By the Rev. F. H. Manley. 



295 



Gloucester, and these various expenses compelled him, in 1672, to 

 mortgage the Somerford property for £3,000. His son Eobert, the 

 succeeding baronet, was also buried at Great Somerford, December 

 14th, 1687, where it is probable that his eldest son, who, in 1686, 

 died unmarried at the early age of 20, was also laid to rest. The 

 next brother, George, succeeded to the baronetcy, but died without 

 issue at the age of 19, in 1697; the title, with the estates, then 

 passed on to his cousin. With the death of the fifth baronet, 

 Eobert, in 1738 the title became extinct, but from a sister — 

 Frances — is descended Canon Parker, of Upton Cheyne. Before 

 the end of the century the Jasons, who do not seem to have 

 have resided at all at Somerford, lost their interest in this parish. 

 The mortgage on the manor was taken up by Sir Kichard Hawkins, 

 a London lawyer, who was knighted in 1687, and under the terms 

 of his will, he dying in October of the same year, all the Jason 

 property in Somerford was sold, much of it to the various tenants 

 of the estate. By an Indenture Quadripartite, dated 15th May, 

 1700, it appears that the advowson was sold to the then incumbent, 

 Mr. Edward Wayte, and the other purchasers were John Smith, of 

 Overton, gent., Eichard Laurence, gent., John Pyke, gent., William 

 Alexander, yeoman, Henry Tuck, yeoman, Samuel Knapp, yeoman, 

 John Leonard, yeoman, John Coller, yeoman, Sarah Newell, widow, 

 all these of Somerford, and Joseph Sealey, of Eodbourne. The 

 total paid for the whole property was £3,322. The Scite, Manor 

 House, and demesne lands, with some additions, were the portion 

 purchased by Mr. John Smith for £1,065. 



From what I have already stated it will be seen that by the 

 beginning of the eighteenth century the estates of the Yewes, 

 Jasons, Brunings, and Mompessons had been completely broken up. 

 During the next one hundred and forty years various fresh combi- 

 nations of the smaller properties were made, resulting in three 

 families obtaining positions of chief importance in the parish — the 

 Smiths, the Pikes, and the Parsloes. 



The Smiths. 



Mr. John Smith, jun., who in 1698, purchased the " Scite, Manor 



