In the past some Vawers have had considerable influence and are worthy of mention. Our history can for convenience be divided into five main eras. The following articles are under preparation and investigation. The statements below are just tasters of what information is to follow. We hope that they will be available soon
We have become aware recently of extensive and ongoing research by Sandra E. Oman of the Mediaeval research department at Salt Lake City. Sandra has as a result extensive pedigrees and links some of these to one William ap Rhys Vawr, who is known to be an ancestor to the current Vawer members. Her work goes as far back as 240 A.D. Sandra is currently looking into consolidating Vawer connections on our behalf. Interested people should visit Family Search , enter Vawr as surname, follow the list of names to the bottom, to click on "Pedigree resource file - over 25" and follow the new list to the entry for William ap Rhys Vawr at the bottom. Happy browsing, and prepare to be surprised!
When studying the Vawer genealogy, one person's influence tends to be extremely prominent - that of William Vawer, Merchant. This William become a very prominent member of the Bristol society. He was influential in the early history of the Merchant Venturers, Lord Mayor of Bristol in 1602, and a major benefactor. We hope to be able to extend this section to share our knowledge of his considerable influence on Vawer history.
One of the more interesting acts of Willam Vawer Merchant was the purchase of a property on the outskirts of Nailsea in Somerset known as Birdcombe Court. The property still exists with a copy of the Vawer Arms on display. The Court was in the ownership of several generations of Vawers. The current owner has supplied us with considerable information about the history of these premises and we are extremely grateful to him. We hope that these can be presented in the near future.
Having lost Birdcombe the family seems to have gone into somewhat of a decline over the next few generations. Many of the men are described as Cratemakers and were either working for, or in association wth the famous Nailsea Glass factory. From the highs of merchant trading, the family therefore became manual workers, and indeed many 19th century documents show a "Mark" rather than a signature showing a lack of formal education.
Nailsea Glass factory closed down in the second half of the 19th Century. As a result there was a considerable loss of jobs. Many of the Vawer members moved to the Industrial West Midlands, and other parts of England for employment. At the end of the century several took the opportunity to seek employment on the other side of the Atlantic in Canada and the USA. Some stayed; others returned. There are now Vawer members spread across the world. Modern Vawer members have the opportunity of 20th (and 21st) Century education, and are now represented in a number of skilled trades and professions.
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