Whatmore Family History

In an early post I described the Watmores who were already in Hampshire by the mid 16th century. Whilst little is currently known about most of these families, that which lived at Micheldever and nearby East Stratton has been researched by Derek Whatmore of Hove and this post is entirely drawn from his work. I am most grateful to Derek for his generosity in allowing me to share his information via this blog. Readers who would like further details of this family will find these in the 30 page appendix  plus trees which Derek Whatmore compiled specially for the CD ROM version of ‘Wat’s Brother -in-Law’ by Geoffrey Whatmore. Details of the CD ROM and how to purchase a copy can be found at www.genfair.com   Look under ‘Suppliers’ for ‘Whatmore Family History’

 Micheldever   Photograph Copyright: Rosemary Oakeshott  From the Geograph website and reproduced under the terms of the site licence which can be read at this link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Derek Whatmore has set out  in a table what is known about the earliest Watmores at Micheldever

Marriages

23 Jan 1567          Simon Watmore and Margery Ede

10 Nov 1606        Richard Watmor and Margery Cossens

29 Nov 1624        Richard Wattemore and Margaret Tyre

26 July 1640       Margarett Wattmoor and John Whiteheade

Baptisms

20 May 1569      Amy Wadmer dau of Simo Wadmer

21 Dec 1607       Elizabeth Watmor dau of Richard Watmor

19 Aug 1610      Christofer Watmor son of Richard Watmor

7 March 1612     Richard Watmor son of Richard Watmor

21 Nov 1615      Marjery Watmor dau of Richard Watmor

Oct 1618            Timothie Watmore son of Richard Watmore

3 Feb 1621        Agnes Watmoore  dau of Richard Watmoore

18 Sept 1625     Robert Watmore  son of Richard Watmore

13 Feb 1628      Margret Watmore dau of Richard Watmore

 Burials

14 Dec 1622        Margerie Watmore

21 March 1627   Agnes Watmoore

2 Sept 1631         Richard Watmoore

5 Jan 1642           Robert Watmore

 There are no further Watmore entries in the Micheldever parish register until 5 September 1782 when John Watmore married Mary Holland. Whilst a gap for several years after 1640 is understandable as this was the Commonwealth Period when the recording of births, deaths and marriages was taken out of the hands of the clergy and handed to ‘registers’ who might or might not have bothered with their recording duties, such a long gap between 1640 and the next entry suggests, however, that the family moved elsewhere - probably into Berkshire. We have no means of knowing whether the John Watmore who married at Micheldever in 1782 was closely related to the earlier family in the village. From John and Ann’s marriage in 1782, Derek Whatmore has been able to trace a fairly clear line of descent right down to the present day.

John Watmore and his wife Ann Holland had a large family and the descendants of five of these children have been traced. Their children were: John 1782, Richard 1785, James 1787, Sarah 1789 who married Thomas Steele in 1812, George 1790, Charles 1791 -nothing further known, Charles 1794 - nothing further known, and Daniel 1795. I have only described one or two generations in this post, but later generations are described by Derek Whatmore in his appendix to ‘Wat’s Brother-in-Law’ (See above).

John Whatmore born 1782 married Sarah Stagg in 1808. John seems to have died young in 1811. The children of John and Sarah were William 1808 and Charles 1810. Nothing further is klnown about Charles but William married Mary Vince in 1848. In 1851 they were living in one of a line of thatched cottages next to ‘The Plough’ at Micheldever. Their children were  John 1849, Charles 1851, George 1853, Dorcas 1857, Sarah A 1859 and Alice 1861.

Dorcas married a Harry Whatmore in 1879. This Harry was some sort of cousin to Dorcas. He was the  son of  Thomas Whatmore born 1819 and his wife Sarah Stevens. One of Harry’s brothers was Alfred Ernest Whatmore born 1854 and he emigrated to Sri Lanka and will be the subject of a later post.

