Family origins
The origin of the Mortimers in Somerset is difficult to ascertain, due to a scarcity of early sources for the family. The first of the family to set down roots in Somerset lived in North Petherton, a small village south of Bridgwater. North Petherton is far from anywhere else the Mortimers resided at the time, and the first of the family presumably arrived from neighbouring Devon or Wiltshire, where Mortimers are recorded in the 15th century. It is difficult to establish the sequence of the earliest generations of the Mortimer family, due to an origin before the start of North Petherton parish register. Earlier baptism entries in the parish also do not record parents, only the name of the baptised child. The Mortimer family history in North Petherton may be traced tentatively up until the beginning of the 18th century, when the family seems to disappear as mysteriously as it began. There may not be any male representatives of the family, but an outline interpretation is included here for completeness.
John Mortimer of North Petherton (c.1532-aft.1576)
The earliest record of the family is the baptism record for Mary Mortimer, 15 July 1563. The father of Mary b.1563 may have been John Mortimer, as John is a popular name for sons in the following generations. A John Mortimer was born in 1584, presumably a member of the next generation, and he may have been named after a grandfather. The North Petherton parish register also records the baptisms of sons named John Mortimer in 1589 and 1593.
John Mortimer had issue:
1. John? Mortimer of North Petherton c.1560-1600, he may have married firstly, Joan bur. 20 Jan 1584/5.
i. Agnes 1583 bap. 31 Jan 1582/3
ii. John Mortimer (1584- ), bap. 26 Jul 1584, who married before 1611/2. His wife’s name is uncertain, though may have been Mary, bur. 26 Feb 1614/5 North Petherton.¹ John had one son, Leonard Mortimer:
¹ The burial record of Mary Mortimer 26 Feb 1614/5 may be of Mary b.1563, Mary b.1587 or Mary m. 1590 wife of John Mortimer, or (Mary) wife of John Mortimer fl.1612.
1. Leonard Mortimer of North Petherton (1612-1642?), b. 21 May 1612, m. Wilmot. Wilmot his wife may have been bur. 1 Apr 1642.² Leonard was perhaps bur. 27 Sep 1642, though there is also a burial record for Leonard Mortimer in 1660. No further children of Leonard Mortimer are recorded after 1641, and presumably either Leonard or his wife died soon after 1641.
² Two entries in the parish register record the burial records for Mary wife of Leonard Mortimer, 1 Apr 1642, and 3 Nov 1650, one of which may be a mistake for Wilmot, wife of Leonard Mortimer fl.1635-1641. Wilmot is otherwise unrecorded.
i. John Mortimer of North Petherton (1635-?), b. 29 Jun 1635, m. and had issue. His wife may have been Edith, bur. 25 Dec 1691.
1. Mary b. 30 Aug 1663
2. John Mortimer II 1665, bap. 23 Apr 1665, m. Jane Paine (b.1666) 30 May 1691, had a son:
i. John 1692-1692 bur. 3 Apr 1692
3. Leonard 1667-1667, b. 5 May 1667, bur. 29 May 1667
4. James 1669, b. 6 Jan 1668/9
5. Wilmot 1671-1678, b. 10 Dec 1671, bur. 3 Jan 1677/8
6. Mellior 1673-1715, b. 8 Mar 1672/3 bur. 30 Apr 1715
7. Joan 1675, b. 27 Jun 1675, m. Simon Tiver 20 Mar 1697/8
8. Mary 1676, b. 20 Aug 1676
ii. Mary b. 17 Sep 1637
iii. Leonard b. 24 Aug 1641
John Mortimer married Mary Boyse 5 Jun 1590 North Petherton. Mary his wife was perhaps bur. 3 Nov 1597. Their children probably included Leonard and Simon Mortimer, b.1592. Both were baptised on the same day, 11 Feb 1591/2, suggesting they were sons of the same union, perhaps that of John Mortimer and Mary Boyse, m.1590.³ An Edward Mortimer was baptised a month later, 8 Mar 1591/2, presumably the son of a different Mortimer, showing there were at least two adult Mortimers who had children in the 1590s. Assuming they were brothers rather than cousins, their father may have been born about the 1530s.
³ Leonard married in 1619 and had a son John, so perhaps his own father was also called John.
