Early Life & Lineage
According to a family tree compiled by my Great Aunt, Michael Worth was born or baptised in 1679, the son of Nicholas Worth (1655–1699) and his wife Mary.
Although direct parish records confirming his baptism have not been located, strong circumstantial evidence supports his parentage. Research by Mike Brown of Dartmoor Press links Michael to two siblings:
- Amy Worth (1676–1758): Confirmed directly as the daughter of Nicholas and Mary via parish baptism registers.
- Nicholas Worth (1685–1740).
Land & Tenancies on Dartmoor
In 1700, Michael and his brother Nicholas appear in manor rent records as the first documented tenants of Lower Stenlake (Walkhampton’s Abandoned Farms, Vol. 5: Stenlake, p. 1 – Dartmoor Press). As the initial tenants on record, local researcher Mike Brown theorises that the brothers may have built the dwelling themselves. Lower Stenlake formed part of a larger Stenlake farmstead, which contained multiple dwellings occupied by several families.
Manor records also show Michael as a tenant holding a moiety (half-share) of Lether Tor Farm. As Mike Brown notes in his research on the three-lives leasing system, families routinely spread individual named lives across multiple property leases to maintain continuous family ownership and prevent land forfeiture over extended periods.
Marriage & Family
On 11 March 1705, Michael married Jane Randle at St Andrews Church, Plymouth (🔒Plymouth St. Andrews Marriages & Banns Register, Plymouth & West Devon Record Centre).
Together, they had four children (Walkhampton Parish Birth Records 1674–1768):
- John Worth (b. 1706)
- Nicholas Worth (b. 1708)
- Robert Worth (1710–1782)
- Mary Worth (b. 1713)
Death & Burial
Mike Brown’s research documents that Michael Worth was buried on 11 September 1746.
His wife Jane may have been buried on 14 January 1755 (🔒Walkhampton Parish Burials Register, Plymouth & West Devon Record Office). However, this identification remains tentative, as the entry does not explicitly record her as the “wife of Michael Worth”.
