Notes:

Following her husband's 1828 death, Maria and her children moved back to Devon. Maria inherited the rents, interest, dividends and annual produce from her father's West Goldworthy property in Parkham. The 1842 tithe map of Parkham Parish shows Maria Passmore leasing properties called Whitefields Broad Parkham and Short's Cottage from Mr. Samuel Kekewich Trehawke Esq. She sub-rented the properties to tenant farmers, Thomas Lemon and John Lang, respectively.

Two mortgage indentures [B127/4/33/7&8] in the North Devon Record Office show Maria lending a total of 230 pounds in the form of a mortgage, to James Chappell for properties he was occupying in Northam Parish and Appledore. The first mortgage document was in 1844 and the second was in July, 1845, and also involved other people: two Prusts, a Norrice, a Pyke, and Richard Buse. Worries about complications in these mortgage transactions were mentioned in the May and June, 1845 letters from the ship and Canada to Maria from her son Frederick .

The letters of Maria's son Frederick to her and her daughters in 1845 were addressed to Plymouth, Devon. In the 1841 census, Maria and her four children were living on Providence Row in the Parish of Bideford, Devon. All four children were shown as being born outside of Devon. Under "profession, trade, employment or independent means", Maria was listed as "independent".

In the 1866 Mitchell and Co. Toronto Directory, Maria is listed as the widow of Peter Passmore, and occupying a house at 222 Church Street.

In the 1871 census [Toronto St. James Ward, District 47, Sub-district B, Division 4, page 40] she is listed as age 74, born in England, Church of England, head of household, and living with her daughters Maria Louisa, age 45, Mary Ann, age 35, and Harriet, age 35.

Death certificate information: age about 82 years. Died of paralysis and old age.

Maria's will and codicil,made in 1871, leaves the bulk of her estate to her son Frederic and all his children, however precluding any of said children are "other than dutiful, obedient and respectful to my said son (of which conduct he is to be the sole judge)". The will specifically excludes Frederic's present wife [Isabella] or any of her relatives from appointment to or rearrangement of administration of the will if her son resigns from that responsibility. If Frederic dies intestate, or without having appointed a new trustee during the childrens' minority, then Maria's daughters are named as the childrens' trustees, with the hope that the children will be obedient and respectful towards them.

The property left to Frederic in trust for the benefit of his children:
-Money on deposit at Canada Permanent Building and Savings Society
- Lot #1 on north side of Sydenham st. in the Village of Yorkville, York County, with dwelling houses and appurtenances thereto belonging which said property was conveyed to Maria by General Warren johnston by deed dated Oct. 9, 1861.
-Lots #37 and #38 fronting on Edinburgh St. and Merion St. according to the subdivision of Lots 5 and 6 of Division "A" now in the Town of Guelph in Wellington County, which lots were conveyed to Maria by William haskins by deed dated Dec. 20, 1860.
- Lot #276 in first concession northeast of the Toronto and Sydenham road in the Township of Melancthon in Grey County, which property was conveyed to Maria by way of mortgage by Edward Harrison by indenture dated Jan. 21, 1860.
-West half of Lot #11 in fifth concession in Tay Township, Simcoe County.
-West half of Lot #11 in seventh concession in Tay Township, Simcoe County, conveyed to Maria by way of mortgage by William Johston Evans and his wife on June 1, 1869.
- Peter's gold watch chain and seals and his masonic medals.
- A gold ring presented to Maria by her brother-in-law the late John Roberts.

Property left to Maria's daughters, Maria Louisa, Mary Anne and Harriet:
- Household furniture, books, pictures, plate, jewellery, china, bed and table linen
- Inasmuch as Mary Anne never had a conveyance of certain property a part of which is situated on Lot #11 Section G of the Military Reserve in the City of Toronto, it was Maria's desire that Mary Anne will bring such property into the General Fund and thereafter participate in equal shares with her sisters and brother. Should she be unwilling to comply with this request, then the Executor [Frederic] has power to take the conveyance of such real and personal property into his consideration and by a true appraisement of the value thereof by some competent person, so distribute the remainder of Maria's property as in his judgement shall be considered four equal shares.
- It was Maria's desire that her son should have his fourth share from the personal estate only, and should not have any claim on the landed property or house property.

The will specifically states that her son's present wife [Isabella] shall have no right, claim or interest by any law of succesion or inheritance of any of the above property.

