Samuel, John & Thomas Napper

There have been Nappers in Somerset ever since records were begin in 1531. But my traceable ancestors start in the 18th Century,

My great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, Samuel married my great, great, great, great, great grandmother Ann Wills on 11 February 1739 at St. Nicholas’ Church Dinnington, Somerset. The Church was a “chapelry” to Seavington St Mary




Although married in Dinnington, (2 miles south of Seavington) they were, in fact, both born in West Chinnock. (5 miles to the east of Dinnington).

After their marriage in Dinnington, Samuel and Ann went back to West Chinnock and it was here that their eldest 3 children were born. 

Thomas. b 1742.

Henry b. 1744.

William b. 1745. He married (1) Elizabeth Ash in 1773 in Seavington St. Mary. They were married by special licence. This usually suggests some urgency in getting married. After Elizabeth’s death, William married (2) Betty on 26 Jan 1791 in Seavington St. Michael. (She died on 16 Jan 1843)...




After they had moved to Seavington St. Mary, two further sons were born:

John b.1745 in Seavington St. Mary

 Samuel b.1751 He married Dinah Scott on 1 Apr 1784 in Seavington St. Mary. (She was born in 1752 and died on 19 May 1816 in St. Mary Abbott.) He died on 25 Jan 1829 in Seavington St. Mary. 

 When they died both Samuel and Ann were buried in West Chinnock, the place of their birth. Ann was buried in 1796. Samuel was buried in 28 May 1786.

  



Samuel & Ann’s son, John, was my 5 x great grandfather.
John Napper (b. 1745)

He married Betty Reland (Ireland) on 17 Sep 1765 in Seavington St. Mary. (She was born in South Petherton.)






John died in 1827 being buried on 22 Apr 1827 in Seavington St. Mary, Church.





John and Betty had the following children,
1) John. (b. 1766) 
He married
(1) Susanna Hutchings, daughter of Joseph Hutchings and Esther on 29 Nov 1788 in Seavington St. Michael. (She died on 29 Dec 1802). He married
(2) Dinah on 21 Mar 1803 in Seavington St. Mary. She was born in 1752. She died on 24 May 1837.
John died on 20 Dec 1846 in Seavington St. Michael.

2) William

He married Joan Culver on 27 Apr 1773 in Seavington St. Michael. She died on 7 Aug 1803. William died a Pauper

3) Thomas. (My 3x great grandfather)

He was born 20 January 1770 in Seavington St. Mary and baptised 1 July that same year. 
Thomas married Elizabeth (Betty) Hutchings, daughter of Joseph Hutchings and Esther on 17 Jul 1798 in Seavington St. Michael. (She was born in 1775).


At his marriage in 1798, his occupation is given as “Husbandman”. This is someone who is self-employed, renting a small portion of land, producing enough to feed his family and sell a small surplus on the market. Both Thomas and Betty were illiterate and unable to sign their own names.  It would be nearly a 100 years before a Napper was educated enough to write their own name.
It is with Thomas (Or Thomey as he is sometimes called) that we can be more precise about where he actually lived: in the part of Seavington St. Mary called Seavington Abbotts. Although in the parish of St. Mary, it was in fact closer to the centre of Seavington St. Michael.




By the 1841 census, the address is more precisely given as the Tything of Seavington St. Abbott. About a dozen families lived in the Tything. Aged 71, Thomas was still working full time as an agricultural labourer.

In 1845 The Bristol Mercury of 4th October reported that “Upwards of 1000 acres of land planted with potatoes are now lying in a putrescent state, in the neighbourhood of Seavington near Ilminster.” 

On 13 Mar 1847 Thomas’ wife, betty died and he went to live with his son, Thomas.  He continued to live here until his own death in 1857.

By the mid1850s 15 families lived in the Tything of Seavington St. Abbots





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