Great x4 Grandmother Loveday Turner (nee Bennett)

My Great x4 Grandmother Loveday (1785 - 1854) was a farm servant, housewife, and mother of ten.

Loveday was born around 1785 in North Tawton, Devon to James Bennett (about 27), and Sarah Bennett (nee Skinner) (about 30).

Loveday was baptised on 20th November 1785 in North Tawton.

Loveday was the fourth of seven daughters:

• Joanna  1782 -
• Sarah  1784 - 1784  (about 3 weeks old)
• Susanna  1784 - 1784  (about 3 weeks old)
• Loveday  1785 -
• Dinah  1788 -
• Mary  1790 -
• Mahlah  1793 - 1797  (3 or 4 years old)

In 1784, the year before Loveday was born, her older sisters, twins Sarah and Susanna, passed away, only a few weeks old. Together they were baptised on 4th April and buried on 21st April in North Tawton.

In the late 1780's the baptisms of the girls show, the family lived in North Tawton. In the early 1790's, the family moved from North Tawton back to Sampford Courtney, where Loveday's youngest sister, Mahlah was baptised in 1793.

In 1793, when Loveday was about seven, her father James passed away, aged about thirty-five. James was buried on 10th September 1793 in Sampford Courtenay. In the same year, Loveday's widowed mother, Sarah, along with her four youngest daughters, were ordered to be removed from Belstone back to Sampford Courtenay.

In early 1797, when Loveday was about ten, her youngest sister Mahlah passed away, aged about only three or four. Mahlah was buried on 5th February 1797 in Sampford Courtenay.

In 1797, when Loveday was ten or eleven, she was apprenticed to Simon Coombe of Sampford Courtenay.

In 1801, when Loveday was about fifteen, her mother Sarah passed away, aged about forty-six. Sarah was buried on 12th September 1801 in Sampford Courtenay.

In 1805, when Loveday was about nineteen and working as a servant, she gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, fathered by William Coombe. Their daughter was christened Dinah Coombe, on 11th August 1805 in Sampford Courtenay, but would later go by Dinah Bennett. William was ordered by the parish to pay maintenance. William may well have been the young son of Loveday's employer, Simon Coombe. I wonder if Loveday and William's relationship was short-lived and reached its end before Dinah's birth.

On 4th November 1811, Loveday (about 26) married George Turner (about 24), a labourer at Plymouth Dock, in Stoke Damerel, near Plymouth, which is over thirty-miles south of Sampford Courtenay, where Loveday lived for most of her younger years. Whilst George was able to sign his name (interestingly he spelt it without the first e, eg 'Gorge'), Loveday left only her mark, implying she could not write.

'Plymouth [Dock], from Mount Edgcumbe' painted by JMW Turner in the 1810's

Loveday and George have nine children (six daughters and three brothers):

• Mary  1813 -
• Loveday  1816 -
• Rebecca  1818 -
• Elizabeth  1821 -
• Susan  1822 - 1826  (3 years old)
• Eliza  1825 - 1826  (1 year old)
• George  1827 - 1828  (4 months old)
• George  1829 -
• William  1832 -

The baptism records of the couple's eldest five children give the young family's address as Plymouth Dock. Though the couple's first two daughters was baptised into the Church of England; interestingly, when the couple had their third, fourth, and fifth daughters baptised, they chose to have them baptised into the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Does this signify a change in religious belief?

Sometime between 1822 and 1825, the family moved back northwards to Jacobstowe, which is only three miles west of Loveday's former home of Sampford Courtenay. There, the couple's youngest four children were baptised, once more into the Church of England. George continued to work as a labourer, but no longer at the docks - was he now a farm labourer?

In 1826, when Loveday was about forty-one, her infant daughters passed away. Eliza (1 years old) passed away first - she was buried on 30th June - followed by Susan (3 years old) - she was buried, less than a week later, on 6th July - both in Jacobstowe. Touchingly, Loveday's eldest daughter Dinah, who was about one to two months pregnant with her first child at the time, would name that child, a daughter, after the girls: so Loveday's first grandchild was christened Eliza Susan Herd, on 26th February 1827, in Jacobstowe.

Just over one year later, Loveday's son, George, passed away, aged four months old. He was buried on 9th March 1828 in Jacobstowe. George had been Loveday's eighth child, but her first son - I imagine his death was felt acutely. George had likely been named for his father. George and Loveday would named their next born child, another son, George also.

In early 1841, when Loveday was about fifty-five, her husband George passed away, aged about fifty-four. He was buried on 21st February 1841, in Jacobstowe. On his burial record, his abode is listed as Exbourne, which is only one and a half miles from Jacobstowe. He is also described as being a pensioner, implying he was in receipt of a military pension - in other words, a Chelsea pensioner. George would have been a young man at the time of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815). Had he served in that war, before working as a labourer at Plymouth Dock (today Devonport)? Had he been a sailor? Was it his service that brought him to the navel town in the first place?

Widowed, Loveday lived and worked once more as a servant on farms. Meanwhile her youngest two sons - George, about twelve, and William, about nine - lived and worked as labourers on different farms in the Okehampton area. Whilst her adult daughters had long left home, with at least Dinah, Loveday (junior) and Rebecca married.

The 1841 Census shows Loveday, living with agricultural labourer Thomas Bolt and his family at Bude (Farm), Monkokehampton, which is less than three miles north of Exbourne, where Loveday's husband George had passed away earlier that year.

1841 Census:

Come the 1851 Census, Loveday, now in her mid sixties, is listed as a visitor, living with widow Catherine Piper and her daughters at Folly Gate, Inwardleigh, which is about eight miles south of Loveday's last address in Monkokehampton.

