On This Day in Wembury – 9 February 1788
The Manchester Mercury reported that Captain Charles Holmes Everitt, of Langdon, Wembury, had been granted a Royal Licence to assume the surname and arms of Calmady.
Everitt, an officer in His Majesty’s Navy, was married to the daughter of Francis Vincent Calmady, and sister and co-heir of Francis J. Calmady of Cameshead, Cornwall, both deceased. By Royal command, Everitt and his issue by his wife were permitted to take the Calmady name and bear the family arms, once formally exemplified and entered at the College of Arms.
This formal licence illustrates how naval officers and gentry families were connected across South Devon and East Cornwall, and how the Calmady line — long associated with Langdon Court, Wembury — was perpetuated through inheritance and marriage in the late 18th century.
Source: Manchester Mercury, 12 Feb 1788 (reporting Crown notices, 9 Feb 1788).
Entries are summaries and interpretations of historical newspaper reports.