MEMBERS of the Speare family from across the globe re-traced their steps back to their ancestral home in Inwardleigh as they gathered for a reunion recently.

Visiting the focal point of the Speares births, death and marriages at Inwardleigh Church was a moving experience for relatives who had travelled from as far as the USA, York, Brighton and Kent.

The reunion was organised by Thomas Peeke, 25, from Oxford, who began researching his family history 12 years ago and now has thousands of names on his family tree.

Ethel Speare, whose son, Graham, was the last relative to live at Westwood Farm in Inwardleigh before it was sold after 300 years in the family, said it was a wonderful occasion.

'Meeting up with so many people who share the same ancestry was really good,' said Ethel, 76, who responded to an appeal in the Okehampton Times in March.

'I knew I had relatives in Plymouth but that was about it — Thomas has done a fantastic job in tracing everyone and getting us all together.'

Mrs Speare, who still lives in Inwardleigh, was joined by her daughter, Valerie, from Plymouth, brother-in-law Thomas Speare from Bude and sister-in-law Sylvia Vallance from Inwardleigh at the reunion.

The earliest identifiable ancestor was Inwardleigh resident Richard Speare, who married Mary Carpenter on August 11, 1772.

Richard and Mary had two children, Samuel and Richard. Richard married Mary Ward on December 21, 1801 in Inwardleigh and Samuel married Sarah Ward on November 10, 1807 at the same place.

Since that time the Speares have spread across Britain, America, Canada and Australia.

Thomas Peeke, who was first inspired to look into his family tree after talking to his grandparents and even set up a Speare family website, has been helped by relation Paul Speare, who was in the 1980s chart-toppers Dexy's Midnight Runners.

He said he was amazed by the turnout at the reunion, which was based at the Holiday Inn Hotel at Sowton, Exeter, and he was only sad that the Canadian relatives could not make it — another reunion is being planned for Canada.

'It was very symbolic standing around the font in Inwardleigh Church to be in the location where the family roots go back to,' he said.

'One of the interesting things we found out was that two brothers marrying two sisters was very common in the family — it happened five times with my dad's first cousins being the most recent.'

To find out more about the Speare family log onto the website: http://www.speare.info">www.speare.info