in 1859.  However, such an arrangement could not be permanent, and on 15 August 1858 Philip 1820 married Mary Ann Skinnerd Deacon in Pancras parish church.  She had been born in Landulph, Cornwall but more recently her family were living in East Stonehouse, Plymouth, Devon; there were no children of this second marriage.  Philip 1820 continued to develop his family business so that by 1871 he had become a carpenter and builder, assisted by his son Philip B 1853, now aged 17 years who was learning the skills of a carpenter.  At this stage the family lived at 10 Ascham Street, Kentish Town. [11]   Philip 1820 made his will as early as 1864, making his wife, mother, sister Mary Ann and his wife’s brother Josiah Deacon joint trustees and executors; by a codicil added in 1865 his son Philip B 1853 also became a trustee and executor.  Philip 1820 died on 23 June 1876, aged 56, his will being proved by his widow and son Philip B 1853.  Mary Ann continued to live with her step-son, first at 10 Ascham Street and later at No.7 in the same street which had become their address by 1881.  She died at No.16 on 2 March 1900, aged 78; her will was proved later the same month by her brother as executor.  We now look briefly at Philip B 1853, the only son of Philip 1820.

Philip B 1853, aged 23 when his father died, continued the family business, apparently working from Ascham Street in Kentish Town.  He was twice married.  His first wife, whom he married on 9 October 1877 was Georgina Deacon, a relative of his step-mother.  She bore him four children, only the last of whom survived infancy.  The first, an unnamed girl who may have been still-born, was followed early in 1880 by Agnes Emily who died the same autumn, then Philip Deacon born in May 1881 who died aged 4 early in 1886, and finally his twin brother Josiah Bertram, born on 3 May 1881 (Josiah B 1881). [12]  Georgina their mother died in their Ascham Street house on 20 August 1882 aged only 32 years, after which one may speculate that it was Mary Ann, stepmother of Philip B 1853, who helped him bring up his young son Josiah B 1881.  Then on 30 April 1890 Philip B 1853 took as his second wife Charlotte Elizabeth Ball, their marriage being conducted in the Pancras Wesleyan Chapel. [13]   Three more children were born to them in the next thirteen years, Philip Francis on 26 March 1892 (Philip F 1892), Arthur Cecil on 16 September 1898 (Arthur C 1898) and Lilian Beatrice early in 1903, who married Ronald Christian Poole in 1913.

The three sons of Philip B 1853 all married and their descendants still live in and around London.  Josiah B 1881 and Rose Ellen Chalkley, who married in 1907, also had three sons, two of whom married and in turn had families.  Philip F 1892 and Nellie Byers, married in 1918, while Arthur C 1898 and Lucy Clarke, who married about 1920, had four children.  All used the surname Luzmore.

This completes our account of the progeny of Philip 1712, elder son of Robert 1672.  We now turn our attention to the descendants of Robert 1724, younger son of Robert 1672.

Descendants of Robert 1724, Robert 1672, Robbartt c1643

We have already noted Robert 1724’s baptism in Broad Clyst parish on 1 January 1723/4, with the surname Luzmore.  Details of his childhood and youth remain unknown though almost certainly his status was no higher than that of an agricultural labourer.  Then, aged 27, he married Thomasin Skinner in his home parish on 22 December 1751.  The couple remained in Broad Clyst where all their four children were baptized.  Their dates were Mary on 8 October 1752, Philip on 28 October 1759 (Philip 1759), James on 23 March 1761 (James 1761) and John on 15 August 1762 (John 1762); all were baptized as Luzmore.  Their parents lived their entire lives in Broad Clyst, Robert 1724 being buried there on 3 November 1783, and Thomasin on 9 May 1797.  Robert’s burial entry states that he was a pauper, perhaps because the Stamp Act of that same year taxed all register entries at 3d except for paupers. [14]   Their eldest child, Mary, bore an illegitimate daughter, also Mary baptized 10 December 1775, but just three months later, on 18 March 1776, Mary snr. married William Taylor in Broad Clyst.  We may reasonably assume that he was the father of the younger Mary.  Of the three sons, little is known of the youngest, John 1762, except that on 9 April 1787 he married Alice Ugler in Broad Clyst.  Their only known child, Thomasin, was baptized there on 3 February 1788 as Luzmore.  We now look more closely at the remaining two sons, Philip 1759 and James 1761.

