West Stow Parish Registers
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In of tfturmtto The Estate of the late John Brtmdle WEST STOW PARISH REGISTERS, 1558 TO 1850. WORDWELL PARISH REGISTERS, 1580 TO 1850. WITH SUNDRY NOTES. GEORGE BOOTH, CHURCH STREET, 1903. CONTENTS. PAGE. PREFACE ... ... ... ... ... v to vn. ERRATA ... ... ... ... viii. WEST STOW REGISTERS ... ... ... ... i to 74. WEST STOW MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS ... ... ... 75 to 89. WORDWELL REGISTERS... ... ... ... ... 9010109. WORDWELL MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS ... ... no. in. WEST STOW AND WORDWELL LAY SUBSIDY LISTS ... 112 to 119. RECTORS AND CURATES OF WEST STOW ... ... ... 120 to 130. RECTORS AND CURATES OF WORDWELL ... ... ... 131 to 140. LIST OF CHRISTIAN NAMES ... ... ... ... 141 to 144. WILLS ... ... ... ... ... ... 145 to 163. INQUISITIO POST MORTEM ... ... ... ... 164 to 167. LOST TOMBSTONES OF WEST STOW ... ... ... 168. 169. LUCAS FAMILY OF WEST STOW ... ... ... ... 170 to 173. CROFTS FAMILY OF WEST STOW ... ... ... 174 to 190. EDWARD PROGER ... .. ... ... ... 191 to 222. THE PROGER BROTHERS ... ... ... ... 223 to 230. FOWKE FAMILY... ... ... ... ... ... 231 to 235. EDWARDS FAMILY ... ... ... ... ..; 236 to 239. LESSEES OF WEST STOW HALL ... ... ... ... 240. 241. WEST STOW HALL ... ... ... ... ... 242 to 253. ANTIQUITIES IN WEST STOW HEATH ... ... ... 25410258. WEST STOW PARISH AND CHURCH 259 to 268. iv CONTENTS. PAGE. WEST STOW POSTSCRIPTS ... ... ... ... 26810270. OWNERS OF WORDWELL... .. ... ... ... 27110283. De Wordwell ... ... ... 271 to 276. Fifty Doubtful Years ... ... 276. 277. Drury ... ... ... ... 278. 279. Hervey ... ... ... ... 27910282. Culford Estate ... ... ... 282. 283. TENANTS OF WORDWELL HALL FARM ... ... ... 28410286. WORDWELL HALL ... ... ... ... ... 286. WORDWELL PARISH AND CHURCH ... ... ... 287 to 298. CAPTAIN BOOTY HARVEY, R.N. ... ... ... ... 29910303. SHORT NOTES ... ... ... ... ... ..." 304 to 306. INDEX No. i. To WEST STOW REGISTERS ... ... 307 to 329. INDEX No. 2. To WORDWELL REGISTERS ... ... 33010335. INDEX No. 3. CROFTS ... ... ... ... ... 33610339. INDEX No. 4. GENERAL ... ... ... ... 34010344. ILLUSTRATIONS. WEST STOW CHURCH ... ... ... ... To face title-page. HERALDIC SHIELDS IN WEST STOW CHURCH ... P. 76, 77, 78, 79. WEST STOW HALL. No. i. ... ... ... To face P. 177. EDWARD PROGER ... ... ... ... To face P. 191. WEST STOW HALL. No. 2. ... To face P. 242. MURAL PAINTING AT WEST STOW HALL P. 244. P. WEST STOW HALL. No. 3. ... ... 249. P- WORDWELL CHURCH, 1890 ... 291. WORDWELL CHURCH, 1820 P- 2 93- PREFACE. PREFACE. volume, the fifth of its series,* contains the registers of two small parishes in West Suffolk. It also contains so much of the history of those two parishes as a few months delving could reveal. The two parishes, West Stow and Wordwell, lie contiguous, and are alike in possessing a large acreage of delightfully-barren sandy soil and a large population of rabbits. Historically they have not gone together, but each has followed a line of its till were united not till 1828 were own. Not 1799 they manorially ; they united ecclesiastically. It therefore would have been better if I had not united them in this volume. It would have been better if West Stow had been united in a volume with Little Saxham, and Wordwell might have gone with Ickworth. For the history of the lords of the manor is a considerable chapter in the ascertainable part of the history of any parish. And if you deal with the same family in two different volumes, you are always either repeating in the one what you have already said in the other, or else referring to it. You must do one or the other, though both are troublesome. I have generally chosen the latter. For instance : the Crofts family belongs alike to Little Saxham and to West Stow. I have given their history with a certain measure of fulness in the Little Saxham volume, and what is said of them in this volume is mostly additional. But I have had to be continually referring to the former volume. The two halls or manor houses dealt with in this volume, West Stow and Wordwell, may be likened and may be contrasted in these respects. Both stand to day where they were put by some one when the Norman conquest of England was a thing of yesterday. Both stand to day more or less as they have stood The other four are Ickworth, Horriiiger, Tattle Saxham, ami Riishbrook. No history accompanies the Ickworth volume. vi PREFACE. through seven or more centuries. But whilst the one, West Stow, continued to be a manorial residence till close upon the year 1800, the other, Wordwell, seems to have finished its course as a manorial residence, and to have begun its long career as a farmhouse, as long ago as 1500 or thereabouts. So that its whole career