From: "Kenneth Brealey" <ken.brealey@btopenworld.com>
To: <john@oshea65.freeserve.co.uk>
Sent: 16 April 2006 17:14
Subject: PAIGE FAMILY letter to Dolores Palomo via D.H.R.G.
Re:- FwPaige
of
Notes by
Church Warden of St Saviour's Church and member of the Dartmouth History Research Group.
St Saviour's Church
THOMAS PAYGE OF
This was written by Mr H. Paige HUDSON, who in
1987 lived on the
Island. 15 pages and a few drawings are included in the booklet.
This booklet is composed of single sided type written pages protected with a sheet of clear plastic sheet back
and front.
It appears from the Preface on the front page that a previous article was written about Thomas Payge and
with his connection with many who bear his name "Paige".
It is not absolutely clear if this article was written by him, it refers to an article written in 1977, it
apologises for several fundamental errors and asks that all copies of that booklet are destroyed and use only
made of the revision, he begs forgiveness for inadequacies for any errors in his work as an amateur.
Contents of the Booklet.
This starts with a brief description of the town of
It then mentions the air raids of the 2nd World War and the damage caused to the North West window in the
Nave of the Church, in particular, the yellow oval piece of leaded glass in that window which was badly
damaged in the attack and now does not make sense to read, it originally stated "Thomas Payge twice maior
of
There is also in the Church flooring a black stone slab beneath the above window this has writing carved
"Here lyeth the body of Thomas Payge twise mair of darttemouth who dyed the (5th) day of Maye ano
domini 1621" and close by is another reading " Heer Lyeth the Bodiie of Dorothie Payge that lived 26
years, wife unto Thomas Payge twise
mair of
These memorial stones may have been removed from their original positions as in the case of the one to
Dorothie Page the stone inscription is East and West aligned, not how it possibly was originally intended to
be North and South. The one to Thomas Payge is correct.
The booklet then enters the subject of a misunderstanding of Coats of Arms.
A conversation with the Garter King of Arms resulted in the following letter to Mr Hudson. " It has been
established by the examination of the College record's that no-one of the name of Payge, Paige or Page has
ever received a grant of Letters Patent of the King of Arms of any such Coat, nor has anyone of his
surname had a confirmation of such Arms, nor have the latter (ie a chevron between escallop shells)
ever been registered in the line of descent of any individual of the name of Payge, Paige or Page.
The original document of 1977 had several errors this may have been one of them.
At the back of the booklet is a family tree, the first entry is John Page who married Elizabeth Goodman in
1600 she died in 1621 and is buried in
son also John Paige born in 1680 in
There is recorded a Henry Paige died 1609/10 who had a son John Paige who died 1647. both of these
families lived in Stoke Fleming 4 miles from
1 cannot see any other Paige (etc) until 1743 John Paige of Slapton married Agnes Lang of Woodhuish.
This booklet referred to appeared to have been only sent to relatives of the Paige (etc) families and was not
sold or otherwise generally made available.
I am not sure if the author of this booklet is still alive but if you wish to try, his full name etc is or was Mr
Harold Paige Hudson. "La Mouette" Pontac. St Clement.
There is a suggestion that a Mrs Janet Paige who considers she is a descendent of Thomas Paige, she said
that the Paige family were descended from Hugeunot origins
who settled in
'Comte'somewhere in the story. ,
Mistaken Coat of Arms.
In 1934 a water colour painting of a Coat-of-Arms complete with a crest surmounting it, underneath this is
the inscription, in three regular lines, Tho'Payge. Marchant.twice Maior of Dartmoth gave (40) powndes to
the building of this window. Anno 1634. underneath this there is a note, copied by M.Paige Cox Anno
1934.
The fact that the above mentioned three lines were placed immediately below what we now know is the
Shapleigh Coat of Arms, and certainly not belonging to Paige, is very unfortunate and has caused some
confusion.
1 hope that you may find these notes of some use to your research.
Enclosed.- 1.
Copy of photo of Shapleigh Coat
of Arms with writing below regarding Thomas
Paige. This is thought to have caused some confusion in the past.
2. Copy of the inscription on the floor memorial slabs. Rather poor quality owing to wear on the stone.
3. Photograph of the Paige window in the North Window after bomb damage in 1943. and a rough drawing of the damaged yellow pane of glass showing the writing as seen at present.
Sincerely
Note to Irene O' shea Chair of Dartmouth History Re-search Group.
1 do not feel that this information re Paige family history is any great use to this person, it appears be another branch of the family.
Of all of the Seafaring families of
being Mayor and contributing to the North Windows of the Nave
and contributing a Charity for the poor of St Saviours and St Petrox . little is known of them.
18/04/06
Evidence of the family is only seen on the yellow oval glass segment damaged in 1943. On the Charity Board on the staircase area in St Saviour and on the floor of the North Aisle below the appropriate widow. There is a small mention of this family and a gift to the poor in St Petrox Church.
The fact that so many Seafarers of Dartmouth are included on the Gallery front is an indication perhaps that the Paige family were not particularly well known or possibly respected, and not just because he did not have a Coat of Arms. Thomas Payge died in 1621 the Gallery in St Saviour's was constructed in 1633/4 this being an ideal time for inclusion of the name on the Gallery front
After the mid 1700s most of them appeared to live outside of
The "Twise" Mayor of Dartmouth appears to be mis-understood, Bob Trowbridge is certainly under the impression from the Borough Records that he was only Mayor on one occasion. Some confusion is caused by the fact that the Mayors are invested in say April of one year and serve until April of the following year so they are Mayors in part of two years only ie April 1609 to April 1610.