Descendants of Philip 1759, eldest son of Robert 1724, Robert 1672, Robbartt c1643

Difficulties now arise, since it seems likely that the Broad Clyst parish church register was badly kept at about this period.  Philip 1759 either married or had a common law relationship with Sarah (her surname is unknown), by whom he had two sons, Robert baptized on 20 October 1793 (Robert 1793), said to be a ‘son of Philip Luzmore, pauper’, and John baptized on 8 June 1805.  His baptismal entry in the parish register states that he was ‘son of Philip and Sarah Loosemore, born at the beginning of April 1797’, so we shall refer to him as John 1797.  The reason for the difference in spelling of the surnames is not clear, but may imply no more than a change in the incumbent or his clerk.  Both boys were apprenticed at an early age, implying that their parents were unable, or unwilling, to accept further responsibility for their welfare.  Broad Clyst records show that on 2 May 1803 Robert Loosemore aged 8 years was apprenticed to Nicodemus Otton until 21 years of age, and on 6 Jun 1805 John Luzmore aged 8 years was apprenticed to Thomas Oton, also  until 21 years of age. [15]

We shall follow the fortunes of these two sons, looking first at John 1797 although he was the younger son of Philip 1759.  Almost nothing is known about him, but it is tempting to assume that he was the John Loosmore who married Sarah Woodley on 20 June 1819, just six weeks or so before the marriage of his elder brother in the same parish, see the discussion in the following paragraph.  There was no known issue of the marriage, nor has it been possible to find either of them in the 1841 or 1851 censuses.  We now look at the elder brother, Robert 1793.

Family of Robert 1793, Philip 1759, Robert 1724, Robert 1672, Robbartt c1643

Robert 1793 disappears from view from the start of his apprenticeship, aged 8, in 1803 until 29 August 1819 when John the son of Robert and Sarah Loosemore was baptized in Ottery St. Mary parish.  Then in nearby Pinhoe parish the baptism register lists a further nine children of Robert and Sarah Loosemore, the sequence starting in January 1822.  The last but two of this sequence was Thomas, baptized 24 September 1837, whose birth certificate gives his mother’s name as Sarah Harris.  She was born in Ottery St. Mary according to the 1851 census return for Pinhoe. [16]   We therefore feel able to attribute the whole sequence of baptisms to Robert Loosemore and Sarah Harris.  No definite record of their marriage has so far been found, but the Ottery St. Mary marriage register lists in 1819 two consecutive entries: ‘20 June: John Loosmore married Sarah Woodley’ and ‘1 August: Robert Loosmore married Sarah Woodley’.  Clearly at least one of these entries must be incorrect.  In view of Sarah Harris’s birth in that parish it has been assumed that her name was intended for the marriage on 1 August, just soon enough for their first child to be regarded as legitimate.  No more convincing an identification has so far been found.  In the previous paragraph we have suggested that John who married Sarah Woodley on 20 June 1819 may have been John 1797, youngest son of Philip 1759.

Thus the sequence of children of Robert 1793 and Sarah Harris starts with John 1819 baptized at Ottery St. Mary, then at Pinhoe there follow Martha baptized on 26 January 1822, Catherine on 16 January 1825, Robert on 9 July 1826 (Robert 1826), Mary Ann on 6 January 1829, Elizabeth on 4 March 1832, Matthew on 21 December 1834 (Matthew 1834), Thomas on 24 September 1837, (Thomas 1837), William on 1 June 1840 (William 1840) and another Martha on 15 May 1842.  Of their daughters, the eldest two, Martha 1822 and Catherine 1825 probably died in infancy; Mary Ann 1825 married William Paine on 4 September 1853; Elizabeth 1832 had two illegitimate sons both of whom died in infancy, but nothing more is known of her; and the youngest Martha 1842 married in 1862.  We look now in more detail at the five sons of Robert 1793, all of whom reverted to the Loosemore surname, though sometimes it is written as Loosmore.

Family of John 1819, eldest son of Robert 1793, Philip 1759, Robert 1724

John 1819 Loosemore had left home by 1841 for he is not listed with his parents and their younger children in the census return for Pinhoe parish taken on 6 June that year.  He probably drifted towards Bristol in search of work, for we meet him first at the birth of his first child, also John, on 5 July 1846 (John 1846) at Laurence Hill, Bristol.  The birth certificate gives the mother’s name as Eliza Taylor though no record of any marriage has been found; his occupation was then given as a labourer and his surname is Loosmore.  He and Eliza left the Bristol area soon afterwards, as their second child, Sarah Ann, was born at Chepstow on 27 October 1848, also as Loosmore.  John 1819 must have maintained contact with his brother Robert 1826, for at the 1851 census, taken on 30 March, they were living next door to each other in Lower Church Street, Chepstow, Robert 1826 by then being married with one small child; both brothers spelled their surname Loosmore. [17]   John 1819 gave his occupation as a railway labourer.  Some time in the next few years he must have moved back into Devon, for he died on 29 March 1859 at Saltash, aged only 40 years.  It is doubtful whether Eliza and their children came with him, since his death was reported to the registrar by a stranger, Mary Chatworthy.  Indeed, his daughter Sarah Ann married John Stephen Walters in Bristol on 20 February 1870 and his only son John 1846, who worked as a wood turner, married Mary Ann Smith in Chepstow three years later, on 1 February 1873.  Eliza Taylor, mother of the two children, had another son, William Robert Loosmore, born on 1 July 1861 (William R 1861) at Hawker Hill St., Chepstow, before re-marrying to John Walters in Bristol on 16 May 1870.  William R 1861 married in Paisley, Scotland in 1887, he and his wife being blessed with a large family.  They emigrated to New South Wales about 1899, where the last four of their ten children were born.  Their descendants are still to be found in that State.  John 1846 and his wife had a family of four daughters, of whom the first died in infancy while the remaining three all married in Nottingham.  John 1846 died at Nottingham in 1914, aged 65.

