Devil in the detail

The biggest mystery about 1610 John is his children.

In his Will, written on 1 February 1609/10, John names nine of them. They are not recited by age but the probate documents granting tuition of the minor children to widow Ann/Amy (ie. all of them except George) lists them in this order:

George – eldest son, evidence suggests he reached 21 in 1607 or earlier, so perhaps born c1585-7. He receives all of his father’s real estate plus 6s 4d.
Thomas – named as 2^nd son, receives £4
John – named as 3^rd son, receives 20 shillings, who’s to be “kept to learning”. Possible baptism at Kirk Ireton: John WILCOCKSON christned Octob 8 1592 (no parents named). Possibly buried at Wirksworth: Jhon WILKOCSON sepult 13 of September 1614 (so c21, but there are other Johns to fit).
Dorothy – eldest daughter, receives a third of father’s household goods when 25
Elizabeth – the next oldest daughter, also receives a third of the household goods when 21. Possible baptism at Kirk Ireton: 14 Mar 1595/6 – Elizabeth WILCOCKESON christned (no parents named, but a indicates they were of Wirksworth parish). It’s also possible she married William WEBSTER at Kirk Ireton on 17 Sep 1620.
William – named as 4^th son, appears to receive only 3d
Joseph – receives 6s 4d when 21. Possible baptism at Kirk Ireton: 14 Aug 1606, Joseph ye son of John WILCOCKSON of Biggine. Likely burial at Wirksworth: Joseph WILKOCKSON sepult 14 of January 1622/3 (so c17).
Ellen – receives 6s 4d when 21.
Sarah – receives 6s 4d when 21. Possible baptism at Kirk Ireton: Mar 1607/8, Sara the daughter of John WILCOCKSON

The first time we have definite sight of father John in Biggin is in Wirksworth Manor in 1584 and for the first time in Duffield Frith in 1587. A possible birth date of 1585-7 for eldest son George would correlate with these sightings. So there’s a reasonable suggestion that John married in about 1583 and came into his holdings then too. Which leads to a possible birth date for John of about 1560. If true, he would have been about 50 when he died.

If John was born and grew up in the Biggin area, we wouldn’t know about it from obvious sources: he’d be too young for mention in manorial records and the three nearest churches have no extant PRs before John’s likely birth. Kirk Ireton Holy Trinity PRs start in 1572, Wirksworth St Mary’s in 1608 and Atlow St Philip & St James in the 1680s. He could have been married anywhere, of course. He died in February 1609/10 and was probably buried at Wirksworth (as he requested in his Will) but close and repeated examinations of those PRs confirm his burial is not recorded there, and the same is true in Kirk Ireton PRs.

But the bigger mystery is: what happened to John’s children? No definite information about them beyond John’s Will has been found, only the possible baptisms, marriage and burials noted – and those are entirely speculative.

Widow Ann/Amy

Whenever a father dies leaving a number of children including infants, it’s logical that his widow will take care of them, and Ann/Amy at probate in May 1611 was awarded tuition of John’s minor children (Thomas, John, Dorothy, Elizabeth, Joseph, Ellena & Sara, with William probably hidden under the Surrogate’s signature, unless perhaps he had recently died).

We might assume that Ann/Amy and the children lived on in Biggin, even though George had inherited everything – but his holdings included at least two dwelling-houses so there was room for everyone and, as we’ll see next, it looks like Ann/Amy occupied the smaller of the two properties.

It appears, she married twice more.

On 25 April 1622 her son George, in preparation for marrying his second wife Agnes MADDOCK, made a Surrender in Duffield Fee Court stating that a second dwelling he held with a barn, garden, orchard and fold yard was in the tenure of widow Anne STEYNES his mother.

Until a few weeks ago, no marriage had been found for Ann/Amy to anyone named STEYNES (a very unusual name and capable of many variants) but now we have the Will of John STAINE apothecary of Derby, written and proved in 1615 (see Abstracts). The only people he names are his wife Amie (definitely Amie this time) and brother Erasmus STAINE. With the surname so rare, it’s reasonable to surmise this is 1610 John’s Ann/Amy, being widowed again. No children are mentioned. In 1615, at least the three youngest children of 1610 John would still be minors.

So where were they? Perhaps when his mother remarried, George kept these youngsters with him in Biggin? But he was already responsible for his first wife Catherine and her five BONSALL stepchildren from her previous marriage, so it feels unlikely. Maybe William, Joseph, Ellen and Sarah (if all still alive) were with grandparents, or actually with Ann/Amy in Derby, invisible to our eyes.

On 21 Apr 1642, George WILCOCKSON with wife Ann/Agnes and an Anna WARD leased some of their fields to two neighbours for a term of years. Since she’s linked in with George and Agnes, it’s logical to think Anna was George’s mother, still alive in 1642, married and widowed yet again by a WARD. Inevitably, we haven’t found a STAINE-WARD marriage between 1615 and 1642.

Then on 29 Sep 1653, when George and Agnes were arranging a settlement for their son John (Ould John) before marrying his first wife Alice BAGNALL, a claim on some of the property by Anna WARD was allowed, meaning she had the right to keep hold of that part (just for life, with no right to pass it on).

