17th Century

May

2019

Thomas Dolman of Seisdon

Thomas Dolman was baptized in All Saints, Trysull on 8 Sep 1611 and was one of a group of minor Staffordshire Gentry and Mercers who supported Parliament in the Civil War. He served on the Parliamentary Committee at Stafford in 1643 and worked closely with William Bendy. Continue reading →

May

2019

William Pynson of Wolverhampton

William Pynson of Wolverhampton left a will with probate in 1670. He was an attorney and is connected to a number of the families discussed on this site. His will is particularly interesting as it names so many of his relatives. Continue reading →

May

2019

Ann Cookes of West Bromwich

Ann Cookes, a widow of West Bromwich, left a will in 1645 that lists a large number of bequests that cover important family lines discussed on this site. She was evidently childless but the list of legacies indicates that she was a close relation to the Darby and Finch families. She is very likely the widow of Henry Cookes of Handsworth, who left a will in 1642, and the marriage date would appear to be before 1607. Continue reading →

Apr

2019

Thomas Bradley of the Wood, Sedgley

In Dugdale’s 1663 Visitation of Staffordshire the Bradley family (disclaimed 1664) is traced back to a Thomas Bradley of Baggeridge Forest (‘The Wood’) in Sedgley, Staffordshire. Later on, this Bradley family are simply all described as of ‘the Wood’ in Sedgley. Continue reading →

Mar

2019

Thomas Elwall of Ettingshall, Sedgley

Thomas Elwall, yeoman of Ettingshall, died in early 1716 leaving a will written in 1712. Here he lists his four children as Thomas Elwall, Edward Elwall, Elizabeth Gibbens and Mary Elwall. The following sequence of baptisms can be found in the All Saints, Sedgley Parish register viz. Thomas (bap 21 Aug 1673), Edward (bap 9 Nov 1676), Elizabeth (No Baptism found), Mary (bap 22 Oct 1670) Continue reading →

Mar

2019

John Shaw of Kingswinford, 1606-1674

This article is designed to disambiguate some of the ‘John Shaws’ alive in Dudley and the surrounding areas in the early Seventeenth Century. It focuses on the John Shaw, who Richard Shaw describes as his ‘natural son’ in his 1657 will and is also described as his ‘natural brother’ in the 1646 will of Richard Shaw, the younger. His position amongst Richard Shaw’s children is a little enigmatic. Continue reading →

Sep

2018

John Cartwright of Rowley Regis, died 1661

John Cartwright, the elder, a yeoman of Rowley Regis died and left a will granted probate on 17 May 1661. We can be fairly confident that he is the John Cartwright referred to in the Dudley Archive document DE/4/7/11/14 where a 1585 grant of land by Edward Sutton, Lord Dudley is extended to the next generation of Cartwrights dated 17 May 1612. This makes John Cartwright the son of William Cartwright and names his two immediate siblings as William Cartwright (will 1668) and Alice Chambers alias Ireland. His grandfather is thus very likely to be John Cartwright of Rowley Regis who leaves a will of 1587. Continue reading →

Jun

2018

Ambrose Birch of Rowley Regis

Ambrose Birch was buried on 17 Feb 1729/30 in Rowley Regis and left a will, probate 20 Jul 1730. He was the father of Catherine Darby, the great grandmother of Emma Clifton. Continue reading →

May

2018

Adam Read, Barber Surgeon of Dudley

Adam Read was a Barber Surgeon in Dudley, who lived from approximately 1658 to 1717. He left a will dated 20 Jan 1716/17, which clarifies a number of points about his life Continue reading →

Mar

2018

John Astley of Bushbury

John Astley of Bushbury died and left a will written on 6 May 1679. It is clear from this will that he is the John Astley who signs William Dugdale’s Visitation on 27 Apr 1664 as head of the Astley family of Wood Eaton in mid Staffordshire. His age in 1664 is given as 70. Continue reading →

Feb

2018

Richard Shaw of Pinfolds

Richard Shaw of Pinfolds is a significant but very hard member of the Shaw family of 16th century Dudley to pin down, as his life parallels that of his putative first cousin Richard Shaw of Netherton. Continue reading →

Dec

2017

Thomas Whitehouse

Thomas Whitehouse, Yeoman of Coseley in the Parish of Sedgley left a will, probate 13 Feb of 1710/11. Continue reading →

Dec

2017

Richard Brettell

The history of the Brettell family of Brettell and Amblecote just north of Stourbridge touches on a couple of the families discussed in this site – notably the Bendys of nearby Shut End and the Trysull branch of the Barneseley family. Continue reading →

Nov

2017

Edward Grove

Edward Grove of West Bromwich left a will, written in 1634 and executed in 1641, that gives a long list of children and children in law. It is a very useful will in getting to grips with a few of the families discussed on this web site – notably the Darbys, Willetts and Russells of Rowley Regis. Continue reading →

Nov

2017

John Jesson

John Jesson married Amy Darby on 22 Jan 1609 in St Mary’s Handsworth. Amy is mentioned in her father Thomas Darby’s will of 1607 and her spinster Aunt Ann Darby’s will of 1612. Amy Jesson’s grandfather was therefore Edmonde Darby who left a will of 1598. Continue reading →

Feb

2017

John Turton

John Turton, yeoman of Rowley Regis left a will probate 7 May 1635. He names his three sons William, John and Thomas and three daughters Eleanor, Elizabeth and Mary. William, Eleanor and Elizabeth are all married. Continue reading →

Jan

2017

Humphrey Coleborne

Humphrey Coleborne, yeoman of Rowley Regis, left a will Probate 15 Sep 1660. It is clear though that his interests and roots came firmly from the nearby town of Dudley, also at the time in Worcestershire. Continue reading →

Jan

2017

Edmund Darby

There were three successive, fathers and eldest sons, called Edmund Darby of Rowley Regis, near Dudley in Staffordshire. Firstly Edmund Darby buried in St Giles Rowley Regis on 22 Feb 1687/8. Secondly Edmund Darby 1670-1746 Thirdly Edmund Darby 1695-1768. All were literate and left wills, held at Worcester. Continue reading →

Nov

2016

William Barnesley

William Barnesley was born in Trysull, near Wolverhampton, in about 1568. His parents were Thomas Barnesley and Katherine Cooke, who had married in All Saints, Trysull in 1565. Continue reading →

Nov

2016

John Bradney

John Bradney was probably born about 1590 in Penn, near Wolverhampton. When he died, he left a will written on 30 Apr 1667 (but probate 9 Sep 1675), in which he is described as a yeoman of Nether Penn. He was buried in St Bartholomew’s Penn on 15 Jul 1675. The executors of his will were William Bendy and William Barnesley. Continue reading →

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