Passmore of Devon

Just occasionally one discovers an ancestor who had the foresight, or was persuaded, to write an account of their lives. In 1890 Harriet Rowe (née Passmore) did just that. Thanks to her we have a marvellous introduction to the life of her father, Christopher, whose religious fervour was seemingly second to none and whose name, had he lived just a few more years, would likely have gone down in history as one of the founders of the Plymouth Brethren.

This research took us into unfamiliar religious territory. We learned something of the origins of "The Brethren" whose movement had grown out of the Strict and Particular Baptist belief. We also learned about the Baptist Home Mission movement and the way in which it provided "Free Schools" for poor children in the late 18^th & early 19^th centuries before the government became interested. Christopher Passmore from Exeter married Ann Butler in Kent in 1816 and some of her ancestry is included here. They moved with an increasingly large family to the counties of Kent, Monmouth, Hereford, Stafford, and finally back to Devon.

We discovered a pedigree of the Passmores of Devon that had been written & published in 1929 with an ancestral line going back to the 12^thC. Our Passmores were included. However our enthusiasm at this find was eventually tempered by the realisation that we did not agree with the findings. Our Passmores came from much less distinguished stock. Don’t believe everything you read, even if it is in a book!

The history written here was first written as a book and copies are deposited in the West Country Studies Library in Exeter and the Society of Genealogists in London. However many of the figures and photographs and transcripts included there are, for various reasons, including copyright, not included here.

Our Passmores were an undistinguished family with no great wealth but one son, Christopher who in true biblical fashion one day "saw the light" and, one feels, just missed out on a place in history. We found it all different but educational and fascinating. We hope that it proves to be just as interesting to the reader. 

Home - Hole - Faulkner - Betts - Williams - Prince - Clarkson - Headford - Green - Passmore - Rashleigh - Lovell -  Bray - Holt - Rowe - Stoodley

© 2002 G & B Faulkner