The will goes on to say that at the time of creation of the will, Maria is planning to have a house erected on a lot on the south side of William St. purchased on May 30, 1870, and to which is added lots #7 and #9 on the west side of Bellaire St. This house is intended to be a "homestead" for her daughters, and it may also be a home for her son and his three children (but not his present wife).

Our family has a book published in 1696, "Mystery of the Skill of Physic Made Easy", by Nicholas Culpepper. It is inscribed in several places with "Mrs. Passmore, Maryport, Cumberland, A.D. 1820" and "Maria passmore her book 1832". Other signatures in the book include James Fortescue, Joanna Downing, Joanna Fortescue, Henry Downing and James Downing.

Maria married Peter PASSMORE on 19 Apr 1819 in Chester, Cheshire, England (St. John the Baptist Parish). Peter (son of Peter PASMORE and Mary BEST) was born on 23 Jun 1784 in Buckland Brewer, Devon, England; died on 9 Jun 1828 in Maryport, Cumberland, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Frederic Fortescue PASSMORE was born about May 1820 in Bideford, Devon, England; died on 26 Feb 1822 in Selby, Yorkshire, England.
2. Maria Louisa PASSMORE was born on 14 Feb 1822 in Selby, Yorkshire, England; died on 8 Sep 1902 in Toronto, Ontario; was buried in Toronto Necropolis and Crematorium P-36b.
3. Frederick Fortescue PASSMORE was born on 13 Jan 1824 in Selby, Yorkshire, England; died on 10 Jan 1892 in Toronto; was buried in Toronto Necropolis and Crematorium Section P-36b.
4. Mary Ann PASSMORE was born on 3 May 1826 in Maryport, Cumberland, England; died on 10 Jan 1923 in Toronto; was buried in Toronto Necropolis and Crematorium P-36b.
5. Harriet Fortescue PASSMORE was born on 20 Jul 1828 in Maryport, Cumberland, England; died on 9 Jul 1882 in Toronto, Ontario; was buried in Toronto Necropolis and Crematorium P36b.

Notes:

Thomas Downing has hitherto been assumed to be born to William Downing and Elizabeth Floyde in Buckland Brewer in 1748 [there was indeed such a birth of a Thomas Downing to William and Elizabeth]. However, Thomas's burial record, in 15 March, 1837, states his age as 84. This means that he was born in 1752 or 1753. There was a Thomas Downing baptized to James Downing and Elizabeth Braund in East Putford (a chapel connected to the Buckland Brewer church) in 1752. James Downing and Elizabeth Braund had been married in Buckland Brewer in 1748.

The 1780 and 1800 Parkham Land Tax records [at http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Parkham/ParkhamLandTax1780.html and at http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Parkham/ParkhamLandTax1800.html], show Mr. Thomas Downing as the proprietor and occupier of West Goldworthy.

Thomas Downing's will, written in 1823, and in the Devon Heritage Centre, Exeter, shows the executors as Thomas's nephews, William Cleverdon and James Vanstone. Thomas's sister, Joanna Cleverdon was to inherit 5 pounds, Ten pounds was a donation to the poor of Parkham Parish. The executors were to hold the leased (from Richard Pine Coffin) dwelling and fields in Parkham in trust for Thomas's wife and sons as follows:
1/4 to son Henry Downing
1/4 to son Charles Downing
1/4 to son James Downing
1/4 to wife Joanna
The rents, interest, dividends and annual produce was bequeathed to Thomas's daughter Maria Passmore.

Thomas married Joanna FORTESCUE on 19 Oct 1780 in Buckland Brewer, Devon, England. Joanna (daughter of George FORTESCUE and Elizabeth NORTHCOTT) was born on 25 Aug 1757 in Buckland Brewer, Devon, England; died on 23 Sep 1813 in Buckland Brewer, Devon, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Joanna's burial record states that she was living in Alwington.

William married Elizabeth FLOYDE on 16 Jan 1733 in Buckland Brewer, Devon, England. Elizabeth was born on 2 Sep 1712; died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

George married Elizabeth NORTHCOTT on 28 Apr 1756 in Buckland Brewer, Devon, England. Elizabeth died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

William married MARY. was born about 1677; died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Information about William and Mary and their family came from Graham Tithecott.

John married Hanna RIGSBY. Hanna died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]