11. REEVE

Lee Tree

BENEDICT REEVE and CATHARYN (11)

 

BENEDICT REEVE. In 1688, Elizabeth Reeve married Richard Battishill in the Devon village of South Tawton. Elizabeth was born in Throwleigh, 3 miles further south. We have traced her granDparents  back to Drewsteignton, 5 miles further east. It is here that we find Benedict Reeve and his wife Catharyn at the start of the 17^th century.

We have just two records for them. The first is the baptism of Elizabeth’s father, William Reeve.

Baptism. Holy Trinity, Drewsteignton.
1606 Jun 1  Wm the son of Benedict & Catharyn Reeve.

William called his eldest son Benedict. There was a strong tradition in Devon for a man to name his first son after his father.

Drewsteignton is a village on the lip of Fingle Gorge, where the River Teign has carved a deep valley between Chagford and Dunsford.
Today, it is something of a backwater, visited mostly by tourists and walkers. In medieval times it was more prosperous. The village, well supplied with inns, was an important stopping point on the road from Exeter to Okehampton. It also provided employment in the woollen trade and limestone quarries.
The handsome church of Holy Trinity overlooks the village square.

We have not found a marriage for this couple, or any other baptisms. They probably took place in a parish whose registers do not go back that far.

Benedict and Cathryn moved to Throwleigh, where the registers date only from 1653.This was probably early in the marriage, since we have found only one baptism in Drewsteignton. They may have had more children baptised in Throwleigh.

Throwleigh is a village on the NE edge of Dartmoor. The parish boundary is adjacent to those of both South Tawton and Drewsteignton.

Our second record is an index of Devon wills. This lists a will for Benedict Reeve of Throwleigh in 1639. This is too early for his burial to appear in the Throwleigh register. The will itself was probably lost in the Exeter Blitz.

It would appear that Cathryn, too, died before 1653.