Day 15 - A Room With No View

Nothing exciting to report today really - I slept through breakfast was woken up by the B&B owner making sure I was still alive, went out to get a 2 squids meal deal from Tescos came back to catch up on things. Had a really awful dinner which I wish I never ate and have been pretty much holed up in my room all day looking at a computer screen.

Day 14 - Corny Plaques

Today there was sun and blue skies. Pity I had a pile of work that needed to be done but I still couldn't resist a wander around the Barbican. It is the place where Sir Francis Drake used to hang and from whence he sailed, where the Pilgrim Fathers set off for America on the Mayflower and apparently where "Britons danced in defiance of Hitler's Luftwaffe".

All of these are marked by monuments - a nice of one Franny in his best bloomers (obviously off to play hockey or something).

Some steps and a frame and a zillion plaques for the Mayflower and themed ice cream shops (no doubt for all them American tourists).

And various memorials to the fallen in many wars. Hidden away though I did notice a couple of plaques commemorating the Charlotte and Friendship's departure in the first fleet to Australia and also one for Cornish farmers who made SA what it is today (apparently). On the Charlotte was one convict named John Small who we trace back through Elise Gallard's family (Elsie married William Lathey Way).

Day 13 - Plymouth

Today I checked out to the hostel and headed on the train to Plymouth.

Am staying in the Sea Breezes Guest House and was greeted with a pot of tea and a comfortable room. The sea breezes are quite brisk today but I went for a quick walk into town and around the Barbican to get something to eat. Quiet one in tonight as feeling a bit exhausted from the hectic week.

Day 12 - Joy Riding in Devon

Today I was lucky to receive an invitation from Joy at the Halberton Historical Society for a ride around some of the sites where the Way family had resided in days gone by. I caught the bus to Tiverton passing a couple of steam train stations which unfortunately are not in operation during January.

Joy met me in Tiverton and we headed out to where Hartnell Farm was located. Now a business park there has been much redevelopement and it seems that the owners are wanting to concrete a whole field for further development - a proposal that has met with much opposition from locals. By some co-incidence Joy's family lived at Hartnoll at a later date.
"In Canon Girdlestone's own census in 1864 John, Sarah and one child are listed at Hartnell, John as Labourer for Mr. Cruwys. Also listed at Hartnell is another labourer, wife and child but no-one else so presumably they both lived in the farmhouse and the farmer lived elsewhere.
My Mother's family lived at Hartnell from about 1889 to 1926. I have a feeling that in 1864 is was rather run down and I think in the 1879 the owner or occupier was summoned for bankruptcy !"

We headed up to the Grand Western Canal that had some excellent views over the area and some brave kayakers and swans enjoying the water on this freezing cold day. The canal was important for moving stone and goods throughout Devon.

From here went to meet with a local Dairy Farmer Colin who's family had been in the area for many generations. We were hoping that Colin might be able to shed some light on where 'Dairy House' would have been that the Ways also lived at. This information came from the 1881 Census and alot of farms would have had a dairy house so to pin it down exactly proved to be difficult. It was nice to get out of the cold and sit in Colin's excellent kitchen - with beams that had come from various places such as a wrecked ship in Plymouth!

"1881 Census - Dairy House, Halberton :
WAY, John Thomas Head Married M 40 Dairyman (50 Acres) b Halberton
WAY, Sarah Wife Married F 35 b Bampton
WAY, Francis Son Single M 17 (Dairyman Son) b Halberton
WAY, Emma Daughter Single F 10 Scholar b Sampford Peverell
WAY, John Son Single M 8 Scholar b Halberton
WAY, William Son Single M 6 Scholar b Halberton
WAY, Elizabeth Daughter Single F 5 Scholar b Halberton
WAY, Auther Son Single M 4 Scholar b Halberton
WAY, Hannah Daughter Single F 3 b Halberton
WAY, Walter Son Single M 2 b Halberton
WAY, Charles Son Single M 1 b Halberton"

We then drove down the lane around which it is most likely the Dairy House would have been.

