On to Brixham

Brixham, Devon
Friday, May 18, 2012

Ancestry

Now I find out that my 4X (I think) great-grandfather, Jeffery Sanders, was born and baptized in Paignton! 

 

As soon as it bus pulled away from Paignton, I felt better. There were some nice houses and the (sub?) tropical type of plants you see in Torquay, which actually reminded me of around Carmel, California. It may very well have been part of Paignton - I shouldn't be so negative about the place.

As the bus rolled along there was a lovely sweeping view toward Brixham and the misty coast - a wide slope dotted with buildings but with green fields too. I wish I could have got of a photo of that view.

A double dose of Sanders in the family

The only reason I was going to Brixham was because it was the hometown of my g-g-grandmother and g-g-g-grandmother. Interestingly, they both had the same name: Mary Maddick Sanders. The second one was, I believe, the niece of the first.

Grandparents: Jeffery Sanders & Elizabeth Elliot
Parents: George Sanders & Elizabeth Tozer
Mary Maddick Sanders #1

Great-grandparents: Jeffery Sanders & Elizabeth Elliot
Grandparents: George Sanders & Elizabeth Tozer
Parents: Samuel Tozer Sanders & Sally Sarah Blackler
Mary Maddick Sanders #2

I had a surprisingly negative reaction to Brixham. Maybe it was the ghostly, melancholy feeling of being at the Singer Mansion without Glenn, or it could have been the dreary grey skies. My overall impression was that Brixham was a poor, shabby, faded, constricted, depressing place. It felt oppressive, as if a weight was on me the whole time I was there.

The pictures don't really bear out the feeling. It would be interesting to revisit on a sunny day to see if my reaction would be the same.

The harbour seemed to be a tangle of boats. The fact that it is a working fishing port not just a tourist town should have made me like it more.

 

 

The other end of the harbour closer to the sea seemed more modern.