of (say) 800 years may be divided into two equal halves. For 400 years it harboured the lord, for 400 years it has harboured his agricultural tenant. I have given reasons for supposing that this early cutting short of its career as a manorial residence may have been due to the Black Death in 1349. West Stow hall is largely associated in people's minds with Mary Tudor, the daughter, sister and wife of kings. But I think it is clear that that association is due to confusion and not to fact. It is true that her arms are cut on the front of the But that is the connection between her it gate-house. probably only and ; and if Westhorpe, where she sometimes resided, had been Easthorpe, probably she would never have been associated with West Stow as she has been. (See p. 246.) But while turning out one royal personage I can bring in another within a stonethrow. I do not know whether it has ever before been stated that James II rented Culford hall when duke of York. In preparing for publication the Hearth- tax returns for the whole county of Suffolk, I find that in 1675 he was charged for Culford with its 29 hearths. It was returned as empty that year, so that he had not actually to make any payment. Possibly it had been recommended to him at Court by Edward Proger. The will of Elizabeth Drury, 1475, mentioning "my shepe, bought with my in peny," (p. 279,) and the four shepherds who paid poll-tax 1381, (p'. 113, 28,9,) show that Wordwell formerly had a considerable population of sheep as well as of rabbits. The fact of the shepherds paying the same amount of poll tax as the farmers, and more than the thatcher and labourer, seems to point to the flourishing condition of the wool trade at that time. At p. 261 I have quoted what Domesday book says about Stow, taking for granted that Stow there means West Stow. But in this same Hundred of Black- there is another viz. and I feel a horrible borne Stow, Stowlangtoft ; suspicion that what I have quoted may refer to Stowlangtoft and not to West Stow. I cannot at this moment confirm or dismiss the suspicion, but I merely state it by way of warning to any one who may get so far. PREFACE. vii The Somerset House wills have been transcribed for me by Mr. J. J. Muskett, and the succession of rectors has been made out from the Norwich records by Mr. Johnson of Yarmouth. The illustrations are from photographs by Mr. Jarman of Bury St. Edmunds. I am indebted to Mr. Rushbrook for allowing me to repro- the of at Rushbrook hall and to hall duce portrait Edward Proger ; Moyses Museum at Bury St. Edmunds for Davy's illustrations of West Stow hall, which I have reproduced. I have to give my best thanks to the Rev. A. Pemberton, rector of West Stow and Wordwell, for his help. I hope I have elsewhere duly given my thanks -where they are due. S. H. A. H. Bury St. Edmund's, October, 1903. viii ERRATA. son Page 13, line 9. For Sams son of read Samson of. P. 49, 1835, Jan. 25. Foeman is a mistake in the original for Foreman. P. 71, 1822, March 16. 15 years should be 19 years. P. 117. Under 1639 Sir John Crofts should be Sir Henry. P. 125, last line but one bis. For 1580 read 1558. P. 131, Par. i. Wordwell rectory house must have come down about 1700. P. 132, Par. 10. He came back again from Martlesham should be from Bucklesham. P. 134. In the late Mr. Beckford Bevan's Brief records of St. James' Church, this extract is given from the register of St. James, Bury. " 1654, Sept. 12, John Gibbon, minister. He was buried at Wordwell ye 13." See also Mr. Eagle's Catalogue of the library in St. James' Church. P. 230, line 6. For Col. Charles Porter read Col. Charles Proger. P. 236, line 8. John Edwards, sen. was buried at Hampton, Oct. 22, 1726. P. 267, line ii. For 7292 read 1340. WEST STOW PARISH REGISTERS. BAPTISMS. The Register of the parish of Westow in the County of Suffolke viz. of all the Marriages, Christenings and Burialls from ye first yeare of ye raigne of Queene Elizabeth anno domini 1558. 1558. WEST STOW REGISTERS. BAPTISMS. 1565- WEST STOW REGISTERS. BAPTISMS. 1573- WEST STOW REGISTERS. BAPTISMS. 1580. Dec. 4. Margaret daughter of Thomas Gayford. Jan. 15. Anne daughter of Richard Flower. Feb. 2. Thomas Jent. Feb. 12. Margaret daughter of Gilbart Smith. 1581. Nov. i. Susanne daughter of Richard Prick. 1582. Nov. 18. Margaret daughter of Thomas Willingam. Dec. 25. James sonne of Michael Wellam. Dec. 26. Susanne daughter of Thomas Gayford. Jan. 17. Katherine daughter of Henery Gore. Jan. 27. Gabriel sonne of John Gayford sen. Jan. 6. Elizabeth daughter of Robert Man. 1583. Sept. 15. Susanne daughter of John Forbarr. Dec. 8. Margaret daughter of George Burdall. Nov. 10. Thomas sonne of George Booty. Jan. 19. John sonne of Richard Prick. 1584. Sept. 6. Robert sonne of Edmund Readish. Oct. ii. Henery sonne of Henery Gore.