Next we headed up to Sampford Peverell to take a look at Butteridge Farm. The original farm house is long gone - I had a quick chat with the current farmer who has been there 50 years and built thier current residence at this time. Seems he had other Australians visiting the farm to find their roots as well. Still with dairy and sheep on the land.
"1871 Census - Butteridge, Sampford Peverell :
WAY, John T Head M 32 Dairyman b Halberton
WAY, Sarah Wife F 28 b Bampton
WAY, Francis T Son M 7 b Halberton
WAY, *Aurter* Son M 5 b Halberton *Really cannot tell what this is but it seems from later entries it could be "Walter"
WAY, Emma Daughter F 1 month b Sapford Peverell"


A quick bite of lunch at Joy's then back to Tiverton on the bus. Was really impressed with the kindess shown by Joy, Colin, Mike and Linda for a strange Aussie girl wandering around Devon.

Day 11 - Topsham of the Mornin'

Today I was feeling a bit moody and exhausted so figured that I would just do a quick trip to Topsham. Headed off to the station and happened upon the Exeter Farmers Market on the way. Not really in the market for produce I grabbed a blackberry and apple mousse slice - perfect thing for breakfast (well its got fruit in it).

The reason I was interested in visiting Topsham was that it was the place where prison hulks were moored for the prisoners taken from Exeter and other Devon jails before heading to Plymouth and then on to Australia. So it's possible that John Small came through this way.

It was a freezing day today and I almost abandoned the mission - somewhere round about 2 degrees and getting down to -2 tonight. But as I was already at the station on the train I got. It's a lovely little village and I had a nice wander around the village and a couple of antique stores. Jenny if you're ever here there's a big one by the quay - three levels of all sorts of things.

Unfortunately the museum is closed until April but I did take a walk along the Goat Walk (luckily not spotted not having a goat to walk with) to some of the bird viewing platforms set up around the river banks.

Deciding it was just too bloody cold to keep walking around I settled into The Globe for bangers and mash - bangers provided by Arthurs Butchers and they were a tasty banger. After lunch I wandered back up to the street and to Arthurs where I picked up some pate and local cheese for later.

Day 10 - Gone Fiche'n

Well today I figured I should follow up on some of the records whilst in the area. The day started off badly when looking for breakfast I actually walked out of two cafes - waiting 10 mins for a menu is not right. Ended up though having a crepe and coffee for breakfast which was not the light option I was looking for but filled me up ready for a hard day's work in the Records Offices.

I began in the Records Office in the centre of Exeter - right next to the library. And settled myself in with the Cornworthy Records and a microfiche. Cornworthy is part of Devon and is where the Bulley family come from. Now James Beyvous Bulley is our Great Great Great Grandfather on Mary's side.

Kate, Dan and William add another Great.

John Way's mother - Mary May Smith
Mary's Mother Rosetta Stewart
Rosetta's Mother - Mary Jane Bulley.
Mary's Father - James Beyvous Bulley
James' Father - William Bulley married Charlotte Lock
William's Father - William Bulley married Susanna Beavis on 22nd July 1801
William's Father - George Bulley married Mary Homer on 31st January 1768

I managed to find many Bulleys in the Cornworthy area over several decades so it definitely was a main area for the family. I also noticed some Way's in the area as well.

I went on to look for the Halberton Parish Records - some of which were available on microfiche but some were held in the Devon Records Office which was elsewhere. So I packed up my pencil and with directions from the archivist headed off on the Park'n'Ride to Sowton. My instructions seemed clear but I ended up in a monsterous industrial estate with no records office in sight. After wandering around a bit I happened on the Exeter College and asked for directions. The receptionist was very kind but not a master of Google Maps but I got enough of an idea to find where it was.

20 minutes or so later I arrived and rid myself of any contraband. Now considering myself somewhat of a dab hand with the 'fiche I looked up the correct film only to find that the marriage records for Halberton had not yet been 'fiched and I would get to hold and view the original book. I got my regulation pillow and waited excitedly.

I had the general date for John Thomas Way and Sarah Chipplin's marriage in 1863. As I opened the book the very first entry was for the Marriage of James Way and Elizabeth Thomas - July 31st 1837. John Thomas being my Great Great Grandfather and James being his father. John Thomas and Sarah's marriage were also in the book.

Now the interesting thing here is that for Father it states for James - Thomas Webber. Strange. I then found the Baptism record for James and it states for parents name Jane Way - single female. Interesting hey!

