| [Index] |
| James ELWORTHY (1770 - 1837) |
| innkeeper 'Red Lion' Inn in St Sidwell Street, Exeter |
| Children | Self + Spouses | Parents | Grandparents | Greatgrandparents |
|
James ELWORTHY (1796 - 1832) Sarah ELWORTHY (1799 - 1824) Henry Leigh ELWORTHY (1802 - 1842) Amy A ELWORTHY (1806 - 1884) Elizabeth ELWORTHY (1810 - ) Elizabeth ELWORTHY (1811 - 1870) Mary ELWORTHY (1811 - 1811) George ELWORTHY (1813 - 1878) Jane ELWORTHY (1815 - 1897) Emma ELWORTHY (1818 - 1880) |
James ELWORTHY (1770 - 1837) + Grace Thirza LEIGH (1771 - 1836) |
Thomas ELWORTHY (1720 - 1775) | George ELWORTHY | male ELWORTHY |
| unknown (ELWORTHY) | ||||
| Mary HODGE (1728 - ) | John HODGE | |||
| Grace BECKLEY | ||||
|
|
| b. 1770 at Crediton, Devon, England |
| m. abt 1795 Grace Thirza LEIGH (1771 - 1836) at England |
| d. 09 Nov 1837 at Wincanton, Somerset, England aged 67 |
| Parents: |
| Thomas ELWORTHY (1720 - 1775) |
| Mary HODGE (1728 - ) |
| Siblings (2): |
| Mary ATWELL (1755 - ) |
| John ATWELL (1759 - ) |
| Events in James ELWORTHY (1770 - 1837)'s life | |||||
| Date | Age | Event | Place | Notes | Src |
| 1770 | James ELWORTHY was born | Crediton, Devon, England | |||
| 23 Sep 1770 | Baptism | Crediton, Devon, England | 16 | ||
| 18 Jan 1775 | 5 | Death of father Thomas ELWORTHY (aged 54) | England | ||
| abt 1795 | 25 | Married Grace Thirza LEIGH (aged 24) | England | ||
| bef 11 Dec 1796 | 26 | Birth of son James ELWORTHY | Stoke Damerel, Devon, England | ||
| bef 07 Apr 1799 | 29 | Birth of daughter Sarah ELWORTHY | Modbury, Devonshire, England | ||
| bef 27 Dec 1802 | 32 | Birth of son Henry Leigh ELWORTHY | Crediton, Devon, England | ||
| 01 May 1806 | 36 | Birth of daughter Amy A ELWORTHY | Devon, England | ||
| bef 14 Jun 1810 | 40 | Birth of daughter Elizabeth ELWORTHY | Exeter, Devon, England | 16 | |
| abt 1811 | 41 | Death of daughter Mary ELWORTHY | Devon, England | 16 | |
| bef 06 Jan 1811 | 41 | Birth of daughter Elizabeth ELWORTHY | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| bef 06 Jan 1811 | 41 | Birth of daughter Mary ELWORTHY | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 23 Apr 1813 | 43 | Birth of son George ELWORTHY | Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 12 Jun 1815 | 45 | Birth of daughter Jane ELWORTHY | St Sidwell, Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 15 Feb 1818 | 48 | Birth of daughter Emma ELWORTHY | Exeter, Devon, England | 2 | |
| abt 1824 | 54 | Death of daughter Sarah ELWORTHY (aged 25) | England | 2 | |
| 25 Feb 1832 | 62 | Death of son James ELWORTHY (aged 35) | St Sidwell, Exeter, Devon, England | ||
| 20 Aug 1836 | 66 | Death of wife Grace Thirza LEIGH (aged 64) | Clifton Place, Exeter, Devon, England | Clifton Place | 2 |
| 09 Nov 1837 | 67 | James ELWORTHY died | Wincanton, Somerset, England | Note 1 | |
| 16 Nov 1837 | 67 | Burial | St Sidwell, Exeter, Devon, England | 16 | |
| Note 1: Free BMD Dec 1837 Wincanton 10 379 |
| Personal Notes: |
|
Obit, "He was highly respected as an upright man in all the relations of life".
