THE BCH ARCHIVE

LOCAL HISTORY FOR

BIRTSMORTON

CASTLEMORTON

HOLLYBUSH

And The Surrounding District

Edward Jakeman (1766-1842) first comes to our notice in Castlemorton when he bought The Bannut Tree in 1811. The building was the one we know today as Walnut tree Cottage, but it came with barns and several fields and orchards. Roger Jakeman has the conveyance and it has been transcribed as part of the history of Bannut Tree House.

Edward Jakeman was living at a house at the end of Hollybed Street, across the stream on a patch of marshy ground. No trace of the property exists today, but it is shown on the Bannut Tree conveyance and on the 1839 Tithe Map (No 264). In 1817 he was a farmer, but by 1822 had turned to shoe making.

Edward’s family go back to the 1500’s in Pendock. He married at St Gregory’s in 1798 to Sarah Boulter. They had five sons, two of whom lived in Castlemorton.

There are echoes of earlier generations in the christenings of Ann and Mary Jakekman at St Gregory’s in 1795 and 1797.

The Dean and Chapter of Westminster brought an ejectment in or about the month June, 1835, for a small encroachment containing about 12 perches, made by one Edward Jakeman about 25 years since, and obtained judgement. The location of this land is unknown.

In 1839, William Jakeman (1805-1807 – the first son) was living at a property, again now gone, behind The Reddings in Golden Valley (No 200 on the Tithe Map). He was renting it from Charles Porter and it is described as Cottage with Garden. He ended up farming 155 acres at Churches Farm, Redmarley.

The 1841 Census records Edward’s third son, James Jakeman (1813-1884) living with his father and family in Birts Street, where Edward’s occupation was a Shoe Maker. His wife, Judith (aged 20) was living with their daughter Ann J (aged 1) with George and Elizabeth Lane (both aged 70) somewhere on Castlemorton Common, now identified as The Mount in New Road. Judith’s maiden name was Lane.

By 1851, James Jakeman was with his wife Judith and their daughter Ann, son George and daughter Elizabeth are farming 10 acres at Taylor’s Farm. The 1861 Census again shows James and Judith are farming at Taylor’s Farm, with their children George, Elizabeth and their last child James Charles.

In 1871, James, Judith and their two sons (George Jakeman and James Charles Jakeman) are still at Taylors Farm. Their daughter, now Elizabeth Colston, is living with them, along with her 5 month old daughter Harriet.  

The 1881 Census shows George farming 6 acres at Noaks (North Farm) with his wife Fanny and their first two children. His father had moved elsewhere in Castlemorton and was farming just 7 acres (he died in 1884 and is buried at St Gregory’s) and his brother had died (buried at St Gregory’s). Who was farming Taylors Farm?

The 1891 Census shows George farming at Grizzles, a short lived name for Taylor’s Farm. His wife is absent but his two sons (George Hill Jakeman and James Samuel Jakeman) and his mother in law are living with him.

In 1898, George died, aged just 42 and is buried at St Gregory’s.  His widow remarried 4 years later to an Arthur Rennison in Bridgwater.

In 1901 George and James were both farming at Taylor’s Farm, with their grandmother Hill.

The final Census record available is 1911. By then, George Hill Jakeman was farming Taylor’s Farm with his wife Lucy and their two young children. His brother James had taken Chandlers Farm (almost next door) where he was farming 100 acres with his wife Margaret and three children. James was later to leave Castlemorton and in 1946 was farming Cotswold Farm at Bisley with Lypiatt in Gloucestershire. His son, eldest son, Montague Jakeman (1907-1977) married Ethel and returned to Castlemorton and lived at The Cottage – the last house if you follow the track round to the left past Taylors Farm.

The 1928 Trade Directory shows Beatrice Jakeman at Grizzles.

George Hill Jakeman died in 1951, although his widow lived to 2004; they are both buried at St Gregory’s. They left three children: Roger (b. 1939), Clive (b. 1942) and Nora (b. 1945).

Roger continued to farm at Taylor’s and married in 1993. His was bore him a daughter, followed a year later by triplet daughters. He and his wife parted in 2???. Taylors Farm was divided into two and the farm house and some land sold. Roger moved into the other part of the farm, building a new log chalet known as Damson Lodge. He continues to grow fruit and vegetables, offers ‘pick you own’ and keeps cattle on Francis Meer’s land at The Joyfields and Dorothy Raby’s land at Little Thatch. Francis Meer is related to Roger through a member Francis wife’s family - William Dowding Weaver. Roger is an active member of the community, as he has been throughout his life.

Clive married Judith Firkins and has two chldren He keeps Bees and has hives in people’s gardens in Castlemorton.

Nora married Michael Teale.

The story now returns to another of Edward’s son’s, George Jakeman (1817-1890). He married An Hardwick In 1851, with his wife and their children William Edward, Harriet and George he was living at Bricknells (today probably Brickland Farm House) where was worked as a Tailor.

The 1861 Census records George, working as a Tailor, living at Bradfords (burnt down in 2016 and rebuilt as Midsummer Farm) with his wife Ann and their children William, Harriet, Caroline, and Philip P.

By 1871 this branch of the family had left Castlemorton and were farming 8 acres at Coombe Green. However, Frederick, son of George’s unmarried son William, aged 4 months, is living with the Boulter family back in Castlemorton.

William married twice and his son Walter Edward Jakeman is buried at St Gregory.  An Edward Vincent Jakeman and Ivy Jenny Jakeman are also buried at St Gregory’s.


Jakeman’s in Castlemorton

Roger Jakeman