The Wilcockson quest in the UK is particularly blessed with available sources, especially (as this blog will reveal) Manorial and Quaker records. We can’t say the same about the Boonie Wilcockson early years in America.
Quaker George, the first Boonie migrant from the Biggin families, arrived in Pennsylvania in 1718-19, married Elizabeth Powell from the ‘Welsh tract’ of PA and lived with their several children in frontier conditions. Sadly for descendants, they didn’t maintain unity with the Quaker Meetings so are missing from those records – from all records in fact, until they died in 1739 and 1740. We don’t even know the numbers and names of their children, other than their youngest, five year old Mary, who was taken under the wing of Quaker Philip Yarnall when she was orphaned.
Y-DNA testing however happily confirmed that the eldest child of George and Elizabeth was most likely “1720 John” who seems to have had a weaving apprenticeship with Squire Boone, father of the famous Daniel Boone, and then married Daniel’s sister Sarah. Their descendants and ancestors are, of course, called Boonies.
The story of these interwoven Boone and Wilcockson lives in 18th century frontier America is like a film Western. Full of adventure, tragedy and survival against the odds. But very lacking in official genealogical records.
Chris Robinson, a US Boonie descendant who has researched these families for many years recently summed up the state of knowledge and speculation regarding the final days of Sarah (Boone) Wilcockson in a fascinating article which can be found here.
Isaac Wilcockson
Chris has also recently speculated on the fate of Quaker George’s brother Isaac, who we know was a Cloth Worker resident in Cossall at the time of his father John’s death there in 1718-19. Breach MM Minutes show that Isaac was granted a certificate for travel to America in 1721, though if he went he came back. From 1723, Monyash MM Minutes show him in active unity with them until 1727. He was even a Trustee of the Monyash Meeting House. After 1727 however, no mention has been found of him in any UK records, no burial, no nuttin. The Monyash Friends despaired of trying to locate him. As a result, I thought it likely he made his life permanently in America from 1727 or soon afterwards.
Now Chris has told us this:
“We now believe that Quaker George and Elizabeth (Powell) Wilcockson had sons, including 1720 John; George (ca1730-1785), and likely Isaac (ca1724-1765)–all of whom eventually settled in Rowan Co., NC. What intrigues me though is the presence of another Isaac Wilcockson in Middletown, Bucks Co., PA.
“We know that this Isaac is named in a Middletown MM list of attendees at the wedding of Thomas Goinks in 1731. Years ago, a reference to a Bucks County lawsuit (dated June 17, 1732) was brought to my attention, in which Richard Mountain sued Isaac Wilcockson [Bucks County PA Criminal Papers–Court of Common Pleas]. Joseph Wildman of Middletown, PA was named as a surety in the lawsuit.
“It would be great to know whether any other details regarding this lawsuit still exist within Bucks County records. It is also interesting to note that Squire and Sarah (Morgan) Boone also lived in Bucks Co., PA from 1720 to ca1730–during which time their first child, Sarah (Boone) Wilcockson was born. In ca1730, Squire Boone moved his family to Berks Co., PA. Might Quaker Isaac Wilcockson of Middletown, Bucks Co., PA have known the Quaker Squire Boone family during their time of residence in Bucks County? More food for thought!”
From Biggin to Cossall, to Pennsylvania and beyond – always more to find out.
After finding the new info about Cossall John in the
dissertation at Nottingham Uni Library, Sarah and I fixed the earliest possible
date to visit Notts Record Office in Nottingham to check out the two sources the
dissertation author cited. So we went there exactly a week later on 7 August
2019. Here’s what we found:-
C/QSM/1/22 Quarter Sessions Minute Book 1710-1715.
This provided the evidence that Cossall John registered his
home as a meeting place for Quaker worship. On the
page for the Sessions of 14 Jul 1712 held at Shire Hall als Queen’s Hall, co.