Nothing has been determined about James' early life but a suggestion was made that he was in the Royal Navy and became an innkeeper upon discharge. This notion seems quite likely as his first two children were born within a radius of eight miles of Plymouth, an important port with a large naval dockyard. If he had been a sailor, this may account for the reason a marriage has not been traced in Devon or adjacent counties. His wife's name was Grace and she was born about 1775 but other than that there is no certainty. Handwritten notes by grandson James Baker Elworthy state her name was Thirza LEIGH of the family featured by Charles Kingsley in his novel "Westward Ho!" (although I always thought most of the characters were imaginary). It could well have been but it is unverified. Sadly many of the details supplied by the young James Baker were more romantic than factual. James Senior was middle-aged before he and Grace settled in Exeter and this adds some credence to the idea of his being a mariner. Whilst he was at sea, Grace may have lived for the first couple of years of their marriage in Stoke Damerel just 1.5 miles from Plymouth where James Junior was baptised in December 1796, then about 8 miles away at Modbury where daughter Sarah was baptised in 1799. Grace moved back to her husband's birthplace of Crediton where Henry Leigh was baptised in 1802. Maybe James' ship sailed to distant parts, as there is a gap of eight years until the birth of the next child in Exeter. By the time the apoleonic War was over, he was 45 and possibly due for retirement and a pension which, in the custom of some ex-mariners, he used to buy a pub. James definitely was an innkeeper in Exeter, being mine host at the 'Red Lion" in Magdalen Street in the parish of St Sidwell. Until recently, one of the supermarkets in present day Exeter had a huge blown-up picture of the Red Lion on its wall. In the Exeter Flying Post of 18 Dec 1817, I found a 'For Sale' notice describing the be premises ... 'To be sold by private contract for the residue of a term of 99 years, determinable on the death of one life, that Old Established and Well Accustomed Beer House called the RED LION situate in Maudlin Street in Exeter, with large garden, Brewhouse, Cellars and Stables thereto belonging; and a small dwelling house behind, which premises are now in the possession of John March and Richard Dean. Bruton & Ford, Solicitors" Most probably James bought the inn at that time or soon afterwards as he was, the owner when his daughter Sarah married in 1823. From sketches, the Red Lion appeared a substantial and quite elegant looking building. James and Grace had three sons and six daughters over a period of 22 years, but two girls probably died in infancy. The church of St Sidwell which features prominently in Elworthy family records was named for Sidwilla, the daughter of a wealthy Briton who had been 'Romanised'. Whilst Sidwilla was still young, her mother died and her father remarried. Sidwilla was pious, pure of heart and very beautiful - eveything her wicked stepmother was not. At his death, father left most of his fortune to Sidwilla, thus incurring the wrath and jealousy of the evil stepmother who hired a reaper to kill the girl. Devout Sidwilla was kneeling at prayer in a cornfield when the wicked man cut her head off with a scythe. (Sounds a bit like the beginning of Snow White, don't you think?) Legend says that an amazing spring of crystal clear water gushed forth from the spot where her head touched the ground and it was from this pellucid spring that Exeter's pure water was supplied. A couple of centuries later, Sidwilla was canonised - but whether for her purity of heart or for the purity of the badly-needed water, I could not determine! One would think an obituary of Grace, Mrs James Elworthy, would provide clues to her maiden name and birthplace - no such luck! A very brief and simple notice in the Flying Post of 25 Aug 1836 announced her death: "On 20th inst in Clifton Place, aged 63, Mrs Elworthy, wife ofMr James Elworthy, late of the Red Lion, St Sidwell." Grace was laid to rest in the parish churchyard four days later. Just a few months before the marriages of his youngest girls Jane and Emma, James died of apoplexy on 09 Nov 1837 at Wineanton in the neighbouring county of Somerset. His body was returned to Exeter for burial. When he went to Somerset is not known. If John Speed Andrews Snr of the Brittania Inn was an old shipmate he may have asked him to stay after Grace's death. It's possible and quite probable - but not factually provable! James' obituary declared: "He was highly respected as an upright man in all the relations of life". |
| Source References: |
| 2. Type: Book, Abbr: Devon to Downunder, Title: Devon to Downunder, Auth: Bettie Elworthy, Publ: Bookbound, Date: 1997 |
| - Reference = 28 (Notes) |
| 16. Type: E-mail Message, Abbr: Barbara Lawrence - Elworthy doc, Title: Barbara Lawrence - Elworthy doc, Auth: Barbara Lawrence, Date: 23/2/2009 |
| - Reference = 1 (Burial) |
| - Reference = 1 (Baptism) |