Meeting the Relatives

A bit about my family history

We started off by visiting Weston Mill Cemetry and visted the memorial plaque to my father, Philip Wilfrid Lillie

 The memorial archway was built using building material from houses destroyed during the Blitz in the second world war

We then visited a small ruined church in a location called Revelstoke not far from Noss Mayo in the district called the South Hams by the English Channel in Devon.  My Billett ancestors were resident here from the mid 18th century until the early 19th century.  They appear to have been boatmen who moved into serviceas Coastguards.

 Stoke Beach, Revelstoke from just beside the Church.  Now it is a Caravan Park

 The Church of St Peter the Poor Fisherman in Revelstoke.  Dating from the 14th century, the church was badly damaged by a storm in 1840.  Whilst a new church with the same name as this church was established in nearby Noss Mayo, the churchyard continued to be used for burtials and occaisional services.

Inside the church

This grave stone belongs to the grave of my ancestor Richard Billett, born in 1749 and his Wife Mary

and this is the gravestone of Mary's father James Foster which is inside the Church

There was another family resident in Revelstoke connected with the Billetts and their name was Kingcome.  Richard Billett's grandson, James Foster Billett married  Jane Kingcome, and she was related to the most famous Kingcome - Admiral Sir John Kingcome (14 February, 1794 – 7 August, 1871).  I visited his grave in Ford Cemetry, Plymouth

Then we went on to a village called Blackawton, not far from where graves of billetts from the 17th and 18th century are to be found.  Unfortulately, we were not able to find those graves because the cemetry appears to have been fenced off.  However her is a picture from the village and one of the church itself

We also visted Coverack, a small Cornish fishing village in the Parish of St Keverne, where one of the sons of Richard Billett of Revelstoke, Thomas Masterman Billett was a commisioned Boatman with the Coastguards.  It is from him tha the Cornish branch ( and hence myself) are descended

Two views of Coverack

The coastguard cottages today

and back in the beginning of the 20th century

The village square in St Keverne

Is this a sign of the Billetts

St Keverne Church

Another family I am descended from are the Corfields who orignated in Shropshire in the 12th century.  This is St Gluvius Church in Penryn near Falmouth.  The Cornish branch of the family were prominent in the Penryn and Falmouth area and many were baptised in this Church in the 19th century.

Around and About Plymouth Hoe and Sound

The Navy excercising off Rame Head

My friends Eve and Al with my Mum just after a very nice lunch at a cafe on the Hoe in Plymouth

Drakes Island and the Hoe coastline

The Navy - just anchored in Plymouth Sound

A Sailing boat and a fishing boat in the Sound

The Brittany Ferry ariving from Roscoff in Brittany

...And The Bluebells Were Magnificent

Here are some some Cornish gardens we have visted over the last week or more.  There were magnificent displays of Bluebells - the best display I have seen.  They are now almost finished.

 Walking along the banks of the River Tamar to Cothele House and Gardens

In the Cothele Gardens

 A Bluebell Wood at Cothele

 Two views along the carriage way to Lanhydrock House

In the Lanhydrock Gardens

 In the woods at Lanhydrock

Back In England

After two years I am on the move again and have flown back to England for a five mnth visit.  I left Melbourne at 2.40 am on May 1 and arrived at  at Gatwick Airport at 8.00pm on 1 May.  It was a very trying flight with delays making transfers exciting.  Mum was waiting for me at the airport and the next day we went to a National Trust Garden called Nymans not far from there

 View across the Weald from Nymans

 The partluy ruined house

In thge gardens

Mum

In the rockery
Here is some more information

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/nymans/

And that night we dined with my cousin Chips and his wife Jan and his son Matthew at a pub, the Red Barn near his home.

 We drove down from Gatwick to Plymouth on the next day.  On the way we stopped at Old Sarum near Salisbury. This was the site of the original Salisbury.  This view is the entrance of the castle

 Inside the castle

The site of the Cathedral

 Looking at the ditches surrounding the castle

And the view across modern Salisbury with the cathedral dominating

Here are some links with more information about Old Sarum:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Sarum
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/old-sarum/history-and-research/history/
http://www.abandonedcommunities.co.uk/page3.html