Modbury
Brownston Street, Modbury and The Nave, Modbury Church
© 2001 Sheila Jones
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and other photos of Modbury, click here
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Modbury is a small market town in the South Hams district of the county of Devonshire, and lies
about 10 miles east of Plymouth. In the 1851 census data available on CD from
the LDS church, there were a total of 1,845 people recorded as being in the
Modbury census district on the date of the census. Modbury was in the Kingsbridge
Poor Law Union. We will be adding information about Modbury, but in the
meantime there are a number of web sites that you can visit. Have a look at the
Devon County Council Tourist Office site and
the GENUKI Modbury page.
In reviewing the
Parish Registers it was noticeable that
Modbury had a long connection with the Military. In addition to the battle
fought nearby in the Civil War in 1643, there is a local area called Barracks
Field. Throughout the Registers there are entries that refer to military
people, so we are making a list of the Regiments and
other military organisations mentioned in the registers.
We also came
across an entry referring to the burial of Admiral John Lewis Gidoin, who was
buried in St. George’s Churchyard on 15 February 1796. Prior to that, in
November 1763, he was referred to in the registers as 'Captain John Lewis Gidoin
of His Majesty's Ship Jamaica' at the time of his marriage to Mary Legassicke. After a lot of help from
Michael Phillips, we learnt that
John Lewis Gidoin was
made a post-captain in the Royal Navy on 25 May 1768. In 1778, he was Captain
of HM Frigate Richmond, which carried 32 guns. In August of that year, he
fought in Lord Howe’s fleet against D’Estaing off Rhode Island in the American
War of Independence (Revolutionary War). A painting of HM Frigate Richmond can
be seen at
The HMS Richmond site.
In 1781 he commanded HMS Torbay, a warship of the 3rd rate, with 74
guns, sailing with Sir Samuel Hood off Martinique in April 1781 and Nevis in
January 1782. He also sailed with Admiral Sir George Rodney at Les Saintes in
April 1782.
Michael Phillips tell us that on 14 October 1782, HMS London (98-gun) together with HMS Torbay (under the command of Gidoin) and the sloop Badger (14-gun) chased two French warships, Scipion (74-gun) and Sibylle (40-gun) off San Domingo. When Scipion raked HMS London, a tiller rope was shot away, and London all but fell on board Torbay, which was firing on Scipion’s port quarter. This gave Scipion time to escape although she eventually struck a rock whilst anchoring in Samana Bay and sank.
John Lewis Gidoin
was made a Read Admiral of the White on 12 April 1794, and of the Red three
months later. He was made Vice Admiral of the White in June 1795. If you are
interested in Naval History around this time, visit Michael Phillips’ Maritime
History site by clicking on the Marine History banner below
Sherriff Family History,
the Parish Registers of Modbury & Yealmpton, Devon and other items of Interest
© 2002-6 Paul and Christine Sherriff – Last Updated 24 Jan 2008 18:17
email:Webmaster@sherriff-family.com
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