Family of Robert 1826, second son of Robert 1793, Philip 1759, Robert 1724

Robert 1826 followed his elder brother to Chepstow, probably soon after he came of age, for in the autumn of 1848 he married Elizabeth Jones there.  At the 1851 census he with his wife and a young son Robert, born in the summer of 1849, were living there, in Lower Church St., next to his brother John 1819Robert 1826 was then working as a carpenter.  Their son Robert died in autumn 1851 but another child, Elizabeth, was born to them early in 1852, after which the family moved back to Saltash, near Plymouth, Devon, where a second daughter, Harriet, was born in autumn 1856.  After another move, this time to Exeter, where a third daughter Martha was born late in 1859, they finally arrived in Falmouth, Cornwall, where they were to spend the rest of their lives.  The 1861 census reveals that they were then living in Killigrew St., with their four children and Robert’s younger brother Matthew 1834.  The two brothers were both employed as dock labourers.  Over the next thirteen years four more children were born to Robert 1826 and his wife: Sarah in mid-1862, Tom on 20 March 1865 (Tom 1865), Mary Ann in 1868, and William Gott on 13 July 1873 (William G 1873).  In 1871 the family had been living close to the docks where Robert 1826 was employed but soon afterwards they apparently had rooms in a new building, for William G 1873 was born at New Buildings, Budock, Falmouth.  In 1881 Robert 1826, now 57, was still working as a dock labourer but their address was 11 Massel St., Budock, Falmouth, so perhaps the new street on which the building stood had by then been given a name. [18]   Elizabeth, their eldest daughter, married in Falmouth in autumn 1871, Harriet died earlier that same year, aged 14, but the next daughter, Martha, married in Falmouth in 1881, followed by her sister Sarah in 1885, while Mary Ann, the youngest daughter, died in March 1873, when she was only 5.  Life must have been hard for their parents, with eight children to feed on a meagre income, although by 1881 Tom 1865, then 16, was working as a mason, and his elder sister Sarah was a boot fitter.  Elizabeth their mother died aged 59, early in 1891; Robert 1826 survived her by just six years, until early in 1897, aged 64.

Of their two surviving sons, Tom 1865 married Laura Baragwanath in mid-1887 at Falmouth, where they brought up a family of five children.  He died in 1931, Laura his wife in October 1938.  William G 1873 married Jessie Spargo on 11 February 1897 at St. Mawes; their four children were born in Falmouth and Plymouth.  He died in April 1926t, his wife Jessie at Plymouth late in 1949.

Matthew 1834, Thomas 1837 and William 1840, the three younger sons of Robert 1793, will not detain us for long.  Matthew 1834 was in service in Sowton parish in 1851, aged 16.  We then lose track of him until early in 1865 when he married in Tavistock.  There was no known issue of his marriage, nor is anything known of him except that he died in Exeter in 1900, aged 67. [19]   Thomas 1837 was employed as a farm servant in Pinhoe at the time of the 1851 census notwithstanding his tender years, but he too drops out of our account until the next census in 1861 when he was working in Sowton parish as a journeyman carpenter employed by William Pratt, a carpenter and wheelwright. [20]   Then on 12 January 1866, aged 28, he married Eliza Symes in Exeter Register Office.  He was then living in St. Sidwell parish, Exeter, working as a wheelwright, presumably having learned the trade from his former employer.  Eliza, his 26 years old bride, daughter of a butcher, lived in Heavitree.  There were two daughters of the marriage, Eliza born in 1867, who died unmarried Exeter in 1907 aged 39, and Rosina born early in 1868 about whom nothing more is known, so she may have died very young.  Thomas 1837 himself died in autumn 1868 aged only 29, while his widow Eliza lived in Exeter until she died in 1912, aged 73.  William 1840, youngest son of Robert 1793, was born in the Exeter parish of St. Mary Arches, and that is the sum total of our information about him.  He does not appear in any census so far as is known.

This completes our account of the descendants of Philip 1759, eldest son of Robert 1724, and we now look at the progeny of his brother, James 1761.