So, unless Anna WARD was a different person, it looks like Ann/Amy survived at least until 1653, 43 years after 1610 John died. If they married in about 1583, Ann/Amy was likely born c1562 and, therefore, extremely old in 1653! 91 or thereabouts. Not impossible but I have long wondered whether Ann/Amy was a second (or even third) wife for 1610 John. This could also explain why he had two brothers-in-law with different surnames and apparently no relationship to each other.

I’m persuaded further towards this theory by the manner in which John’s son George inherited his father’s property.

The 1607 Surrender

The first mention we see of George in Duffield Fee records (meaning he was an adult at this date) is on 13 August 1607, a mere two months before John confirmed through the manor court that George will inherit his father’s holdings. That Surrender (22 October 1607) states that an Indenture to this effect was made beforehand between John and Ann/Amy on the one hand and son George on the other.

Making an Indenture like this, rather than simply relying on inheritance in the fullness of time through the manor court or a Will (or both) is not usual. I’ve seen other examples of Indenture references in Duffield Fee but they are rare.

A conclusion I’m tempted to draw is this: that son George reached 21 in or around 1607, a point when the question of his inheritance would be a natural concern. If father John had remarried and produced more children (especially sons) or if Ann/Amy was a widow when she married John, bringing along children from a previous marriage, there was a chance they might make a claim for all or part of the holdings when John died. There are many examples in Duffield Fee of squabbles just like this. Securing Ann/Amy’s written and signed-for agreement to George’s inheritance before John’s death would have been a sensible insurance policy.

Devil in the detail

In the 1607 Surrender from 1610 John to his son George, the individual fields and messuages were specified. A James STORER is named twice as lately a tenant of two of the messuages, possibly still living in one of them. The devil in this detail is the abbreviated Latin in old handwriting which must be unlocked to clarify vital questions such as whether James STORER was a tenant or a holder [ie. owner] of the messuages, and whether he was still living in one. Either way, there’s a possibility that this guy was 1610 John’s first father-in-law or that John came into some or all of these holdings via the STORER family, rather than WILCOCKSONs.

It’s par for the 1610 John course that no James STORER has been identified yet in other manorial records, PRs or Wills, though there are plenty of other STORERs around.

The need has now become critical for me to refresh the Latin I learned a half-century ago (and mostly forgotten) as well as the art of advanced decoding of Tudor and Stewart handwriting. Then the early Duffield Fee manor records (all in Latin) at Derbys RO and The National Archives will need checking or re-checking to extract the maximum devilish detail from them, in the continuing search for 1610 John.

Brother-in-law 2 : Lawrence MORE

Ashbourne is a sprawling parish. Eight subsidiary settlements surrounded the town itself, four without a church and four with chapels:

Newton Grange
Offcote & Underwood
Sturston
Yeldersley
Hulland chapelry – though part of Ashbourne parish, Hulland was also a manor in Duffield Fee where Biggin Wilcocksons had holdings.
Clifton with Compton chapelry
Alsop en le Dale (became separate in the late 19th century) – had its own registers from 1701
Parwich chapelry – this was long regarded as an independent parish and its own registers start in 1640

Out of these, the unlikely frontrunner for our attention is : Yeldersley, home of the MORE family, from which sprang Lawrence MORE, 1610 John WILCOCKSON’s 2^nd brother-in-law.

Look for Yeldersley online with a satellite view and you’ll wonder where it is. Like many other townships and parishes in this part of Derbyshire, it is not a nucleated settlement with a central town or village. Instead it comprises fields and scattered farmsteads and seems always to have been so. Surprisingly therefore it attracted rather a lot of people associated with the Wilcockson quest.

Lawrence More tanner of Ashbourne

We know from his Will that Lawrence died before 20 March 1622/3 (date of the Inventory of his goods). Of course he died then, because there’s a gap in Ashbourne parish register between 1622 and 1629 leaving us without his burial – just as the pages for the 1550s-60s are fragmentary, when he was most likely born so we have no baptism either. His Will says his wife was Jane but no marriage has been found. In this respect, he matches the mystery-level of 1610 John.

Matching Ashbourne PRs with names in his Will, we can see that Lawrence produced a large family, presumably all with Jane but as no mothers are named in the baptisms, we can’t be sure:

Helena/Ellen (bap 15 Sep 1580) married John ARCHER on 24 Feb 1600/1 at Ashbourne
Lawrence (bap 1 Jun 1586)
Jane (bap 1 Feb 1589/90) married Rev John ROWLANDSON on 18 Jan 1610/11 at Ashbourne
Thomas (bap 16 Feb 1591/2)
Elizabeth (bap 8 Apr 1595) married Anthony WYLDE in 1614 at Ashbourne
John (no bap found, buried 10 Dec 1595)
Nicholas (no bap found)
Roger (no bap found)
William (no bap found)
George (bap 26 Mar 1598) – married Elizabeth BAGSHAW, died before his father, probably at the start of the register gap, 1622-3.
Henry (bap 31 Oct 1600, buried 3 Nov 1600)
Joseph (bap 8 Dec 1601)

Two more baptisms for unnamed children of Lawrence are entered in the register for 1578 and 1583, so might be for John, Nicholas, Roger or William, or for babies who didn’t survive. Unusually, Lawrence didn’t refer to his children in age order in his Will – perhaps they were in order of preference, his three sons-in-law topping the league.

Although Lawrence said he was of Ashbourne when he wrote his Will and Yeldersley is not noted as his abode for any of the children’s baps and burials, the many other MOREs, Lawrence’s relatives, were all in Yeldersley. Lawrence may have been living there too as the boundaries between town and townships were fluid. But more importantly, a little digging shows a line-up of linked names associated with MOREs and Yeldersley.

WHITEHALL – In Lawrence’s Will he mentions a deed he made to James WHYTEHALL of Whitehough in Staffs and son-in-law John ARCHER entailing lands on Lawrence’s youngest son Joseph. This suggests a close, possibly marital, relationship with the WHITEHALL family, who had two main branches, one of Whitehough and Sharpcliffe in Ipstones, Staffs and the other in Yeldersley, where they appear to have been the wealthiest family in Lawrence’s day, resident in the township from at least the mid 15^th century. Robert WHITHALL gent in his 1597 Will mentions land he sold to Lawrence MORE and also names his kinsman Robert WHITHALL of Sharpcliffe as one of his Will overseers, confirming the kinship between the two branches. Whitehough in Staffs passed from the WHITEHALLs to MELLORs about 1650, of whom more later. Maud and Helen, two daughters of Aden BERESFORD of Fenny Bentley (close to Ashbourne) married WHITEHALLs of Yeldersley. BERESFORDs, like MELLORs, are tied into the kinship network in Staffs as well as Derbyshire.

THACKER – There were THACKERs in Yeldersley from 1574. George SOMERS (brother-in-law 1) seems to have married Elizabeth THACKER at Ashbourne on 16 May 1585.

LEE/LEES or LEIGH – The LEE family, of long pedigree, was seated at a place called Ladyhole which was in Yeldersley. Alkmund LEE or LEES, of this family, turns up frequently in Duffield Fee records. He was a witness and inventory appraiser for 1610 John WILCOCKSON’s Will. According to the MELLOR pedigree in Glover’s History and the LEE pedigree at Derbys RO, Alkmund LEE married Agnes MELLOR, daughter of Robert MELLOR of Idridgehay and Agnes MADDOCK of Kirk Ireton. The MADDOCKs married twice into the early WILCOCKSONs: Mary MADDOCK married James WILCOCKSON of the Billie branch and Agnes MADDOCK married George WILCOCKSON, son of 1610 John.

PEGGE – White’s 1857 Directory of Derbys says of Sturston (neighbouring township to Yeldersley): “The families of WHITEHALL, PEGGE and LEE of Ladyhole (all extinct) held considerable estates in this township.” But other records show that WHITEHALLs and Ladyhole LEEs were in Yeldersley, another indication of boundary-fluidity. PEGGEs were eminent in Ashbourne parish, a gentry family with both recusant Catholic and hot Puritan members. On 23 Apr 1620 at Ashbourne, Mr John WHITALL married Anna PEGG. Christopher PEGGE was a witness to the 1610 Will of George SOMERS of Yeldersley, as was Ralph THACKER and John WHITHALL gent.

MELLOR – Members of the MELLOR families – especially those of Idridgehay and Ipstones – repeatedly cropped up in the WILCOCKSON story, and MELLORs were in Yeldersley too: On 8 May 1567 Edward MELLOR of Yeldersley was buried at Ashbourne. The 1615 Will of Robert MELLOR of Idridgehay recites property he bought from the late George SOMERS of Yeldersley. In the 1560 Will of Margery WILCOCKSON of Biggin, she names her daughter Isabel as wife of John MELLOR.

SOMERS – As we know, George SOMERS and Lawrence MORE are named as brothers-in-law to 1610 John WILCOCKSON in his Will. The three also appear together in manorial records. Though George SOMERS seems to have started out in Idridgehay, he had moved to Ashbourne before his death in 1610. In his Will he says he has two houses, one in Wirksworth (ie. Idridgehay) and one in Yeldersley. His widow Elizabeth (probably nee THACKER) states her abode is Yeldersley when she proves George’s Will.

These linked names are a mere taste of the kinship networks involving WILCOCKSONs that operated in the Ashbourne area (especially Yeldersley) up into Duffield Fee and across the nearby border into Staffordshire… we’ve barely begun to consider marriage ties yet. There will be more posts in future about these networks, especially in relation to Puritan and Quaker faiths.

For now, we can imagine that 1610 John was probably related to any or all of these networked names and probably married one of them (or more). We can speculate that he lived and worked in Yeldersley or nearby before inheriting the Biggin holdings. So further research into John’s origins can focus on these families’ Wills, manorial and property records and on Yeldersley particularly, in hope of finding John’s identity clarified.

