Chapter 4: JOHN SIEVIER/SEOVIER/SIEVIOUR/SIOVIUR/SEVIER of CLOFORD, SOMERSET

John Seviour was born about 1720. He married Elizabeth King in Cloford in 1745. In the time period 1745 to 1780, when John and his brother Henry (see Chapter 3) and John’s son William were having their families baptised, the children of the three aforementioned Seviours accounted for approximately ten percent of the baptisms recorded in the parish registers. This suggests that parish contained only about 30 families at the time.

Five of John and Elizabeth’s eight children died as infants or children. Two died in the month of December, possibly of winter related ailments such as influenza or pneumonia. Two others died during the summer when infectious diseases such as typhus and food poisoning were prevalent. Despite these typically high infant mortality rates the population of the British Isles increased by 50% in the period 1750 to 1800. The reasons for the population increase is not clear, but improved farming techniques were producing more food, the agricultural revolution was gaining pace thus creating greater prosperity and hygiene was generally improving.

Despite a generally improving economic climate there is evidence that the Seviours had yet to benefit, for in 1785 James Sovier, son of Henry and Ann, was buried as a pauper, his parents also being described as paupers. The relationship of James and Henry to ‘our’ Seviours is not clear, but this burial record is practically the only Seviour record in Cloford that is not accounted for by the family under study. In 1851 both Thomas (b.1778) and his daughter Mary Ofference were living together as paupers in Nunney. Although Mary was maried and had two children at that time there was no sign of her husband. Ten years later Mary was still married but living on alms, as she was still appart from her husband. Mary had only two children, Archibald and Ann. Archibald dropped the full family name and became known as Offer or Offers at different times. He lived all his life in Nunney, taking a variety of labouring jobs.

Archibald had at least four children by his wife Charlotte. Following his apprenticeship James, the oldest of the the children, became a carpenter. He lived first in Nunney, then Westbury-on-Trym to the north-west of Bristol and then from about 1880 until at least 1893 in Mells. Finally he and his family returned to Nunney. James' brother Thomas became a coal agent in Birmingham after living for several years in Kensington, London. Like his brother James, Alfred became a carpenter, but first served an apprenticeship under a cabinet maker. Alfred worked and raised his family in Frome. The boys' sister, Mary Ann married plumber Henry Turner.

Like the vast majority of his generation Jonathon (b.1778) was a farm labourer. He lived in Cloford where he had at least three daughters and two sons. Before they were married two of the girls went in to service and the third worked as a seamstress. Like their father, both sons worked as a labourer. Jonathon (junior) married; his wife Martha baring seven children. The first three were born in Wanstow, the next back in Cloford and at least the next one in nearby Leighton. Again all the sons took agricultural labouring jobs. Henry mananged to become a farm bailiff by way of dairyman. Susan, the only sister even had a farm job, for she was a dairymaid.

Benjamin (chapter 5) and Jonathan (b.1778) had a sister, Betty (or Elizabeth). Betty married in George Read/Reed in Cloford, in 1811. Betty and George had a number of children born in Cloford, with the later ones born in Monmouthshire.

