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George Neave came to Budleigh Salterton around 1850 and left in 1872.  George was the grandson of Sir Richard Neave (1731-1814) a former Governor of the Bank of England (1).  Sir Richard’s third son Richard (1773-1858), a barrister, was appointed Deputy Paymaster to the Forces in 1816 and was also Secretary and Registrar of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea where he and his wife Sarah (nee Irvine) lived for the rest of their lives.  George was one of their four children and was born in 1809 in Bloomsbury and would have spent most of his youth at the Royal Hospital.  He married Maria Pinder in 1845 (who at the time of the 1841 census was living in the household of George’s father at the Royal Hospital Chelsea).  

George and Maria moved to Budleigh Salterton in about 1850 because they appear in the 1851 census living in Little Knowle on his private income, and by then they had two sons, Richard Irvine aged two born in London, and George Howard aged one born in Plymouth.  It is interesting to note that an announcement was made in “The Indian News and Chronicle of Eastern Affaires” in 1849 of the birth “in Chelsea” of their first son; this suggests that George may perhaps have had links with India or the East (his grandfather had been a merchant and ship owner). His sons Richard and George spent much of their youth in Budleigh Salterton and were sent for some of their education to The College School House in Ottery St. Mary. 

George and Maria became involved in several local activities.  In July 1853 we read (3) that George received First Prize in his Class and his wife Second Prize in the Ladies Class for their shooting at the Archery Club (although Maria had resigned in favour of Miss Augusta Mason, a great niece of Lord Nelson, even though they were equal on points). George wasn’t as successful in 1856 when he was second to Captain Torriano but apparently it was a windy day (5). Mrs Neave was a prize winner again in August 1859 and was also on the Ladies Committee of the Budleigh Salterton Cottage Garden Society (7). 

In 1860 George joined the local 24th Devon Rifle Volunteers as a Lieutenant, the Captain of the group being Frederick Blandy of Lee Ford (2).  By 1861 George and his family had moved to 2 South Promenade, and are listed in Kelly’s Directory for 1866 at 4 Marine Parade. 

In addition to his interest in archery George was a leading light in the local Literary Institute (6) and retained this enthusiasm right through until he left the town.  He was often one of the readers during the Penny Readings and for many years was President of the Institute.  He also frequently acted as a Steward for the Subscription Balls that were held at the Assembly Rooms.  On one occasion at least he, his wife, and her widowed sister Mrs Middleton, were the patrons of one such event; it was “attended by the gentry of the town and neighbourhood and the room was very tastefully decorated and the ball passed off with éclat”.  A long list of those attending the ball can be found in the Western Times of January 1868. 

Later in 1868 a boat called White Squall owned by a Mr Neave was third in a race for Salterton boats during the Exmouth Regatta; Neave entered a protest against the winner Revd Davis in Sea Dreams on the grounds that his boat had run into him!  It is not recorded whether the protest was upheld (8).  The Mr Neave mentioned may however have been his son Richard (vide infra). 

In December 1872 George Neave was given a glowing testimonial when he resigned from the Presidency of the Literary Institute which he had supported from its inception eighteen years previously (9).  He and his wife left the town in 1873 and moved to Weston-super-Mare but they returned for a visit in November 1874 when he was received with great acclaim at the Literary Institute and was prevailed upon to preside at an entertainment that was due to take place.  His wife Maria died in Weston-super-Mare in 1879 and by 1881 George’s unmarried sister Francis was living with him.  He died in Peamore Terrace, Exeter, in December1887 and the executors were his two sons Richard and George, and Richard was living in Budleigh Salterton at Cannon Cottage.  

Richard had married Harriette White in Wellington, Somerset, in July 1872.  They had three children, Violet, whose birth was recorded in Dorset (her mother’s home county) shortly after the wedding (although she is stated as being born in Guernsey on census returns), a son Arundel was born in Lymington in 1874, and Harrie Gladys Irvine Neave was born in Budleigh Salterton and baptised at East Budleigh Church in 1883.  In 1881 the family was living in Marine Parade and Richard had a new boat called White Squall built, but in 1882 Henry Cowd was instructed to sell it by auction.  His father’s interest in sailing probably contributed to the eventual career as a master mariner of Richard’s son Arundel.  

Richard is known to have been involved in recovering the body of a young man drowned in the sea in 1883 (10) and in 1885 his front garden in Marine Parade was used as the site for an outdoor platform used by the speakers at a large political meeting with the audience standing on the roadway and beach outside (11).  He was a keen member of the cricket club (12).  In 1861 & 1886 (and no doubt at times in between) he was on the Regatta Committee (13) and competed in local regattas.  In 1887 he was on the Committee set up to make arrangements for the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations to be held in the town (14). 

By 1891 Richard and his wife were in the census at Lymington, Hampshire (a well known yachting area); however he was in Budleigh in 1895, at the Freemasons’ Lodge during an investiture ceremony, and also as foreman of an inquest jury (15,16), but as there is no record of him in town directories he may not have been resident.  When Richard died in 1913 his obituary recorded his love of yachting as well as of cricket and football. 

Researched and written by Roger Lendon © 2013 

(1)      Burke’s Peerage

(2)      Frederick Blandy OVApedia entry 

(3)      16 July 1853 Exeter & Plymouth Gazette

(4)      Torriano OVApedia entry 

(5)      13 September 1856 Exeter & Plymouth Gazette

(6)      Literary Institute and Penny Readings  OVApedia entry

(7)      Budleigh Salterton Cottage Garden Society  OVApedia entry

(8)      Friday 21 August 1868 ,  Exeter and Plymouth Gazette

(9)      Dec 17 1872 Western Times                                           

(10)Wednesday 30 December 1885 ,  Exeter Flying Post

(11) Saturday 01 August 1885 ,  Exeter and Plymouth Gazette

(12)Friday 21 May 1869 ,  Western Times   Match against Exmouth

(13)Tuesday 17 August 1886 ,  Western Times

(14)Friday 18 March 1887 ,  Exeter and Plymouth Gazette

(15)Thursday 10 January 1895 ,  Western Times

(16)Friday 11 January 1895 ,  Exeter and Plymouth Gazette

BS-B-00063 Biography 162 any