Descendants of James 1761, second son of Robert 1724, Robert 1672, Robbartt c1643

We have already noticed the baptism of James 1761 Luzmore on 23 March 1761 in Broad Clyst parish.  Although no details of his childhood have come to light he was probably apprenticed at some early stage to a carpenter, since that was said to be his trade at the baptism of each of his three children.  First though, he married Elizabeth Bowden in his home parish on 26 December 1785, still using the surname Luzmore.  All their children, two girls and a boy, were baptized in Broad Clyst, Mary on 3 May 1789 as Luzmore, Elizabeth on 6 June 1793 as Lusemore, and Robert on 2 October 1797 (Robert 1797) as Loosmore.  The family later moved to nearby Pinhoe parish, where both Mary and her sister Elizabeth were married, Mary to John Meften or Milton on 23 March 1818 and Elizabeth to James Western on 8 April 1822.  They then leave our story.  Interestingly, although the family was living in Pinhoe when James 1761 and his wife Elizabeth died, both of them were buried in Broad Clyst where they were born, Elizabeth on 14 March 1816 aged 50, and James 1761 on 19 July 1835 at the good age of 74.  In each case their entries in the Broad Clyst burial register record that they were ‘of Pinhoe’.  We now follow their only son, Robert 1797.

Family of Robert 1797, James 1761, Robert 1724

During his early years Robert 1797 no doubt worked with his father, from whom he would have learned the trade of carpenter, for later at the baptism of his children he was variously described as a carpenter or joiner.  He married Sarah Cornish, probably about 1821-2, though no record of the event has been found.  This does not imply that there was no marriage: the church registers of several parishes in which it might have occurred were badly kept at this period.  For example, when discussing Robert 1793 we have already noted an error in the Ottery St. Mary marriage register, which records that both John and Robert Luzmore married Sarah Woodley, on 20 June and 1 August 1819 respectively.  At any event, the union of Robert 1797 and Sarah Cornish was blessed with nine children, all of whom except the first and last were born and baptized in Heavitree parish, now a district of Exeter.  The first was baptized William Cornish Loosemore on 20 April 1823 in Pinhoe, where Robert’s family lived for many years.  Nothing more is known about him, so he probably died soon after birth, at that time a not uncommon occurrence with first-borns.  Then, after the move to Heavitree there followed the baptisms of William on 6 February 1825 (William 1825), Frances Jane on 30 December 1827, Harriet Selina on 29 August 1830, Elizabeth on 20 January 1833, James Cornish on 29 March 1835 (James C 1835), John born on 27 August 1838 and baptized 23 September (John 1838), George baptized 11 April 1841, who died late in 1857, and lastly Robert baptized 3 November 1844 (Robert 1844) in Pinhoe.  Their surnames, starting with William 1825, were spelt Lowesmore, Louesmore, Loosmore, Luesmore, Luesmore, then Loosemore.  This final spelling was used later by all of them.

Some time close to the end of 1829 Robert 1797 was admitted to hospital in Exeter, when his wife with two small children to care for was forced to apply for support from Heavitree parish.  However, at that period, it was a responsibility of the overseers of the parish poor to ensure that no unnecessary expenditure was incurred by supporting persons who were not regarded as living in the parish.  According to the then current poor law, as Robert 1797 was born in Broad Clyst it up to that parish to support his family if he was unable to do so.  Hence an Order from Heavitree parish officials dated 8 April 1830 was issued, stating:

To the Churchwardens and Overseers for the Poor, Broad Clist.  Sarah wife of Robert Loosemore a patient in Devonshire Exeter Hospital with William aged 5 years and Frances Jane 2 years their children have lately come to inhabit the Parish of Heavitree.  It is required you convey Sarah, William and Jane from the Parish of Heavitree to the parish of Broad Clist to deliver and provide for them. [21]

One must have considerable sympathy for the family in their predicament, and in particular for Sarah, who was then heavily pregnant with her next child.

Robert 1797 evidently recovered form his illness, for in 1841 he and his family still lived in Heavitree, though by 1851 and 1861 they were again living in Pinhoe, as we have already noted. He died just a few months after the 1861 census.  Sarah his widow continued living in that parish after all her children had left home.  In 1871 she was living with a younger family, acting as a nurse to their children. [22]   She died early in 1875.  Of her daughters, Frances Jane married in 1847, Harriet Selina married James Mortimer in August 1853, and Elizabeth married Samuel Feltham, a stonemason, in Bristol early in 1857 after having borne him a child in July 1854.  We now look briefly at the four surviving sons of Robert 1797.

