Bulleid News

No. 22 29 August 2008

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Bulleid Festa On Saturday, 13th September, participants at the Festa are due to tour North Devon by minibus and car. This is an abbreviated version of the tour notes relating to the places they will visit. Eggesford In the 1841 Census, Elenor Bullied is an agricultural labourer at Southcott farm in Chawleigh; her age is given as 54. Richard Bullied, aged about 15, is living with her, but there is no mention of her husband. In those days, agricultural labourers were hired for a year at a time and he was probably living away from Elenor. Also living at Southcott were Grace Webber, aged 60, and another Grace Webber, aged 20. Elenor is still at Southcott in 1851, but living alone. In 1850, John Bulleid married Anne Webber in Winkleigh and his marriage certificate shows that he was a cordwainer (leatherworker). We know from his marriage certificate that his father was John Bullied, a labourer. The following year, he was a shoemaker in Chawleigh, where he had been born 30 years earlier. John and Anne had six children, the first five born in Wembworthy, next to Eggesford. The last, Sidney, was born in Eggesford in 1865. We do not know of any other Bullieds in the Chawleigh area at the time and it is assumed that John the elder was Elenor’s husband and that John the younger and Richard were their children. According to the 1861 Census, Ellen Bulleid, was born in Eggesford about 1786 and was living at Challice, Eggesford. John Dart and his family were also living at Challice. In the 1871 Census, she was listed as Eleaner Bulleid, aged 85, living with her nephew John Dart and his family at Four Ways, Eggesford. James, the first son of John Bulleid and Anne Webber, was 6 months old at the time of the 1851 Census, when his father was a shoemaker in Chawleigh. In 1861, James was listed as being 13 (in fact, he was 10) born in Chawleigh and a ‘boy of all work’ at the 150 acre Kitchadon farm, Eggesford, which was occupied by the Rudall family. Kitchadon (EX18 7RB) and Four Ways still exist, as does Challice’s Plantation. Kitchadon supplies game and poultry. Winkleigh All Saints Parish Church The whole of the church and tower was re-roofed, the organ overhauled, electric wiring renewed, oil-fired central heating installed, and other work done due to a large legacy following the tragic deaths in 1975 of siblings Frances, Robert and Alan Luxton of West Chapple farm, Winkleigh. The bodies of all three were found outside the farmhouse. They had suffered gunshot wounds and the Inquest concluded that Alan had committed suicide, Robbie had shot his

sister and then turned the gun on himself. A more detailed account of the tragedy by cousin Peter Lyne appears on devonheritage.org. The first known member of our family recorded in Winkleigh was John Bulhedde named in the Winkleigh Subsidy Roll (Poll Tax) for 1523-4. We do not know how he was related to the first person on our family tree, John Bulhead, who married Agnes Heale in All Saints on 13 August 1582 and was buried there on 15 March 1598. Generations of Bulleids were christened, married and buried at the church over the next three centuries. Thomas Bulleid of Croft farm, Winkleigh, was a Churchwarden and Overseer of the Poor, and is known to have arranged several apprenticeships to alleviate hardship between 1745 and 1763. George Bulleid, who occupied Stabdon and other farms, did the same between 1793 and 1806, as did Samuel Bulleid – another Churchwarden of Winkleigh – from 1819 to 1823. Winkleigh Parish Registers started in 1569 and All Saints has been the venue for: -

43 known marriages, the earliest on 15 January 1570 between Agnes Bulleid and Thomas Pernacott, and the last on 27 February 1850 between John Bulleid and Anne Webber; 129 known baptisms; 21 known burials.

Memorial and Headstones There is a Memorial Stone in the Lady Chapel (on the left of the church facing the altar, near the pulpit) to George (1740-1813) and Ann Bulleid of Stabdon, their daughter Grace and son Samuel. The headstones outside the North Door are of:

- John (c1806-1884) and Grace Bulleid - Ann, daughter of George and Ann Bulleid of Stabdon, wife of William

