Hester Knott (nee Folland) (1724 to 1814)

Hester Knott was another person in the family who was born, lived and died in Beaford, Devon.  She was born in November 1724 and baptised on 4 November at the Parish Church.  She was the eldest of seven daughters born to Margaret (nee Marshall) and Arthur Knott.  She was named after her maternal grandmother.

On 3 May 1748 Hester married Henry Folland at the Beaford Parish Church.  Henry was from the nearby village of Dolton, but moved to Beaford on his marriage to Hester.  Hester and Henry had eleven children over twenty years; four sons and seven daughters;

• Arthur – born 1749
• Judith – 1750
• Margaret – 1752
• Catherine – 1753
• Rebecca – 1755
• Henry – 1757
• Robert 1759
• Martha – 1761
• Elizabeth 1762
• John – 1766
• Hester – 1769.

In 1772, at the age of 48, Hester's first known grandchild was born: a son for Rebecca, who had married George Marshall – who was actually Hester’s (much younger) cousin (Beaford wasn’t a particularly large village!).  Over the next 25 years at least 16 grandchildren were born in Beaford alone! 

In 1797, at the age of 72, Hester became a great grandmother and at least 10 more great-grandchildren were born in Beaford before Hester’s death.  

Hester died in March 1814 and was buried on 7 March at the Beaford Parish Church, Devon – a few months short of her 89^th Birthday (a ripe old age!).

[Relationship to SNR = Great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother]