| [Index] |
| John BOWCHER (1762 - 1828) |
| Yoeman of Exon, wine and spirit merchant Exeter |
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Pic P1. The flask is 21 cm high Pic S2. The flask is 21 cm high Pic 1. The flask is 21 cm high |
| b. Mar 1762 at Kenton, Devon, England |
| m. (1) 06 Mar 1787 Mary REED ( - 1805) at Exeter, Devon, England |
| m. (2) 15 Sep 1805 Elizabeth TOWNSEND (1772 - 1858) at Upton Pyne, Devon, England |
| d. 28 Feb 1828 at Exeter, Devon, England aged 65 |
| Parents: |
| John BOWCHER (1730 - ) |
| Deborah CHOWNE (1727 - 1788) |
| Step Parents: |
| William HILL (1727 - 1756) |
| Siblings (6): |
| Ann BOWCHER (1757 - ) |
| Elizabeth BOWCHER (1759 - ) |
| Richard BOWCHER (1760 - ) |
| Deborah BOWCHER (1765 - ) |
| Samuel BOWCHER (1768 - ) |
| Henry BOWCHER (1772 - ) |
| Events in John BOWCHER (1762 - 1828)'s life | |||||
| Date | Age | Event | Place | Notes | Src |
| bef 1756 | Death of step father William HILL (aged 29) | ||||
| Mar 1762 | John BOWCHER was born | Kenton, Devon, England | Ancestry | ||
| 06 Mar 1787 | 25 | Married Mary REED | Exeter, Devon, England | 2 | |
| 1788 | 26 | Birth of daughter Mary BOWCHER | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 07 Feb 1788 | 25 | Death of mother Deborah CHOWNE (aged 60) | Exminster, Devon, England | ||
| 13 Feb 1792 | 29 | Birth of daughter Sarah BOWCHER | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 28 Feb 1794 | 31 | Birth of son John BOWCHER | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 1800 | 38 | Birth of son William BOWCHER | 68 | ||
| 1801 | 39 | Birth of daughter Ann BOWCHER | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 1804 | 42 | Death of son William BOWCHER (aged 4) | 2 | ||
| abt 12 Jan 1805 | 42 | Death of wife Mary REED | St Thomas, Exeter, Devon, England | 2 | |
| 15 Sep 1805 | 43 | Married Elizabeth TOWNSEND (aged 33) | Upton Pyne, Devon, England | 2 | |
| 12 Feb 1806 | 43 | Birth of son Frederick James BOWCHER | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 17 Jun 1807 | 45 | Birth of son Edward BOWCHER | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| bef 04 Dec 1808 | 46 | Birth of son Charles Henry BOWCHER | Exeter, Devon, England | twin | |
| bef 04 Dec 1808 | 46 | Birth of daughter Eliza Ann Jane BOWCHER | Exeter, Devon, England | twin | |
| 18 Aug 1810 | 48 | Birth of daughter Emma BOWCHER | St Petrock, Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 27 Dec 1810 | 48 | Declaired bankrupt | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 15 Jun 1811 | 49 | Paid a Dividend to pay creditors | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 01 Apr 1813 | 51 | Birth of son William Townsend BOWCHER | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| abt 1814 | 52 | Death of daughter Sarah BOWCHER (aged 22) | 2 | ||
| 29 Jun 1815 | 53 | Birth of son Henry James Cann BOWCHER | St Petrock, Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 1820 | 58 | Will | 2 | ||
| 19 Jul 1826 | 64 | Death of son Charles Henry BOWCHER (aged 17) | 2 | ||
| 24 Jun 1827 | 65 | Death of daughter Mary BOWCHER (aged 39) | 68 | ||
| 28 Feb 1828 | 65 | John BOWCHER died | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| Personal Notes: |
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After the 18th century a Yoeman was one of class of small farmers commonly freeholders, the next grade below gentlemen, who were entitled to have a coat of arms.
