'Unknown' means that events cannot be definitively placed.
11 Feb 1688; Marriage; Unknown, Unknown, Somerset, England
James Dartch married Joane Matthews 21 Mar 1757; Death; Unknown, Unknown, Somerset, England
21 Mar 1757 (blank) DARCH Mr DARCH shott himself at Mr BARTLETS 11 Jun 1787; Named in record; Unknown, Unknown, Somerset, England
Major Thomas Darch, Leiutenant-Colonel, vice Earl of Cork commissioned Colonel in The Somerset Militia 31 Jul 1854; Other; Unknown, Unknown, Somerset, England
Thomas Sellick Darch convicted at Wells Assizes for arson. Western Circuit, Wells, August 3; Crown Court.-(Before Mr. Justice COLERIDGE.) Thomas Darch was indicted for setting fire to a rick of straw at Batheaston, on the 15th of May, with intent to set fire to a dweling house, the property of Wiliam Temlett. Mr. Prideaux and Mr. Fitzgerald were counsel for the prosecution, and Mr. Stone defended the prisoner. It appeared that on the night in question, about 11 o'clock, the rick was seen to be on fire, and it was evident that some one had set it on fire. On the 1st of June Ann Taylor, in whose cottage the prisoner and his wife and family lived, and whose husband had been transported, was suspected of having committed the act, upon hearing which she said, that on the night of the 18th of May they were all in bed in the cottage, when, about 10 o'clock, a man of the name of Evans calle them up, and the prisoner went down to him, and they stirred up the fire in order to look at a bill which Evans had brought; they examined the bill and settled an account. The prisoner then went up stairs again, but shortly afterwards Ann Taylor heard somebody getting up, and afterwards pass through her room and go down stairs and let himself out at the door; she believed that person to be the prisoner. In two hours he came home and she heard him say, " I have done it-it is all in flames, and I hope he will be burnt in his bed." It appeared that the prisoner had owed Temlett money, anda had sued him-that he had offered to pay him by instalments which Temlett had refused to accept, and he had then said they should see Temlett in the Union yet. Upon the 6th of June the prisoner went to Evans, and asked hiam if he did not remember meeting a woman on the evening of the 15th of May. Evans said he did not recollect. The prisoner said he must know he did meet her, and he would give him 2s., and when he wanted more he would give it to him. Evans corroboratedAnn Taylor as to his seeing the prisoner at her cottage that night. Brimstone and matches werefound near the fire,and smilar articles had been seen on the mantlepiece of the prisoner's room shortly before. The rick was burnt, and, had not the night been very still, the cottage must have been burnt down. The jury, after some hesitation, found the prisoner guilty . Justice CoLERiDGE then told the jury that offences of this kind had been considered so serious that in former times they were punished with death, for it was impossible to calculate the number of lives that might be destroyed by a fire, and, had it not been for the stillness of the night, it was impossible to say what injury might have been done. The sentence was that the prisoner should be transported for 15 years.
Identified People: Thomas Sellick Darch (1815 Clatworthy, SOM, ENG - 1884 Western Australia, AUS) 31 Mar 1901; Census; Vessels at Sea, Unknown, Somerset, England
William Popham, Master, Widower, Male, 44, Master, b Appledore Charles E Popham, Crew, Married, Male, 46, AB, b Appledore
Identified People: Present: Charles Edward Popham (1854~ Appledore, DEV, ENG -)
Present: William Popham (1857~ Appledore, DEV, ENG -)
11 October 2009 Dick Glover, Cambridge, England.