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There is a large tomb in the churchyard at Otterton bearing witness to the life of Thomas Shore, 23 years Vicar of Otterton. Many other vicars had served the parish longer but few with the extraordinary connections of Thomas Shore. 

He was born in Melton, Suffolk in 1756, the younger son of Thomas and Dorothy Shore, and descended from the eminent Shores of Derbyshire and was educated at Harrow and Oxford. (1)  

His father was a merchant with the East India Company and travelled all over the world in that service.  His older brother Charles John Shore followed in his father’s footsteps and after leaving Harrow went to India as a writer for the East India Co.  John, as he was known, embraced the country and the way of life that India had to offer, worked hard for the company and was justly rewarded, within 10 years he was a Member of the Provincial Council of Calcutta.  About that time he may have married or taken for his mistress an Indian girl, as the first of their four children, John, was baptised in Calcutta in 1777, two further baptisms of Francis and Martha took place in 1785, the register shows that they were all baptised as his children. (2) He returned to England in that year leaving his family behind, having resigned his position on the Supreme Council of Bengal, it is likely that he made his way to Devon to stay with his brother.  

Thomas Shore had taken up position as curate of St David’s Church in Exeter, and had fallen in love and married Juliana Mackworth-Praed of Bitton House, Teignmouth, by Licence at St James, West Teignmouth on the 8th November 1785. 

Juliana was the daughter of William and Susanna Mackworth-Praed.  Her father had come to Exeter with his family from Gloucestershire some years before, he was a successful wool merchant, and became M.P. for Exeter.  He instigated the building of “The Hotel” as the Royal Clarence in Cathedral Close was first known and also founded the first Exeter Bank; the building still remains on the corner of St. Martins Lane. (3)  The newly married Shores took up residence at the Duryard now in the grounds of Exeter University.  

The following year he had the honour of officiating at the marriage of his brother John. On the 14 February 1786, John Shore married Charlotte Cornish, she was the only daughter of James Cornish, Esq., of Teignmouth, Devon and Margaret Floyer, daughter of Rev. William Floyer, Rector of Trusham, Devon. Their first child was baptized one year later at Exeter Cathedral on the 27 February 1787. 

John left his new bride and young daughter to return to a new position in the government of India early in 1787.  He must have returned to his mistress and their three children as a fourth child George was baptised at Calcutta on the 11th May 1788. 

In 1792, Thomas and Juliana with their three young children, took the position of Vicar of the parish of Sandal Magna in Yorkshire, where they remained for a year, returning to Devon to take the living of Cornwood, near Ivybridge, he cannot have been there for many months as he was instituted at Otterton in 1793. (4) 

Their children were, William Thomas Shore, baptized in West Teignmouth, on March 18th 1787. He attended Oriel College, Oxford, where he got his BA in 1809, and MA in 1811. He died at Hanover on August 17th 1847. He was father of authoress Margaret Emily Shore (1819-1839), and of poet Louisa Catherine Shore (1824-1895).  

Juliana Susannah baptized in West Teignmouth, on January 9th 1789. She was wife of Reverend Jonas Dennis (1775-1846), Prebendary of Exeter. 

Arabella Ann Shore, baptized in West Teignmouth, on June 1st 1791 

Rev. Thomas Robert Shore (1793-1863), a theological writer, the author of “The Churchman and the Freethinker” (1863).  He attended Wadham College, where he is listed as son of The Rev. Thomas William Shore.  He attained his BA in 1814 and MA in 1818. He died on July 4, 1863. He taught Earl Canning and the 2nd Earl Granville. 

Thomas’s brother John Shore had now moved his wife Charlotte and three daughters out to Calcutta, where they took up residence in the Presidency.  John was created 3rd Governor General of India in Oct 1792, followed two weeks later by Knight Batchelor and Baronet.  He remained Governor General until 1797.  John and Charlotte had their first son and heir, Charles, whilst living in India, they returned to England in 1798 and he was raised to the peerage of Ireland and took the title of Lord Teignmouth. On their return they also brought with them Sir Johns four illegitimate children, maybe their mother had died, Sir John continued to support and acknowledge them throughout the rest of their lives. It is recorded that the family moved to Exmouth in the spring of 1800 and stayed until the summer of 1801, living in a Villa in Bicton Street.(5) 

His Anglo/Indian daughter Martha was a regular visitor to the Vicarage at Otterton, she may have lived there, her name appears as witness to various marriages and she was bridesmaid to her cousin Juliana Shore when she married at Otterton. 

Martha herself was married in 1813, at St Sidwells Church in Exeter, attended by Arabella Ann Shore and Charlotte Cornish, her husband was Peter Mann Osborne, a clerk in holy orders.  He was a curate at Heavitree Church from 1816 to 1822 and the couple lived at nearby Baring Crescent, Exeter. Later they lived in Pinhoe, where Martha died in 1825. The Rev Osborne is not recorded as being the Vicar of Pinhoe, he is not living in the vicarage at the time of the 1841 census, but a place next to it named Pinhile. They did not have any children themselves but had a young Elizabeth Shore, who had been born in Calcutta living with them.  It is probable that she was Martha’s niece, the daughter of her older brother John. 

Thomas and Juliana settled down to family life at the lovely Vicarage in Otterton, family documents tell of their love of music and his keen interest in gardening, it is reported that he had a conservatory built onto the side of the drawing room and his delight at being able to show people around it. They must have mixed socially with high society in Exeter, Juliana’s fathers being in the position he was and her brothers and sisters making very good marriages, living in some of Devon’s finest houses, as a complete contrast I wonder how their family and friends found life in very rural Otterton. (6) 

In the writings of his son-in-law in 1825, a story is recounted of the Rev. Shore having to visit one of the farms in the hamlet of Pinn to perform an exorcism, the family had been for several months afflicted with symptoms unexplained by natural causes.  An adult daughter was overcome with an irresistible force being exerted on her person, most of the family were effected in various ways including the young apprentice, some saw strange apparitions and some were seized with violent impulses, a witness reported seeing the boy (apprentice) climb up a wall like a cat.  The family through fear of ridicule were reluctant to use the term witchcraft but appealed to their Vicar for help.  A descendant of the family at Pinn has suggested to me it was most likely the scrumpy!  

Compiled, researched and written ©  Roz Hickman 1999 

From: 

1. Alumni Oxonienses

2. Oriental and Indian Office British Library

3. Exeter in the 17c – D&C R.S.

4. Crockfords

5. Published biographies of Lord Teignmouth

6..Subversion of Materialism by Rev Jonas Dennis

Relevant Parish Registers

St Marks Calcutta 

Otterton

Heavitree

Pinhoe

West Teignmouth

Exeter Cathedral

St David’s, Exeter

OT-B-00006 Biography any