Bleadon Parish Church - St Peter and St Paul published by on Mon, 17/03/2014 - 15:59
Could anyone tell me if there are any old headstones still visible in the churchyard of the above Parish. I am particularly interested in one dating from 1658 which has three names on it, i.e. John Whippey 1658, NATHANIEL DEAN buried 5 March 1724 or 1727 and Frances Tutton, thought to be Nathaniel's daughter.
Nathaniel Dean's burial is not in the Parish register, this was confirmed in a document dated 1900 by the then Rector of the Parish when he was commissioned to research what had become of Nathaniel Dean.
According to the MIs published on Findmypast by the Somerset & Dorset FHS there are two memorials at Bleadon to these people one of which is a floor Slab in the Chancel of the Church and also includes mention of a George YEO.
I remember that in an early edition of the BBC's Who do You Think You Are? Laurence Llewellyn Bowen was taken to Bleadon Church to view this slab as he was related to a George YEO. You can read about it here - you need to go to the 2nd page under Lost Inheritance and you will also see the part played in this research by our Life Member, Brian Austin.
Thank you Pat for that information, it made an interesting read. According to the research done by the Rector James Barnes Brearley in 1900, the Tutton family became prominent after the Dean's authority declined. Nathaniel Dean's daughter Frances married into the Tutton family. The Rector wrote of this after an excavation of the church yard where he found the headstone. The headstone was found face down under the earth and boulders had been placed on top presumably so it could not be found. The general consensus at the time was that there had been trickery involved regarding his estate and the fact that his burial is not recorded in the Parish register. I have yet to discover if Nathaniel left a will, perhaps not and that was how the deceit was carried out. If possible; I would very much like to get in touch with Brian Austin to seek any information he might help me with.
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