Every family

The Every family, also known as the Everys, is an historic English family with roots in the West Country, particularly Devon, Dorset, and Somerset. The family is traced in historical accounts to at least the late medieval period, with earlier Avery families recorded in the region. Its history is associated with landholding, public service, military and religious office, and the English baronetage rather than with a commercial brand or corporate enterprise. A central figure in the family’s early genealogy was John Avery of Bodmin, who is placed around the beginning of the sixteenth century. He had at least two sons. One, John Every, became a serjeant-at-arms during the reign of Elizabeth I; descendants of this branch later formed the line of the Every baronets. Another branch accumulated substantial property through commerce and inheritance. Its estates included Wycroft Castle near Axminster and the manor of Wootton Abbotts, and this branch became known as the Everys of Wycroft Castle. The family also had a long-standing connection with the Brice family through the marriage of Joan Every to Worthington Brice at Dinnington in Somerset, making the Brices maternal descendants and cousins of the Wycroft line. The most formally recognized title associated with the family is the Every baronetcy of Egginton in the County of Derby. Simon Every, a Member of Parliament for Leicester and a Royalist supporter during the English Civil War, was created a baronet on 26 May 1641. He was descended from the Wycroft Castle branch and acquired the Egginton connection through his marriage to Anne Leigh, daughter and co-heir of Sir Henry Leigh of Egginton. After the marriage, Simon Every settled at Egginton, establishing a separate family seat and baronial line. Egginton Hall, the family residence, was destroyed by fire in 1736. A replacement house was later built by the eighth baronet, but the subsequent Egginton Hall was demolished during the 1950s. Members of the baronetcy served in a variety of public roles. These included parliamentary service, Royal Navy command, high-sheriff appointments in Derbyshire, and Anglican parish offices in Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. The title continued through thirteen baronets, with Sir Henry John Michael Every identified as the thirteenth baronet and Edward James Henry Every as the heir apparent in the cited reference material. The family is also linked, though not conclusively, to Henry Every, the late seventeenth-century English pirate. Historians have proposed that the pirate descended from an earlier Devonshire line related to the Everys of Wycroft Castle. The proposed connection remains genealogical rather than definitively established. Henry Every is generally associated with maritime activity in the Atlantic and Indian oceans and became one of the most widely discussed English pirates in later published accounts. Available genealogical evidence places his possible parents near Plymouth and suggests that he married in London, although details of his family background remain uncertain. Heraldic records distinguish the arms of the Every family of Wycroft Castle from those of the baronetical branch. The Wycroft arms are described as gold with four red chevronels, accompanied by a red demi-unicorn with gold details. The baronets added the Red Hand of Ulster as the conventional heraldic mark of a baronet and used a unicorn-related crest. Because the subject is a historical family rather than a consumer-facing company, it has no known product portfolio, operating markets, corporate headquarters, public listing, or current commercial management structure.