Brother-in-law 1 : George SOMERS

The most remarkable record I have seen so far in the 60+ Duffield Fee Court Books held at Derbyshire Record Office at Matlock is this one:

D1404/20 Duffield Fee Court Book (1652-60) – (p96) Small Court Baron held at Duffield 21 May 1657: DUFFIELD ADMITTANCE – At this Court it did appeare and was presented by the homage and the Jury, to wit, Gilbert SOMERS, Anthony BRADSHAW, William ROBERTS, Peter PAGE, Adam MALYN, Henry SWIFT, Richard ROBINSON, Richard CHATBORNE, Peter PAGE the younger, Willm CHATBORNE, John NEWTON, John SOWTER and William BLUDWORTH who say upon their oaths that Robert SOMERS who held of the Lord of the said Mannors by Copy of Court Roll according to the Custome of the said Mannors to him and his heires for ever, One message or Tenement with the appurtenances situate & being in Duffield within the said Mannor and one Croft thereto the said Messuage adjoyneing and one other Croft there called Baker Croft cont by estimation two Acres and a half late in the occupation of him the said Robert died before this Court so as aforesaid seized of the premises and that George SOMERS of the age of xvi yeares and upwards is the Kinsman and next heir of the said Robert SOMERS to witt the only Son of George SOMERS his father who was Sonn of Geo: his Grandfather who was Son of George his Great Grandfather who was Son of Thomas his Great Great Grandfather which Thomas was Eldest Brother of Bartholomew who was Father of Robert which Robert was Father of the said Robert SOMERS lately deceased, And the said George SOMERS the heir then being present in Court did then make choise of Henry NOTON his uncle to wit his Mother’s brother to be his Gardian dureing his minority who was then in Court admitted accordingly to be his Gardian and thereupon at the instance of the said George by his said Gardian the first proclamation was made of the Premises and Wm SOMERS by Wm FLAMSTEAD his Attorney came & reclaimed the Premises and did alledge in mainteynor thereof that he only is brother to the said Robt SOMERS lately deceased by the Father and not by the mother and no other reclaime was then made, And at the Small Court there specially holden the 4^th day of June 1657 the second proclamation thereof was made without further reclaime, And at the Small Court there specially holden the 25^th day of June, In the said year of our Lord God 1657, the third proclamation thereof was made without further reclaime, And thereupon the said Lord of the said Mannors by his said Steward did grant all and singular the Premises unto the said George and seizin thereof to the said Henry NOTON his gardian to his use by the rodd did deliver to hold to him the said George his heires and assignes for ever by the rents Customes and Services therefore to become due and of right accustomed according to the Custome of the said Mannors, And for such his Estate and entry thereinto had the said George did give unto the said Lord for a fine 30 shillings his fealty was respited and so he was admitted Tennant.

In family tree terms, here is what the 1657 Admittance tells us – five generations in one fell swoop, dating back to early Tudor or even Medieval times:

Thomas SOMERS and his brother Bartholomew SOMERS
|                                                           |
George SOMERS                     Robert SOMERS snr
|                                                           |
George SOMERS                       Robert SOMERS jnr lately deceased, who had a
|                                                 half-brother William by a different father and
|                                                 apparently no issue
|
George SOMERS – who married Gertrude NOTON & died young (a 1641 Admon for this George shows he died at almost the same time his son George was born)
|
George SOMERS aged 16 in 1657, so born c1641 – he had an uncle Henry NOTON (his mother’s brother) – who was young George’s guardian during his minority.

When I found this Admittance years ago, I had no notion that it would relate to the WILCOCKSONs. I saved and shared it on Derbysgen mailing list simply to show what pearls can be found in manorial records. But now, after checking the SOMERS tree a little further we can say that the first of the four Georges (Thomas’s son) is almost certainly the brother-in-law of 1610 John. We can’t make any of the other Georges fit.

Idridgehay

From a book punchily titled “Descriptive Catalogue of Derbyshire Charters in Public and Private Libraries and Muniment Rooms” (1906) available online:

(pp182-3) IDRIDGEHAY.
(Eddricheshay, Edrechhay, Iddurshey, Idrichehay, Idrichhay, Yderychay.)

1484. Grant from Thomas Somer, son and heir of Christopher Somer of Yderychey to Margaret his mother for her life of an enclosure in Yderychay called Fumycottfeld, which the said Thomas acquired from Thomas Mellor. Witn. Thomas Alton, William Gambull, Thomas Storer. Dat. 23 June, 22 Hen. VIII. [1530]. (Bemrose.)

1485. Quitclaim from Robert Smythe of Kyrke Yreton, yeoman, to Margaret, wife of Christopher Somer, of all the lands in Yderychay which he had jointly with Margaret, lately wife of Roger Bradsha, by grant from the said Christopher and Margaret Somer. Witn. William Madocke, chaplain, Thomas Parker, Thomas Brammall. Dat. 23 June, 22 Hen. VIII. [1530]. (Bemrose.)

These references, as well as other Duffield Fee records, show the SOMERS family had an early presence in Idridgehay, a sub-manor of the Fee, neighbouring Biggin to the north-east. In Idridgehay, the SOMERS crew rubbed shoulders with that manor’s wealthiest family, the MELLORs who, along with WHITHALLs of Ashbourne and Ipstones, Staffs, constantly turn up like bad pennies in the Wilcockson story.

Nothing in the 1657 Admittance, nor in the SOMERS family records we’ve checked so far, tells us how George became 1610 John WILCOCKSON’s brother-in-law but we’re keeping eyes open for all the names in this kinship network – SOMERS, MELLOR, WHITHALL, MORE – in search of 1610 John and his wife Ann-Amy’s elusive origins.

