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Thanks Trish - I will have to hunt around and see if I can find my John Vickery (or other spellings) born 1762 ish. There seem to be quite a few in Vickerys in Somerset and most seem to be called John James William or Thomas and the ladies Elizabeth, Ann, Mary and Jane. I find it amazing that in some of these small villages there are so many Vickerys. I went to a huge school in London and my brother and I were the only ones with the name.

Hi - I think I have worked out my family in the Channel Islands. My great great great grandparents John and Elizabeth Vickery left Milverton in Somerset to work on the Alderney Breakwater and/or Railway. They took their children one of who was my great great grandfather John. John married a Martha who I think was a local Guernsey girl (I am trying to find out more details about her). They had three sons John Joseph, Frederick (my great grandfather) and Henry Walter. I know John and Frederick were born on Alderney in 1858 and 1860 but can find no trace of Henry Walter. John and Martha lived their lives there and are buried at St Martins and Vale. Frederick, his grandmother Elizabeth, uncles William and Tom moved to Torcross in Devon where William owned the hotel. An Aunt Mary was also living with them (now called Mary Stamp) and she had her children with her. I do not know anything about her husband - maybe he was a Channel Islander. Frederick also had another uncle George - again I know nothing about him did he stay on the Channel Is or also go back to England? Frederick's brother John Joseph went to Devon.

Something that does fascinate me is that around 1860 two other Vickerys were born on Alderney a John Tucker and William Henry. They were the sons of another William Vickery an Engineer and his wife's maiden name was Tucker. I see a William married and Elizabeth Tucker in Devon 1835. In a 1881 census an Adeline Tucker is living with my great great great uncle William and is his niece. Maybe just a coincidence. John Tucker and William Henry became a Vet and Surgeon - whereas my lot were carpenters, labourers and publicans!