Thomas Collingwood was a yeoman farmer from Bampton, Oxfordshire, son of John Collingwood and Cicely Slaymaker, baptized on 26 May 1601 in St Mary the Virgin, Bampton. He left a will of 1668 that permits us to begin to uncover his family and position in the early industrial society of the small town, 9 miles west of Oxford. Both his father and mother left wills of 1630 and 1643 respectively.  Continue reading →

William Payne was probably born around 1670 not far from Thame in Oxfordshire. We know a fair bit about him from various records most notably his will of 1747. He was a glover and clearly ran a successful business as a master glover and breeches maker in the small Oxfordshire market town of Thame where he lived for over fifty years. The glove trade was closely related to the tanning business that was to be a theme repeated in the subsequent generations notably with John Warmington. He was part of the class of literate tradesmen with a progressive and perhaps non-conformist outlook that was typical in a small market town like Thame. Other related trades are currier (curing leather) and fellmongerer (stripping and dealing sheep hides) Continue reading →

Anne Sutton was the only daughter of Sir Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley and his first wife Katherine Bridges. She was born probably in late 1556. Sometimes she is referred to as Agnes Sutton. Continue reading →

The Shaw family of Dudley has many strands but they seem to all lead back to Thomas Shawe who flourished 1510-1530. He died in about 1544 and was probably born about 1490. The evidence revolves around a Thomas Shawe of Dudley who does a number of land transactions, which lead to disputes after his death – although they may not necessarily all be the same person. Continue reading →

Richard Shaw, yeoman of St Edmunds Dudley, left a will of 1616, held at the Worcester Record Office. This will shows that he is the father of Richard Shaw of Netherton, whose PCC will of 1657 is discussed on this site. Continue reading →

Alice Finch is listed as the mother of Gilbert Jellians (1624-1700) in a number of Victorian genealogies, based largely on contemporary ‘Visitations’ of the county. She was married to Gilbert Jellians (Snr) on 6 May 1623 according to the parish register of St Thomas Dudley and her only recorded son Gilbert Jellians, the younger, was baptized on 1 Oct 1624.  Continue reading →

Richard Shaw of Netherton, near Dudley, a yeoman, died in 1657, leaving a will that helps build a picture of his numerous descendants. His father was probably Richard Shaw, yeoman of St Edmund’s Dudley, who left a will of 1616. A number of further wills and the parish registers of St Edmunds and St Thomas Dudley help us to build up a detailed picture. Continue reading →

Gilbert Jellians was baptized on 1 Oct 1624 in St Thomas Dudley, the only son of Gilbert Jellians. His father had married Alice Finch in St Thomas Dudley on 6 May 1623. The Finches were an important and well connected family in Dudley at this time and appear to have had a large nail and iron mongering business. The Jellians family throughout the seventeenth century accumulated considerable wealth and status in the town of Dudley. Continue reading →

Oliver Shaw was baptized in St Thomas, Dudley on 5 Sep 1647, the son of Oliver and Elizabeth Shaw. The Shaws were a prominent family in the small town of Dudley – owning land and carrying out a variety of trades. A 1649 levy on the town indicates 162 houses existed in Dudley that were taxed. By 1660 the population of Dudley including Netherton based on Hearth Tax records is estimated at just over 1800. Various Shaws appear on these two tax lists. Continue reading →

Jeremiah Thomings was baptised in Kingswinford on 10 Mar 1733, the son of David and Sarah Thomings. We know a little about him because of the wills of two of his brothers as well as a host of details from various parish registers. Continue reading →