A closer look at brother-in-law no.2, Lawrence MORE of Ashbourne, will be in the spotlight next.

1610 John’s Brothers-in-Law

So now we’ve seen 1610 John WILCOCKSON’s Will and his Surrender of Biggin copyholds to son and heir George. But these do not tell us about John’s own origins. So let’s start to examine the clues we can see in these key documents and how they might help demolish the brick wall.

As mentioned in a previous post, George SOMERS and Lawrence MORE are named in 1610 John’s Will as his brothers-in-law. Normally, any mention in an early Will of relations beyond spouse or children means punch-the-air time but in this case, not.

The term “Brother-in-law” in 1610 could mean:

Brother of spouse
Husband of sister
Husband of spouse’s sister
Half-brother (sharing only one parent with the testator)
Related via marriages of their children to each other
or almost any other kind of relationship that they lacked a term for then.

So let’s try unpacking the possibilities.

Brothers of spouse/s

How could George SOMERS and Lawrence MORE both be (full) brothers of 1610 John’s spouse? Taken literally, that’s not possible. So we have to dig and speculate further.

Perhaps 1610 John married more than once, to a SOMERS then a MORE (or vice versa) and perhaps a third time to Ann-Amy. This is possible.
Or perhaps Ann-Amy was a SOMERS by birth (with a brother George) but married a MORE (whose brother was Lawrence) then was widowed before marrying 1610 John (or vice versa). It feels far-fetched.
Perhaps Ann-Amy had been married and widowed twice before 1610 John, to a SOMERS and a MORE. Since we have evidence she married one or two more men after 1610 John died, that would be a challenging 4-5 marriages for her.

Husbands of sisters / husbands of spouse’s sisters

This does seem a more likely scenario, that either 1610 John or wife Ann-Amy had two sisters (or one each) who married George SOMERS and Lawrence MORE. Sadly we have no marriages to help with this, no knowledge of Ann-Amy’s surname or family, and no explicit helpfulness in the Wills of George SOMERS and Lawrence MORE (see Abstracts). However, it looks likely that George SOMERS married Elizabeth THACKER on 16 May 1585 at Ashbourne – he names a wife Elizabeth in his Will, and a Ralph THACKER was an Inventory appraiser. From Lawrence MORE’s Will, it seems likely his wife Jane was a WHITEHALL. So it’s hard to make husbands-of-sisters or husbands-of-spouse’s sisters work as explanations of the term ‘brothers-in-law’.

Half-brothers

In an age when early deaths (and spousal remarriages) were common, not only for women in and after childbirth but for men as well, complicated families could result equal to those we have nowadays in our age of divorces.

Evidence shows that testators in this period did sometimes refer to half-sibs as ‘in-laws’. If 1610 John had just one brother-in-law, this notion would seem perfectly possible, but two is pushing the chances, ie. three marriages for the shared parent/s. Unless perhaps George and Lawrence weren’t blood related, ie. they were children already born to two spouses of the shared parent. Sorry – this can get brain-cracking so I won’t even try to describe the various scenarios a multi-marrying parent might have produced. But I have seen examples of families like this before, so this explanation can’t be ruled out.

Related by marriages of children

This option seems unlikely because we know from his Will that all of 1610 John’s children were minors except (1) Elizabeth aged between 21 and 25 but she didn’t have a married name; (2) eldest son George whose first wife was Catherine BONSOL (widow of Thomas BONSOL who died in 1604 leaving Catherine with 5 BONSOL children). George and Catherine married in Wirksworth in 1608. So, for this option to work, Catherine would have to be a daughter of George SOMERS or Lawrence MORE. But both men’s Wills lack any mention of a daughter Catherine or grandchildren named WILCOCKSON or BONSALL, and neither mention each other’s surname of SOMERS and MORE.

Conclusion: The statement in 1610 John’s Will that George SOMERS and Lawrence MORE are his brothers-in-law leads us (on present evidence) precisely nowhere. All possible (even seemingly impossible) explanations are possible. However, it’s clear that the men were important to John, so we’ll take a closer look at them next.

1610 John – Boonie Brickwall

There are so many Johns in the Boonie Wilcockson direct line, we’ve had to give them nicknames. Furthest back is the solid brickwall of “1610 John”, so-called because he died in 1610 (between 1^st and 7^th February 1609/10). That approximate death date, the approximate name of his wife when he died (it’s Ann or Amy or both), a list of 9 children in his Will (for whom we have no other info) and a few manorial records = the sum total of what we definitely know about him. We have no birth or baptism, no marriage/s, not even a burial for 1610 John.

So how do we know he is the Boonie brickwall?

We have John’s Will written on 1 Feb 1609/10. His Inventory was taken on 7 Feb 1609/10, that’s how we know when he died, even though we have no burial record in any of the nearby parishes. We also have some important manor court records.

So let’s start this consideration of 1610 John with a verbatim transcript of his Will:

Will of John WILCOCKSON yeoman of Biggin in parish of Wirksworth, Derbys

Written: 1 Feb 1609/10
Proved: At Derby, 24 May 1611
Repository: Staffs RO, ref: B/C/11
Verbatim transcript by Celia Renshaw from images of original probate documents on file (also downloadable from Findmypast)

Note: there is a large ink blot in the centre of lines 9-14 and a seam-tear in the middle of the top half of the page.