Day 9 - Halberton

Today I managed to make contact with the Halberton Historical Society who kindly invited me to meet with them to discuss our family's origins in Halberton. I took the bus through the rolling green hills of Devon and various small towns passing by Diggerland, which I am sure Pants would have been excited to visit, until I arrived outside the Village Hall.

Halberton is still quite a small village and still has much of it's original character. I had a quick drink in the local pub and then had a wander through the streets. These villages have such small streets and often without footpath - dangerous living indeed. Watching several large tractors reversing into small streets was quite impressive.

I headed for the church to see if I could find any 'Way' headstones in the graveyard. Remarkably I did! I found one for William Way who died in 1921 at the age of 73. Tomorrow I will try and see if I can make a family connection - perhaps on of John Thomas' brothers or perhaps no relation at all. This is the church where John Thomas and Sarah would have been married.

The wonderfully kind people of the Historical Society - Joy, Mike and Linda helped me look through various census and also the records of the church as to what familys owned which lands. Whilst many of the buildings and farms listed as residences of the Ways are no longer in existence I do now know where exactly they are. Also the record that we had as Herne Farm in Ashbrittle (1851 Census) is incorrect and it is actually near Halberton. It also most likely not Herne Farm - unfortunately for this particular census the records show one residence for a large number of people and represents more of an area rather than a particular place.



I hope to be able to get back to see the areas but given the difficulty of transport it might not happen - apologies for that one. Still I have some good information to follow up tomorrow in the Records Library.

The area is famous for it's dairy farming given the lushness of the area. A variety of farming was also undertaken in the area and apple farming being part of that given that wages were paid often in cider.

Back to Exeter and took the chance to do the Red Coat Free Guided Ghost Walk tour ... hope I can sleep tonight!

Day 8 - An Introduction to Exeter

Today was one of those sad I must do work days, however due to the fact that the hostel is closed between midday and 3.30pm I did manage to get in a visit to inside the Exeter Cathedral and managed to catch most of the guided tour. Quite an impressive building - the most interesting part that it was built relatively quickly for a cathedral.

After this I checked out the tourist office and figured I had time to go on one of Red Coat Free guided tours which turned out to be a very good way to spend an hour and I was very impressed that the tours are genuinely free. Nice one Exeter.

I finished up my journey out with heading back to the Tapas place and having their dessert platter before getting stuck into more work. Tomorrow I will be heading out to Halberton to meet with some of the Historical Society there.

Day 7 - Exeter

Woke up early to get the obligatory full English breakfast - I'm starting to feel the effects of too much bacon and eggs and sausage and hash browns and toast and beans and coffee and yogurt and muesli ... as I rolled myself out of the B&B I was presented with some chocolates which was a lovely touch.

Headed to the train station to wait for the first of two trains for the day. Portsmouth to Westbury. Sat down and then realised the seats were reserved and then learnt to read and saw that I had a reservation a few carriages down. Hauled camp to my reserved seat. Changed at Westbury for Exeter - watching Tiverton go past at which we will be visiting later in the week.

Arrived at the Globe Backpackers and hour before the approved check in time of 3.30pm but luckily the guy was out the front and agreed to mind my bags before I could check in.

I went for a wander around town and decided to grab some tapas at El Bocado which proved to be a good call as the food was delicious and service was outstanding (helps having the owner running the floor). May well be back again to try out their desserts.

Checked in - standard hostel though the fact that there are no lockers in the room and the ones downstairs are tiny will get marked down on Hostelworld. I think staying at B&Bs is starting to spoil me a bit in the accommodation stakes. One of my dorm mates was very surprised to see a girl in the room as he'd stayed here many times and never realised it was a mixed dorm. Here is Kazuo's reaction! He's 63 years old and busking in England for his holiday.

Not much more to report - having a quiet one in tonight.

Day 6 - Southampton

Today I hopped on the train early to visit Southampton an apparently "vibrant modern city" that would offer me a warm welcome. Well it was a cold grey day and the main station was closed for track work so had to wait for 20 minutes in the cold for a replacement bus to take me into the city. Perhaps I should have taken this notice on the main bridge leading into the city as a sign.



Arriving at the main railway station I hopped on a free bus into the city with the view of finding the Maritime Museum. The driver complained loudly that no one had said hello to him and no one seemed to care. I jumped off in town when I saw a market in the town - hoping for some nice farm products for breakfast I was greeted with cheap clothes and buckets of sweets. So abandoned the market and walked down the street reading the highlights of the city in the pavement.


