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WILLIAM BYSH and JONE (11)

 

WILLIAM BYSH was the younger son of an older William Bysh and his wife Sarah. His father was a yeoman farmer.

He had an older brother and five sisters at their home in the Surrey village of Tandridge.

We do not have a birth date for him, but he was probably born in the mid-17^th century, possibly towards the end of the Civil War or in the Republican Commonwealth that followed it.

William became a yeoman like his father.

He probably lived at Snouts Farm in Tandridge, which seems to be the major source of his income, but at his death he also owned the properties of Barnfeild, Woodsfeild, Foxcrofts, Hopgarden, Newlands (aka Motlands) and Cannfeilds Croft, as well as having a lease on Bennet’s Farm. We know that Snouts Farme and Newlands were in the parish of Tandridge but the location of the others is uncertain.[1]

Snouts Farm is in the south of this long, thin parish – about 10 miles by 1 mile, or even less. The Byshes may have found it more convenient to go to one of the neighbouring churches, rather than to St Peter’s in Tandridge village, well to the north.

 

JONE. William’s will includes a legacy to Elizabeth Head, his wife’s granddaughter. This makes it almost certain that their marriage is the following:

Marriage. St Mary, East Grinstead.
1673 Nov 26  Will Bysh and Jone Head.

The fact that Elizabeth Head is Jone’s granddaughter, but not William’s, suggests that Jone was a widow when she married William. We have not been able to find Jone’s first marriage, so we do not know her maiden name.

She must have had at least one child from this marriage, probably a son.

Michael Chappell, in his article on Snouts Farm, gives the birth date of their oldest son Henry as 1675.[2] This was the year that William’s father died. In his will, he leaves all his farms to his own eldest son Henry. But we know, from William junior’s will and from land records, that Snouts Farm was owned by the younger William. This is probably because the older William had given it to his younger son before he made his will, very likely as a marriage gift.

We do not have the baptisms of William and Jone’s children. His will names sons Henry, William and Thomas, and a daughter Joanna.

William wrote his will on 10 Sep 1714,  the year that the last Stuart monarch, Queen Anne, died, and the first Hanoverian, George I, came to the throne.

We have not found his burial, but his will was proved on 3 May 1721. He describes himself as “William Bysh of the Parish of Tandridge in the County of Surrey, Yeoman.”

He leaves his loving wife Joan “one feather bed whereon I lye with the covering and appurtenances, one Joyn’d Chest under the clock, twelve pair of sheets therein, three tablecloths, two pair of pillowbeers, six naptkins at her Election, one warming pan and bedpan, a chair lined with cloth, tenn pewter dishes, one silver spoon, one bras skillet, one chest of draws in my bedchamber & one Deal box.
As his father had done, he leaves his wife “for her life the parlour in my dwelling house with free ingress, egress and regress to and from the same and free liberty of the fire to be kept in the said house . . . . . . . and sufficient wood for the fireing during her life to be allowed her by my Executor from time to time on her request”.
In addition, he gives her “for her life the yearly summe of twelve pounds of lawfull money of Great Brittain, cleer of taxes and other charges, to be issuing and paid unto her out of my land called Barnfeild, Woodsfeild, Foxcrofts and Hopgarden and the Messuage called Snoute and the barns orchards and appurtenances therewith used now in my possession, the same to be paid quarterly at the four usuall feasts vizt Michaelmas, Christmas, Lady Day and St John Baptist”.
“And also the further yearly summe of eight pounds of said lawfull money cleer of taxes and other charges to be issueing & paid unto her out of my parcell of Land called Newlands and the barn thereon quarterly as aforesaid etc.”
If these sums are not paid, she has the right to enter these lands and distrain for the amount owed.
He gives his son Henry “all that my said Messuage called Snoute with the barns, stables, buildings, lands, meadows, pastures and appurtenances thereto belonging and therewith used and one croft called Cannfeilds Croft, subject nevertheless to the said yearly summe of twelve pounds aforehereby given thereout to my wife for her life”.
He gives his daughter Joanna “the summe of five pounds to be paid unto her by my son Henry out of my Snoute farm within three months after my said decease. And I give to my said daughter five pounds of lawfull mony yearly. cleer of taxes & other charges, att the four feast days afore mentioned out of my twelve acre field, part of Snoute farm”.
He leaves his son William “the summe of two hundred pounds, one hundred pounds whereof to be paid unto him by my son Henry and his heirs out of my said Snoute farm in manner following viz: fifty pounds thereof within one year after my decease, and the other fifty pounds in two years after my decease, and the other hundred pounds to be paid unto him by my son Thomas out of my stock hereinafter given unto him, att fifty pounds a yeare as aforesaid.
If William should die before these amounts have been paid in full, the residue is to be divided equally between the children of this William when they reach the age of 21.
To his son Thomas he leaves “all that my parcell of land called Newlands als. Motlands and the barn thereon, conteyneing about threescore acres in Tandridg aforesaid, subject to the said eight pounds a year to my wife for her life.
“And I give to my son Thomas all the corn thereon being at my decease and one equall half part of all my stock of cattle and Husbandry tackling, and also two featherbeds with the covering and appurtenances both now new, one Joynd chest, eight pair of sheets, one dozen of naptkins, three tablecloths, three pillowbeers, three towells ,six pewter dishes, the chest is markt T B, and also my stone hog tub to be all delivered to him by my Executor within three months after my decease.”
He also leaves to Thomas “my Lease of Bennets farm and all the corn in the barn and which shall be growing thereon at my decease”.
To Elizabeth Head, his wife’s granddaughter, he leaves one guinea.
He makes Henry his sole executor and leaves him “all the rest and residue of my stocks, goods, chattells and personal Estate after my Debts, Legacyes and funerall charges are paid and discharged”.
William signs the will.
The witnesses are Will: Rogers, Benjamin Richardson, and Tho: Penfold.
The will was proved on 3 May 1721.

 

[1] https://thesignsofthetimes.com.au/WPA/ENG/Surrey/Bysh_William_Will%20(1721).pdf
[2] Michael Chappell, “Snouts Farm Now The Red Barn”, The RH7 History Group, 2006. https://www.rh7.org/factshts/snoutsfm.pdf

 

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