The Moucher Family – of Misterton
This family name is not actually one of Merriott, but of the neighbouring village of Misterton.
I am including it here because of my personal Osborne of Merriott connection to the name, and because of the surname’s rarity. It has also been spelt MOCHER, MOTYER, MOTCHER, as well as MOUCHER. My thanks go to my main contributors of information, Deborah Webb, a descendent living in England, and Diane Ellisor, doing me a favour although not herself connected to the family.
During the 1840s, a single family named MOUCHER arrived in Misterton from Swyre, Dorset. The family consisted of Richard Moucher, his wife Ann (nee Northover) and their children.
One daughter of the family (Mary Ann) is of particular interest to me, as she was the first wife of Samuel Osborne, bapt Merriott 1833, and she & her husband and their first child George Amos emigrated to Queensland, Australia in 1858. Shortly after their arrival, Mary Ann was delivered of a second son, but she soon succumbed to child birth fever, with her newborn son only living a short while longer. Samuel remarried in 1860 and had three more sons. Unfortunately George Amos died of scarlet fever in 1861 – thus Mary Ann’s Australian story came to an abrupt end. Prior to marrying Samuel Osborne in 1857, Mary Ann baptised another son, Francis Moucher, in 1855. His father is not known; Francis was buried in May 1857 at Misterton, the month before his mother married Samuel Osborne.
The MOUCHER family was quite large, consisting of:
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RICHARD MOUCHER (born 13 Feb 1804, Swyre, Dorset, died 20 Dec 1887, Union Workhouse, Fordington, Dorset)—m 8 August 1838, Swyre, Dorset—ANN NORTHOVER (born 19 Dec 1913, Swyre, died 20 Sept 1856, Beaminster Union) |
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| No. | Name | Baptised | Married | Died |
| 1. | Joseph Henry | Bapt 22 Mar 1835, Swyre, Dorset | Marie E Unknown | |
| 2. | Mary Ann | Bapt 11 Dec 1836, Swyre, Dorset | (1) Unknown (2) Samuel Osborne 15 June 1857 |
27 May 1859, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| 3. | Sabina | 14 Oct 1838, Puncknowle, Dorset | Buried 13 December 1850, Misterton | |
| 4. | Sarah | Born about 1839, Puncknowle, Dorset | William Cook 4 Dec 1861, Queensland; 7 children |
20 August 1927, Queensland, Australia |
| 5. | John | Born about 1842, Puncknowle, Dorset | Matilda Unknown | |
| 6. | Elizabeth Mary Caroline | Born about 1844, Misterton, Somerset | Laurence Cusack Dunne 21 Jan 1879, Brisbane, Queensland; 1 child |
21 November 1919 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| 7. | Dinah | Bapt 5 Oct 1845, Puncknowle, Dorset | Henry Wyatt 22 Dec 1866, Ipswich, Queensland; 12 children |
30 January 1901, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia |
| 8. | Louisa | Born 25 Sept 1847, Stoke Abbot Union House, Beaminster |
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| 9. | Frederick | Born about 1850, Misterton | ||
| 10. | Ellen | Bapt 5 Dec 1952, Misterton | ||
Backlit in white in the table are the four daughters of Richard & Ann Moucher who emigrated to Queensland, Australia. Only Mary Ann was married before emigrating. The other three managed to live much longer lives than poor Mary Ann.
Mary Ann and her husband Samuel Osborne arrived in Moreton Bay (ie, Brisbane) on the “Alfred” on the 19th of September, 1858. Note that Ann Moucher, mother to the family, had died in 1856. Also on that particular voyage of the Alfred was Mary Ann’s younger sister Sarah.
Elizabeth Moucher arrived arrived on the “Winefred”, into Moreton Bay 14 Jan 1874, aged 28.
We have so far been unable to find Dinah Moucher’s emigration details – possibly because of a spelling problem.
Census Details
| 1851 | Misterton | Richard Moucher, head, Agricultural Labourer Ann Moucher, wife Joseph Henry Moucher, son, Weaver Mary Ann Moucher, daughter, Weaver Sarah Moucher, daughter, Scholar John Moucher, son, Scholar Elizabeth Moucher, daughter, Scholar Dinah Moucher, daughter, Scholar Louisa Moucher, daughter, 3 years Frederick Moucher, son, 1 year |
| 1861 | Misterton | Richard Moucher, Head, Widower, Labourer |
| 1881 | Union Workhouse, Fordington, Dorset | Richard Moucher, Farm Labourer; Pauper; Widower |