John was a spirit dealer in 1823. Elizabeth was running the business in 1850 at 71 High St. |
| Source References: |
| 2. Type: Book, Abbr: Devon to Downunder, Title: Devon to Downunder, Auth: Bettie Elworthy, Publ: Bookbound, Date: 1997 |
| - Reference = 15 (Marriage) |
| - Notes: JOHN BOWCHER Second 10 March 1762, firstly wed Mary REED on 06 Mar 1787
at St David's, Exeter. The family lived in the parish for a considerable time as each of their four children was baptised there. |
| - Reference = 6, 17 (Marriage) |
| - Notes: At Upton Pyne, a few miles from Exeter, Elizabeth 01 Jul 1772 wed Richard's
brother, John Bowcher Second on 15 Sep 1805. The widowed John was ten years older than Elizabeth. They were an interesting couple and direct ancestors of many who will be reading this book. Sisters marrying brothers was not unusual and details of these four are given in the section relative to the Bowcher Family. The Townsend family was long established, well-known and respected in the areas of Shillingford, Exminster, Alphington, Kenton, Newton St Cyres, Upton Pyne and Thorverton where they were yeoman farmers with both freehold and leasehold lands. At the time of Elizabeth's marriage in 1805, her brother Thomas was farming 'Stevenstone Barton' on the boundary of Thorverton and Upton Pyne. From the road I saw this farmhouse when I was in that area in 1990. At the junction of the farm's drive and the road is the remnant of an ancient tree, variously said to be a 900 year old oak and a 200 year old yew! It was not hard to conjure up a picture of Elizabeth in an elegant carriage driving past on the way to her marriage in the nearby parish church. An event of great significance to this family took place at Upton Pyne on 15 Sep 1805 when widowed John Second married Elizabeth Townsend, younger sister of Deborah?, wife of Richard Bowcher. The sisters appeared to be capable business women. After Richard's death Deborah? took over ownership of his lands, then when John died Elizabeth efficiently ran his business. |
| - Reference = 17 (Name, Notes) |
| - Notes: By 1810 John was settled as a wine and spirit merchant but his fortunes waxed
and waned somewhat! In that year's 5 Dec issue of the Exeter Flying Post, John published a Notice of Dissolution of Partnership with William Wood "in the business of dealers in Wines and Spirituous Liquors, Hops and Tea". John advised clients that a person would call to collect outstanding debts but that until the time of such visit, no monies should be paid in to the firm. But Mr Wood obviously had other thoughts on this matter and through his solicitors, in the same issue warned customers that because of these 'divers disputes' no monies should be paid to anyone! Both John Bowcher and William Wood were declared bankrupt and a meeting to make arrangements with their creditors was fixed for 05 Feb 1811. It would seem this bankruptcy was just a messy means of dissolving their unsatisfactory partnership and settling the 'divers disputes'. In the 25 April Flying Post a notice advised John Bowcher was starting a new business as a wine merchant at 71 High St. He obviously did well enough to be able to extend credit as he was shown in Sep 1814 as one of the creditors of an artist from London who was jailed for debt in Exeter. John Second and Elizabeth had five sons and two daughters one of whom is the nexus between Bowchers and Elworthys. |
| - Reference = 20 (Will) |
| - Notes: John Bowcher Second made his long and intricate will in 1820. To his dear wife
he left Fifty Pounds for mourning for herself and the seven youngest children. To the children from his first marriage named as Mary, Ann and John (Sarah had died in 1814), he gave ten pounds each for mourning. By the time of John Second's death in 1828, John Third was the only surviving child of the first marriage. A total of eighty pounds sterling to be spent on mourning - quite a mighty sum! I wonder if it was for mourning clothes only or if it was also to cover the cost of a wake. Either way there should have been no problem with liquid refreshments. John Second was quite specific about the division of the family silver. Each child was left engraved teaspoons, tablespoons or tankards and in most cases the monogram matched his or her initials. To Emma he bequeathed two tablespoons and six teaspoons marked "EB" whilst William got two half-pints marked "WB" and two tablespoons engraved with "TB". Officially baptised James, the eldest son was usually called Frederick so I wonder if they changed his name to suit his spoons marked "FIB". John left the bulk of his estate to his 'dear wife' so long as she continued to mourn him and remain unmarried. If she remarried then the estate was to be divided among the surviving children of their 'legally begotten heirs'. Elizabeth had money of her own, having inherited a legacy from her relative Mary Cann of Newton St Cyres in 1814 'for her sole use and benefit' so John's stipulation about relinquishing the estate if she remarried may not have worried her overmuch. When Elizabeth made her will on 09 Jun 1852 she left to each of her four surviving sons Frederick, Henry, William and Edward the sum of 100 pounds as well as interest from various trusts involved in Mary Cann's will. To her daughters Eliza, the wife of Thomas Toby, spirit merchant and Emma, wife of George Elworthy, mercer and draper of Exeter, she also left one hundred pounds. As it happened, Emma didn't ever receive her legacy. Her mother Elizabeth died on 16 ApI 1858 aged 86 but Emma had died on 08 July 1854. Elizabeth added a codicil on 13 Nov that year giving Emma's portion to Edward, the son who ran the wine and spirit business. I thought it strange Emma's share was not divided among her surviving children but then the amount was not significant, they were so far away and it may have been quite impractical. When I found Edward's will I was childishly pleased to find he had made a bequest to Emma's eldest son, James Baker Elworthy. It could have taken some time for the legacy to come to him then James died suddenly in 1889 without making a will. Before James' eldest son Billy died in 1909 he made sure each of Emma's three surviving children Eliza Holloway, Emma Donaldson and Isabella Madden received a gift in his will and bequeathed two hundred and fifty pounds to each of them. It took a long long time but Emma's legacy was finally discharged - with interest! |