Notts (no page nos.), there is a single line that reads:
Ordered
that John WILCOCKSON’s house at Cossall be Lycensed for Quakers to meete in for
Religious Worship.
Crucially, that record tells us John was resident in Cossall
by April 1712.
Meetings for Worship
Anyone unfamiliar with early history of Quakers may be
interested to learn that it was commonplace for Friends to register their own
homes for meetings of worship. They did this to avoid prosecution for holding
illegal ‘conventicles’. Briefly in 1672, the Declaration of Indulgence by
Charles II allowed this registration of non-conformist meeting places, but that
was soon rescinded and only the 1689 Toleration Act made it permanently legal
for dissenters to hold and licence their own meetings (not so Catholics
unfortunately, who continued for centuries to be untolerated). As the Quaker
movement mushroomed in the mid-late 17th century, they built and
registered formal Meeting Houses as well, but licensing Friends’ own homes continued,
especially in rural areas at a distance from Meeting Houses.
It’s important to recognise that only meetings for worship
were licensed at John’s home, not the Preparatory or Monthly ‘business’
Meetings for which attendance and minutes were recorded. There are no records
of the meetings for worship at Cossall so we can’t know who came along. However,
it seems likely that the few other Quakers resident in Cossall and those who
lived in neighbouring places appreciated this close-by location.
Nearby places, all on the Derbys/Notts border were:
Alfreton, Cotmanhay, Codnor/Heanor (location of
Breach Meeting House), Ilkeston, Ripley, Risley, Sandiacre, Smalley, Sawley, in
Derbys
Breach is approx 8 miles from Cossall, an easy horse ride
away. Nottingham was also about 8 miles from Cossall but the few references in
Nottingham MM records to Friends from these border locations and the appearance
of their names in Breach MM records suggests their usual preference.
For example, from a notebook of burials at Breach (held at
Derbys RO in Matlock, ref. D4734/18/1), we already know that these Friends from
Notts were associated with Breach MM in the 1675-1705 period:
Adrin & Hannah Dawes of Newthorp in Greasley
parish
Thomas Mee of Eastwood
Richard & Rebeka Maltsby of Lambclose in Greasley
Kathrin Death of Newthorp in Greasley
John & Rebeka Bennit of Begerlee in Greasley
Luke Hank of Eastwood
Thomas Right of Newthorp in Greasley
More Notts Friends will be found as we check again into
Breach MM records – but Cossall John Wilcockson’s regular attendance at Breach
in the period we now know he was resident in Cossall is already well-established
(from Breach MM and Derbyshire QM Minutes held at Notts RO):
1712 – At Breach MM on 2 Oct, John Wilcockson was instructed to attend the next QM at Tupton. On 8 and 12 Oct MMs, he was also ordered to speak to a Samuel Johnson, and to a William Potter to prevent him from disorderly walking, also to attend the next QM.
1713 – John Wilcockson was present at Derbys QM in Chesterfield & made report from Breach MM
1714 – 1 April: At Derbys QM at Tupton, John Wilcockson reported from Breach MM that they take care of their poor but that several younger members are marrying out. 5 July: At Derbys QM, John Wilcockson reported from Breach MM that they take care of their poor collections &c but the MMs are small and ‘other things but indifferent’ as previously reported. 30 Sep: At Derbys QM held at Tupton, John Wilcockson & Joseph Farnsworth from Breach MM report they take care of their poor ‘but can give no good account of truths prosperity’.
1715 – At Derbys QM at Tupton, John Wilcockson reported from Breach MM that they take care of their poor but have no weekday meetings.
1716-18 – John continued to represent Breach MM at Derbyshire Quarterly
Meetings. The last entry found for him was on 2 Oct 1718, probably a few months
before his death (date unknown but administration of his estate was probated in
April 1719).
So, one little line on a page of the 1712 Nottingham Quarter Sessions
minutes opens up all manner of new understandings – but even more intriguing
was the second source reference in the Cossall dissertation that Sarah and I
checked…
C/QDR/1/1 Register of Papists’
estates, 1717-1720.
On sheet 36 of this roll of entries for Nottinghamshire, we found the
Catholic Robert Willoughby Esquire, on 29 April 1717, registering his estates
as required by a recently introduced anti-Papist law, another persecutory
effort by England’s Protestant establishment.
The entry tells us that Robert was leasing his Cossall Manor House to
John Wilcockson at a rental of £60 12s/year, the second most costly lease in
the estate. Here is the full transcript:
To the Clerk of the Peace of and for the County of Nottingham or his Lawfull Deputy.
I Robert Willoughby of Cossall in the County of Nottingham Esquire in Pursuance of a late Act of Parliament Intituled an Act to oblige Papists to Register their Names and reall Estates Doe desire that my Name and Estate of and in the Mannor Messuages Lands and Hereditaments herein after mentioned Scituate being and ariseing in the Said County of Nottingham may be Registred Pursuant – – – – – – –
A true Particular of the Mannor Messuages Cottages Lands and Heredittaments Scituate being and ariseing in the Parishes and Places in the said County of Nottingham whereof I the said Robert WILLOUGHBY am or any other person or persons In trust for me or For my Benefitt or Advantage is or are Seized or possessed or in the Receipt or perception of the Rents or profitts in the severall Possessions of my Severall and respective Lessees by virtue of the Severall Leases or Agreements made by me under the Reservations of the Severall and respective Partys Rents as the Same are hereinafter Severally and respectively mentioned and Expressed (Viz:) –
In Cossall in the parish of Cossall
The Lands hereafter mentioned containing in all about three hundred and Twenty Acres viz’t:
The Capitall Mansion House with the Outhouses Gardens orchards and Severall Parcells of Land thereunto belonging Lett by me Robert WILLOUGHBY to John WILCOCKSON the present possessor at Will, at the Yearly Rent of Sixty pounds and twelve shillings out of which is paid Yearly to the Viccar of Cossall Five pounds and to the Marquesse of Carmarthen a Chiefe Rent of Six Shillings and Eight pence –
A Messuage and Farm with the appurtenances and Lands belonging Lett by me to Elizabeth HALL the present possessor at Will at the Yearly Rent of Seventy one Pounds and Ten shillings –
A Messuage and Farm with the appurtenances and Lands belonging Lett by me to William RADFORD at Will, the present possessor at the Yearly Rent of Forty pounds and Five Shillings out of which is paid to George GREGORY Esquire a Yearly Chiefe Rent of two pounds Seventeen Shillings and Eight pence –
Severall Pieces of Land Lett by me to Richard TURFY the Present Possessor at Will at the Yearly Rent of Eleven pounds –
A piece of Land Lett by me to Robert WOOD the present Possessor at Will at the Yearly Rent of two pounds –
A piece of Land Lett by me to Joseph MOULT the present possessor at Will at the Yearly Rent of Eight Shillings –
A parcell of Wood Ground called Lawn Wood in my own possession value uncertain –
In Attenburrow in the parish of Attenburrow
A Cottage in the possession of Mary SMITH held of me at Will at the Yearly Rent of Five Shillings –
A Croft in the possession of Edward CAWDALL at the Yearly Rent of Fourteen Shillings, he being Tenant at Will –
Of all which said Lands in Cossall I am seized in fee But Say the same are charged with the Portions of my Sisters by the Last Will & Testament of my Father Francis WILLOUGHBY late of Cossall dec’d and say I am Seized in Fee of the premises in Attenborough free from Incumbrances –
Signed: Robert Willoughby
This Entry was duely made by Robert WILLOUGHBY of Cossall Esqr at the Generall Quarter Sessions of the peace for the said County of Nottingham holden at the Shire Hall in Nottingham on Munday the twenty Ninth day of Aprill Anno Dmi 1717 between the hour of Three and Four in the Afternoone of the same day before his Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the Said County of Nottingham who have subscribed our Names as Witnesses thereto in open Court:
Signatures: ?Fra: Molyneux; Julius Hutchinson; L: Pinckney; M: Musters.
Cossall Manor House
Cossall was tiny in 1712 and it still is. Like Biggin, it has barely
changed over the centuries of its existence. The Manor House (now known as
Manor Farm) was originally moated and traces of the moat exist, as the map
shows
Cossall Manor Farm 2019
Sarah Pearson made a recent visit to this last home of her ancestor
John, reporting that “all that remains of Cossall John’s house (I think)
is the front elevation. It looks like the original building has been modernised
inside. It has been extensively extended as well.”
While other buildings in Cossall have listed status, sadly the Manor
House does not.
With permission of the owners, Sarah took photos of the house and the view that Cossall John would have had from his front door in 1712-19:
View of Cossall fields from Manor Farmhouse, 2019
Yet more questions
£60/year in rent was serious money in 1717. At the probate
of his estate in 1719, John was described as a Yeoman, so his status was top of
the farming league, close to minor gentry. But we have no inventory for him and
very little evidence of his income sources.
It appears that in 1712 when John most likely moved to
Cossall, his son Biggin John took over the main family lands and homesteads in
Biggin and lived there with his new wife Phebe (Taylor), paying his parents a
‘pension’ of £10/year. It also seems logical that in 1712 the rest of Biggin
John’s sibs were at Cossall with their parents:
Eldest child Ann, aged 25, married Quaker Jonathan Greene of Yorkshire at Breach in 1713/14 when she was described as ‘of Cossall’.
Dorothy, aged 22, married Quaker John Bower at Breach in 1715
Isaac, aged 20, was described as a Cloth Worker of Cossall in 1719 when his father’s estate was probated, perhaps nearly at the end of his apprenticeship in 1712
George was aged 17 – the age to be mid-apprenticeship.
David was aged 13 – nearly the usual age for apprenticeship to start.
We have no record of David’s adult occupation but we do know
that George, once settled and married in Pennsylvania, was a Weaver, as
apparently was his son “1720 John”, most likely apprenticed to his
future father-in-law and weaver Squire Boone. With son Isaac also described as
a Cloth Worker, it does appear that weaving and cloth were in the Wilcockson
bones. Puritan William Wilcockson who migrated to New England in the 1630s, and
thought to be from Biggin originally, was also a Weaver.
Perhaps Cossall John was a Weaver too, as a dual occupation with smallholding (by the look of the 1717 Papists’ Estates entry, he didn’t have much land with the manor house in Cossall). An inventory for him might have told us he owned looms. But it’s not beyond the realms of imagination to picture the old Manor House providing plenty of room for weaving work to be carried on by the whole family and perhaps other craftsmen too. And that might help to produce the dosh for a £60/year rental, though it seems pretty certain to me that income from land and property somewhere must have been part of the mix too.
And Quaker George?
We all want to know where George was before he migrated. The latest info about Cossall suggests he might have been there with his parents and sibs, perhaps completing a weaving apprenticeship.
For me personally, the fact of a very narrow date-window for
George to marry Elizabeth Powell in PA in 1719 (when he was about 24) leaves me
theorising that he probably made a visit or visits to America in the 2-3 years
before then, giving him chance to become acquainted with Elizabeth, perhaps
returning home to see his father before his death and to gain the clearness
certificate from Breach MM. A goodly number of Quaker neighbours and potential
kin were already settled in Chester County, Pennsylvania from the 1680s, so
George would not have lacked welcome and hospitality there.
This is a rich area for more research in America, Wales and
England! But for the moment, we still don’t know where Quaker George was before
he migrated. Sorry folks.
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.
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 1st and 7th 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 10th? 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 7th 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.
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.
Wilcocksons Unwrapped 