Like his father, grandfather and brothers Joseph Seviour was an agricultural labourer. He was born in Wanstrow and married Mary Ann Masters there in late 1840.. Joseph and Mary Ann lived in the Upton Town part of the parish until at least 1861. At this later date Mary Ann was a dairymaid, chamber maid and lace maker. Ten years later she was living in with the Hoddinott family at Mitchells Elm Farm in Wanstrow where she worked as a dairywoman. Although she described her self as married rather than widowed in the census of 1871, there is no sign of Joseph in the census return for the parish of Wanstrow.

The couple had only three known children, twins Mary Ann and Joseph, and John. Mary Jane possibly had an illegitimate daughter, Alice Ann, in 1865. Both Joseph (see Chapter 7) and John married and raised families. The former married Elizabeth Gibbs from nearby Downend. They were at the Westward Inn, Wanstrow, in 1872 when William John was born. Seven years later they had moved to Elizabeth’s home parish. Again Joseph was a farm labourer.

William John was a stonemason apprenticed to John Willcox of Leigh on Mendip until he joined the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards. He was posted to South Africa during the Boer War. Prior to 1880 South Africa was divided into the two British colonies of Cape Colony and Natal and the Boer republics of Orange Free State and Transvaal. The British tried to annex the Boer states in 1877. However, the Boers rose up in 1880 under the leadership of Paul Kruger. In 1881, a detachment of British troops was wiped out at Majuba Hill. Britain acknowledged the independence of Transvaal and the republic was restored. In 1899, the outlanders - non-Boers living in the Boer republics - appealed to the British for aid against the Boers. In the war that followed, the Boers fought to defend their independence, while the British claimed to be fighting for democracy and civilisation. At first the British suffered a number of reverses, but they lifted the siege of Mafeking in 1900 after General Baden-Powell had resisted the Boers for 218 days. The Boers turned to guerrilla warfare.

Between September 1900 and May 1902, to break down Boer resistance, Lord Kitchener destroyed crops and herded Boer civilians into concentration camps. This barbaric policy triggered indignant protests both in Britain and in world opinion. The Orange Free State and Transvaal were eventually annexed by the British, but in the Union of South Africa, set up as a British dominion in 1910; the Boers were given equal rights with South Africans of British origin. The black Africans, who made up 70 per cent of the South African population, were given few rights of any kind.

At the start of the war, the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, then based in Gibraltar, and the 2nd Battalion both joined the 1st Guards Brigade along with the 3rd Grenadiers and 1st Bn Scots Guards, and arrived in South Africa in November 1899. Both the Coldstream Guards battalions saw a great deal of action in all phases of the war. They took part in the early battles of Belmont, Modder River, Diamond Hill, Driefontein, Paardeberg and Bloemfontein amongst others. They travelled in armoured trains which were often attacked, and they manned the blockhouses. With the formation of the Mounted Infantry, the Brigade of Guards formed two companies comprising of men from each regiment, including the newly formed Irish Guards. Both battalions remained in South Africa and sent small detachments home in June 1902 for the Coronation of King Edward VII. The remainder returned home in October 1902.

In his wedding photo dated 29 October 1902 William John wears the Queens South Africa medal with several clasps (denoting participation in recognised battles). It seems likely that he had recently returned home but had not yet received the Kings South Africa medal that was awarded for service during the Boer War in 1901 and 1902.

William John Seviour & Monica Maud Sharples

(photo courtesy of Dale Lidbury)

Following his return to England, William John went to work on the Southill Estate where he became estate mason under the foremanship of his uncle (mother's brother), Aaron Gibbs. At that time he lived with Aaron at The Estate Yard Cottage, West Cranmore. With other villagers he volunteered to build the village memorial hall in 1919 to the 13 parishioners killed in action during the First World War. He was also the mason in the team that built the old Council Houses in the village.

If, as is supposed, William John married Monica Maud Gibbs very soon after his return from South Africa it seems likely that the couple had known each before his departure. Monica Maud was Arron's housekeeper so it is probable that William John met her at his uncle's, perhaps he even worked with his uncle before joining the army. Aaron Gibbs appears in the wedding photo alongside William John and Monica Maud. The couple had three children, Muriel, Leslie and Reginald. Leslie did not marry. She is said to have prepared a family history which is now lost. Reginald worked for one summer before the First World War as a railway porter at West Cranmore where he loaded forty milk churns per day on to train. He lived at Great Elm at the time.

After Monica Maud's death William John married his first cousin Ethel Louise Seviour, with whom he had eleven more children.

 Joseph SEVIOUR b.1810 d.<1881 m.Mary Ann MASTERS
       Mary Ann SEVIOUR b.1841 d.>1861
       Joseph SEVIOUR b.1841 d.>1901 m.Elizabeth GIBBS
           William John SEVIOUR b.1872 m.#1 Monica Maud SHARPLES #2Ethel Louise SEVIOUR (Chapter 8)
               #1 Muriel SEVIOUR m.- - 
               #1 Leslie SEVIOUR 
               #1 Reginald SEVIOUR 
               #2 eleven children (see Chapter 8) 
           Ellen SEVIOUR b.c1879
       John SEVIOUR b.1844 d.>1891 m.Louisa CARPENTER(Chapter 7)

 

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