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George VOGWELL
Abt 1752 - 1826 (~ 74 years)
Has 2 ancestors and 438 descendants in this family tree.
Set As Default Person 
-
Name George VOGWELL Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Born Abt 1752 Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, England 
Residence From 1752 to 1784 Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, England - As well as being baptised in Widecombe, George married here and his first two children were baptised here - the second in 1783, so he probably lived here until then and moved after this.
Baptised 30 Jan 1751/52 St. Pancras’ Church, Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, England - DP CD - 30 1 1752, assume NS (a date recorded as 1752 only makes sense NS)
George Fogwell, son of William and Joan
Gender Male Poor Law From 1782 Sherbourn, Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, England Parish Apprentice placed with George - Martha Cleave Coaker was the daughter of John and Mary Coaker, baptised in Widecombe on 26 Oct 1773, so would have been aged about 9 when placed with George and his family.
Residence 1782 Sherbourn, Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, England - George was shown as taking on a parish apprentice in 1782 for "an Estate in Sherbourn in Widecombe".
(info. from the Widecombe History Group Parish Documents CD)
Sherbourn is now known as Sherberton (as it occasionally was back then).
Unfortunately I have not found any Vogwells so far in the rates lists I have looked at on the Widecombe Documents website, I guess George was renting and his landlord is listed. They do show a number of newtakes in the area. An interesting article "Buller, Huccaby and the Newtake Era" (viewable by purchasing access only) on the dartmooronline website shows that this was an area with a lot of newtakes, particularly due to the activity of Sir Francis Buller of Prince Hall, about 1.5miles from Sherbourn, although he built his mansion there just after George had moved to Whitchurch. A list of Buller's ancient tenements and newtakes show several 'antient tenements' in Sherbourn, including a purchase on 13 Oct 1784 'Three Newtakes in right of three Antient tenements called Sherburn, otherwise Sherburton'. Looking at Widecombe overseers accounts for 1700 shows a number of newtakes mentioned then; I don't know how long a newtake went on being described as new. What does seem clear is that we cannot assume that George was farming land newly improved from being open moorland.
Nor can we be sure just where the family lived. Today there are 2 or 3 dwellings at Sherburn, Sherberton Farm and Little Sherberton Farm, and possibly Wydemeet may be considered part of Sherberton too. The Churchwardens accounts consistently show 3 tenements at Sherbourn / Sherberton, but have no indication of where the Vogwills were. Possibly just ruins or quite erased from any obvious signs in the landscape.
It is interesting, and possibly no coincidence, that George left Sherbourn at the very time that Buller was buying up land there. Buller took an interest in farming - the entry for him in the online Oxford DNB shows he owned 600 acres and experimented with rotation of crops and improving agricultural methods, communicating about these matters with Arthur Young, a writer about agricultual matters. Perhaps Buller's pioneering work left no place for tenants of a few acres or his conditions didn't suit George.
Buller's interest in farming may not have lasted, though; Prince Hall where Buller had built a mansion was sold on his death in 1800 to the Gullets, who it is said already farmed there (on the Prince Hall hotel website).
(From the Widecombe Documents CD I did have that George was Overseer in 1775, but now having seen the 2 indentures they clearly show that it was a William, presumably George's father or brother, who was an Overseer that year; now corrected on the Widecombe Documents website)
Residence From 1784 to 1805 Whitchurch, Devon, England - All the rest of George's known children were baptised in Whitchurch, between 1785 and 1805; in addition, his first wife died here in 1803 and he married his second in 1805, so he was probably here until after 1805.
Occupation to 1784 Sherbourn, Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, England Farming - Living at Sherbourn (Sherberton) George was almost certainly farming.
Occupation From 1791 to 1805 Caseytown, Whitchurch, Devon, England Yeoman - I think the gamekeeper was a different George, probably this one, and that this George was probably just a farmer. His will records he was a yeoman.
A "George Voghill" paid Church rates in Whitchurch in 1791 for Huckwood, Nicholas Meadow and Casitown.
I haven't yet found where Huckwood and Nicholas Meadow are or were, but Caseytown is easy to find on maps.
(Church rate info. from Dartmoor Press data)
Land tax 1798 Whitchurch, Devon, England - The following entries refer to George:
No. of Register Names of Proprietors. Names Sums Assessed. Date of Contract.
£. s. d.
49(8?)23 Thos. Windeatt Geo. Voghill 1 11 4 19 April
Unlike his brother John who farmed 2 holdings (both also in Whitchurch) and was paying nearly about twice as much in tax, and who owned another, George appears to have farmed just the one holding and owned none.
(from image of Land Tax book, on Ancestry website)
Will 15 Nov 1805 [1] Written 
The will of George Vogwell (1751 - 1826)
(a 5 x great grandfather of mine)Residence From 1806 to 1826 Walkhampton, Devon, England - As George was farming land in Walkhampton from about 1806 I assume he was living in the parish.
Being a Manor Court Juror suggests he was living in Walkhampton by 1809 (though Manor boundaries did not follow parish ones and I haven't yet checked the area the Manor covered)
No evidence at present known of to suggest where George lived between 1809 until 1825 - in Whitchurch, or Walkhampton, or he may have moved around, but I am guessing he had settled in Walkhampton once he moved there.
