MANY THANKS TO EXTENDED FAMILY FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS WHICH HAS ADDED SO MUCH DETAIL TO JANICE'S ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Images kindly donated by Janet King and Margaret Gully |
|
|
|
Will of John Hodge | |
|
|
Old Kingskerswell | |
|
| The Hodge Brooks family were established residents of Kingskerswell In 1881 Ellen's father William was a Fish Dealer and in 1871 a Potato Dealer William was born in Kingskerswell in 1838 and died in 1930 His mother was Mary Yabsley Bpt 31.10.1796 m Samuel Brooks His father was John Hodge.
Mary's parents were Peter Yabsley and Mary Bulley ( married Kingskerswell 1795 ) IGI records Peter Yabsley christened 30.08.1746 Kingskerswell Peter Yabsley christened 20.12.1771 Kingskerswell
According to Pallots Marriage Index Mary Yabsley married Samuel Brooks in 1823, he was a sojourner, she retained the surname Brooks throughout her life. A daughter Agness was born in 1823. We are still researching Samuel , we can find no death or other records. . John Hodge was a Fish Dealer in the village, in 1841 Mary Brooks was a Female Servant in his business. According to John's Will Mary was his Housekeeper. Three Hodge sons appear on the Census, John , George and Wiilliam. We have found a marriage in 1830 between Mary Brooks and John Hodge in Kingskerswell on IGI, this appears to be false. After the death of John Mary subsequently took over the business, then her son William after her. She never changed her name to Hodge. But there was a gap around 1861 when Mary and William were living with son George, both George and William were Clay Cutters. Mary was a Pauper on the 1871 Census living in Kingskerwell, she died on 22.12.1871 still known as Brooks. William was married and had become a Potato Dealer at 2 Daccabridge Road Kingskerswell, Mary lived next door at no 1. In 1881 he had become a Fishdealer in the main street of Kingskerwell.
The children were known sometimes as Brooks and sometimes as Hodge, on the 1841 Census all were Hodge, but around 1900 all were known as Hodge Brooks or just Brooks.
On the 1901 Census William Hodge was a Fish Merchant in Fore Street living with wife Martha (Marsh) born c1845 Exbridge in 1861 she was working as a servant for the Butcher John Crocker in Kingskerswell Charles 18 was described as a Baker and two of his brothers worked for GWR in various jobs.
Ellen died & the eldest son William Lang Bovey took over the business until 1947 when he moved to Cator near Widecombe. The bakery was then run by Charles but I am not sure who actually owned it although Alfred Lang Bovey definitely built it (shown in error as Arthur in 1901 census on website) & at one stage the land was rented from a Mr Crocker. Mr Crocker owned the land, had a butchers shop & slaughterhouse behind the bakery so it all fits into place re Martha.
Many thanks to Janet for helping with the background information |
|
|
Peter Yabsley Shoemaker Kingskerswell | |
|
Mary Yabsley christening 1796 | |
|
Wedding Samuel Brooks & Mary Yabsley | |
|
|
First Witness William Neck was a Landed Proprietor of Green Hill Kingskerswell. Later Agness Brooks (Mary's illegitimate daughter ) would become a servant for his son William a Farmer in Broadgate Second Witness John Cholditch Mary's uncle, connected to the family as he married Joan Bulley sister to Mary Bulley, Mary Yabsleys mother. The Bulleys were farmers in Lower Willborough Kingskerwell, there are records of the Bulley family as far back as 1510 originating in Ipplepen |
|
|
|
| Mary Yabsley. She married Samuel Brooks and had two children by him - Agnes and Joseph Brooks (he moved to Plymouth and sometimes called himself Brooks and H. Brooks.) Don't muddle him up with Joseph H. Brooks son of William & Martha - he went to America and that's another story.
