Finding the Tucker ancestral villages in the New Forest

For my last full day in Southampton, Ange and Paul drove me to Minstead in the New Forest.  In the early and mid 1700s, my Tucker ancestors lived in Minstead.

Many Tucker marriages and baptisms took place here.

Here is the baptismal font in All Saints Church, Minstead which dates from 1292.  The core of the church is very much the same as it always was and the church pews date from the 1700s.  There are sections with fireplaces for the local squires.

However the church building is one of the ugliest I have seen, with part of it painted cream but obviously not finished. The square tower is Georgian.

Doubtless, there are Tuckers buried here, but the gravestones from that time are too weathered to read.

I imagine the local children have fun playing in this tree.

Was this the Tucker farm?

We then journeyed on to Fritham which is a scattered and very small settlement attached to Bramshaw.  One of my William Tuckers had a farm at Fritham which he bequeathed to his wife Mary upon his death in 1712.

So my Tucker ancestors lived in the depths of the New Forest - it is a beautiful place.  However, in winter I imagine they were snowbound for considerable periods.  I wonder how many of them were able to travel by horse and cart?  Not many I suppose.

As we travelled, we came across many horses and cows on the open land and on the roads.  Here are some:

We stopped at a little village called Burley, near Ringwood for an icecream.  The village has been taken over by tourist shops and cafes, rather spoiled really, but still very pleasant.

A pretty house at Burley

Close of day for the tourist shops in Burley

The Tucker girls

Margaret, Linda and Sarah - all Tuckers, all related

When I started tracing my father's ancestors in 2006, I put the family tree on Genes Reunited, and within 12 months I had found Linda (Tucker) in Sussex - my second cousin - and Sarah (Tucker) in Surrey.  Sarah is Linda and my fourth cousin once removed.

We all share an ancestor William Tucker, born in Hamptworth near Downton, Wiltshire in 1764.  Linda and I also share great grandparents, George William Tucker and Agnes Mary Hardy, born in Southampton.

I first met Linda and her husband Peter when John and I came to England in 2008.  However, although Sarah and I have been Facebook friends since about the same time, we have never managed to meet.

So tonight we did it!  I'm currently staying at Linda and Peter's in Angmering, Sussex, so we arranged to meet about half way between there and Sarah's place at Hindhead, Surrey.  Sarah suggested the Keeper's Arms at Trotten, three miles the other side of Midhurst, Sussex.  Sarah's neice Thais, who also works at the Keeper's Arms on Sundays joined us, and we had great service from her Romanian friend Ali who works there full time.

You can tell we had a hoot of a time.  You'd think we'd known each other for years.  We have at least one trait in common.  We all talk nineteen to the dozen.  Poor Peter.  But he bore it with fortitude, and even looked like he was enjoying himself.

Now we just need to persuade Linda to join us on Facebook.  I think this time we might succeed.





If you want to know more about our ancestors, check out my other blog:
http://tuckersinsouthampton.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/george-tucker-1802-1886-man-with-no.html  Tuckers of Southampton, Bramshaw and Downton.