But in addition to him dying in Walkhampton in 1826 his granddaughter Elizabeth married here in 1825 and his son Thomas married here in 1827, so it looks like the family had settled here.
Occupation From 1806 Babyland, Walkhampton, Devon, England Farmer - George seems to have farmed at Babyland from 1806, since Mike Brown, who has studied the pattern of jurors serving on the Walkhampton Manor Jury, noted that "George Vogwell who first served for Babyland in the fourth year of his tenancy there — which latter occurrence is interesting enough in itself, for Babyland was only a little place."
The study of the Walkhampton Manorial records also shows that the previous tenant, John Skinner, died in 1805, for 6 shillings was due as a heriot on his death. (An explanation" target="_blank">http://www.dartmoorpress.clara.net/WalknRecordsManor.html#HERIOT%20PAYMENTS">explanation of these payments is also provided by Mike Brown).
In an extract from a Manor Rentals ledger which was started at Michaelmas 1811 Mike Brown shows that "George Fogwell" was paying 6/- for 1 years Conventionary Rent for Babyland and Newtake, and the same for landtax on that land. This was the least amount of rent that anyone in the extract was paying, which does emphasise, though Edward Spurr was also only paying 6/-, and for some reason he had only to pay 2/- landtax. By contrast, the next smallest amount of rent was 7/-, paid by William Creber senior, but he was subject to landtax of no less than £1 4s. Where of course comparing amounts like this may fail to give an accurate impression of a persons prosperity or otherwise is that it does not indicate if they owned any land, rented or leased any from anyone else, or had any other source of income. Many artisans also farmed a few acres, and the land tax for George's brother John in 1798 shows he farmed land owned by 2 different landlords, as well as owning some land himself, farmed by another!
In George's case I am not aware of him having any other occupation.
Civic duty 1809 Walkhampton, Devon, England Manor Court Juror - George was not a Juror for the whole of this period, but after serving in 1809 was a Juror again in 1812, 1814, 1818 and 1822(source: http://www.vogwell.com/Walkhampton.htm; I hope to see Manor records in the PWDRO but haven't had time yet)
Amongst the other jurors at the same time were John Northmore and a Peter Reed - probably
Died 28 Jan 1826 Walkhampton, Devon, England - From application by his widow for probate (image of form on microfiche in DRO)
Probate 25 May 1826 Totnes, Devon, England Granted to his wife Ann Buried Walkhampton Church, Walkhampton, Devon, England Siblings2 brothers Half-siblings1 half brother and 1 half sister (family of William VOGWELL and Catherine GIDLEY) Patriarch & Matriarch 
William VOGWELL, b. Est 1720, d. Nov 1789, Whitchurch, Devon, England (Age ~ 69 years) (Father) 
Joan WHITE, b. Est 1727, (probably), Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, England, bur. 3 Jan 1792, St. Andrew’s Church, Whitchurch, Devon, England (Age ~ 65 years) (Mother) Person ID I1007 All | Teresa's direct ancestors Last Modified 25 Jul 2021
Father William VOGWELL, b. Est 1720, d. Nov 1789, Whitchurch, Devon, England (Age ~ 69 years)
Other Partners: Catherine GIDLEY m. 6 May 1745Mother Joan WHITE, b. Est 1727, (probably), Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, England , bur. 3 Jan 1792, St. Andrew’s Church, Whitchurch, Devon, England (Age ~ 65 years) Married 3 Jul 1748 St. Pancras’ Church, Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, England - From PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 11 Mar 2015):
"July 3 William Fogwell & Joan White" - under heading 'Anno Domini 1748'
Family ID F804 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 1 Elizabeth HANNAFORD, bur. 2 Dec 1800, St. Andrew’s Church, Whitchurch, Devon, England Banns of marriage From 16 Jan 1780 to 6 Feb 1780 St. Pancras’ Church, Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, England Married 7 Feb 1780 St. Pancras’ Church, Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, England - From the PR entry (image on FMP, viewed 10 Jun 2019)
Shows George Vogwell married Elizabeth Hannaford, both otp, married by Banns, both made their mark as also did witness William Vogwell. The other witness was Nathaniel Tremill, who was witness to most marriages in Widecombe at this time and so almost certainly Parish Clerk. (William was probably George's brother though could have been his father. Siblings or other young people were more often witnesses than parents)
Children9 children Last Modified 19 Jul 2021 Family ID F807 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family 2 Anne LIGHT, bap. 11 Apr 1759, Walkhampton Church, Walkhampton, Devon, England , d. 10 Oct 1832 (Age ~ 73 years)
Other Partners: John SKINNER m. 12 Apr 1783Banns of marriage Jun 1805 Walkhampton Church, Walkhampton, Devon, England - Source: DP CD
Banns of marriage 23 Jun 1805 to 7 Jul 1805 St. Andrew’s Church, Whitchurch, Devon, England - 'George Vogwill of this Parish and Ann Skinner of Walkhampton'
From PR (seen image) '
Married 27 Jul 1805 St. Andrew’s Church, Whitchurch, Devon, England - Banns show George as of Whitchurch, Ann Skinner as a widow of Walkhampton
Last Modified 28 Apr 2013 Family ID F760 Family Group Page | Family Chart