William 1825, eldest son of Robert 1797, James 1761, Robert 1724

William 1825 as a youth and young man no doubt worked with his father, a carpenter, from whom he must have learned the trade, for at his first marriage on 15 September 1850 that was given as his occupation.  His bride, Elizabeth Patey, aged 28, was born in Broad Clyst, though they were married in St. Edmund parish, Exeter where she was then living.  The couple made their home in Pinhoe parish, where his parents lived and where two daughters were born to them, Emma baptized on 3 August 1851, and Elizabeth Frances on 24 December 1854.  Although William 1825 had been baptized Lowsemore he is Loosmore at his first marriage, while both his daughters were baptized Loosemore.  He may have suffered an illness as a child for in the 1851 and 1861 census returns at Pinhoe he was said to be deaf.  Sadly his wife Elizabeth died in the summer of 1859, after which his two young daughters were cared for by their widowed maternal grandmother Elizabeth Patey, who also lived in Pinhoe.  He was then living with his parents in the same parish. [23]   The next episode in his life poses something of a puzzle.  On 15 December 1861, still only 35, he married a second time, to Anna Knight, a 42 year old widow, in the Exeter Registry Office, as Loosmore.  Both William 1825, a joiner, and Anna were then living in Exeter.  But barely eighteen months later, on 12 July 1863 he took Jane Clements, a 39 year old spinster lace worker, for his third wife, the marriage being conducted in St. Edmund’s parish church, Exeter, after banns; this time he spelt his name Loosemore.  No record has been found of the death of his second wife.  It seems likely that soon after this third marriage the couple moved from Devon to London.  In 1871 they were living in a Paddington lodging house, by 1881 they had moved to Hampstead St. Johns, while their final years were spent at Westbourne Park, Middlesex, where Jane died on 13 January 1892; William 1825 died there a year later on 1 January 1893. [24]   Emma the eldest of two daughters from his first marriage, had moved to London by the time of the 1881 census, when she was in service as a cook to a family living in the borough of Westminster. [25]   She married Alfred Askew Brockbank, a traveller, in London on 19 October 1893 at the parish church of St. Giles in the Field, having borne twin sons in 1885 named Alfred Brockbank and Eskew Brockbank, both of whom died within about 6 months.  Nothing is known about her sister Elizabeth Frances.

James C 1835, second son of Robert 1797, James 1761, Robert 1724

James C 1835, as we have noted, was born in Heavitree, Exeter.  When his parents moved to Pinhoe parish he went with them, and was still living in the family home in 1851 and 1861, working as an agricultural labourer. [26]   On 28 October 1862, aged 27, he married Jane Bolt, aged 35, in Sowton parish just east of Exeter, spelling his surname Loosemore, after which he and Jane moved to the Newton Abbot area where their only child, Cornish James, was born in the autumn of 1863.  As was only too common at that time, the boy lived only a few weeks.  In 1881 he and his wife were living in Chedworth parish, Cheltenham, Glos., together with the three children of his younger brother Robert 1844.  The children were apparently living with James C 1835 and Jane, not just visiting them. [27]   Nothing more is known of them except that James C 1835 died in 1897 at Northleach, a few miles north-east of Chedworth, aged 62; Jane his wife died there in 1908 aged 81.

John 1838, third son of Robert 1797, James 1761, Robert 1724

John 1838 was living with his parents in 1841 and 1851 but his whereabouts in 1861 are not known.  On 9 October 1864 he married Louisa Ireland, aged 25, in Exeter St. Sidwell parish church, when he was described as a servant.  At the birth of their first child, Alice Louisa, in Pinhoe parish on 6 April 1865 he was said to be a butler.  Alice Louisa was baptized at Pinhoe on the following 7 May; she married late in 1887, in Exeter.  A second daughter, Amy Hannah, born early in 1878 at Exeter, married Albert C Pilcher in 1914 at Plymouth.  By the 1871 census Louisa was living at Dawlish, working as a lodging housekeeper, while John 1838 was absent, but by 1881 they had moved back to St. Sidwell parish, Exeter, where he was a lodging house keeper, Louisa and their eldest daughter Alice were described as dress makers, and 3 years old Amy was a scholar. [28]   John 1838 died in Exeter, aged 79, in 1917; Louisa his widow died at Plympton late in 1923 aged 86.

Robert 1844, fourth son of Robert 1797, James 1761, Robert 1724

Very little is known about Robert 1844 after his baptism in Pinhoe parish.  He left Devon for London, where he married Jane Hammett in the parish church of St. John Waterloo after banns on 12 October 1869.  He was then said to be a butler.  He evidently worked for several families, for their first child, Annie Emily Jane, was born in mid-1872 in Brentwood, north London.  Their second child, Fanny Elizabeth was born on 23 May 1872 at 53 Amberley Rd, Paddington; her birth certificate confirms that Robert 1844 was still in employment as a butler.  Then early in 1875, their third and last child, Frank John (Frank J 1875) was born in the same area of London.  Difficulties arise at the census in 1881.  We have already noted that the three children, now of school age, were then living with James C 1835, an elder brother of Robert 1844, and his family.  Neither Robert 1844 nor his wife Jane have been found after a search through the national 1881 census for England and Wales.  Annie Emily Jane died a spinster in 1927, Fanny Elizabeth married in 1916, while Frank J 1875 died in mid-1895 in Birmingham, aged 20.  Nothing more has been found relating to Robert 1844, though he may have died in Fulham early in 1895.  In later life Jane his widow was living at Twickenham though her death in January 1917 was registered at Exeter.  Her two daughters were the main beneficiaries of her will. [29]

This completes our account of James 1761, second son of Robert 1724.  We now look very briefly at the third and youngest son.

John 1762, youngest son of Robert 1724, Robert 1672, Robbartt c1643

John 1762 was baptized in Broad Clyst on 15 August 1762, as Luzmore.  He married Alice Ugler on 9 April 1787 in his home parish, still using the surname Luzmore.  They lived in their home parish where their only known child, Thomasin, was baptized on 3 February 1788.  Nothing more is known of John 1762: his date of death has not been found.  His wife, Alice, may have died at Barnstaple in 1847.  Nothing is known of his daughter Thomasin.