Unfortunately, I have been unable to find where Samuel Brooks and John Hodge came from, not Kingskerswell. We know that Mary was 27 when she married Samuel Brooks and I think it would be safe that they were together in 1830, as Joseph was born in 1830 The curate was not soft-hearted regarding Agnes though born after marriage was described as a base daughter of Mary (Yabsley) Brooks. Joseph on the other hand the parents are listed as Samuel & Mary Brooks. John Brooks was just son of Mary Brooks batpised 25 May 1833 couldn't find a record for George but we do know that William born 1839 was the son of John Hodge. Mary and John Hodge had another son Thomas who died about ten moths old baptised 30 November 1841, burial 27 August 1842
The Devon Records found that John Hodge and Mary Brooks filled out banns between January and April but did not sign them - Mary said she was a widow - which indicates the banns were never read and no marriage took place in Kingskerswell. The marriage register was up to July 1837 but unfortunately the Records Office didn't say the year the banns were made, I took it that the banns were written in 1837.
John Hodge died in Kingskerswell and the burial is given as 11 August 1849 aged 49 - pity he died before the 1851 census as then we would know where he came from.
I have sent you John Hodge's Will and you will see that Mary is his housekeeper - I like to think that she was more than that. There must have been a reason why she kept the name Brooks, her poor boys called themselves Brooks one minute and Hodge the next, I suppose by putting Hodge as a middle name that might have been telling us who the father was. It really looks as if John, George and William were illegitimate and I have tried to prove otherwise.
My husband knew most of the eleven children born to William and Martha as during the last war he went to Kingskerswell most weeks with his grandmother to get a chicken, veg or anything going to help out their rations, he often spoke of Fred Bovey who he said had an allotment which was very handy and he also mentioned the bakery where I presumed they got a few cakes etc.
Margaret Gully ( Many thanks to Margaret ) |
|
|
Agness Brooks daugh of Mary late Yabsley born Feb 1823 | |
|
Agnes - named after Mary's grandmother Agnes Bulley b 1768 - House Proprietress
'Base daughter' Always a sensitive subject.... It means that her father is unknown or the parents were not married. Often found in records in place of the other "B" word... "base" is the child of a single woman and "illegitimate" is a child born to an unmarried couple Ancestry.com
In our main Bird family the father completely changed his name so that the children would appear legitimate on their certificates.Their mother's surname appearing as a christian name.
On the 1841 census Agnes (s) was a female servant for William Neck, Farmer in Broadgate Kingskerswell She married in 1848 in the Newton Abbot registration district. |
|
|
Joseph Brooks son of Samuel & Mary 1830 (?) | |
|
On 1861 census a Joseph Brooks born Kingskerswell c 1833 was a Royal Marine living in East Stonehouse married to Mary Ann
On 1881 census a Joseph H Brooks born Kingskerswell c 1835 was a Police Constable in East Stonehouse. married to Livinia
A Joseph Brooks died East Stonehouse in 1899 |
|
|
John Brooks son of Mary born 1833 | |
|
William Hodge Birth Certificate | |
|
Hodge family Kingskerswell | |
|
William & Martha Hodge with their 13 children Daughter Annie with husband James Mitchell their son David on her lap |
|
Martha Hodge Brooks | |
|
|
William and Martha Hodge Brooks | |
|
|
1922 | |
|
| In 1901 Ellen Hodge Brooks who married Arthur Lang Bovey was working as a Cook for a wealthy widow Mina Tucker and her two spinster daughters who were born in India and two small grandaughters born in Burma. There was also a Nurse and three maids living in at 'The Firs' Ilsham
I have checked the headstones in Kingskerswell graveyard & found Ellen & Alfred's with a small plaque for Charlie. It reads Ellen Bovey who entered into further life 1-11-1939 aged 69 "A dear wife & mother who radiated happiness in the common walks of life". Alfred Lang Bovey died 23-10-1956 aged 88. I think Ellen must have been a special person to have such unusual words written about her. Janet
|
|
|
|