296 Notes on the History of Great Somerford, 



House, and Demesne Lands " from the trustees of Sir Kichard 

 Hawkins, was the son of John Smith, of Wanborough, yeoman. 

 His wife was a descendant of the Mayos, many of whom had been 

 among the principal tenants in the parish during the last hundred 

 and fifty years. Their house, now occupied by Mr. E. Tanner, 

 retains much of the plan of the old fifteenth century manor house, 

 with central hall flanked by two-storied buildings on each side. 

 All the old work has, however, been removed. A son, John, on 

 the death of the father in 1724, succeeded to the property, and by 

 marriage with Elizabeth Alexander, a granddaughter of the 

 William Alexander, already mentioned, acquired " Cockerells " and 

 " Blanchard's." Two other farms, one called "Sealey's," purchased by 

 Henry Tuck in 1698 from the trustees of Sir Kichard Hawkins, the 

 other, called " Church's," purchased by Mr. Wayte in 1692 from the 

 same, came into the possession of the Smiths, apparently about 

 1750, and thus at the time of the award in 1809 their estate was 

 the most important in the parish. The Smiths also owned some 

 land in Little Somerford and " Swinley " in Kington St. Michael. 

 Mrs. Elizabeth Smith was left a widow in 1765, and her last 

 surviving child, Elizabeth, succeeded to the estates in 1790, but 

 died unmarried in 1798. She had chosen as her heir William 

 Jones, a cousin on her mother's side, who took the name of Smith. 

 There are in the Church several monuments to the Smith family, 

 the last being to Dr. Smith, on whose death in 1833 the property 1 

 passed to the children of his sister — the Birtills, of Bristol, by 

 whom it is still held. 



The Pykes. 



The Pyke family held almost as much land as the Smiths at the time 

 of the award, and claim our attention next. In 1673 Sir Robert Jason 

 leases to Jasper Wheeler for £500 and 40.9. a year a messuage, 

 •called the " Culverhouse," with about thirty acres of land and five 

 beastes leazes. This lease in 1686 was assigned to John Pike, of 

 Pewsey on his marriage with Frances, the daughter of Jasper and 

 Frances Wheeler, who purchased the property from Sir Richard 



1 A portion of this, a farm in Startley, was sold to Lord Cowley some fifty 

 years ago. 



