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William Cutmore BAKER
1821 - 1887 (~ 65 years)
Has 37 ancestors and one descendant in this family tree.
Set As Default Person 
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Name William Cutmore BAKER Relationship 
with Teresa Ann GOATHAM Born Halwell, Devon, England 
- Guess Halwell because the family were of Halwell when Wm was baptised
Baptised 20 Mar 1821 St. Michael’s Church, Blackawton, Devon, England - From the South Hams website, accessed 17 Jan 2012
Gender Male Occupation 1861 West Hartley Farm, West Hartley, Blackawton, Devon, England Farmer - Recorded as of 'West Heartley Farm' in the 1861 census, farmer of 156 acres employing 1 labourer and 2 servants
Occupation 1887 East Down, Blackawton, Devon, England Farmer Died 24 Jan 1887 River Dart, Dartmouth, Devon, England Cause: Drowned - Died 18 Feb from burial register (acc to SouthHams website)
Newspaper article about his drowning implies he died on 24 Jan.
William disappeared on 24 January 1887, and from the subsequent finding of his body it would appear he accidentally drowned that day.
Both his disappearance and the finding of his body and inquest then held were reported in the papers.
In the Devon and Exeter Daily Gazette (31 Jan p.4 col 5 and the same on 4 Feb 1887, p.7, col. 2 ):
Mysterious disappearance of a
farmer at Dartmouth
Considerable anxiety has been felt at Dartmouth and
neighbourhood in consequence of the disapearance of
Mr William Baker, farmer, of East Down Farm, Street,
near Dartmouth, who has not been seen or heard of since
Monday evening about 6 o'clock. On that day he visited
Dartmouth to see his wife off to London for a few weeks,
leaving his horse and trap at his brother-in-law's, Mr.
Richard Stranger, New Road, Dartmouth. During the
after part of the day, with a few friends, he visited the
King's Arms Hotel, Mr. Stranger being with him. Be-
tween 6 and 7 o'clock he was going to accompany
Mr. Stranger to his house to tea, and both
left the hotel together, Mr Stranger going out at the
front door and Mr. Baker out of the side one, which abuts
on the slipway leading towards the lower section of the
Embankment. The servant at the hotel remarked to him
that his friend had gone the other way, and he replied
"All right, I'll overtake him," or words to that effect.
Mr. Stranger, who is somewhat crippled, strolled on, and,
as he says, finding Mr. Baker did not overtake him, con-
cluded that he had met another friend and stayed behind.
Mr. Stranger went home and really felt no anxiety about
his brother-in-law until the next morning, when he dis-
covered that the horse and trap were still in the
stable at the back of the house. On Tuesday
morning Mr. Baker's son visited Dartmouth to
inquire the reason he had not returned, but nothing was
known of him, and it was concluded that he had gone to
Paignton or somewhere to visit some friends. Inquiry
has been made at every possible place during the past
four days, but nothing more was heard until Saturday
afternoon, when it was mentioned at Kingswear that a
farmer was missing and one of the ferrymen remarked
that he had found a hat in the river on Monday night.
The police were communicated with and the hat pro-
duced, which has been recognised as that belonging to
Mr. Baker. It is conjectured that when Mr. Baker left
the side door of the King's Arms Hotel he must have
walked down the slipway and out over the edge of the
embankment wall, which has neither lamps nor protec-
tion. Mr. Baker was very short-sighted. His age is
about 65 or 68 years. He was a man well known and
widely respected.
Western Times (7 Mar 1887 p.4, col 1 and exactly the same 8 Mar p.7, col 2)
A farmer found drowned at Dartmouth
On Saturday morning the fireman (Fredk. Roper) and
one of the deck hands, named George Radford, employed
on bard the Railway steamer Dolphin, at Dartmouth, saw
a body rise to the surface of the water about a dozen yards
out abreast of the Dartmouth pontoon. They immediately
procured a boat and brought the body ashore, when it was
handed over to the police and conveyed to the mortuary.
Here, although the features were totally unrecog-
nizable, owing to decomposition, the clothes and
watch were identified as those of Mr. William
Cutmore Baker, farmer, of East Down, near Blackawton,
who disappeared under the following circumstances. On
the 24th January (Monday) Mr. Baker came into Dart-
mouth to see his wife off to London, and afterwards in
cmpany with Mr. Richard Stranger, of Dartmouth, went
into the King's Arms Hotel during the afternoon. The
latter gentleman left about half-past six by the front door
and directly afterwards Mr Baker went out at the side
door, which abuts on a slipway leading to
the edge of the river. He went down this
slip, and was never seen again alive. The river
had been dredged, but without success, and it is probable
that the body caught in the moorings of the pontoon, near
which it rose. The watch of the deceased had
stopped at nearly half-past six o'clock. - The inquest
was held on Saturday in the Dartmouth Guild
hall, before Mr. R. W. Prideaux, borough coroner.
