H for Honiton Clyst

Miss W. Davey , , ,

Clyst Honiton Church - geograph.org.uk - 1322076

Honiton Clyst (or Clyst Honiton) was a small village but is now part of the outskirts of Exeter in Devon, England. In 1850, there were 467 people living in the village according to the Devonshire Directory. Little did I know that many of them were members of my Davey family in the 1830s.

In 1990, I stayed in a B&B in Honiton Clyst when I was researching my great great grandfather John Davey.  All I knew was that he was born in Devon around 1834. At that time the village was on the main road called the A30 which made it easier for me to drive into Exeter to visit the local archives each day. But since then the village has been bypassed by other major road works. The local Exeter airport is also near Honiton Clyst.

The major church there is St Michael and All Angels which has been in use since the 1680’s.

Some other posts I have written about researching John Davey: Research surprise, His biography, DNA match.

G for Glenorchy

Miss W. General info , , ,

Prior to white men arriving, the land now known as Tasmania was occupied by Tasmanian Aboriginals. The first  land grants were allotted in Glenorchy to the free settlers who arrived in 1804. The first settlement in the area was known as O’Brien’s Bridge in 1809. From this time it was farm land and there were many orchards leading to the first cool store built in the 1880s. Many German immigrants arrived in the 1880’s and built small townships called Bismark and Glenlusk in the foothills of the local mountains.

I spent the first 12 years of my life in Glenorchy. I attended the local primary school and one year at the high school. As a family we attended Glenorchy Methodist church which was across the road from the school. In 1967, bushfires came down over the mountains and into the outskirts of Glenorchy.

Glenorchy is a suburb of Hobart but it officially became a city in 1964. It is now a retail area as well as many industries including the Zinc Works at Risdon. At the opening of the new Glenorchy City Council Chambers, the Girl Guides and Brownies were asked to help plant the roses in the gardens.

F for Fremington

Miss W. General info , , , ,

FremingtonHouse Devon EastFront

Fremington is a town in North Devon near Barnstaple. It is less than one kilometre from the River Taw.

In history, Fremington hundred had a quay and the right to hold markets and fairs, so it was known as a borough which meant it could send members to the parliament of Edward III.

Fremington Manor, built in the late 1600s, was used as a training camp between 1943 and 1945 for the US Army. The British Army also used it until they sold it in 1980. It is now a nursing home.

Glacial deposits are found in the area and this has caused clay to be formed. Pottery found in the Barnstaple Museum is called Fishley Pottery and Barum ware.

In 1801, the population was 875. Part of that number was the Babb family.

My 4th great grandfather William Babb was baptised in February 1784 at Fremington. This is the furthest back I have proven on my father’s paternal line. William married Mary Blake in 1808 at Monkleigh, Devon. This town is about 10km south-west of Fremington.