The Every family is an English lineage historically rooted in the West Country, especially Devon, Dorset, and Somerset, with later branches established in South East England. Genealogical accounts connect the family to the wider Avery presence in the region from at least the twelfth century, although the documented line used in modern family histories begins with John Avery of Bodmin, who lived around the start of the sixteenth century. John Avery had at least two sons whose descendants developed into important branches. One son, John Every, served as a serjeant-at-arms during Elizabeth I’s reign. This office involved service to the Crown and the enforcement of royal authority, and the branch descended from him later produced the Every baronets. Another son established a line that gained wealth and property through commerce and inheritance. The resulting estates included Wycroft Castle in Axminster, Devon, and the manor of Wootton Abbotts. After the estates of William and Alexander Every passed through inheritance, they were consolidated, and the family became identified with Wycroft Castle, previously associated with the Creuse family. The Wycroft branch maintained a close maternal connection with the Brice family. Joan Every married Worthington Brice at Dinnington in Somerset, and the Brices became descendants through the female line and relatives of the Everys. During the seventeenth century, Worthington Brice and his son John supported the Royalist, or Cavalier, cause during the English Civil Wars. They were subsequently fined during the Interregnum, illustrating the political and financial consequences that followed Royalist allegiance after the parliamentary victory. The family’s principal titled branch began with Simon Every. Descended from the Wycroft family and connected by marriage to Sir Henry Leigh of Egginton, Simon Every settled at Egginton in Derbyshire. He represented Leicester in Parliament in 1640 and supported the Royalist side. On 26 May 1641 he was created the first Baronet of Egginton in the County of Derby, a title in the Baronetage of England. The Egginton branch thereafter became a distinct and prominent line within the wider family. The original Egginton Hall was destroyed by fire in 1736. The eighth baronet later commissioned a replacement residence, but that building was demolished in the 1950s. Several baronets held public or ecclesiastical offices. The fourth baronet served as a Royal Navy captain, supported William III, and was High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1718. The fifth and seventh baronets held Anglican rectorships, while the sixth and eighth served as High Sheriff of Derbyshire, in 1749 and 1783 respectively. The thirteenth baronet is recorded as having served as High Sheriff in 2009. The baronetcy passed through thirteen holders: Sir Simon Every, Sir Henry Every, Sir Henry Every, Sir John Every, Sir Simon Every, Sir Henry Every, Sir John Every, Sir Edward Every, Sir Henry Every, Sir Henry Flower Every, Sir Edward Oswald Every, Sir John Simon Every, and Sir Henry John Michael Every. The cited genealogy identifies Edward James Henry Every as heir apparent to the thirteenth baronet. A separate historical tradition associates the family with Henry Every, an English pirate active in the late seventeenth century. The proposed relationship is based on the possibility that Henry Every was descended from a Devonshire branch related to the Everys of Wycroft Castle. The evidence is not definitive. Historical testimony places his mother near Plymouth and records that he was married, possibly to Dorothy Arther in London, but the surviving evidence about his parentage and descendants is incomplete. His reputation grew through accounts of piracy in the Atlantic and Indian oceans and through later literary treatments. Heraldry provides another record of the family’s identity. The Wycroft Castle branch is associated with arms consisting of a gold field and four red chevronels, with a red demi-unicorn as crest. The Egginton baronets incorporated the Red Hand of Ulster, signifying baronetcy, and used a unicorn-based crest. These heraldic distinctions reflect the separation between the broader family lineage and the formally titled Egginton branch.

• 2009

  Thirteenth baronet recorded as High Sheriff

  [1]Every familyen.wikipedia.org

  The cited family history records the thirteenth baronet as having served as High Sheriff for 2009.

• 1950

  Replacement Egginton Hall demolished

  [1]Every familyen.wikipedia.org

  The later house built by the eighth baronet was demolished during the 1950s.

• 1736

  Egginton Hall destroyed by fire

  [1]Every familyen.wikipedia.org

  The original Egginton Hall, the family seat of the baronetical branch, was destroyed by fire.

• 1641

  Every baronetcy created

  [1]Every familyen.wikipedia.org

  Simon Every, Member of Parliament for Leicester and a Royalist supporter, was created the first Baronet of Egginton on 26 May 1641.

• 1604

  Arms of the Wycroft branch recorded

  [1]Every familyen.wikipedia.org

  The heraldic arms associated with the Every family of Wycroft Castle are recorded as a gold field with four red chevronels and a demi-unicorn crest.

• 1571

  John Every receives a Crown office

  [1]Every familyen.wikipedia.org

  John Every is recorded as receiving the office of serjeant-at-arms during Elizabeth I’s reign, continuing a branch that later produced the Every baronets.

• West Country origins

  [1]Every familyen.wikipedia.org

  The wider Avery and Every family presence is traced to the West Country, including Devon, Dorset, and Somerset, with roots extending back at least to the late twelfth century according to historical family accounts.

Historical English family and landed lineage, associated with West Country estates, the Egginton baronetcy, public service, heraldry, and a debated genealogical connection to Henry Every.

1. 1Every familyen.wikipedia.org