Townsfolk

Index page for biographies long and short of the townsfolk of Bridgwater over the centuries. Contributions are very welcome, even just work-in-progress notes, so if you have Bridgwater ancestors or they form part of a project you’re working on, we’ll be keen to hear from you. We’re especially keen to recover the stories of ordinary Bridgwater folk throughout its history, the more we have the richer our understanding will be. Contributions need not be confided to single individuals, but also families, groups or professions. We’ll also be glad to help with your research, or at least point you in the direction of help, if we can. We look forward to hearing from you!

Also see our Obituaries page for contemporary townsfolk, as well as scientists and writers. A very large number of biographies of townsfolk can be found on the website of the Friends of the Wembdon Road Cemetery, which opened in 1851 and closed about a century later. An index of the biographies and obituaries can be seen here, although they are only available to members of the Friends.

Misc Notes on Bridgwater People

Crocan, Aaron. The first casualty at the Battle of Trafalgar on 25 October 1805. Aaron Crocan was a young landsman serving aboard HMS Conquerer. At five thirty in the morning, during heavy swell he fell overboard. As the men were about to prepare a boat to look for him, the masts of the Franco-Spanish fleet were sighted and Crocan had to be left behind. Reference: Tim Clayton and Phil Craig, Trafalgar: The men, the Battle, the Storm (2005), p.121.