Bulleid NewsBulleid Family Newsletter 23 December 2011 Issue 62

A New LookAfter five years, it's time to givethe newsletter a fresh look thanksto free software recommended byan English computer magazine,Computeractive. Please bear withme as I get to grips with desktoppublishing; you will probablynotice some experimentation andthe alignment may be a bit cock­eyed.The crest on the right of themasthead has been replaced bythe bull's head surmounted by aplover, known in Devon as abullhead. These reflect the originof the family name, Bullheadfarm in Iddesleigh, North Devon,whilst the colour reminds us ofthe red Devon soil of ouragricultural heritage. Bullheadfarm was occupied by the familyin the 13th and 14th centuries,although it has not been possibleto trace our ancestry back that farin an unbroken line.Sixty monthly editions of thenewsletter is a remarkableachievement and demonstratesthe strength of interestthroughout the family in itshistory. Please keep sending inyour contributions, be theyhistorical or contemporary news,so that we can keep thenewsletter going.

­ Geoff Ledden, Editor

Winkleigh in North Devon,England, was home to the Bulleidfamily for at least three centuries.If you zoom in on the map above,which dates from before 1850, youwill see highlighted the names ofseveral farms that were occupiedby Bulleids at one time or another.Winkleigh is an ancient village ona lofty hill founded in the earlydays of the Saxon occupation ofDevon (5th century). It was theseat of the Saxon Earls ofGloucester, the last of whom wasBrictric, who lost his lands toMatilda, wife of William theConqueror. It is listed in theDomesday Book of 1086 when

there was “land for 40 ploughs; 80acres of meadow; and 500 acres ofwoodland; 16 slaves; 60 villans;and 10 swineherds.”It has been suggested that thename derives from the old Englishwords Wincel and Leah meaning aclearing near some nook or corner.However, finds dating back to theBronze Age, including some onBullhead farm, indicate that theland was settled centuries beforethe Saxon invasion.Local historian, Barry Downton, inhis book ‘Iddesleigh, A Parish inDevon’ states that “the first recordof Bullhead Farm being mentioneddates back to the twelve hundredswhen it was then occupied by one

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Help! ‐ An appeal by Alan Richards

John de’ Bullhead.” TheDevon Subsidy Roll for 1332records William de Bolesheadat the farm.Adam Boleheude was orderedto be taken to Exeter in 1358to be tried for having causedthe death of NicholasLampray.In 1525, John Bolehed made agrant of all his property inNorthcott in order to providean annuity for his wife,Thomasine. A documentdated 29 June 1546 recordsthat Nicholas Bolehede held atenement in Northcott, in the

Manor of Holacombe.The Parish Church, All Saints,dates back to the 15th centuryand the first Bulleid marriagewas recorded there on 13August 1582 when JohnBulleid married Agnes Heale.Most members of the familyhad left Winkleigh and nearbyrural villages by the mid­19thcentury due to the agriculturaldepression. They sought abetter life in towns and citiessuch as Plymouth, Exeter,Bristol and Glastonbury;others set sail for Canada andthe USA, Australia and New

Zealand. The population ofWinkleigh peaked in the1840s and had halved by1931. Despite this decline, thevillage has prospered and, inSeptember 2011, it wasnamed the best place inEngland and Wales to raise achild based on its low crimerate, good education resultsand the fact that propertyprices are almost £17,000 lessthan the national average.Perhaps these factors willattract Bulleids back toWinkleigh!

Alan Richards has sent an appeal for a photograph of his great grandparents, Albert Parkin andMartha Gibson. Albert was Ann Bullied's son. He was born in Port Hope, Ont., in 1850, anddied in Toronto in 1908. His wife was born in 1852, also in Port Hope, and died in Toronto in1925 (she had remarried, to a man named John J. Teskey). Alan writes: ­

"The reason I believe somebody out there has a picture of Albert and/or Martha is that Ihave beautiful pictures of some of their children, obviously taken at a time when the parentswould still be alive; if the kids had their pictures taken, wouldn't the parents also have doneso?"The photos of Albert and Martha's children, above, are (l to r): Myrtle & Albert Parkin Jr;Myrtle Parkin; Rhoda Maywood & family. If you can help, please contact Alan atalanr@rogers.com

From the London Standard,Friday, 3rd March 1837Alexander Christie, 32, was indictedfor intermarrying with AmeliaBulleid, his wife Elizabeth stillbeing alive. ­ GuiltyThe Recorder declared that it wasnecessary to put a stop to offencesof this character and sentenced theprisoner to be imprisoned and keptto hard labour in the House ofCorrection for 12 months.Amelia was aged 13 at the time andthe daughter of George and MaryBulleid of Staddon farm, NorthTawton, Devon. She was a Grocerin 1871, living with brotherWilliam in Hatherleigh Street,North Tawton. Shopkeeper in 1881,living in Barton Lane, NorthTawton, with brother William. Shedid not marry and was buried withher father and brother William inNorth Tawton churchyard.From the Bath Chronicle andWeekly Gazette, Thursday,13th February 1840DREADFUL SUICIDE ­ OnTuesday Morning, the 28th ult., theinhabitants of Glastonbury werethrown into the greatest possibleconsternation by the committal ofan awful suicide on the part of MrBulleid, draper, who threw himselffrom the tower of the church, bywhich instant death wasoccasioned. It appears that theunfortunate individual in questionhad rendered himself subject toserious pecuniary liabilities, towhich, for sufficient reasons, werefrain from more particularlyalluding at present.The consequences that were likelyto follow his responsibilities,resulting from recent events in thetown, deeply affected the mind ofMr Bulleid. On the Mondayevening, he appeared extremelydejected and, whilst at supper,showed symptoms of extrememental agony, but his wife mostaffectionately endeavoured tosoothe him. Nothing particularoccurred till the next morning.After he had taken his breakfast, heintimated that it was his intentionto take a ride a little way into thecountry; but his wife, with her usual

