Person:Mary Cockram (6)

Childhood

Mary Cockram was baptised on 23rd April 1775 at Templeton in Devon, daughter of Elizabeth Cockram, formerly Veysey, and her husband Thomas Cockram, a yeoman. Mary appears to have been the couple's only child. The family appears to have stayed in Templeton. Mary's mother Elizabeth died in 1786, when Mary was only eleven years old.

Adulthood

On 14th April 1794, aged about nineteen, Mary married a farmer named Robert May. They married at Cruwys Morchard, just south of Templeton. They had three children baptised at Cruwys Morchard between 1794 and 1798(including a Thomas and an Elizabeth, presumably named after Mary's parents) before returning to Mary's native Templeton, where they had another seven children between 1801 and 1815. In 1803, shortly after they returned to Templeton, Mary's father Thomas died. Mary and Robert's eldest son John presumably died young, as they had another son named John in 1806. It is on the two youngest children's baptisms in 1814 and 1815 that we find Robert described as a farmer.

The 1841 census finds Mary and Robert and their daughter Sarah living at Partridge Farm in Templeton. Robert was described as an agricultural labourer at this point, a step down from 'farmer'. However, the following year when his daughter Sarah married he was described on her marriage certificate as 'yeoman', which is more consistent with a farmer than an agricultural labourer.

Robert died in 1842, just a few days after his daughter Sarah's marriage. Immediately before his death he was living in Tiverton, but was buried back at Templeton on 8th June 1842. He was said to be 69 when he died.

After Robert's death Mary went to live with her daughter Sarah and her husband William Bowden. The 1851 census finds them living at Pantacridge in the parish of Loxbeare, just north of Templeton. Mary died in 1857, having outlived Robert by nearly fifteen years. She was living at Loxbeare immediately before her death, but was buried back at Templeton on 17th May 1857. She was 82 years old, and had lived to see many grandchildren.

1. ↑ Church of England. Templeton Parish Registers. (Exeter: Devon Heritage Centre).

   Baptisms 1775
   April 23rd Mary Daughter of Thomas and Elisabeth Cockram

   This baptism has been linked to the Mary Cockram who married Robert May on the basis of the age and place of birth quoted by the adult Mary May in the 1851 census. Whilst no named connection has been found proving this link, no evidence has been found suggesting that the Mary baptised in 1775 died young or married someone else. Moreover, she named two of her first three children Thomas and Elizabeth, which were the names of the parents of the Mary baptised in 1775.

2. ↑ England. 1841 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class: HO107; Piece 261; Book 9; Folios 5-6; Pages 5-6, 6 Jun 1841.

   Address: Partridge Farm, Templeton, Devon
   Robert May, male, 65 [1771-6], Ag. lab, b. in county
   Mary May, female, 65 [1771-6], b. in county
   Sarah May, female, 25 [1811-6], b. in county

3. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1889; Folio 381; Page 4, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: Pantacridge, Loxbear, Devon
   William Bowden, head, married, male, 46 [1804/5], Ag Lab, b. Loxbear, Devon
   Sarah Bowden, wife, married, female, 38 [1812/3], Ag Lab Wife, b. Templeton, Devon
   Wm Bowden, son, male, 8 [1842/3], Ag Labs Son, b. Tiverton, Devon
   Robert Bowden, son, male, 7 [1843/4], Ag Labs Son, b. Tiverton, Devon
   Henry J. Bowden, son, male, 4 [1846/7], Ag Labs Son, b. Loxbear, Devon
   Mary May, mother of wife, widow, female, 77 [1773/4], Formerly Lab Wife, b. Templeton, Devon

4.   Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. Mary MAY, June Quarter 1857, Tiverton Registration District, Volume 5b, page 293, aged 83 [1773/4]

5. ↑ Burials register, in Church of England. Templeton Parish Registers. (Exeter: Devon Heritage Centre).

   BURIALS in the Parish of Templeton in the County of Devon in the Year 1857
   No.	Name	Abode	When buried	Age	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   210	Mary May	Loxbear	May 17th	83 [1773/4]	Edward Pole