And on that rather unsatisfactory note we finish the account of Loosemore of Falmouth, descendants of Robbartt c1643 and his first wife Mary Westcott.

Lusmore of Millbrook

Family of Henry c1803

Our certain knowledge of this group extends back only as far as 26 January 1826, when Henry Loosmore married Amelia Fowler at Buckerell  by licence; an allegation, required before a licence was issued, is dated the previous day. [30]   Henry was said to be a bachelor, aged 21 years or more, ‘of Upottery’ parish; Amelia a spinster, also of full age, was described as ‘of Buckerell’ parish.  On the assumption that Henry would have been aged about 22-23 years at marriage we shall refer to him as Henry c1803.  Both parishes lie in east Devon, within a very few miles of each other.  The forename Henry is found several times among Upottery Loosemores in the 17th and early 18th century, most of whom have been placed in the Churchstanton group already discussed in Chapter 9, but no evidence has been found so far which allows Henry c1803 to be placed there with any confidence.  We therefore treat his descendants as being an independent group.

After their marriage Henry c1803 and Amelia had difficulty in deciding where to settle and make a permanent home.  Ann, the first of their eight children, was born in Chard parish, Somerset about 1826 according to the 1841 census, at which time Ann was aged 14 years.  There followed three childen baptized in Upottery, Elizabeth on 17 April 1831 as Losemore, James on 30 June 1833 (James 1833), and Ann on 1 November 1835, both Loosmore.  Next came Amelia, born on 25 December 1838 in Ottery St. Mary as Loosmore, then Henrietta born 25 September 1841 in Chard, Somerset as Loosemore, Henry James born 9 September 1844 (Henry J 1844) in Alphington, Devon as Loosmore and lastly, George Henry born late in 1846 at Stoke Damerel near Plymouth as Loosemore, who died 8 months later, on 28 April 1847 as Lusmore.  During their peregrinations over 20 years or so Henry c1803 found work as an agricultural labourer from 1831-1841, but in 1844 he was an excavator and in 1867, at the marriage of his son Henry J 1844, he was said to be a thatcher.  The family does not appear to have been very close-knit.  Henry c1803 appears in the 1841 census with his wife and four of their first five children; Ann is absent and may well have died by then, as nothing more is known about her.  He is absent in 1851 when his wife Amelia with her daughter Henrietta and son Henry J 1844, were living in High St, Plymouth, Amelia being forced to earn a living as a charwoman.  A lodger, 35 year old lodger, John Roberts, a road labourer, was living with them.  Her daughter Amelia, then aged 12, was in service with a butcher in the same city.  The two eldest daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, had left home and leave our story.  By the 1861 census Amelia, now a widow, had moved with her 16 year old son Henry J 1844 to Millbrook, on the Cornish headland opposite Devonport, having set herself up as a marine store dealer.  John Roberts was still part of her household.  All this implies that Henry c1803 died some time between 1851 and 1861, though no record of his death has come to light.  He may well have left his wife at any time after the birth of his youngest son in 1847.  Problems with the family surname which, as we have seen, had become Lusmore in 1847, continued in 1851 when the census return refers to Amelia Lucemore; in 1861 it had become Lismore.  Amelia’s whereabouts in 1871 remain to be discovered, but by 1881 she had left Devon for Rotherhithe, in south London where, aged 70, she was known as Amelia Lusmore, lodging with a wheelwright, William Hayter and his wife, and earning enough to support her by needleworking. [31]   And there we leave her, to look at the children of Henry c1803.

James 1833, eldest son of Henry c1803, remains a largely unknown figure.  At the time of the 1841 census he was aged 9, living with his parents at Chard, Somerset, but he does not appear with them in 1851, nor has any definite sign been found of his presence anywhere.

Henry J 1844, second son of Henry c1803, was much more successful in maintaining the line started by his father.  We have seen that in 1851 and 1861 he was living with his mother, first in Plymouth and then in Millbrook, using her surname: Lucemore in 1851, Lismore in 1861.  Then on 10 September 1867 he married Ann Hayes in Plymouth St. Andrew parish church, using the spelling Lusmore and thereby completing the transformation of his family name.  He was aged 22, working as a tanner; his 19 year old bride was born in Millbrook on 19 December 1847, the daughter of a seaman.  The couple made their home in Millbrook, where ten children were born over the next eighteen years, of whom five are known to have survived early childhood.  In order, they were Henrietta, born in 1868 but died in 1871 aged 2 years, Harry about 1870 (Harry c1870, whose birth does not appear to have been registered; he is Harvy in 1871, Harvey in 1881, but Harry at his death in 1904, aged 34), Stephen Charles in 1872 (Stephen C 1872), William James in 1873 who died the following year, Sidney Durance born on 25 June 1877 (Sidney D 1877), Frederick James in 1879 (Fred J 1879), Ernest Edward in 1880 (Ernest E 1880), Lauretta in 1882, Arthur in 1883 who died the same year, and Frank Hayes born in 1885 (Frank H 1885).