Salter - William Salter and his daughter Sarah

Farmers Bulleids owned and occupied many farms in and around Winkleigh over the centuries including Stabdon, Herdwick, Heckpen, East and Middle Collacott, Croft, West Coulson, Westwood and East Weekhouse. A curiosity is Bulleid Mead, which was owned by John T Johnson to 1832, but how it got its name is a mystery. Many more members of the family were agricultural labourers employed on farms throughout the area. Butchers Thomas Bulleid (1611/12-1669) was a butcher in Winkleigh, as was his son Thomas, grandsons John and Samuel, great grandson Samuel and great great

grandson Thomas (1722-1782). The ‘Mad Butcher of Winkleigh’ has a shop today not far from the church. Hatherleigh Butchers Samuel Bulleid (1771-1848) was born in Winkleigh, but moved north to Dolton where he carried on the family tradition as a butcher, occupying two local farms. His son Samuel moved to Hatherleigh, where he was living in Conduit Street (now the High Street) in 1844 and had his butcher’s shop. His sons John Samuel and Samuel John carried on the business, although the latter became a manure merchant in Hatherleigh before moving to Tormoham, Torquay where, in 1891, he had the Temperance Hotel. Two of his daughters were music teachers and another a professional singer. St John the Baptist Parish Church John Samuel remained in Hatherleigh and was buried in the churchyard. The headstones there are of:

- John Samuel, his wife Emma, son Charles John (who died at Mafeking, South Africa) and daughter Lucy

- John and Emma’s children Fanny, Helen, Ernest Samuel and Thomas Richard

- Their daughter Emily Jane Tucker - Their daughter Beatrice Mary - John Samuel’s sister Mary and her children Florence and John Essery

These were not the first Bulleids to live in Hatherleigh. The Bullhed family are known to have lived there from 1560, if not earlier, several of the family being baptised in St John’s between then and the end of the 16th century. Iddesleigh Bullhead Farm The source of the family name is thought to be Bullhead Farm, which is reputed to have been occupied by John de’Bulhead in the 13th century and, from a Subsidy Roll, William de Boleshead in 1332. Jack Bulleid, former family historian, wrote 1n 1987 that:

“The Place Names Society have researched that Bullhead Farm, Iddesleigh, Devon, was originally Bolehead. Now Bole was the prefix in Iron Age times given to a smelting site which was ideally at the head of a converging valley where the wind was strongest to provide the maximum draught for the smelting fire (before bellows were thought of).

It is significant that on the present farm about 17 years ago, excavations at the head of just such a valley yielded numerous Bronze Age artefacts that suggested that it was a site for repairing tools.”

Armynell Goodall (née Bulleid), daughter of Dr Arthur Bulleid the amateur archaeologist and first family historian, states there is proof that Bullhead Farm is the farm of the Bulleids. She wrote that:

“All Bulleids come from most humble origins, chiefly farm labourers, a few flourished and became tenant farmers and eventually climbed the social ladder, but there is no question of a crest... Bullhead Farm does exist and is the farm of the Bulleids – there is proof for this and the present farmhouse stands on a very old site and there have obviously been Bulleids there for many, many years. Although Bullhead Farm seems to have been the original centre of the Bulleids, the clan spread and one lot ‘hived’ off and spelt the name Bulled.”

If a line is drawn north-south from South Molton, most Bulleds are from east of that line, whereas Bullheads/Bulleids/Bullieds are mainly to the west of it. We do not know when Bullhead Farm was last occupied by a Bulleid. It includes a barn which has recently been converted for holiday use and is thought previously to have been the farmhouse. Jack Bulleid dated it from the 15th century. Dolton St Edmund Parish Church Samuel Bulleid (1771-1848) was born in Winkleigh, but moved north to Dolton where he carried on his family’s tradition as a butcher, occupying two local farms: Arscott from 1804 to 1830 and West Upcott in Dowland, from 1807 to 1816. His bride Eleanor Paddon Bissett was from a family of wide ranging and well established butchers and farmers. Samuel and Eleanor had nine children, the first four being baptised in Dolton church and the others in nearby Dowland. Twins Eleanor and Eliza were both married in Dolton church, as was their sister Mary Field whose two children by her first marriage were baptised there. Mary Field Bulleid was the granddaughter of John Bulleid and Mary Field. The Field name survived several generations and was borne by John Field Bulleid (1916-2002), known as ‘Jack’, our former family historian. Samuel was a lay Baptist preacher at the Baptist church in Dolton and his daughter Ann married William Lyne, the local blacksmith who later became the draper and grocer in Dolton. William, too, was a lay Baptist preacher, and is mentioned in ‘A Short History of the Baptist Churches of North Devon (1885)’:

“Another preacher was Mr William Lyne. We think of him as full of sacred impulsion. Having a powerful voice, and accustomed to wield the

hammer on the anvil, he in prayer and speaking would use his right hand and arm with great force; and not unfrequently startle by the sound of the blow. A truly good man, by life and work he sought to bring sinners to the Saviour. His addresses turned to Jesus as the needle to the pole.”

