The first deeds that mention the Westaway name are to be found in the Calendar of Deeds
transcribed by Tinsley.  In 1541 there was a bargain and sale by John Westawaye of Dolton
to John Martyn of all his messages, lands etc in Morchynton in Throwleigh.  Morchington
is a farm west of a place called Waye which was part of the Rushford Manor of Chagford
and it is possible this is where the origins of the Westaway name came from.  In 1564
there was a bargain and sale by William Gryble of Spreyton to Elyce Westawaye of Colbroke
of two closes of land called High Downe and and Lower Downe and in 1568 a bargain and
sale by Richard Alforde to Elyce Westaway of property in Harmyston which was situated in
Nymet Tracey.

The manor deeds as listed in the Westaway Chronicle start as early as 1504 with a John
at Lydcott and by the mention of many of the names it appears that the Westaways held
this property for a number of years and it is quite probable that the Inwardleigh
Westaways came via a son of this John who may have married an Ellis hence the name Elyce
that appears frequently in the early Inwardleigh Westaways.

Generation 1
The early wills help to prove the descent from Thomas Westaway of Golbeton, (mentioned
in the 1581 Subsidy Rolls), and it is quite probable that Thomas was the son of John
Westaway, who could be the one mentioned in the first deeds, then of Dolton.  Thomas had
a son William, who died in 1605.  He married Grace Parkins by licence in 1581.  In
William`s will he mentions his son Ellys and four daughters,  Elizabeth, Dorothy, Pashowe
and Johan.  Paschowe married Thomas Downes at Hatherleigh in 1633.
 
 

Generation 2
Ellys Westaway,  his son died in 1620.  In his will he states he is of Inwardleigh and
an husbandman.  He leaves to Agnes his wife many of the household goods, including five
of his best ewes, his best swyne hog and one loom and a pair of wool cards.  Obviously
these were to help her survive and it tells us that Ellyce was breeding sheep for their
wool and his wife was involved in the weaving of the yarn.  He mentions his son Robert,
daughters Mary and Wilmot.   He also leaves to his wife Agnes a moiety (half) of a
tenement called Golberton, which he holds by devise of Thomas Fulford .  He states that
she must not let any of her children or others dwell with her without the consent of her
son William, who has the sole use of this property and is his sole executor.

Robert, his other son married Jane How and moved to Chagford, where he had three sons,
William and Thomas, who died young, and John who married Susannah Leate.  His only
daughter married a Mr Rowe.  Robert died in 1675, and was a miller of Chagford,  He left
his daughter, Joane Row, two silver spoons, his best brass pan and crocke, his brasse
milkepan, four pewter dishes and the best coffer in his chamber.  To Joane`s two youngest
children, he leaves a ewe and lamb a piece,  The residue of his estate in Chagford he
leaves to John Westaway his son.

Ellyce`s daughter Mary had an illegitimate daughter called Nycolle

Wilmot married John Holmes of Jacobstowe and had a son called William and a daughter
called Sarah.

Agnes Westaway died in 1638 and was then residing in Okehampton.  In her will she mentions
her daughter Willmot Holmes, grandaughter Johan Holmes, William Redway, his son Richard
Redway married to a Thomasine and Nycholl daughter of Mary Westaway.  The rest of her goods
she left to William Holmes son of John Holmes who would have been her grandson.   It was
witnessed by William Westaway and as he had already inherited the land from his father the
legacies would have been to help his sisters in their marriages.  She does not mention
Robert Westaway, so it could be that he was the son of a previous marriage, as he was
certainly alive in 1638.

Generation 3
William Westaway  (born c. 1612)  married Judith Avery, a widow, who already had sons
Richard, Simon and Robert. William Westaway and Judith then had a son called William, born
about 1645 and a daughter called Mary who married a Mr Pudner.

William died in 1669 and at the time of writing his will, was residing in Inwardleigh.
His inventory taken by Robert Westaway of Chagford, (his brother) shows he had goods
worth £300, which was a lot of money in 1669.  William writes in his will that he gives
his wife Judith her diet during her life and in case she does dislike her diet and
maintenance then his executor is to pay her 20 shillings a quarter during her natural life,
He leaves £110 to his daughter Joane Westaway, and one sheep apiece to the Avery children
and one ewe sheep apiece to Richard Avery`s five children.  The residue of his goods and
chattels were left to William Westaway his son.

William`s daughter Joane died a spinster, in 1671.  She had £115.15s worth of goods.  She
mentions her mother Judith and leaves her £18. also Robert Westaway, her uncle £5, brother
Richard Avery 5s and his children 4s each.  She bequeaths to her brother Robert Avery 20s,
Susan Hoore, her Aunt and Mary Symons her kinswoman 40s each. Sister Mary Pudner is left
£10.  The residue she bequeaths to her brother William Westaway.

Judith died in 1674 and the Avery children by her first husband inherited most of her goods
(worth £17. 1s. 10d) with the rest of her goods and chattels being bequeathed to Mary
Pudner, whom she ordained and made sole executrix of her will.  However William Westaway
jun. and Richard Avery were to be guardians of Mary until she reached full age.
 