        John SIEVIER/SIOVIOUR/SIOVIER/SIEVIOUR/SEVIER b.c1720 d.1795 m.Elizabeth KING   
            William SIEVIER/SEVIOR/SOVIER/SIEVIOUR/ SIOVIOUR b.1746 d.1801 m.Mary -  
                John SIOVIOUR b.1766 m.Mary - 
                Martha SIEVIOUR b.1769 
                Amy SIOVIOR b.1772 
                Philip SIOVIOUR b.1776 
                Francis SEVIOR b.1779
            Edward SIEVIOR/SIOVIOUR/SIOVIER/SEOIR/SEVIER b.1747 m.Ann -  
                William SIEVIOR/SEVIOR/SEVIER b.1769 d.1797
                Henry SIOVIOUR/SEVIER b.1772 d.1802
                Hannah SIOVIER b.c1775 d.1782
                Thomas SEOIR b.1778 d.>1851 m.- - 
                    Mary SEIOUR/SEVIOUR b.c1803 d.>1861 m.- OFFERENCE/OFFER(S)
                        Archibald OFFERENCE/OFFER(S) b.c1836 d.>1901 m.Charlotte -
                            James OFFER(S) b.c1856 d.>1901 m.Caroline -  
                                Frank M. OFFERS b.1779 d.>1901
                                Agnes L. OFFERS b.c1882 d.>1891
                                Charlotte C. OFFERS b.c1883 d.>1891
                                Arthur James OFFERS b.c1885 d.>1901
                                Herbert W. OFFERS b.c1893 d.>1901
                            Thomas OFFER(S) b.c1859 d.>1901 m.Jeannitte/Jeannette (?CHALLACOMBE)
                                Reginald James OFFER(S) b.1889 d.>1901
                                Olive OFFERS b.c1892 d.>1901
                                May OFFERS b.c1894 d.>1901
                                Henry OFFERS b.c1898 d.>1901
                            Alfred OFFER(S) b.c1865 d.>1901 m.Louisa - 
                                Mabel OFFERS b.c1887 d.>1901
                                Effie OFFERS b.c1889 d.>1901
                                Lily OFFERS b.c1891 d.>1901
                                Alfreda OFFERS b.c1896 d.>1901
                            Mary Ann OFFER b.c1866 d.>1901 m.Henry TURNER 
                                Horace TURNER b.c1896 d.>1901
                                Winifred TURNER b.c1900 d.>1901
                        Ann OFFERENCE b.c1840 d.>1851
                Ann SEVIER b.- d.1782
            Mary SIEVIER/SIOVIOUR b.1749 d.1758
            Henry SIOVIER/SEVIOR b.1752 D.>1811 m.Betty -
                Benjamin SEVIOUR b.1775 d.1851 m.Rebecca - (Chapter 5)
                Jonathon SEVIOUR b.1778 d.>1819 m.- -
                    Ann SEVIOUR b.c1810 d.>1841 m.Richard Hillier GIBBS
                    Mary SEVIOUR b.c1815 d.>1846 m.#1 - WILMOTT #2 Benjamin PARFITT
                        #1 William WILMOTT b.c1838 d.>1851
                        #1 Joseph WILMOTT b.c1840 d.>1851        
                        #2 Thomas PARFITT b.c1847 d.>1851
                    Jonathon SEVIER b.c1817 d.>1876 m.Martha -
                        James SEVIER b.c1837 d.>1851
                        Susan SEVIER b.c1843 d.>1861
                        Henery/Henry SEVIER/SEVIOUR b.c1845 d.>1901 m.Jane -
                            Elizabeth SEVIOUR b.c1873 d.>1881
                            Mary Ann SEVIOUR b.c.1876 d.>1881
                            Emily J. SEVIOUR/SEVIER b.c1880 d.>1901
                        Jeremiah SEVIER/SEVIOUR b.c1847 d.>1901 m.Emma Elizabeth ROSSITTER
                            Helena M. SEVIOUR b.c1873 d.>1881
                            William C. SEVIOUR b.c1876 d.>1891
                            Thomas George SEVIOUR b.c1879 d.>1891
                            Minnie F. E. SEVIOUR b.1881 d.>1891
                            Bessie SEVIOUR b.c1888 d.>1901
                        Benjamin SEVIER/SEVYER/SEVOUR/SEVIOUR b.c1850 d.>1891 m.Elizabeth -
                            Elizabeth SEVOUR b.c1867 d.>1881
                            Alice Ann SEVOUR b.c1873 d.>1891
                            John Francis SEVOUR b.c1880 d.>1891
                        Thomas SEVYER b.c1855 d.>1871
                    Betsey SEVIOUR b.c1819 m.William READ
                    Harry SEVIER d.>1876 m.#1 - - #2 Matilda LEWIS
                Betty/Elizabeth SEVIOR b.1784 d.>1830 George READ/REED
                    children READ/REED
                    Luke READ b.1815 d.1815
                    Henry READ b.1830  
            Joseph SIOVIER/SIEVIOUR b.1756 d.1757
            John SIOVIOUR b.c1758 d.1758
            John SIOVIER b.1759 d.1765
            Jane SIOVIOUR/SIEVIER b.1761 d.1762