[WED]Spearing Family

[Mathew Ducket]

My great great grandfather on the "all maternal" line was a John Spearing.
John was born in 1802, almost certainly in Wookey, though I have not yet
worked on it. I believe that the family were based at the water mill in
Burcott near Wookey,  but again I have not ratified it. This mill is still
in working order. John married Anna Lawrence in Wedmore on 12th August 1839,
as yet I am unaware of an earlier Wedmore connection. John was well known
for founding a family of millers. He himself worked the mills at Heath House
(Wedmore) and Watchfield (Highbridge) and probably learnt at Ashton (Chapel
Allerton). His sons worked mills all over north and central Somerset. He and
Anna were buried in Wedmore in 1876 and 1875 respectively. It may be that he
was Benjamin's first cousin once removed. You might be interested in "
Windmills of Somerset and
the men who worked them", by Alfred J Coulthard and Martin Watts, Research
Publishing Co, Lincolns Inn Fields, London, 1978. This book has a family
tree, but it has some deficiencies. Note Anna is also known as Ann and
Hanna, but was definitely not born a Wilkins. I have some records and
photographs of the immediate family. (If anyone knows of a
spare copy of the above book I am interested.) Matthew Duckett.