Maria DOWNING

Female 1791 - 1873  (81 years)


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All

  • Name Maria DOWNING 
    Born 1 May 1791  Parkham, Devonshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Died 29 Apr 1873  Toronto, Ontario Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Buried Toronto Necropolis and Crematorium P36b Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Person ID I35  David Falconer Family Tree
    Last Modified 8 Aug 2020 

    Father Thomas DOWNING
              b. 27 Nov 1748, Buckland Brewer, Devon, England Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 15 Mar 1837, Buckland Brewer, Devon, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 88 years) 
    Relationship natural 
    Mother Joanna FORTESCUE
              b. 25 Aug 1757, Buckland Brewer, Devon, England Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 23 Sep 1813, Buckland Brewer, Devon, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 56 years) 
    Relationship natural 
    Married 19 Oct 1780  Buckland Brewer, Devon, England Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Family ID F89  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Peter PASSMORE
              b. 23 Jun 1784, Buckland Brewer, Devon, England Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 9 Jun 1828, Maryport, Cumberland, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 43 years) 
    Married 19 Apr 1819  Chester, Cheshire, England (St. John the Baptist Parish) Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Children 
     1. Frederic Fortescue PASSMORE
              b. Abt May 1820, Bideford, Devon, England Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 26 Feb 1822, Selby, Yorkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 1 years)  [natural]
     2. Maria Louisa PASSMORE
              b. 14 Feb 1822, Selby, Yorkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 8 Sep 1902, Toronto, Ontario Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 80 years)  [natural]
     3. Frederick Fortescue PASSMORE
              b. 13 Jan 1824, Selby, Yorkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 10 Jan 1892, Toronto Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 67 years)  [natural]
     4. Mary Ann PASSMORE
              b. 3 May 1826, Maryport, Cumberland, England Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 10 Jan 1923, Toronto Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 96 years)  [natural]
     5. Harriet Fortescue PASSMORE
              b. 20 Jul 1828, Maryport, Cumberland, England Find all individuals with events at this location
              d. 9 Jul 1882, Toronto, Ontario Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 53 years)  [natural]
    Last Modified 8 Aug 2020 
    Family ID F36  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • 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.

  • Sources 
    1. Details: P. 259 Citation Text: Section 36b.

    2. [S28] Buckland Brewer marriage register.

    3. [S14] Parish record from LDS.