The first day of Februarie 1609 In the seaventh yeare of the Raigne of (our) Sovrgne Lord King James of England etc.

In the name of god Amen I John WILCOCKSON of Byggen in the county of Darby yeoman being at this present sick & weak in body but of good & perfect remembrance I thank god do hereby ordaine constitute & make this my last will & testament. Concerneing my goods & chattels, payement of my debts & dischargeing of such legacies as I hereafter [faded word] do set downe & despose & for some provisione for porcions for my children in manner & forme followeinge. First I give & bequeath to Thomas WILCOCKSON my sonne foure pounds to be paid him when he shall accomplishe the age of xxi years. I do likewise give & bequeath to my sonne John xxs to be payd him when he shall likewise accomplishe the age of xxi years & further will that he shall be kept to learning in such [gap] as my Executors shalbe able. Itm I do give to William my fourth sonne iiid to be payde him [gap] (child)ren: viz: Joseph, Ellen & Sara every one of them vis viiiid (6s 4d) when they shall accomplishe [gap] years. And as touching & concerneing the residue of my goods moveable & immoveable I [gap] funeral charges being payd & discharged that the third part of the same [tear] & remayne to [gap] wiffe & the other towe parts to Dorrathy & Elizabeth my towe eldest daughters equallie to be devided amongst them. Dorrothy my eldest daughter to have the part payd her when she shall accomplishe the age of xxv (25) years. And I also will that Elizabeth my second daughter have her parte when she shall come to or accomplishe the age of xxi (21) years. Itm I give to my eldest sonne George to whom I have surrendered my Coppiehold lands iiis iiiid (6s 4d). And principallie & lastlie I give & commend my soule to almighty god the Creator & redeemer & my body to the earth from whence it came & to be buried in the Church or churchyard where I am Parishener. Itm ?smallie & lastlie I do ordaine constitute & make the sayd Anne [looks like Amy] my wiffe my sole Executor of this my last will & testament. And do commit trust & appoint George WILCOCKSON my sonne & Georg SOMERS & Lawrence MORE my brothers in lawe to be overseeers of the same & give ——-ance? to the perf(romance) of the same. In wittnes thereof I the sayd John WILCOCKSON have putt my hand & seale the day & yeare above written.

Sealed Subscribed & delivered as the last will of the testator in the presence of Alkman LEES, Georg SOMERS.

Inventory
One Inventorie of the goods & chattels of John WILCOXON of Bigginge in the County of Darby and parishe of Wirkesworth yeoman diceased the vii th daye of Februarie 1609.

In primis the Testator his Apparell …………………………………………… 20s
Itm one Cupbord with bordes frames coffers lowmes peales ……..]
one chorne chears & stooles dishes trenchers and all ……………….] £10 3s 4d
other his wooden stuffe exept the bed …………………………………….]
vi bedsteedds ……………………………………………………………………….. 20s
Itm ii potts ii pannes & ii kettles …………………………………………….. 33s 4d
Itm a dussen puter dishes a sault & a candelsticke a dusse nof puter –rs?… 10s
Itm ii featherbeds ii matarysses ii pillows iiii bolsters ………………… £3 6s 8d
Itm vi coverlids & iiii blanketts ……………………………………………….. 30s
Itm iiii payre of flaxen sheets & vi payre of canvas shetts …………. 33s 7d
Itm a paynted cloth ………………………………………………………………. 3d
Itm ii broches one payre of coberts one landforme racks
potthocks tongys …………………………………………………………………… 6s 9d
Itm ii hattchetts & a bill …………………………………………………………. 20s
Itm one ould wayne ii yolks one farm leame? One plough
ii horse harrowes …………………………………………………………………… 30s
Itm iiii keyne & ii wayning caulfes …………………………………………… £9
Itm iiii three year old heifers & ii stirks ……………………………………. £10
Itm xvi shepe ……………………………………………………………………….. 3 4s
Itm one horse ………………………………………………………………………. 33s 4d
Itm one boar & viii piggs ……………………………………………………….. 13s 4d
Itm corne & haye ………………………………………………………………….. ? 50s
Some is £41 15s 11d

Praysde the vii th daye of februarie
By Alkman LEES, William WILCOXON, Anthony BLACKWALL, Robert HUTCHINSON

Act Book entry (SRO ref. Act Books, 1591-1612, v.9-11), p155b
In Latin: Testamentus Johannis WILCOXSON dum vixit de Biggen parochia Wirkesworth defuncti per Annam (looks like Amiam) eius Relictam executrixis in forma inius jurat &c.
Translation: Will of John WILCOXSON who lived in Biggin in the parish of Wirksworth deceased by Ann (or is it Amy?) his relict, the executrix, according to her oath &c.

Probate (in Latin) awarded to the Executrix named in the Will. Richard SPICER stands surety, Minister of Kirk Ireton. Ann to have responsibility for minor children Thomas, John, Dorothy, Elizabeth, Joseph, Ellena and Sara [the name of William, after Dorothy, may be lost beneath the Surrogate’s signature, which is illegible]

Duffield Fee Manor Records

There are a lot of clues to pick up from that Will, but first let’s check out the “Copiehold lands” that John says he’s already arranged for son George to inherit.

