Having discovered the name Smout in our family history I have been researching the Smouts who lived in Devon and Cornwall in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  I have discovered links to Shropshire, Derbyshire, New Zealand and Canada in the process.  Below is a summary of my findings.  I believe there are still Smout descendants living in Plymouth and if anybody would like to contact me I am happy to share what I have found and hopefully fill in some of the gaps – particularly post-1901.

Thomas was born in Munslow, Shropshire and baptised there in 1786.  Nothing is known of his early life until he joined the Royal Marines in 1809 in Plymouth.  He served with the Marines for many years and eventually at the age of about 45 married Ann Nichols or Nicholas in Plymouth in 1828.  Ann came from Menheniot in Cornwall.  Thomas and Ann had 10 children between 1831 and 1848.  As far as I am aware, all the families with the surname Smout in Devon at least until the early 20^th century were descended from Thomas and Ann.