I arrived at the Maritime Museum and found it to be a bit lack lustre. One floor covered Cunard and the Titanic and the bottom floor had a bit of information about the hey day of the cruise liners and a model of the harbour and wharves at the time. This was mildly interesting but I was hoping to find more information on earlier vessels.

Heading out of the Museum I wandered the streets in search of Shirley. That's Shirley the place not the person. I headed for the High Street and noted the drinking fountain which was constructed in 1887 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. The reason for my search for Shirley was that it was the place where Keith Morris's father, Henry Frederick Morris was born in 1884. Unfortunately they would have missed the great unveiling as they left Southampton for Australia in 1886.

I jumped on a bus heading towards Millbrook - it being the birthplace Henry's father Frederick William Morris in 1858.

The bus winded through street after street of council houses and past the cemetery where the great Benny Hill is buried. I toyed with the idea of going to find it and doing a comedy run around the cemetery in a nurse's outfit in fast forward but decided to stay on the bus - which never really gave me an outstanding place to alight. So I stayed and realised after a while we were heading back towards Shirley High Street. No great loss - Millbrook's biggest claim to fame is the Hospital.

And so another bus back to the Central Train Station another bus to Woolston another wait for half an hour in the cold and a train back to Portsmouth. I am sure Southampton was a more vibrant city back in the day but if it was anything like it is now I can see why they were keen to emigrate to Australia. Last night in Portsmouth - off to Exeter tomorrow.

Day 5 - With This Ring I Thee Wed

Today marks the auspicious occasion 50 years ago when Mother and Father were married. Of course they weren't a Mother and a Father then just two crazy kids with wild ideas, a gorgeous frock and a fancy suit. But we're all glad they did cause this blog and blogger would cease to exist if it was not so.

Also glad to get the news from home also that 2's surgery had gone well - get well soon sis.


This morning I headed down to the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth. A bit too early as it didn't open til 10am so I grabbed a coffee and listened to the owner complaining to the Cadbury rep how business had declined since the Co-Op opened down the road.

Entry to the Dockyards was almost 20 squids but you can use it for a year - handy if you live local but I would imagine most people are tourists visiting. There were many exhibitions but I was most interested in the HMS Victory and HMS Warrior.

First up was a guided tour of HMS Victory. Launched in 1759 it was Lord Nelson's Flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar and indeed the ship that he died on during that battle. It was interesting to walk around and get a feeling to be on a ship of that era and the space that 800 men had to work and live in. Imagining that John Small would have been serving in the Navy during a similar time (though earlier than that particular battle).


After checking out some of the other exhibitions I wandered onto the HMS Warrior. A massive ship that was the largest of its time when launched in 1860 - within 10 years however it was almost obsolete due to changes from might to speed being more important. It was refitted for various purposes many times and then at the end of its Navy life could not even be sold for scrap. In the 1980's the ship had been an abandoned wreck for more than 50 years but was then fully restored to become the museum ship it is today.

After this I went back to the Portsmouth Museum and made a visit to the Search Room. I was looking for information on the marriage of Keith Morris' Grandparents (on his mother's side) Alexander Thompson and Emma Elizabeth Cox who were married in Portsmouth 1858.

I managed to discover where they were married and the street that the lived in on the day. They were married in St Mary's Church - pictured here today - the 21st of January. They were married on the 23rd of January in 1958. The church was built in medieval times - and then rebuilt by Thomas Ellis Owen in 1843 retaining some of the medieval features. In 1887 it was rebuilt to the church that now stands there today to give more room for its growing congregation.

At the time Alexsander and Emma lived in Wiltshire Street. Well I presume after the wedding they both lived there. I wandered down to check out the street hoping to find some lovely period houses but unfortunately now its a parking lot and a lot of council tower blocks.

This information and visiting these places seemed like a nice thing to do on our parents anniversary and knowing that theirs was only two days away was also a nice feeling. I'm sure though that Emma's dress was a tad nicer than this one I snapped in a bridal shop along the way. I guess taste is changing all the time...

Day 4 - The Birth of Australia

Well Australia was born so we could work - which is what I did pretty much for today. I did manage to sneak out for a bit and take some pictures of the monument marking the first fleet and the 'bonds of friendship' between Australia and the UK.