Henry J 1844 was working as a labourer in 1871, but by 1881 he was a publican and innkeeper of the ‘Mark of Friendship’ public house in his home parish of Millbrook.  The 1881 census return records that in addition to their own children there was living with them Martha A Lusmore, aged 14 years, described as a niece.  Her birth in Millbrook, presumably about 1867, seems not to have been registered so the identity of her parents must remain a matter of conjecture; nothing more is known of her.  At this point, all seemed set fair for Henry J 1844 and his wife, yet just three years later, on 26 December 1884, he died at the young age of 40, leaving Ann his widow to bring up their large family.  However, she also died just over 4 years later, early in 1889. No trace of their children in Millbrook has been found so far in the 1891 census, but the 1901 census return for Millbrook records that their eldest son, Harry c1870, now aged 30, had taken over his father's position as innkeeper of the "Mark of Friendship" inn there. Three other people living there with him were almost certainly his younger siblings, viz. Sydney (Sidney D 1877) aged 23, described as a sawyer; Lauretta (Lauretta 1882), aged 18 of no occupation; and Frank aged 15, said to be a shipwright apprentice. He is almost certainly Frank H 1885, the youngest son of Henry J 1844, but nothing more is known about the life of the young man.

We now look briefly at the four other surviving sons of Henry J 1844 and his wife Ann.

Family of Stephen C 1872, second son of Henry J 1844, Henry c1803

He married a widow, Elizabeth Jane Hutchins, at Portsmouth in 1924, after which the couple lived at Millbrook; there was no issue of the union.  Stephen C 1872 died in 1932, his wife in 1935.

Family of Sidney D 1877, third son of Henry J 1844, Henry c1803

He married Ethel Maud Bray at Devonport late in 1901.  They too made their home in Millbrook where three sons were born, William Arthur S in 1903 (William A 1903), Charles Leslie in 1907 (Charles L 1907), and Frank in 1913 (Frank 1913), who died in Millbrook in 1944.

William A 1903, eldest son of Sidney D 1877, enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1924, serving for a period of 22 years, many in the submarine service.  He was awarded the DSM in 1939 during WW2 in an action in Heligoland Bight when his boat, H.M. S/M. Salmon, sank a U-boat and damaged the German cruisers Leipzig and Blucher.

A terse official account of this action appeared in the London Gazette:

“Lieutenant-Commander E O Bickford was in command of H.M. S/M. Salmon during a brilliant war patrol in which she succeeded in totally destroying an enemy submarine, and torpedoing at least one enemy cruiser”. [32]

William A 1903, one of eight crew members awarded the DSM, also received immediate promotion to Chief Electrical Artificer 1st class.  Later in WW2 he was seconded to the Indian Navy as an instructor; earlier in his career he had seen service in India and China.  He was married with two daughters.

Charles L 1907, second son of Sidney D 1877, married in 1933 and had one son, Brian L, who became a schoolteacher in Papua New Guinea.

Frank 1913, third son of Sidney D 1877, married in 1929 and now lives in Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Family of Fred J 1879, fourth son of Henry J 1844, Henry c1803

He married Rosa Louisa Sharp in 1901 at Devonport as a soldier in the Regular Army; by 1905 he was a Sergeant in the R.A.S.C.  His four children, 2 boys and 2 girls, all married.  He died aged 83 in 1962.

Family of Ernest E 1880, fifth son of Henry J 1844, Henry c1803

He married Elizabeth Finney at London in 1916.  After her death in 1922 he married again, to Jane Hayes in 1926.  He died aged 88.

This completes our account of Lusmore of Millbrook, descendants of Henry c1803 and his wife Amelia Fowler.

It also concludes this chapter describing two small branches of the widespread Loosemore family.

*******



[1] i.e. 1664 Old Style, 1665 New Style, see Chapter 1 for a discussion on dates prior to 1754.

[2] See Devon & Cornwall Marriage licences 1631-1762, pub. DCRS.

[3] Port Books for Exeter and Plymouth are held at the Public Record Office, Kew.  For James 1668 at Exeter see e.g. E 190/987/11 (1714 “outwards”); E 190/989/14 (1715 “inwards” & “outwards”); E 190/989/ 12 (1716 “outwards”); E 190/990/7 (1717 “inwards” & “outwards”).  For him at Plymouth see E 190/1074/26 & /1074/8 (1715 “outwards”); E 190/1076/5 and /1076/33 (1717 “outwards”).

See also P W Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants 1700-1750, 1992, pp154, 170, 201, 202.

[4] The marriage bond is held at the DRO, Exeter.  See also ref.2 above.

[5] See records of “Apprentices and Overseers of the Poor” for Broad Clyst parish, held at DRO, Exeter.