solicitude, told him he had betterdefer it, on account of the bad stateof his health. He then arose fromthe table with a view to deliberatewith Mr Chapman (who residesopposite), and who, it appears, wasalso concerned with him in theresponsibilities alluded to; but onarriving there he found that thatgentleman was in bed, sufferingintensely from the same cause.Hearing this, he obtained the keysof St. John's Tower, asended to thetop (which is 120 feet high), andinstantly threw himself off.An inquest was held on thedeceased by D. Ashford, Esq. onWednesday, the 29th, before ahighly respectable jury. The firstwitness called was ­John Payne, the Sexton of the

church, who stated ­Deceased came to my house onTuesday morning last, about half pasteight, and said he wanted the keys ofthe tower as he wished to go to the topof it to see if the water was out in theMoors; I gave him the keys; I saw nodifference in his conduct or hisappearance; I asked him how it wasbetween the Prats and him, and hesaid, "Pretty well; better than Iexpected." I am not aware thatdeceased called at my house before Iwas up.

Henry Payne ­ I am the son of the lastwitness; knew the deceased, MrBulleid; saw him yesterday morning,about half past eight, at my father'shouse; he came for the keys of thetower; my faher gave them to him; hewent away with them; he came back inabout two minutes, and said they werethe wrong keys; he showed me thekeys; they were the right keys;he asked me to go up to the churchwith him, as he could not open thedoor; I unlocked it; I then asked him ifI should wait to lock the door; anddeceased said he was going to wait forsome­one; and I was to go home and hewould lock the door, and bring back thekeys; he waited in the belfry until I wasgone; this was the last time I saw himalive; he looked different when in thebelfry, to when he was at our house; helooked very cross.

Robert Munden jun. ­ I knew thedeceased; at about a quarter beforenine o'clock yesterday morning, I was

going to my duties at the NationalSchool; first saw the deceased lying inthe churchyard; was told of his beingthere by some boys belonging to theschool; I sent for the sexton; but beforehis arrival another person came by,and we both entered the churchyard,together with Saml. Chamberlain;found the deceased lying on theground, but did not know him at thattime; they lifted him up and found hewas dead; I then ran for Dr. Burgess;deceased was taken into the belfrybefore the surgeon had arrived.

Samuel Chamberlain corroboratedthe evidence of the last witness.The jury here stated that it wasuseless to proceed with theevidence, many of them havingseen the deceased the samemorning, and observed thedistressed state of his mind. Theyreturned a verdict of TemporaryInsanity.Mr Bulleid was highly respectedin the town as a tradesman and aneighbour, and his memory is nowfollowed by the sincere andsorrowful regrets of all who knewhim. His remains were interred onSaturday last. So beloved was thisunfortunate gentleman, that everyshop in town was partially closeduntil he had been consigned to thetomb, to which last resting place hewas followed by the whole of theprincipal tradesmen in the town. Itis to be hoped, that the sincererespect at all times shown for himmay be transferred, if possiblemore warmly, to his esteemedwidow and her three bereavedchildren. A cruel report has beenveryy industriously circulated inthe neighbourhood of Glastonbury,by some thoughtless individuals,that the deceased committed therash act in consequence of the lawproceedings which had beeninstituted against him. The jury,however, after a patientinvestigation of all thecircumstances, came to theunanimous resolution, that they feltit their bounden duty to disabusethe public mind on the subject, andaccordingly expressed their entireapprobation of the conduct pursuedby the professional gentlementhroughout the whole business.

In 1 923, Donald Bulleid was a lad of 1 0 l iving in Plymouth,

Devon, and a pupil at Charles School, just off North Hil l .

On Christmas Eve, he wrote what appears to have been

his annual letter to Father Christmas (opposite). He

allowed plenty of time for his letter to get to the North Pole,

writing two months in advance. Perhaps he wanted to get

his request in before his twin sister, Doris!

Don went on to become the Medical Records Officer at

Plymouth City Hospital from 1 934 to 1 953 and was an

Emergency Medical Officer during the Second World War.

In 2001 , he was instrumental in getting the city to honour

six nurses, who were kil led in an air raid on Freedom

Fields Hospital.

He was a great reader and very interested in the history of

the Bulleid family. His daughter, or son, used to read this

newsletter to him when his sight was fail ing. Don was keen

to attend the family gathering in Eggesford, North Devon,

in 2008 even though he had hardly ventured outdoors for

the past two years, and his family arranged for him to be

transported with his carer by ambulance for the day. As the

doyen of the family, he was delighted to meet the youngest

member present, Rufus Mil l ichope, who was eight months

old.

The letter to Santa was found in his effects fol lowing his

death last year at the age of 97. We do not know whether

his wishes were granted, or the rather imperious letter was

returned to him!

20 Radnor StreetPlymouth24 ­10 ­1923

Dear Santa Clause [sic]This year I would like a Scooter and aStory Book for Boys. I have seen a fit bookfor me in a shop window in Regent Street.The Shopkeeper's name is West.If you cannot get a Story Book try yourhardest to get a Scooter. I have seen apenknife, pencil box, trains and train lines.I would like to have all those things thisXmas. I do not think I will get themanyway. We will see.Yours trulyDonald BulleidP.S. I am a boy of ten years and I am inStd V

Well, another year draws to a close, but before it does I wish you all a very Merry Christmasand a happy and healthy New YearPlease don't forget to visit https://sites.google.com/site/bulleidfamily and add a message to theblog as well as your profile, a photo or two and, perhaps, a favourite family recipe.All the best,Geoff.