By 1841, Samuel and Eleanor had retired and were living in Chapple Cottage, part of Chapple farm, about one and a half miles south west of Dolton village. Their daughters Kezia and Ann were living with them and earned their keep as straw hat manufacturers. The butcher’s business in Dolton was taken forward by their son William Paddon Bulleid, who also farmed 20 acres in Dolton. By 1881, William had retired with his wife Fanny and they were living in Levertons Cottage, Dolton. The headstones behind the church, towards the back of the churchyard are of:

- Samuel and Eleanor - Their daughter Ann and husband William Lyne - Their daughter Mary Field Halls and second husband William Halls - Samuel Halls, son of William and Mary Field

North Tawton Staddon Farm George Bulleid (1781-1869) was born in Colebrook where his father was farming. He occupied Snydols in Chittlehampton from 1810 to 1815, possibly longer, but by 1818 he had moved to North Tawton with wife Mary and four children, where the next five children were born. He occupied or owned Staddon farm as well as Hayne farm and employed apprentices for both. Contemporaneously, his brother John was farming Stabdon in Winkleigh, having inherited a moiety (half share), which had come down from their father via their elder brother Samuel. It is clear that this branch of the family were successful, well-to-do farmers. George became an Overseer of the Poor in North Tawton. His family suffered more than their share of tragedies, however, with the deaths of sons George, aged 15, John (23), Thomas (12) and daughter Mary (33). The second son, Samuel (1813-1886) survived to become a maltster and brewer, living in The Square, North Tawton, in 1851 and farming 28 acres. Samuel married Elizabeth Lee in North Tawton in 1845 and they had three children before her death at the age of 44 in 1862: William, Samuel Lee and John. Samuel Lee died in a vat just a few days after his sixth birthday. By 1861, the year before his mother’s death, William had left home and was living with his uncle Samuel Snell Lee (Elizabeth’s brother) in East Teignmouth. This Samuel was a very successful Linen Draper and William learned the trade, which was to stand him in good stead later in life. His younger brother John

went to live with Samuel Lee’s sister Jane Durant after his mother’s death. He later joined his brother in Samuel’s household, which included Samuel’s firstborn Fanny Laura Snell. John and Fanny were therefore first cousins. In 1874, William and John decided to move to New Zealand and set sail together on 12 April aboard the “Devana”, arriving in Port Chalmers on 12 July. William went into business in Invercargill as an importing draper and four years later returned to England on business, met a Welsh woman, Marianne Vaughan Pugh, and took her back to New Zealand as his wife after a brief courtship. John had set up a successful drapery business in Oamaru on New Zealand’s South Island and was obviously missing his cousin Fanny. He arranged for her to sail to Australia in 1881, where he met her in Melbourne and they were married. The family’s history of tragedy befell William, who fell sick and died in Invercargill at the age of 42, leaving a widow and two young children: Oliver and Alan. The family moved back to the UK and eventually Oliver became probably the most famous of the Bulleids as Chief Mechanical Officer of Southern Railway and designer of the highly acclaimed Bulleid Pacific steam locomotives. John’s business in Oamaru thrived and he built probably the largest single storey house on the South Island, named “Pen-y-bryn”, which still exists. John and Fanny travelled to London and Europe with their three young children in 1892 and did not return to New Zealand until 1896. During the trip they acquired furniture and pictures for their new home, so that on their return they would have a fine house with plaster ceilings from Florence; made to measure oak panelling all ready to assemble, from England; antique furniture; sets of beautifully bound books; dozens of lovely water colours to remind them of their homeland, and all the other things necessary to furnish a fine home. Late in 1895 they had about four months in Italy and added to their purchases with some good watercolours of the area around Naples, Herculaneum and Pompeii. Tragedy struck again in 1910, however, when John, suffering from overwork, hypertension and a feeling of persecution, took his own life. Going back to William and John’s father, Samuel, he left North Tawton after the death of his wife Elizabeth in 1862 and next appears in the 1871 Census as a boarder in Saltash, Cornwall, still following his trade as a maltster. Ten years later he is boarding in Plymouth. Who knows how much he saw of his sons after they went to live with their uncle and then moved to New Zealand! St Peter’s Parish Church The churchyard contains the headstones of:

