FOOT/DRAKE - Bere Ferrers

[Sssence]

The witnesses to the marriage of Mary Foot and William Reed (sojourner) in 1794 are Christopher Foot and Richard Humphrey Foot .. which is perhaps not the Richard Humphry born 1789 ?

There is a Mary Foot baptised Bere Ferrers 27 Dec 1773 with the parents given as Christopher and Mary but as it was 7 months after Christopher and Elizabeth married ...it is more likely to be their child ?
Mary Foot  and William Reed have daughters Kitty 1799 (married William Buckley) and Thomasin 1812 (married  William Hoskin Adams) as well as Ann  Elizabeth  Mary (my line) Alice  John  William  Thomas and a Peter. They had 2 at the Higher Chapel Moriah/Maria 1814 and another John 1817. The lack of a Christopher suggests ... ? So good at using all the other names why not Christopher ?

Always more puzzles !
Sssence

[hanes teulu]

Baptisms - Church of St Andrew, Bere Ferrers

May 14 1743, Christopher, son of Christopher and Mary Foot
Jan 25 1756, Celia, daughter of Christopher and Mary Foot
31 Jan 1790, John, son of John and Sicilia (sic) Drake

Have found these on FindMyPast (from images of original docs)

[hanes teulu]

Baptisms, St Andrew, Bere Ferrers
Oct 6 1754, Grace, daughter of Christopher and Mary Foot
Feb 28 1765, Grace, daughter of Christopher and Mary Foot

[hanes teulu]

Baptism St Andrew, Bere Ferrers
3 Nov 1748, Mary, daughter of Christopher and Mary Foot

[hanes teulu]

Baptisms St Andrew, Bere Ferrers
Dec 27th 1773, Mary, daughter of Xtopher and Mary Foot
Dec 20 1761, Thomas, son of Christopher and Mary Foot

[miball]

Hi,
im brand new to this site and was wondering if you could help. My ggg grandfather was John Drake 1791--1861 from Bere Ferrers, living in Monkeys Castle, im pretty sure he was married to Mary but i don't know her maiden name. I'm hoping John mught be related to your Elizabeth and was wondering if you had any info that could link them together.
     Thank You.

After.stumbling across a lot of hard work by another contributer here by accident very recently I decided to stop at Bere ferrers yesterday on the way home from Cornwall. We share the same ggg grandmother. We decided to nip into the Plough in, Bere ferrers only to find myself sat beside marY's headstone set into the floor!  Apparently the stone mason was across the road, and when it changed hands piles of "practice " headstones (seconds?) where found in the garden and sold as flooring. No sign of the head stone in the grave yard, but the only grave stones I could see (2) in the same stone where in a poor state, so I guess the "good" one has been outlived by the one in the pub! Spoke to someone who.has always lived in the village,  still uncertain myself but she knew of Monkeys Castle,said some remains were still visible when she was.young,  I'd guess she was in her late 40s to early 50s. She described it as being very close to Well farm, if you drive out of Bere ferrers, past well farm drive and park in layby just after. Then walk back past farm entrance,  she described it as if it should be obvious,  but it didnt seem to be to me, did notice a gap in the typical mud devon bank and stone work 50 yards down. Sorry not to add anything useful yet, will add if I can.

[miball]

Hello - another distant cousin belatedly joining in the thread - I too am descended from William Richard Harry and Jane Drake and have been looking at the Drakes of Bere Ferrers.  John Drake and Mary Harris appear to have had seven children, the youngest of whom was baptised Christopher Foote Drake, making a connection with the Christopher Foot already mentioned highly likely.  They also had a daughter named Celia Drake, presumably named after John's mother Celia Foot by the looks of information on this thread.  I've been putting what I've got on WeRelate:
http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Family:John_Drake_and_Mary_Harris_%281%29

Do you have a baptism for the John Drake son of John Drake and Celia Foot?
Many thanks
Richard.

Hello, it looks like you have spent a lot of time and hard work! William Harry and Jane drake are my great great grandparents from what I can see. I stumbled across what you put on WeRelate purely by accident and what I appreciate is.the amout of names you put on after you seem to branch off.  I need to pin down my dad and put some more family tree up, I am not sure if I'm going to be much help to the Drake/Harris side, as lots has been done but will certainly share.

[RichardK]

Hello Miball, and welcome to Rootschat. I like what you've found out about the location of Monkeys Castle. Based on the description you've given, if you have a look at www.old-maps.co.uk for co-ordinates 245344, 65668 you'll see on the 1884 map a small black square, and in the same spot on the 1953 map it's labelled "ruin". This seems to fit with both where Monkeys Castle is listed in the censuses, and the fact the ruin was still there at least as late as the 1950s fits with the description from your lady in the pub.
Thanks
Richard.

[miball]

Hello Miball, and welcome to Rootschat. I like what you've found out about the location of Monkeys Castle. Based on the description you've given, if you have a look at www.old-maps.co.uk for co-ordinates 245344, 65668 you'll see on the 1884 map a small black square, and in the same spot on the 1953 map it's labelled "ruin". This seems to fit with both where Monkeys Castle is listed in the censuses, and the fact the ruin was still there at least as late as the 1950s fits with the description from your lady in the pub.
Thanks
Richard.

Thanks for the link,  Ive been trying to find an old map, had forgotten about old maps site. This matches the spot I guessed. Now a gate sized gap/reduced thickness of hedge alongside a stone wall in a bank otherwise made of mud. Quite overgrown and not really anything to distinguish this spot from the rest of this wooded/over grown strip between the field and road.