Waycott One-Name Study

The photograph above is of the ruin of Holy Trinity Church, Buckfastleigh, Devon, where generations of Waycott families worshipped. High on a hill above the town, it was destroyed in an arson attack in 1992.

Waycott was my maiden name, and a name familiar to me generally in Devonshire where I grew up. It wasn't until I started tracing the lines back that I realised how special the name was in terms of geography.

There are two small but distinct populations of Waycotts in Devon from c1750 onwards. One, from which I am descended, is southeast of Dartmoor, in the Buckfastleigh/Ashburton/Totnes triangle, and up into the moor at Holne and Widecombe. The other is southwest of Dartmoor, around Shaugh Prior, Sheepstor and Walkhampton, and in the Tavy and Tamar valleys. All the Waycotts in the world appear to have spread out from these points.

Sharing family information can help to connect these lines of descent and teach us more about the lives of our ancestors.