My descent is through Sophia Leir, daughter of Rev William Leir of Ditcheat and his wife Harriott Marriott. Sophia married Major Charles Dawe of Ditcheat Manor, who had about 8 children. [Like the Leirs, the Dawe family resided in Ditcheat Manor for about 300 years] Their daughter Elizabeth Hester Dawe in 1873 married Rev Frank Ley Bazeley, whose eldest daughter, Hester Evelyn Bazeley married Canon Thomas Cecil Bewes of Plymouth. They had five children, of whom my father, Arthur Reginald Bewes (1904-1989) was the second-born. He married Sybil Francis Garward, and I was the third and youngest child, born in 1937.

My father was a solicitor, and tended to be appointed Executor to many of his family, including his parents and Bazeley aunts. There were about 10 of my grandmother Bazeley's generation: 1 boy and nine girls, of whom just six girls survived to adulthood. Apart from my grandmother Evelyn, there was Beatrice, who married Rev Welchman and they had two sons (both clergymen), and a daughter Patience, who married Rev Harry Franklin. Two spinster sisters, Ella and Maud Bazeley, lived at Exeter, dying at a great age. Two widowed sisters, Olive Hawkes-Cornock and Dorothy Saxon Smith, lived at Budleigh Salterton, but died without issue aged over 90.

My father dealt with all of the estates (all quite modest!), and cleared both houses. There is not much from the Leir side that has survived. A few scrap books of newpaper cuttings. All the family silver was given away piece-meal during their lives, and my wife Jenny and I were given a very nice Leir-crested silver teapot when we were married in 1963. Hall-marked 1833, I imagine it was a wedding present when Charles Dawe and Sophia Leir were married. Another very nice Leir-crested teapot on a stand was bequeathed by my father to my step-sister, to my chagrin, as I believe it should have gone to a Leir descendant!

I have a few old Leir photographs, which I must get round to scanning, and I will be happy to copy them to you if you wish. Robin has sent you a scan of the pencil portrait which I believe to be Rev William Leir (1768-1863). What do you think?

A family like the Leirs must have had portraits painted, - do you know what has happened to them? I do feel that they should be located and photographed, so that those of us of the wider family can enjoy having copies, - don't you agree? It is one thing being able to produce an extended family tree, but portraits help to bring it to life. I suppose that they probably went to Penticton, if they survived.

My father did have a small portrait of Harriott Marriott. After his death, my wicked step-mother sold it, to my horror, notwithstanding that she knew of my interest in it.

All the best

David