Samuel Underdown (1761-1812)

Samuel was baptized on the 11th of May 1761 in Northleigh, Devon to parents Thomas and Joan Underdown (nee Cox). It is believed his father was a yeoman or tenant farmer.

He was their 6th son and 8th child, one of 18 siblings in total. His siblings were Sarah, Jane (Jenny), Robert, Abraham, Thomas, James, Phillip, Benjamin, Joseph, Elizabeth, Molly, Agnes, Noah, Emanuel, Anne, Susanna and Ann.

==Death of Siblings==

Being one of 18 children, a few of his siblings died before Samuel was married. The first was his sister Anne, who died before 1775 when his youngest sister with a similar name was born.

Next was his eldest sister Sarah, who did in 1783 at the age of 33. Then it was his brother Abraham who died in 1790 at age 36.

It is also likely that brother Joseph died in this period. No record of Joseph has been found other than his baptism, and he is not mentioned in any of the wills of his brothers.

==Marriage==

Samuel married Sarah Pady at Colyton on the 4th January 1791. Sarah was the daughter of James and Joan Pady (nee Clegg). The Pady family were well known in the local district.

The couple settled in Northleigh. Samuel was a farmer, but it is unclear at this time which property he lived and worked on.

==Death of brother and birth of first child==

Another of Samuel’s siblings, his brother James, would die later that year in 1791, aged 33 years.

Samuel and his wife Sarah would have their first child a year later in 1792, a son Robert who was baptized in Northleigh.

==Death of Parents and children==

Samuel’s father Thomas died in 1795. Samuel inherited a plot of land from his father upon his death. The plot was located in the parish of Offwell.

Samuel’s mother Joan would die within a year of her husband in 1796.

Samuel and his wife Sarah then lost three of their own children in infancy, Thomas, Sarah and Abraham, between the years 1796 and 1798. The children were buried in the Northleigh churchyard.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">==Move to Widworthy==

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">In 1798, the family began to baptize their children in Widworthy. The reason for the move is currently unclear. In the Devon Freeholders 1711-1799, Samuel is listed at Widworthy in the Colyton hundred for the year 1799.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">==Farway Volunteer Infantry==

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">It is possible that Samuel may have been involved with the East Devon Local Militia for a short time, along with his brother Robert. The London Gazette (issue 15696) published on 24/4/1804 lists a Samuel Underdown, gent, to be Lieutenant in the Farway Volunteer Infantry. Whether this is our Samuel is yet to be proven, but is supported by an entry in the Taunton Courier on 1/2/1810 which speaks of both a Robert and Samuel Underdown in the East Devon Local Militia. The Robert recorded is definitely Samuel’s brother.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">=Game Duty and Apprentice==

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">According to a document in the Devon Record Office, Samuel had an apprentice in the year 1805 by the name of John Potter. John was 9 years old when his father hired him to Samuel, and for the first 2 years John’s father took his wages that he earned working for him. For the 3rd year, John received the wages himself, and left to work for another farmer at Branscombe.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">According to the Trewman’s Exeter Flying Post (dated 11/9/1806 and 20/9/1810), Samuel Underdown of Widworthy was listed with persons who have obtained General Certificates, at the rate of Three Guineas each, for the quarter of July – September 1806, and the year 1810, in the county of Devon, for Game Duty.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">==Death of daughter and brother==

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">Another child, Henrietta, died in her infancy in 1807 and was buried with her other siblings in the Northleigh church yard.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">Samuel’s elder brother Robert died in April 1811. He had never married and upon his death was the captain of the East Devon Local Militia. A marble tablet was placed in the Northleigh church in memory of him, and it is unknown at this stage if Robert requested the tablet himself or one of his relatives placed it there for him. It is suspected that Samuel may have arranged for it’s placement due to the later naming of his son on the same marble tablet. The laying of the tablet was recorded in a local newspaper.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">Robert had inherited a plot of land in Offwell from his father Thomas upon is death in April 1795, just as Samuel had done. It appears that Robert’s plot may have passed into Samuel’s hands upon his death, as Samuel made instructions for the use of both plots in his own will.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">Robert had purchased land in the parish of Northleigh and called it “Northleigh Farm”. The amount for the purchase was five thousand and seven hundred pounds. He had not completely paid for the purchase of the property at the time of his death. His brothers Benjamin and Emmanuel were listed as his executors and because of the debt, his brothers had to organize the sale of the property and house sales to cover them. The house sales were advertised in the newspaper on 3.10.1811. In Samuel’s will, he states that he contracted his brothers Benjamin and Emanuel as trustees of the Northleigh Farm property that Robert had purchased, which indicates that Robert left the property to him.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">==Death==

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">Samuel died on the 28th March 1812 and was buried in Northleigh churchyard. His family have a plot in the churchyard, and at the time, Samuel was buried with his children Thomas, Sarah, Abraham and Henrietta. His youngest daughter Amelia was only 1 year old at the time of his death. Samuel was aged 51.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">His wife Sarah would outlive Samuel by 23 years, and she too was buried in the plot upon her death.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">Samuel left a will upon his death that was very informative about the family and some of its dealings. It named his father, several of his siblings, his wife and the names of his surviving children.

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt">Samuel appears to be the only son of Thomas and Joan Underdown (nee Cox) who maintained a degree of wealth at his death. His effects were sworn to be under the amount of 2000 pounds. His executors were his wife Sarah, his younger brother Emanuel (gentleman, of Northleigh) and Samuel Newberry (gentleman, of Musbury). Sarah was left with a property called Thrishes plus an annual payment out of the estate and the surviving children were left with a sum of 500 pounds.

Children

 * colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFfce0" style="color: #000000;" |Children of Samuel & Sarah Underdown
 * colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFfce0" style="color: #000000;" |Children of Samuel & Sarah Underdown