The following were perhaps children of John and Mary m.1590.
iii. Simon Mortimer 1592-93, b. 11 Feb 1591/2, bur. 25 Dec 1593
iv. Leonard Mortimer 1592-1660, b. 11 Feb 1591/2, m. Mary Goddard 17 Jul 1619 North Petherton. Mary wife of Leonard Mortimer was bur. 3 Nov 1650. They had a son:
1. John Mortimer b. 16 Jan 1619/20, presumably the same John had a son:
i. John Mortimer bur. 20 May 1654 North Petherton, a son of John, and contemporary of John b. 6 Jan 1643/4
iv. Eleanor b. 26 Jan 1592/3 m. John Winter 11 Aug 1617 North Petherton
2. Leonard? Mortimer c.1561-1616, who may have been the Leonard Mortimer bur. 6 Feb 1615/6. Elizabeth Mortimer bur. 1609 may have been his wife as there is no baptism record for Elizabeth. They were presumably parents of the following children:
i. Joan 1586, 22 Jun 1586
ii. Mary 1587
iii. John 1589
iv. Edward 1592, 8 Mar 1591/2
v. John 1593
3. Mary 1563, bap. 15 Jul 1563
4. Elizabeth? c.1568-, married Richard Templer 13 Jan 1595/6 North Petherton
5. Hugh Mortimer 1571-1591, bap. 4 Mar 1570/1 and bur. 9 Jul 1591
6. George Mortimer of North Petherton 1574-1612, bap. 23 May 1574, m. Joan Tever 16 Aug 1596 and had issue. George was bur. 20 Jun 1612, Joan his widow was bur. 19 Nov 1626.
i. George Mortimer II 1604-1647, b. 22 Jul 1604, m. Mary, had a daughter: Mary his wife was bur. 30 Jul 1646.
1. Sidwell 1634-1670, bap. 26 Jul 1634, bur. 16 Jan 1669/70,
ii. John Mortimer of North Petherton 1606-1678, a yeoman, bapt. 20 Jun 1606, m. Eleanor Haskins, 19 May 1636. Eleanor his wife was bur. 2 Jan 1673/4. John Mortimer remarried to Joan Blunt, widow, 30 Mar 1674 North Curry. John Mortimer was bur. 4 Nov 1678, and left a will proved in 1678, only a catalogue list entry of the will survives. Presumably his will was proved by his wife Joan. Joan presumably was bur. in 1691, North Petherton. John and his first wife Eleanor Mortimer had children:
1. John Mortimer (1644- ), bap. 6 Jan 1643/4 presumably the son of John Mortimer (1604-1678) he married Jane Bennom (1645-1685) 30 Aug 1669 North Petherton. Jane his wife was bur. 8 Apr 1685. They had the following children:
i. John 1670-1670, bap. 7 May 1670, bur. 1670, presumably son of the same John m. 1669, and named after his paternal grandfather.
ii. John Mortimer 1671-c.1675? bap. 1 Jul 1671, contemporary of John Mortimer bap. 1665 son of John. Wilmot daughter of John was bapt. in Dec 1671, showing two contemporaneous John Mortimers who had children in the 1660s.
iii. Richard Mortimer 1673-1712, bap. 29 Dec 1673, presumably named after Richard Mortimer b. 1645. He married Joan and they had the following children. Richard was bur. 13 Jun 1712, Joan his widow was bur. 16 Feb 1724/5.
1. Ann bap. 17 Feb 1695/6
2. William Mortimer, 1699-aft.1734, bap. 7 May 1699, presumably the same William Mortimer, of Bridgwater, Somerset married Judith Cherrie, 30 Dec 1728, Westminster, Middlesex. They had two daughters; Elizabeth b.1730 and Sarah b. 1734. Judith his wife may have been bur. in 1742, Islington.
3. Edward Mortimer, bap. 27 Dec 1701 North Petherton.
iv. John bap. 8 Mar 1680/1 son of John Mortimer, presumably the same as John Mortimer above. He was too young to have been the John Mortimer m. 1691 to Jane Paine (b.1666)
2. Richard Mortimer 1645-1682, bap. 2 Jul 1645, m. Mary Poyer 1 Sep 1675, North Petherton. Richard was bur. 29 Jun 1682, Mary was bur. 20 Sep 1684, North Petherton. They had the following children:
i. William bap. 7 May 1676, bur. 1 Aug 1694
ii. Richard Mortimer II, bap. 28 Sep 1679
iii. Eleanor bap. 24 Apr 1681, m. John Hoyle, 13 Sep 1712 North Petherton
3. Mary bap. 2 Jan 1647/8, had a daughter Jane Mortimer bap. 30 Aug 1670. The parish register records the word “pater” in the margin perhaps to denote the child was illegitimate.
4. Joan d.1660, bur. 17 Jun 1660 North Petherton
iii. Henry bap. 8 Jan 1609/10, baptised on the same day as brother Walter, presumably twins
iv. Walter bap. 8 Jan 1609/10, baptised on the same day as brother Henry, presumably twins
v. William 1611, bap. 18 Dec 1611
7. John Mortimer 1576- , bap. 11 Apr 1576
