Visiting Broadhempston

Today I took a drive out to Broadhempston, a small village in the South Hams near Totnes. The main purpose of my visit was to see if I could locate the grave of my Great Great Great Grandfather James Elliott (1780 – 1857) who was recorded as being buried in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul.

Broadhempston really does appear to be in the middle-of-nowhere, approached (according to my satnav, anyway) by miles and miles of single track roads with no passing places. A very attractive and compact village with mainly period properties.

I was able to quickly find the grave of James Elliott at ///profited.variety.pints alongside the gravestone of his wife‘s parents, Mary and Thomas Browse and the gravestone of four of their children: Caroline Anne (d. 1824 aged 10 Months), Henrietta Adelaide (d. September 1836 aged 6 years), Eliza Anne (died June 1836 Aged 7 Years) & John (d. 1848 aged 28). This was John’s gravestone with the children (who died several years earlier) added later.

I met one chap (Paul) who said the Elliott’s were a large land owning family in the area, and we know from newspaper reports that James Elliott owned a substantial farm estate which was sold after his death. According to Paul, his parents bought their family business – a garage on the Totnes to Newton Abbott road – from the Elliot family. He invited me to drop in when passing ans ask for him as his has some photos of the Elliott family he could show me.

Visiting Broadhempston

Posted: October 23, 2022

Category: Blog

Tags: Browse Family, Elliott Family, Genealogy

Location: Broadhempston, Devon