With every good wish for Solstice, Christmas and the holidays, here’s news of an important book recently published on Amazon… a book my mate Benny Coxton in South Carolina has wanted to write for most of a lifetime, published just as he reached his 80th birthday a few weeks ago.
Full of info about the Quaker Wilcocksons of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, including some of the data presented here at Wilcocksons Unwrapped… but more importantly, the book shares the results of Benny’s new and comprehensive research into the US records of Welsh Quakers whom migrant George Wilcockson married into in 1719, after he left Cossall in Nottinghamshire for the Welsh Tract of Pennsylvania. George and his wife Elizabeth Powell’s eldest child John Wilcockson (known as “1720 John”) married Sarah Boone, sister of the famous frontiersman Daniel Boone, and accompanied him into the Wilderness.
The book can be bought on Kindle and affordable paperback (with black & white images) here: And “legacy versions” (more pricey with full colour photographs) are available here:
It’s a darn good read folks (I should know, I co-edited – if you’ll forgive the Solstice namedrop!).
Benny is himself a direct descendant of “1720 John” Wilcockson and Sarah Boone – his book includes the fascinating story of how his surname morphed from Wilcockson into Coxton and the lifetime journey Benny has made into his family’s history. He’s already planning a second book!
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.
All Boonies know that Quaker George Wilcockson took with him
to Pennsylvania a ‘clearness certificate’, proving he was free to marry his
intended, Elizabeth Powell. The certificate stated that George’s father was
John Wilcockson of Cossall in Nottinghamshire.
The question has always been: why Cossall? It has never made
sense, with no visible connection to John’s previous life and locations.
But new light has suddenly dawned.
On 31 July, two of us from the Wilcockson research group (Sarah
Pearson and I) visited Nottingham University Library Manuscripts and Special
Collections (NULMS for short), which holds the enormous ‘Middleton Collection’
– the family and estate papers of the Willoughby family who built Wollaton Hall
in Nottingham and owned next-door Cossall.
Up to the last hour of the day, we rooted fruitlessly
through rentals, surveys, leases and deeds. No sign of any Wilcocksons. As a
last resort, I checked a dissertation the archive staff suggested, though they
warned it was mostly about coal-mining so we had few hopes:
Cossall and the Willoughbys
1500-1700 – The acquisition and exploitation of a manor, by C M Whyld (June
1987, towards the Certificate in Local History)
And look what we found on page 71:
“The Compton census of 1676
revealed two recusants (at Cossall), which seems low, and two dissenters out of
40 of age for communion. One of the dissenters was probably Daniel Marshall,
described as a Quaker when buried in 1698. In 1685, as an old and poor cottager
on the waste, he was spoken for by Francis Willoughby and allowed to remain for
a small payment. There seems to be some sympathy between the Catholics and the
Quakers since in 1717 John Wilcockson
was leasing the manor house from Francis’s son Robert. In 1712, John Wilcockson’s
house was licensed as a meeting house for Quakers.”
Note that the sources for
these statements about Cossall John were (1) the 1717 Register of Papists’
Estates; (2) Nottingham Quarter Sessions records for 1712. Both documents are
held at Nottinghamshire Record Office.
Air-punching, dancing and whooping resulted. There was also
disbelief and we had to keep re-reading the paragraph.
Let’s expand on this a little.
Cossall is tiny, a dot in the Nottinghamshire landscape.
Even now it’s quite hard to find. It was a chapelry in the parish of Wollaton and
we know from Churchwardens’ Presentments that chapel and parishioners were
badly neglected by the Rectors at Wollaton over decades.
The Willoughby lords at Wollaton Hall were zealous
Protestants – but their cousins at Cossall were stubbornly Roman Catholic. In
the tiny chapelry of Cossall, both Catholics and Quakers were singled out for
punishment in the persecution period before 1689’s Toleration Act:
AN/PB 305/41 presentment, 26 Apr
1670 – present Richarde Disney husbandman, a popish recusant, for standing
excommunicated; John Kirby, husbandman,
a Quaquer for standing excommunicated; John
Martin husbandman and Joane his wife, both of them Quaquers, for standing
excommunicated.
AN/PB 305/689 presentment,
Cossall, 13 May 1679 – present Danell Marshall
(tailor) Quaker for standing excommunicate.
AN/PB 306/342 presentment,
Cossall, 20 Nov 1684 – present Francis WILLOUGHBY jnr gent & his wife for
recusants; Daniell Marshall tailor
for standing excommunicate.
AN/PB 306/399 presentment,
Cossall, 27 Oct 1685 – present Daniell Marshall
tailor for standing excommunicate… Mr Francis Willoughby jnr for being a
recusant.
These extracts are taken from
the comprehensive index of Notts Presentments available in the NULMS online
catalogue of Archdeaconry of Nottingham records.
Earlier in the day, Sarah had pointed out rental records to
me that showed how Francis Willoughby extended kindness to ageing Quakers in
Cossall, including Daniel Marshall, allowing them cottages at tiny rents. We
also knew that Cossall was a chapelry where very few tithes were payable. And,
from Breach Monthly Meeting minutes, we had seen references to Nottinghamshire
Quakers from parishes next door to Cossall who were members of Breach rather
than the equally-close and more likely Nottingham MM – for example Luke Hanks
of Eastwood.
In other words, when we wonder ‘why Cossall?’, we now have
some answers:
The risk of harassment and fines for Cossall
Quakers’ non-payment of tithes was close to nil – because it’s almost certain
they had none to pay
No interfering Anglican priest at the chapel
An influential landlord sympathetic to Quakers
Other Quakers resident in Cossall and nearby, at
least some of whom attended Breach MM alongside Cossall John and his family
We know from records of Quaker ‘Sufferings’ that Cossall
John was fined for non-payment of tithes both in Staffordshire and back at
Biggin in 1710 and 1711. We also know that the magistrates in Nottingham at
this time were persecutory of Quakers to the point of psychopathy. What
sensible Quaker would want to attract their malignancy through involvement in
Nottingham MM when Breach was just as easy to get to from Cossall?
So it’s easy to imagine the conversations at Breach and in Friends’
homes about how to escape those attentions. Quite a few of the Breach Quakers
chose migration to Pennyslvania. But the Notts Friends would also have talked
of the supportive landlord at Cossall and the freedom from tithes, an easier
option for an ageing John Wilcockson, especially as he could register his own
house there for meetings for worship.
So, if we now understand ‘why Cossall?’ a little better, there are still other questions, perhaps most importantly to US Boonies – did Quaker George live there too? And how did Cossall John afford the Manor House???
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 2nd son, receives £4
John
– named as 3rd 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 4th 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.
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 2nd
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 15th 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.
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 4th day of June 1657 the second proclamation thereof was made
without further reclaime, And at the Small Court there specially holden the 25th
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:
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.
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.
indicates they were of Wirksworth
parish). It’s also possible she married William WEBSTER at Kirk Ireton on 17
Sep 1620.
Wilcocksons Unwrapped 