Once again, we have an Issue which contains a
single article - an article of importance to every person in the family,
however the name is spelt.
There is documentary evidence in the
Devon Record Office and elsewhere, as to the status of the Stentiford
group of families in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Without
doubt, they were landowners and Yeoman farmers of substantial means. In
Issue 27, we wrote about the great review of his estates commissioned by
King James when he came to the throne in 1609 and which created new
opportunities to the north of Dartmoor.
From that time on, our family was divided, as
members from the southern slopes travelled across the Moor to build a
new life and extend their prosperity. They went to to Belstone and
Sticklepath in the parish of Sampford Courtenay and at first, all went
well for these early settlers. But by 1697, something had occurred which
necessitated taking out a loan in the form of an enormous mortgage.
Three years later, there was a foreclosure on this loan and in order to
repay it, the family estates and land in the southern part
Dartmoor had to be sold up. Even so, there was a financial surplus from
this sale - but where that went is anyone's guess. It certainly was not
used to help the family recover its fortunes. If you think you know what
happened to this money, we should be pleased to hear from you!
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