Thanks to all who have added comments. I have removed all but one previous message from this as it just clutters up the archives. I downloaded the Tithe Apportionment Book for Hemyock from the DRO. There is a Richard Ackland as property owner. The index is not available yet so I shall have to read the whole book to look for tenants. The date is 1844, too late for both Thomas (1728) and Thomas (1759) who died 1827, 1837. In 1841 the only Acklands living in Hemyock are descendants of Henry, elder brother of Thomas (1759). In 1851 there is a Richard age 96 (corrected to 94) born Dunkeswell, a farmer living at Peacocks, West Buckland. With him are his granddaughter Mary Blackmore (indexed Blackman) age 26 as housekeeper plus a servant, both born at Hemyock. He is a definite possibility but I can't fit him into the Dunkeswell families. Many of the Blackdown Hills Acklands are descendants of Isaac Ackland of Hemyock who was probably born ca 1640. He was a Quaker, wonderful records but too many people are missing! I shall have a look in the Land Tax Assessments for Hemyock, 1780-1832. The AIGS in Melbourne have indexed these records for 108 Devon parishes but the Blackdown Hills are not yet included, I shall have to order the LDS film. About the possibility that Betty COOK was the one who inherited the money, a bit hard to check as I have not found a baptism for her, born ca 1766 at Uffculme. Thanks for your help. Diana On 12/01/2014, at 7:27 PM, Paul Hockie <paul.hockie@talk21.com> wrote: > Diana, > > A couple of points. > > I did not pick up that Thomas was 99. At this age he would probably be > living with a relative, usually a child or grandchild but sometimes a > sister. Rarely a brother as they were not domesticated at that time. You > need to work out which relative this could be remembering that most of his > female descendants would be married. If Thomas was by himself and a pauper > he would have been removed to his parish of settlement and his burial should > have been annotated as a him being a pauper. > Social convention at that time meant that the bulk of any estate went to the > eldest male heir with subsequent males receiving, where possible, something > to give them a living. Daughters would receive a dowry, sometimes in the > form of land, but only when the there was sufficient land to ensure the > continuance of the family estates or when they were they only surviving > child. Widows, again where funds allowed, were left accommodation and some > furniture etc. for the rest of their life which, on their death reverted to > the main heir. This may have been her original dowry. The heir was also made > responsible for living expenses of the widow. Unmarried daughter had a > similar arrangement which created a trust for their dowry. My starting > assumption would be that Betty's fortune derived from her father. See the > first series of Downton for further details of the Entail. It is worth > looking at the Tithe records for the property. > > Paul