Early mentions of this Gatter family at Talaton go back as far as 1569. In that year we find John and Richard Gator in the Muster Rolls listing "all able bodied men over the age of 18". We know little about them and so it is not certain whether they are father and son, brothers, or else. However their first names John and Richard can still be found generations later in this Talaton family, and can thus be called "lead names" which have been passed on from father to son for centuries.

The Muster Rolls of 1569 are an account of those who presented themselves, with their accoutrements, at a parade to show the county authorities who and what arms were available in each Hundred for the purposes of defence.

Brief History of Talaton

"TALATON, or Tallaton, a village on a northern declivity, 3 1/2 miles N.W. of Ottery St. Mary, and 11 miles N.E. of Exeter, has in its parish 462 souls, and about 2250 acres of land, rising to a bold eminence, which overlooks the Otter valley, and including 140A. of waste, and the hamlets of Larkbeare, Escot, Talewater, and Fairmile, and several scattered houses. Sir John Kennaway, Bart., is lord of the manor and owner of a great part of the soil, and has a handsome seat here, called Escot House, built on the site of the old mansion, which was erected about 1688, and was destroyed by fire, on Dec. 28th, 1808, . . . J.P. Mathew, Esq., owns part of the parish, and resides at Ridon House; and Mr. R. Pratt and a few smaller freeholders have estates here. The Church (St. James,) has a tower and five bells, and contains a rich screen, and some memorials of the Eveleigh and other families. The rectory, valued in K.B. at £32. 3s. 1 1/2d., and in 1831 at £581, is in the patronage and incumbency of the Rev. L.P. Welland, who has 62A. 1R. 1P. of glebe, and a rent-charge in lieu of tithes. . . ." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

The first tracable ancestor of this Talaton family is Richard Gatter, born likely around 1610 in Talaton, Devon. He married on 16 Apr. 1638 at St Sidwells, Exeter and died on 04 Nov 1655 at Talaton (his death could however also be on 15 Jul 1689 or 13 Mar 1691. His wife was Dorothy Lee, died on 30 Sept 1657 at Talaton.

In the following decades the family spreads to the neigboring villages of Heavitree (1733), Plymtree (1736), Combe Raleigh (1775), Upottery (1777), Colaton Raleigh (1786), Otterton (1810), Farringdon (1816), Plymouth (1851), Littleham (1865), Honiton (1871), in Ottery St. Mary (1873), Exmouth (1897), and Budleigh Salterton (1940). If you want to know more about these towns, then consult the GENUKI gazeteer of Devon.

But Members of the family also soon left Devon. In the early 19th century we find them in Wales and Gloscester in the towns of Michaelstone-Y-Fedw, Monmouthshire, Wales (1804), Bristol, Glos. (1810), and Cardiff, Glamorgan (1813).

In the second half of the 19th century members of this family left England for Australia and America (see below).

Brief History of Upottery

"UPOTTERY, or Up-Ottery, is a pleasant village, in the picturesque valley of the river Otter, a few miles from its source, and 5 miles N.E. by N. of Honiton, Its parish contains 991 souls, and 5830A. 3R. 23P. of land, including the Rawridge tithing, and manthe y scattered farms, and extending to the borders of Somersetshire. Here is a cattle fair on October 17th, and an annual ploughing match. Viscount Sidmouth is lord of the manor and owner of a great part of the parish, and resides at the large new Manor House, which has been lately erected at great expense. . . . The manor was given by the Conqueror to Ralph de Pomeroy, and was afterwards given to the church of Rouen, from which it passed to Sir Nicholas Cheyney, in the reign of Henry III. It afterwards passed to the Willoughby, Blount, and Popham families, and was purchased of the latter by Dr. Addington, father of the late Viscount Sidmouth. The CHURCH (St. Mary,) is a fine antique structure, with a tower and five bells. . . . The Dean and Chapter of Exeter are patrons of the vicarage, . . . The Rev. George Lowe, M.A. is the vicar, and in 1843'-4, erected a new Vicarage House, in Elizabethan style, at the cost of about £1600. . . ." [From White's Devonshire Directory (1850)]

About Michaelstone-Y-Fedw, Douglas Mumma writes:
"Few people ever lived in the area and even fewer are living there today. This is where Francis Gatter, was married to Cecilia Spooner in 1805 and where their son William Gatter, was baptized in 1804. We met the Rector and he opened the church and showed us photocopies of these marriage and baptismal records. Because of fire insurance issues, the originals are stored in Glamorgan. It is a lovely small church that dates back to the 5th century and they are in the process of a major restoration. Most of the church members now live outside of the parish boundaries."

He married Elizabeth Powell on 9 September (born 1804, died 1867 in Bridgwater, Somerset). From birth records, we know the family moved from Bristol to Bridgewater between 1841 and 1845. Here they lived at 49 North Street. It is a nice little building with a blue door (see photo), conveniently located accross from a pub, as his descendant Joan Gatter and husband Doug Mumma could establish during their 2001 summer trip to the old country.

Douglas Mumma writes (www.mumma.org):

Of the descendents of William Gatter (1805-1888), the eldest four migrated to Australia. Among them was George Prowlin Gatter who landed in Melbourne. The specific place was called "Box Hill", which is probably a suburb of Melbourne. George emigrated from England to Australia on the ship, "Ben Nevis". He left Liverpool 22 Jun 1855 and arrived in Victoria 4 Oct 1855. There he established the "London" Nursery in Box Hill in 1861. He is buried in the Box Hill cemetery. Interesting that he continued in his father's footsteps of raising plants, just as his last remaining descendant in Australia who uses the Gatter surname.

BEN NEVIS The "Ben Nevis" was the first ship owned by Pilkington & Wilson's White Star Line of Liverpool. She was however, too short and deep for her tonnage, her measurements being:- Length overall 181ft; Beam 38ft 6ins; Depth of hold 28ft; Registered tonnage 1420. Commanded by Captain Heron, she sailed for Melbourne on 27th Sept.1852, with 600 passengers, a cabin passage in her costing L25, and she took 96 days going out. She was built in 1852 by W & R Wright & Smith of Nova Scotia, and ended up in the 1870's on the St Lawrence - Liverpool timber trade.

(above the ship Ben Nevis, on the left Melbourne around 1880).

Francis W. Gatter was quite a character who gave us fits trying to find out much about him.As is a common practice with sailors, which he was, he was prone to telling tall tales.After awhile, we think he began to believe them. We know he left England about 1857 as a sailor engaged in "packet service" between England and various ports.In 1861 he was aboard the ship, GOOD HOPE, near Ft. Sumpter in Savannah, Georgia, the day before the American Civil War started.The merchant ships were offered the opportunity to join the Southern Navy or get out of the harbor immediately.Francis decided to stay on his ship and return to New York.There he decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy. However, after signing up, he found out he would be on a little gun boat for one year, but men were offered 3 year enlistments on the big ships.

Picture of Francis W. Gatter (courtesy of Doug Mumma) Source: "Marine History of the Pacific Northwest" by Lewis & Dryden. Edited by E.W. Wright. Antiquarian Press, LTD. New York 1961. page 166.