Transcript 

of

Sloane-Evans MSS

In Fourth Report of the Committee on Devonshire Records. Trans. Devon. Assoc. 1892, Vol XXIV, p. 68.

by

R.W. Cotton. (ed.)

Prepared by Michael Steer

The report, read at the Association's July 1892 Plymouth meeting refers to manuscripts relating to Devonshire held by the British Museum. Its Sloane manuscripts collection covers a wide range of subject matter: medicine, alchemy, chemistry, botany and horticulture, exploration and travel, mathematics and natural history, magic and religion. In this instance the collection concerns genealogical material relating to the Vigors family of Devonshire. That family claims to have originated at St. Vigore Des Montes in the arrondisement of St. Lo in the canton of Tessy, in Normandy. They were neighbours of the Traceys who also settled in the west country at Barnstaple in Devon. The article, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

In the collection of the Rev. W. S. Sloane-Evans, of Egloskerry, Cornwall, is the following manuscript:

1. A large 4 to volume, containing, on 73 leaves, mostly written on one side only, genealogical notices of the Vigors family, of Devonshire, in the handwriting of Colonel Philip Vigors, now resident in Ireland.

The tradition in this family, the name of which is variously spelt Vigors, Vigurs, Vigures, Vigueres, and Vigours, is, that it originally came to England from Vigo, in Spain, and settled at Barnstaple, and that three of the next generation settled respectively at Bideford, Launceston, and Grampound. The compiler of these notices, however, begins them with eleven pages of notes from French sources in support of his own theory of their French extraction. Then follow: — abstracts of wills and administrations of members of the family from the Probate Court of Exeter, 16 pp.; of wills and administrations in the Principal Registry, London, 13 pp.; a copy of a letter, dated June 20, 1859, from Dr. George Oliver, containing extracts from deeds, &c, relating to the family, 1 p.; a pedigree of Alice Marwood, wife of Richard Vigours, showing her descent from severed Devon- shire families of distinction through Holbeam, of East Ogwell, 2 pp.; copies of, and extracts from, letters on the family history, 6 pp.; and miscellaneous notes, extracts from records, fragments of pedigrees, &c, 30 pp.

This MS., written apparently about the year 1860, was found in the waste-paper department of the British Consulate at Brest, and was recovered and kindly sent by the Consul, John G. Haggard, Esq., to the Rev. W. S. Sloane-Evans, who is a descendant of the Vigors family.             (R. W. C.)