The hamlet and manor of Biggin lay within a part of the world called Duffield Fee, which was a collection of manors all owned by the monarch and managed together on his or her behalf by a Steward and Deputy Steward. Extensive, detailed records exist for the Fee and those who lived in its manors, including over 60 Court Books at Derbyshire Record Office and many more at the National Archives in Kew. Duffield Fee Manor Records are a gift beyond gratitude for what they tell us about Wilcocksons over the centuries. A great deal more manor information will be posted here in the future.

For now, here is the ‘Surrender’ by 1610 John and his wife Amy/Anne which conveyed the family ‘copyholds’ in Biggin to his son George – first my verbatim transcript (ie. attempted translation from Latin), then a summary:

DUFFIELD FEE Small Court held on 22 Oct 1608, pp243-4: Holland and Biggin – To this court came John WILCOCKSON and Ann his wife in their own persons (Ann being interviewed separately etc) and as for and in part fulfilling and performing that agreement contained and specified in a certain Indenture [herein otherwise shown] had and made between the said John and Ann on the one part and George WILCOCKSON the son and heir apparent of John on the other part [two lines I can’t make out] surrendered into the hands of the Lord King of the said manor by the rod according to the custom of the said manor all that messuage and tenement in Bigging aforesaid in which James STORER late lived and two crofts and curtilages of John in Bigging aforesaid, one called Le Dockeyard and the other called Le Litleyard, and one orchard there and one divided toft and [something?] above… messuage lately appertaining all which premises were lately occupied by the said James and one other close or parcel of land called Marlowfield and one other parcel of land or close called Marlowfield Knoll and one other close or parcel of land called Hitchfield meadow and one other parcel of land called Hitchfield Knoll and one piece lately called or known by the name of Willshawe Piece and one other land of the said John in the Netherfield or Dronfield in Bigging aforesaid lately in tenure or occupation of the said John WILCOCKSON or his assigns with all ways, commodities, easements, profits and appurtenances to the said premises belonging or appertaining and the dwellinghouse of the said John with the Orchard garden and curtilage to the same belonging and one close called Nether Furlong in Biging one close there called the Over Furlong one parcel of land called Greenewaiehead and one called the Rushbed and one other called the Marloefield Knoll one close called the Hitchfield Meadowe one close called Hitchfield Knoll one close or parcel called Willshawe piece and the mediety of one close of pasture called Roughe Marlowfield with all ways commodities ways easements profits and appurtenances and one close in Holland aforesaid called the Nyne Acres one close in Bigginge aforesaid called Loucher field and one close called Windells and one piece of one close called Ryddings lying in Bigging aforesaid one close called Le ?Neerer Marloefield and another mediety (in) Le roughe Marloefield and one land of the said John in Bigging in the Tannefield? there and a house with orchard & ….? curtilage belonging or appertaining [a section I can’t make out] with all ways commodities ways easements profits and appurtenances to the same appertaining… all and singular the other said messuage cottage toft land tenement and hereditaments by customary … under the Manor aforesaid and …. Ways, commodities, easements, profits and appurtenances to the said premises belonging and appertaining To the Use and Behoof of the said John, Anne and … To the uses intentions ….? conditions provisions and effects in the said Indenture declared, expressed and recounted… and after the performance (of the Indenture?) to the use of the heirs of the said John for ever… premises in Holland aforesaid containing … one Reeving Thing and the aforesaid premises in Bigging aforesaid containing by estimation also one Reeving Thing and (thereupon) at the instance of the said John the first proclamation was made of the said premises without reclaim, And at the small court of the Lord King held for the manor aforesaid at Chevinsyde aforesaid the 10^th? day of December in the said year the second proclamation was made without reclaim, And at the small court of the Lord King held for the manor aforesaid at Chevinsyde aforesaid on the 7^th day of January in the said year the third proclamation was made without reclaim and thereupon the said Lord King of the said manor by the said Deputy Steward of the said manor granted all and singular the said premises [as set out above?] to the said John WILCOCKSON and Anne and George WILCOCKSON the son and heir apparent of the said John and seisin of the same to the said George to the use of the said John, Anne and George by the rod delivered, To hold the same to the uses, intentions, limitations, conditions, provisions and effects in the said Indenture declared, specified and recounted [a scribbled section I can’t make out] in the form aforesaid by the rents, customs and services therefore to become due and by right accustomed according to the customs of the said manor, and the said John, Ann and George for their estate and entry thereinto gave the Lord King for a fine 23s 4d made their fealties and so were admitted tenants thereinto.

