Name Index

To

Matthew Arnold's Royal Descent

Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries vol. VII, (1912-1913), Exeter: James G. Commin. 1913, p.20.

by

O.A.R. Murray

Prepared by Michael Steer

The Note provides more information on Ford family genealogy and relates to entries by Coode and James Alexander Ford in the preceding volume (VI) of D&C.N.& Q. Its author claims that there has been an extraordinary blunder in Vivian's pedigree of the Chudleigh family that has resulted in anomalies in the Ford family pedigree. The article, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

Note 2. MATTHEW ARNOLD'S ROYAL DESCENT (V., par. 32, p. 47; VI., par. 114, p. in, and par. 175, p. 188; Vl, par. 203, p. 220). - Administration of the personal estate of Dorothy Ford, late of Ashton, widow, deceased, was granted 28th Sep., 1713, in the Principal Registry, Exeter, to her daughter Elizabeth, wife of John Vinicombe, of Exeter, clerk. The fact that the Priest Vicar's widow retired after her husband's death to Ashton, the Chudleighs' parish, seems to be strong circumstantial evidence in favour of her belonging to that family.

It is worth noting also that William Hopwood, the "gentleman of H.M's. chapel," mentioned in the Ford-Chudleigh Marriage Licence, was probably himself the son of a former Priest Vicar of Exeter Cathedral, see the Exeter Cathedral Register, Baptisms, 4th Nov., 1641, and Burials, 10th March, 1660/1.

The suggestion that Charles Ford, the Priest Vicar, was a Ford of Fordmore in Plymtree, is a very probable one, as this family and the Chudleighs were already connected through inter-marriages with Ashfords of Burlescombe.

There were no fewer than three Charles Fords of Exeter, contemporaries at this period, who need to be distinguished: - (1) the Priest Vicar, (2) the Charles Ford who married Margaret Conyngham in 1674 ( see former notes on this subject), and (3) Charles Ford, of Holy Trinity, Esqr., who belonged to the Nutwell family. To add to the confusion there were Dorothy Fords belonging to two out of the three families.

There is an extraordinary blunder in Vivian's pedigree of the Chudleigh family, which makes Dorothy Ford and three of her sisters great-grand-daughters instead of daughters of the second Sir George Chudleigh. A reference to Burke's Extinct Baronetage will show, I think, that Vivian copied the latter part of the Chudleigh pedigree direct from this work, and confused the generations in passing from one page to the next. It is a striking instance of the hasty way in which some of Vivian's great work was done.         O. A. R. Murray.