1851 Census:

In 1854, Loveday passed away, aged about sixty-eight, in Inwardleigh. She was buried on 25th June 1854 in Jacobstowe.

Great x4 Grandfather William Coombe

My Great x4 Grandfather William was a father of at least one.

In 1805, William fathered the illegitimate daughter of servant Loveday Bennett (about 19). Their daughter was christened Dinah Coombe, on 11th August 1805 in Sampford Courtenay, but would later go by Dinah Bennett. William was ordered by the parish to pay maintenance - thus why we know his name. On the Order of Payment record, William is described as being of Kigbeare, Okehampton. There is a Kigbeare Manor Farm still in Okehampton today - was this where William lived? Back in 1794, an eleven-year-old Loveday had been apprenticed to Simon Coombe. William may have been the son of Loveday's employer. A William Coombe was born to a Simon Coombe in Sampford Countenay in 1782, making him about twenty-three, if/when he fathered little Dinah. Though this a strong theory - that this William, born 1782, son of Simon Coombe, was Dinah's father - I am yet able to confirm it. That law had to be utilised for William to pay maintenance, implies William may have otherwise been disinclined to financially support the mother of his daughter. I wonder if William and Loveday's relationship was short-lived and reached its end before Dinah's birth.

Great x3 Grandmother Dinah Herd (nee Bennett)

My Great x3 Grandmother Dinah (1805 - 1869) was a servant, housekeeper, and mother of two.

Dinah Bennett was born around 1805 in Sampford Courtenay, Devon, to William Coombe (about 23) and Loveday Bennett (about 19), a female servant.

Dinah was illegitimate. She was baptised Dinah Coombe, on 11th August 1805 in Sampford Courtenay, but would later go by Dinah Bennett. Her father William Coombe was ordered by the parish to pay maintenance. He was the son of Loveday's employer, Simon Coombe, who Loveday, back when about eleven-years-old, was apprenticed to in 1794.

On 4th November 1811, when Dinah was six, her mother Loveday married George Turner, a labourer, in Stoke Damerel, near Plymouth, which is over thirty-miles south of Dinah's native Sampford Courtenay.

Soon Dinah gained nine younger half siblings (six sisters and three brothers):

• Mary  1813 -
• Loveday  1816 -
• Rebecca  1818 -
• Elizabeth  1821 -
• Susan  1822 - 1826 (3 years old)
• Eliza  1825 - 1826 (1 year old)
• George  1827 - 1828 (4 months old)
• George  1829 -
• William  1832 -

Sometime between 1822 and 1825, the family moved back northwards to Jacobstowe, which is only three miles west of Dinah's native Sampford Courtenay.

On 9th January 1826, Dinah (about 20) married William Herd, a sawyer, in St Mary Steps, Exeter. Whilst William left only his mark, implying he could not write, Dinah was able to sign her name.

Dinah Bennett's Signature, 1826

Sadly, less than six months later, two of Dinah's younger half sisters, Eliza and Susan, passed away in infancy. Eliza (1 years old) passed away first - she was buried on 30th June - followed by Susan (3 years old) - she was buried, less than a week later, on 6th July. Touchingly, Dinah, who was about one or two months pregnant with her first child at the time, would name that child, a daughter, after her sisters. Eliza Susan Herd was baptised on 26th February 1827 in Jacobstowe. Eliza Susan was Dinah and William's only child.

Just over one year later, another of Dinah's young siblings sadly passed away in infancy. George was only four months old, when he passed away, in 1828. He was buried on 9th March 1828 in Jacobstowe. George had been his mother's eighth child, but her first son - I imagine his death was felt acutely.

Around 1834, Dinah's husband William went to America. He had been absent over three years, when on 19th July 1839, Dinah (about 34) gave birth to an illegitimate son, Ezekiel, in Exbourne, which is only about one and half miles from Jacobstowe. Ezekiel was baptised on 25th August 1839 in Exbourne. Ezekiel's birth certificate would acknowledge his father to be widower Walter Easterbrook (about 50), an agricultural labourer and thatcher. On Ezekiel's baptism record and when a baby on the 1841 census, his surname is given as Herd (his mother Dinah's married name); however, on all later records, Herd is listed as his middle name, Easterbrook is listed as his surname, and Walter is listed as his father.

Though Dinah and Walter would never marry - likely because she was still married, though to an absent husband - they would live together for many years, with their son Ezekiel. On censuses, Dinah's given relationship to Walter is inconsistent: she is listed as his servant, housekeeper and visitor.

In 1841, when Dinah was about thirty-five, her step-father George Turner passed away, aged about fifty-four. He was buried on 21st February 1814 in Jacobstowe. Dinah's widowed mother Loveday would find work as a servant.

1841 Census:

On 16th November 1847, Dinah's daughter Eliza (about 20) married labourer and excavator Walter Chapman (about 28), in Stoke Damerel. Meanwhile, Dinah remarried in Exbourne.

1851 Census:

In 1854, when Dinah was about forty-nine, her mother Loveday passed away, aged about sixty-eight, in Jacobstowe. She was buried on 25th June 1854 in Jacobstowe.

On 7th March 1859, Dinah's son Ezekiel (19), a blacksmith, married glover Mary Saunders (22) in her native Highampton. Mary moved in with Ezekiel and his parents. Two years later, in 1861, the family could be found living in Brooks Cottage, Towns End, Okehampton.

1861 Census:

In January 1862, when Dinah was about fifty-six, Walter Easterbrook, the father of her son, passed away, aged seventy-two, in Exbourne. He was buried on 24th January 1862 in Exbourne.

In July 1869, Dinah herself passed away, aged about sixty-four, in Exbourne. She was buried on 23rd July 1869 in Exbourne.