Joseph Gempton

Relationship to me - G.G.Grandfather.

                                                                                          Joseph Gempton (1824 – 1903)

 Note: Previous to the Census of 1841, it was not easy to identify where individuals or family members lived, how many children were born or any of the family occupations. Whilst the Census went some way to provide this information, the early Census only showed streets and not house numbers – hence the difficulty in pinpointing exactly where our ancestors lived.

Joseph Gempton was born in 1824, the youngest of 6 children born to John Gempton (b.1785) and Mary Cross (b.1785). On 27th December 1849 he married Sarah Blackmore in St Mary’s Parish Church, Brixham. Below is a copy of their Marriage Certificate. Whilst Joseph was listed as a Schoolmaster, it would seem that Sarah was unable to write and had to leave her mark. The witnesses were William Cobley ((b1812) who was married to Joseph's sister Eliza (b.1814) and Ann Blackmore, Sarah's sister.

Joseph appears in early census reports as a fisherman, fish merchant and Master of the Brixham Navigation School. He was listed as the owner of the Lively, Sabrina, Liberty & Esmeralda all early sailing trawlers.

He is listed in the 1851 Census as a Schoolmaster living in Furzeham Street with his wife Sarah and their daughter Elizabeth. His father, John age 66, is shown to be living with them and is listed as a Journeyman Ropemaker.

The 1861 Census shows Joseph (34) and Sarah (34) living with his father John Gempton (76 now head of house) - Furzeham Street. John's profession (although 76 years of age) is still listed as a Ropemaker. Joseph is shown as a Schoolmaster. Children are listed as Sarah Elizabeth (9) John (5) and Samuel (2). Records show that by 1849 he was also the part owner of the Sailing Trawler, Liberty.

From Whites Devonshire Directory 1850 - “and near the beach is a large building, erected in 1848, by Messrs. Green and Vittery, (trawler owner families) and used as an auction mart, a sailors' school, etc;" This building was to become known as the Market House and was located on York Square, the corner of the Strand and Quay. It is likely that this was the Brixham Navigation School and Joseph was the Schoolmaster there. The photo below, dated 1882 shows the Market House on the right of the Strand (also known as the Beach).

By 1871, the Census shows Joseph (45) Sarah (45) living in Quay St. and listed as a Fish Salesman. Children are listed as (Sarah) Elizabeth (19) Samuel (12) Bertha (9) George (3) and Ernest (1). John would have been 15 years of age but was expected to leave school aged 12 to become an apprenticed fisherman.

The 1871 Census shows Joseph living next door to the Victory Inn. There are four Inns listed on the pages that relate to Quay Street - The Carey Arms, The Dolphin Inn, The Victory Inn & The Prince of Wales Inn. The premises are not numbered and as all four Inns no longer exist it is not possible to identify the exact dwelling. There were 2 more Inns on Quay Street that are listed in the Census - The Crown & Anchor and the Commercial Inn. These Inns still exist although the Commercial Inn has been renamed the Sprat and Mackerel.

                                                                            Images of The Strand, Quay and Fish Market

In 1883 Kelly's Directory lists Joseph Gempton (aged 57) as a Fish Merchant and his wife Sarah Gempton as a Shopkeeper. Both were listed as living in Fish Street which was another name for the Quay. In the 1889 Kelly’s Directory, Joseph’s business is listed as a Dining Room / Eating House owner. This was the last entry before his wife Sarah died in 1890.

The following photo was taken in the early 1880’s before the Prince of Orange Statue was erected (in1889) when the Strand was known as the Beach. Joseph’s cousin Ann Gempton had a Haberdashers shop next door to the Buller’s Arms on Beach Street with her daughter Millicent Gempton listed as a draper.

In the 1891 Census, Joseph Gempton is shown still living on the Quay. The building J. Bigwood (un-inhabited) is listed as a fish store next door to the Prince of Wales Inn. Joseph is shown living next door.  His wife Sarah died in 1890. Children listed as living at home were Elizabeth (38) and Ernest (21).  

(Image courtesy of John Holden - Brixham in Pictures) The above image dated c1891 is possibly the only one which definatively shows the position of the Victory Inn.

The above photos show scenes of the Quay and Fish Market in the late 1800’s. The property I originally thought was the family home which became Bigwood’s Ice Store has since been shown to be incorrect. I have been informed that the deeds for the Bigwood’s building show that it once was the Prince of Wales Inn/Hotel. Joseph Gempton and the family would have lived next door. The family home would have been where the horse and cart is shown on the left in the above photo. The building displaying the "TELEPHONE" sign would have been the Dolphin inn.

The photo below scenes of the Quay and Fish Market in the late 1800’s. Bigwood’s Ice Store is shown on the left, with the archways, and their name is just visable above. In the 1889 Kelly’s Directory, Joseph’s business is listed as a Dining Room / Eating House owner. This was the last entry before his wife Sarah died in 1890. The premises for the Eating House is likely shown behind the post or to the left of the horses nose!

Whilst early images looked like there was little organisation of the fishmarket, there clearly was a structure that Joseph was to fall foul of when placing his baskets of fish. A newspaper cutting shows that he placed baskets in the wrong place and the Harbour Master warned him that failure to remove them would bring him in front of the local magistrates. While the census lists him as a Fish Merchant, a 1865 article shows that he was also an Auctioneer at the Fish Market. An article from 1878 confirms Census reports of Gempton, Callard and Shepherd families lived next door to each other on the Quay.