[6] Admon (with Will annexed) gr. 18 Mar 1862 (sic), London, to George Purnell of 8 Amelia Pl, Villa Rd, Plumstead Kent legatee in trust, as no executor named in Will.

[7] For the marriage licence see ref. 2 above; it has not survived in the collection at DRO, Exeter.

[8] See Gore's Directory of Liverpool, 1858 & 1859 editions.

[9] For family of Thomas R 1830 at Aughton in 1861 see census return RG 9/2757, Mill Lane, f4 p1; for them at Maghull in 1871 see RG 10/3870, Days Lane, f89 p17,18 and in 1881 see RG 11/3744, Chapel House, f111, p33.

[10] See census returns for South Milton: HO 107/248 Bk6, Milton Village, f5 (1841); HO 107/1875, Milton Village, f380 p12 (1851); RG 9/1424, Village, f46 p2 (1861); RG-10-2101, South Milton, f57 p17 (1871).

[11] For Philip 1820 and family in 1871 see RG 10/249, 10 Ascham Street, Kentish Town, f65 p45.

[12] For Philip B 1853 and family in 1881 see RG 11/223, 7 Ascham Street, f p33; his step-mother see RG 11/223, 16 Ascham Street, f22 p38.

[13] For Philip B 1853 in 1891 see RG 12/139, 20 Ascham St, f205 p54; his step-mother RG 12/139, 16 Ascham St, f205 p53.

[14] The Stamp Act of 1783 is Statutes 23 Geo III, c.67.

[15] See a collection of parish records at the DRO, Exeter relating to Apprentices and Overseers for the Poor.

[16] For Robert 1793 and family at Pinhoe in 1841 see census return HO 107/263/30, f5; for them in 1851 see return HO 107/1866 Longston, f483.

[17] For John 1819 and Robert 1826 at Chepstow in 1851 see census return HO 107/2443, Lower Church Street, f389 p45 (Robert 1826) and f390 p46 (John 1819).

[18] For Robert 1826 in 1871 see census return RG 10/2293, Bar, f38v-39; in 1881 see RG 11/2317, 8 Massel St, f88 p26.

[19] For Matthew 1834 in 1851 see census return for Sowton, Devon, HO 107/1866, Little Moor, f497 p11.

[20] For Thomas 1837 in 1851 see ref. 16 above; for him in 1861 see census return for Sowton, RG 9/1386 Moor Lane End, f21 p11.

[21] The removal order is filed among records of Apprentices and Overseers for the Poor for Broad Clyst parish, held at Devon Record Office, Exeter, their ref. PO46/35.

[22] For Robert 1797 and family in Heavitree in 1841 and Pinhoe in 1851/1861 see census returns HO 107/263/13 Whipton, f9 p12 (1841); HO 107/1866Longston, f483 (1851); RG 9/1388, Joan's Pynes, f33 (1861); for his widow in Pinhoe in 1871 see RG 10/2053, Old Road, f30 p1.

[23] For William 1825 deaf see Pinhoe 1851 census return HO 107/1866, Warren’s Cottage, f478 p2; for his children in Pinhoe with their grandmother see Pinhoe 1861 census return RG 9/1388, Village, f29; for him in the 1861 census see ref. 22 above.

[24] For William 1825 and Jane his third wife in 1871 see census return RG 10/12, 37 Amberley Rd, Paddington, fol.24, p40; for them in 1881 see census return RG 11/175,    6 Amger Rd, Hampstead St. Johns, f75, p42; for them in 1892, 1893 at 44 Bosworth Rd, Westbourne Park, Mddsx, see their admons.

[25] For Emma Loosemore daughter of William 1825 as a cook in 1881 see census return RG 11/332, 46 Bedford St, f28, p2.

[26] For James C 1835 living with his parents in 1841, 1851, 1861 see ref. 22 above.

[27] For the children of Robert 1844 living with James C 1835 and his wife Jane in 1881, see census return for Chedworth parish, Cheltenham, Glos., RG 11/2560, Chapel Hill, f7, p8.

[28] For Louisa, wife of John 1838, at Dawlish in 1871 see census return RG10/2072, 23 The Strand, f39 p9; for John 1838 and family at Exeter St. Sidwell in 1881 see return RG 11/2149, 15 Southern Hay, f8 p10 & f9,p11.

[29] The Will of Jane, widow of Robert 1844, states that she was then living at 5 Tower Rd, Twickenham.

[30] The marriage allegation dated 25 January 1826 has survived in the collection at Devon Record Office, Exeter.

[31] For the family of Henry c1803 in 1841 see census return HO107/949/3, Old Chard, f29 p11; in 1851 see Plymouth St. Andrew, HO 107/1879, 7 High St, f739; in 1861 see Millbrook, RG 9/1522, Workhouse Hill, Millport Head, fol.39; for Amelia in 1881 see Rotherhithe, RG 11/577, 14 Maynard Rd, f50 p37.

[32] See The London Gazette for 23 December 1939, pp8546-7.