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Date of death: 6 February 1814 Place of death: Exeter (at his home)
Note: Records show that John Stockham, of Holy Trinity Exeter, was buried at St Sidwell’s Church on 15 February 1814, aged 49 years (burial register in Devon Record Office, Exeter). On 2 May 1942, during one of the heaviest air raids in Exeter, St Sidwell’s parish was devastate, and the church was completely burnt out. The Rector, Rev Narracott, risked his life to rescue the church registers and silver from the vestry. The tower was declared unsafe, but in 1957 the building was rebuilt. However it is no longer used as a church, and has become a community centre. Only a few gravestones survive in what used to be the graveyard. One of these stones, which has now been laid horizontally, appears to show the names of some of Captain Stockham’s family. It is heavily eroded, but the following is legible.
martha caroline susanna stoc. . . who died . . . martha char[ity] stoc . . . who . . . john . . . marth . . . toc . . .
Research shows that Caroline Susanna Stockham and Martha Charity Stockham were sisters, whose parents were John and Martha Stockham. They were baptised on 8 May 1812 and 11 September 1809 respectively. However, we cannot be certain, although it is possible, that this John Stockham and the Captain are the same man, as John was a common name in the family. It is also possible that this is the Captain’s headstone, as there appear to be other names recorded on it which are totally illegible. Therefore, until further research can be undertaken, it must be concluded that there now remains no visible record on the ground which can definitely be ascribed to Captain Stockham.