Part Six

The Growing Family and Church Matters

Joel’s eldest son, twenty-one year old Joel Roger Carter, at Otterton on 7th February 1836 married Mary Dyer, eldest daughter of Joel Dyer of Pitson Farm, Otterton.  For a few years the couple had no fixed abode but in 1841 Joel and Mary moved to Dotton Mill where they lived and raised a large family. The rent was paid by Joel Dyer, who no doubt used the mill until his death in 1867.  From Pitson, the mill was accessed by a ford across the river.  Dotton Mill was about a mile south of Harpford.

Joel Carter's eldest daughter was also married in 1836.  In the Harpford parish register the following entry occurs "28th April 1836 marriage of Thomas Holmes and Mary Carter a minor with consent of Joel Carter the careful and natural father of the said Mary Carter".  The couple had lots of children and lived at Harpford, near to Joel and Mary Carter.  Thomas Holmes was an agricultural labourer-cum-farmer.  (In 1875 Thomas Holmes died and on the 1881 census, Mary Holmes is described as a widow, a dressmaker of Newton Poppleford.)

The first national census to record names of individuals was taken in 1841.  Joel and Mary Carter are recorded with nine of their children; Oliver 21 years, Anna 19 years, William 17 years, Sarah 16 years, Joanna 14 years, John 11 years, Elizabeth 6 years, Sydenham 3 years and Emily 1 year.  On the census Joel Carter is described as a farmer but no indication is given to the name or size of farm. However, I believe the family continued to live at Harts.  Probably the eldest sons would have helped their father on the farm, as the eldest daughters would have assisted in the house.   The younger children would have been scholars of some fashion, although there was no local school until 1876.

Also on the 1841 census Joel's mother, Mrs. Anna Carter, about 73 years old was described as independent.  Living with her was her unmarried son Robert Carter aged 28 years, described as a farmer, and her unmarried daughter Elizabeth aged 34.  Also in the household are three labourers. 

From the church accounts the churchwardens had to pay for constant repairs to the wooden footbridge across the River Otter, for repairs to the pound, for paving the causeway or footpath to Venn Ottery, for "crying the wood and furze on Harpford Hill" and for perambulating the bounds of the parish over and above subscription.  Lord Rolle, the Lord of the Manor, paid half the costs for the pound and gave a hogshead of cider for the perambulation.  Liquor was an expensive and essential item on all important occasions, for example the men working on the bridge were given five quarts of beer and at a parish burial the expenses were - lying forth 3/6, waking 10/6, grave and bell 2/6, coffin and ale for the bearers £1-9-8.   Items in the church account included, in 1812, an iron chest £2-7-8, in 1827 tables for the commandments made by a Mr. Hare (Joel's brother in law?) for 30/- and written by Mr. Searle of Ottery St. Mary.  Also in 1827, an iron gate and in 1840, a new bell.  The bell weighed 409 pounds and cost £23-17-2, the clapper being 15/- extra.   They received £15-18-0 for the broken bell metal.  Fetching the new bell and attending to see the old and new bell weighed cost 7/-. The vicar and his churchwardens seemed to have been more willing to spend money in this way than in keeping the church clean and in repair.  From 1823 when the Arch Deacon of Exeter first reported on the condition of the church in the Rural Dean's Book strong recommendations were made that the church should be whitewashed, the floor, glass and plaster repaired and the rubbish thrown out.  Persistent complaints were made about the state of the two galleries.

In 1845 the old vicar, the Revd. Marwood Tucker died. He was buried on 20th May 1845 aged 82.  He was succeeded by the Revd. Campell Fisher (1845 – 1852) and then the Revd. Joseph Gatty (1852 – 1878).

 
Grave of Rev Marwood Tucker with Podbury’s in the background

Joel Carter’s twenty-seven year old son Oliver married Nancy Tozer in 1846. S he was from Colaton Raleigh.  They had various children and farmed small acreages. On census details sometimes Oliver is described as a dairyman.  In 1851 they were at Mid Upcot, Rockbeare, 1857 at Venn Ottery, 1861 at Thorn, Ottery St Mary, in 1871 at Combe Wood, Salcombe Regis and in 1881 at Payhembury.  Their children included Fred 1850, Lucy Tozer 1852 and Ellen Joyce 1857.  (1901 census Nancy Carter, widow is described as 78 years, living with her married daughter Lucy at Salcombe Regis.)

At Harts, in 1846 Joel Carter's youngest son, four year old Robert, died.  Shortly after this, on 27th July, Joel's daughter Anna, aged 25, also died.  The death certificate states she died of consumption.  Robert and Anna were buried at Harpford on the same day, 2nd August 1846.  Almost two years later on the 21st March 1848 Joel's son, William Carter died, again as a result of consumption, aged 25 years.  He too is buried in the family grave at Harpford.

On the 1851 census Joel Carter is described as a farmer of 31 acres. Although not named, I assume this is the farmstead of Harts.  He employed one labourer, probably a local lad who came in on a daily basis.  Joel Carter lived with his wife Mary and their children as follows - Sarah 26 years, Joanna 24 years, John 21 years, Elizabeth 16 years, Sydenham 13 years and Emily 11 years.  The farm was modest in size, several of the others in the parish being considerably larger.

In 1851 Court Place a farm of several hundred acres was occupied by Thomas Pile who had a large family and five resident servants / labourers.   Other farms in the parish had generally between 20 and 100 acres.  Some of the farming families had lived in the parish for generations, such as the families of William Battin, Richard Chown, Thomas Podbury, William Holmes and Richard Parsons.  Besides the farmers and labourers also living in the parish were a carpenter, mason, shoemaker, an innkeeper and the vicar and his family. There were also four householders who were described as independent.   Many of the women were described as lace makers and the total population of the parish in 1851 was given as 253.

On the 1851 census, Joel's mother, Mrs. Anna Carter, was the oldest person in the parish at 83 years. With her at Podbury's were her son Robert and daughter Elizabeth Carter. The farm Podbury's was about 80 acres and was worked by Robert Carter and several live-in labourers.

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Researched by Anne Speight,  © 2009

SOURCE MATERIAL
Rural Life In Victorian England.  G E Mingay
‘Harpford’.  Revd. H.R. Evans. The Devonshire Association for the  Advancement of Science,
 Literature and Art. Vol 101 (1969) pg 45-81.
‘Harpford Parochial Health Service 1730 – 1830’. Revd. H. R Evans. Devon and Cornwall Notes and
Queries 29, 7 (963) pg 201-205.
Census Returns – various
Parish Registers of Harpford and Otterton
Rent Schedules ???

NP-B-00006 Biography any