The research of the Blackmores of Sheldon Devon is difficult before the early 18th century. However we can be sure that they did exist. There is proof that one Mark Blackmore circa 1602, was given the right to the Coat of Arms in 1687. However the Bishop's Transcripts, prior to 1711 were written on what appears to be scraps of paper that have not stood the test of time. In addition to this, the transcripts did not follow any set format. Births marriages and deaths were all written on the same page with no headings. To add to the problem, the author was not the best of scribes, and so they took on the resemblance to a tangled ball of wool. It was not until much later in the 18th century that they became more clearly defined, thanks to Francis Blackmore who was the Church Warden for forty years. Fortunately it took our cousins in America to establish that there were Grand parents living there, other than what we had established. It means that we have to go back to the ball of wool and attempt to unwind it. Sheldon is a small village in the Blackdown Hills near Taunton, but in the county of Devon. As villages go it has little to offer the visitor, no Public House, no shops just the church of St James. (The visitor should be aware that there is another village in Devon with a similar sounding name, "Shaldon"). A small booklet " The History of Sheldon" written by J.A.Sparks, is one of the most interesting and comprehensive books of its kind I have ever read. It tells of life in the village, its school, and names the families who resided there and the problems they faced. For 48 years the schoolmistress was Agnes Moon, (nee Blackmore) daughter of James and Sarah Dommett. Research shows that she was a fully qualified self-educated girl of 17 years when she applied for the tempory post and taught children aged 3 to 18 years all under one roof. Her subjects were taught reading, writing, arithmetic, music and needlework. She married Henry Moon in 1882 and had by him 9 chirdren, four sons and five daughters and died on the 26th July 1935 at the age 76 and was burried inside the main gate to the churchyard. The booklet describes the conditions under which the villagers lived and worked. Anyone who has visited the village deep in the valley would understand how difficult it would be for children walking as much as five miles to school each day during the winter. The church is small, and like so many today is not in a state of good repair. In the churchyard are many graves belonging to the Blackmore family and apparently the family plot lies on the West side. The Census Returns record that the Blackmores owned Higher and Lower Northcott farms, Slade, Eastcott, Burrows and New House, as well as living in Sheldon Grange. Just behind Higher Northcott, was Sparks Farm owned by the ancestors of my cousin John Sparks. The records show that there was work for family or friends on these farms, each having a specific job to do. Some of John's ancestors were wheelrights, a very necessary trade in the days of horse and cart. Many of the farms still exist, none held by Blackmores today, but the name of Blackmore is still remembered. Lower and Higher Northcott farms still exist today, not as farms but small individual holdings. They have been in the possession of the Blackmore family since 1681 on lease from the Rt Hon Thomas, Earl of Stamford in consideration of £20 in silver and twenty one shilling pieces of old gold. The present owners are very helpful and the house with its thatched roof still has the wooden panelled walls and beams that have been there since the 17th century. When my 5 x Great Grandfather John married Mary Moore, he and his brother Francis combined the two estates together and as each generation inherited their particular estate the agreement was carried on. John's only child, John Moore-Blackmore, born 1723, had a large family of 12 children. It was thought that he married twice, but a search of records and wills could not establish this. His wife, Elizabeth Tozer, was born in Kerswell (date unknown), and was mentioned by John in his will, and again by their son John in a letter in 1833. Elizabeth died in 1808 and is buried in the family vault in St Andrew's Church Cullompton. They had four sons and eight daughters. John senior died on the 29th April 1793, leaving the estate to his four sons. Unfortunately Humphrey, the third eldest, died soon after his father in October 1793. William, the eldest son born 1758, James (my 3x great grandfather) born 1759 and John Blackmore II born 1766 the three surviving sons split the farm between themselves. William held what was re-named Higher, James held Middle and John Lower Moorehayes. William married twice, his first wife being Mary Trump married on the 31st July 1782 and had four daughters from the marriage. His second was with Ann Harris who he married on the 31st October 1791 but with no children from this marriage. All three houses are still there today. James married twice. His first wife was Mary Taylor who died soon after my 2 x Great Grandfather Thomas was born in 1792. James's second wife known only as Sarah was 38 years his junior. It appeared that John acted as spokesman and legal advisor in the family. The first indication of this came about in 1833, in a dispute with the vicar of St Andrews. The Rev. William Sykes complained that he had not received the Tithe payments to the church for Moorehayes. In a statement written by John, he used a little known clause as the reason. He explained how the estate had been split after his father's death as tenants in common. He pointed out that there were 6 pews in the chapel and vaults underneath had not been divided, three were occupied by the family and the others left to his care over a period of 40 years. He had received the rent and paid for all the repairs submitting a statement of account from time to time. Some 30 years previously he had carried out a thorough repair at a cost of £93 and had since paid an additional £30 to the aisle, which at the time of writing was in a state of good repair. He stated that about 10 years previously, William had died and had left his estate in trust to his son-in-law John Monday for his Grandson, 7 year old Master Monday, all this was now his property. John had used a legal loophole known as Moduses whereby one could work in kind while a dispute is in progress. The examining board came in favour of John and considered he had contributed enough. When you consider that the income for Cullompton per year was £250 and that the total subscription of parishioners was only £13 per year you can see why the board agreed with John. It was in this statement that John revealed that he had also paid for a new vault alongside that of the Moore family. Humphrey was buried there in 1794. John's wife Mary was buried in the new vault in 1808. His mother was also interred in the same vault as Humphrey, and his Grandson interred in the same aisle. James and Mary had three children before she died. Mary, their first was born in 1788 and married William Leach, and they had three daughters; Hannah born 1811 and twins Matilda and Martha born 1826. Matilda married William Ayres. It was one of their sons Jessie, who went to Australia and formed the Australian branch of the family. Elizabeth was James and Mary's second child and Thomas their third (already mentioned). James' second marriage was to Sarah and produced two children; John Moore-Blackmore (born 1816 died 1905) and Louisa Rebecca (born 1841). Louisa inherited Moorehayes with her husband William Blackmore-Salter. The tradition of burial in the church did not seem to apply here, there are eight related families buried with her brother in a family plot in Cullompton cemetery. Thomas married Martha Mills (born 1787 died 1884) daughter of John of Cullompton. Although Thomas was born at Moorehayes it did not seem that he inherited it, probably because records show that he owned Week Farm, Venn Farm and part share of the Kings Paper Mill with his brother-in-law Simon Blackmore-Mills. All this property is still in existence today. Martha gave him six children, James (born 1815 died 1842), Eliza who married a Salter (Christian name unknown), Richard Moore-Blackmore who founded part of the American family (born 1822 and died in 1904 in Toledo Ohio), my Great Grandfather John (born in 1825 and died 1906), Elizabeth Jane (born in 1829) and Humphrey (born in 1833). John, my Great grandfather, married Elizabeth Agnes and produced 12 children one of whom was Hubert Harold (born 1866), my grandfather, who married Elizabeth Bartlett (born 1869 in Dublin). Their marriage produced 8 children, of which my father Hubert Stanley Blackmore (born 1894 and died 16th January 1940) was the eldest son. He married my mother Ida Gale (born in 1894 and died on the 15th December 1937 leaving seven young children). My curiosity is satisfied and my pride is restored. My thanks to all those who have helped me discover a once lost heritage.