Robert & Elizabeth SHUTE or SHUTT

[swinsor]

Hi,

I am trying to trace the death and burial of my ancestors Robert and Elizabeth Shute (sometimes written as Shutt in records).  Robert was an Excise officer for 30 years from 1759.  He married Elizabeth Gay in Gosport, Hampshire in 1777.  As of 13th Jan 1789, he was an Out Ride in Barum Collection for Stratton 1st Ride. When his father -in-law Benjamin Gay wrote his Will on 12 Nov 1792, both Robert and Elizabeth were dead and their children orphans, to be brought up and educated by Benjamin's three other children.

Has anyone come across the death or burial of this couple between 1789 and 1792? 

Thanks to anyone who can help.

Stephen

[deb usa]

Hi Stephen

I have been looking around... can't see any deaths yet.

What were the names, DOB and POB of their children?

I found this;
Shutt, Robert, of Poole, co. Dorset, supervisor of excise, 21, w., & Elizabeth Gay, of Gosport, sp., at G., 24 Jun 1777.
Hampshire: Marriage License allegations, Bishop of Winchester, 1689-1837

Seems that Robert had been married before as he is a widower when marrying Elizabeth.

will keep looking

deb

[swinsor]

Hi Deb,

Thanks for your help.  The marriage that you have found is the right one.

Robert and Elizabeth's children were:

Gay Shute c1778 Poole, Dorset - 1852 Gosport, Hampshire
Sophia Shute bc1779
Jonathan Fowler Shute b & d 1782
Jonathan Shute c1784 Poole, Dorset - Living 1861 Oswestry, Shropshire
Fowler Shute c1789 -  d by 2 May 1812 Cape Town, South Africa

Robert Shute was Supervisor of the Excise for Poole District from 13 Jul 1774 - 1 Jun 1785, so it is assumed that all the children were born there.  Gay and Jonathan identified Poole as their place of birth in the census returns. I have not however found the actual entries of baptism.  I am not sure what happened to Sophia, but both Sophia and Fowler were living in 1792 when their grandfather Benjamin Gay wrote his Will.  Fowler died as a naval officer in Cape Town. If he was born as late as 1789, he could have been born in Cornwall or Devon, depending on where his father was based for the Stratton Ride.

I know nothing of Robert Shute's first marriage nor to whom he was married.

Kind regards,

Stephen

[krisesjoint]

Hi Stephen,

Here are the baptisms from St James Poole - parents Robert & Elizabeth

SHUT Gay 21 Jun 1778
SHUTE Sophia 17 Oct 1779
SHUTE Jonathan Fowler 21 Apr 1782
SHUTE Jonathan 28 Mar 1784

No luck with a baptism for Fowler and like Deb no luck with deaths for Robert and Elizabeth so far.

Cheers Kris 

[swinsor]

Hi Kris,

Thank you very much for that.  Four out of five isn't bad!

As you haven't found Fowler's baptism at Poole, it does make me think that he was born after the family had moved away.  However whether Robert went straight to the Stratton Ride I am not certain.  His post in Poole ended on 1st June 1785 and it is not clear when he took up the new position.  He was certainly already there by the 13th January 1789.  The impression that I get is that the "Rides" covered quite a large area and very likely parts of both Devon and Cornwall.  It all seems to have been run from Barnstaple, but whether or not that was where he lived I have no idea.  Presumably each Out Ride lived somewhere central to his ride, so perhaps it was Stratton.

Kind regards,

Stephen

[deb usa]

Hi Stephen and Kris

Do you know why Fowler went to South Africa? With him being the youngest child, I am wondering if he went with his parents..perhaps, they too died in Cape Town.

deb

[swinsor]

Hi Deb,

I have a copy of Fowler Shute's Will.  At the time of writing, he was acting Master of HMS Harpy, but was a patient in the Royal Naval Hospital at the Cape of Good Hope.  The Will was dated 30th November 1811 and proved on 2nd May 1812.  I would therefore presume that he was only in South Africa because he had been taken ill or suffered an accident that caused his hospitalisation whilst his ship was visiting.

I think it very doubtful that Robert or Elizabeth died outside England, as their four surviving children (including Fowler) were brought up in England by their mother's three sisters under the terms of their grandfather's Will which was dated 12th November 1792.  Elizabeth was definitely dead by this date and the wording of the Will makes it clear that her four children were orphans.

Kind regards,

Stephen