Day 3 - Portsmouth

Strictly speaking we're up to Day 6 or 7 but after a few days stopover in London we're back on the adventure trail today. An early morning start got me to Warterloo station at 11am - an hour early for my midday train to Portsmouth. I'd booked my trip through Megabus at a bargain 6 squids - 24 squids less than what it would have cost me if I bought it on the day. No ticket required all I needed was my booking number which I was a bit dubious about until I saw the lady with the clipboard and the queue of other people with booking numbers in hand.

Only an hour and a half from London, Portsmouth is a bustling harbour town where from many of the ships to Australia departed. I'm hoping to check out some of the maritime museums while here and their historic dockyards.

I arrived and checked into the Victoria Court B&B - nice little B&B who only give me til 8.30am for the breakfast. I was glad to see that they had captured some nasty things in the bathroom and locked them away in a glass jar.


I decided to head off for a walk down to the Gun Wharf and get the lie of the land. On the way I pass by the Portsmouth City Museum and figured I had time to drop in and take a look.


There were several exhibitions on - one on Arthur Conan Doyle, Portsmouth living through the ages and their main exhibition was Alien Invasion which had original costumes and masks from Dr Who, Star Wars, Aliens and even Mars Attacks plus other Sci Fi classics.

From there I checked out Gun Wharf Quays which is an outlet centre, restaurants and entertainment redevelopment on the water. I figured it would be best to leave the Historic Dockyards to another day so walked along the seafront watching various ships, hovercraft and tugs go past, imagining how it would have felt to be departing these shores for the final time on the way to Australia.

Sun was setting as I walked by the Portsmouth Castle so took the photo opportunity before heading back to my room for a nice cup of tea.

Day 2 - Wickhambreaux

This morning I awoke early to be sure to get down for breakfast at the requisite 8am - 9am timeslot. Bacon, yoghurt, cereal and toast with vegemite (provided by myself). Chatted a bit with two ladies from Germany and headed back to my room to find all my belongings moved to another room. Now it's nice of them to move my stuff but really - tell me or DON'T TOUCH MY STUFF. A quick scrab with the Quopmaster Belinda to calm down in my new pale pink room (same floral lowlights).

Today's mission was Wickhambreaux . Whilst not a definite origin of Keith Morris's mother, Jessie Theresa Thomas' Father Percy Thomas (that's your Great, great, great Grandfather Kate, Daniel and William) - it was in the vicinity so worth checking out. It is a small village around 5 miles from Canterbury.


There's a bus service there - three a day there and two back. The three there are in the afternoon and the two back in the morning. I presume this is so the villagers can make it into Canterbury to shop and return home after they have done so. So I took the 1pm bus with a view to perhaps walking the 5 miles back or catching a cab. On the bus you got the first sense of village life - there was lots of lively chatter on the short journey.

I jumped off the bus and as soon as a did a kindly gent asked me what I was looking for "Just taking a look generally" I answered. I headed for the most obvious landmark the church - built in the 14th Century.

The whole town is full or remarkably beautiful old houses lovingly restored. It was first mentioned in the Doomsday book so there are buildings from many different centuries.

The village green stands in the middle of the town - adjacent to it the church and the old mill. It has been declared an historic village so that no further development of the area can ruin its charm.

Fields stretch around the area which is a rich farming area. In the late 1800s cherries, apples, wheat would be among the items farmed in the area.

The pub, The Rose Inn, is the main social meeting place - as I walked in the room got quiet and everyone looked. I sat at the bar and next to me was the man who first asked me what I was after when I got off the bus - he said hello and we got talking and I told him about my journey. He introduced me to Terence who knew a fair bit about the history of the place. They suggested I take a look at the headstones in the graveyard and if I was to come back they could arrange to view the records book in the church which stretches back hundreds of years. There was no obvious gravestones there with either name of Thomas or Atkinson, unfortunately.

I went back to the pub and chatted to the lads for a while longer and Terence grabbed me a copy of his book Blinky The Frog - which uses the town as the setting for his children's book. It's nice to meet people who are so genuine about their passions for the village, writing, beer and life in general. And I stayed there for a while longer chatting before catching a cab back to Canterbury as the roads were narrow and not safe to walk along.

Good day - but not terribly productive in the quest for knowledge on the ancestor front.