- George Bulleid of Staddon, his son William, farmer, and daughter Amelia, grocer in North Tawton. Neither William nor Amelia married

- George’s wife Mary and their son John - Samuel Bulleid, father of William and John

- Elizabeth, mother of William and John, her brother Samuel Lee and sister Fanny Lee

- Elizabeth’s mother Maria Lee - Samuel Lee Bulleid, son of Samuel and Elizabeth - John Durant - Leah Lee There is a stained glass window in the church, near the altar, with a brass plaque stating that the “window is erected to the memory of John and Jane Durant of “Senderhills”, North Tawton, by their sons Henry William and John Durant and nephew John Bulleid of Oamaru, New Zealand. November 1900.”

Clapper Cottage, Bondleigh The first mention of Clapper is in 1813 when Thomas (1809-1813) is buried from there, so his parents Richard (1763-1840) and Elizabeth must have lived in one of the farm cottages, the farm being known today as Clapperdown. Richard died in the Union Workhouse at Great Torrington. James Bulleid, son of Richard and his first wife Thomasine, was living at Clapper with his wife Elizabeth in 1815 when their firstborn, Mary Ann, was christened from there. However, one wonders whether Clapper Cottage was a happy place for the family. Their daughter Grace died there in 1836 aged 15 and son James in 1838 aged 20. James and Elizabeth were still there at the time of the 1851 Census, when they occupied Cottage No.1 and he was a husbandman. The property was owned by the Rev. Peter Johnson in 1846. Several of the descendants of Richard and Thomasine migrated to Canada during and after the 1840s, whilst Samuel (1858-1934) migrated to the USA. Samuel is the gt grandfather of Festa participant, Cathy Bullied Young, who designed and painted the family’s Coat of Arms. Another Festa participant, Linda Channon, is descended from Richard and Thomasine. John Bulleid (1822-1918) moved from Clapper to Plymouth, where he married Jane Helson in 1851. He is the gt grandfather of five Festa participants: Donald Bulleid, Stanley Bulleid, Violet Bridson, Bob Teasdale and Geoff Ledden; and gt gt grandfather of many more: Margaret Pittaway, June Ings, Ann and Peggy Taylor, Jenny Kirk, Lorraine Hatton, Jennie Searle, Liz Uren, Chris Bulleid, Hilary Bright and Sarah Ledden. Stabdon farm, Winkleigh Stabdon is not to be confused with Staddon farm in North Tawton. In 1725/6, Samuel Bulleid left his messuage (dwelling house) and tenement (land) called Stabdon in Winkleigh to his son, Samuel. The inventory of his estate refers to “Chattle estate in moiety (half share) called Stapdon - £240.” Land Tax records show that from 1788 to 1815 Stabdon was owned by the Rev.

