Clifton Wheat - St Nicholas - Corfe, Somerset - Coats of Arms on Waymarking.com

Wheat coat of arms on a memorial to Col. Clifton Wheat, St Nicholas' church, Corfe.

The inscription on the memorial reads -
To the Memory of
CLIFTON WHEAT Esqr. of Barton House
Who commenced a Military Life
In the 20th Regiment of Foot
During the American War
In the Public Service
Distinguished as an Officer
In private Life
Respected for those qualifications
Which adorn the Character
Of an English Country Gentleman
In every Situation.
Friendly, Social and Benevolent

To a Husband
Whose constant Affection She experienced
And whose Memory She reveres
This Monument is erected
By his Afflicted Widow
JOSEPHA SOPHIA WHEAT
Born 9th August 1754 Died 10 July 1807

"Clifton, born at Retford in 1753, was not quite three when his father died. His mother’s cousin, Sir Clifton Wintringham, became his father figure and encouraged him to choose an army career and had some influence in obtaining a commission for him. He started his military career at the age of 19. He was commissioned into the XXth Regiment of Foot (later to become the Lancashire Fusiliers). In his first nine years in the Army, he saw service in Ireland and the American War of Independence. He was taken prisoner by the Americans and held with other officers and men as political hostages. They were imprisoned for five years and moved from place to place. Eventually, in 1780, the officers, including Clifton, were exchanged. In May 1782, he was appointed Captain in the 44'* Regiment in Canada. He returned to England in 1784.

When visiting Hammersmith, then a quiet village in the country some four miles from the centre of London, he met Josepha Sophia Newton, the only child of Francis Milner Newton, one of the original members of the Royal Academy and its first secretary. She and the Captain soon became well acquainted. Clifton (aged 33) and Josepha (23) married in 1787. They moved to Stanmore until, in 1794, they quit and moved to Norman Court near Salisbury, a large mansion in beautiful grounds. When Josepha’s father died, quite unexpectedly, she inherited her father’s large estate, including Barton House near Taunton (where there is a delightful portrait of Josepha as a child).

In 1797, the couple made Barton House their home, although they kept Norman Court. There, Clifton and Josepha lived a happy and comfortable life as an English country gentleman and his wife. They visited, hunted and socialised. However, at the time, there was an increasing chance that Napoleon would invade England. Clifton, at the age of 44, was too old for active service abroad, but his military experience was valued and he was promoted to Colonel in the Supplementary Militia (the equivalent of today's Territorial Army). The following year, he was stationed near Plymouth with a garrison of 4,000 men, but from 1800 as the threat of invasion diminished, he spent more and more time at his Norman Court home. He was still carrying out military duties in April 1804 but retired within the next two years. Clifton died in July 1807 near Norman Court. He was taken to Barton and then buried in the chancel of Corfe Church. His widow Josepha Sophia paid for a fine marble plaque, which can be seen on the north wall of the church. His marriage with Josepha had been a very happy one, though childless."

SOURCE - The English Wheats, Ken Wheat, 2012. p152 [ISBN 1467883794]

Bearer of Coat of Arms: Burgher (used by famous commoner) Full name of the bearer: Clifton Wheat Where is Coat of Arms installed (short description) ?: north wall of chancel Material / Design: Stone Blazon (heraldic description): Vert a fesse dancettée or in chief three garbs of the second - with escutcheon for NEWTON, Argent, a lion rampant tail fourchee sable charged on the shoulder with a cross-pattee of the field. Address: St Nicholas Corfe Somerset England TA3 7AL Web page about the structure where is Coat of Arms installed (if exists): [Web Link] Web page about the bearer of Coat of Arms (if exists): Not listed

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