- Richard Stranger said that when he left the hotel finding
the deceased did not follow him, he went back to look for
him, and was told he had gone out at the side door, which
led down to the embankment. Witness saw nothing
amiss with his manner, and he was quite capable
of taking care of himself. - Mrs. Emily Priest,
a charwoman, employed at the hotel, gave evi-
dence to the effect that the deceased went
down the slip when he left the house and the
finding of the body in the river was then
proved by George Radford and Frederick Roper. -
The jury returned a verdict of "Found dead in the river,"
but as to how deceased came there, the evidence was in-
sufficient to show. - On the recommendation of the Fore-
man (Mr. W. H. Sparks) the jury asked the Coroner to
call the attention of the proper authorities to the state of
the public mortuary, and also to the immediate necessity of
lighting the lower section of the Embankment, from which
deceased evidently fell into the water.
It was also reported in The Devon and Exeter Daily Gazette (on 7 March 1887 p.4 col 2 ):
A farmer found drowned at Dartmouth
Mr. R. W. Prideaux (Borough Coroner) held an
inquest on Saturday in the Dartmouth Guildhall on the
body of Mr. William Cutmore Baker, of East Down
Farm, near Strete, whose body was found on Saturday
close to the Dartmouth pontoon belonging to the Great
Western Railway Company. It will be remembered that
the deceased was last seen alive on the 24th January, and
no trace of him could be found until Saturday, when,
owing to a strong smell arising in the vicinity of the
pontoon, the body was discovered by two men named
Roper and Radford. - Mr. Richard Stranger, a distant
relation, identified the body, and said that on the 24th
January last deceased dined at his house, and afterwards
they went to the King's Arms Hotel. Witness and
deceased remained there some time, and on leaving,
about six o'clock, witness went out at the front door, while
deceased went out at the side one, and witness never saw
him alive afterwards. - Emily Preece, a charwoman,
stated that on the 24th January she remembered deceased
being in the King's Arms, and opened the side-door for
him, and noticed that he went towards the river. She
said to him, "You are going the wrong way," and
deceased replied, "I'm all right; I'm going home.
Where's my mate?" She replied, pointing towards Mr.
Humphrey's, chemist. He said, "I'll soon catch him
up." This was the last time deceased was seen alive.-
Frederick Roper and George Radford proved finding the
body. - The Coroner summed up the evidence, and the
jury returned a verdict of "Found drowned."
Buried 7 Mar 1887 St. Michael’s Church, Blackawton, Devon, England [1] Siblings2 sisters Patriarch & Matriarch 
Charles BAKER, b. Abt 1690, d. Jan 1757, Charleton, Devon, England (Age ~ 67 years) (2 x Great Grandfather) 
Jenny CUTMORE, b. Abt 1791, Diptford, Devon, England, d. Yes, date unknown (Mother) Person ID I9358 All Last Modified 16 Jul 2014
Father James BAKER, b. 1781, d. 18 Apr 1862 (Age 81 years) Mother Jenny CUTMORE, b. Abt 1791, Diptford, Devon, England , d. Yes, date unknown Married 28 Dec 1814 St. Michael’s Church, Blackawton, Devon, England - From South Hams website, accessed 17 Jan 2012
Family ID F4597 Family Group Page | Family Chart
Family Elizabeth Mary SPARKE, b. Abt 1827, Australia , d. Mar Q 1888, Kingsbridge Reg Dist, Devon, England (Age ~ 61 years) Married Mar Q 1846 Kingsbridge Reg Dist, Devon, England - GRO ref: Baker, William Cutmore; Sparke, Elizabeth Mary q1 1846 Kingsbridge RD 9 387
Children 1. William Robert BAKER, b. Jun Q 1851, Blackawton, Devon, England , d. Yes, date unknownLast Modified 5 May 2012 Family ID F4852 Family Group Page | Family Chart
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Event Map Click to hide 
Born - - Halwell, Devon, England 
Baptised - 20 Mar 1821 - St. Michael’s Church, Blackawton, Devon, England 
Married - Mar Q 1846 - Kingsbridge Reg Dist, Devon, England 
Child - William Robert BAKER - Jun Q 1851 - Blackawton, Devon, England 
Occupation - Farmer - 1861 - West Hartley Farm, West Hartley, Blackawton, Devon, England 
Occupation - Farmer - 1887 - East Down, Blackawton, Devon, England 
Died - Cause: Drowned - 24 Jan 1887 - River Dart, Dartmouth, Devon, England Buried - 7 Mar 1887 - St. Michael’s Church, Blackawton, Devon, England = Link to Google Earth (if installed; see link below to install) Pin Legend 
Sources - [S294] Blackawton - St Michael and All Angels Church Parish Registers (FMP images), St Michael and All Angels’ (Blackawton, Devon), (brightsolid online publishing ltd. FindMyPast. http://www.findmypast.co.uk/ .), Burial of William Cutmore BAKER; accessed 1 Jun 2014 (Reliability: 3).
Under heading 'Burials ... Blackawton ... 1887' - "William Cutmore Baker No. 1289, abode: East Down, buried: March 7, age: 66, ceremony performed by: DS. Chater Vicar", with addition in left margin "drowned Feb. 18. (DS.C) x" and at bottom of page "x 1289 after Coroner's Inquest and Jury"
Archive reference: 995A/PR/1/9