The First Westover
The First of Our Westovers
Where exactly the first Westover came from, I don't know.
The name Westover comes from a location where the family lived:
west of the village over a brook or river. There are
Westovers all over the south of England. But our journey
begins in Taunton,
in the county Somerset.
Taunton began as a Saxon farm village,
originally called Tone Tun---River Estate. It was a small
fortified town by the 10th century and was given charter in
904. It had it's own mint, marketplace and was surrounded
by a ditch and rampart.
When the Domesday Book was recorded in
1086, the population numbers about 1,500---ten times that of the
average settlement. There were 3 watermills, only two less
than London.
Throughout Medieval times Taunton continued
to grow not only in population but in commerce. It was
for centuries a major hub for the wool processing industry,
exporting wool to France and Africa.
In the Middle Ages a priory was built.
Then a leper hospital. There were 2 fairs, or large
markets held once a year, catering to buyers and sellers from
all over Southwest England and beyond. Two fairs indicates
a very busy town. This helped fund the building of the
Tower of the Church
of St. Mary Magdalene from the year 1488 to 1514. A
grammar school was built in 1522. This is the era we're
going to find the first Westover noted in our tree: Gabriel.
2 February 1567: Gabriel
Westover is born in Taunton. He is noted as christened at
St. Mary Magdalene Church, but at the time of this writing I
have not come across parish records going back to this
date. It is also noted he is the child of John and Johanna
(Clapp) Westover, though these two are from Wedmore, Somerset,
and a Gabriel does not appear in any records concerning John or
Johanna. There is also another genealogy that lists his
parentage as John and Alice (Hanson) Westover. I haven't
been able to find anything at all on either of these
people. In the Somerset Parish Registers
there is a notation for a John Westover who married Julian Greedie 2
May 1595. Could this be his brother? It is unknown what he did
for a living.
29 May 1592: Gabriel
marries Elizabeth Dawleigh (born 5 Feb 1573, christened 12 Feb
1573, Taunton) Following is a notation of their marriage,
as illegible as it can get.
I am unsure of Elizabeth's parentage at this time.
6 February 1593: Gabriel
Westover born in Taunton.
1597: Gabriel II
christened in Taunton.
12 September 1599:
Francis Westover born to Gabriel and Elizabeth
(Note on Francis: there is no other documentation of Francis, so
it is unlikely that he lived past early childhood.)
June 1605: Elizabeth
dies. No known gravesite at this time.
2 June 1606: Gabriel marries Luce (Lucy) Reson at Wilton.
1625: Gabriel
dies. No known will or gravesite at this time.
15 Jan 1632: Luce Westover marries Milles Beviss in Taunton.
Home
Westovers of the 17th Century
Other sources: The History of Taunton, In the County of Somerset by Joshua Toulmin and James Savage