Fay Sampson’s Family History
This site is a work-in-progress. There is a massive amount to cover. I have included both male and female lines, and some go back 30 generations. Keep coming back for more.
I have numbered the generations working backwards from my own as (1)
Sampson Tree
WILLIAM SAMPSON and SUSAN HARRIS (4)
WILLIAM SAMPSON was the fourth child of Richard Sampson, agricultural labourer, and Mary Mathews. He was baptised in Meshaw on 23 March 1833. His mother died before he was 8.
The family moved to Cheldon, near his father’s birthplace of West Worlington, where they shared a house with his aunt Anne and her husband and children. William’s older siblings Mary and John were by then working on farms in Chulmleigh, where they were born.
1841 Census: Cheldon
Holes:
| Richard Sampson
Jane Sampson William Sampson Richard Sampson Samuel Price Anne Price Anne Price William Price Maria Price Jane Price |
35
11 8 4 40 40 11 7 4 1 |
Ag lab
Ag Lab |
Cheldon church
William was apprenticed on a local farm. Meanwhile, his father remarried.
1851 Census: West Worlington & Cheldon
Mousebery.
| Edward Tolley
Mary Tolley William Tolley Richard Ware William Sampson Elizabeth Coles |
Head
Wife Son Serv Appr Serv |
M
M U U U U |
59
64 24 24 18 17 |
Farmer of 182 Acres
Ag Lab Ag Lab General Servant |
Meshaw
Brushford Romansleigh Winkleigh Meshaw Romansleigh |
William, like his father, lived the nomadic life of the husbandman and labourer, with frequent changes of home and job. He married a young woman of higher status, whose parents had established a family farm.
SUSAN(NA) HARRIS was baptised in Mariansleigh in 1838, the fifth child of Robert Harris and Susanna Cook.
1838 Aug 29. Susanna, daughter of Robert and Susanna Harris. Mariansleigh. Farmer.
The address of ‘Mariansleigh’ may mean that they were living in the village, rather than on an outlying farm. By 1840 the family were at Triddencott, a farm south-east of the village.
1841 Census: Mariansleigh
Triddenacott.
| Robert Harris
Susanna Henery Elizabeth John Susanna Robert |
45
35 15 9 5 3 1 month |
Farmer |
Ten years later, her baptismal name has been shortened to Susan, and she remains Susan for the rest of her life.
1851 census: Mariansleigh
Triddencott
| Robert Harris
Susan Elizabeth John Susan Mary William Robert |
Head
Wife Daur Son Daur Daur Son Son |
M
M U U U U U U |
44?
46 20 16 12 6 4 10 |
William Sampson and Susan Harris were married in or before 1861. They lived first at Adworthy, in the parish of Witheridge, where a former farmhouse had apparently been divided to house agricultural labourers.
1861 Census: Witheridge
2 Higher Adworthy
| William Sampson
Susan Sampson |
Head
Wife |
Mar
Mar |
28
22 |
Ag Lab | Meshaw
Mariansleigh |
Their first son, William, was born in Witheridge, but the couple had him baptised in St Mary’s, East Worlington.
Baptism. East Worlington
1861 Mar 12th William Son of Willam & Susan Sampson Witheridge Labourer
This may have been because this church was nearer than the church in Witheridge, or the couple may moved on to East Worlington before the baptism. They were living in this parish when their next son John was born, c 1864. Around 1870 they moved finally to Romansleigh.
1871 Census. Romansleigh
25 Village. Thorndown Cottage.
| William Sampson
Susan Sampson John Sampson Mary Sampson Robert Sampson Susan Sampson Richard Sampson |
Head
Wife Son Daur Son Daur Son |
Mar
Mar |
36/8
32 7 6 3 2 7months |
Ag Lab
Ag Lab wife |
Meshaw
Mariansleigh East Worlington ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ Romansleigh |
None of their older children went to school. There was a small school in Romansleigh and another in neighbouring Mariansleigh. Following the Education Act of 1871 requiring schools to be provided for all children, plans were made for a new school to accommodate the children of both parishes. The Oxham School, midway between the two villages, was opened in 1877. From then on, the younger Sampson children from Romansleigh would have attended it, along with their Harris cousins from Mariansleigh.
In 1871, 9-year-old William had already left home and was a farm servant with Susan’s brother at her old home of Tridencott, Mariansleigh. William is back with them in 1881. Three more children have been born, but the parents seem a bit confused about their birthplaces.
1881 Census:
Village, Romansleigh.
| William Sampson
Susan Sampson William Sampson John Sampson Robert Sampson Susan Sampson Richard Sampson Sarah Sampson Frederick Sampson Elizabeth Sampson |
M
M U |
48
42 19 17 13 12 10 8 6 4 |
Meshaw
Mariansleigh Witheridge Westington Worlington Worlington Worlington Worlington Romansleigh Romansleigh |
Head
Wife Son Son Son Daur Son Daur Son Daur |
Farm Labourer
Wife Farm Labourer Farm Labourer Scholar Scholar Scholar Scholar Scholar Scholar |
The younger children now go to school. The 1870 Education Act established schools for all.
The two older boys, William and John, joined the Devonshire Regiment before the next census.
1891 Census: Romansleigh
Cottage.
| William Sampson
Susan Sarah Elizabeth Thomas H |
Head
wife dau dau son |
57 50 18 14 7
|
agr lab
dom serv
|
Meshaw Mariansleigh Romansleigh ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ |
William junior went to India as a sergeant in the 1st Devon Regiment. In Rawal Pindi he contracted fever. To celebrate his recovery, he ate a large meal, collapsed and died on 6 December 1893.
John served in Egypt and returned to Plymouth as a colour sergeant.
William and Susan lived in Bell Cottage, which was previously the Blue Bell Inn. Though William appears in every census as a labourer, they appear to have kept a shop. Perhaps Susan ran this from their front room.
Kelly’s Directory 1897. Romansleigh, William Sampson, shopkeeper.
In the 1901 census, occupations were defined as ‘Employer, Worker or Own account’, with a further column to say ‘If working at home’.
1901 Census. Romansleigh.
Romansleigh Village
| Sampson Wm
Sampson Susan Sampson Elizth Sampson Fk |
Head
Wife Daur Son |
67
60 23 17 |
Agricultural Labourer
Dressmaker Farm Labourer |
Worker
Own A/c Worker |
Meshaw
Mariansleigh Romansleigh Romansleigh |
None of them is listed as working at home, though Susan may be assumed to do so. It is not clear where Elizabeth did her dressmaking, since she was self-employed. Perhaps she did her sewing at the houses of her clients.
This photograph of William must have been taken in the early 20th century. It is remarkable for its time because it shows him in his cottage, in domestic surroundings, and not formally posed in a photographer’s studio.
William and Susan are buried in Romansleigh churchyard. As you enter the gate, there is a grave on the left of the path surrounded by a railing. It looks surprisingly prominent for a farm labourer’s grave, but perhaps more in keeping with a shopkeeper.
In Loving Memory of
Susan Sampson
who died November 11th 1907
aged 67 years
also of
William Sampson
Husband of the above
who died October 31st 1910
aged 77 years
“peace perfect peace”
NEXT GENERATION: 3. SAMPSON
PREVIOUS GENERATIONS: 5. SAMPSON-MATHEWS
5. HARRIS- COOK