Anthony Floyer

From: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~floyer/papists.htm Both Anthony Floyer and Henry Carew, the two recusant Catholics whose fortunes it is intended to follow, were members of families of old standing in Devon. Domesday book had found Floyer's ancestors occupying the same acres outside Exeter, on which he had himself been brought up, and the claim of the Carews to be of old Devon blood had been well established for some generations by their marriages with the families of Bonville and Courtenay. Floyer and Carew were cousins to each other and also connected with Sir Walter Raleigh.

Their lives are well documented as they were subject to extreme persecution by Queen Elizabeth's government.

Floyer lived in his house at Stanton Gabriel, molested once more in 1608, when he was on his death-bed. The story is told by Walter Yonge, then of Upton Helions, near Crediton, and through his wife a kinsman of the Floyers. "About the 1st of August, 1608," he says, "being Sunday, there was a priest taken at Gabriel’s (at the west side of Golden Cap Hill, within sight of Lyme) at one Mr. Flear's house. His apprehension was on this manner. There were sent from the council two pursuivants into the country, whereof one in former times had been a recusant, and lately revolted. These two pursuivants riding between Axminster and Chideock fell in company with one Austen, then schoolmaster of Chideock; and after diverse conference between the two pursuivants and Austen, he confessed that there was a priest at Flear's house, but did think they could scarce see him if they came thither. Being come to Axminster, the pursuivant committed Austen and one other with him to Hassell, being constable, and rode to Gabriel's, where, after search made, they found the priest hidden in a little room at the top of the house, being thatched, and under the thatch a door to go into the same. At last, having apprehended the priest, Flear's wife offered one of them one hundred angeletts (a sum equal to £25) to let him escape, who received the money and promised her fair. At last his companion being in sight (for he was gone to the next justice when this proffer was made for a warrant to commit the priest, for Flear would not let him depart without some order from a justice of the peace), he told her plainly he could not by any means let him escape without great danger to himself; and so took hold on the priest and carried him away with his hundred angeletts which she could by no means get of him again."

Anthony Floyer died in the following November.