Richard Whatmore born 1785 married Ann Ball in 1813. Their children were George 1814, Charles 1817, Ann 1819, Rebecca 1822 who married William Hall in 1844, William 1826, Martha 1826 who married William Goodger in 1854, John 1828 who died the same year, Daniel 1829, and Mary 1833 who died the same year.

Richard, an agricultural labourer, and Ann were far from wealthy and in 1826 received 4 shillings and seven pence in parish relief.

Richard and Ann’s son George married Jane Trimmer in 1841 and they had nine children.

Richard and Ann’s son William married Jane Rossiter (nee Faithfull) in Portsmouth in 1850. In 1851 William was described as a maltster and was living with his family at Brockhurst village, Gosport. The following year they moved to Wincester. After a spell as a carrier, William returned to his occupation of maltster and by 1881 was the landlord of ‘The Royal Standard’ in Winchester. By now Jane had died and William remarried in 1883 to a Charlotte Lee and then again in 1886 to a lady with the name of Faith Elizabeth Hannah Mary Martha Thorne (nee Boyes). It would seem that Faith’s parents could not make up their minds what to name her! William died in 1889. His children by Jane were Mary Ann 1851, James Faithfull 1852, Charles 1854, Walter 1856 and Edward John 1859. William had no children by his second wife, but by his third wife Faith, he had Ethel Victoria 1887 and Ellen Elizabeth 1889.

Micheldever  Photograph copyright: Colin Smith      From the Geograph website and reproduced under the terms of the site licence which can be read at this link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

James Whatmore born in 1787 married Mary Locke in 1812 at East Stratton. Their children were John 1813, James 1816 who died the same year, Daniel 1817, Ann 1820, William 1823, James 1826, Henry 1829, Sarah 1831 and Francis 1834. James died in 1842 and Mary in 1846.

James and Mary’s son Daniel born 1817 was at home at the time of the 1841 census, but his whereabouts thereafter are a mystery unless he is the Daniel Whatmore who was working as a railway signalman and living with his wife Mary at Tipton in 1881.

James and Mary’s son William born 1823 married Sarah Morris in 1845 at Micheldever. William worked as a railway platelayer and was nearly 81 when he died in 1904. William and Sarah had 8 children.

James and Mary’s daughter Sarah born 1831 had an eventful though short life, giving birth in the Workhouse to three illegitimate children - Mary, William and James - between 1851 and 1856. In 1862, Sarah, who was a laundress, married William Earwicker but she died aged only 39 in 1869.

James and Mary’s son Francis born 1834 survived to the grand old age of 93, dying in 1927. He married Ann Brackstone (nee Brown) and they had at least one child - Emily Eliza born in 1863.

 Micheldever   Copyright: Colin Smith    From the Geograph website and reproduced under the terms of the site licence which can be viewed at this link:  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

George Whatmore born 1790 married Sarah Lavington in 1817. Their children were Thomas 1817, Harriet 1819 who married Richard Myrtle in 1845, Thomas 1820, Jane 1822, Mary 1824 who married William Godwin in 1844, George 1826, David 1829 and who died in 1832, Samuel 1830 who died the same year, John 1831, William 1833, Elizabeth 1836 and Charles 1838. George Senior died in 1867 at the age of 75. He had lived in difficult times when life was hard for rural workers. In 1845 he had been sentenced to three months hard labour at the local Brideswell for stealing one gallon and a half of oats.

George and Sarah’s son Thomas born 1820, moved to London where he married Elizabeth Grace in 1865 at st Pancras. They had at least four children - Thomas, Harriet, Grace and Edgar.

George and Sarah’s son George born 1826 married Elizabeth Day at Winchester in 1853. Their children were George 1853, Ellen 1856 and Thomas 1864.

George and Sarah’s daughter Elizabeth born 1831 had an illegitimate son Frederick William in 1859.

Daniel Whatmore born in 1795 married Frances Dearlove in Nonington in 1818. Their children were Eliza 1821, Robert 1824 and William 1829.

Daniel and Frances’ son Robert born 1824 married Eliza Mary Warman in 1848. Their children were Louisa 1850, Alfred William 1851, George James 1853 and Evaline 1861.