1841 was a busy time

On Thursday 3rd June 1841 John’s uncle Philip Ebbott married Grace Piper in Warbstow in the local parish church by licence.

St Werburgh's Church, Warbstow photographed by Neil Lewin10 July 2006 

In 2013 the church now lies between two other Canworthy Water Methodist Church built in 1859 and Bethel Methodist Church perhaps indicative of the fervour of Methodism in the area that was gradually building in the 1840s.

The Ebbott and Bone families were close not only because John’s parents had married but because we see Jane Bone, older sister of Sarah Bone, being a witness at the marriage. 

Warbstow was only 2.6 Miles/4.2 Km South East of Tresmeer so it would have been an easy journey for John’s parents, and the extended Ebbott family, to attend the wedding. John, who was only one year old at the time, he probably stayed home with one of the servants, and although the journey was short it would have been tiring for John’s mother in her delicate state (3 months pregnant).

Jane even in her official capacity as a witness to the marriage probably wouldn't have travelled alone, she most likely either travelled to the wedding with her parents. A wedding was always being a fine occasion for celebration and a chance to get out. It is difficult to know however whether Jane was accompanied by both her of parents or just her father. Jane’s mother (John’s maternal grandmother) died only 2 days after the wedding was it from all the excitement, or had she been poorly for some time, unfortunately we may never know as the details have been swallowed up by time.

It must have been a roller coaster of a year, with events moving from the excitement of the wedding on Thursday to the death of his grandmother two days later on the Saturday, and then to cap off the year his younger brother Julius dies at the age of two weeks, the day after Christmas day so unexpectedly, that there hadn't even been an opportunity for the young infant to be baptised. Sarah his mother was still lying in recovering from the ordeal of childbirth and taking a much needed rest to recuperated. It must have seemed that the good is so very predictably followed by the bad, not that he would have been able to follow all the goings on, but his young mind would have absorbed the unexplained emotion none the less.

It would be a few more years before John would be joined again by another sibling.