 

Generation 4
His son William born c. 1645 married Jane Webber at Dolton on the 15th April, 1672
and had three sons, John baptised 1674 at Inwardleigh, Jeremiah, baptised 1678  at
Inwardleigh, and William baptised 1691 at Sampford Courtenay. ( This William married
Alice Netherway).  William`s three daughters were Margery, who married a Mr Urbery,
Martha who married John Palmer and Joan who married James Moffet.

William died in 1731 and was then of Sampford Courtenay and a yeoman.  He leaves his
estate called Dornaford Write and North Wood to his sons Jeremiah, John and William and
his child.  (This would have been William`s daughter Jane, baptised on the sixth of
August, 1729 at Okehampton..  He also mentions daughter Margery Allbury and leaves her
his estate called Flishcombe in Okehampton.  His other daughters mentioned were Martha
Pallmar, with son-in-law Jonas Pallmar and grandson William Pallmar and granddaughter
Martha Pallmar and another daughter called Joan Muffet.  In the Calendar of Lethbridge
Papers Goulburn alias Golberton is mentioned as part and parcel of the Manor of Dornaford
and its position on the map is on the border between Inwardleigh and Sampford Courtenay.

John, who was the eldest son died in 1733, ( his will was written on the 21st August, 1732) .
At the time of his death he was residing in Inwardleigh. In his will he mentions brother
Jeremie, brother William and William`s son and daughter, (this would be Jane, previously
mentioned and William baptised 15th December, 1731 at Sampford Courtenay). He also mentions
his sister Margery Urbery, a widow, a sister Martha, wife of Jonas Palmer of Okehampton and a
sister Joan Murfit of Okehampton.  His wife Anne was his executrix.

Jeremy, (Jeremiah) , died in 1742 and his letters of administration were granted to his sister
Martha Palmer of Okehampton, widow and Joane Moffat, wife of James Moffat.  There was no mention
of William.

Generation 6
William, who had married Alice Netherway in 1728 had six sons, all baptised at Sampford Courtenay.

The eldest son, and heir, William, baptised on the 15th December, 1731 married twice.  The first
marriage to Elizabeth Chammonds was at Broadwoodkelly on the 6th March, 1755 and he had sons
Richard who married Temperance Dart and was the progenitor of the Winkleigh branch (see note below), and John baptised in 1761 at Broadwoodkelly.  William and Elizabeth also had two daughters called Ann and
Elizabeth.  His second marriage was to a Grace Brook at Bondleigh.  He did leave a will, but to
date this has not been traced.  However the will index had his residence at the time of death as
Bondleigh, but he was actually buried at Broadwoodkelly in 1798/9.  The entry in the Broadwoodkelly
registers reads " Burials. - 21.11.1798 William Westaway late of the parish of Bondleigh.".
 
 
 

2.  Richard baptised 25th February, 1732/3 who married Mary Wilkinson on the 7th December at
St Andrew, Newcastle.  He had a daughter Dorothy, baptised in Newcastle.  But then returned to
Sampford Courtenay as his three daughters, Barbara, Mary and Martha were all baptised at Sampford
Courtenay.  His first son John, died at the age of two years and he then had a son called John
Wilkinson baptised in 1786 at Sampford Courtenay.  This followed by the baptisms of sons  Simon
and Mark, (Mark married Elizabeth Coombe and their descendants became farmers in the Berks/Bucks
area ).The youngest son was  Richard baptised 1798.

3.  Jeremiah, baptised 17th June 1734 and buried the same day.

4.  Mark, baptised 11th May 1736, who married Elizabeth Parr at Broadwoodkelly on the 19th
October, 1763.

5.  John, baptised 7th April, 1742, who married Ann Saull, and had children Susanna, Ann and John.

6. Simon, baptised 28th April, 1745 at Sampford Courtenay.  He married Elizabeth Woodleigh and
didn`t have any children.  In her will Elizabeth left her goods to her own family.

William died on the 7th May, 1756 at Sampford Courtenay, and whilst there was no will for him,
poor law records traced show that the three youngest children, Mark, John and Simon were apprenticed
out to local farmers following his death.

Generation 7
Mark and Elizabeth Parr were married in 1763 at Broadwoodkelly and may have been living with or
near their brother William.  They had nine children, all baptised at Broadwoodkelly :-

1.  John, born 1764, is possibly the John who married Mary Cory,  Certainly the John
     Westaway who died at Bradworthy was the right age.
 
2.  Richard, born 1766, who married Ann Sansbeer at Hatherleigh, and baptised all
     his children at Sampford Courtenay.

3. Jane, born 1768

4.  Henry, born 1770

5.  Samuel born 1773, married Hamey Mineard at Broadwoodkelly and moved to
     the Torquay area.

6.  William, born 1775 who may be the William who married Elizabeth Yeo, at
     Poughill in Cornwall.

7.  Mary, born 1778 who married Robert  Easterbrook, but prior to this had an
     illegitimate son William, who started the Honeychurch branch of Westaways.

8.  Elizabeth born 1781.

9.  Jeremiah, born 1784, who appears to have moved to Winkleigh, where he married Jane Jones.
There are still descendants of this branch living in the Winkleigh area.

Sheila Yeo    -  December, 1997.

Mike McCue note - Richard and Temperence (Dart) Westaway were the parents of Roger Dart Westaway, founder of the Prince Edward Island Westaways.