Updated April 2024
We know little about William or Maria other than they were both from local families, Maria being the youngest of the 9 children of William Pile and Mary (nee Jones) of Lynton.
William Dovell married Maria Pile in 1817 in Brendon and they went to live at Hoar Oak Cottage in 1818/1819. They had a son, William, born in 1819.
Thanks go to Patrick Bird and William Blackmore who got in touch with The Friends to share their researches into their Dovell ancestors in North Devon; their links to Hoar Oak and to donate an image of the baptism record for baby William – below.
By the time William and Maria had their next child, Richard (1822), they were living at Furzehill. Three more children followed, Benjamin (1825) born in Stoke Pero, Philip (1828) born in Bucket Hole, Luckham and Joseph (1833) born in Cherrybridge.
This movement from place to place possibly reflects the changes in agriculture in the early 1800s, as the old tenancies changed, common lands became ‘enclosed’ and ordinary agricultural labourers needed to move about to find work. The security of life on the land for generation after generation was changing rapidly.
Their nearest town, Lynton, was also changing and expanding rapidly as a tourist centre. New transport infrastructure was being built – the new North Devon Railway from Barnstaple to Lynton past by the end of where the Dovells lived at Cherrybridge.
William Dovell – the child born at Hoar Oak Cottage – married Ann Sloley, born in Brendon, in 1849. They had seven children: Agnes b1850, Ann Maria b1852, Emma b1854, Mary b1857, Amelia b1859, Rosannah b1862 and William b1865. Census records for 1851 and 1861 show the William and Ann living with their family at Ashford Barton, Brendon.
Maria Dovell had died in 1858 and the 1861 census shows that William Dovell Snr, widower, was also living with the family at Ashford Barton, Brendon. William died in 1870.
The Friends’ trustee and genealogist Nicky Rowberry has compiled this information into a family tree, below.
Patrick Bird, mentioned above, also shared information he had found about the ancestors of the Hoar Oak Cottage Dovells going back to the 1730s. It is summarised below:
- John Dovell of Parracombe married Elizabeth Pile in 1731 and they had a son, William, born in 1741 at Parracombe
- William Dovell b1741 at Parracombe married Joan Lord of Martinhoe in November 1763 at Brendon. At the time of marriage, there was already a son William born in August 1763 who was named William Dovell Lord but who later assumed the name William Dovell. William and Joan had several more children.
- William Dovell b1763 and previously known as William Dovell Lord married Agnes of Lynton and their first child was William born in 1789.
- William b1789 married Maria Pile in 1817 in Brendon and went to live at Hoar Oak Cottage where their son William was born in 1819 at the cottage.
- William b1819 married Anne Sloley as described above and had six daughters before the arrival of their son who was, of course, named William.
The enduring use of the name William in these Dovell families is intriguing.
If you have information to share about the Dovells of Hoar Oak Cottage please contact us on info@hoaroakcottage.org.
The chapter on Maria Dovell nee Pile in “The Women of Hoar Oak Cottage – An Untold History” contains more details about this family and their life at Hoar Oak Cottage.
To get a copy go to:
- Books4Sale – hoaroak (hoaroakcottage.org)
- https://hoaroakcottage.org/books4sale/
- email: info@hoaroakcottage.org