Henry Hawkins Tremayne, at which time it was farmed by Samuel’s grandson, George (1740-1813). He paid Land Tax of £5-16-10d in 1788. George’s eldest son, Samuel, paid Land Tax on Stabdon from 1816 to 1832, when the owner was still the Rev. Tremayne. Samuel died in 1839. Stabdon comprised more than 280 acres including coarse pasture and arable land, nursery and orchards. In the 1846 tithe apportionment, Stabdon was owned by John Hearle Tremayne (who also owned Herdwick, another Bulleid farm) and occupied by John Bulleid, probably Samuel’s younger brother. John was still there in 1850 when he was listed in White’s Directory of Devon. John died at the Staddon estate in North Tawton of his brother George in 1859. Wise Family Gathering It seems that this is the time of the year for family gatherings and I am indebted to Su Tayler for this contribution. Su is a marvellous correspondent in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, who has supplied a great deal of information about the Bulleid family in that part of the world as well as contacts with them. She is a member of the Wise family and explains the connection with the Bulleids: - “Who would have thought that over 200 Wise family members would make “A Wise Journey” to Wangaratta in Victoria, Australia, not quite as far as their Ancestors - to meet their other Wise relatives! We met at the Wangaratta Library on the 19th of July, 2008 – 160 years after the arrival of Joseph and Matilda Wise in Australia from Twyford, Buckinghamshire, England on the 19th of July 1848. Another coincidence was that Joseph Wise was buried on the 19th of July, 1910…and his mother also was buried in England on the 19th of July 1855. Joseph and Matilda Wise, from the Bulleid perspective, are the Grandparents of Rose Anne Matilda Wise – the wife of Henry James David Bulleid. Apparently, Henry James was keen to marry Bertha Stomann, but she married William Wise. Henry James had to wait many years to marry the much younger Rose (daughter of William and Bertha Wise). There were a good showing of Bulleid family members on hand on the day, who had a lovely time catching up with their cousins, many of whom they had not seen in many years. One of the best things from the day was the fact that many family members had felt that they had no family out there, so it was great to see them interacting with their new found family. (Bertha Stomann’s brother Otto married Mary, the eldest daughter of William Wise’s sister Elizabeth, my great great grandmother) Over 190 of us Wise people had lunch at the local pub “the Pinsent”, where many of our family members have been employed over the years and still are. Our hostess for the day turned out to be the wife of one our “Bulleid Family”. After lunch we travelled out to the Wangaratta Cemetery where we dedicated a

new headstone to commemorate 160 years in Australia and the lives of Joseph and Matilda Wise. I was a bit overwhelmed by the interest and the sheer numbers of Wise Family, we have now over 2500 descendants in Australia since Joseph and Matilda arrived. We even had a few other Wises who were more distantly related and I notice on the guest book list about 3 of Lavinia Bulleid’s family were also here…as well as… descendants of Joseph’s father’s brother and Joseph’s brother William. I hope that the Bulleid Family reunion is as successful as my simple DVD launch. I had thought about 20 or 30 would come if I was lucky…when I first started this project…”

Wangaratta Chronicle 18 July 2008

Bulleid Web Despite the family’s close involvement in agriculture over the centuries, I had not seen any photos of Bulleids actually farming until Deb Gugeri kindly sent these from Australia. Martin Bulleid and his son Andrew, descendants of our first family historian, Dr Arthur Bulleid, have 2631 hectares (6500 acres) at Williams, Western Australia, where they grow canola, wheat, barley and oats. They also have about 2000 ewes of which 50% are mated to a prime sire for meat and 50% to Merino rams for wool production.

Andrew with air seeder

Andrew with the canola crop

Di and Wayne McAuliffe have set off from Melbourne on their journey to England for the Festa. This will take them to Tuscany and Venice en-route.

Lynette de Beer and her brother Geoff Bullied have also departed from Australia. Their first stop will be Aberdeen, Scotland, and they plan to do some family history research on the way to the Festa. Geoff Ledden: I was persuaded to join facebook.com recently when I discovered how many of the Bulleid family are members. Apart from a personal photo, some have posted photo albums, which can be viewed if they accept you as their friend. Facebook also hosts common interest groups including the Southern Steam Locomotive Design Appreciation Society, of which I have become an administrator. It includes a large number of photos of Oliver Bulleid’s steam locomotives. Many of you know that 18 months ago I was diagnosed with colon cancer. Chemo and radiotherapy followed for the next seven months until I was able to have the tumour removed. This necessitated a temporary stoma until the colon had healed. The main operation took place in March this year and the stoma was reversed three months later. Scans were repeated at intervals during the past 18 months. Both operations were successful and there is no evidence of secondary cells. I am relaying this news for two reasons: firstly to thank everyone who has sent me their good wishes over the past 18 months. Your support has been invaluable and I am deeply grateful. Secondly, to offer encouragement to others in a similar situation. If you want to share experiences, or there is any other way in which I can help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. All the best to everyone and ‘bon voyage’ to those who will gather in Eggesford in two weeks’ time. Geoff geoffledden@yahoo.com