Friday 13 April 2018

A - Z Challenge 2018 - L





The Blogging from A to Z Challenge is to post everyday (except Sunday) in the month of April 2018 starting with the letter A and going all the way to Z. The theme I chose is...
My Family Tree Places.





LODDISWELL , UK



Loddiswell (Lodeswyll, Lodeswell) is a parish in county Devon, England, and part of the Stanborough Hundred. The name is from Saint Loda's well, a well-known local saint. It is 3 miles NW of Kingsbridge, the nearest larger town and where my King ancestor took the oath of fealty in 1723. There is evidence around Loddiswell of occupation going back to Roman times.  It is a sizable village built on the banks of the river Avon, where the King family owned the mill.


  



In the Doomsday Book, a survey of 31 counties of England done in 1086, Loddiswell was home to 44 households: 20 of villagers, 10 of smallholders, 8 of serfs (Latin translation is slaves) and 6 of cottagers. There were 12 ploughlands and 10 plough teams, 1 cob (work horse), 4 cattle, 6 pigs, 42 sheep and 11 goats. Other resources of the village consisted of 1 lord's land, 13 acres of meadow, half a league of pasture land, 1 league of woodland, and 1 fishery yielding 30 salmon. The industry was wool.





My King ancestors were freeholders of the mill, surrounding lands, and other properties at Loddiswell as far back as 1722 (maybe farther). Using a couple of wills of my King ancestors, and the tithe apportionments I was able to colour parts of the map that belonged to my ancestors.





According to the returns of the Bishop's Visitation in 1744 there were about 80 families living in the village. There was an almshouse, but no school or hospital. In 1779 there are reported about 100 families living in the parish. Both returns report one family of papists. 


My King ancestors were baptized, married and given last rights in St Michael’s and All Angels Church, described in 1840 as ancient with a tower and five bells. It was built in the 14th century, and into the 15th.








I am hoping I'll have time to make it there in September and locate the graves of the rest of my ancestors buried in this cemetery. 

Also, the Avon Mill owned by my ancestors now houses a B&B and I want to stay there at least one night!






2 comments:

  1. I hope you get to stay at the B&B. The nice thing about finding ancestors in Europe is the likelihood that their homes or associated buildings are still standing unlike here in the good ol' U S of A where finding something built in the 1700s is a miracle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is very emotional being in an ancestors home or place of business.

      Delete

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