[From D1404/4 Duffield Fee Court Book (Jul 1605-Mar 1608) held at Derbys Record Office, Matlock]

And now, to turn that formulaic, antique language into modern sense:

Abstract: Holland and Biggin – John and Ann WILCOCKSON have made an Indenture with their son and heir George WILCOCKSON arranging his inheritance of their holdings in Biggin and Hulland. They now surrender for these purposes: In Biggin – the messuage where James STORER lived, 2 crofts called Le Dockeyard and Le Litleyard, one orchard, one divided toft, all lately occupied by James STORER, closes or lands called Marlowfield, Marlowfield Knoll, Hitchfield Meadow, Hitchfield Knoll, Willshawe Piece, and another in the Netherfield or Dronfield, all in the tenure of the said John WILCOCKSON, also John’s dwelling-house with orchard, garden & curtilage and closes called Nether Furlong, Over Furlong, Greenewaiehead, Rushbed, Marloefield Knoll, Hitchfield Meadow, Hitchfield Knoll, Willshawe Piece [repetition of field names in original surrender], parts of Roughe Marlowfield, Nyne Acres, Loucher Field, Windells, Ryddings, Le Neerer Marlowfield, land in the Tannefield, and a house with orchard &c and in Hulland: A close called Nyne Acres. After the usual 3 proclamations, John, Ann and George were all admitted to these holdings for these purposes.

Anyone impatient to understand more about manors can check out an excellent guide by the University of Nottingham Manuscripts & Special Collections Library: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/researchguidance/manorial/introduction.aspx

For now, let’s focus in on the field names in the Surrender that I have emboldened. Those fields were transmitted down the generations of 1610 John’s descendants, via Wills and Manor Surrenders, first to John’s son George, then to Ould John, to Cossall John, to Biggin John (Quaker George’s brother), to Young John, then to Young John’s daughter Mary and her daughter Susannah Wilcockson James before finally getting sold off by Susannah’s husband, Rev William Rylance Melville, in 1887. And we can still trace those same fields and dwellings to the present day.

This is how we know that 1610 John is the Boonie brickwall ancestor – the lineage back to him is written in the very soil and fields of Biggin by Hulland in Derbyshire.

New Wills = New light

In the last post on 5 June, I offered up a first selection of Wilcockson Wills abstracts including some of their married-ins or FANs (Friends, Neighbours, Associates).

More additions have now been made to the Abst racts of Wilcockson Wills document, so click on the link to discover:

1549 Robert MADDOCK yeoman of Kirk Ireton
1556 Thomas WYLCOXSON yeoman of Biggin, Wirksworth
1560 James WYLCOXSON of Heage, Duffield
1560 Margery WYLCOXSON widow of Biggin
1562 Thomas DAYE of Windley, Duffield
1567 Ellis POTTER of Elvaston, Derbys
1575 Agnes DAKYN widow of Wirksworth or Atlow, Derbys
1588 Robert HICHENSON miller of Biggin, Kirk Ireton
1591 Robert WILCOCKSON of Egginton, Derbys
1597 Robert WHITHALL of Sturston, Ashbourne
1600 Thomas WILCOCKSON husbandman of Horsley Woodhouse, Derbys
1600 Robert BEARDSLEY husbandman of Belper, Derbys
1601 Edmund BEARDSLEY of Belper
1610 Jane WILCOCKSON of Alfreton, Derbys
1610 George SOMERS of Ashbourne
1615 John STAINE apothecary of Derby
1623 Laurence MORE tanner/farmer of Ashbourne

Plenty more will be added as we travel along the Wilcockson trail – more married-ins and FANs as well as Wilcocksons – so if you’re not already a follower, click on the “Follow Us!” button to get news of fresh posts and data.

New light on the Boonie brickwall

The Lineage for Quaker migrant George shows that the long-standing brickwall for Boonie descendants is John Wilcockson of Biggin who died in 1610 (which is why we call him ‘1610 John’). We would quite like to know:

where he came from
who his wife or wives were
what happened to the rest of his children (eldest son George inherited everything that mattered, his 8 younger sibs seem to have disappeared)

Fresh light on these unknowns has been cast by abstracting Wills. In 1610 John’s Will, he names George Somers and Lawrence More as his brothers-in-law and I have now found and summarised their Wills too, as you can see in the Abstracts document. Key points to note:

In George Somers’ Will of 1610, John Whithall (a variant of Whitehall) is a witness and also an inventory appraiser.
In Lawrence More’s Will of 1623, he names James Whytehall (ie. Whitehall) gent of Whythalghe in Staffordshire (ie. Whitehough in Ipstones parish, Whitehough being another variant of the Whitehall name). He also tells us his son-in-law is John Rowlandson.

Cossall John the Quaker (great-grandson of 1610 John and father of migrant Quaker George) had close associations with Whitehough in Staffs in the last decades of the 17^th century, which we’ll tell you more about later. From at least 1660, Whitehough was occupied by leading Quaker Robert Mellor, replacing the Whitehall family who had lived there and given Whitehough their name since the 13^th century.

The 1597 Will of Robert Whithall of Sturston in Ashbourne (see Abstracts) tells us he was related to the Whithalls of Whitehough in Staffs.

So now we have strong suggestions that 1610 John was part of a kinship network which included Whitehough in Staffs, not just in the Quaker period but half a century earlier – in the Puritan, rather than Quaker times.

Indications that this kinship network had Puritan leanings come from Lawrence More’s Will. His son-in-law Rev John Rowlandson was one of the most eminent Puritan clergymen in Derbyshire, minister at Bakewell in the Peak. And Ashbourne church had a Puritan preaching lectureship, in 1623 occupied by William Hill, who was asked to preach Lawrence’s funeral sermon.

All of these threads and much more about 1610 John will be examined fully in the next blog posts, so stay tuned!